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JON CHANG-HA MASSAGED his temples as he sat at his desk. He closed his eyes, thinking of his wife and daughter. They had been taken nearly a decade earlier and forced to work in a North Korean small arms factory. A family picture he had hidden in his wallet was all that remained of his beautiful family.
Jon didn’t know for sure, but he had already come to terms with the fact that they were both likely dead. Conditions in the factories were barely survivable. Workers were exposed to asbestos, mold, loud noises, and diseases from the other workers on a daily basis. They were given little water and even less food. It was a death sentence.
But Jon had no choice but to steel himself and do his best work for his country. As the number two scientist for North Korea’s Intercontinental Ballistic Missile and Nuclear Delivery program, Jon spent most of his time under the watchful eye of Dear Leader himself. Any slip-up would guarantee his death by artillery at point-blank range.
The lights of his modest shack flickered off and on as the last train to Pyongyang rumbled by. It was the same train he had taken many times before to report the status of their research to Dear Leader. The click clack of the cars traversing the rails made him cringe. He had grown to hate everything about his life.
As the lone bulb in his one-bedroom apartment flickered back on, Jon took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He retrieved the thumb drive he had taped to the inner wall of the top drawer of his desk and shoved it into his pocket. It was his only hope at vengeance for the life with his family that had been stolen from him in the name of country.
Grabbing his work briefcase, Jon turned the light off and exited the tiny apartment. He was still wearing the dark gray military uniform he had worn all day. As a senior scientist within the military’s most important program, it was his best chance of avoiding confrontation with any North Korean soldiers he might come across.
As he exited the apartment building and walked out onto the street of Changjon, he noticed an eerie quiet. It was well after dark and less than an hour until the mandatory curfew. He had never been out so late and immediately ducked into an alleyway when he saw a pair of soldiers walking on the other side of the street.
Despite his position within the military, he was still terrified of the consequences of being seen after dark. Discretion was not a word in the vocabulary of the average North Korean soldier. He had seen far too many innocent people arrested for far less.
As he hid from the soldiers, Jon looked at his watch. He had less than thirty minutes to make it to the rendezvous point before the curfew went into effect. He steeled himself and emerged onto the street, ignoring the soldiers as he continued toward his objective.
They glanced his way and saw his rank, stopping to render a sharp salute as he walked by. Jon quickly returned the salute and continued forward, hoping they wouldn’t cross the street to question his intentions at this hour.
Reaching the end of the block, he glanced back and saw that the two men had continued down the street. He breathed a short sigh of relief and turned right to head toward the docks.
The street was dimly lit, but Jon made it to the end with little trouble. He found the apartment building where he had been instructed to go. He looked around to ensure no one had followed him and then used his key to open one of the outdoor mailboxes. Inside, he found another key. He took it and deposited the thumb drive before placing the new key in his pocket and continuing toward the docks.
As he reached the gate to the harbor, he pulled the key from the mailbox out of his pocket and placed his briefcase on the ground. He fumbled around with the lock until suddenly he heard footsteps behind him. He spun around and saw a soldier with a flashlight. His heart raced as he dropped the key and froze against the chain-link fence.
“Halt!” the soldier ordered as he shined his light on the sixty-year-old general. “State your intentions!”
As the solider approached, he immediately saw the two stars on Jon’s collar and snapped to attention. “General, I am sorry!” the solider said.
Jon once again tried to calm himself. Although he was a general in rank, he had been a scientist his entire career and had little interaction with the military rank and file. He wasn’t sure what the proper protocol was to make this young soldier go away.
“It is quite alright,” Jon said softly. “Please return to your station.”
“General, I must ask for your identification first. I am terribly sorry,” the soldier replied.
“Is that really necessary?”
“I’m afraid it is, sir.”
Jon pulled out his laminated identification card from his coat pocket and handed it to him. As the soldier shined the light on Jon’s hand, he saw that it was shaking nervously.
“Are you alright, sir?”
“I am fine,” Jon said as the soldier took the ID.
“May I ask what your purpose is here tonight?”
Jon considered the question for a moment and then sternly said, “No, you may not.”
“Sir?” the soldier asked, taken aback by Jon’s sudden change in demeanor.
“Is there a problem? Shall I speak to your commander?” Jon asked angrily.
“No, general. No problem at all,” the soldier said before quickly handing the ID back to Jon. “I am sorry for disturbing you.”
Jon nodded and the soldier turned to walk away. As he turned back toward the gate, Jon realized that he had dropped the key into the gravel. He started to panic as he dropped to his knees and struggled to find the key in the darkness.
As Jon fished around for the key, the soldier turned around and saw him on his knees. He walked back and shined his light on the ground. “Can I help you find something, general?”
With the assistance of the light, Jon immediately located the key and stood.
“Found it,” he said as he held the key up.
“Will there be anything else, sir?” the soldier asked.
“No, that’s-”
Jon froze as he saw three more lights approaching. One of the men called out to the soldier standing in front of Jon.
“Sir!” the soldier replied as he waved his light.
“Carry on, soldier,” Jon said, trying to shoo the young man away.
The three soldiers continued toward Jon and the confused soldier. Jon struggled to get the key in the lock as he tried to hurry and get away before the others arrived to ask more questions. The padlock clicked open and he removed it from the chain.
“Corporal Pak, what is the meaning of this?” one of the approaching soldiers asked. “Who is this man?”
The approaching soldier shined his light on Jon and immediately saluted as he recognized Jon’s rank.
“General, I had no idea you would be here,” the soldier said. “Forgive us for intruding. We were not notified of your visit.”
Jon slowly removed the chain and nodded. He saw the rank on the soldier’s uniform and realized that he was an officer, probably the corporal’s commander. “It’s quite alright. Please, carry on, Captain.”
“Sir, may I ask what you are doing here at this hour?” the Captain asked.
“No, you may not,” Jon said, hoping the same tactic would work on the officer.
“Respectfully, general, I’m afraid must insist. This is a fishing harbor and is off limits at this hour.”
“Captain, I appreciate your diligence, but your corporal has already verified my identity. My purpose here is none of your concern.”
The Captain stood there under the glow of the flashlights as he considered his next move. As he and Jon stared each other down, a look of recognition suddenly flashed across the Captain’s face.
“You are a member of Dear Leader’s National Science team!” the Captain shouted. “I have seen you before.”
“Yes, keep your voice down,” Jon said. “I am here on a special mission sanctioned by Dear Leader himself. You mustn’t delay me any further. He will be very angry if you continue.”
The Captain seemed to consider the threat for a moment and then suddenly became very serious. He raised his rifle and pointed it at Jon. “I am sorry, sir, but I am afraid you must come with me.”
With a flick of his tongue, Jon removed the cyanide capsule from his teeth and bit down. The poison caused him to collapse as he started convulsing. He said a prayer to be reunited with his wife and daughter in the afterlife as his consciousness faded.