High Alert

CHAPTER 26

Alexei Vysotsky watched Valentina come into his office and sit down.

She really is a beautiful woman. I envy Orlov.

"Before you start, be careful what you say," Valentina said.

"I take it you were successful?"

"If you can call it that."

"I didn't ask you here to talk about your dalliance," Vysotsky said, "though I admit, I am curious. We can leave that for another time. A problem is developing in Korea and we're going to have to do something about it."

"What problem?"

"That idiot who calls himself the Supreme Leader intends to set off a massive EMP explosion over North America."

"That's insane. The Americans have plenty of assets outside of their homeland that would not be affected. They will annihilate him, probably with nukes. It will lead to chaos. We'll be drawn in."

"Exactly. Major commands like the Seventh Fleet have orders to act independently if central command is knocked out. Once they knew Yun was responsible, they would retaliate."

"A nuclear attack on North Korea would cover us with fallout."

"You see, Valentina? This is one reason you are the perfect person for this operation. You understand the consequences of failure."

"You haven't said yet what the operation is."

"I want you to go into North Korea with a team and destroy Yun's launch vehicle. It would be better to stop him on the ground rather than trying to shoot his missile down. There is always a chance we would miss."

"An assault team is highly specialized. They will resent an outsider, especially a woman. Why do you want me to go with them?"

"I want to get Harker's group involved and I want you to act as liaison with them."

"Are you serious? You want to bring in the Americans my sister works with? Why?"

Vysotsky reached into his desk drawer and took out the bottle of vodka he always kept there, along with two glasses.

"Think it through, Valentina. She and her comrades have proven themselves exceptional in the field. They specialize in operations like this. Like you, they are highly trained and capable of independent operation. They adapt. They are ruthless. If they were Russian, they would be my first choice for this. Your sister speaks and reads Korean. You have worked together before. A certain level of trust exists between you."

"She is still an American," Valentina said.

"Did you know Arkady Korov?"

Vysotsky filled the glasses with vodka.

"I met him a few times."

"He was a fine officer, dedicated. It was a great loss when he was killed. For a while he worked closely with your sister's unit. He came to trust them. Once suspicion was dispelled, they accepted him as an equal. If we do this on our own and something goes wrong, it will be a public relations disaster. It could even lead to war. Yun's launch site is not far from China. If we try to shoot down his missile, it could be misinterpreted by Beijing. Plus there is more to consider."

"More?"

"Drink up."

They downed the vodka. Vysotsky told Valentina about the video claiming that Moscow and Washington had formed an alliance against China and were preparing for war.

"That's ridiculous," Valentina said. "It's obviously false."

"Obvious to us, perhaps. Not so obvious to the Chinese. My sources in Beijing inform me that the video created consternation at the highest levels."

"Are they really so naïve as to think we and the Americans would ally against them?"

"They are competing with us for resources and regional influence and are becoming annoyingly aggressive. There are many reasons for them to think we'd plot against them. It's what they do, and they expect the same of everyone else. The leadership is insecure. They see the Americans as an obstacle to their expansion in the China Sea and see us as looking for ways to recover what was lost in '89. They are correct on both counts. The idea that we would conspire against them fits their paranoid view of the world."

"We should just shoot the launch vehicle down," Valentina said. "I don't think we would miss."

"Perhaps not, but it runs the risk of provoking Beijing into doing something foolish. Shooting down the missile could push them over the edge. Yun would claim the launch was for peaceful purposes. A weather satellite, perhaps. China is his ally. It is a dangerous situation."

"I am not in favor of involving the Americans. Give me a Spetsnaz team and I will make sure this bomb never leaves the ground."

"What if the Americans have also learned of Yun's plan?" Vysotsky asked.

"If they've discovered what he's doing, they will try to stop him. Probably by sending in one of their covert units. One of their SEAL teams, perhaps."

"That is a safe assumption. Knowing the Americans, they will act sooner rather than later. What if they happen go in at the same time you are on the ground at the launch site?"

Valentina looked uncomfortable. "It would be difficult to avoid conflict."

"Which is another reason I would prefer to make sure there are no misunderstandings," Vysotsky said. "We do not need an incident between our two countries at this time, especially on North Korean territory. It is a reason to seek an alliance with your sister's unit. Better to work with the devil we know."

"How do you plan to involve them?" Valentina asked.

"Leave the Americans to me."