North Korean Blowup (28 page)

“Eat,” Hunter said. “Then sleep. We’re gonna need it. Once we leave that complex we’re going to have a whole shit pot full of army troopers hot on our tail. We’ll drive back here and leave the bus and bust our asses to get over to our pick up point.”

After they ate everything in sight and polished off most of the Cokes, Hunter put Tran out thirty yards from the bus toward the highway and Dengler the same distance the other direction.

“You’ll get relief in two hours, so stay awake and watch for anything that might give us trouble,” Hunter told them. He settled down in a seat near the window, leaned against the glass and stretched his feet out on the second seat. There were two seats on each side of the aisle and eight rows. Thirty two seats. Hunter looked over his men, set his count down wrist watch for two hours and pushed in the alarm button. Then he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

What seemed like a moment later a familiar buzzing sound awoke him. He checked the glowing dial of his watch: 0410.  He pushed off the seat and found Bradford, waking him gently. When the JG opened his eyes, he nodded.

“I’m awake.”

“You’ve got the con here. I and Foster are going on watch. Send two out to replace us at oh six hundred.”

“Gotcha.” He set his count down watch and Hunter searched the sleeping bodies with his pen light to find the medic.

A little after 0700 it was full light. Most of the SEALs were awake. They polished off the last of the Coke and yelled at Ho for breakfast.

“No breakfast sonsbitches. Lucky get Coke.” They hooted at him and they all laughed.

They waited until 0800 to move out on the main highway hunting the turnoff to the bomb plant. Hunter spotted it two miles north, where he saw the stunted two pine trees and a run down farm house.  The roadway they turned right on was good, well traveled and maintained. They rolled along at thirty five miles an hour and soon they could see the fortified gates, the barbed wire, and high fences ahead.

Everyone had on soccer uniforms and played catch with the three soccer balls. Ho drove up to the two armed soldiers twenty yards from the swing out steel gate. Six guards stood in front of the gate. Ho waved at the sergeant who stared at him.

“Morning. Guess we’re a little early for the game. We’re the Lancers soccer team touring this area for the army, making stops at all the facilities. Your recreation officer should have received a message from our headquarters a week ago.”

“No army soccer team here,” the guard said frowning.

“Yeah, that happens. The Colonel told us we’d run into that.   He said to find the local civilian team and set up a game for the enjoyment of all. Who should we talk to?”

The sergeant’s frown grew. He walked around the bus looking at the uniforms and the men tossing the balls. They tried to keep their backs to him most of the time.

He came back and scowled. “I’ll have to call my unit officer. Wait there off the road.”

“Sure, no rush. Can’t play until this afternoon.”

Ho pulled the bus off the road to a parking area and they all waited while the sergeant was replaced at his post and he went into a guard building evidently to use a telephone.

It was five minutes before the sergeant guard came back. He nodded. “I talked to the facility general manager and he said it was about time a soccer team came up here. Been more than six months he said. He has a civilian team and they will meet you at the soccer field at four o’clock this afternoon. No lights on the field.”

“Great, we’ll go inside and get in a short practice. We’re a little rusty sitting around in this bus so long.”

The sergeant waved at the gate guards who swung out the heavy steel barrier. The sergeant came back.

“You need a guide to help you find the field?”

Ho chuckled. “Hell no, a soccer field isn’t hard to find. Anyway we have lots of time. Thanks for your help.”

Ho started the engine, pulled the bus back on the road, and drove through the gate into the highly protected facility.

“Damn, we made it,” Hunter said. “Figured it was touch and go there for a while. Wonder how many troops they have protecting this place.”

“Not big group or they have soccer team,” Ho said. “Guess maybe fifty.”              

“That will be good news if we have to shoot our way out of here. Now let’s find that soccer field and make believe, while we scout out the three building Dr. Sung said we should shatter.”

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

No one seemed to care that they were there. They drove though three streets of houses, then down an avenue with a few shops and stores. They passed what had to be the soccer field with goal posts at each end.

      Well beyond the houses and shops they came to the industrial area. This was made up of a series of one and two story buildings. Some had trucks outside. There were no parking lots as would be usual in the U.S.

“The first building we need has a fence and barbed wire around it,” Hunter said reading his notes. “Dr. Sung said this was the main one with the bombs in it and that the other two were where major components were built.”

They drove around another block and they saw it. The place looked like Fort Knox should. A pair of ten foot chain link fences set ten feet apart surrounded the entire building. On top of both fences were rolls of razor barbed wire. Between the fences they saw roving guard dogs.

The big drive-in gate located at one side of the layout, was a series of three stop and go barriers, all electrically rolled away and made of what looked like bar steel two inches square. They were placed thirty yards apart. Nobody would drive a six by through those gates. Each gate had four soldiers guarding it. All had AK-47s.

They kept driving past the area fast enough not to attract attention.

“Now there is a secure building,” Hunter said. “How in hell are we going to get inside?”

“Can’t get inside,” his earpiece said. It was Senior Chief Chapman from the back of the bus. “We’ll have to do it from the outside.”

“Let’s find the other two buildings we need to blow,” Bancroft said. “Maybe they will be easier.”

They went past the soccer field and this time a team worked out on driving the ball downfield.

“We not play them,” Ho said. “They good.”

The second building Dr. Sung had described was about a quarter of a mile down the main industrial section road. It was made of unpainted concrete blocks. It had the look of an office building and they saw men coming in and out. There were no guards, no fences, and it appeared to be less important than the first one. It had lots of windows along the street side. They drove on by and circled around to go the opposite direction.

The third building they need to destroy was larger than the second one, but it had armed guards posted, two at each of the three doors on the street side. It was two story and probably built from concrete blocks, but it had been painted a dull yellow so they couldn’t be sure.

“Got to be a block house,” Tran said. “It has an arched roof, rather than a flat one, so there must be a lot of wood inside. Maybe laminated wood arches hold up the roof.”

“Bancroft, this baby is yours,” Hunter said. “Figure out how you’re going to take it down. You’ll have yourself and four men. Three of your men will go with the Senior Chief to get building number two. Chief Chapman, you’ll get one man from my squad. The rest of Alpha will take down the first building we looked at. Let’s keep our radios working.

“Ho, you stay with the bus dropping off the men at the three targets, then move out a half mile and wait for a pickup call. If we have any problems, we’ll try to take care of them as the show up. Any questions?”
          “Yeah, we going to hit all the buildings at the same time?” The senior chief asked.

“Good point. Ho, when you drop off the last team, give them five minutes to get in position, then use your radio and give us all a go on the assault. Everyone have that?”

He heard assents over the radio and saw heads nod.

“Okay, can we wait until dark to attack?”

Ho shook his head. “No. Many soldiers curious about bus.  Some scowl.”

“Bancroft?” Hunter queried.      

“I’ve seen some strange looks from some of the soldiers. The civilians don’t seem to care about our bus. I’d say we go as soon as we can get in position.”

“Senior Chief?”
          “Yeah, I like to see who I’m shooting. I’d say go as soon as we can.”

“Tran, how will daylight affect you in getting us out of here?”
          “We have to stay with the bus, so no scouting. We shoot them up, blow the buildings, then get out with as much fire fight as we run up against.”

“Fine, I agree. We’ll go now. Ho, find our first building. Bancroft,

designate the men you send to Chapman. From Alpha it’s Walden. Ho, what building is the first drop off?”

“The big one, fences.”

“Let us off in the street that heads into it so we’re a block away and don’t attract any attention. Let’s do it.”

Ho drove the bus over a block and stopped at what looked like a small clothing store.

“Hunter and his three men bailed out. Hunter waved at Ho. “Meet us right here for the pickup.” Then he was gone running down the block with his men to the building where they could see the assembly building facing the street. Hunter and his three men edged up to the corner of the building facing the fenced plant.

Four windows showed down the street side of the building. The fence was far enough out that they could stand and fire twenty millimeter rounds over the fence and into the structure. Hunter decided      at once that was the only way they could take down the place. They had two Bull Pups. He outlined the idea to his men.

“Mo and I will fire WP rounds into the windows as soon as we get the go from the radio. Chang, you and Tanner use the AK-47’s and blast any soldiers who come out of the building to escape the fire.

They waited. Hunter hit his stop watch ascending time. It was thirteen minutes before their radios gave Ho’s go ahead.

“Let’s do it,” he said to Mo.

The two of them fired five rounds each. Guards at the gate half a block away turned toward them but didn’t leave their posts. All but two of the devil burning white phosphorous rounds went through the windows and inside. Almost at once they heard a siren which must be a fire alarm. The main truck doors to the big facility remained closed. Smaller people sized doors along the front popped open.

“Let the people come out,” Hunter said. “We don’t want them, we want the bombs.”

At first just a few civilians came out, then dozens. Soon Hunter could see smoke gushing from the broken windows. The flat roof was out of sight.

The fire siren kept wailing, then another sound came, a loud horn blasted and the main truck doors opened. The three wide entrance gates rolled back and at the same time a large truck drove out of the main doors. On the flat bed was a large assembly covered by a canvas that frantic men were still strapping down.

“Moving the bombs,” Hunter said. Take out the truck.” Both he and Mo fired twenties at the truck cab. The first round hit the window on the right and exploded inside tearing the driver into spare parts. The second round slammed through the hood and fenders and exploded inside the engine. The big rig ground to a halt blocking the big double truck doors into the assembly building.

“Take out the cargo,” Hunter said. Both men fired at the assembly of what looked like it was big enough to be an almost finished nuclear weapon strapped on the flat bed. Two men scrambled off the rig just before the rounds hit. The first round blasted half of the tarp off the weapon. The next two hit a panel and slammed it off the side of the seven foot long device. More rounds from the twenties thundered into the bomb, chewing it up and mashing and smashing vital components.

Hunter looked at the building. Flames were shooting out the roof now and the whole thing seemed about ready to collapse. Flames gushed out the windows and he heard several large explosions inside, as the fire set off ordinance or tanks of gas.

Ten soldiers charged out of the far door facing the street and formed into an assault line and moved at a jog toward where Hunter and his men crouched at the corner of the building. Now the AK-47’s sounded as Chang and Tanner picked off one after another of the marchers. Hunter put an aerial bust over the line and four more went down. The marchers were hindered by their own protective fence. They had to run toward the main gate now to get out for any chance to fight the men shooting at them.

Only three of them made it to the gate. There the twenties poured in three rounds of air bursts over the gate and two   men went down, the other one ran back toward the far side of the burning building and cover.

A hundred or more men and women crowded against the chain link fence to get away from the heat of the fire. The whole building now burned like a torch at midnight, sending billowing clouds of black smoke into the windless sky. A gush of sparks sprayed into the sky as part of the roof collapsed. Then the near wall crashed inward and they saw that they were concrete blocks, and fell to the pressure of the roof and interior walls.

“Company behind us,” Tanner said. He fired a burst of six rounds from the Forty-Seven and quickly changed magazines. Hunter looked behind and saw six men rush into the street. Two of them dropped from the first rounds. The others fired and Hunter and his three men scurried around the corner to escape the rounds. There was no more opposition from the assembly plant troops or guards who had been at the gate and vanished once the building began to burn. The heavy steel gates remained open. Hunter leaned around the corner and slammed a twenty at the feet of the last four men. The twenty millimeter round exploded dropping two of the men. The other two turned and ran up the street and behind a small building.

“That’s our pickup spot,” Hunter said. “We have to go up there and clean up on those last two and get ready for Ho.” Murdock leaned in to his shoulder mike.

“Ho, this is Hunter. We’re ready for pickup when you are. Will we be the last?”

“Yes, last. End of line. See you then.”