Episode 93: Deployment (9) - "This is John Friedman. I'd like to talk."
Startled by the voice coming from the phone, Cheol-woo glanced at Yuri for a moment. It matched the voice of John Friedman that he'd memorized beforehand. He hadn't expected the enemy commander to contact him directly.
Cheol-woo wrapped a bandage tightly around his palm and switched the phone to speaker mode.
"For guerrillas hiding out in some valley, you're surprisingly well-informed."
"If you know that, why not just surrender?"
"…."
He knows I have the nuclear launch codes? Cheol-woo's eye twitched. Yuri shook her head beside him. It was a guess. A gamble. There was no solid proof they had that we possessed the codes.
"Launch codes? What launch codes?"
"So those mercenaries had the codes, and now they've passed them to me?"
"…."
Boarding a nuclear sub and handling launch code transport? The Houndmaster wasn't your average mercenary—he had to be at least intel agency level. But a mere U.S. Army colonel knowing about the Houndmaster? Something was off.
That fucker—John Friedman isn't the first host.
Cheol-woo was certain now. The parasite had jumped from some other high-ranking officer to this body. Someone high enough to know about U.S. intel's directly contracted mercs…. His head started throbbing.
"You expect me to believe that promise?"
"…."
Cheol-woo and Yuri's faces hardened. This wasn't a deal or a threat. Just a demand. Who the fuck does this bastard think he is, ordering me around? A surge of anger hit Cheol-woo.
"Mercy, my ass. If you can update the codes yourselves, go ahead. If that's possible, why beg some Aussie-based Korean merc? You're scrambling because your LA base spy got caught, and now you're pretending to offer a golden opportunity? You know there's a $15 million bounty on your head, right? Wash your neck and wait."
Beep. Cheol-woo hung up. Why listen to that shit? It was worthless. Begging for codes while acting like he was doing them a favor—no way he could stomach more.
The Aussie parasites caught on quick, but these ones? Fucked. America as the world's superpower must've bloated their egos.
"Can we explain this wasn't us?"
"They won't buy it…. Even if they did, we'd be detained and grilled for ages. Our allies under attack would all die. Misunderstood or not, we gotta move now."
Yuri nodded—Cheol-woo was right—and grabbed her gear. As they headed downstairs, heavy footsteps echoed from above. They froze. Shit. Busted? Fight time?
Then—
"Wh-what!?"
BOOM! A distant explosion rocked the air. Footsteps scrambled back upstairs in panic.
What the hell? No idea, but perfect timing. Chaos let them slip out.
"SteelRain here. SteelRain here. Kangaroo 9, stand by. No takeoff."
"Repeat: Stand by at base."
Taking the 2nd Company along could've gotten them all locked up for Colonel Douglas's murder. Best to distance from them.
Cheol-woo unwrapped the bandage from his hand and popped a bit of the blue drug. His gunshot wound closed in seconds—visible healing speed made Yuri freak.
"How's it? Better?"
"Yeah. Good as new. No prob—ah."
"What?"
"Index finger won't move."
"What!?"
His right index finger!? Yuri's face crumpled while Cheol-woo stayed calm.
….
"Goddamn it. Does that bastard never think ahead?"
Flash—flash— Two figures crumpled on the LA base HQ rooftop amid faint lights. Too dark and far for faces, but height and shoulders screamed Colonel Douglas and his aide.
Houndmaster gawked through binoculars. He knew SteelRain loved chaos, but this? Killing the colonel? The code-holder should've played it safe, you mad fuck….
"They'll be found soon. Need a distraction."
"Pretend to attack the base?"
"No. Artillery barrage, we're shredded. Need someone inside stirring shit."
SteelRain wasn't dumb. He'd know to escape fast and quiet post-kill. Issue: bodies on HQ roof. Everyone knew the colonel went up; no return would draw suspicion.
Delay that with major internal chaos. But no contacts inside.
If only a merc or officer he knew…. Houndmaster ground his teeth—
"Ah? Comms connected!"
"What? What comms? No one inside uses our freq or codes…."
That voice? Why the hell here? Houndmaster's eyes bulged. Hong Kong reunion or what? But a friendly face was gold.
"Quiet. Can't let them hear the transmission."
"Listen up. Emergency—need you to cause a ruckus. Big and flashy. Favor. Pay you later."
"Can't now. Full debrief later."
Silence. Then—crackle—
"No."
"Deal. Can intro you to the top as a freelancer."
Crackle— Radio cut. Accepted, but would he make real noise? Enough for SteelRain to escape? As a refugee? Worries piled up—
"What the—"
BOOM! Flames erupted in the refugee camp center.
Didn't ask for that much….