At my cold warning, Jessica reluctantly took out all the communication devices she had on her and handed them over.
A satellite phone, a compact cara—she even had two recorders.
On top of that, various other specialized devices spilled out.
“Are you planning to shoot a spy movie or sothing?”
The sight was so absurd that sarcasm slipped out on its own.
“......They told to bring everything. They said they needed to monitor how this situation unfolds.”
“Why? To find so leverage on ?”
“What reason would the United States have right now to turn you into an enemy, Charlie?”
“From the position of the weaker party, isn’t that exactly the kind of thing I should worry about? Right now I align with U.S. interests, so you let be—but no one knows what’ll happen later.”
While we were talking, Manager Ma was already scanning Jessica with the equipnt.
No alarms sounded.
Jessica clearly understood that finding more communication devices at this point would be a problem, so it seed she had handed everything over from the start.
“Let’s sit down first.”
I gestured as I took my seat. Jessica hesitated, then sat down across from .
“How much did you tell them?”
I skipped any pointless pleasantries and went straight to the point.
“The reason I got involved in this matter......”
Before I could finish, she answered quickly.
“I’m not that clueless. And I’m not stupid. I only disclosed as much information as I absolutely could. I had to.”
Only as much as she could disclose. For now, I had no choice but to believe her.
Judging from John’s reaction, it didn’t seem like she had revealed that I got involved because of my grandmother’s request.
“Jessica. I want to trust you. It’s not like there’s no one who could replace you—but throwing away soone I’m used to and starting from scratch again is uncomfortable for too.”
“......I know.”
“Then are you going to keep disappointing ?”
Caught by my gaze, Jessica opened her mouth as if to explain herself.
“This was beyond what I could handle on my own.”
“Fine. That happens. I understand. But what I wanted was Arica’s consent. And you know perfectly well that included the implication that I wouldn’t be held responsible even if things went wrong.”
Letting out a deep sigh, clearly frustrated, Jessica spoke.
“Charlie, you know how fierce the infighting between U.S. intelligence agencies is. This case is the sa. Most of the people who understand your capabilities—and your usefulness—are of the opinion that this should just be quietly overlooked. But most agencies aren’t. They insist that if sothing goes wrong, there needs to be a scapegoat.”
“Power struggles between intelligence agencies aren’t exactly new.”
Jessica nodded in agreent and continued.
“That’s true, but things got worse after the terrorist attacks and the creation of the Departnt of Holand Security. On top of that, a new agency is about to be established—one that will take over the oversight and budgetary authority that the CIA used to hold. The strongest opposition to that ca from the CIA Director.”
The CIA Director...... I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
A troubleso bastard, and now he’s stirring things up.
“In addition, the intelligence agencies under the Departnt of Defense drew a clear line, saying this was their jurisdiction and that civilians had no business interfering. They’re wary of Black Bear’s growth.”
It made sense that the Defense Departnt would be on guard.
They didn’t like the expanding influence of private military companies like Black Bear.
“So in the end, the compromise was that if problems arise, responsibility would be pushed onto Black Bear......”
“Not Black Bear. .”
Jessica didn’t deny it.
“You own Black Bear, so it can’t be helped. In both East and West, when individuals—rather than states—hold this kind of force, it always becos a problem.”
“Even so, I’ve rarely wielded that force recklessly.”
“Rarely and never aren’t the sa thing, Charlie. For example, the sudden upheaval in North Korea......”
So that was another reason the U.S. was desperate to get leverage on .
The North Korean coup incident had raised my threat level in their eyes.
If it hadn’t benefited them as well, the U.S. wouldn’t have let that slide.
Well, that was sothing I could understand.
Soone like , holding both imnse wealth and military power, was bound to be unsettling.
“I’ve never acted against U.S. interests.”
“Even so, you’re not an Arican citizen. If you were, your treatnt would’ve been very different.”
She was openly hinting at acquiring U.S. citizenship.
I had no intention of doing that.
If I wanted to walk a tightrope between the U.S., Russia, and China for my own interests, Arican citizenship would only get in the way.
“Didn’t we settle that discussion a long ti ago?”
“I’m just saying. Out of regret.”
“Co to think of it, you’re a Republican too, aren’t you, Jessica?”
Thanks to her laying everything out, it was much easier to grasp the full picture.
I let out a small chuckle and spoke again.
“Now I’ll tell you why I made you co all this way.”
Sensing that my mood had softened, Jessica smiled a little more comfortably.
“That’s good. I was wondering why you dragged all the way out here.”
“For now, I don’t intend to deploy rcenaries for a hostage rescue. The rescue operation will be our last resort. I’m planning to negotiate with them first.”
The smile vanished from Jessica’s face in an instant.
“......You’re saying you’ll pay the terrorists?”
“Of course not. Paying them directly would be like putting a knife to my own throat. I have no intention of doing that.”
No matter how much U.S. consent I got, handing money to terrorists would be tantamount to suicide.
Locking eyes with the stiffened Jessica, I said,
“Arrange a eting with Hussein—who’s currently in custody in Iraq.”
“Hussein? Why him?”
“I know the U.S. already offered him a deal—his life in exchange for stopping anti-governnt forces inside Iraq.”
“.......”
The U.S. had originally intended to put Hussein on trial in an Arican court.
But circumstances shifted, and they decided to hold the trial in Iraq instead, transferring judicial authority to the soon-to-be-ford Iraqi interim governnt.
“Is that not the case?”
“Ha...... Just how much do you know, Charlie? Fewer than a thousand people in the entire world know that. Do you have an informant among them?”
“Don’t ask about the source of the information.”
I could practically see the gears in Jessica’s head spinning.
She was probably trying to figure out which of those fewer-than-a-thousand people was my source.
No matter how hard she looked, she’d never find them.
Because the source was .
“Yes. We offered Hussein a judicial deal.”
“And he refused.”
Jessica shrugged and nodded, as if there was no point hiding it anymore.
“Whatever your proposal is, he won’t accept it. He’s a man who’s already resolved to die.”
Is there really anyone in this world who wants to die?
I tilted my head, raising one eyebrow.
“Even so, we should try everything we can. If it can be resolved through dialogue, that’s the best outco.”
“It won’t be easy to even et him.”
“That’s exactly why I had you co here in person.”
“That’s...... not sothing I can decide on my own.”
I didn’t drag her all the way to Baghdad just to hear that it was impossible.
Twisting one corner of my mouth upward, I looked at her.
“I know that. But you can persuade the people who can decide. Get their approval—right here, in front of .”
“.......”
“Do you need ti to think?”
After biting her lip in thought for a mont, Jessica held out her hand.
“Give the satellite phone.”
I signaled to Manager Ma, who brought the satellite phone over and placed it in front of her.
“Charlie, I can’t guarantee anything.”
When luck’s bad, gambling anyway is still gambling. I nodded and gestured.
“Just take the shot.”
I didn’t believe I could persuade Hussein even if I t him.
But since I’d co all the way to Iraq, I might as well et that dictator.
After taking a deep breath, Jessica picked up the satellite phone and made a call.
While she was talking, I turned my head and checked the ti.
‘He said he’d give an answer within twenty-four hours...... About three hours left.’
There had still been no contact from either John, the nominee for Director of National Intelligence, or Yoon Changho, the President of Korea.
‘Should I just go back like this?’
Jessica kept glancing at as she continued the call, doing her best to arrange the eting with Hussein that I demanded.
A short while later, she put the receiver down.
“They said they’ll decide within an hour and get back to us. But it sounds like there’ll be conditions.”
“What kind of conditions?”
Did the U.S. really have to attach conditions to everything?
As I frowned, Jessica, reading my mood, spoke cautiously.
“If the eting with Hussein happens, please try to persuade him to accept our position as much as possible, Charlie.”
“You want to turn Iraq’s dictator into Arica’s lapdog and keep him alive?”
At my blatant sarcasm, Jessica shut her mouth.
“Jessica. Even when Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld personally t him and made the offer, he refused. What makes you think I’d have better luck?”
“But if he dies like this, Iraq will fall into even greater chaos.”
“And yet the U.S. is planning to hand the interim governnt over to the Shiites anyway, isn’t it? And among them, you’ve given more weight to the hardliners.”
“That’s for political reasons......”
Jessica muttered defensively. Watching her, I curled one corner of my mouth upward.
“The United States is far too confident. Confident—no, arrogant—in believing that everything will move exactly as they expect. One day, that arrogance is going to blow up in your faces.”
The chaos in Iraq, the Arab Spring, and the rise of IS.
What followed was utter devastation.
The disorder sparked by the greed of the U.S. and Europe grew without end.
“What are you planning to say to Hussein if you et him?”
Unwilling to dwell on the uncomfortable topic any longer, Jessica changed the subject.
“I’ll ask him to persuade the kidnappers, or to introduce soone who might know their location.”
“......You said the kidnappers were tied to al-Qaeda.”
“They beca a subordinate group of al-Qaeda out of necessity. They weren’t part of al-Qaeda from the beginning. Among the Iraqi resistance, there’ll be people who cooperated with them.”
Jessica nodded, though she didn’t look fully convinced.
“Let {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} et the kidnappers you captured.”
“They’re undergoing treatnt right now. eting them will be difficult—they were badly injured.”
“My God, Charlie! Did you torture them?”
“The U.S. tortures terrorists too, so why act shocked? Don’t play innocent in front of , Jessica. Still, if you want to see them, I’ll arrange it.”
Puffing out her lips, Jessica crossed her arms.
“Yes. I want to see them. There are things I need to ask.”
“Once the eting with Hussein is confird, I’ll arrange it. After their treatnt is finished, the one in relatively good condition will be handed over to the U.S. military.”
About an hour passed as I talked with Jessica.
Exactly one hour later, the satellite phone on the table rang.
Jessica glanced at , and I nodded for her to answer.
She spoke briefly, then held the receiver out to .
“Yes. This is Kim Muhyuk.”
—It’s John, Charlie.
As soon as he identified himself, John went straight to the point.
—You want to et Hussein?
“Yes. I do. There are things I need to ask him.”
—eting him won’t be easy. But if you accept our conditions, we’ll arrange it.
“You want to make him accept that ridiculous proposal—stop the Iraqi resistance in exchange for his life?”
—So you already knew.
I heard John let out a small sigh on the other end.
“I’ll try. But he won’t accept it. He’s a dictator who once held an entire country—no, the Middle East—in the palm of his hand. Do you think he’ll throw away his pride and beg the U.S. for his life?”
—That’s not what I’m saying......
John went on at length about justification and necessity, but I let it go in one ear and out the other.
In the end, it was no different from telling him to survive as Arica’s dog.
“I’ll take it that the eting with Hussein is approved. Now let’s get to the real issue.”
That was the only reason John would have called personally.
—......We will not hold you responsible for anything that happens in this operation. This is guaranteed by both Advisor Rice and myself.
“Very well. May I record this?”
—.......
“John, if you keep your word, this recording will never see the light of day. I need to hold at least one card.”
I silently gestured to Manager Ma to bring a recorder.
He quickly handed a compact recorder.
I nearly burst out laughing.
It was one of the recorders Jessica had brought with her.
“John. Please say it again. I’m recording.”
There was no answer from the other end.
“Were you planning to break your promise?”
—Trust .
“I’m a businessman. I trust no one. Say it again.”
After hesitating for a long ti, John finally repeated himself.
The mont the recording ended, I handed the recorder to Manager Ma.
“Thank you. Let’s bring the hostages back safely.”
I passed the receiver back to Jessica and said,
“Jessica. Schedule the eting with Hussein for tomorrow.”
She nodded and resud talking with John.
As I stood up, I said to Manager Ma,
“Manager. Once Jessica finishes her call, take her to see where the hostages are. I need to make a call of my own.”
As I left the room, I took the satellite phone out of my suit’s inner pocket.
I couldn’t afford to wait any longer for Yoon Changho to call back.
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