Thorpe's Candle

SLEEPING BEAUTY

As the last of the Pennsylvania Avenue mercury vapor street lamps faded, the men gathered in the Crisis Command Center deep below the main levels of the White House. There were hushed voices and few smiles, only nods and short greetings.

When everyone had settled around the large conference table, the President said, “Thank you for coming. I want candid analysis, your gut feelings, and honest recommendations. No holding back today, gentlemen.”

He searched the faces of the five men and considered the immense power they wielded over so many lives. Under the present circumstances, what they decided today could well affect the future of not only the United States, but also the entire world. The President's eyes fell on Alan Grant, Director of the CIA, who leafed through a spiral notebook. Because the meeting was called on such short notice, Grant still wore his Polo jogging suit.

“Alan, why don't you start?”

“Thank you, Mr. President. This morning, a coded communiqué arrived from our friends in White Hall. It had an Anvil rating so according to protocol I received an immediate call at home. Because of the Anvil classification, I'm required to come in and review it in person — no faxes, e-mail, or text. It was from Sleeping Beauty.”

There was a slight reaction as the President realized the message was from the highest levels of the British Secret Service. Anything from “Sleeping Beauty” meant top secret of the gravest urgency. The Agency's code name for the same level of urgency was “Scare Crow”.

Grant went on. “An operative working in close proximity to the Communist General Secretary of North Korea overheard a conversation that related to a shipment of Cuban korium. There appears to be no doubt that the North Koreans are involved in developing what they referred to as a korium device.”

“Is this operative reliable?” General Mitchell Greer asked. Already in crisp uniform, the weathered face of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff reflected a lifetime commitment to professional soldiering.

Grant glanced at his notes but the President knew he didn't need them. The CIA director was renowned for his photographic memory. “Yes, General,” Grant said. “We must assume the device is some sort of weapon.”

Again, there were slight murmurs as questioning glances shot around the room. Only the President showed no outward reaction. “Go on, Alan.”

“I've ordered our science division to come up with an explanation of what a korium device might be. The communiqué contained a reference to an American scientist, a Dr. William Thorpe, who apparently is assisting in the development of this device.”

“Do you have anything on Thorpe?” Buck Stone said. The Secretary of Defense sipped black coffee and crossed his long Texas legs. Lizard-skin cowboy boots stuck out of his Wrangler jeans. The President had heard Stone carried a small automatic pistol in his boot but no one had ever seen it.

“Yes,” Grant said. “I've already run a background check. He's the former head of the physics department at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Renowned for his work on alternative energy experiments, did some work for the government in the late 1990's. Thorpe moved to Mexico after the death of his wife and worked for a pharmaceutical company for a few years.”

“Any idea what he's doing now?” asked Dean Clancy, National Security Adviser. Clancy was a former federal prosecutor, Attorney General of New York, and Ambassador to the UN.

“We have unconfirmed reports that he's working for Pablo Escandoza,” Grant said. “It's also believed that Escandoza and his associate, Colonel Felix Blackstone, have recently acquired a former Soviet nuclear missile submarine from the North Koreans.”

“Are you serious?” Nathan Templeton, White House Chief of Staff, jerked the stem of the calabash briar pipe from between his teeth. He was not allowed to smoke in the White House, but he always had the pipe with him. “You're telling us that one of the most ruthless men on the planet has the use of a nuclear missile submarine?”

“Holy Mother,” Buck Stone said. “Have those fucking Russians lost their minds?”

“Actually,” Grant said calmly, “we think the Koreans got the sub from the Ukrainians, But I agree, this goes beyond even Escandoza's usual tricks.”

“Tell me about Escandoza,” the President said.

“Certainly,” Grant continued. “Pablo Escandoza rose to power fifteen years ago by systematically assassinating the heads of the other Colombian drug cartels. As Nathan pointed out, he is ruthless, responsible for the deaths of Colombia's Attorney General, a Justice Minister, three Presidential candidates, dozens of journalists, and at least one thousand police officers. And that's just the ones we know about. His personal worth is estimated at three hundred and twenty billion dollars and his business interests are diverse. They include: shipping, banking, real estate holdings around the world, cattle ranches throughout South America, high tech electronics manufacturing and pharmaceuticals in Mexico, dozens of front organizations from Hong Kong to New York, and of course, narcotics. His control over Colombia is solid. Anyone of authority is on his payroll. We'll get little cooperation from the government in conducting any type of investigation to locate Escandoza's operation.”

“All right, gentlemen,” the President said. “I think it's obvious that we have a serious situation here. I have not been up front in what I already know, so now is the time to take this to the next level.” He picked up the phone. “Ask Colonel Argentine to join us.”

It took just over forty minutes for Argentine to brief the men in the basement command center. When he finished, they sat in stunned silence.

Finally, the President said, “General Greer, give us a status report on the military situation in North Korea.”

Greer pulled out a folder from his briefcase. “We have thirty-seven thousand American soldiers stationed in the South. The South Korean army numbers six hundred thirty-three thousand. In opposition, North Korea has the fifth largest army in the world with about one-point-one million soldiers. Add to that half a million reservists and a hundred thousand commandos and you've got a third of their population ready to fight.”

The General unfolded a map, laying it on the table. Then he continued, “Hardware wise, the North has twice the battle tanks, eight times the surface-to-surface missiles and almost twice the combat aircraft as the South. They've also got two and a half times the artillery along with short- and medium-range missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. About seventy percent of the active-duty forces are stationed within sixty miles from the DMZ, which is only thirty-five miles from Seoul. As you know, Seoul is a primary target with eleven million people and a heavy concentration of industry. The North has massed most of its four thousand, five hundred self-propelled guns and two thousand mobile rocket launchers within firing range of Seoul.” He paused, taking a sip of water before continuing.

“We’re all familiar with their regular missile- and nuclear tests. In the event of an attack on the South, the Pentagon's Office of Net Assessment predicts that the defensive lines set up by the South would be quickly breached by North Korean artillery. If that happened, the North could probably take the whole of the South in a week or two. Of course, this is based on a conventional assessment. Up until now, we had no knowledge of anything like this device described by Colonel Argentine. If the korium weapon becomes a reality, then all our projections are nil.”

“Further assessments, gentlemen?” the President said.

“Do we have a carrier group in the region?” Nathan Templeton asked.

Greer nodded. “The Nimitz is off the coast of southern Japan. She could be in position within twenty-four hours.”

“Then I suggest we rattle some sabers,” Templeton said as he tapped the stem of his pipe on the table top. “Move the Nimitz and her support group off the North Korean coast.”

“And find that damn submarine,” Stone added.

“How hard would that be, General?” the President asked.

“I’m not an expert on naval tactics, Mr. President,” Greer said, “But I did confer with my colleagues at the Pentagon before coming here. Apparently, the best way to find a submarine is with another submarine. That's because the ability of a submarine to hide is defined almost entirely by its environment — the temperature of the water, salinity variations, the placement of thermal layers, and of course, ambient noise. Aircraft and surface ships can see bits and pieces of what lies below, but the submarine commander has a great deal more latitude in assessing his environment and his best hiding places.

“Each class of sub has its own distinctive ambient signature, and for that matter, each individual sub does as well. I’ve been assured that we know the Yankee-class intimately having tracked them for decades. By today's standards, they're old and clunky — fairly easy to find. Their own acoustic signature is their worst enemy. We can assume that the sub in question is somewhere off the west coast of Central or South America which would narrow the search field down considerably. I feel certain that we can locate her within a matter of days.”

“And what about the korium?” Stone asked.

Alan Grant answered, “The British communiqué said the Koreans and Escandoza have found another source. Colonel Argentine, do you have any idea what that might be?”

“We scanned virtually every square mile of land where any trace of korium was ever known to have been found. At this time, we know of no other supply.”

“But the British communiqué mentioned that Escandoza had a lead,” Stone pressed. “Any guess as to what they were talking about?”

“No, Mr. Secretary,” Argentine said. “Believe me, when we discovered Project Candle Power and the importance of korium in developing Thorpe's Candle, we followed every possible lead we could think of to find a new source. The Cuban mine was all we could come up with.”

The President said, “We have to find that korium before the Koreans do. I want you to begin a new search immediately.”

“Yes, sir,” Argentine said.

“What was the name of that outfit that lifted the Soviet sub, Colonel?”

“OceanQuest, sir.”

“Get them involved.”

“Alan,” the President continued, nodding to Grant, “do we have any idea where Escandoza's headquarters is located?”

“We believe it is somewhere in the Andes Mountains near Lake Guatavita.”

“But you don't feel we would get any cooperation from the Colombian authorities?”

“No, Mr. President, none whatsoever.”

“All right. I want an extensive satellite scan of the suspected area. At the same time, assemble a strike force and put together a plan of action to be carried out when we do find him. I've already briefed the Director of the FBI on the situation and have him searching on how the Koreans found out about Project Candle Power in the first place. And I want to know how the Cubans knew Captain Harper was coming down there. Remember that if word of the korium device leaks out, the effect on world stability would be devastating. Everything must be at the highest level of security.”

Each man nodded as the President said, “The race is on, gentlemen. Coming in second is not an option.”