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Kai’s phone rang next morning while he was shaving. The caller ID was in Korean. Kai could not read or speak Korean but he guessed who it was, and he tensed. ‘So soon?’ he said aloud, then he picked up the call.
‘It’s started,’ said a voice that he recognized as belonging to General Ham.
‘What’s happened?’ Kai put down his electric shaver and picked up a pencil.
Ham spoke quietly, obviously concerned about being overheard. ‘Just before dawn Yeongjeo-dong was raided by the Special Operation Force,’ he said.
He was talking about the elite division of the Korean People’s Army.
Ham went on: ‘I assume this was the Supreme Leader’s response to information from Beijing.’
‘Good,’ said Kai. Kang had acted fast. ‘And…?’
‘They attempted to take over the base and arrest the senior officers.’
Kai did not like the sound of that. ‘Attempted, you say?’
‘There was a shoot-out.’ Ham reported concisely but calmly, as he had been trained. ‘The rebels were on home ground, with easy access to all the resources of the base. The attackers arrived in vulnerable helicopters and were not familiar with the territory. Also, I think they were surprised by the number and strength of the rebels. Anyway, the Special Operation Force was repelled and the rebels are now in complete control of the base.’
‘Hell,’ said Kai. ‘We were too late.’
Ham went on: ‘Most of the attackers are dead or locked up – a few got away. I took this phone from a dead one. Officers who are not supporters of the conspiracy have been imprisoned also.’
‘This is bad news. What’s next?’
‘The two missile bases nearest here both have rebel groups. They have been told to move now, and reinforcements have been sent to them to make sure. There may be other rebellions around the country – we haven’t heard yet. The one the ringleaders are most interested in is the other nuclear missile facility, Sangnam-ni, but there’s no word yet.’
‘Call me as soon as you know more.’
‘I’ll steal a phone from another corpse.’
Kai hung up and looked out of the window. It had been daylight for only an hour or so, and already things were going wrong. It was shaping up to be a long day.
He left brief messages for President Chen and Minister Wu, simply saying what had happened and promising more details shortly. Then he called the office.
He reached the overnight manager, Fan Yimu. ‘There’s been a coup attempt in North Korea,’ he said. ‘Result undecided. Get the team in as soon as possible. I’ll be there in less than an hour.’ It was a Sunday, but his staff would have to cancel their plans to wash their cars and do their laundry.
He finished shaving in a hurry.
Ting came into the bathroom naked, yawning. She had heard his half of the conversation. Speaking English, she said: ‘We got a situation.’
Kai smiled. She must have heard that phrase in a movie, or something. ‘I have to skip breakfast,’ he said in Mandarin.
She replied with another Americanism. ‘Knock yourself out.’
Kai laughed. She had an ear for this kind of thing. ‘In the middle of a crisis, you can make me smile,’ he said.
‘You bet your ass.’ She wiggled her own at him, then stepped into the shower.
Kai dressed quickly in his office clothes. By the time he was ready, Ting was rubbing her hair dry. He kissed her goodbye.
‘I love you,’ she said in Mandarin. ‘Call me later.’
Kai went out. On the street the air quality was poor. It was still early but the traffic was heavy, and the taste of car exhaust was in his mouth.
In the car he thought about the day ahead. This was the most important crisis since he had become Vice-Minister for International Intelligence. The entire government apparatus would be looking to him for information on what was happening.
After half an hour of thought, still stuck in traffic, he called the office again. By this time Peng Yawen was at her desk. ‘Three things,’ he said. ‘Get someone to check the signals intelligence from Pyongyang.’ The Guoanbu had long ago broken into North Korea’s secure communications system, which used Chinese-made equipment. They did not have access to everything, of course, but what was available would be useful. ‘Second, make sure someone is listening to the news on South Korean radio. They’re often the first to find out what’s happening in the north.’
