World war iii not how yo.., p.20
World War III: Not How you Imagined, page 20
“We should change that,” Laurent had said.
Dr. Connery held Laurent’s gaze and without saying such, made it obvious to him that she agreed with his statement.
“If my radar is calibrated correctly, I’d say you have a thing for our good-looking hostess,” Dole said teasingly as they walked the sidewalks of McLean, Virginia, in search of a steakhouse.
“Speaking of hostesses, how’s it going between you and that girl at the Outback—what was her name?” Laurent asked, knowing full well her name.
Dole smiled and thanked Laurent for playing dumb. “Like you don’t know. She’s good actually. I had dinner with her not that long ago. Seems like yesterday—oh, wait, it was yesterday,” Dole shared with his friend.
“Yeah, I know how you feel. I was on my way to Peru… I was going to do the Machu Picchu thing when I got the Wanda text,” Laurent said.
“Speaking of female names… does our hostess seem like a Helen to you?” Dole asked.
“I’m not sure I’m the best guy to ask about that. She really is something special. I think her name could be Ms. Magillicuddy and I’d not care one wit,” Laurent shared with Dole.
They’d walked about five blocks sharing friendly conversation and came upon a small restaurant: “Magillicuddy’s. Both soldiers stopped in their tracks.
“How fucking weird is that? You just used the name Magillicuddy—a name I’ve never heard you use, a name that I’ve never heard anyone use—and here we are standing in front of Magillicuddy’s,” Dole said, genuinely amazed.
“Yeah, that’s weird,” agreed Laurent.
Not believing in fate, but now feeling destined to dine at the Irish-named eatery they had no choice but to enter the narrow, glass-fronted restaurant. Inside was dimly lit and smelled of charcoal-broiled beef.
“This is too good to be true,” Dole said to Laurent.
“Smells good to me; let’s eat,” Laurent agreed.
They took a booth that had ample legroom and ordered the largest steaks on the menu.
“Peru?” Dole asked, surprised at the destination.
“I was just freelancing my time off… almost like throwing a dart at a map,” Laurent admitted.
Just as Dole was about to comment, he saw Dr. Connery walk into the restaurant. “Don’t look now. I mean it—don’t look behind you. Believe it or not, a girl named Helen just walked in the front door,” Dole informed his surprised friend.
Laurent wrinkled his brow, conveying a small bit of confusion. Just as he was about to reply to Dole, Dr. Connery walked up to their booth. “Hello, gentlemen. May I join you?” She’d stopped on the side where Laurent was sitting, intending to sit by him when they invited her to stay.
Both soldiers attempted to stand while they invited her to take a seat, but they could only manage to get their butts a few inches off the seats before their thighs struck the underside of the table, preventing them from fully rising.
“It’s nice to see that common courtesy isn’t totally extinct,” Connery said.
Connery sat toward the outer edge of the booth on Laurent’s side. Not so far away from Laurent as to make it obvious that she was trying to avoid physical closeness, but not so close as to overtly suggest she wanted to be close. Like everything she did, it was a result of careful and deliberate calculation.
“I’m surprised to see you here,” Laurent said, turning his head to face her as he spoke.
“Have you ordered?” asked Connery.
“Yes, we both ordered steak,” Dole replied.
Raising her hand to gain the attention of the waiter, she said to the soldiers, “I’m famished!”
When the waiter arrived, Connery spoke to him as if an old friend. “Hi, Michael, how are the kids?”
“They’re doing just great, Dr. Connery, thanks for asking. Do you know what you’d like?”
“I’ll have whatever they’re having, exactly as they’re having it.”
“Excellent choice… may I bring you a drink?”
“Just iced water… thank you,” answered Connery.
Dole and Laurent exchanged glances while the conversation between Dr. Connery and the waiter had taken place. Their radar was again warming up.
“I’m almost one hundred percent certain that you told us you don’t get out much,” Laurent said to the attractive shrink.
“That was a true statement. I don’t usually go out to eat, but when I do, I frequently come here,” Connery smoothly replied.
“Ahhhh,” he replied.
“The food is great here. No matter which cut of beef you’ve ordered, it’s going to be top shelf… I promise,” Connery said.
The atmosphere was strained. Her appearance was the last thing either Laurent or Dole had expected, and her arrival again created a sense that something was not right.
“Dr. Connery, I’m a simple guy. I like straightforward transactions, and since I’ve received the text paging me back to duty, I’ve had nothing but hits on my shitstorm radar screen. You need to come clean with us,” Laurent said matter of factly.
Connery was as adept at human interaction as anyone on planet Earth. Nothing threw her off her game and she’d come to join them for the sole purpose of reading them into the program. “I came here so that we could talk in an environment where we could all sit as equals.”
“In your world of special military operations, you two are at the top of the pyramid. In my world of understanding and manipulating the human mind, I’m in your league. I tell you this not to indulge my ego, but to let you know that I’m a capable guide. You’ll need a guide who knows the way down into and back out of the rabbit hole that is the human psyche. It’s my job to help you understand our enemy. The Asian mind is different than those of the west, and even though you’ll never truly feel as an Asian feels—specifically North Koreans—you can get to the point where a comprehensive understanding of their nonwestern manner of thought can allow you to anticipate their behavior… which should be invaluable in your line of work,” explained Connery.
“Okay, well, break it down for us. Just exactly what can we expect in this process of going down the rabbit hole?” Laurent asked.
“Well, let me start by pointing out that there are no absolutes when dealing with the human mind. The human race is a collection of similar but different races that develop unique worldviews as a function of brain structure and the influence of formative environment. In general, had you or I been born into the same precise circumstances that Kim un do experienced, you and I would be just like her, or something very close. Different races have slightly different brain architectures—it’s all very subtle stuff, but differences account for much. If you put an Anglo brain next to an Asian brain, they’d look just alike—having the same hemispheres, the same geography, the same arterial layout—but the superficial commonalities belie the reality. Those similar looking brains will form slightly different circuits when adapting to their environment. Remember, at our fundamental level, the human body is nothing more than a life support system for the brain. The legs transport the arms to the berry bush; the hands feed the body—which is the attachment point for the arms and legs—all for no other reason than to keep the heart pumping blood through the brain. The brain creates the mind; the mind is what we are,” explained Connery.
While the psychiatrist expanded upon the differences and similarities between brains and minds of different races and cultures, she could see that both soldiers were focused students. They were bright and knew when it was time to listen. They also knew when it was time to act… hence, Special Forces types.
Continuing, Dr. Connery talked about how the mind’s basic potential is established early on as a function of the brain creating a mind that is able to adapt and survive in its unique environment. And minds that form in a way that express aberrant behavior as normal are likely to remain that way for the duration of that person’s life. Even if they learned to parrot culturally normal behavior as a survival mechanism, at their core, they would remain abnormal and capable of extreme antisocial actions.
“If I understand you correctly, then our North Korean friend is presently in parrot mode,” Laurent said.
“She is absolutely in parrot mode. In a perverse way—perverse to our western minds—she’s in mind game heaven right now. She perceives this as an opportunity to live amongst her sworn enemies and to play our game her way. She wants to lead us as we lead her. It’s a circular rabbit hole.”
“Damn. I’m glad that I’m just a simple soldier,” Dole said sincerely.
“I’m sure that what you say is accurate, but just the same, we may not be the best people to train for elevator rides up-and-down the rabbit hole. We’re basically trigger-pullers who also happen to be able to fly wingsuits efficiently,” Laurent said.
Dinner arrived just as Laurent finished his suggestion that they were not good candidates for developmental psy-ops. Each diner took time to prepare their plates for consumption, but soon they returned to the topic at hand and talked as they ate steaks that were as good as promised.
“Like it or not, you’re in the business of broad-spectrum warfare. Sergeant Laurent, you’re in the Operations and Intelligence side of the business—” Connery began to say.
“Yes, but all I use those skills for is planning, which, to this point, has not directly involved mind fucking,” Laurent said, interrupting.
“More like brain pan emptying,” Dole said, chuckling.
Connery was nonplused; she’d been around more testosterone than most. Her entire academic career was riddled with males envious of her youthful intellectual prowess and she’d had to learn early how to deflect and deflate ill-conceived comments from men. And while the two soldiers were extraordinary men, they remained men.
“Both of you have great potential to broaden and deepen your arsenal of tools. This next war—there will be a war—this next war will be fought not only in the skies, on the ground and under and on top of the water, but also in cyberspace, and, most importantly, between the ears of all combatants. Those who have the best understanding and, the best skills, win,” Connery said in a tone that said wake up guys, you need this.
Both Laurent and Dole acknowledged the doctor’s comments with an agreeable nod of the head. They all then sat silently while eating and digesting not only food, but also new information and new considerations. When halfway through their enormous steaks, Laurent needed to know more.
“There’s little doubt that a circumstance is building that could drag us into a major, violent exchange with the North Koreans. But I get the sense that your prediction is built upon information and experience that is more weighty than ours—or at least, larger in scope,” Laurent said.
“I know no more than you… probably less. But based upon the circumstances surrounding Operation Bridget and my new understanding of Kim Un Do’s history and purpose, it seems virtually inevitable that the United States is going to have to become very proactive to either ward off a war or to win one. Most importantly I fear it may be a whole new kind of war on our home turf, if our North Korean friend is being truthful,” Dr. Connery answered.
They spent their remaining time eating and digesting both food and the potential of the near future. While waiting for their check, both Dole and Laurent received a text message from their old wing-suit training instructor, Henning. Both soldiers checked their phones simultaneously and smiled and laughed out loud upon seeing who it was.
“Call me,” said the text.
They paid the check, left an enormous tip, and all three began to walk back to The Institute with a sense that meals like they’d just enjoyed might become a rare event for them all.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
“I can remember when sex was safe and skydiving was dangerous” . . . A T-shirt
CMH
Once back in The Institute, Laurent and Dole said their good nights to Dr. Connery and walked towards their short-term underground apartment… or Doomsday Room, as Dole called it.
Laurent pulled out his smart phone and said let’s go back topside. Back at the parking lot where they’d both first arrived, Laurent put the phone on speaker and dialed Henning. The phone rang only once.
“Henning,” answered the voice on the other end.
“You mean the world famous wing-suit flyer? The one who teaches fledgling skydivers the finer art of guiding their parachutes through airborne minefields and countless other obstacles? THAT Henning?” Dole asked with playful sarcasm.
“Fuck you, Dole,” Henning said, chuckling.
“How did you know it was me?” Dole responded laughing.
“Man, I hope you can keep that sense of humor going over the next few days, months, or years, because it is going to be full time shitstorm for the foreseeable future,” Henning said.
“What’s up, Sarge?” Laurent asked, joining the conversation.
“Hey, Tom, how are you? Henning asked Laurent.
“I’m excellent, thanks for asking even if you didn’t mean it,” Laurent said, playing along with Dole’s sarcasm.
“You should be excellent. Congrats on the CMH!” Henning said.
Laurent looked at Dole with a face that said, What’s he talking about?
Dole grimaced and had little choice but tell Laurent what he would soon find out through official channels—that he was going to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.
“Tom, I’m sorry, man. We had to be interviewed while they reviewed the recommendation for your CMH—we all knew you were going to get it,” Dole explained.
“Ahh, shit… Tom, I’m sorry as hell. I thought you’d already received it,” Henning said, embarrassed to have spoiled the surprise.
Laurent could sense Henning’s embarrassment on the phone… it was that obvious. Not knowing what to say, he said nothing and just raised his shoulders, shrugging his surprise at the news. Seeing Laurent’s reaction, Dole felt sympathetic. “Man, if anybody deserves that medal, it’s you. You could be a total fuck-up for the rest of your career and everybody is always going to look at you as the first and probably only human being to dive toward a freakin’ surface-to-air missile,” Dole pointed out.
Laurent was embarrassed. He genuinely didn’t feel as if he’d done anything that any of the other guys wouldn’t have done had they been in his position. The decision had been an obvious no-brainer.
“Well, it’s too late now. But still, man… congrats,” Henning said again.
“Yeah, thanks,” Laurent managed.
“Okay, now that it’s official, Tom is a certified hero, what did you text us for?” Dole asked.
“They want us to get the band back together,” Henning said.
“Not much of the band left,” replied Dole.
“Believe it or not, I’ve got some other people similar to you two that I’ve been bringing up to speed on our technique,” Henning said.
“It’s hard to believe that you found any more like us who are willing to jump out of an airplane without a parachute,” Laurent said.
“Shit, I got a tree out back that grows them by the dozens,” Henning said, attempting humor.
“Then you’ll have the pick of the crop,” Dole parried.
“How soon can you get here?” Henning asked.
“Well, we’ve got some training to wrap up here and I’m not sure how long it’s going to take. When would you like us there?” Laurent asked.
“Can you make it by yesterday?” Henning asked.
“Man, it’s nice to be liked,” Dole replied.
“Let us get back to you when we have a better handle on what’s going down here,” Laurent said.
“Okay, but I must tell you, you’re going to love the new helmet tech—all-weather jumping, instrument approaches… oh, and they figured out the broad screen night vision. Sound interesting?” Henning teased.
“Sounds dangerous as hell—I’m in,” Laurent said with a bit more energy in his voice.
“He meant to say we’re in,” Dole corrected.
“Roger that, guys… get back to me soonest,” Henning said, terminating the connection.
Dole and Laurent looked at one another in wide-eyed wonder and said simultaneously, “Instrument approaches!”
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
“I like pushing boundaries” . . . Lady Gaga
DÉJÀ VU ALL OVER AGAIN
Since the ambush along the DMZ, all American troops in South Korea were on high alert status. No one was permitted to travel alone, marriage license applications between American GIs and Korean nationals were placed on indefinite hold, and the State Department had issued a ‘travel at your own risk’ warning for anyone thinking of traveling to South Korea. Tensions were high—higher than at any time in the last fifty years.
Making matters worse was that the North Koreans were moving troops and equipment at breakneck pace to within eyesight of the DMZ. In most places, binoculars weren’t needed to see the buildup. It was an in-your-face demonstration of defiance—if not outright threat of open conflict.
Keeping pace was the buildup of US forces. For several weeks, US Air Force C-17s and C-5s had been coming and going at the rate of two per hour. Everyone, including the North Koreans, knew that the giant heavy lifters were laden with every manner of life-taking implement known to modern man, and also other devices still held in close secret. The more observant of watchers would have noted that there was an absence of ground attack and fighter aircraft arriving to bolster the 51st Fighter Wing stationed at Osan AFB. The same actions were taking place at Kunsan AFB, about eighty miles south.
Tensions amongst the South Korean people were at an all-time high and drills were routine in order that the civilian population would be able to seek shelter in a timely manner. And now with the very real potential of having an invader from the north running amok through their civilization, there was much talk about their strict firearms laws. Every adult South Korean male was required to do military service. Thus, the male population had familiarity with firearms, but what they lacked in their own homes were the actual firearms. The local and international talk shows were abuzz with an intense conversation about the need for everyday citizens to own guns.
