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Pak was livid. Locked securely in the Command Center deep within his mountain he barked commands and questions at his chief of security. All communications with the outside world were out as were the phone lines within the compound. The only means of command and control remaining were the hand held two-way radios used by his security force. Reports filtering in to the Command Center first indicated a large-scale armed attack which was slowly downgraded to three dead and three injured from his own staff, Freddy Peterson dead and extensive damage to the Communications Center by unknown person or persons. Patti White could not be found.

Satisfied the threat had ended Pak emerged from his inner-sanctum to vent his displeasure on everyone he found until coming upon Arnburg kneeling beside Peterson's body near the outhouse. Arnburg had pulled Peterson's body out and was rocking back and forth in the dark, cursing while tears roll down his face.

Pak seized the opportunity. He gently disengaged the corpse from Arnburg's grip and ordered his guards to take the body to the small compound hospital to be cleaned and prepared for burial. He asked Arnburg to join him in his private office. Arnburg refused until Pak told him what he wanted to hear.

"Mr. Arnburg," Pak said, calmly lighting his pipe and spitting words out between puffs, "I know who killed your friend." For the first time in Arnburg's presence Pak spoke English, which he did capably though with a strong accent.

"How the hell do you know? What the hell do you know? How many of your damned guards are dead? How in hell do I know you didn't kill him yourself?" Arnburg's grief was turning to rage.

Sensing the change Pak quickly moved to turn that anger to his own advantage. Maintaining his inscrutability Pak punctuated his comments with puffs on his pipe.

"Mr. Arnburg. Since your theft of the plans from Intertech you have been hunted by a man named Mason. It is he who killed your dear friend. Mason is a very strong opponent, and he is here because you made a mistake and left a trail he followed back to me.

"I attempted to deter him from pursuing the matter further by the abduction of his girlfriend from the United States but he has proven even more clever than I anticipated. He discovered my location here after evading the bungled attempt by your incompetent friends to 'exterminate' him.

"Now he has taken the girl and escaped with her. I'm sure he will return to find you, Mr. Arnburg and I feel confident he still wants the plans. He couldn't have managed to obtain those plans from Mr. Peterson, could he?"

Pak was playing Arnburg now. He wasn't sure Mason created this havoc alone but he strongly suspected it, since the only person described by his injured staff was a tall, blond meegook (American). Further, Arnburg couldn't possibly know Pak had already switched the microfilm and would be forced to admit it if the plans had been taken. Pak could see Arnburg's mind quickly calculating ways to turn this situation to his own advantage.

"Mr. Arnburg," Pak continued, "you can see we have a mutual interest in Mr. Mason's, ah, timely death. When I thought you'd double-crossed us I had the Hong Kong safe-deposit box emptied - but now I offer you that money plus another five hundred thousand American dollars to turn the plans over to me -- and kill Skipper Mason."

Pak hadn't touched the Hong Kong money but didn't want Arnburg to know. Pak was cautious and knew the advantage of having substantial amounts of cash readily available in various locations should he ever be forced to flee Korea.

Arnburg quickly assessed his situation. On the one hand he hated Pak, but on the other he fancied himself a practical man. He wanted his money -- and he wanted the man who had killed Freddy. In his grief he hadn't checked to see if Freddy still had the balloon, either in his pockets or stuffed back into his rectum.

"Mr. Pak, I accept your offer but there might be a catch. Take me to Freddy and we may be able to complete our transaction."

Knowing what Arnburg was after but not electing to let him know about his own discovery of the balloon-up-the-butt trick Pak rose and lead Arnburg out the door.

"After I get your money I can always come back to get you, too, dude," Arnburg thought.

In the hospital Arnburg's worst fear was realized. The balloon was gone. Now he must get Mason or lose everything.

Pak now knew Mason held the key, literally, to Pak's $750,000. Foolishly he had never made a copy of that key. It was the only one there was.

Skipper awoke from a sleep of nearly nine hours, three more than usual. His thoughts were a little jumbled from the extra sleep and he felt like he had a hangover. Moments later he realized Patti was next to him and remembered where he was. The doctor had said she'd be fine, she just needed rest and plenty of nourishment to rebuild her strength. " She's already beginning to look better, even in her sleep", he thought.

Shaking off his lethargy he dressed quickly, planning his day as he did so. He needed to arrange for a passport for Patti so she could leave Korea and he needed to find a viewer to look at the microfilm and make sure he had what he came after -- the Roacherian Effect file.

Skipper hired a cab for the day and went to the American Embassy in Seoul. After arranging for Patti's passport he took the microfilm to a private lab. As he looked from frame to frame he began to chuckle. He was looking at frame after frame of pornographic pictures. Skipper dropped the porno pictures in the trash, but decided to hang on to the key and the neatly folded business card with the words "no signature needed" handwritten on the back, neatly stamped with someone's personal chop. "My Momma didn't raise no fool," he said to no-one. He had the driver take him back to Chun Chon to check on Patti.

He had to go back and get both Pak and Arnburg. One or the other had the plans and in his heart he knew neither he, nor Patti, nor the rest of the world would be safe until those two were either in prison or dead. Since Patti's kidnapping it had become personal, so it made little difference to him which.

Pak and Arnburg had no idea where to find Mason and the girl. They'd escaped down the mountain and off the edge of the world for all anyone knew. Pak's people had been searching the various ports and air terminals but so far had come up empty handed. Arrangements had been made in the U.S. for around-the-clock surveillance on both Skipper's house and Patti's apartment. All that could be done for now was to watch and wait.

His technicians at the monastery had told Pak the device depicted in the plans should be simple to make and could be constructed in a week to ten days at their electronics firm in Chun Chon. Although Pak didn't really believe Arnburg was a match for Mason, any more than Peterson had been, he hoped Arnburg could delay him long enough for Pak's people to get the Roacherian Effect device constructed -- after that it wouldn't matter.

"I know some people in the American Embassy," Pak told Arnburg. "Because Miss White has no passport with her Mason will be forced to take her to the embassy to obtain one before returning home with her. Of course, I couldn't appear too eager to obtain information about them, but since I have some other business to arrange there, perhaps I could go to Seoul this morning and make some discrete inquiries along with my other business. You may remain here with full use of my facilities until I have some word about our two friends. I will contact you without delay."

Pak allowed a slight conspiratorial smile to play on his lips and in his eyes. He could see he'd hooked Arnburg on the idea and was almost disappointed. The man was too easy to play. He almost wished Mason would get by Arnburg so he, Pak, could match wits with him. Pak left immediately, but not for Seoul as he'd told Arnburg. Others were already watching the embassy. Pak was headed for a city farther north, Chun Chon.

The evening was cold and within the hotel owned by Master Lee's relatives the floors were warm and the ambiance was as romantic as anything Patti had ever envisioned. She'd sampled Korean food before with Skipper both at Korean restaurants and at Master Lee's home and had seen photographs, but being here was much better. There were still times when she had confusing and frightening thoughts but it'd only been two days since she had been rescued and brought here.

"I told Bert to call your office and explain roughly what happened. He'll assure them you're safe now and that you need to take a little time off to recover," Skipper said, smiling devilishly at Patti.

"And I suppose you have just the medication I need, Dr. Mason?"

"You bet. Just be sure you follow the doctor's orders, Miss White." Then he became serious. "Patti, I need to go back to that place soon. There's still some unfinished business I must to take care of. I don't think it'll take long and I don't want you to worry but I have to go soon."

Patti looked at Skipper with fear in her eyes. She didn't want him to go back to that evil place but mostly she was just afraid to be alone. She tried to say something but couldn't make the words come out, so she just sat there staring at him.

"Patti, I don't want to go but this is a matter of life and death for millions of people -- I have to go. You're safe here or I can put you on a plane for home if you prefer. I think you're safer here with the Lee family to look after you. When I come back we can finish this vacation together with, say, a little jaunt around the world?"

Patti could only sit and stare. Finally in a weak, small voice she stammered "I - I'll have to think this through. I don't understand any of it very well."

Skipper ordered two more Diet Cokes, then he and Patti returned to the suite the Lees generously insisted they use and retired for the evening.

Skipper and Patti didn't know it but; after speaking with Master Lee and seeing Patti's and Skipper's condition when they arrived, the Lee family had decided to guard the grounds around the hotel around the clock. They were not afraid. It was a matter of honor to protect Master Lee's senior student and good friend.

The dawn wind whipped cold and raw against the window panes on the east side of the room. Skipper had been awake about an hour now thinking about Arnburg and Pak. He reasoned that Arnburg and Peterson either didn't know the film they had didn't contain the real plans and Pak had made a switch; or, they did know and had planted the phony so Pak wouldn't get the real film in the event of a double cross. Skipper had no way of knowing which. He'd have to deal with both men.

He decided to "divide and conquer." He'd use himself as bait by moving to the Plaza Hotel in Seoul and letting his new location "slip" out. Arnburg would come to him. If he didn't, Skipper would know Arnburg either still had the plans or Pak had already disposed of him as useless, in which case Pak or some of his "followers" would come.

Skipper turned toward Patti and watched the slow rhythm of her breathing as she slept. He ran his hand down her arm and she moved to him without waking. Knowing this may be their last time together made their lovemaking all the more tender and warm.

Patti decided she'd rather stay with the Lees until Skipper returned than go home alone.

Skipper quietly made arrangements with them to get Patti home should something happen to him.