Sudden Threat (37 page)

Meredith leaned forward, thinking President Davis asked a good question. Had the 9-11 attacks opened other seams for Machiavellian statecraft, seams for which they may not be prepared? Meredith believed it all came back to the perennial issues of economics, resources, and culture, exacerbated previ-ously by communism and currently by the threat of Islamic fundamentalism. In the Global War on Terror, allied relationships were shifting, like the earth’s tectonic plates, bound to create a rumble, or God forbid, a full-blown quake.

Only things were not so clear, Meredith knew. Officers and statesmen trained in the Cold War era were unsure of how to proceed. She wondered if they could set aside preconceived notions to deal with the obvious, though sudden, threat? It was sounding to her as if Davis was asking the right questions and guiding his foreign policy staff in the proper direction.

And what about Afghanistan, where it all began? That was Matt’s issue all along, she remembered.

CHAPTER 64

Secretary Stone had been watching. He looked directly at the president, who was seated next to Vice President Hellerman and Frank Lantini, with Saul Fox and Dick Diamond behind him. Chairman Sewell was next to Lantini and in Stone’s line of sight. As Stone looked, he noticed Ronnie Wood return his gaze.

What’s he thinking?
Stone wondered.

The entire premise had been that the actions in the Philippines had to occur in order to create enough military movement to make rushing into Iraq logistically impossible.

Indeed, the Rolling Stones had released the glider, and it was flying strong, creating the effect. Many were beginning to question the drive to Iraq and whether they needed to forestall the massive military buildup against Saddam Hussein and focus more on the global transnational threat of Al Qaeda.

If the China-Taiwan tension gained more traction, and if the Philippine situation was not resolved in the next couple of days, then the Rolling Stones would have a chance at presenting a
fait accompli
to the neoconservatives without losing their power base, while appearing entirely logical and practical to the American people.

Win-win for everyone. That was always the Rolling Stones’ goal.

Restore a patriotic fervor, crush Islamic funda-mentalism, and keep the focus on the endgame: a stable, secure, and prosperous America.

Takishi, Charlie Watts, had been a Harvard Business School classmate of Bart Rathburn’s. So Takishi was the logical choice as he began negotiating billion-dollar deals with countries such as China. He had the power, as did they all, to start an insurgency in the Philippines, like a brushfire. They wanted just enough to get the attention of the world so they could say, “Look, over there, a fire.”

So the question was, how to keep the Philippine insurgency to a manageable level given all that had occurred—a containable insurgency. It appeared that with the deal Takishi had cut, the urgency would subside in a couple of days. That wouldn’t be enough to divert attention away from Iraq.

He looked at Dick Diamond and Saul Fox, sitting next to each other, whispering to one another, trading notes. Like puppeteers, they always sat closest to the key decision makers in the room, so their presence could be felt.

He flipped his notebook annoyingly on the table, wishing for a cigarette and gaining a bothered look from President Davis, his friend. So he stopped and looked down. As he stared at his black notebook, he saw a yellow sticker protruding from one of the pages. He opened the book slowly, half-listening to the conversation and saw his pencil scratching from the ambassador’s visit yesterday.

The big letters “KOREA” leapt off the page. Yes, he thought. Takishi was sending him a signal that the Rolling Stones needed more fodder to enhance the illusion of chaos in the Pacific. Stone looked up, smiled inwardly, and said, “Korea.”

Amazed, everyone turned in Stone’s direction.

“Korea. That’s it. Korea,” he said, shaking his head with the appearance that he had figured it all out.

“How’s that?” Sewell asked.

“The ambassador, you know, Kai,” he said, looking at the president, “came over yesterday with an envoy from Mizuzawa.”

Lantini shifted in his chair and glared at Stone.
What’s he doing?
Lantini thought.
How can Stone be so reckless as to suggest that?

“Why didn’t they ask to see me?” Davis inter-rupted.

“I don’t know,” Stone said. “They probably did not want to bother you and were asking for our assistance in the Philippines and Korea. They’re worried about China and Taiwan, and now they’re getting rumblings from North Korea.”

“They really presented that to you as an issue?” the president asked.

“Yes, sir. It makes sense. North Korea keeps shooting missiles over Japan, and China is always testing in Mongolia or somewhere. So I’m thinking the Japanese government developed these weapons to protect themselves from the growing Chinese and North Korean threats. My guess is that they felt like they had to do it in the Philippines to get around their constitution. You know, article seven—”

“Nine,” Meredith interrupted and wished she had not. McNulty cut a mean gaze her way. Stone looked confused.
Another Oscar, baby!

“Anyway. My reasoning,” Stone continued, “is that these ships are sort of a floating weapons storage site, you know, prepositioned stuff, ready to react to some threats. Post-Nine-eleven, it might not be such a bad idea. They’ve got security challenges all around them with China, North Korea, and now this situation in the Philippines. I mean, can we really do it all?” It was a risky strategy, and Fox predictably pounced on the unprotected pawn in the debate.

“Perhaps the flotilla of tanks could be used as a balance of power in the Pacific so that we don’t have to commit sizable U.S. forces there, allowing us to proceed with our levelheaded strategy of removing Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction from Iraq,” Fox explained.

“Balance of power,” Diamond added.

“Now that makes sense,” McNulty said, finally finding something he wanted to believe.

“So the choice is to deal with the Pacific or invade Iraq? What happened to grand strategy? Why can’t we make it an all-inclusive strategy? Take a look at the Islamic terror threat as a multinational threat, much the way we viewed communism, and develop the equivalent of a containment, or destruction, doctrine that informs our decisions?” Diamond continued, then looked at Stone.

Now that made sense
, Meredith thought.

“If the choice is between the two,” Fox said from his back-row seat, “then there is no question that Iraq, with nuclear potential, must be handled promptly.”

Jagger saw that Ronnie Wood was staring at him, wanting him to take the lead and counter Fox.

“Think about how many nukes are in China and North Korea, Saul. There’s as much of a terror nexus there as we might find in Iraq,” Stone said, picking up the ball for Wood.

“But what we are really talking about is some minor revolution in the Philippines. The China and North Korea arguments just don’t hold water.”

Everyone looked at President Davis, who said, “Let’s give it twenty-four hours and see how this plays out.”

Fox slammed back in his chair, his feet dangling above the floor like a schoolchild’s.

Still dodging the bullet,
Stone thought.
That glider is still hanging in the air, buffeted about a bit, but still hanging, flying, creating events. Real events.

“Mr. President, I recommend that we keep this all tightly under wraps, which will of course preserve our strategic flexibility,” Lantini, the CIA director said.

About time you said something!
Stone thought.

“Of course,” Davis replied, smiling at his old friend Bob Stone.

Stone rode back
to the Pentagon with Meredith at his side, their legs touching in the back of the limousine. He wondered about her personal life. He glanced at her crossed legs, his mind defaulting to the testosterone instinct of forsaking mind over beauty. Silky panty hose covered her slender thighs. She was beautiful, sitting there looking out the window, watching DC bounce by. Maybe she would be drawn to his power. Yes, maybe that would work, he thought, ogling the naked skin above her neckline.

Besides, he was tired of Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards getting all of the chicks.

Phase IV:
Winds of Chance

CHAPTER 65

Tokyo, Japan

Takishi raised his glass to Mizuzawa’s. The expensive crystal chimed like a bell, signaling a new era.

“Wonderful job in Washington,” Mizuzawa said, complimenting Takishi on his joint performance with Kaitachi.

“Thank you, sir,” Takishi said, feeling vindicated for losing Abe and the killing of the Americans. The plan was proceeding nicely.

“As we anticipated,” General Nugama said, also holding a glass of champagne in his hand, “phase one is going smoothly now that we have arranged for the departure of the Americans. Fine job, Takishi.” It was a rare compliment from Nugama. They had strategically fooled the Americans. The demon-stration in the East China Sea had worked.

The three men stood and talked in Mizuzawa’s private garden behind his office. Normally, he did not allow visitors in the area, but it was a special day.

The resurgence of Japan to her rightful place in history had begun. The result of their actions would be no more reliance on the United States for security and no more kowtowing to the American people. The Philippines would provide ample resources for future Japanese domination.

The first order of business was to finish the job in the Philippines. Next would be to bring Taiwan home. What could the Americans do? Economic sanctions would be unrealistic. They would effectively be shutting down one-third of their economy. They would have to continue trading with Japan. Likewise for Europe. No, this was Japan’s moment in the sun. She would rise from the seas like King Neptune, pitchfork in hand, almighty and all-powerful.

But it was a good plan. Stone had bought it totally.
First the business about the Chinese and Taiwan. Now we have them thinking about Korea
, Mizuzawa thought to himself.

“Hopefully,” Mizuzawa said, smiling, “they will ‘turn another satellite’ for us.” He did his best Robert Stone impersonation. They laughed heartily. Deep and guttural. It was a mean laugh, sinister, low-pitched, and evil.

Their intentions were in sharp contrast to the peaceful surroundings of the garden. The pagoda and bridge rose above them as they stood next to the dark water of the goldfish pond.

“Yes, ‘we need you to change your constitution,’” Takishi said. More laughter.

Then they stopped, noticing Mizuzawa’s eyes, fixated and burning red-hot. His eyelids wrinkled together, like knife slits in his skin. They watched the hatred and emotion well inside him. He was transforming. The moment had come, and he was remembering Nagasaki and Hiroshima. He was remembering MacArthur and his constitution. He was remembering almost sixty years of American domination and control.

“No more!” he yelled, shocking Takishi and Nugama, causing them to step back. “We shall prevail!” he said in a husky voice. He raised his champagne glass high into the air, framed by the bridge and pagoda. Then he crushed it with his bare hand, squeezing the glass to tiny pieces, gashing his skin. Blood ran down his thick arm as he stared at his associates, standing near him, unsure of what to do.

“We shall prevail!” Takishi barked, following suit.

“We shall prevail!” Nugama yelled, caught up in the emotion of the moment. The two men raised their glasses, crushing them, and grinding the glass into their hands as blood streamed down their arms.

“We shall prevail!” The words echoed in the garden enclave as the three men stared at one another, blood dripping from their hands, shards of glass stinging them all.

Mizuzawa dismissed his two comrades. He would see them later that evening. First, though, he had to prepare for the speech he would give to his faction that night. He would inform them of his growing security concerns. It was all true. Korea was a threat. China was looming larger than ever, hanging its nuclear umbrella over Japan like a dark shadow. Taiwan had armed forces of over half a million people. Russia still leaned on them from the northwest. The least of their worries was the Global War on Terror, but what a wonderful opportunity it presented.

Japan would create its own destiny.

First, he had led them to the slick political takeover of the Philippines. Whether Talbosa realized it or not, he was a bought man. If he refused to play the game, Mizuzawa figured, he could simply impose a military government. But he needed the Philippines to secure an intermediate staging base for his war plans. After securing the Philippines, he would move to encircle Taiwan from both sides. It would be interesting to watch the Chinese reaction to that one. The United States would be caught flat-footed, he knew that for certain.
You think you have problems in the Middle East?

He sat once again on the bridge, cross-legged, peering down into the dark waters of the pond. His reflection gazed upward into his eyes, spinning his mind into another era. He could see the furrowed brow beneath his short hair. His eyes were mere rips in the cloth of his face.       

His thoughts spiraled into the distant past, and he was looking upon Tokyo Bay. He saw the American flotilla moored there, surrounding the USS
Missouri,
on which the infamous defeat of the Imperial Armed Forces had been formalized. It was humiliating. The Americans deliberately carried the limping Japanese Navy into port, as if on a leash, to display their loss to all of Japan. His country had been a bad dog, and America was the master, whipping them in front of the world. He watched as millions of radios across the world broadcast live the disgraceful Japanese surrender.