DR. EICHMANN!” SMITH SHOUTED from the back of the anonymous Learjet they’d flown from Morocco. “Don’t bother her when she’s trying to land.”

The German, who was standing in the cockpit door, looked back fearfully and then started down the aisle. Instead of taking one of the seats closer to the front, he dropped awkwardly into the one facing Smith and strapped himself in.

“We shouldn’t be here. This is North Korea. They—”

“This isn’t anything new. You’ve been here before.”

“With Christian’s permission and protection! The military controls this place. We have no authority here without him.”

“You’re going to have to calm down, Doctor. People can smell fear. If we act like we’re here with Dresner’s blessing, no one will have any reason to question that.”

Eichmann looked unconvinced, which wasn’t surprising. He wasn’t a stupid man. In truth, they were very much working without a net. There was no way to know what security protocols were in place or how much direct communication the Koreans had with Dresner. They could very easily be walking into a summary execution and unmarked grave. But what alternative did they have? If the dismantling of the facility was already under way, going through the nearly nonexistent political channels between Pyongyang and Washington was guaranteed to fail.

Randi swung the plane in a slow arc and Smith looked out the window, admiring the lush mountainscape for a moment before focusing on the narrow airstrip. On the bright side, the massive military force and SAMs that he’d half expected weren’t in evidence. But then, maybe they just wanted to take them alive.

“Is this how it looked when you’ve come in the past?” he said, pointing to a single open jeep parked next to the ribbon of asphalt. “Do you see anything that looks unusual?”

The German squinted out the window and shook his head. “That’s Kyong. He always picks me up.”

“Is he armed?”

“We should turn around. We can still—”

“We’re not turning around,” Smith said. “After this is over, you’re going to live out a very comfortable retirement under another identity. But now it’s time to focus. Is he armed?”

“Never that I’ve seen,” Eichmann said shaking his head miserably. “He isn’t a scientist or a soldier. He was born near here and speaks very good English, which makes him an ideal escort.”

Randi touched down without her normal drama and shut down the engines as Smith opened the door. He peeked out and saw nothing but the young Korean jogging toward the plane waving.

“What do you think?” Randi said, coming out of the cockpit and sliding a .32 beneath her light jacket.

“Looks okay.”

She indicated toward the door. “Age before beauty.”