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SPECTRE WAS WAITING at the desk in the inner vault when Kruger and Ringo walked in. He held up the beer he had been sipping on and said, “Cold ones in the fridge.”
Kruger diverted to the mini-fridge and grabbed two beers. He handed one to Ringo and twisted the top off his as he sat down. He took a long pull and then belted a frustrated sigh.
“So, back to how fucked we are,” Spectre said as he watched Kruger start to unwind.
“Peace talks with the North Koreans are stalling. Intel analysts at Langley think the EMP launch will happen much sooner,” Kruger said. “It’s a shit show.”
“So, why not go in and do a pre-emptive strike?” Spectre asked.
“We take this little asshole out and Washington thinks they can salvage the talks. He’s currently the one interfering,” Kruger answered.
“What’s Plan B?” Spectre asked.
“There is no Plan B,” Ringo said.
“Oh, come on,” Spectre said with a look of disbelief. “There has to be a Plan B.”
“Sure. They’ll launch their ICBM. We’ll knock it down. We’ll have no choice but to retaliate and within twenty-four hours Seoul and Osan will be leveled by the artillery at the DMZ. The Chinese will intervene and then the Japanese will join in to defend their own interests and World War III will have officially kicked off,” Ringo replied.
Spectre knew Ringo was right. The North Koreans were estimated to have in excess of twelve thousand pieces of artillery and twenty-three hundred pieces of multiple-launch rocket launchers. Between artillery, ground forces, and air strikes in the initial hours of the war, everything near the border of South Korea would be decimated. And that didn’t even take into account the chemical and biological weapons the North Koreans were thought to possess. It was one of the many reasons the stalemate between the North and South had gone on as long as it had. All-out war was simply not an option.
“What you’re asking the guys downstairs to do is not going to happen in a week, Kruger,” Spectre said after a brief silence. “It was already a stretch with the timeline we had.”
Kruger shrugged. “They’re the guys you picked. I would’ve preferred you to do it.”
Spectre shook his head. “It doesn’t matter who’s in those jets. No one’s learning curve is that steep.”
Kruger looked at his watch. “Well, then you’d better get some sleep so you can get an early start.”
Spectre rolled his eyes. “We don’t have the airspace reserved until the afternoon. It’s not that easy.”
Kruger downed the rest of his beer and set the empty bottle down on the desk. “I’ll go make some phone calls.”
Spectre looked at Ringo as Kruger got up and walked out. “Is he serious?”
“I would assume so.”
“What isn’t he telling me?”
Ringo shrugged. “You know the drill, mate. Need to know.”
As Spectre considered his response, Kruger suddenly reentered the vault. “You have the airspace all day tomorrow and whatever you need for the rest of the week.”
“What? How?” Spectre asked.
“Don’t worry about it, bub. It’s done. What else do you need to make this happen?”
“A miracle,” Spectre replied.
“I can’t help you with that, but in the meantime, get some rest. I told the ground support guys 0800, which is in six hours,” Kruger said.
“You really think we can make this work without everyone, including you, dying in North Korea?” Spectre asked as he stood and faced Kruger.
“We don’t have a choice, bub.”