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Back The Utopia Experiment Save as PDF
Chapters (84)
  1. Title Page
  2. Welcome
  3. Prologue
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. 57
  61. 58
  62. 59
  63. 60
  64. 61
  65. 62
  66. 63
  67. 64
  68. 65
  69. 66
  70. 67
  71. 68
  72. 69
  73. 70
  74. 71
  75. 72
  76. 73
  77. 74
  78. 75
  79. 76
  80. Epilogue
  81. About the Authors
  82. The Covert-One Novels
  83. Newsletters
  84. Copyright

Dresner severed the connection and shut down the graphs hanging in the air. Mocking him.

He could no long trust anything Whitfield said. The soldier had too many conflicting loyalties: his country, his comrades-in-arms, his outdated fantasy of battlefield honor. Of course, Dresner had always known their paths would diverge, but he’d hoped it wouldn’t happen this quickly. There was no choice now but to take control of the situation and deal with the backlash as best he could.

He dialed another private number, this one in Pyongyang. As usual, General Park let the phone ring endlessly—a display of his importance and the incalculable value of his time.

“Yes, Dresner. What is it?” finally came the accented voice.

“We need to move up the timetable for the sterilization of the facility.”

“Dismantling not finished. Still many scientists and equipment on the site.”

“Three people are on their way there. A German and two Americans. I want them captured.”

“I see. And if capture is impossible?”

It was a question he was prepared for, but not one he wanted to consider. He needed to know what Smith and Russell had discovered and who they had told. And then there was the entirely different matter of Gerd.

“If capture is impossible,” he said, reluctantly. “Then killed.”

“This will all be very expensive.”

It was always about money—the hard currency that kept North Korea’s elite inner circle in luxury and power while their people starved.

On the brighter side, the country’s entire hierarchy had adopted the Merge in a showy display of their technological sophistication. In fact, this call was being handled by Park’s personal unit.

“How much?”

“Fifty million.”

On top of all the other money he’d paid, it was an outrageous sum. But there was little point in arguing.

“Agreed.”

“Then I will take your request to our leader as soon as possible.”

“As soon as possible? For fifty million dollars, I expect this to be handled immediately.”

“He has a country to run. By comparison, your problems are unimportant.”

Dresner fought to swallow his anger. “I appreciate your considering my request.”

“Of course,” Park responded. “And now I have other matters to attend to.”

The line went dead and Dresner put his Merge in standby mode, looking around the empty room with no alterations or enhancements.

Would Park succeed in capturing them and wiping away all evidence of the facility? And even if he did, would it be enough? Dresner needed time to reach the tipping point—the critical level at which the people leading the planet to its destruction couldn’t be seamlessly replaced. But where exactly was that point? He’d calculated two years, but what if he couldn’t wait that long? What if his hand was forced? Would it be enough?

53

53

Above the Hamgyong-Namdo Province
North Korea