He moved slowly, appearing unconcerned. “Something must be wrong with the system.”
Private Jeong shook her head. “I checked, sir. Plus, we’re detecting the sound at several stations. That is not a sign of malfunction.”
“Let me hear it.”
He plugged a headset into her console and listened as she turned up the sound. “Trucks,” he said. “Heavy trucks.” There was also a grinding noise that sounded like metal tank trucks.
The computer agreed, assessing the vibration as multiple heavy vehicles moving at high speed.
Suddenly alarmed, the supervisor picked up the phone and checked with a major in the post’s operations bunker. He told the major what he was hearing and then received more disturbing news. “We are witnessing sudden, frantic activity among North Korean units just on the other side of the DMZ.”
“Where?”
The coordinates relayed to him were alarming. North Korean units were on the move, near the very spot where the subterranean noise had originated.
“Calculate its direction and speed,” the supervisor ordered.
“Already done,” Private Jeong said.
“Show me.”
She tapped a button and the signal’s path appeared on the computer screen. It led straight from a suspected base in the North to a commercial site on the southern side of the DMZ.
“What is that place?” the supervisor asked.
Private Jeong was checking. “Landfill,” she replied. “DaeShan Landfill Number Four.”
The supervisor put two and two together. He could not believe what he was seeing. He called the major back and gave his assessment. “Confirmed large-scale subterranean incursion under way. Entry point must be in or around the DaeShan landfill. Recommend defense condition one. Immediate alert!”
Racing beneath the DMZ, Joe had no idea what forces he’d set in motion, but he hoped it would mean a warm welcome instead of a firefight through a group of armed thugs loyal to Than Rang.
As he entered the last third of the passageway, the grade ramped up just a bit and the truck began to slow. Instead of the light at the end of the tunnel, he saw the darkness of Than Rang’s underground transportation center. There was no sign of any resistance awaiting him, nor were there South Korean soldiers, which for the moment was probably a good thing.
It was a different story behind him. Vehicles were heading their way, catching up quickly. Based on the silence, he guessed they were running on the maglev system.
As one of the trams raced up beside him, Joe spun the wheel to the right and knocked the tram off the centerline of its magnetic track. Deprived of its support, the tram crashed to the ground amid a shower of sparks.
Gunshots rang out from the second vehicle that was also closing in from directly behind. Once again the bulk of the big truck protected them.
This time Joe simply stomped on the brakes. The big rig skidded to a stop amid a shreik of squealing tires and a cloud of blue smoke. Unable to adjust its speed as quickly, the second tram rear-ended the truck with jarring impact.
Their pursuers now successfully dealt with, Joe put the truck back in gear and began to accelerate, working through the gears and heading into the homestretch. The truck labored on the slight upward grade and chugged into the loading bay at the end of the tunnel, bumping the ore car filled with the titanium pellets, which dumped out and spread all across the floor.
As the sound of a thousand marbles rolling in all directions ceased, Joe peeked out of the truck. There was no one there to greet them. No angry brutes with drawn weapons. No sign of Calista and the hackers. And still no soldiers.
Joe looked back down the tunnel. The North Koreans had given up the chase. He could see them running the other way. He guessed they were not interested in getting caught on the wrong side of the border.
Joe looked over at Kurt. “We made it,” he said. “And just like the last time, you missed the whole thing.”
Joe considered looking for a stairwell but was not interested in lugging Kurt up twenty flights. Instead, he drove over and parked next to the octagonal platform they’d originally descended on.
He parked the truck, pulled Kurt from the passenger’s side, and found the controls. With the flick of a switch, he engaged the power system and moved the control lever upward from the neutral position. The incline gearing came to life and began to turn, and the platform began to rise slowly.
As they went up, Joe pulled out his phone, hoping he would get a signal before they reached the top. No such luck. In fact, the phone was acting weird as if it was being jammed. When the slowly rising platform finally reached the surface, Joe found out why.
Thirty Korean soldiers were waiting for him with weapons drawn. Humvees with .50 caliber machine guns were arranged in a semicircle around them. A spotlight snapped on, blinding Joe. Shouts that needed no translation told Joe to put up his hands, which he had already done.
A pair of soldiers rushed over and forced him to his knees.