Drone Command

Tanaka fell back in his chair, thinking. “It’s hard to believe that so much has transpired in just two days.”

“Yes, isn’t it?”

Tanaka bolted back up, pointing his finger at Ito. “There’s something else going on, isn’t there?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve been planning this all along, haven’t you?”

“What do you mean?”

Ito watched the wheels spinning in Tanaka’s fevered eyes.

“This whole affair with the Wu-14 and the Liaoning. The Americans are the ones who sank the carrier, and you knew all about it!”

“Not exactly.” Ito wondered how much he should tell his old friend. Decided it didn’t really matter at this point. “President Lane, President Myers, and Troy Pearce put together a plan to steal the Wu-14 technology a few months ago, and they needed my help. President Myers was the one who actually stole it. The idea was to acquire the Wu-14 software and confirm its operability and then reverse-engineer it to discover the best countermeasures. Once those were found, the Americans would inform the Chinese that the Wu-14 was worthless, and thus force the PLAN back into a defensive posture. But Ji and Feng had other ideas.”

“So when the Chinese launched the missile, the Americans took control of it?”

“Yes. And President Lane decided on his own to take out the Liaoning. If he would’ve asked me, I would’ve said no, but in hindsight it was a brilliant move.”

Tanaka nodded. “Yes, it was. We should be as bold.”

“How so?”

“Once we acquire the nuclear missiles, we should inform the Chinese that the Americans are the ones who sank their carrier. We can still force them into a war against each other.”

Ito sighed, shaking his head.

“Why not?” Tanaka asked. “You said yourself the Americans will do what’s best for them. So should we.”

“Yes, I agree. We should.”

“Then you do agree with my plan.”

“I don’t, but I do agree we must do what is best for our country. We disagree on what’s best for Japan.”

Tanaka frowned. “What do you think is best?”

“I agree with President Lane that Japan needs nuclear weapons immediately, but as I said before, there are conditions.”

“What conditions?”

“First, that we announce a unilateral nonaggression pact with China and any other nation that wants us to sign it. We will pledge never to use nuclear weapons in a first-strike capacity.”

“I don’t completely agree with that policy, but I understand it. If that’s what it takes to acquire nuclear weapons, we should agree to it. What are the other conditions?”

“Only one, really. Neither the United States nor China want to start World War Three. They believe there are certain elements in our government that want the two of them to go to war against each other. And they won’t allow us to have nuclear weapons unless they’re sure that those elements are silenced.”

Tanaka stiffened. “I’ll never speak again about the American strike on the Liaoning.”

“You have people throughout the government and the JSDF who share your extremist views.”

“I can keep them quiet.”

“That’s not good enough.”

“You have my word, Ito-san.”

“I want their names.”

“No.”

“I wonder which you love more? Your conspiracy or your country?”

Tanaka darkened, torn. Finally, he said, “I’ll send you the list as soon as I get back to my office.”

“No need, because we already have the names. The Naicho and the NSA have been running a joint intelligence operation tracking you and your co-conspirators for months now. I was briefed just this morning on your role in the death of the American scientist Yamada, as well as your other crimes. I should have you arrested.”

Tanaka laughed. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Ito leaned back in his chair, planting his shoes on his desk. “No, I wouldn’t. Your arrest would severely cripple the legitimate cause we’ve both been fighting for all these years. And yet, you remain a serious problem for the Americans and the Chinese, and a grave threat to our nation and our people.”

“A threat? That’s ridiculous.”

“I must provide a guarantee to the Americans and Chinese that you will remain silent on all these matters even as I clean house and root out the ultranationalists who threaten all of us.”

“I’ll retire. You’ll never hear from me again.”

“That’s not good enough for them, I’m afraid.” Ito stood up. “Nor for me.”

“What do you propose?”

Ito crossed around his desk and laid a hand on Tanaka’s firm shoulder. “There is an honorable solution, old friend.”

Tanaka’s eyes hardened, fixing on a distant unseen place. “I understand.”

Ito smiled faintly. “I knew you would.”

“I’ll make all of the necessary arrangements. It will take a few days.”

“Of course. I’m sorry.”

Tanaka shook his head. “There’s nothing to be sorry for. I’ve been preparing for this moment all my life.”

SEVENTY-THREE

MANINIHOLO BAY

KAUAI, HAWAII

21 MAY 2017

The sun knelt beneath the far horizon, bathing the blue ocean in its sweet last orange light. Myers felt the warm waters brush past her knees and the gentle breeze in her hair was heavy with tuberose.