Colonel Chun called the first of the divisional army commanders, Dong Kee-tae, someone he had known for many years.
Divisions were the key to control of the military for two reasons. First, as is true in any military, they are the smallest unit capable of independent combat operations. And second, divisional commanders were the lowest ranking officer to be awarded a Mercedes automobile. In other words, they had real power and they had something to lose if they didn't join the revolution. "General Dong, as you saw on television, Kim Half-thatch and his aunt have been deposed. It is time to stop the insanity which has gone on for over 60 years. You and the other divisional commanders are the key to a new Korea. If you agree to go on television and declare your support for an end to mass starvation and deprivation, the other generals will fall in line behind you. Will you do it, sir?" asked Colonel Chun. * * * * * General Hiram "Ulysses S" Grant, commander of US forces in South Korea at Yongsan Garrison, Seoul, knew he was in his last days before retirement. He had recently made a comment to Canidae News which US President Supercilious Moffie found unacceptable: "Moderate Muslims? Listen, there are only three types of Muslims. The first category consists of the killers, the people who behead and explode suicide bombs. The second category, the largest one by far, consists of people who agree with the killers but don't have the balls to kill for themselves. And the third category consists of lapsed Muslims, those who have figured out that what they have been told is a crock. This third category includes the many women who are killed every year by their families because they wore Western clothing or dated non-Muslim men." As a result, he was already planning his retirement party. It seemed like both a million years and only yesterday since West Point. General Grant's nickname of "Ulysses S" was a bad joke stemming from his abstinence from alcohol, as the original Ulysses S. Grant took to alcohol like a fish to water. He thought it was amusing to go to the bar during official functions and call out in his booming voice, "Ginger ale, straight up!" The bartenders often thought he was a little weird. His telephone rang and he answered it. "General Grant, my name is Christian Talvela. I am the Westerner you just saw on North Korean television. You were watching, right?" he asked. "Yes, my South Korean aide suggested that I start watching just before the weather-girl came on. You people were keeping something from me," chided General Grant. "Sorry about that. If we told you, then you'd have had to tell Washington. I have a few requests," said Talvela. "Shoot," replied General Grant. As the truck crossed the border, Lieutenant Song noticed that there was a large, hand-painted sign. It was obvious that it was painted in a hurry. The sign read, "We are one people." Lieutenant Song made a mental note to ask Talvela if he had anything to do with that. She was sure he had. The truck stopped for only a minute, but the conversation between Talvela and General Grant did not miss a beat. Lieutenant Choi got in, with the convoy rumbling on to the north. Their convoy was only one of many headed for the major labor camps. The guards had already been eliminated before they could begin executing their prisoners, but the convoys still drove as fast as they could because food was a major issue. A few trucks diverted to Pyongyang, but the majority continued on to the camps. Lieutenant Choi exited the truck carrying Talvela and Lieutenant Song and boarded the one carrying Doctor Lee headed for the camps. “Han-na, I need to call the Swiss embassy and talk to the IT manager,” said Talvela. “Do you have the number?” “Of course,” replied Lieutenant Song. * * * * * General Dong was standing in front of a video camera. "General, we are live in ... three, two, one," prompted the nervous, young reporter. "My name is General Dong Kee-tae. I am placing the forces of my division in support of Colonel Chun Yu-shin and the other officers who have overthrown the selfish and cruel Kim family. I urge the other divisional commanders to do the same. Today is a new day for Koreans. Let it be a peaceful one." * * * * * Sergeant Ju Sang-ho was finished with his hours of driving. His bus was filled with the wives and children of soldiers who manned the artillery pieces within range of Seoul. He opened the door and watched them flood out. Sergeant Ju assisted other ROK troops establish a mobile canteen. Some of the troops started putting on white kitchen hats. Talvela had recommended that they all wear the tallest and silliest-looking ones they could find. Two large televisions were set-up, back-to-back, under a tent with a generator to power them. The televisions were switched on and started displaying North Korean Central Television. The program consisted of Colonel Chun's announcement followed by ten minutes of scenes from South Korea, then the announcement again followed by ten minutes of scenes from North Korea, repeated over and over again. Announcements of solidarity from divisional commanders were also being played. Colonel Ko Yoon-dae, the North Korean officer in charge and one of The Hundred had arranged for some of the children of the junior soldiers to be transported here. They were standing around him with apprehensive looks on their faces. He bent down to them and said in a soft voice: "Go over to the canteen and have breakfast. It's okay. Children will eat before adults today." The children walked to the canteen. As one of the ROK soldiers bent over to speak to the children, his tall hat fell off. One of the North Korean soldiers snickered at the sight. Then the ROK soldier placed the hat on the head of one of the children and it promptly fell to his shoulders because it was too big for him. As the soldier quickly pulled the hat up to avoid suffocating him, the boy started giggling. Then a number of North Korean soldiers started to laugh at the sight. * * * * * The arrangement of two televisions was being repeated all over North Korea, including labor camps and military bases. North Koreans gathered around the televisions in amazement, especially regarding the scenes of ordinary life in the South. "Do you think it is true?" whispered one woman to her husband. "The war is finally over? We no longer have to pretend that the Kim family is anything other than a group of hyenas?" "Look how big the children are!" whispered another woman to her friend. "They are not mere skin and bones like our children." * * * * * Colonel Chun was waiting for Talvela and Lieutenant Song. "Your speech was a little wooden," commented Talvela. "Yes, I am not used to giving such speeches. I think your videotaped speech was much better than mine," said Colonel Chun. "Time will tell," predicted Talvela. "Ever since we arrested Kim, he has been demanding to speak with you," admitted Colonel Chun. "We brought him to the palace because we thought you might want to ask him some questions." "Good thinking," replied Talvela. Colonel Chun, Talvela, and Lieutenant Song walked into the palace. Kim Half-thatch stood up as soon as he saw Talvela. "What is the meaning of having me arrested?" demanded Kim. "My people love me and will soon loudly demand for me to speak to them and reverse the mutiny of the past hours." "Only in your dreams," replied Talvela. "Sit down. You are no position to demand anything." "All of the animals in the forest cried when I made my first appearance," pleaded Kim. "Probably because they knew you would eat many of them soon," retorted Talvela. "And people weep when I make an appearance," again pleaded Kim. "Let me tell you of a common occurrence with Stalin. He would enter a large room and the audience would applaud. And they would applaud. They would applaud for many minutes because they were all afraid of being the first person to stop applauding. They knew that the secret police would soon arrest the first people to stop applauding. So everyone applauded until Stalin raised his arms and then the applause immediately stopped. Stalin was such a sadistic freak that he kept the applause going until people's muscles hurt from the strain of constant clapping," explained Talvela. "Let's get something straight right now. Most North Koreans only pretend to adore you because of the atmosphere of fear your grandfather and father created. If anyone protested or even displayed a bad attitude, they were arrested and often sent to a labor camp, along with the generations above and below them. And at least some of the people who cry are the usual, useless sycophants and toadies who will lose their vaunted place in society if you lose power," clarified Talvela. "I demand to be treated better!" stated Kim. Talvela ignored his plea. "You know, you could have been a world-wide hero. People who voluntarily relinquish power are admired throughout the world. You would have won the Nobel Peace Prize. You could have made speeches where people gave you thunderous applause. Genuine applause. I could have obtained VIP seats for you at the next NBA All-Star Game and probably for many years to come," explained Talvela. Kim's eyes widened at the mention of basketball. "You best think of your future. Billions of dollars were stolen from the North Korean people and deposited in European bank accounts. This money must be returned immediately. This is your only bargaining chip. Unless you want to spend the rest of your life scrubbing toilets, you had best tell us what we want to know," demanded Talvela. Talvela turned to Lieutenant Song. "We need to get to the camp." * * * * * "No, a little more clockwise. That's it!" declared Anna Göldi, IT supervisor for the Swiss Embassy in Pyongyang, as she looked at the compass. "Didn't the DPRK order us to do exactly the opposite of what we are doing just last year?" asked Messer Ansaldo, IT engineer, as he tightened the directional antenna mounted on the roof. "Yes, they did. All of the embassies surreptitiously increased the power of their Wi-Fi networks so the signal traveled far past the building. A good number of Pyongyang residents were able to use free Internet for some time, but then the bureaucrats realized what we were doing and ordered us to ensure that our signal stayed within our property," answered Göldi. "But we're going much farther than any of the embassies did before, right?" queried Ansaldo. "Much. Before, we just cranked up the power on the routers and access points, but now we are using specialized, directional antennas to maximize signal strength. We had to coordinate our work with the other embassies to prevent overlap of the frequencies. That's why we're using a digital compass to point this antenna," continued Göldi. "What's next?" asked Ansaldo. "System test. We need to verify the entire network from top to bottom. But first let's get some coffee. My neck is killing me," concluded Göldi. * * * * * The truck carrying Talvela and Lieutenant Song arrived at Camp 22. Both exited the truck. One of the 100 officers who had taken control of North Korea and a former resident of the camp, Major Seo Sun-kyu, met them. Major Seo got right to the point. "Colonel Chun called. He said that Chinese tanks are massing on the Chinese side of the bridges over the Amnok River." The Amnok River was generally known as the Yalu River in the West, but Yalu is a Chinese word. "Can we call him now?" asked Talvela. "Immediately," replied Major Seo, as he dialed the number and handed the phone to Talvela. "Colonel Chun, have Chinese forces started crossing the bridges over the Amnok River yet?" asked Talvela. "No, but it looks like they might do that any minute at the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge. We cannot allow Chinese forces to enter the country. They might be thinking of installing a puppet leader," reflected Colonel Chun. "I agree. We need to stop them, but at the same time we cannot start a war. I have an idea. What's the name of the officer in charge at the bridge?" said Talvela. "Major Suk Cheol-soo," replied Colonel Chun. "Can you arrange to have a North Korean Central Television crew meet us at the bridge. They'll need a portable antenna to communicate with the satellite so we can go live," requested Talvela. "Consider it done. Gotta go," finished Colonel Chun. "Han-na, let's find the camp public address system," said Talvela. They walked to the former commandant's office. "Your Korean is far better than mine. Please translate," asked Talvela. Lieutenant Song grabbed the microphone and waited for him to begin. "May I have your attention, please. You have no doubt already heard that Kim Half-thatch and the Kim family are no longer in power." The sounds of raucous cheering from all over the camp filled the room. "If anyone has a serious medical problem, tell anyone in uniform and we will expedite your departure to a hospital." "As of immediately, all work details are canceled. The only work you might be asked to do would be in regards to the preparation of food or the cleaning of kitchen, shower, barracks, or other facilities you use." "We have already switched off the power to the electric fences. The gate will be left open during the day, but we will close it at night to prevent wild animals from entering the camp. If you want to walk home right now, no one will stop you, but we urge you to wait until we call your name for a slot on a bus. It's a very long walk home and it would be a real shame if you starved to death so close to freedom. We will call entire family groups at one time." "More food trucks will be arriving very soon. We expect to have more than enough food for everyone to gorge themselves." "We are installing instant-on water heaters so you can take hot showers instead of the cold ones you have been taking, but it might take a few days to complete that work. Until then you can queue for the officer showers, but you will need to be patient as there are few of them." "And if any of you wish to become intimate with a member of the opposite sex, we do not care, but you will need to arrange for privacy with the other members of your barracks." The sound of nervous laughter and shouts filled the room. Lieutenant Song chuckled and looked at Talvela with amusement. "Where's Lieutenant Choi, the officer who rode in our truck? I have an idea regarding the border situation," said Talvela. "Sergeant Paek, please find Lieutenant Choi. She's around here somewhere," requested Lieutenant Song. "Doctor Lee, how is the general health of everyone?" asked Talvela, as Doctor Lee walked over to him. "Terrible, as you'd expect. Everyone has diarrhea. Everyone complains of toothaches. Everyone has symptoms of vitamin deficiencies," answered Doctor Lee. "I'm arranging for a number of medical personnel to be transferred here to at least allow us to resolve their major medical problems. We're going to be here for some time." * * * * * Lieutenant Choi had gone in search of an entirely different quarry. She walked to the guard supply office. She was sure she would find the tool she needed. Yes, there it was -- a cattle prod. She put in a bag along with a length of rope, a pocket knife, and a small roll of sticky packing tape. She went in search of the guard, Kim Soon-tek, who brutally abused her with possibly the same cattle prod. She had previously mentally nicknamed this guard Fatbutt after his corpulent body. She found him in a clearing behind the guard supply office. He had changed his clothing to that of a prisoner to avoid being shot. He was hiding here now to avoid having one of the prisoners identify him. She was betting that she could directly approach him without him realizing that she was formally an inmate in the camp. She applied just a touch of makeup to further disguise her appearance. She put the bag in her left hand and the prod in her right hand, with her right hand behind her back. She walked straight toward him. At the last second, she brought her right hand from behind her back to expose the prod. She pressed the business end of the prod against his temple, which caused him to go silly for a few seconds. That was all the time she needed. She dropped the bag and prod. She quickly threw him to the ground, face-down, and tied his hands behind his back. She pressed the business end of the prod against his temple once again. It wasn't really necessary, but she enjoyed seeing him twitch. She tied his legs at the ankles. She once again pressed the prod against his temple. She tied his legs together just above the knee. She pressed the prod against his genitals and held it there for about 30 seconds. Even though he was in agony, the three ropes ensured that he could not move much at all. She tied a ten meter length of rope to his ankles and dragged him to an old, filled-up latrine trench. She knew it was deep enough because she had helped to dig the trench. She turned the spigot on a nearby water hose and placed the nozzle at the edge of the trench. She oriented his body so that his feet were at the edge of the trench, with his body parallel to the long axis of it. She walked the free end of the ten meter length of rope to the other end of the trench. She walked back to him. "Do you remember me? You took great pleasure in abusing me. Now it's my turn," she hissed. All this time the water hose was converting the latrine trench from solid waste to a semi-liquid stew of shit. Uncontrolled fear showed in his eyes. She used the tape to fix the prod's on-switch so that it would remain on. She taped the cattle prod to his body so that the business end was firmly touching his genitals. She walked back to the other side of the trench and pulled his body into the trench. This way she would not get dirty from splash-back. The cattle prod shocking his genitals ensured that he was unable to hold his breath. The equipment on his belt reduced his buoyancy just enough so that he would not remain above the floating turds. She watched him until he sank beneath the surface. The story of Lazarus would not be repeated here. "Lieutenant, Mr. Talvela would like to see you," said Sergeant Paek as he walked over to her. "Eww, that's a big pool of crap!" "It certainly is," she answered with just a hint of a smile. Copyright 2020 Pete Prunskunas - All rights reserved.
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