Ballistic Force(112)

“He wouldn’t give any explanation,” Tokaido said, “but my guess is somebody convinced them it’d be in their best interests to let us go.”

“Just like that?” Stevens said.

“C’mon,” Tokaido told the officer. “You know the negotiators were working nonstop the moment we brought them back to Bonifas. They must’ve reached a breakthrough. I say why look the gift horse in the mouth. We’re outta here.”

Bolan glanced past Tokaido at the two transport choppers. Lim Seung-Whan was already leading his family into one of the aircraft, and a handful of Rangers were heading over to do the same.

“He’s right,” Bolan told Stevens. “If a deal’s been cut in our favor, I say we go with it. If it turns out they’re trying to pull something, well, we’ll deal with it as it comes.”

Stevens glanced at Major Cook questioningly.

“Works for me,” Cook responded. “Sure as hell beats sticking around here.”

Stevens mulled over the situation for a few moments, then threw his hands up in resignation. “All right, you win,” he said. “But you gotta understand. You guys haven’t been holed up in this place as long as I have. The idea of diplomacy working…well, it’d be a first, let me put it that way.”

“There’s a first time for everything,” Cook countered. He pointed at the stretcher and told Stevens, “Now get your ass back in the taxi so we don’t miss our flight.”

Tokaido walked up front alongside Bolan as the Executioner helped Cook carry Stevens the rest of the way to the waiting helicopters. All four men fell silent for the moment, lost in their own thoughts about the way things had turned out. As for Bolan, he knew Stevens had good reason to be skeptical about the idea that they would soon be bound for the free side of the DMZ, but something deep in his gut told him that somehow, for once, the diplomatic channels had paid off. And he was just as sure that his colleagues back at Stony Man Farm had had a hand in the process. He looked forward to hearing all the details, but for the moment, his foremost concern was getting across the DMZ and planting his feet back on free soil. The mere thought of it was enough to raise his spirits, and once he’d helped Stevens up into the idling helicopter, Bolan decided to pass along the sentiment.

Turning to Akira Tokaido, he finally broke the men’s silence.

“If I remember rightly,” he said, offering his young friend a disarming grin, “you and your cousin were supposed to take in a ball game this weekend in Seoul. Looks like you just might make it after all.”