“Even if that were true, it does not refute the fact that the United States launched nuclear weapons in retaliation. How can you dispute that?”
“I’m not disputing it. I’m saying that I don’t know that it’s true.”
The newscasters began talking over each other heatedly. Then the host said, “Well, tell me this — do you think that the United States will take Russia’s threat seriously?”
“I do. And here’s why: the Russian Federation simply has too large an inventory of nuclear weapons for their threat not to be taken seriously. No one wants further bloodshed. And I’m shocked that it has come to this between United States and China. But if there is to be fighting, I think the entire world has a shared interest in the fighting being done with conventional weapons. Your reporting states that there were at least ten nuclear explosions on the day the war began. That alone is very dangerous. The loss of life, the radiation, and the potential environmental effects are devastatingly real. I hope with all my heart that if anything good comes out of it, it is that world leaders will take a breath and settle down — perhaps work out their differences peacefully. I realize that’s a lot to ask after what we’ve seen in the past few days.”
Lena heard another knock at the door and shut off the television.
“Enter.”
The same MSS man who had brought her food came into the room again. “Miss Chou, we have received a cable. Your transportation to the mainland will arrive tomorrow.”
Lena was surprised. “Oh? I thought that I was to wait here for the next week.”
“You have been summoned, Miss Chou.”
“I see.”
She didn’t have to ask who had summoned her.
11
Chase Manning sat in the back of a Toyota sedan, parked outside the premier business terminal at Narita Airport near Tokyo. The driver, a young CIA operative who worked for Tetsuo, was inside making sure all of Chase’s paperwork was in order and that there would be no trouble as he made his way onto the US government plane. There were stories of US intelligence agents being apprehended and hauled away by Tokyo-based Chinese intelligence operatives.
“See the red armbands?” Tetsuo handed his binoculars to Chase, nodding over towards the commercial terminal arrival area. Busloads of American troops and their dependents were being dropped off outside the airport. This was the American mass exodus of the country, set in motion by the peace agreement.
“I see them.”
“The red armbands are pro-Chinese. Those are Japanese citizens that are eager for the Chinese to come take over.”
“You gotta be kidding me. What the hell are they thinking?”
“Look a little to the right. You’ll see a gray sedan parked behind them. Diplomatic plates. That’s from the Chinese consulate. I recognize the driver. Chinese intelligence.”
“What’s the angle?”
“Looks like they’re firing up the locals. Probably been recruiting these guys for a while. But they want it to appear like the Japanese all want us out of the country. Someone will get video of the scene on their phone and then circulate it online. It’ll get picked up by influencers and maybe even major media outlets, and then that’ll become the narrative. Japanese kick out American oppressors. That’s what they want people saying at the dinner table.”
“But we’re not—”
“You’re preaching to the choir, brother. Trust me. I know.” Tetsuo reached out his hand and Chase gave back the binoculars.
The Chinese intelligence officers were being aggressive. The cease-fire was only a few hours old, yet there they were, staking out their territory. A Chinese occupation would come soon. The PLA wasn’t here yet, but it was only a matter of time. Then this country would really change.
A 747 jumbo jet had just taken off, its landing gear collapsing into its giant belly, filled with American families and servicemembers headed to Hawaii or San Diego. The evacuation was in full swing. The Japanese government had made it clear that American servicemen and government employees were to depart the country immediately in fulfillment of the cease-fire agreement. Japan saw this as their only option to avoid disaster. Neither Chase nor Tetsuo had seen it coming.
Tetsuo was a CIA operations officer stationed at the American embassy in Tokyo. Chase Manning was with the CIA’s special operations group. He had been on a special assignment to help uncover covert Chinese war plans. A week ago, he had been embedded with an Army Delta team performing reconnaissance on a Chinese military base. He had just left China and arrived in South Korea when the war had begun. He had barely escaped Korea, flying to Japan on a military transport as North Korean rockets had pummeled the country. But Chase’s mission had been helpful. He had supplied the CIA with vital information, allowing the American military to prepare for attacks on Hawaii and Guam.
When Chase had arrived in Japan, he had been ordered to move Natesh Chaudrey — a Chinese agent the Americans had managed to turn — to safety. Things hadn’t gone according to plan.
“You thinking about her again?”
Chase shot him a look but didn’t answer.
Tetsuo gave a slight smile. “Brother, if you survive this war, they’re going to sit you down on some shrink’s couch and go deep inside your head, and Lena Chou is gonna be waiting for you there. Trust me. I can tell.”
Chase chewed on his lower lip, bouncing his knee. “She’s probably still here, you know. In Tokyo.”
“I’ll keep my eyes peeled.” He didn’t look too concerned.
“I got good eyes too.”
Tetsuo shot Chase a skeptical look. “Don’t be a dumbass. You have orders now.”
Images of Lena flashed through his mind. He imagined her as she had been in Dubai. They had been lovers there for a time, while she had still been working for the CIA, before anyone had been aware of her true allegiance. Memories of their bodies intertwined on fresh linens in fancy hotels. Open windows and waves crashing outside. Her flowing jet-black hair running down her luscious body and tickling his bare chest. Silk-skinned and wildly passionate. Her eyes, stoic yet seductive.
Chase knew that his mental vision of her was no longer accurate. She had burn scars along her left side now. Burn scars that he had created. Perhaps he’d deluded himself into believing she was anything but an enemy.
He told himself not to harbor any sympathies. Lena Chou was a monster. A traitor. Was she a traitor? She had been loyal to her own cause. She had been a sleeper agent, implanted into the US years ago. Chase tried to wrap his mind around it. How long had she been living that lie? A part of him almost admired her for the dedication and discipline it must have taken.
Chase has seen her do horrible things. But he knew what he was capable of doing to his fellow man, in the name of his country. While he suffered the inner demons of a warrior, he was mostly able to wash it away with the belief that he served honorably, and on the side of justice. Was it possible that Lena was abiding by that same warrior code?
He shook the thought away, not trusting his own mind to behave rationally towards her. This was sympathy for the devil. Chase needed to convince himself that Lena wasn’t the woman he’d been with all of those nights in Dubai. It must have been a charade for her. She had used him to gain information and access, just as she had everyone else she’d worked with at the CIA. How many others had she taken into her bed? He wasn’t special. He shouldn’t be so naïve. Lena had betrayed the United States, a country that had been her home for many years. He should want to kill her for that betrayal. He should be filled with disgust and rage.