She was right, and it wasn’t just their less-than-athletic guide. Anticipating trouble, he and Randi had worn versatile shoes and jackets, but they weren’t suitable for a multiday expedition into the middle of nowhere. Their primary goal had been to pass for scientists, and showing up in full combat regalia would have looked a little suspicious.

The sun was starting to sink toward the horizon and the warmth of the day was already starting to fade. With the altitude they were gaining, he guessed that temperatures would dip well below freezing before sunrise.

So no gloves, no hats, no food. No ability to build a fire with the army tracking them. And a team member who was completely unsuited to this kind of work.

The rumble of a jet engine became audible and both he and Randi slipped into the trees as a Chinese-made attack aircraft swept low a few kilometers to the west. There was no need to warn Kyong to do the same. Staying clear of the government was hardwired into him.

When the sound of the plane faded, Smith switched on his satellite phone again.

“Anything?” Randi said, not sounding particularly hopeful.

He shook his head. “Still no signal. If they’re jamming, we might be able to get something when we make it over the peak. But I don’t know how extensive their capability is. I’ve never operated here. You?”

“Nope.”

“It probably doesn’t even matter. Fred’s well connected around the world, but North Korea’s a black hole.”

“I’ll bet your Merge would work,” she said sarcastically. “Too bad you left it at home.”

“Don’t start, okay?”

He squinted down the slope and at the distant clearing that had once contained Kyong’s village. Something seemed to move, but it was impossible to be sure. At this distance, vehicles would be visible but individual men in camo wouldn’t. Had the Koreans found the entrance to the road? Did they know they’d been there?

What he wouldn’t give for a pair of binoculars. A sandwich. A rifle. And, despite Randi’s chiding, a little audiovisual enhancement wouldn’t be a bad thing either.

“What do you think was going on in Division D?” she said as they started along the stream again.

“Dunno. Might just be another aspect of the development of the technology.”

“Then why not tell Eichmann about it? It wasn’t like that son of a bitch was squeamish about turning people into guinea pigs.”

“I don’t know that either,” he said, deciding to return a little of her sarcasm from earlier. “But it’s going to be hard to ask him, isn’t it?”

“Bullshit. I saved our asses back there and that old man wouldn’t have made it five steps up this mountain.”