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For Your Paws Only

Chapter 5 – The Path to Darkness

Conrad made his peace with his God as the black submarine continued to surface.

He was surprised when the deck broke the surface to see that it was not the decommissioned Typhoon with the North Korean crew that he had seen tying up to the freighter with the lithium on board. This submarine was much smaller. Perhaps it had been escorting the Typhoon, he supposed, and had joined in the search for the missing lifeboat. That would explain how they had found him so quickly.

He was even more surprised to see the red, white and navy blue Canadian naval ensign raised on a mast that extended from the sail. A moment later several sailors in Canadian naval uniforms threw a line to him so they could haul the small lifeboat up against the hull. Once he was aboard one took him to the sail while two others jumped aboard the lifeboat to scuttle it before the Ocean Ghost or the Korean Typhoon found it.

The sailor led Conrad through the cramped interior of the sub to a door marked ‘Captain’s Quarters’. There he knocked on the metal bulkhead twice loudly and then opened the portal for Conrad when a voice inside called “Enter”.

Conrad stepped inside and stood before a metal desk where a creature in in a navy Lieutenant-Commander’s uniform was leaning down over some classified reports. All that Conrad could see was the person’s dark paws and the top and brim of his naval cap. He got his third shock when the fellow straightened up he saw that it was Silver, the Director of F.O.X.

“Good morning acting agent Jotkowski.” Silver said as he closed the file he had been reading. “How are you this fine morning?”

“I- … I’m good … good, Sir.” Conrad sputtered. “I, uh … wasn’t expecting to see you … Sir.”

“I came to Japan when you reported that the rendezvous would be nearby. Our navy had a submarine on joint exercises in the area so I asked to borrow it for a bit.”

Silver did not explain what he was doing in a Lieutenant-Commander’s uniform, or why he was using the Captain’s office, and Conrad did not ask.

“Let’s go over your latest report.” Silver said, opening a different file. “Based on your observations it is clear that the final destination for the lithium is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. They got the contract to break up the last Typhoon nuclear ballistic missile sub, but it seems that they refurbished it instead. Putin will be pissed when he finds out, but it’s too late now.”

“As for the lithium,” Silver continued, “The North Koreans are believed to have a lithium extraction facility near the Yongbyon nuclear research facilities, but none of the western intelligence agencies have been able to locate it. The sub that took the metal from the freighter is probably headed to an underground base on the east coast to offload it. It could then be loaded into rail cars underground or onto trucks for transport to the extraction plant. Either way, we’ve lost track of it.”

“That is disappointing, Director. Is there any way we can find it again?”

“We’ll get to that. Meanwhile, this talk of a ‘Device’ needing so much lithium for extraction worries our analysts. The DPRK military’s involvement has forced us to re-evaluate the situation. North Korea may need a new source of lithium-7 for a new nuclear reactor or as an additive to their missile fuel, but it is more likely that they are after lithium-6, which comes in much smaller amounts. It is primarily used in thermonuclear reactions to produce tritium, which intensifies the blast. 16,000 kilos of lithium would yield 400 kilos of lithium-6, the same amount used in the Castle Bravo nuclear tests in the fifties.”

Conrad frowned. “I’m not familiar with them.”

“Castle Bravo was the first lithium deuteride-fueled thermonuclear weapon ever tested.” Silver explained. “Its yield was 15 Mega-tons, three times larger than predicted, and the largest bomb the US has ever detonated. It was also a very dirty bomb, producing much more radiation and fallout than anticipated. The increased yield and fallout was due to a faulty design, but that mistake allowed the US and later the Soviets to produce thermonuclear devices capable of vaporizing large cities and spreading radiation across continents. The threat of mutual destruction … or of destroying the earth’s ecosystem with a single gigantic blast … forced them to switch to cleaner designs that were smaller but still very powerful.”

“The North Korean designs are nowhere near as elegant, or as powerful. Adding lithium-6 to them as was done with Charlie-Bravo is a cheap and easy way to increase their yields to city-buster proportions.”

Siver leaned forward and locked his cold blue-grey eyes on Conrad’s. “The North Koreans now have a missile capable of striking anywhere in North America, the Typhoon allows them to launch it in secret from anywhere in the seven seas and this lithium will enable them to increase the yield of the warhead a thousand-fold. Now that we know where they are getting it we can interdict their supply, but we cannot allow the lithium it already has to be refined into lithium-6.”

“How do we do that, Sir?”

“Someone has to get into North Korea, locate that extraction plant and destroy it, and that someone is you.”

Silver sat back and sighed. “I’d send a more seasoned agent, but unfortunately there is no one we can get here on time, and time is of the essence. F.O.X. itself can’t get you into North Korea, we don’t have the contacts there, but thanks to a few corrupt officials we can get you into Russia near the border with Korea. Friends of ours have a contact there that might be able to help. Assuming that he can get you into the Hermit Kingdom you must find that enrichment plant and destroy it and all the lithium it contains. Fortunately for you, lithium is highly flammable so a few well-placed explosions should be enough to set off a chain reaction.”

“Hopefully you will be able to get away before it goes up,” Silver continued, “but this mission has top priority. Whoever you have to kill, whatever innocents you need to sacrifice, even if it costs you your life, they are all secondary. Your Rules of Engagement have been rescinded, you can use any means necessary to complete your mission. Do you understand?”

“Yes Sir.”

“Good.” Silver stood up. “Bill Hanlan sent some files over to help you figure out what to look for. Apparently the DPRK uses a process called COLEX to separate out the lithium-6. The process uses vast amounts of mercury, which creates an environmental hazard due to waste, spills and evaporation. If you can’t trace the lithium, follow the mercury, or look for a place where large numbers of people are suffering from mercury poisoning. It’s not pretty.”

Conrad thanked the Director and stepped back from the desk, unsure if he should salute or not.

“You may go.” Silver told him, and Conrad hurriedly opened the portal and stepped out into the corridor where the same sailor was waiting for him.

“I’ll take you to the Quartermaster’s Quarters where you can work, rest and eat.” The sailor, who had three chevrons topped by a maple leaf on his sleeve told him. Conrad supposed that he was some sort of Petty Officer.

“I don’t want to get in anyone’s way.” Conrad said.

“You won’t.” The sailor replied. “You are confined to the Quartermaster’s cabin. As far as the crew is concerned neither you nor the silver fox in the Lieutenant-Commander’s uniform exist. Me, or someone like me, will bring your meals and anything else you require.”

Conrad followed the fellow to a nearby cabin and watched the sailor unlock the bulkhead and open it for him. Once he was inside the sailor swung the heavy metal portal closed and Conrad heard him lock it from outside.

He looked around, noting the soft hiss of water over the hull as the sub picked up speed.

“Good thing I don’t get seasick easy.”

* * * * * * * *

The navy submarine took them to a point near the Russian coastline, just north of the border with North Korea. Conrad was put into a wetsuit and given a waterproof bag of gear before they surfaced just enough for Conrad to get an electric underwater scooter in the sea.

“Put your air tanks and the wetsuit back on it and point it out to sea once you are on shore.” The sailor in charge of seeing him off told him. “It will go out to sea, drive itself into the depths and self destruct automatically.”

“You’re not sticking around to recover it?”

“No way! Too dangerous. A Russian patrol boat could come along any minute, then there’s the coastal defence forces. You stay underwater as long as you can if you want to avoid being spotted by them.”

Conrad was not feeling very assured, but he did as instructed and kept the sea scooter submerged until he felt the gravelly bottom rising up to the beach.

After changing into clothes that Silver insisted would pass for local Conrad sent the scooter back out to sea. Then he hefted his pack and began to trudge in the direction of the border village where he would meet his contact.

It was late when he arrived, but not too late for the heavy-drinking Russian fishermen and smugglers that lived there. The village’s only bar was easy enough to locate by the lights and the noise coming from it. When he stepped inside all eyes turned to him and a momentary silence ensued. After seeing that he did not appear to be a threat they soon went back to drinking and laughing, drinking and gambling, and drinking and fighting … or just drinking.

Conrad looked around for his contact and saw that there were several possibilities, but only one was staring back at him. It was a grizzled black wolf sitting alone at a table with several empty glasses in front of him. Conrad walked over and asked if he could share the table. The wolf nodded and waved for the server to bring him another drink.

“And one for the lad.” The wolf called in perfect Russian. Probably too perfect for this crowd, Conrad thought. “You are buying, by the way.” He told Conrad.

They sat in silence until the server was engaged elsewhere, then they exchanged code phrases in Russian.

The sullen wolf downed his drink in one shot then held out a paw. “Haddock, Archie Haddock, Captain, retired.” He said quietly in accented English.

“Captain Haddock?”

“Yes.”

“Like Tintin’s Captain Haddock?”

“No. Like the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, Amphibious Light Infantry Captain Haddock.”

“Still, people must tease you about that.”

“Never more than once. You must be Renard. Let’s go somewhere we can talk freely.” As he stood to leave Haddock scooped up Conrad’s drink and drained it too.

He led Conrad to a quiet part of the village where the cottages were spaced fart apart. The one they entered had broken bottles and old cans strewn several meters around it with just a narrow clear path leading to the door.

“Keeps unannounced visitors away.” Haddock said when he saw the look of disgust on Conrad’s face. “Better than an electronic security system in a village without reliable electricity, and less noticeable.”

Inside the cottage Haddock lit a small lantern and hung it from a hook in the rafters. Then he sat at the lone table, pulled out a bottle of clear fluid that smelled almost the same as the lamp fuel and poured himself another drink.

“So, they tell me that you want to get into Korea.”

There was no other chair so Conrad stood by the table. “Yes. I’m told that you are the best at smuggling folk across the border.”

“I’m the best at smuggling them OUT of Korea. Getting in, well that’s another matter.”

“You do have to go in to bring refugees out though.”

“True enough.” Haddock paused to burp. “But will you be able to keep up?”

“I can take care of myself.”

“You better hope so, bloke. You better hope so.”

“I understand that you’ve been paid already?”

“Yes, I’ve been paid.”

“So, when do we leave?”

“Right now.” Haddock finished his drink and stood up, weaving just a bit. “You have your own tucker and such? Your own gear?”

“Yes.”

“Then we’re off.”

After navigating the narrow lane Haddock took Conrad to the edge of the village, where he could just make out a path in the mist.

“This is a good night for it. No moon, bit of a fog. But you have to keep up with me.” Haddock informed him as he pulled a pistol out of his coat and began to screw a silencer onto it.

Conrad did the same for the Glock 19 Silver had provided him with. He also checked the Fairbanks fighting knife strapped to his forearm and the garrotte wire coiled in his breast pocket.

“Keep low if you see any border guards.” Haddock continued. “If they get too close off ‘em quietly, but make it permanent. Don’t want any of ‘em waking up and sounding the alarm. My current business is smuggling contraband into North Korea and smuggling defectors out. Your people are paying handsomely to get you in, and I don’t ask any questions, but if you fuck things up for me I’ll shot you myself.”

“One more thing, we may run into defectors on their way out, following markers I’ve left for them. They are paying customers, so don’t kill any of ‘em. It’s not only bad for business but it’s said that their spirits will haunt anyone involved in their death, and there is enough shit sticking to my soul already. Let’s go.”

The wolf moved with surprising speed, given the amount Conrad had seen him drink. Conrad had to scramble to keep up.

It was difficult terrain. First they had to navigate marshy ground to the bank of the Tumen River, which separated the two nations. There Haddock pulled a small boat made of wood and canvas which they paddled across the river, hauling it over several sandbars as they went. On the far bank Haddock searched for an almost invisible fishing line that was pegged down along a zig-zag path up the beach.

“We’re in North Korea now.” The wolf whispered into Conrad’s ear. “Minefields and sensors all over the place, mostly to keep people in though. We’ll stick to the swamps and hills and avoid villages until we get to Sonbong. There you can hop a freight train from the chemical plant across the country to Yongbyon.”

There was barely a trail though the wet lowlands and tangled highlands. Sometimes Conrad lost sight of Haddock and had to rush forward to catch up. Once the trail forked before he did and he had to guess which way Haddock had gone by the disturbances in the dirt. If he got lost he doubted that the mercenary wolf would come back to find him. Fortunately he choose correctly.

Several times he heard people moving about nearby, but the mist made them invisible as well as impossible to tell how far away they were. Conrad tried using the Infrared light on his watch and found that it helped, although he could not tell if the creatures moving about were farmers or soldiers from their heat signature alone.

They ran into refugees only once. Haddock whispered with them in a dialect of Korean that Conrad could barely understand. One of them, a canine with a long thin snout like Conrad passed something to Haddock before the wolf sent them on their way toward Russia.

They came across border patrol soldiers more often and had to leave the trail twice while patrols passed them. On a third encounter one of the soldiers left the trail to pee and stumbled across Conrad. He was just about to jump up and slit the soldier’s throat when Haddock took the unfortunate fellow from behind. Twenty minutes later Conrad was able to return the favour when a lone sentry blocking the only route across a minefield turned out to be two. Conrad shot the second soldier with his silenced pistol at point blank range while Haddock strangled the other with his bare paws.

“Pretty much an average night.” Haddock commented when they reached the railroad tracks. “That train with the little skull and bones markings on the tanker cars will take you all the way to Yongbyon; it’s their weekly shipment of missile fuel additives. I’d, uh, avoid touching anything leaking from them. Or breathing too much near them.”

“Thanks Captain.” Conrad said holding out a paw. “I’d never had made it without you.”

“Too right.” The wolf replied, but he shook the offered paw. “Hey, you did good … Mate. Come find me if you ever want to go private. Here,” he said as he dug in his jacket and produced an identification badge on a lanyard, “take this. It’s a security pass I got from one of my clients back down the trail, a Nuclear Scientist that wanted out.”

Conrad took the proffered pass and studied the photo in the dim light from the train yard. The Scientist was a canine named Choi and his picture resembled Conrad, somewhat.

“They have a native dog that looks sort of like a coyote.” Haddock informed him. “They are rare in the north, but not unheard of. How is your Korean?”

“I brushed up on it.”

“You be alright then. The dogs are a small ethnic minority and most people will expect you to speak with an accent anyway. Just act like a haughty tailhole and yell a lot. That’s how all the elites here communicate with the peasants. Good luck, Mate.” And with that haddock slipped away in the mist.

* * * * * * * *

Every time the train stopped Conrad got out from the cramped compartment in the undercarriage of one of the cleaner chemical cars to stretch his legs. He saw a lot of malnutrition and suffering during his trip across the country, but his heart was softened by the peasants that offered him what little food they had, assuming that anyone riding the rails was even worse off then they. He knew that if he failed to locate and destroy the enrichment facility that the allies would bomb anyplace that had a remote chance of housing the lithium extractor, along with the surrounding farmland, causing god knew how many collateral casualties. They would probably do so with the sanction of Russia and China too, because neither of them wanted to see North Korea with such powerful weapons, otherwise they would have sold them the lithium themselves.

He had studied the layout of Yongbyon from the files Silver had brought to the submarine and he was certain that he could locate the one spot where tongues were most likely to wag - the Senior Scientists’ lounge – but he waylaid a drunken scientist in the village outside the compound and questioned him just to be sure. He also liberated the fellow’s lab coat and bifocals, which matched the ones Choi was wearing in the security pass Haddock had given him, to add to his disguise.

Getting in was easier than Conrad anticipated. He merely followed a large group of senior personnel to the gate where they berated the soldiers for taking to long to process their security passes. By the time they came to Conrad they barely gave his a glance before waving him on with the rest.

The senior scientists’ lounge was a picture of contrast to the life of the peasants outside the compound. It was clean, with modern furniture and little luxuries like bowls of nuts and fruits, free cigarettes and a well stocked bar. Conrad noted several world-famous liquors among the bottles arranged behind it.

But it was still North Korea, and the walls of the lounge were adorned with propaganda posters that features well-fed workers, steadfast soldiers, and the supreme leader. Several local species wearing semi-formal dress, lab coats or uniforms milled about the bar eating, smoking, drinking and, occasionally, laughing … when no one was looking.

Conrad moved towards the bar, then he stopped. Sitting there in front of several empty cocktail glasses was the snow leopard he had seen on the ship. No longer in uniform, she was wearing a tight gown with a single shoulder strap that was slit to the hip on one side. She did mot look like she was having a good time.

Since she had allowed him to escape death at the tiger’s paws on the freighter, Conrad decided to take a chance and approach her.

He sat beside her and at first she just glanced at his security pass and sneered, “You aren’t senior enough to ‘date’ me Choi.” Then she lifted her gaze to his face and her eyes went wide.

Before either could speak again an otter with a large belly in a lab coat came up behind them and slapped Conrad hard on the back.

“Choi? Is that you Choi? They told me you were on special assignment. I didn’t know it involved time with our girl Ha-Rin here.”

Conrad took a paw full of nuts from the bar and chewed on them to cover his accent. “I was on assignment. Top Secret. Personal for the Leader. Less you know the better.”

The Otter’s expression changed to one of fear. “Right, right. I’ll, uh, go then. But hey, it must have been a good assignment, you look ten kilos lighter.”

The Otter scurried away. Beside Conrad the Snow leopard laughed. “Your Korean is terrible.”

“Recent dental work. Face still swollen. Hurts to talk.”

She turned to him. “You are the coyote I saw on the ship, the one that got away. Now you show up here. You must be a foreign agent.”

Conrad sipped the drink that the bartender gave him without asking. Apparently, Choi was a regular here. He looked at the feline over the rim of the glass. “If you believe that why haven’t you called security.”

A sad and confused look crossed her face. “Not all of us agree with everything the leader wants us to do. The real Choi didn’t. He decided to defect. They said that he was on ‘special assignment’ but those with any brains knew the truth. I stayed because I thought that improving our warheads would only serve as a deterrent, that they would never be used for a first strike, but since then I have seen things I can’t unsee.”

She shuddered, then her eyes grew narrow and hard. “These people are ruthless, and I fear that the Leader may be suffering from the delusion that using such weapons will bring our enemies to their knees. But the retaliation that will surely follow will wipe our land off the map, and I cannot let that happen.”

“Do you know much about the lithium enrichment program?”

“Some, yes.”

“It’s very important that you tell me, Ha-Rin, for both our nations.”

“Not here. Too many ears.” She said, giving a group of rabbits in military dress a sideways glance. “Escort me out. The others will assume we are engaged in my … secondary duties.”

They stood and Conrad put a paw on her back just above her tail where the fur was exposed and guided her to the door. They drew several jealous glances, and a few whispers and chuckles, but no suspicious looks. Evidently, those in attendance this night were the gullible ones that believed Choi was back from an assignment. That was good, it gave them some time.

“Ha-Rin is a pretty name.” He said as she unlocked a door in the residential sector. “What does it mean?”

She frowned. “Talented Unicorn. It is not my real name, just one the seniors here gave me in reference to some of my … duties.”

“I’m sorry. Forgive my ignorance.”

“It is not your fault. Women in this country cannot just be talented scientists or administrators … they must serve the males of the Republic as well. I have been at least fortunate enough to serve mostly in other capacities … until recently. Your disappearance from the ship, while not tied directly to me, meant a loss of chemyeon … what you call ‘face’. Normally Ho Ran-Gi, the tiger you saw on the freighter, would have suffered for it but as the junior officer it was my duty to step up and take the blame, allowing him to save face. My punishment is to remain behind here as a plaything for the senior officers. It could have been worse though.” She said with a tremor as she sat down on her bed. “I could have been thrown to the soldiers.”

Conrad sat on the bed beside her and put a sympathetic arm around her shoulders. She turned her head into his neck and he held her while she cried softly for a few minutes. Eventually she regained her composure.

“I do not know exactly where they took the lithium,” she told him, “but the train they put it aboard was heading west.”

“Hmmm. What about mercury. Do you know of any large shipments of mercury recently?”

“There is a place north of here, a village named Kangsan. Last year I was told to direct all available mercury to its railyard. Since my return there have been reports of illness there; people suffering tremors, headaches, kidney failure, and birth defects.”

“All consistent with mercury poisoning.” Conrad mused.

More tears came to her eyes. “Are we poisoning our own people in pursuit of these evil weapons?”

Conrad took her firmly by the shoulders and looked earnestly into her bottle-green eyes. “My people can stop it, Ha-Rin. If I destroy the facility, and they stop more lithium from coming in, there will be no need for more mercury there.”

“Are you sure you can do it?”

Conrad was not, but he took her paws in his and nodded his head reassuringly.

“Yes, although it is very dangerous and I might not survive, but if I do, and if I can, I’ll come back for you and take you out with me.”

Conrad stood up and stepped toward the door, but he was restrained by Ha-Rin’s paw on his wrist.

“You should wait before you go. The sessions I am compelled to engage in last several hours, with baths, massages and … the other thing. Leaving too soon will look suspicious.”

Conrad looked at his watch. It was not late yet, and it would probably be better to leave later, when the guards were less alert.

“Alright he said, sitting back down beside her. What shall we do in the meantime?”

Ha-Rin smiled and slipped the strap of the gown off her shoulder.

“I’m sure you will think of something.”