Brothers in Arms

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Shaun Kingston stared at the seated figure before him and wondered how the hell anyone so obtuse, so gross, and so self-serving could ever rise to the rank of general.

But then, he thought. We are dealing with the Goddamn North Koreans here.

“My good friend,” he said aloud, “whisky?”

“As if you need ask, Mr. Kingston.”

“Your English.” Kingston always buttered them up first. “Is excellent, General.”

“Of course it is. I attended an English boarding school. And no doubt better than your Korean.”

Kingston allowed an ingratiating nod rather than ask about North Korean boarding schools. The final payoff was worth a little self-effacement at this stage.

Kingston poured the drink. “I assume you…dispersed…the delicacies we sent you for Christmas?”

“Of course.”

“Do you remember the name of the village?” Kingston couldn’t resist.

The general’s face didn’t even crack, or wobble, as the case would have been. “I forget.”

Kingston passed over the expensive looking tumbler, noting the attentiveness of the general’s bodyguards when he leaned toward him. “Do you foresee any barriers?”

The general sipped his drink and wobbled his jowls. “There are new developments, Mr. Kingston, as you are aware. At this stage, Korea does not believe the island has been discovered. We believe the flight was random, off course maybe, or speculative.”

“And why do you believe that? Did China tell you?”

“China is our ally,” the general spat. “Not our leader. Our struggle can be achieved with or without their aid.” A moment of silence followed, during which the big man clearly took hold of himself. “The Americans are making no real noise of this disappeared plane. It does not seem high on their priorities. We believe it is of no consequence to them.”

“Good.” The last thing Kingston wanted was the Stars and Stripes putting an end to the brokering of the biggest deal of his life. His eyes flicked for a moment to his PC, open before him and displaying his company’s striking logo: Kingston Firearms International, the world-renowned and acceptable face of his business. But not enough.

Never enough.

“I don’t mind saying — I thought it a risky deal you employed with the sleeper system,” he said. “But one that has paid off. So far.”

The general went still. “Korea can never know,” he muttered. “The risk is beyond your reckoning. It is the brainchild of decades, the procurement chain extends across the globe, and we use it for ourselves.” The man shuddered now. “Pray we don’t get found out.”

“The Russians are making noises,” Kingston told him. “About some enormous archaeological find. It’s big enough to divert their attentions from making money, which says a lot.”

“The Russians are always making noise.” The general dismissed Kingston’s comment. “It’s how they sleep at night. Our inspiration in Korea comes through the confidence that our certain victory is assured. We always do what we say we will do.”

Kingston ignored the speech. It sounded too much like Korean propaganda and he had personal issues to organize.

“So the spring cleaning is going well?”

“Three down, two to go,” the general said. “No issues.”

“There is one issue,” Kingston reminded him.

“The secret team?” The general raised eyebrows like the thin wisps of a snake’s tail. “Your men are dealing with that, yes? My own men might get too…enthusiastic.”

Kingston watched grim smiles appear on the bodyguards’ hard faces.

“We are on American soil, after all.” The general laughed, not a sight a man wants to see before lunch. Even a sumo wrestling match would be easier on the eyes.

Kingston wondered if he should share his findings about the new team with the general. That they were indeed a crack outfit, and had been behind the recent discoveries of the existence of old gods’ bones and artifacts around the world. Kingston zoned out for a second—was the new Russian find linked with that?

He decided not to share his knowledge. The last thing he needed was a bunch of trigger-happy Koreans running around DC.

“We’re watching them.” He nodded. “We know where they live. So to speak.”

The Korean general smiled expansively. “Good. Good. Now tell me more about these weapons.”