sentry was missing, and head
around the side of the hangar to check on him. The team had minutes at best to get away from here.
Richter raced straight for the section of fence where he’d stashed the ladder, lifted it
up and leant it against a post. In front, he could see Dekker moving quickly towards him in a crouch, another SAS soldier right behind him. Richter climbed up and perched for a moment on top
of the fence, while he swung the ladder over, then slid down to the open ground outside.
‘Time we got out of here,’ Dekker observed.
‘Roger that.’
As they turned away from the fence, Richter felt a slight tug on his left boot. He glanced down
and spotted what they’d all missed, but it was now too late. The thin silver trip-wire gleamed in the darkness.
‘Oh, shit.’
Behind him security lights suddenly flared into life, illuminating the boundary fence and the
open ground outside it. Simultaneously, sirens started their atonic wailing. Their supposedly covert insertion and surveillance operation had just turned very overt indeed.
North Korea
The truck seemed to come out of nowhere. One minute the road was empty as far as Yi Min-Ho
could see. Then headlights came stabbingthrough the darkness directly towards him. The unmistakable sound of a big diesel engine shattered the silence of the night.
He’d just crossed the bridge over the river that drains into the Teiton Wan bay at Ugom,
and was about to leave the road and strike out across country, heading for a narrow gap through the double line of hills that lay north of the town.
For an instant Yi didn’t move, a combination of fatigue and surprise momentarily dulling
his reactions, then he stepped unhurriedly off the verge – if the truck contained police or soldiers, a sudden movement would immediately attract their attention – and headed into
the adjacent field. But the moment he was clear of the headlight beams, he ran like hell.
The truck growled to a halt and Yi could clearly hear men shouting, followed by the sound of
their boots clumping loudly on the metalled surface of the road. He concentrated totally on keeping his footing on the uneven soil, and covering the ground as swiftly as possible.
The sudden flare of the truck’s headlights had impaired his night vision, and Yi stumbled
and almost fell three times in his desperate escape. But the men behind him experienced exactly the same problem, and the dancing beams of their torches were of little help because he already
had a substantial lead of about one hundred metres.
The ground beneath his feet began to change as scrubby farmland gave way to the uncultivated
terrain leading up to the foothills. Running across rough ground is very tiring, and Yi’s breath now came in short, painful gasps. He would be forced to stop soon, despite his desperate
situation.
Around him were clumps of bushes and stunted trees, and he realized that these offered the best
cover he was likely to find. He slowed down and skidded behind two trees growing close together, looking back down the slope towards the lights of his pursuers. They were now even further
away, probably two hundred metres, but Yi could clearly sense the determination in their pursuit.
What had started out seemingly as a simple chase was now transformed into a methodical search,
with about fifteen men spread out in a line and walking up the hill towards him. Making a conscious effort to slow his breathing, Yi pulled out his binoculars and focused them.
The moonlight was bright enough for him to detect that they were soldiers, assault rifles
slung over their shoulders. He’d obviously been unlucky enough to run into a North Korean Army patrol, but the surprise was that they hadn’t already started firing in his
direction. Because these were military, rather than the police, he didn’t imagine they would give up the chase easily, but whatever happened, he mustn’t get caught. Realizing he
would now
around the side of the hangar to check on him. The team had minutes at best to get away from here.
Richter raced straight for the section of fence where he’d stashed the ladder, lifted it
up and leant it against a post. In front, he could see Dekker moving quickly towards him in a crouch, another SAS soldier right behind him. Richter climbed up and perched for a moment on top
of the fence, while he swung the ladder over, then slid down to the open ground outside.
‘Time we got out of here,’ Dekker observed.
‘Roger that.’
As they turned away from the fence, Richter felt a slight tug on his left boot. He glanced down
and spotted what they’d all missed, but it was now too late. The thin silver trip-wire gleamed in the darkness.
‘Oh, shit.’
Behind him security lights suddenly flared into life, illuminating the boundary fence and the
open ground outside it. Simultaneously, sirens started their atonic wailing. Their supposedly covert insertion and surveillance operation had just turned very overt indeed.
North Korea
The truck seemed to come out of nowhere. One minute the road was empty as far as Yi Min-Ho
could see. Then headlights came stabbingthrough the darkness directly towards him. The unmistakable sound of a big diesel engine shattered the silence of the night.
He’d just crossed the bridge over the river that drains into the Teiton Wan bay at Ugom,
and was about to leave the road and strike out across country, heading for a narrow gap through the double line of hills that lay north of the town.
For an instant Yi didn’t move, a combination of fatigue and surprise momentarily dulling
his reactions, then he stepped unhurriedly off the verge – if the truck contained police or soldiers, a sudden movement would immediately attract their attention – and headed into
the adjacent field. But the moment he was clear of the headlight beams, he ran like hell.
The truck growled to a halt and Yi could clearly hear men shouting, followed by the sound of
their boots clumping loudly on the metalled surface of the road. He concentrated totally on keeping his footing on the uneven soil, and covering the ground as swiftly as possible.
The sudden flare of the truck’s headlights had impaired his night vision, and Yi stumbled
and almost fell three times in his desperate escape. But the men behind him experienced exactly the same problem, and the dancing beams of their torches were of little help because he already
had a substantial lead of about one hundred metres.
The ground beneath his feet began to change as scrubby farmland gave way to the uncultivated
terrain leading up to the foothills. Running across rough ground is very tiring, and Yi’s breath now came in short, painful gasps. He would be forced to stop soon, despite his desperate
situation.
Around him were clumps of bushes and stunted trees, and he realized that these offered the best
cover he was likely to find. He slowed down and skidded behind two trees growing close together, looking back down the slope towards the lights of his pursuers. They were now even further
away, probably two hundred metres, but Yi could clearly sense the determination in their pursuit.
What had started out seemingly as a simple chase was now transformed into a methodical search,
with about fifteen men spread out in a line and walking up the hill towards him. Making a conscious effort to slow his breathing, Yi pulled out his binoculars and focused them.
The moonlight was bright enough for him to detect that they were soldiers, assault rifles
slung over their shoulders. He’d obviously been unlucky enough to run into a North Korean Army patrol, but the surprise was that they hadn’t already started firing in his
direction. Because these were military, rather than the police, he didn’t imagine they would give up the chase easily, but whatever happened, he mustn’t get caught. Realizing he
would now
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