Chris Jacobs drove right on through the front gate of the Song Tower complex. As he passed, the guards rendered him the requisite salute with their AK-47 rifles. They allowed the disguised mercenary to pass since all they saw was the captain's insignia on his collar and the uniform of their army's special forces. Who were they to challenge him? The guards came to parade rest and resumed their conversation a few minutes later.

The ex-Green Beret circled the complex twice. He drove the Sungri at a moderate speed; not too fast to attract attention nor too slow to be identified as a hostile. He took note of the complex's defenses, the position of another damned signal jammer, the number of troops and what kind of small arms they were carrying, air or armor assets. Then he took a look at the concrete monstrosity that was Song Tower. Chris shook his head. There would be too many floors to search. Too many areas to be ambushed in. Not to mention too many hostiles to kill in order to snatch Dung Hwangbo. He needed specific information to pinpoint the former minister's current location. Intel that was denied because of yet another damned signal jammer. Chris activated his ExOps Bluetooth wireless headset.

"FREELANCER to Control, come in, over."

In Seoul, Fiona adjusted her wireless headset and flipped open a laptop. She picked up a flash drive to insert into the USB port. The blonde typed in a few commands to link Pei Zei's workstation with the laptop. Seconds later the connection was made. Everyone was linked.

"FREELANCER, this is CONTROL. Go ahead with your sitrep, over."

"SNAFU, CONTROL. I say again, SNAFU. Over."

"CONTROL to FREELANCER, switch to Channel 2."

Channel 2 was reserved for private communications between ExOps contractors and their support staff. Only the lead technical officer/analyst had access to this exclusive frequency.

"Chris, this isn't funny. Are you up to completing the contract or not?"

"Fiona, why didn't anyone have blueprints for this place? It's like a damned bunker except it goes skyward! A man has got to know his limits. I can snatch Dung Hwangbo but not from out here."

Lieutenant Han and his men prodded and rifle-butted the remaining Division 39 thugs, including Dung Hwangbo, to the ground floor. The brown uniformed soldiers took pleasure in beating down these gangsters who once thumbed their noses at them. They ignored their pleas and cries of mercy. Some tried to resist but they were cut down by the better armed soldiers. They had now corralled the black-suited group in the lobby. The general watched from a balcony as the detail led by Lieutenant Han forced the gangsters to kneel on the lobby floor.

Shiri had returned to the outskirts of the Song Tower complex bypassing the various Allied Nations and the Chinese Peoples' Liberation Army patrols. It took her an hour and a half to return here. Comfortable in the knowledge that neither friend nor foe was aware of her presence, she set up an observation post half a kilometer away from the tower's perimeter. She hoped that her father came to his senses and left the former minister to be captured or killed. It was a hope that was short-lived as several explosions rocked the compound.

After finishing his conversation with both Fiona and Pei Zei, Chris clicked off the Bluetooth wireless headset. It was now time to execute the plan he originally conceived with Major Howard. He was placing the last of the C4 charges when he heard the crunch of gravel behind him. An angry voice was now asking him in Korean what was he doing. From the man's tone, Chris deduced it was an officer. He slowly stood up then turned swiftly, the Cold Steel Delta Dart flying out of his hand. The deadly blade pierced the North Korean in the throat choking off any warning to his comrades. Chris quickly moved forward to catch the dying soldier. Then he snapped the man's neck. Dumping the body next to a group of shipping pallets, the mercenary quietly unslung his AK74. Chris smiled to himself. This party is going to start with a bang! He took out the radio detonator and set off the first C4 charge.

Major Howard watched the rising fireball where the 154th's fuel trucks were parked. By God, I love this damn Yankee! He picked up a Motorola radio and started issuing orders. Within minutes, the entire Allied Nations Ready Reaction Force was on the move. The Heavy Weapons platoon opened fire with their 81mm M252 medium mortars on pre-designated targets given to them by Major Jacobs via PDA. The rounds exploded on impact on enemy troops and lightly armored vehicles. They also destroyed the last remaining signal jammer. A column of M1A2 Abrams tanks led scores of M1125 APCs and M1025 Scouts on a race towards the demolished front entrance of the complex. In the air, a flight of YAH-64 gunships sped by overhead fully loaded with ordnance. If General Sung Li Yung wanted a fight, he was bloody going to get one! The AN officer grabbed his M4 carbine and ran to join his men aboard a UH-60 Blackhawk spinning up its rotors.

Shiri lay flat on the snow, watching the ensuing carnage through the Dragunov's scope. The female sniper knew death was in the air and the last act of this drama was yet to be played. She slowed her breathing to steady the rifle.

Chris swapped magazines then returned fire as a couple of North Korean soldiers advanced on his position. The 7.62mm bullets cut through cloth and flesh with relative ease as the mercenary squeezed the trigger repeatedly. With the North Koreans no longer fooled by his disguise and the Allied Nations moving onto the tower's grounds, the ex-Delta operator stripped off the anorak but kept the tactical vest. He pulled the pin on a fragmentation grenade and tossed it over a wall of sandbags. The resulting WHUMP! destroyed a heavy machinegun emplacement and its crew. All around him there were fires burning, vehicles that were reduced to smoldering husks, and the stench of cordite.

Now that the Allied Forces were able to engage the 154th in a decisive battle, he could concentrate on capturing Dung Hwangbo. He took a quick inventory of his equipment. There were three full thirty-round magazines for his AK. The 9mm Makarov was as yet unused; three full mags. Two 40mm grenades left. An AK bayonet, two Delta Darts, and some NICO flash-bang grenades. If he ran into any serious opposition, the mercenary would be out of ammunition in a very short time. Chris clicked on his wireless headset.

"FREELANCER to CONTROL. If you're not busy enjoying the fireworks, please give me the current location of the Ace of Clubs."

Fiona and Pei Zei were busy comparing live video feeds from the battlefield. They had tasked three different satellites and five UAVs to look for the elusive Ace of Clubs. Unfortunately, even with all the high-tech surveillance at ExOps' disposal, the Field Operations Support Staff could not confirm that the Ace of Clubs was inside Song Tower. Thermal scans indicated that there were a large number of people inside. Both women could hear the frustration in the merc's voice when they relayed the news to him. Chris Jacobs was seriously pissed. That six-figure payday was going up in smoke if he didn't snatch the Ace alive and in one piece.

Then an idea came to him. If he couldn't get in and snatch the former minister, why not force the bastard out here? He clicked on the wireless headset as he searched his rucksack. They called the soldiers of the U.S. Army Special Forces the "masters of chaos". Today, it was Chris' turn to show 'em why…

Now groundside, Major Howard and his men were engaged in a firefight with the remaining soldiers of the 154th. Muzzle flashes could be seen and the pop-pop-pop of automatic weapons fire could be heard. The AN officer raised his carbine to his shoulder and fired off a short burst. A North Korean soldier fell into a ditch as 5.56mm M-193 rounds pierced his back and tore through his chest. Another NK soldier was "cooking off" a grenade to throw at the blue-helmeted AN troops but Major Howard swung his carbine around and fired off another short burst. The brown uniformed soldier jerked 'n spasmed then was vaporized as the grenade exploded. The Ready Reaction Force had secured the front gate leading to Song Tower. The CO of the RRF was about to lead his company forward to the tower when a group of F-15E Strike Eagle fighters zoomed by. Major Howard watched as the lead F-15E lined up on Song Tower and released a single bomb. He immediately got on the tactical frequency his units were on and ordered everyone to pull back to the outer perimeter.

On the east side of the tower complex, Chris was in the prone position making the final adjustments on the Litton PAQ-10 Ground Laser Target Designator. It was the size of two shoeboxes welded together. Through the 10x scope he could see clearly into lobby area of Song Tower even from a kilometer away. The mercenary ensured that he was at a safe distance before calling in this airstrike. It was just pure luck that for some odd reason Dung Hwangbo and his associates were being held at gunpoint by soldiers of the 154th in the lobby. Now if everything goes right, I'll nab that 150,000 bounty. Chris pressed the button that illuminated the tower with an invisible beam.

Shiri took off her eye from the scope. The North Korean sniper was confused. Why would the Allied Nations, so close to victory, be pulling back from Song Tower? It didn't make any sense to her. She took a sip of water from the canteen she was carrying when she heard the roar of jet engines. Looking up she saw the flight of F-15E Strike Eagles. Then she saw the lead fighter lining up with the tower. Through the Dragunov's scope, she watched a single bomb drop falling as if it was in slow motion. Shiri increased the magnification on the scope. Upon realizing what type of bomb it was, she screamed.

The bomb that was released was known as Guided Bomb Unit 28 or simply GBU-28. It's a five thousand pound laser-guided conventional munition that uses a four thousand four hundred pound penetrating warhead. It's designed for a single purpose: to destroy hardened targets. It struck Song Tower below the spire with a single, small explosion. Seconds later, a larger explosion blew out the middle part of the building as glass and concrete rained down onto the pavement. The structure was disintegrating in thick clouds of dust and smoke.

Chris Jacobs removed his hands from his ears. The ringing would stop eventually. He checked to make sure he wasn't injured then stood up. The former Delta major loaded the last thirty-round magazine into the AK74's receiver and racked back the bolt. It was finally time to collect on that bounty.