were wrapped around the rail into a fist. His eyes were fixed straight ahead in an expression of awesome determination, not of a man who had inherited power, but of a man intent on gaining it. He was by far the most charismatic figure among them.
'This man's name is Park Ho,' said Campbell. He looked at Nolan with an unflinching expression of certainty. 'He ordered the theft of the IL-4. He fired the missile at Yokata. He believes it is better that North Korea be destroyed and go down fighting, than to surrender to unification with South Korea. He is the mastermind behind North Korea's missile programme. He now has power, and his finger, Prime Minister, is literally on the button.'
'He has power?' queried Nolan. 'You mean he has just taken power.'
'That's right,' said Campbell, nodding.
The Prime Minister glanced over to Colchester. 'Is he right, Charles?'
'I fear he is,' said Colchester.
There was a knock at the door and Joan Nolan poked her head round. She was much loved by the British for being matronly, unstuffy, down to earth and the one person who could keep their brilliant, but sometimes erratic, Prime Minister in check.
'There's a queue of supplicants waiting to see you, Stuart, and none dares knock on the door to see what you're up to.'
Nolan looked at his watch. The meeting had overrun by fifteen minutes and he would need another fifteen to end it. 'Give them tea, champagne if they need it. I'll be with them by seven-thirty.'
'And which do you want, tea or champagne?' she asked, stepping back to leave her husband in peace.
'Nothing, thanks,' said Nolan, without consulting Colchester or Campbell. Joan would have to boil the kettle or indeed uncork the bottle herself. Downing Street must have been the only official residence of a head of government where the Prime Minister and his wife did their own washing up.
Colchester glanced across to check they were alone again, leant back and put his arm over the back of the sofa. 'Stuart, Lazaro has an idea, which might shed some light on events.'
Nolan raised his eyebrows. 'With your permission, sir,' said Campbell, 'I would like to go to Brunei. As far as we know, your training camps there are operational and unaffected by the coup d'etat. Rioting after Khan's death, I can understand. But it takes time to plan a coup d'etat. There are too many coincidences running around. If we can get some sodium pentothal into one of those rebellious Bruneian colonels, we might learn a hell of a lot more than we do now.'
Nolan rolled his pen along the desk top, then burst out laughing, shaking his head in disbelief. 'I have a feeling you and I are going to get on very well indeed,' he said, glancing across to Colchester. 'And you, Charles, would you be prepared to forfeit your job, if you're wrong?'
'My years release me from that decision,' said Colchester with a slight smile.
'Then with your agreement, as my chief intelligence adviser, I will track down Jim West.'
'I understand he's in the White House situation room. Yokata will keep him up all night.'
As he dialled, a genuine smile spread across his face. Despite his considerable political skills, Nolan was a soldier at heart, feeling best when he was planning a military operation. He waited impatiently for the connection and whispered to Colchester: 'Tell the mob outside, I'll be another half an hour. And get a bloody map of Brunei up here.'
In Washington it was past two in the morning. But three minutes after his call to the White House, the British Prime Minister was patched through to the US President, interrupting the long session he was having with his principals.
'Jim, I'll be brief,' said Nolan. 'There's been a military takeover in North Korea. I understand that we could be dealing with the most dangerous enemy we have faced since Hitler.'
****
IV Corps Command, North Korea*
Park Ho, aged sixty-four, brushed his hand along the cold metal of a T-62 Soviet-made battle tank. He saluted the commander who was
'This man's name is Park Ho,' said Campbell. He looked at Nolan with an unflinching expression of certainty. 'He ordered the theft of the IL-4. He fired the missile at Yokata. He believes it is better that North Korea be destroyed and go down fighting, than to surrender to unification with South Korea. He is the mastermind behind North Korea's missile programme. He now has power, and his finger, Prime Minister, is literally on the button.'
'He has power?' queried Nolan. 'You mean he has just taken power.'
'That's right,' said Campbell, nodding.
The Prime Minister glanced over to Colchester. 'Is he right, Charles?'
'I fear he is,' said Colchester.
There was a knock at the door and Joan Nolan poked her head round. She was much loved by the British for being matronly, unstuffy, down to earth and the one person who could keep their brilliant, but sometimes erratic, Prime Minister in check.
'There's a queue of supplicants waiting to see you, Stuart, and none dares knock on the door to see what you're up to.'
Nolan looked at his watch. The meeting had overrun by fifteen minutes and he would need another fifteen to end it. 'Give them tea, champagne if they need it. I'll be with them by seven-thirty.'
'And which do you want, tea or champagne?' she asked, stepping back to leave her husband in peace.
'Nothing, thanks,' said Nolan, without consulting Colchester or Campbell. Joan would have to boil the kettle or indeed uncork the bottle herself. Downing Street must have been the only official residence of a head of government where the Prime Minister and his wife did their own washing up.
Colchester glanced across to check they were alone again, leant back and put his arm over the back of the sofa. 'Stuart, Lazaro has an idea, which might shed some light on events.'
Nolan raised his eyebrows. 'With your permission, sir,' said Campbell, 'I would like to go to Brunei. As far as we know, your training camps there are operational and unaffected by the coup d'etat. Rioting after Khan's death, I can understand. But it takes time to plan a coup d'etat. There are too many coincidences running around. If we can get some sodium pentothal into one of those rebellious Bruneian colonels, we might learn a hell of a lot more than we do now.'
Nolan rolled his pen along the desk top, then burst out laughing, shaking his head in disbelief. 'I have a feeling you and I are going to get on very well indeed,' he said, glancing across to Colchester. 'And you, Charles, would you be prepared to forfeit your job, if you're wrong?'
'My years release me from that decision,' said Colchester with a slight smile.
'Then with your agreement, as my chief intelligence adviser, I will track down Jim West.'
'I understand he's in the White House situation room. Yokata will keep him up all night.'
As he dialled, a genuine smile spread across his face. Despite his considerable political skills, Nolan was a soldier at heart, feeling best when he was planning a military operation. He waited impatiently for the connection and whispered to Colchester: 'Tell the mob outside, I'll be another half an hour. And get a bloody map of Brunei up here.'
In Washington it was past two in the morning. But three minutes after his call to the White House, the British Prime Minister was patched through to the US President, interrupting the long session he was having with his principals.
'Jim, I'll be brief,' said Nolan. 'There's been a military takeover in North Korea. I understand that we could be dealing with the most dangerous enemy we have faced since Hitler.'
****
IV Corps Command, North Korea*
Park Ho, aged sixty-four, brushed his hand along the cold metal of a T-62 Soviet-made battle tank. He saluted the commander who was
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