As the mini-motorcade pulled off, Eleanor did not notice the group of tourists congregating near the side gate to the White House. The place where the first family would leave and enter the White House was very private and not really visible to the public.
Most of the public.
A man and a woman held up their cameras and were snapping pictures of everything they could see. They had sought positions that would give them the best view into this private area while the guards at this location were deliberately distracted by queries asked by others in their group.
As the motorcade turned onto the street, another member of the group took pictures of it, smiling and waving and looking excited as a tourist might. He kept snapping pictures of the motorcade until it disappeared from sight. Then the tail was taken up by a pair of sedans that were parked on Seventeenth Street. They worked in tandem, turning off and then coming back so as not to make the Secret Service grow suspicious.
Back at the White House, Eleanor had stopped to look at some plant beds being worked on by the grounds crew. As she stood there her secretary came up to her.
“Mrs. Cassion, I’m checking out the details for the trip to Nantucket for you. It’ll just be you and the children, correct?”
“Yes. I talked to the president this morning. It doesn’t look like he can make it.”
“The Secret Service is working on the logistics and they’ll have their preliminary report back later this week if that’s okay.”
Eleanor nodded and said, “I remember the day when we just jumped into the car with a couple of suitcases and our dog and drove off.”
The secretary laughed. “Wish those days were back?”
“Only every minute of my life. But I really think it’ll be good to get away. I only wish the president could join us.”
“The house you’ve picked looks beautiful.”
“Friends of ours. The Donovans. They’re letting us use it. Very old, very rustic. We can walk to the beach. And we can ride bikes to town. Roaring fires. Books to read, chats to have. Just…just being together.”
“Sounds idyllic.”
“I’m hoping. I’m hoping that…Tommy will like it.”
The secretary nodded knowingly. “It’s hard for kids. I don’t think I could do it.”
“Well, we have to figure out a way that allows Tommy to deal with it. We have no other choice.”
As the pair walked back inside a man in the uniform of the National Park Service rose from the planting bed he had been working on. Officially, he was from South Korea and had worked here for six years. In reality, he was North Korean and had been sent to the United States fifteen years ago with the sole task of being assigned to the White House in some capacity. Many occupations for him had been ruled out. But working the grounds had not. And after working far harder than anyone else around him, he had made it here.
He had been sending back regular reports to his government of any details here that seemed worthwhile. Not that much had been worthwhile, however.
Until now. Now he might have just hit the mother lode.
Chapter
54
ROBIE AND REEL HAD BEEN heading back to Robie’s apartment after their meeting with Blue Man when they received an urgent summons from him to come immediately to the White House.
They were escorted through security with record speed and led to the Situation Room complex’s small conference room. It was unusual for people like them to be allowed in here, but they had been told that the president was going out of town that morning and needed to meet quickly and in relative secrecy.
Blue Man was already there when they arrived. He had phoned them on the way in.
“Care to brief us before the man arrives?” said Reel.
“I’m as much in the dark as you,” admitted Blue Man. “I don’t believe this went through official channels. I was surprised to get the call.”
“Meaning spur of the moment?” observed Robie.
“I was told spur of the breakfast. At least that’s when the president apparently had an epiphany that he now wants to discuss with us.”
“And not Evan Tucker?” noted Reel. “He’s still DCI, for better or worse. Well, worse, actually.”
“I don’t believe he is attending, no. In fact, it seems his days at CIA may be numbered.”
“And the president asked for us specifically?” said Reel, taking a seat next to Blue Man while Robie hovered near the door.
Blue Man spread his hands. “You would not be here otherwise, nor would I. This is not a place you get to visit unless summoned.”
Reel abruptly stood, as did Blue Man, when President Cassion strode into the room, alone. One of his aides shut the door behind him after a resentful look at the other occupants of the room. Apparently the president’s team was not pleased about being cut out of this meeting.
Cassion said, “Thank you for coming. I don’t have much time, so let’s get down to it.”
He sat and so did the others.
“To the point, we have learned that General Pak had an adopted son and daughter. They’re now grown. They have been sent to a labor camp within North Korea in retaliation for what Pak did.”
He stopped talking for a moment as the others stared pointedly at him.
Cassion looked first at Reel and then at Robie. “You were sent to France to kill Pak. I know this. You didn’t have to carry out that assignment because he committed suicide, in your presence.”
“That’s correct, sir,” said Robie.
“And his last words were to tell me to go to hell?”
Reel nodded but said nothing.
“And to save his family,” added the president.
“Yes,” said Robie. “It’s all in our report.”
The president sat back with a resigned air. “The fact of the matter is I’m thoroughly ashamed of myself for what happened. I sat in this very room and gave General Pak my word that I would not abandon him, no matter what happened. I did not keep my word. On the contrary, I authorized his death.”
“Conditions change, Mr. President,” said Blue Man. “Nothing is inviolate in the world anymore, unfortunately.”
Cassion said heatedly, “Well, a person’s word should be. A president’s word should be.” He bit down on his thumb and seemed lost in thought. None of the others interrupted this.
He finally said, “This may seem like a sudden inspiration on my part, but it’s really not. It’s something I’ve been kicking around in my head for some time now.” He sat forward, his features filled with determination.
“I want a team to liberate Pak’s family and bring them back here, where we will grant them full asylum.”
A full minute of silence went by as Robie and Reel stared back at their commander in chief. When Robie glanced at Blue Man, he looked stunned.
Robie stared back at the president. “What sort of team?”
“I don’t think I can send in the United States Army without doing more harm than good,” replied Cassion, staring fixedly back at him. “So, a small team.”
Blue Man said, “Do we even know which labor camp they’re in? There are quite a few.”
“That’s why we have the best intelligence agencies in the world. I’ve asked for and been given a preliminary report. It seems likely that they would be sent to Bukchang, also known as Camp 18.”
“Why is that?” asked Reel.
Blue Man answered. “Bukchang is operated by the Interior Ministry rather than the national security people. It’s less brutal and prisoners there have more privileges. Some can even be reeducated and given their freedom.”
Robie said, “But why do you think they would be sent there, then? Pak was a traitor. I’m sure they will want to take that out on his family. No second chances for them.”
“Honor and loyalty run deep over there, especially in the military,” replied Blue Man. “Pak undoubtedly had friends of high rank.”
The president nodded. “I can see that.”
“And it’s not simply being kind to the children of a fallen friend,” added Blue Man. “It’s for their own sakes.”
“How do you mean?” asked Reel.
“Some of the generals probably believe he was railroaded. They might worry that they might be next. Thus they want to establish a precedent that will allow their families, or themselves, to be sent to Bukchang if they find themselves on the wrong end of a treason charge. In North Korea you have to think five steps ahead if you want to survive, particularly at that level because alliances change swiftly.”
Cassion mulled this over and nodded. “I think you’re right. But we need to verify that they are indeed in this Bukchang place.”
He glanced at Blue Man, who said, “That will be difficult, but we will get every resource on it, sir.” He paused. “So you really want to extract Pak’s children from the camp?”
Cassion drew a long breath and wouldn’t meet Blue Man’s eye. “I think that’s what I said,” he replied brusquely.
A minute of silence went by.
Finally, Blue Man said, “That has never been before, sir. Never.”
“I’m aware of that,” replied Cassion, now looking directly at him. “Any ideas?”
Surprisingly, it was Reel who answered. “Well, I think we might turn to the handful of folks who have escaped from North Korean labor camps and who are in this country. I think one or more of them might have gotten out of Bukchang. If so, they can tell us how they did it. We don’t want to reinvent the wheel if we don’t have to.”
Cassion looked impressed. “An excellent suggestion.” He looked at Blue Man. “What sort of team would be required?”
Blue Man said, “Few in number and the best we have. But still, I don’t see how it can be done. This is North Korea.”
Robie said, “I thought our being here meant you wanted us involved, Mr. President.”
Cassion looked at him guiltily. “I realize I’m your commander in chief, Agent Robie. But after what you’ve both been through, what with Syria and now Pak, I’m reluctant to call on you again.”
Reel spoke up. “What if we volunteer?”
Blue Man looked at her oddly. Robie kept his gaze on the president.
Cassion said, “Are you volunteering?”
“Yes,” said Reel, and Robie nodded.
“That is quite courageous of you,” said Cassion.
“Actually,” said Reel, “it’s our job.”
The president looked at Reel and then at Robie. “Thank you,” he said. “You have no idea what this means to me.”
“I think we do,” said Reel.
After Cassion left the room for his flight on Air Force One, Robie looked at Blue Man. “Can we meet with someone who escaped from Bukchang?”
“I think we can arrange that, yes. But you realize this is a suicide mission, don’t you?”
“A couple of American agents going into a North Korean labor camp and extracting two highly valued political prisoners?” said Reel, her eyebrows hiked. “Walk in the park.”
“Capture equals death,” said Blue Man.
“Or worse,” said Robie.
“How?” said Reel.
“They could chuck us into the camp for the rest of our lives.” He looked at Blue Man. “And I would assume that all knowledge of any connection to an official mission on behalf of the United States would be disavowed.”
“I think we can safely assume that,” said Blue Man.
“Well, it’s nice to know where we all stand,” said Reel dryly.