The words were like a poisoned dagger, accurately piercing Tor Khan's most sensitive nerve endings.
"Ugh..."
A deeply repressed gasp came through the communicator.
Tor Khan's breathing suddenly became erratic.
Song Heping continued to apply pressure,
"General Duke has a complete record copy of the encrypted communications between you and him."
He deliberately paused, allowing fear to ferment.
"Guess what, if Barzani comes to power, will General Duke, in order to show his stance and 'help' the new government clarify the traitor network, 'accidentally' leak some of those records? By then, General, who can you rely on to protect you?"
"You... you are threatening me?!"
Tor Khan's voice was filled with suppressed anger and panic, but he quickly realized his situation and forced his tone down again.
"Threaten?" Song Heping's voice suddenly softened a bit, "No, General. I am offering you a choice. A clear choice that can drastically change the fate of you and your family."
His words began to take on a tempting tone,
"Assist us. Today, in a couple of hours, in front of televisions in thousands of households in Kurdistan, help Little Masoud reveal the truth and help President Masoud restore legitimate power. You will become the first meritorious service in restoring order and a hero saving the nation from conspiracy and rebellion. Your Third Infantry Brigade will be not only a garrison force but also a backbone stabilizing the rebellion."
Song Heping's voice was full of certainty, as if stating an already accomplished fact,
"When the dust settles, Barzani and his core associates will inevitably fall. The position he vacates, the one controlling the supreme power in Kurdistan, needs someone with prestige, strength, and loyalty to replace him."
He gently uttered the last few words,
"What do you think, General Tor Khan?"
On the other end of the communication, there was a deathly silence.
Only Tor Khan's increasingly heavy, increasingly undisguisable breathing echoed through the airwaves, resonating in the silent carriage.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds...
Time seemed to stretch.
Finally——
"How... how do you want me to help?"
There was a tremor in Tor Khan's voice, as if he had made up his mind, the previous hesitation replaced by a kind of reckless determination.
Song Heping said, "Intelligence shows that every morning at exactly seven o'clock before the live broadcast of the morning news, there is a regular food delivery truck that enters through a special passage in the back alley to supplement supplies for the canteen and the senior lounge."
He quickened his pace,
"We need to infiltrate that convoy, replacing the original delivery personnel."
Tor Khan pondered for a moment and then said,
"The logistics director responsible for the supplies is someone I promoted many years ago, absolutely reliable. But... Rashid's people aren't fools, the TV station is sensitive now, and that director is also being secretly monitored. Directly arranging strangers in the list is too risky and might arouse suspicion."
"Then let him 'get sick'."
Song Heping immediately interjected, "A sudden illness, acute gastroenteritis, food poisoning, any reason will do. Make him have to temporarily assign a deputy or a trusted subordinate to be responsible for this morning's delivery and supervision. And this designated person..."
"Must be my confidant and have a reasonable identity that won't be scrutinized."
Tor Khan picked up the conversation, and his thinking seemed to be prompted.
"My adjutant, Adil. His rank is not high, but he has been with me for fifteen years, and his loyalty is unquestionable. He won't easily attract attention..."
"Good." Song Heping affirmed, "Have him prepare five fake identities and clothes of repairmen for us, so we can enter the broadcasting area. Also, have him meet us at the back door to confirm identities and personally guide us through the inspection point."
"Too risky." Tor Khan habitually wanted to reject, but this time his tone was much weaker, "Rashid's security forces are now highly alert. They're verifying ID photos, conducting simple questioning, and might even use portable devices for facial recognition for anyone entering the TV station, especially unfamiliar faces. Your faces, especially Little Masoud's..."
Song Heping said, "That's why we need Adil to 'escort' us at the checkpoint."
Another suffocating ten seconds of silence followed.
Even Tor Khan's breathing over the communicator seemed to stop.
Then, a loud sound of a toilet flushing suddenly erupted, breaking the silence.
The sound seemed like some kind of signal, or a disguise after making a decision.
Tor Khan's voice came again, speaking rapidly,
"Adil will be wearing the standard desert camouflage combat uniform, but will pin a custom-made silver eagle badge above the left breast pocket, which is a family emblem. On his left wrist, he'll wear an old-style Longines military watch with a silver strap, easy to recognize."
He took a breath and continued,
"This morning, food delivery passage in the TV station back alley, Dock 3. The time is 6:40 AM. You have only a five-minute window. Adil will wait for five minutes only, leave immediately if late. Understand?"
"Enough." Song Heping replied briefly.
"Also." Tor Khan added, lowering his voice, "I need you to find a way to reach the control room next to Studio 2 after entering the building. I will appear there at 6:55 AM, under the guise of checking the technical preparations for the morning news broadcast, to have the control room doors opened for me. By then, Rashid should have arrived and would be in the makeup room on the third floor making final preparations. Once the control room doors open, I will create a bit of chaos to divert the attention of the personnel inside."
"And then?" Song Heping asked.
"Then..." There was a hint of ruthlessness in Tor Khan's voice, "it's up to you. Once you take control of the situation, notify me immediately. I will activate the emergency plan. The Third Infantry Brigade will deal with those 'Mad Dogs' Rashid has stationed outside the TV station."
"Deal."
Song Heping ended the call cleanly, then looked up, his gaze sweeping across every face in the vehicle.
"The plan has changed." He said, "We're not storming in. We're changing our faces, walking in."
Jamie turned the key, restarting the engine, and the off-road vehicle emitted a low growl.
He turned around, a somewhat conflicted expression on his face,
"Do you think Tor Khan will really do as he said? What if it's a trap? What if he turns around and sells you all to Rashid, trading your heads for a bigger token of allegiance?"
"He won't."
Song Heping put away the satellite communicator into his inside pocket and confidently said, "Fear and ambition are the two most powerful forces driving people to make choices. He fears Barzani's retribution in the autumn. That's fear, cutting off his retreat."
He paused, a flicker of cold light in his eyes,
"And if successful, he would leap to become a hero saving the nation. Unless he's a complete idiot, he knows what choice to make."
Little Masoud took a deep breath, looking at Song Heping, "So what do we need to do now? Specifically, how do we do it?"
"Become the delivery personnel." Song Heping's gaze swept over the group, "Jiang Feng, Ivan, Miroslav, the four of us will play the roles of porters. The clothes should be old, dirty, with the smell of oil and vegetable soil. Little Masoud, you play the delivery supervisor, wearing black-framed glasses, mess up your hair, preferably stick on some fake stubble, keep your head down and talk less. Your face is key, can't let anyone make any connection."
He finally looked at Jamie, "Jamie, it's 5:15 AM now. We must arrive near the TV station back alley at latest by 6 AM to prepare. I need you to get five sets of identity-appropriate old workwear in an hour, four fake certificates for porters, one fake certificate for a supervisor, the certificates' photos must be of us, but the information must be plausible. Also, a suitable, inconspicuous delivery truck and a pass that can get through the TV station back alley check."
Jamie frowned tightly, "An hour? Five sets of clothes certificates, a car, plus a pass? Song, you think the CIA is Santa Claus, granting everything, or do you think I run a universal department store in Elbil?"
"Then let me see just how capable the CIA's Elbil office intelligence liaison officer truly is."
Song Heping thought, if he messes this up, I'll have Simon transfer him back to do logistics.
But verbally he flattered Jamie, "General Duke has high praise for you. He said, as long as it's in Elbil, there's nothing Jamie can't get as long as you want to."
Jamie stared at Song Heping's profile resting with eyes closed in the rearview mirror, for a long time, then took a deep breath, sharply turned the steering wheel, the off-road vehicle made a screeching tire noise, turning into an even darker alley.
"Damn it... hold on tight."