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IF HE NEVER SAW ANOTHER moldy, damp, and dark basement, it would be too soon. Cowboy sat on the floor in the corner of the room, watching the light bulb flicker as he heard footsteps above him. He listened intently, wondering if his luck would run out and those footsteps would suddenly be muted by gunfire.
The footsteps grew louder, descending the stairs until he could just barely make out legs in the darkness. Unlike his previous accommodations, this basement had no separate room. The only door was at the top of the stairs.
The ghost like figure reached the base of the stairs and turned toward Cowboy. The woman that had introduced herself as Maeng Min when he was taken to his new accommodations emerged from the darkness. She was carrying a bowl of something as she casually approached Cowboy.
“Here, eat,” she said as he stood to meet her.
“Any word on Pak?” Cowboy asked as he gratefully accepted the bowl.
Maeng frowned and shook her head. “T’ae is searching for him.”
T’ae Yeon-Woo had been the man standing behind the rifle in the alley as Cowboy tried to escape the approaching North Korean soldiers. He claimed to be a friend of Pak’s – part of an underground resistance with ties to the CIA – that had come to help Pak and Cowboy escape when they learned that North Korean soldiers had narrowed down Cowboy’s location to Pak’s neighborhood.
Unfortunately, they had been too late. Pak occupied the soldiers just long enough for T’ae and his men to grab Cowboy, but they were unable to save Pak. He had been taken for questioning and would likely be killed when they were done with him.
“If you let me call my friends, maybe they can help,” Cowboy offered.
“No,” Maeng said sternly. “They listen.”
“It’s an encrypted satellite phone,” Cowboy argued.
Maeng shook her head. “They will listen and find you.”
“Okay, so what do we do now?”
“We wait,” Maeng said. “Patience.”
“No offense, but we don’t have time for patience,” Cowboy replied. “My friend and your friend need our help. I’m no good to you in this basement.”
“We will make contact with your government,” Maeng reassured him. “Do not worry.”
“How?”
“We have drop,” Maeng said.
“A dead drop? That could take days.”
“Patience,” Maeng reiterated. “It is only way.”
“It’s not the only way,” Cowboy argued. “Let me talk to my friends and we can extract Pak as well.”
“No,” Maeng replied flatly as she turned to walk out.
“Where are you going? Maybe we could talk this over?”
“No,” came the reply as Maeng continued up the stairs.
Cowboy returned to his corner and finished the bowl of soup. A few minutes later, he heard more footsteps and watched T’ae descend the stairs.
“How are you feeling?” T’ae asked. His English was much better than Maeng’s. Cowboy wondered if he had spent time in America at some point.
“Like I’m wasting time here,” Cowboy replied.
“You will be back in South Korea very soon,” T’ae said, reaching down to pick up the bowl on the floor. “Do not worry.”
“How soon? And what about Pak?”
“Do not worry about Pak. We will get you back across the border very soon.”
“Now wait a minute, mate. Pak helped me. Why wouldn’t I help him?”
“There is nothing you can do for him,” T’ae replied.
“Let me call my mates back home. We can extract him. Do you know where he is?”
T’ae nodded. “He’s in a place where even your friends cannot get to him.”
“You don’t know who my friends are, mate.”
“It will be dark soon. Get some rest. We will move you tonight.”
“Move me where?”
“We have arranged for your departure through established methods.”
“Established methods?”
“We have a network to get you to the other side of the Demilitarized Zone. It is safe.”
“Nothing’s safe in this country,” Cowboy replied.
“Please get some rest. You will need your strength for the journey,” T’ae said, ignoring Cowboy’s quip.
“You really should let me call back home. I can help you rescue Pak.”
“We have been doing this for many years. We all know the risks. Pak will either be let go because they believe him when he says he knows nothing, or they will kill him.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
T’ae shrugged. “It is a risk we all take. Rest now. I will return when it is time to move.”