Free Web NovelCIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.
“How was your impression after meeting Kim Muhyuk in person?”
George Tenet, the CIA director, set down the report Chandler had prepared and asked.
Chandler, standing at attention, hesitated before answering.
“He did not lose his composure even in front of the name ‘America.’”
“That figures. He’s one of President Bush’s major backers, and he’s also friends with Putin.”
Chandler, recalling how Kim Muhyuk had kept his composure even before a U.S. agent, asked,
“What does the White House say?”
“They absolutely do not want friction with Muhyuk.”
“If Muhyuk props up Ahmad, our American interests shrink accordingly. One man taking the rights to develop half the underground resources buried in Afghanistan is absurd.”
Tenet frowned at Chandler’s words.
“It’s a shame, sure. But if the White House says not to, what can we do? It’s not as if oil is gushing out of Afghanistan.”
“Still...”
“Enough. Washington is already leaning toward Ahmad. Hamid is easier for us to manipulate, but Afghanistan is not Washington’s focus. All attention has moved to Iraq.”
As he said, America’s focus had long since shifted from Afghanistan to Iraq.
“Then should we stop supporting Hamid?”
“Hmm... not exactly. Keep managing him, just in case. Nobody knows how the situation might change.”
Tenet reclined in his chair with a subtle expression, and Chandler asked, half hoping,
“Should we eliminate Ahmad?”
Tenet shook his head skeptically.
“There’s no way Washington would authorize that. Even a covert operation would leave us suspected. Refrain from rash actions for now.”
“Understood.”
Straightening, Tenet propped his chin on his hand and murmured,
“By the way, Black Bear’s reputation isn’t just rumor. The Taliban ambushed them, and only five died...”
“They were former Soviet special-forces mercenaries, precisely.”
Tenet gave a hollow laugh. The sight of those disoriented men finding a master and running wild bothered him.
“Those men are basically Muhyuk’s personal guard, aren’t they?”
“Yes. A man named Igor is their commander. He was a Soviet special-forces officer.”
“Any sign of Gulbuddin?”
“Not yet.”
“Locate him as fast as possible and pass it to Muhyuk. It wouldn’t be bad to settle some debts at this point.”
Tenet tapped Muhyuk’s photo with his finger and mumbled, fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
“The more I learn, the less I understand the man.”
* * *
After arriving in England and completing simple entry procedures, we took the bus to a residential compound outside Leeds in Yorkshire.
Because so many people arrived at once, we could not secure enough houses.
There were ten children alone, including Ahmad’s, and once you added their families the numbers were enormous.
We distributed them among temporary homes we had arranged.
I headed to a hotel in Leeds to meet Han Kyungyeong and Eric.
They greeted me when I entered the top-floor suite.
“Long time no see, Muhyuk.”
“Welcome, boss.”
Han waved cheerfully while Eric nodded with a stiff expression. I patted Eric’s shoulder and took a seat on the sofa.
Both men sat down and we began our substantive talk.
“I’m sorry.”
No sooner had we sat than Eric apologized. I patted his shoulder again as reassurance.
“No one could have predicted that. Don’t blame yourself — let’s discuss countermeasures. We can’t move forward if we keep clinging to the past.”
“Yes, boss. Thank you.”
“Igor will take charge of Afghanistan. We’ll separate him from Black Bear, establish a legal entity in Russia, and move the Eastern European mercenaries there.”
We planned to completely split the Black Bear operation in the U.S. from the Eastern European branch.
“You’ll completely separate the Eastern European branch?”
I nodded slightly and continued.
“We’ll conduct independent military operations in Afghanistan. Black Bear inevitably watches the U.S. government’s reactions.”
“Understood. Proceed.”
Using the Black Bear name to deploy mercenaries to eliminate Gulbuddin or to guard mines in Afghanistan would draw U.S. scrutiny. Eric seemed to understand and accepted that.
“Black Bear should continue maintaining close relations with the U.S. government and accept U.S. requests as before.”
“Yes.”
Eric pressed his lips together and answered. He looked oddly diminished, which troubled me a little, but I understood — losing an entire branch is a big deal.
“What about tracking Gulbuddin?”
“We’ve narrowed down likely areas.”
“Even if it indebts the U.S. intelligence agencies, find him. I suspect he’s near the Pakistan border.”
“Yes, we will find him.”
Eric’s voice had more grit than usual.
“The moment we locate him, Igor will lead the mercenaries in a strike. Relay the information to Igor as soon as you have it.”
“Understood, boss.”
“Don’t beat yourself up. It doesn’t suit you. I prefer the confident Eric.”
Eric managed an awkward smile at last. I returned the smile and turned to Han Kyungyeong.
“Brother, you look busy with a love life?”
“What? With the Iraq invasion kicking off and oil prices volatile, I’m glued to futures all day — how can I be busy with romance!”
Han threw himself onto the bed in exaggerated indignation to break the awkward mood. I knew he was joking — so I chuckled.
“So how are the futures?”
“Hard to read the trend. I’m buying as you said, but I don’t know if it’s wise.”
“What’s Texas crude trading at now?”
“It’s up to thirty dollars a barrel.”
“With the Iraq war starting, it’ll go higher. Stop trading and head back to the U.S. to track American oil companies’ moves. And...”
I hadn’t forgotten shale.
“George Mitchell’s Mitchell Energy & Development will be for sale. Acquire it to secure the technology.”
“Mitchell Energy & Development?”
“Yes. They’re pioneers in shale gas extraction technology. It should be available for three to five billion dollars.”
Han didn’t seem familiar with Mitchell Energy. Even before my regression, people hadn’t paid much attention to George Mitchell, who developed the hydraulic fracturing technique that would change the energy landscape.
“Shale isn’t profitable now. Is investing billions worth it?”
With current technology, extraction costs exceeded seventy dollars a barrel, so it wasn’t economical. But Mitchell’s hydraulic fracturing method was on the verge of producing meaningful results.
If we controlled both oil and shale, we’d command the energy industry.
“We must secure the technology first. Also find land rich in shale deposits. Mitchell Energy owns fields, but acquire as much as we can.”
“How do you always know these things? It’s astonishing every time.”
Han gestured with raised hands in mock exasperation. I laughed and continued.
“Shale extraction technology will completely change global energy leadership. We must preempt it.”
“Understood. I’ll contact New York to research Mitchell Energy and I’ll head to the U.S.”
With Mitchell Energy on the radar, the shale issue was handled. Han never disappointed when I gave him a task.
“Let’s summarize. You monitor Wall Street trends and oil in the U.S., brother.”
Han nodded.
“Eric, monitor the Iraq war’s direction and Washington’s political maneuvers. Also, provide full support to those who came from Afghanistan to help them adapt.”
“Yes, boss.”
“Short-term profits can be sacrificed. We are preparing for the future. I trust both of you to deliver results as I believe you will.”
After wrapping up, we held another half-day of detailed meetings. Eric left first to organize support for the Afghanistan arrivals.
“Eric came in last night and we had a drink. He’s been blaming himself a lot for the ambush.”
Left alone with Han, he poured me a drink and mentioned his conversation with Eric. Eric’s expression had seemed off compared to phone calls, which concerned me.
“That couldn’t be helped. None of us expected it. Five of Igor’s men died for me.”
“What if one of those five had been you? Everything we built would’ve crumbled like a sandcastle.”
Han, uncharacteristically serious, advised me.
“As I said earlier, everything we’ve built ends if °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° you disappear. Keep that in mind as you act.”
His words were blunt, but his eyes were full of worry. The ambush replayed in my mind — moments when my guts turned cold. I understood why my people were so concerned.
“I know. I’ll be careful.”
Han relaxed and raised his glass. I clinked mine against his and downed the harsh whiskey, then asked,
“How about Enron? Worth acquiring?”
Han shook his head. After his meeting with Powell, I’d already given him the Enron issue.
“It’s not just accounting fraud. As an energy company, it started a trading team and got ruined by derivatives during the attacks. Not worth acquiring. Even after restructuring under bankruptcy protection, I think bankruptcy is inevitable.”
“So no Enron takeover.”
It could have been a way to get Washington indebted to us, but there was no reason to force an acquisition of a useless company.
I sorted my thoughts and continued over the glass.
“For the foreseeable future, I plan to focus on Korea.”
“Korea? The presidential election is coming up, right?”
I nodded. It was time to inform Han as well.
“Former President Choi Seonman is up to something, but I can’t figure out the source of his power.”
“He has power? I thought his ties were cut.”
“I thought so too. But he still holds something I don’t know about. If our intelligence team can’t obtain proper information, someone is disrupting from the inside. And there aren’t many institutions in Korea capable of that level of interference besides the NIS.”
Even as I spoke, an uneasy feeling nagged me — something missing that I couldn’t pinpoint.
“If not the NIS, could it be the Defense Security Command? He was once a security commander.”
Han’s offhand remark made the hairs on my neck stand up.
“DSC. The Defense Security Command...”
If the Republic of Korea’s Defense Security Command, under the Ministry of National Defense, still harbored people from Choi Seonman’s era, they could easily cause information disruption.
A sharp realization hit me and I murmured,
“Right. If it’s the DSC, disrupting information is a piece of cake.”
People who had served under Choi when he was security commander could still be embedded within the DSC; their loyalists might remain in the military. That was the reasonable conclusion.
If those remnants attempted a coup or held incriminating files on assembly members and chaebol obtained during the military regime, they could control many levers. That explained everything happening now.
Han smiled at my muttered thought and added,
“They can’t mobilize the military like before, but they can do surveillance and information disruption. Information is the biggest weapon.”
“Maybe. Or maybe we act crazy and try it. If we did it once, why not twice?”
