Die by Night (eBook)

PROLOGUE

Location: Classified

1500Z // 13 October 18

The briefing room was dark, plain, compact, almost suffocating. The soft elevator music playing overhead to foil would-be eavesdroppers made it feel all-the-more uncomfortable. Just another non-descript sensitive-compartmented information facility, or SCIF in a non-descript building, in a city where the abundance of such non-descript buildings allowed for an element of anonymity for various personages of power and influence.

The room featured a row of high-backed black leather chairs—the expensive looking but cheaply-made mass-produced shit you could buy online—with a lectern and a collection of four large television screens behind it. The bare minimum infrastructure required to protect, divulge, and discuss the Nation’s most highly-guarded secrets.

The presenter had never been here before, but it was necessary to use a new safe space, so as to exercise the highest degree of discretion, given the sensitivity of the information he was about to divulge. It was the briefer’s desire his disclosure be followed by direction to put into motion a plan that would save perhaps millions of lives, and advert a larger humanitarian catastrophe than the one his country was presently embroiled in.

No one in governmental senior leadership had planned for war with North Korea; and absolutely no one could have ever foreseen a rogue element initiating the conflict—especially one originating from within the US military. The briefer had been tasked with devising and cultivating a plan to neutralize the threat, remove the existing North Korean regime, and to repatriate millions of South Korean civilians. Quite literally, Wolf was there to un-fuck an impossibly-fucked-up situation. That’s what he did best… rectify the mistakes of others.

He rose mechanically from the hard plastic seat he’d been situated in as he heard the external digital key pad actuate, the lock mechanism disengage, the heavy metal door open, and the Wisemen—all three of them—enter the room without so much as a nod to acknowledge him. Each one walked toward the back of the room and came to rest in one of the big, cheap chairs at the rear of the SCIF. This was the first time the three had been in the same room in years. Not since before 9/11—Operation Nightshade—which spoke to the severity of the current situation.

The placement of the chairs in relation to the few lights at the front of the SCIF cast an ominous darkness over the men—perhaps it metaphorically foreshadowed what was to come. Wolf could see only their silhouettes, but no distinguishing features. He momentarily mused about how it would be akin to briefing apparitions, but his train of thought was broken when a directive to “proceed” came from the tall man in the middle with the broad shoulders and distinctive baritone voice.

“Yes, Mr. Secretary…” Wolf replied, but was curtly cut-off by the man he was addressing. “Don’t ever say anything that could be used to identify any of us… you know our adversaries are listening, you know the rules, you know the stakes in play as well.” Wolf composed himself, nodded, and proceeded to brief the small group on the situation, and more importantly, what he proposed they do about it.

Wolf would start his briefing by describing the general disposition of the Korean People’s Army Ground Force, or KPAGF, which had encircled Seoul and was effectively holding the greater population of the city hostage. But he’d refrain from discussing peripheral intelligence involving the identities of the Air Force crews who’d launched the initial incursion, or the situation in Hawaii following the retaliatory nuclear strike by the North. He’d follow in quick succession by describing his plan to end the siege of Seoul, while concurrently bringing the existing regime in the North to its knees. Permanently.

“Gentlemen, this briefing is classified TS//SCI//ARDENT MAELSTROM… disclosure of any portion of the presentation beyond this briefing space is unlawful and subject to the severest penal codes, of which you’re all aware…” Wolf began. “Based upon HUMINT [human intelligence] and current satellite imagery, the enemy has successfully deployed approximately 20 mechanized infantry divisions in the vicinity of the Seoul metropolitan area, and have effectively cut-off every major line of communication running south out of the city. In short, they’ve blocked-off every road from highway 46 near Hwado, in the east, to highway 98 north of Bucheon, in the west. This includes nearly every one of the 33 major or minor crossing point over the Han River, in between.”

“Civilians attempting to flee south are being executed in large numbers. Incheon Grand Park is being used as the primary site for entombing the dead in a growing number of mass graves. The North Koreans have set a deadline of 48 hours for all coalition forces to withdraw south of the Han River or they’ll demolish a high-rise building in downtown Seoul every hour the coalition is in non-compliance… since most of the population in downtown Seoul is being forcibly detained within their apartments, the loss of life for every building destroyed could range between 10 and 30,000 people.”

“Colonel, we know all this… we’re here to learn what you plan to do about it,” said the squat man to Wolf, who was sitting in the chair on the left, with no small amount of annoyance detectable from his tone of voice.

Wolf shifted focus without being discernably affected by the admonishment. “The primary course of action involves utilization of the LEONIDAS [Low-Earth Orbit Nucleon-Ionized Direct Attack Satellite] program, employing six strategically-placed deep-penetrating rounds, modified specifically to introduce Parabellium into the North’s water supply. Using key aquifers near the Chinese border, we can achieve a 93.7 percent permeation rate amongst the inhabitants of the city, and more importantly, their captors, in approximately 96 hours.”

Wolf paused as the three men digested the information, and quietly whispered between themselves about what they’d just heard. “Colonel, involving LEONIDAS in this situation is incredibly precarious. The Chinese, Russians, even the Israelis are aware of our space-based attack capabilities, and every time that system is employed it gives them the chance to collect on us… and Parabellium? You’re honestly proposing an action with a substance as unpredictable as that shit is? Have you and your CIA buddies been able to reliably weaponize the substance and mitigate the risks of taking it beyond a DARPA [Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency] facility, or is this just some government lab rat’s wet dream?”

Wolf knew it was going to be a battle convincing these three sanctimonious megalomaniacal pricks of the efficacy of his plan. But he’d come prepared. “Research elements in the agency have, through coordination with a select number of epidemiologists from the CDC [Center for Disease Control], been able to isolate a strain of Parabellium which will induce a state of paralysis upon command.

In order to reduce the chances of spooking the North Koreans, the strain will not activate until 96 hours after deployment. Bodies effected with the strain will give off a highly-identifiable IR [infrared] signature we’ll be able to track via certain imagery satellites within the NRO’s [National Reconnaissance Office] constellation. Weaponization of Parabellium—in a concentrated dose—was achieved last month, and we were able to covertly deliver and affix the special payload to LEONIDAS-6 remotely, utilizing an X-37 asset.”

“Coalition ground forces will be able to sweep Seoul, Pyongyang, and any pre-identified sensitive sites deeper in the North, in order to capture all key personnel and take control of approximately 85 percent of their weapons of mass destruction. Be advised, however, the effects of the strain will fade completely 48 hours after it’s introduced. So, all actions taken by coalition forces post-activation need to be expeditious.”

The three power brokers once again silently conferred amongst themselves while Wolf waited. “Colonel, I want to know how you plan to seize 20 divisions, disarm them, as well as capture DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] senior leadership, and assume control of their nuclear facilities near the Chinese border within such a short span of time?” asked the dark-skinned man in the middle.

This was the part of the brief Wolf knew would be especially tenuous. The question was certainly going to be asked. Wolf’s response would be a particularly hard sell, but they needed to know. After all, like it or not, they owned what he’d set in motion as much as he did. Wolf took a deep breath and proceeded. “Timeliness of execution, not to mention the liability associated with making the existence of Parabellium known to a larger group, made reading-in even a small number of people in key leadership positions to ARDENT MAELSTROM exceedingly risky; and dissemination of orders to subordinate tactical units—the ones who’ll be directly responsible for capture, disarmament, and neutralization—nothing short of impossible.”

Wolf paused and eyed the three shadows, waiting for follow-on questions. Nothing… just silence. They probably knew what he was about to say, but were likely in a state of shock that the coalition had lost control to such a degree there were no other viable options than this...