CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
“That was fun,” smirked Rush. “Little bastard running for his life when his people are in chaos. Tells me we’re doing the right thing.”
“Boys, he’s on a bicycle now. He’s not moving fast, but you’re going to need to pick up the speed.”
The men immediately took off in a slow run. They knew they were at least a mile ahead of Park, but if he had a bicycle, he might be able to outrun them. They wanted to get to the tomb first and get down inside.
Thanks to superior training, fitness, and long legs, they beat him by a half mile. Rett and East hid in the recesses of the inner door, waiting for Park to walk by. Once he did, they would follow.
Tobias, Nate, and Mike jogged down the tunnel, ready to meet their friends at the end and ensure that Park would not get past any of them. The others walked slowly, hoping to catch Park somewhere in the middle and ensure that he would never reach the end.
Thirty minutes later, they heard someone cursing themselves and a bicycle outside the door. The weak man could barely open the door, only getting it open a crack. Rett and East smiled at one another, gripping the edges of the door and pulling it wide, causing Park to fall inward, flat on his face.
He screamed in pain as his body hit the steps, his nose bleeding all over him. Wet with perspiration, smelling like a dog, he was nearly at his wits’ end.
“Cursed place! I hate this,” he mumbled.
Taking the steps one at a time, his scraped, bleeding knees didn’t allow him to move very quickly. Rett and East watched, and when he reached the bottom of the steps, they slowly followed, making soft stepping noises.
“Who’s there?” yelled Park, turning quickly with his weapon in his hand. The two men flattened against the wall, knowing that he couldn’t see them. But if he fired his weapon, they would damn sure feel it.
“There’s no one,” he said to himself. “No one. Tongmyong is dead. He’s dead.”
Emperor Tongmyong lived from 58-19 BC. He founded the ancient Goguryeo Kingdom. It was one he admired greatly. At the height of their power, they owned much of southern China, Manchuria, and Mongolia. He’d been a great and powerful leader, and one that Park respected.
Shuffling along the tunnel, he could hear the echo of his own feet but thought he heard more. Stopping, he listened, then shook his head. A few moments later, he was certain he heard more footsteps. He turned, firing his weapon rapidly, emptying the cartridge.
Rett and East grinned at one another. That solved one problem. That and the fact that he was a terrible shot. Both men grinned as Park scurried through the tunnel like the rat he was. They were able to take casual, slow steps to keep up with him, their legs twice as long.
The man was so out of shape he had to stop frequently to catch his breath. When he was about two-thirds of the way through the tunnel, he made the phone call to the boat waiting for him.
“I’m on my way. You must wait.”
“Sir, the military is everywhere. I cannot wait much longer. I will give you twenty minutes. My man will be in a small boat waiting for you at the opening of the tunnel.” The call ended, and Park screamed, the echoes bouncing off the tunnel walls.
Rett tapped his comms twice and received another tap back.
Park tried to run. God love him and his stubby legs, but he just couldn’t get more than a swift walk. Behind him, he was completely unaware of the two men who’d removed their stealth suits and the thirteen other men in front of him.
Seeing light, he knew he was almost there. Strange shapes appeared on the tunnel walls, and he thought he was seeing things. Then, a man stepped out, blocking the light of the tunnel. Then another. And another.
“Wh-who are you? Do you know who I am?”
“You are a dead man,” said Conor.
“American? I knew it was Americans who did this,” he growled.
“Let’s be clear,” said Cowboy. “You did this. We stopped it. We stopped your insane plan, and just to rub salt in your wound, we have the two CIA spies, and the best one, wait for it, we have your daughter and granddaughter.”
“Whore! Whore! Where is she?”
“You really don’t understand your situation, do you?” grinned Conor. “You’re not going to make your boat trip. We’ve already sent your friend back to his own boat and told him to scurry along. You have no way out. No one who cares if you get out.”
“What do you want? I can give you money. Women. What is it?”
“He’s pretty slow,” said Tanner, staring at the man.
“You’re Korean. You would betray your people?” frowned Park.
“Betray my people? These are my people. These are the men who gave me a chance after one of your people killed my parents by a river on a dark, stormy night. Chasing them like dogs because they were brave enough to speak up and want something more for their country. Parents who were brave enough to give their son the chance at a better life.”
“Seo-Jun and Soomin Cho,” grinned Park. “You have your father’s height.”
Tanner stared at the man, wondering how he could possibly know his parents’ real names.
“They were my first kills. It was a wonderful feeling ridding my country of traitors. Incredibly exciting to sneak into South Korea, find them, and kill them. We knew that we’d missed the child, but you were a baby after all. I guess now I know I should have killed you too.”
Tanner brought his weapon up so fast that no one could stop him. Nor did they want to. Park lay bleeding on the tunnel floor with two bullets in his forehead. He stared at his parents’ murderer, his chest heaving up and down. Then he looked at his friends.
“I’m s-sorry,” he whispered.
“For what?” asked Conor. “I’d think you would feel better now. Weight lifted and all that shit. Nice shots, by the way.”
“I screwed up,” said Tanner. Rush gripped his shoulders.
“Brother, you didn’t screw up shit. You did what we would have done in the end either way. He’s dead. The world is better off. Now, let’s get the fuck out of here.”
Tanner smiled at his friends, nodding. He did feel better. A weight he hadn’t known was there was now gone. His parents vindicated.
Using the UPDs, they easily made the trek to the waiting boat. As they climbed on board, the men turned to see Pyongyang in flames. Rioting and chaos had broken out, the city in complete turmoil.
“I want to feel bad, but I don’t,” said Conor.
“My parents saw this day coming,” said Tanner. “I will always be grateful to them for giving me this chance, and now I will be grateful to all of you for allowing me to kill Park.”
“Allow?” smirked Christian. “Nah, we didn’t allow it. You’re just slippery fast.” He winked at his friend, nudging his shoulder as the other men laughed. The boat quickly made its way south and, hopefully, to freedom.