Red Ice Page 11

  The next area was a natural cavern the size of the first barracks Rhee had lived in. The ceiling was twenty feet overhead, and unlike the man-made tunnels, the walls and floor were rough and unfinished. Stalactites and stalagmites reduced line of light to only a few yards throughout most of the chamber.

  Rhee knew that myriad tunnels, somewhat hidden among the cavern’s layout, led from the main space to other parts of the facility. Rhee ignored the tunnel hidden in the shadows to his left, knowing it led to the escape shaft, and instead proceeded through the spacious cave, following the worn path made by others. He found the passage he wanted and soon found himself in the heart of the hidden base.

  The central chamber was almost the same size as the main cavern, but unlike it, it had been entirely excavated by the hundred or so imported slaves. This area acted as the central hub for the complex and the dozens of people who lived here. Tunnels branched off to staff quarters, storage areas, a generator room, the prisoner holding areas, and most importantly, the Red Ice lab.

  Rhee spotted P’il in the doorway of the security station. The captain turned and saluted. “Major Rhee.”

  Rhee returned the salute. P’il Min-hyuk was large for a Korean, a full head taller and broader than Rhee, with a shaved head, a flat face and hard, cold eyes. Rhee didn’t like the base’s guard commander. He and his men were drawn from The Ministry of People’s Security’s kwalliso camps, where those who had betrayed the state were kept prisoner and forced to atone for their crimes. P’il was in charge of the lab’s security and the slaves.

  “What brings you here, sir?”

  “I want to see Dr. Mori.”

  P’il looked at a clock over the door. “She is working in the lab now. Is there a problem?”

  “For her, yes. She is still refusing to reveal the patbingsu formula.”

  “My specialists could get her to reveal it. They have experience in that sort of thing.”

  Rhee shook his head. “As a last resort. She is still necessary for Uiloun Gyeoul to succeed.”

  The captain nodded. “Let’s go talk to her.”

  The lab represented the most sophisticated technology in the entire base, larger and more modern than the test lab at the warehouse. Sets of lab benches were engulfed by glass beakers, flasks, burners, tubes, and other equipment Rhee didn’t recognize. The floor was tiled, gleaming white in the overhead lights. At the far end, the wall was lined with steel racks loaded with plastic drums and jugs of hazardous liquids.

  Rhee, followed by P’il and two guards, each wearing an industrial-grade filter mask, entered. There were a dozen people in the room, also wearing masks. Four were P’il’s guards, standing in the lab’s corners, wearing respirators and armed with Type 56 assault rifles, clubs, and cattle prods. Five were political prisoners unfortunate enough to have a background in chemistry, distinguished by the leg manacles and collars they wore. On the other hand, Rhee knew, they may not be alive at all were it not for their special skill sets.

  The last three were the professional chemists. Mori turned to look at them as they entered, and even from across the room, Rhee could discern the fear in her eyes. She spun away, placing her hands on the counter to support her weight.

  Rhee walked over to her, motioning Ryuk and Chung away from the woman. “I will ask you once again. Give us the patbingsu formula, Dr. Mori. Give it to us, and we can end this farce.”

  With a scream muffled by the mask, Mori spun toward him, quicker than Rhee expected, her fist aimed for Rhee’s throat. Rhee blocked the fist, but had to hop backwards to avoid the kick aimed at his groin. He sidestepped Mori’s second punch, grabbed her extended arm with one hand and delivered a stunning backfist to the side of her head.

  Before the chemist could recover, Rhee was behind her, her trapped arm yanked hard up against her back, while Rhee’s other arm was barred across her throat. “Now, now, Doctor,” Rhee said in a chiding tone. “Losing your temper is never a good thing, especially with me.”

  He tightened his arm across her throat, just enough to constrict her windpipe. “I still need you alive.” He looked at P’il. “I think the good doctor needs some rest.”

  The security commander signaled for two of his men to come over. Rhee released his hold on Mori and shoved her toward the guards. “Confine her to her room. Half rations from now on.”

  Mori spun toward Rhee, but before she could do anything, the guards grabbed her. “You won’t get the formula!” she spat. “I’ll die first!”

  Rhee shook his head. “It is only a matter of time. I can either break you now, or I could wait until we locate your daughter and trade the formula for her life.”

  The chemist’s eyes widened in fear. “You wouldn’t!”

  Rhee’s face held an expression that said, Oh really? “Why not do it the easy way? Give me the formula now and I will call off the search for your daughter. But if we have to find and take her from whoever is protecting her, you will find the price for her freedom that much steeper.”

  He flicked his hand toward the door. “Think about it in your room, Dr. Mori. My people are closing in on her. It may only be hours, minutes, before we have her.”

  A stunned Mori was escorted from the lab and then Rhee turned to Ryuk. “She still hasn’t revealed anything about the patbingsu formula, not even partial details?”

  Ryuk shook his head. “Nothing.”

  “How much patbingsu is there?”

  “About a kilo and a half.”

  “I’m taking all the finished patbingsu with me.”

  “Of course.”

  “In the meantime, continue making Red Ice.”

  P’il frowned. “Begging your pardon, sir, but I do not understand the urgency in the situation. When we run out of the patbingsu, it is not like we have to be out of business.” He waved an arm at the elaborate facility before continuing. “Why not just kill her at that point and go back to making normal meth?” Ryuk also took on an expression of interest as they both looked to Rhee for an answer.

  Rhee directed his icy gaze at P’il. “Because the Red Ice is more potent and brings a greater return on the street. One kilo of Red Ice is currently four times more profitable than crystal meth.”

  P’il shrugged. “So why not make four times the meth?”

  Rhee’s stare was unwavering, his tone even as he answered. “Because the Marshal’s orders were clear; we are to flood America with Red Ice. We will bring the country to its knees.”

  P’il nodded, acquiescing at the mention of their supreme leader. “Of course.”

  Rhee relaxed a bit, glad to continue on with the business at hand. “Captain, keep a close watch on Dr. Mori. She may do something stupid to protect her daughter, such as try to kill herself. Once I have the patbingsu, I am going back to San Francisco to start stage two of Operation Bam Beulleideu. I want the first Red Ice shipment ready to ship by this time tomorrow. We have people waiting for it, and I do not wish to disappoint them.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  San Francisco, California

  10:55am

  It was a weary group of people who filed in to the DEA’s conference room. Liam and Naomi immediately headed for the coffee machine in the corner. The only two people who looked fully awake were John Casey and George Glimsdale.

  After the raid, the team had returned to their hotel for some much needed sleep, a shower and something to eat before heading to the DEA office. Casey, who had a suite in the same hotel, met them for breakfast, but had refrained from asking them about the mission of the warehouse, preferring to wait until the more secure setting of the meeting.

  Yesterday’s incidents were all over the news. The sniper attack had wounded three police officers, one critically, but the pursuit of the suspects had cost three SFPD officers their lives and left another in critical care. The bomb at the hotel had killed three and injured another fourteen. San Francisco Mayor Nicholle Pagliei had spent forty-five minutes at a press conference railing against the federal Government, th
e DEA, FBI, and the DHS for ‘endangering the citizens of the city with high-handed and foolish actions.’ There were already a few reporters outside the building, looking for answers from the federal law enforcement agencies located inside.

  After Naomi and Liam distributed cups of coffee to the rest of the team, Vessler walked in, carrying an even larger mug of high potency brew, followed by Choi, who closed the door behind him. They took a pair of empty seats and nodded to the others.

  Casey, at the head of the table, said, “Good morning everyone.”

  “It is morning,” Liam said, sitting down next to Tanner. “The good part is debatable.”

  The former FBI director shrugged, leaned back in his chair and looked at Vessler. “Maybe you can bring everyone up to speed on the current situation at the warehouse?”

  Vessler glanced down at a sheet of paper in front of her, then looked up around the table. “We have sixteen bodies in the morgue, all Black Dao Triad members. An additional nineteen Triad members are under arrest, seven of them seriously wounded and currently in the hospital.”

  She looked at Tanner, who sipped his coffee before replying. “We missed Mori by several hours.”

  Vessler nodded. “Fortunately, by the time we showed up the Triad scum were too shell-shocked to put up much resistance. We seized one hundred and ten kilos of finished Red Ice, enough supplies to create a couple thousand kilos of meth, 110 Chinese nationals, including your friend the chemist, and enough stolen electronics to open up a store with.”

  “Score one for the good guys,” Liam said.

  Vessler folded her arms and stared at Tanner. “Now tell me, what the hell happened in there? A couple of the bodies look like they were fed through a meat grinder.”

  “We met with some resistance,” Tanner said. “I told you we weren’t there to arrest anyone.”

  Vessler sat bolt upright. “I’ve got other agents asking me what happened! What do I tell them, the government has a black ops team who got there before us? I need some sort of official answer!”

  Casey interjected, “Tell them a mercenary team hired by the family tried to rescue Dr. Mori. Neither they nor you knew of the others’ presence, and they retreated when the DEA showed up. We’ve been in contact with the Mori family in Japan and they will back up the story.”

  “The defense will have a field day. They’ll claim the mercenaries planted the evidence.”

  “They can try, “Tanner said, “but the entire warehouse is evidence, with a hundred witnesses to testify to who was guarding it. No jury is going to believe a cry of planted evidence, even if we had planted any, which we did not. No need.”

  Vessler leaned back in her chair and rubbed her temples. “I still don’t like the idea of having your team running around like a bunch of cowboys.”

  Liam’s expression looked pained. “We are far from cowboys. It stopped being a law enforcement issue when Rhee and his men showed up. They’re fighting a war—a war you’re not prepared for. We are.”

  Tanner leveled a steady gaze on Vessler. “You just worry about building the case against the Black Dao. Leave Rhee and the North Koreans to us.”

  Vessler dropped her head to her chest for several seconds, then looked up. “I need some air.” She stood and left the conference room.

  After the door closed behind her, Choi leaned forward. “Please forgive her. She hasn’t slept more than four hours in the last three days, even before the pier raid. She’s running on fumes.”

  “I’ll order her to get some rest,” Glimsdale said.

  Naomi rose. “Let me talk to her. I know her.”

  Both Tanner and Glimsdale nodded. Naomi got up and followed after Vessler.

  “Tanner, what’s your next move?” Casey asked.

  “We’re looking at several more targets. I want to put pressure on Hong and the Triad leadership. If we can get them to stop supporting Rhee, we can make it harder for Rhee to move the Red Ice.”

  Danielle looked up from the laptop on the table in front of her. “I’m still working through the records, but I’ll come up with a list of Black Dao businesses. We’ll chose a few and hit them.”

  Glimsdale raised an eyebrow. “Hit them?”

  “Best not to ask,” Casey said.

  “I won’t.”

  “Rhee will respond,” Choi explained. “If he’s as much of a fanatic as you say, he will push back, and in a high profile manner.”

  Tanner nodded. “I don’t think Rhee is here merely to supervise the Red Ice. The ambush at the pier, the explosion at the hotel, and the sniper attack indicate to me that he’s here to cause mayhem on a larger scale than flooding the U.S. with a new drug. Intel indicates he has about thirty Special Forces soldiers under his command. That’s a whole lot of potential trouble.”

  Casey agreed. “But he still needs Hong and the Triad to get the Red Ice into the illegal drug distribution network.” He looked down the table at Glimsdale. “Is there anyone else locally that Rhee could go see if his relationship with the Black Dao goes bad?”

  Glimsdale pursed his lips and thought for a second. “Local players include the Russian mob, but they’re not likely to deal with Rhee. Most of the others don’t have the resources Hong does. The Mexicans would never deal with him — they seem him as a threat. If Rhee wants new allies, he’s going to have to branch out. Los Angeles would be the obvious choice, but that’s the Mexican drug cartels’ turf. If Rhee tries forcing his way into their markets, there will be all-out war, and he knows it.”

  “Which is probably why Rhee is doing what he’s doing,” Liam chimed in. “He’s going to show the Mexicans how tough his army is by taking on the entire country. If the might of the U.S. government isn’t going to faze him, the Mexican cartels won’t either.”

  Dante nodded. “Especially since the North Koreans don’t have families to target while the Mexicans do, and the Koreans don’t mind collateral damage in the form of innocent bystanders.”

  Glimsdale glanced at his watch. “I have the mayor due in at any moment for a briefing about the recent wave of violence. As you can imagine, she’s under a lot of pressure from the police union and her political opponents to do something.”

  “Which means the DEA is under pressure from the mayor’s office,” Choi added.

  “I’ll brief her,” Casey said. “I can shift most of the public focus onto the federal investigation.”

  Glimsdale nodded and looked at Choi. “If Sarah doesn’t want to give the DEA briefing, will you do it?”

  “Of course.”

  Casey looked at Tanner. “Your team better make itself scarce in the meantime. I’ve already had the Board of Supervisors President asking if there’s a federal black ops team in town, and definitely don’t want to have to explain to the mayor what OUTCAST is, okay?”

  Glimsdale shook his head. “Don’t be too hard on the Board president. Kwan’s good people. He’s already announced that there will be a member of the Board of Supervisors at each police officer and DEA agent’s funeral. He’s always been a strong supporter of the police and federal efforts against crime. He’s faced off against Pagliei more than once when she’s wanted to cut funding to the police department.”

  Tanner stood, followed by the other members of his team. “Gentlemen, we need to do some planning. If you’ll excuse us.”

  #

  Naomi caught up with Vessler in the building’s lobby. “Vess, can we talk?”

  Vessler exhaled slowly, but didn’t stop walking. Naomi lengthened her stride to keep up with her. They passed through the security checkpoint that led outside, each woman displaying their federal ID badges to the security guards. Naomi noticed a group of people and two news camera teams on the plaza, observed by a pair of uniformed security guards positioned to keep the reporters away from the front entrance. A light rain drizzled, wetting the ground and forcing a few people to hurry along or produce umbrellas.

  Vessler turned right and walked down the sloping sidewalk bordered on the left side
by a six-foot wall, on the right by a railing, the exit to the underground parking garage beyond that. Naomi matched her stride for stride, their footsteps echoing between the wall and building. The wall ended and Vessler headed for a small seating area surrounding a triangular patch of grass.

  Around them the city bustled, some of the noise reflected by a tall stone wall between them and the main entrance. People filled the sidewalks, cars and trucks slogged through the intersections as the traffic lights directed. The surrounding buildings towered above them, making them feel as though they occupied a private nook in the heart of the city.

  When Vessler put her foot on a bench, Naomi sensed it was time for the conversation. “Spill it, Vess. Something’s eating you.”

  At length, Vessler said, “I’m tired. Not just of this case, but of the job in general and the scum I deal with day in and day out.”

  “You’re a damned good agent,” Naomi said.

  “Not good enough to keep eight DEA agents and a dozen SFPD officers under my command from the grave.”

  “You didn’t know what you were walking into.”

  Vessler turned toward her friend, her eyes blazing with anger. “I should have!”

  Naomi put a hand on Vessler’s shoulder. “You’re going through a rough patch right now.”

  Vessler shook her head. “It’s not just the last couple of days. I’ve been a DEA agent for fifteen years, and I’ve seen more suffering and wasted lives in those years than a dozen people will see in a lifetime. I’ve busted drug dealers with a tenth-grade education, gold-plated AK-47s, two hundred thousand dollar cars, and three million-dollar mansions.” She closed her eyes for a few seconds. “I’ve seen more money in one place then you and I will ever make in three lifetimes, just waiting to be picked up and taken away. I’ve poured my heart and soul in this job, and what do I have to show for it? Not a damn thing.”