Betrayal Read online

  The road ahead curved and he arrived at the intersection. He was the first one here. This was good. It meant the Russian had not the time to set up an ambush. Even if he had, Do Hyun had a failsafe to make sure he walked out of here alive with his suitcases of cash.

  They parked in the middle of the road just shy of the intersection and exited from the van, waiting for the other party to arrive. They didn’t have long to wait. Soon, Do Hyun heard the sound of approaching vehicles. When they pulled through the tunnel of trees in the dim grey of early morning, his pulse doubled. This was it. They were leaving here rich, or they were going to die in the eastern forests of Russia, no one knowing what happened to them.

  There were three vehicles in the small convoy. The first two were military trucks. They sat high up on off-road tires, a single cab in front, and a canvas-covered bed behind. They were the types used for troop transport or hauling supplies. No doubt there were ten to fifteen armed soldiers in the back, all cold killers with itchy trigger fingers. Wasn’t that the American expression? Being outgunned didn’t concern him. It was the occupant in the third vehicle, an expensive silver German luxury SUV, that had his attention. The man inside would dictate how this meeting went. He would try to take the drive by force, issuing commands to his small army to open fire, or he would produce great piles of cash in bags and honor his end of the deal. Do Hyun would find out soon enough.

  The first truck stopped just short of the intersection on the opposite side, pulling over as far as it could. The second performed a similar move, parking even with the first on the weed-covered shoulder. The SUV idled slowly into the middle slot in the center of the gravel track. As expected, soldiers swarmed out the back of the two trucks with AKs, helmets, and plate-carrying vests with ammo pouches in front. If they decided to open fire at once, Do Hyun and his crew would be turned into mounds of red goo in short order.

  The soldiers formed a wall of armament in front of the vehicles, a skirmish line. Only then did the driver’s door of the SUV open. An officer stepped out with creased pants and pressed jacket. He placed his hat on his head and then opened the rear driver-side door for General Alexander Abramov, the man who had offered great sums of money for the small box still sitting in the van.

  General Abramov stepped forward and the wall of guns in front of him parted to allow him through. He was a lengthy man with chiseled Slavic features. He stood proud in the middle of the road with his piercing blue eyes and his practiced air of authority. He surveyed Do Hyun’s small team for a moment, then spoke in Russian. “You have my drive?”

  Do Hyun smiled and gestured to the line of soldiers, answering in Russian. “So many men. One would think you have come to take the drive and not pay me. That would be less than honorable.”

  The general smiled. “Now why would you lie to yourself like that? Neither of us are honorable men. I have your money.” He held up a hand and motioned over his shoulder. Behind him, his driver lifted the rear hatch of the SUV. A moment later and he walked forward, shouldering three large duffle bags. The man passed through the wall of soldiers until he was standing in the center of the intersection. He dropped all three, turned, and retreated back to the driver’s door of the SUV.

  Do Hyun nodded to one of his men. His partner-in-crime walked quickly to the bags and unzipped one, reaching in and grabbing a stack of bills. He held the bundle of euros up for Do Hyun to see before dropping it back in. He started to sling one over his shoulder, but the Russian raised his voice. “Not yet. I have shown you mine. Now you must show me yours.” His friend retreated from the bags and walked back to the side of the van. Sliding open the rear door, he retrieved a small black case and returned to the middle of the intersection. He unlatched it and held it open, waiting. This was where it got tricky, Do Hyun thought to himself.

  This time the the General’s driver produced a small laptop computer and a coiled green cable from the backseat. He returned to the middle of the intersection and connected the drive inside the box to the computer, looked at the screen for a few seconds, then turned and nodded to the General. The General nodded back and motioned for him to bring it over.

  It was time for Do Hyun to make his play. He called out in Russian while raising a small cylindrical device he had concealed over his head. “Not so fast, General. I am sure you would never consider killing us and taking the drive, but to be certain one of your men does not take matters into their own hands, I have implanted an explosive into the box. If I press this trigger, not only will it destroy the device, but it will make a mess of your driver. The bomb is now armed.” A small red light began flashing on the front of the box and Do Hyun’s partner closed it and latched it closed. “Open the box, and it goes off. I press this button and it goes off. We will take your money and drive away. Try to follow us, and I press the button. Shoot at my van, and I press the button. If for any reason I think I am in danger, I press the button. I think you understand.”

  General Abramov laughed. “And just where do you think you will escape to?”

  Do Hyun lowered his hand. “Do you not think I have planned for an escape much as I have planned for your deception? General, I have read your file. I know you to be an intelligent man. That drive is worth many more times what is in those bags. Be smart. Let us both walk away from here wealthy men.”

  The General didn’t have time to respond. Another truck approached from the east, from down the twisted and pitted road that led towards the ocean. It bounced and rocked along slowly, just another Russian military truck like the two before him. As if the other two loaded with soldiers wasn’t enough. This wasn’t going how he had hoped. Still, he had to believe the General in front of him would not sacrifice the drive still waiting in the intersection with his comrade and the General’s driver. Unless, of course, Abramov believed him to be bluffing. It would be a mistake. Do Hyun never bluffed. In his experience as a spy, bluffing seldom paid off.

  The truck, its wheels grinding into the gravel, came to a slow halt just before reaching the intersection. Unlike the others, the engine didn’t shut off as another Russian soldier exited the driver’s side, slinging his AK over his shoulder and adjusting the low slung pistol strapped to his leg. He held a hand up and took two steps closer. A quick glance at the General and his men told Do Hyun something was off.

  Abramov barked at the newcomer, agitation in his voice. “Why are you not at your post?”

  The man looked at them both and then replied to the General in perfect English, another language that Do Hyun spoke. “Sorry, I don’t understand Russian. I know the military leadership makes learning English a requirement, so I assume you understand me.” He then focused on Do Hyun. “Can you understand me as well?”

  Do Hyun nodded as Abramov advanced a step, clearly both curious and angry. The Russian replied to the newcomer in English. “I would have thought the CIA would have required you to learn Russian. Especially if they were going to send a spy into my country. Spies are shot here in Russia, especially when they are caught wearing the uniform of the Russian Army. Before I make that a harsh reality for you, I am curious as to why you so foolishly interrupted my meeting.”

  The stranger smiled and nodded, but held up a finger, signaling the General to wait a moment. He then turned to Do Hyun. “My name is DJ but I am no spy. I’ve been hired to recover the drive. I’m here to help you out. You know he’s not going to let you leave here with that money, right?”

  Do Hyun glanced at the General and back. “The drive is wired with a bomb. I press this and he loses it”

  The American nodded and addressed both Abramov and Do Hyun. “I can make both of you a better offer.” One where the thief and the Russian both get what they value most. He pointed to Do Hyun. “You get to leave here with the money,” he then pointed to General Abramov. “And you get to leave here with your life.”

  The Russian was incredulous at this lone stranger facing down over a dozen armed commandos. He turned to his men. “Kill him.” His men raised their w
eapons as one and pointed at the lunatic American. They never got off a shot. There was a brief moment of a whooshing sound, and Do Hyun caught a glimpse of something racing from the heavens, just a blur of motion. Whatever it was crashed through the hood of the luxury SUV. It was instantly followed by an explosion, sending flames and shards of metal into and through the group of men in front, killing them in an instant and rendering both trucks alongside useless.

  The shockwave tore across the intersection, knocking both the driver and Do Hyun’s friend flat. Do Hyun and the rest of his men were sent staggering backward from the blast. He recovered his footing and focused on what was left of the Russians. Their bodies were scattered about, broken, lifeless and charred. The SUV was split nearly in two, and all three vehicles were burning. In the middle of the intersection, his fellow spy was dead, a piece of what looked to be an AK47 barrel protruded from his face. The driver was moving, his legs slowly kicked the gravel and a moan could be heard. It didn’t last long. The unmistakable sound of a suppressed weapon fired from Do Hyun’s right and the man flinched and moved no more.

  Do Hyun turned to face the American, raising the trigger to his bomb. “I’ll do it. You will get nothing.”

  The man casually lowered his silenced pistol to his side and shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me if it’s destroyed, but I am under orders to bring it back. I get paid either way, but still, I’m obligated to try. This can still end well for you but we’re running out of time. There’s likely to be over a hundred more of those guys headed here now. I would like to be gone when that happens. All you have to do is drop that trigger, grab your money, and head out of here. I only care about the drive. You have five seconds to decide or you die too.”

  Do Hyun glanced at the man’s weapon held low and next to his thigh, pointing at the ground. He looked at his own men, all had pistols out and ready. “Do you really think you can kill me before I hit this button?”

  The American regarded him for a moment. Then, “Do you know what the apricot is?” Do Hyun blinked. What was he talking about, he wondered? Was he insane? The stranger continued. “There’s a place where your brain stem connects to your spinal column. Snipers for the ARMY Rangers call it the apricot. Shoot you there, and you won’t be pressing any buttons.”

  Do Hyun glared at the man. “You really think you’re that fast, that accurate, that you can shoot me in this apricot from twenty-five meters away?”

  The American shook his head and pointed to his left. “No, I’m going to kill the rest of your friends. The guy hiding in the bushes with the AR15 will shoot you. Three seconds.”

  Do Hyun looked to where the man pointed. There, deep in the shadow of low hanging branches, a man-sized shape stood next to a tree, pointing a rifle at him.

  The American spoke again. “Last chance.”

  Do Hyun paused, thinking. And then he thought nothing ever again. There was just darkness. Impossible darkness. Do Hyun floated alone in an inky black darker than night. The world was gone forever.

  Chapter 7: Death & Betrayal

  DJ managed to take out all the others but one. Cash ended him in the same manner as he had the ring-leader with the trigger for the bomb. “Get a bag of that cash,” he instructed his stoic teammate. “We never know when that will come in handy. Take the other two and scatter it out on the road.”

  DJ didn’t go out of his way to confiscate money from the people they killed but leaving duffle bags of euros lying in the middle of a remote section of Russian wilderness just seemed foolish. This wasn’t the first time they had done it either. There was plenty of opportunities to spend it on gear, bribe the locals of whatever country they were working in, or even to pad their retirements. If he were greedy, he would have told Cash to grab all three. That wasn’t prudent. They would have trouble transporting so much money, and the other bags of scattered cash might come in handy in slowing down the troops on their way in. Seeing large sums of money just lying on the road could be a distraction. Any minute DJ and his team could delay a pursuit might mean the difference in life or death.

  DJ snatched the box with the drive. Next, he raced over to the body of the North Korean and retrieved the detonator as well.

  Cash seemed concerned. “Is taking that thing really wise?”

  DJ nodded, heading back to the truck. “Carbon may need it to figure out how to disarm the bomb.” The small cylinder had a button protected by a flip-over cover. He closed it as soon as he picked it up. The last thing they needed was to blow themselves up on the way out of here.

  He started the truck, then pulled forward into the intersection and did a U-turn to head back to the beach, glancing at the smoldering remains of the dead Russians as he spun the truck around. The Hammer had certainly done its job. Too bad they had only elected to carry one with them.

  The Hammer rocket was a recent addition to their armament, courtesy of Agent Ali. It could be fired line-of-sight, or it could be launched from behind cover and guided in with a laser targeting system, which was what had been done here. The Sheriff had fired it from near the beach, aiming it into the sky, and Carbon had guided it in using the repaired Falcon drone circling overhead.

  Before that could happen, the rest of the team had to take out the Russian commandos on the beach. They were too close and would have spotted the rocket launch, giving away the team’s location. Coonie, Bounder, Doolie, and Sheriff easily took out the eight Spetznas relaxing by their truck. The element of surprise was a powerful weapon.

  The road DJ was on dead-ended before reaching the ocean. They had to navigate the same thin trail Bounder had been dragged down to reach the beach. The rest of the team was ready and waiting on the shore with the gear loaded and the Zodiac inflatables ready to shove off. Even though it was now approaching 0630, the plan was to head out to sea and hope they weren’t spotted in their small craft. They would turn on their transponders so the Vermont would be able to detect them with their towed antennae array.

  DJ and his team would travel the six miles out to sea and then wait. He didn’t know if the sub would be waiting for him, nor did he know if it would risk breaking the surface in the daylight. They might have to float all day hoping to not be found by a Russian patrol boat. If that were so, Carbon was going to be a nightmare to live with, a chatterbox of complaints. He would need to keep the hacker’s brain occupied.

  DJ handed off the box with the drive to Carbon as soon as they reached the beach, giving him instructions to see if he could break in. He didn’t trust Agent Seymour to be truthful about the contents. They had already been lied to. The claim about having a SEAL team escort for infil and exfil had been egregious enough. DJ was pretty sure the man had already known about the Russian general too. The agent had sent his team into an impossible situation with a small force. There had to be a reason why, and he wanted to know what it was before they got back. DJ warned Carbon of the explosive. He instructed Carbon to see if he could hack in, despite having been warned it would take a quantum computer to do so.

  For no other reason than DJ just didn’t want to deal with Carbon’s complaining, he had the hacker, Sheriff, and Bounder in one boat with Doolie driving. DJ, Cash, and Coonie took the other one with the gear. Coonie offered to drive, but DJ was in a foul mood and took over the rear seat with the outboard motor. He checked the gas tank. If he calculated correctly, they would get to their meet point with a quarter of a tank to spare. They wouldn’t have enough to make it across the Sea of Japan, but they could limp back to shore if the Vermont never showed.

  Seas were rougher than he would have liked. It slowed their progress, but it also helped to conceal them from other boats that might appear on the horizon. As DJ led the way, he occasionally glanced back at the other boat to make sure they were keeping pace. He could make out Carbon hard at work trying to accomplish his task. DJ wasn’t sure if this was wise or not. The first hurdle Carbon had to overcome was to disable the bomb. Trying to disarm an explosive device while bouncing around in a boat seemed foolis
h, but DJ knew the hacker would never tackle anything he couldn’t handle. If Carbon was working on it, it must mean the task didn’t require tiny tools and a delicate hand. It was probable the hand trigger could turn it off as simply as it had been turned on. Regardless, DJ trusted Carbon’s abilities and instincts.

  __________

  Carbon sat in the middle seat and waited until they were well away from the shore before looking at his new treasure. He lived for new tech. The creativity of others inspired him. Combine that with his love of uncovering secrets, and he had trouble restraining himself for too long. The explosive itself wasn’t that sophisticated. It appeared to be activated by a simple radio transmitter. When he unscrewed the bottom of the trigger and removed the battery, the light on the front of the box stopped flashing. Apparently, proximity was the key. If the radio connection was broken, the bomb ceased to function. He slipped the trigger and the battery into a vest pocket and examined the storage container more closely. It was a thick case made of an impact-resistant plastic/polymer combination. It was the kind meant to ensure the protection of the gear stored inside even if it was tossed down the side of a mountain. He could see no other indication on the outside of the box that any secondary triggers had been wired to the hinges. He took a deep breath and popped the latches.