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“SO, WHAT DOES THIS mean for Woody?” Woody asked as he sat in the inner vault discussing the next steps with Spectre and Kruger. “Am I fired?”
“No, you’re not fired,” Spectre said before taking a long pull from his beer.
“Am I in trouble?”
“You’re not in trouble,” Kruger said.
“I broke your jet and a really expensive Raptor, though.”
“You saved our airplane and prevented an even bigger mishap,” Spectre replied. “But you should have ejected. You know that, right?”
Woody shrugged. “I had it saved, brah. How is the pilot?”
“When we left the base, they said he was just out of surgery and expected to make a full recovery,” Spectre said. “It could have been a lot worse.”
Woody shook his head. “That guy came out of nowhere. Should never have happened.”
“You’re going to have to put it behind you, bub,” Kruger said. “Are you going to be able to do that?”
“Do I have a choice?” Woody asked.
“You always have a choice,” Spectre replied. “This operation is completely voluntary.”
“I know, but what I’m asking is whether there’s a backup plan or not. If I say no, is America fucked as we know it?”
“We’ll go to our backup plan,” Kruger said gruffly.
Spectre looked at Kruger. “I thought there was no backup plan.”
“There’s always a backup plan, bub. But it’s a limited probability of success option.”
“So, basically, if I don’t go, we’re fucked,” Woody replied.
“Pretty much,” Spectre said.
Woody suddenly flashed a knowing grin. “Good. I just wanted that to be on the record for when you write your book about us saving the world, Spectre.”
“Shut the fuck up!” Spectre said as they all started laughing.
“But seriously, what’s next?” Woody asked.
“The techs will start tearing down the aircraft tonight for shipment,” Kruger said. “Tomorrow, we’re going to do a refresher course in resistance and interrogation and then take the jet to meet them.”
“Whoa, whoa...Resistance training?” Woody asked.
“Better than average chance that one or all of us ends up in a North Korean prison,” Kruger said flatly. “Time to brush up.”
“In that case, I’d like to change my previous answer!”
“Too late,” Spectre replied. “Your book is already written.”
“Shit!”
“It’ll be fine, Woody,” Spectre said. “It’s just in case.”
“Spectre, if I end up in a North Korean prison, I’m gonna kick you square in the jimmy.”
“Fair enough,” Spectre said, still laughing.
“On that note,” Kruger said as he stood. “Gentleman, if you’ll give me the room for a few minutes, I need to make a secure call back to Langley.”
Spectre finished the rest of his beer and tossed the bottle in the trash as he and Woody stood. “I’m starving, what’s for dinner?”
“Hopefully it’s Thai food,” Woody replied.
Kruger waited for them to walk out and then walked to the desk in the corner. He opened the laptop and logged in, setting up the secure video teleconferencing system. He entered in the information for the direct connection to Director Chapman and then waited for it to connect. A few seconds later, the Director of Central Intelligence appeared on screen.
“What the hell is going on over there, Kruger?” Chapman barked.
“I’m gonna need you to check your tone, bub,” Kruger warned. “I don’t work for you.”
“I’m sorry,” Chapman said as he rubbed his temples. “What do you have for me?
“The mission is a go,” Kruger replied.
“What about the fallout from the mishap?”
“As long as the paperwork we discussed gets taken care of on your end, I think we have a good enough cover story to get us through the exhibition,” Kruger said.
“It’s been taken care of as you requested. DOD was completely on board.”
“And my other request?”
“Citizenship for Natasha?” Chapman asked. “That’s a bit tougher.”
“It’s non-negotiable.”
“I get that, but that’s something the President will have to weigh in on, and he’s been a little bit preoccupied lately trying to make sure these peace talks don’t fall apart. Believe me, I want to help you on this.”
“She won’t be able to go back to Russia when this is all over.”
“I know that, and we will take care of her,” Chapman said. “But citizenship is a bit more difficult.”
“Tell the President that I will make a healthy donation to his reelection campaign if that will help.”
Chapman waved his hand. “You don’t need to do that, Kruger. What you’re doing for us outweighs any campaign contribution you could make. I’m going to get you everything you’re asking for, but some of it will take time. Trust me, I’m on your side.”
“Never trust someone who says, ‘Trust me.’”
“Kruger, you saved my life. I trust you and you know you can trust me. We will make it happen. But the other side of this, too, is that if the North Koreans get word that we’re working on citizenship for Natasha, the whole operation might be compromised.”
“Look, bub, she’s all that matters to me.”
“I will take care of it personally,” Chapman said. “In the meantime, is there anything else you need before you head out? You have every asset available to you in order to make this operation a success.”
“We’re good, bub,” Kruger said. “We will make it happen.”
“Good. I can’t stress enough how high the stakes are here. If you fail, a war with North Korea supported by the Chinese is almost a certainty. It will be a third world war with nuclear and EMP weapons. No one will come out a winner.”
“Copy,” Kruger said. “I’ll be in touch once we’re boots on the ground. Kruger, out.”