Free North Korean Blowup by Chet Cunningham Page A

they need it.”
    “I’ll want to be on board your destroyer when you sail. I’ll have the SATCOM so we can keep in touch with Hunter during the last phase of the operation.”
    “Okay, Mr. Quinn,” Vuylsteke said. “What else can we work out before we get the time and place from Hunter?”
    “Nothing I can think of now. Just hang loose and keep your ships ready for that fourteen hour alert.”
     
     
    Sunan, North Korea
    The three SEALs locked in the third floor rooms of Dr. Sung’s house did what planning they could for the rest of the morning, but soon realized that most of what they were doing was blue sky and speculation. They didn’t know enough about the what and where yet.
    By eleven thirty Tran suggested they have a push up contest. They had plenty of time so they did it one at a time and the two not doing it counted.    
    “This is a set up,” Chang said. “Tran you always come in second on the platoon contests. Now that Dengler isn’t here you think you’ve got a cinch.”
    Chang went first and topped out at eighty six. He lay on the floor exhausted.
    Tran went to the mat next and did a hundred and seven. He rolled over on his back puffing. “Best I can do, it’s an off day,” Tran said.
    Hunter dropped down and they began to count. When he got to a hundred and eight, he quit. “Don’t want to show you up too much, Tran,” Hunter said. The other two both threw pillows at him.
    There was still plenty of food in the box. They made sandwiches of cheese and canned tuna and had canned apricots for desert. After they ate, Hunter waved them to the beds.
    “Sack time. We never know when we might need to stay up for two days running. We fill the tank right now.”
    Downstairs in the big house life went on as usual. Vivian Sung had her two daughters working on their home schooling studies. She had scrounged to get text books suitable, and at last had petitioned the government to let her order school books from the States. They did and the books came through.
    Stephanie was good at math and science, taking after her father. Yuan loved history and literature. Both spoke fluent Korean, and their English was as near perfect as their Mother could teach them.
    Vivian caught herself looking at the clock too often. She couldn’t settle down to reading the way she usually did as the girls studied. She fussed and looked out the window and then sat down again. Stephanie noticed.
    “Worried about Dad, Mom?”
    “No, just unsettled. I wish somehow we could get back to America. I’ve never missed it so much as I do now.” She couldn’t chance telling them what might happen. She didn’t want to raise their hopes only to have them dashed at the last minute.
    Yon Lee came in and said that lunch was ready. The woman was a good cook and took care of the house nicely. Still Vivian had chores for the girls to do daily. She didn’t want them to get used to having servants around. Perhaps soon there wouldn’t need any.
    Vivian watched Yon Lee as she served. They had small cut sandwiches, a salad, and ice cream for desert. There was no hint that Yon Lee was a police spy, but Vivian knew one of them must be. The police knew everything they did, where they went, what they did, what guests they had in on occasion. There was only one other English speaking couple in the small town. They both were Korean and both   taught English at a school. They enjoyed talking English with the Americans to understand better the vernacular use of words and how slang fit in. Every time the Lonpoo couple visited, the police knew about it.
    Manpo was another matter. The two were married and had no children. A totally unusual situation in North Korea. He was their driver, handyman, gardener and all around helper. Usually he had little to do. Vivian knew he gambled, she didn’t know how much or where. He also drank but somehow managed to hide it from the police. He must be the spy. She would be natural with him the next day when he came