CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

"How was it bombed? You say there were no enemy planes, no missiles, nothing on radar. How? How!" he screamed.

"We're not sure, sir. There is nothing but debris left because we had just fueled the jet and loaded the missiles."

"Fools! You fools! We have nothing left now. Nothing." His aides cowered away from him, the women running for fear of their lives. Even his cabinet was frightened of him, unsure of what to say.

"We can rebuild it, sir."

"Not in time," he growled. "Get out of my sight. I'll decide what to do with you all later. I will not tolerate incompetence! I will not!"

The three men left the room as quickly as they had been summoned to appear. They had no explanations for what happened to the jet, only that it was no longer in existence. The one man who had taken photos for them of the original jet was no longer alive, the plans long since disappeared. How would they ever rebuild it?

"What do we do?" asked one of the men in a whisper.

"I don't know. The president is still not seeing anyone. I think General Park is holding him hostage in his own home."

"Maybe we can alert the others," said the engineer.

"No. No, we would be killed instantly. Let's just leave and hope that someone can help us all."

Park paced back and forth in his office, desperately wanting to kill someone. That jet was going to be their way of showing superiority and force. The bomb on it was to be dropped on their neighbors to the south, forcing America, Japan, and China to take a stand with them.

"General Park?" asked his aide. "Are you ready to review your speech?"

"Yes," he nodded, taking his seat. "I've made some small changes to what you wrote. It wasn't quite right for me."

"Yes, sir."

"Any news on my daughter?" he asked.

"No, sir. The men were able to escape the officials at LAX but could find nothing at her apartment in Stanford. There was no residence in San Diego, so they are headed toward a lead in New Orleans, Louisiana."

"New Orleans? She wouldn't go there. There is nothing there for her, not even her precious music. Bring them back."

"Sir, perhaps we should give them just a day or two. If they find something, that's wonderful. If not, they can go from Louisiana to Mexico and make their way back here. We have nothing to lose, sir."

He stared at the aide, admiring his strategic thinking but not his courage in using it with him. However, he was correct. There was nothing to lose in allowing them to feel things out and see if she had gone to this horrible place for whatever reason.

"Fine. Two days. That's all. Give me time to review the changes on the speech. Make sure that my cabinet knows I want them beside me on that balcony. The people are going to be upset when they learn they've lost their beloved president. Then they will rejoice that I have taken his place."

"Yes, General Park," said the young man. He backed out of the office, letting out a long, slow breath. He had pushed the limits with the general, but hopefully, he would be alive for another day.

Taking the steps to the third floor of the palace, he hoped to see his longtime girlfriend, the head nurse for the president. He'd been sick for a long time, or so the people had been told. What only he and his girlfriend knew was that every time the general visited him, he was feeding the president more poison.

He stopped at the end of the hallway, watching as several men rolled a gurney into the hallway. A sheet covered a body, and he knew. He'd finally get what he wanted. General Park would be president of the People's Republic of North Korea by the end of the day.

Sun-Jeo looked up, giving a small smile to her boyfriend, then nodding toward the door at the other end of the hallway where they often met. He quickly went inside, and a few moments later, she came in, wrapping her arms around him.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"We will never be alright," she whispered. "We have to leave. He will take over by the end of the day."

"I know. I'm not sure how we can leave." She held a hand to her stomach, then looked up at him.

"We must."

Without hesitation, he pulled her out the door and down the hallway toward the back stairs. Looking both ways, they exited on the main floor toward the parked cars of the staff. Not saying a word, they left the palace and headed to their apartment to pack their things.

Taking only what was absolutely necessary, they left the city and headed north toward the border of China.

Years before, he'd secured a Chinese passport. No one knew. No one. Now, hopefully, he would be able to save his girlfriend and unborn child. After thirty minutes of questioning, the guards let them pass. Driving north, neither spoke. More than twenty hours later, he finally stopped in a small village and asked for a place to sleep.

Inside the rental house, he paid the landlord for three months' rent, swept the floors, and went to the market, all while she slept. When he returned, he put the things away and sat in the small wooden chair by the fireplace. And he cried. When she heard his weeping, she got up and sat next to him and cried as well.

"We will be on the run for the rest of our lives," he whispered. "I did this to you."

"No. He did this to us. But maybe it's not too late to help," she said, staring at him. He looked at her, not sure what she was asking him to do. He couldn't go back in the other direction, it would be too dangerous. They had to keep moving forward.

"It's not too late," she whispered. "Call the Americans. Or the Japanese. Let them know what he's planning to do. No matter what, I love you and this baby." Kissing him sweetly, she went back to bed, falling asleep immediately.

It was the early hours of the morning when he stepped into the small yard of the rental property. Ensuring that his tracker was off, the GPS turned off, and that his phone was safe, he dialed a number.

"Central Intelligence Agency, you've reached the terrorist threat line. How can we help you?"

"I'd like to speak to someone about what the Korean president is going to do."

"Sir, the Korean president is dead. It was just announced."

"I'm talking about the new Korean president. General Park." There was a long pause, then the man spoke again.

"Hold, sir."