The real Hiromi Sato was still in prison. A female guard had just brought her dinner.

“You are new here?” Hiromi asked the guard.

The guard, whose name was Sayo Seo, had been told to ignore Hiromi Sato and not to speak to her. So she turned her back and began walking out of the cell.

“Can you help me? I can make it worth your while.”

Synopsis- The Yakuza war between the Watanabes and Inagawas escalates as Hiromi meets with Swan Song officials.

Thank you to Puddin for all her help preparing this story chapter for publication.
 

~*~
 
Stuart and Midori’s living quarters weren’t too far away in the maze-like underworld of Pine Gap. Hiromi saw her parents even before she stepped into their room.

“Hello, Mom. Hello, Dad.”

“Rebecca, I am so happy to see you,” Midori said to her daughter as Hiromi walked right up to her. The two women immediately shared a mother-daughter hug and kiss.

“I’ve missed you both a lot, Mom,” Hiromi said as the embrace ended.

Her father, Stuart, had been accustomed to shaking hands with his son, so after some hesitation stuck his right hand out to do the same with Rebecca.

She looked at him and raised one eyebrow, smiling, almost ready to take it, but instead reached out and gave her father a hug and kiss. “Dad, I’m glad to see you too.”

“Your mother and I are very proud of you, Rebecca.” He was obviously feeling awkward, but trying hard not to show it.

Hiromi was very happy to meet her parents, but felt odd in their presence too. She was almost beginning to feel like Tom Slater again, and she didn’t particularly like it.

Midori was obviously aware of her daughter’s discomfort, but wanted her to feel at home in her family again, so asked, “Rebecca, how are you feeling?”

“I feel fine, Mom,” Hiromi replied. She was deeply touched by her mother’s concern for her. Gabrielle was right, Tom Slater’s parents were trying to treat their daughter Rebecca the same as they had their son Tom, but were doing their best to pretend that Hiromi didn’t exist.

Gabrielle, who had held back from the Slater family reunion, now walked up to Hiromi and took her hand.

Hiromi looked at her as if she’d been offered cool water in the hot desert. Without shame, she lifted Gabrielle’s hand to her lips, then relaxed.

“Have you eaten lunch?” Midori asked brightly.

“No, Mom, I haven’t.”

“Let’s go to the cafeteria. You must always eat properly when doing your mission.”

Hiromi laughed. “All right, Mom.” Then she turned to d Gabrielle and said, “Please come with me,” and gave her a brief kiss.
 

~*~
 
“Forgive my interruption, Inagawa-san,” Said Nariaki Matano one of Tokuro’s aides. “We have received a phone call from a person who says he has information on Hiromi Sato.”

“This is Tokuro Inagawa. Who am I speaking to?”

“My name is Hideichi Ishimoto.”

“I know who you are, Ishimoto-kun. Why are we having this unusual talk now?”

“The firms you and I work for are engaged in a dispute at present. I may have a suggestion as to how to end it. Would you like to hear what it is?”

Tokuro was an impatient man and he didn’t appreciate Hideichi beating around the bush. After all only moments earlier this Watanabe Yakuza member had said he had information on Hiromi Sato.

Then he schooled himself toward outward impassivity, at least. Tolerance toward this dithering fool would be a small price to pay in return for hard intelligence on the Inagawa-kai’s greatest enemy. “Yes, Ishimoto-kun, I would. Can you and I meet tonight in Kawasaki?”
 

~*~
 
The cafeteria was almost empty, and the staff was already busy wiping down counters, but there was still a cashier on duty, and at least some food still available on the serving tables and cabinets.

Hiromi suddenly felt hungry, smelling the food, although her stomach had been a little upset before, because of nerves she thought. She glanced up at the clock and saw that it was a quarter to one, and instantly surmised that the line closed just past the lunch hour. “I think we’d better hurry. It looks like they’re closing down soon and I’m awfully hungry all of a sudden.”

“We’re fine, Rebecca,” Midori said to her daughter. “I thought your father and I could just have a piece of pie or something, and some tea or coffee. We’re still on USA time, so this is a very strange late night snack for us, but please get your food now and we’ll have a nice chat.

Hiromi left her parents and Gabrielle behind as she headed straight towards the serving area. She wasn’t sure what she was going to eat for lunch, but she wanted it now.

The underground cafeteria had a self service area with wrapped sandwiches and various items in clear plastic boxes and bottles inside a glass refrigerated display case, plus a steam table section where food service workers doled out whatever prepared food was on the menu for the day, and lastly a grill area. As Hiromi got her tray, the smell of something cooking in the grill area smelled absolutely delicious. She had to have it, whatever it was.

“What can I get you?” asked the cook in charge of the grill.

“I’d like one of those jumbo hot dogs, please.”

As the food service worker prepared her lunch, Hiromi’s mouth began to water. Tom Slater had been an irregular eater of hot dogs. She hadn’t eaten a single weiner since long before her gender change, but for some odd reason she wanted one right now.

“What would you like on it?” The grill cook asked after he placed a hot dog on a bun.

“Could you put everything on it, please?” Hiromi watched as the hot dog was covered in lettuce, tomato slices, relish, mustard, ketchup, onions, and even peppers. Her lunch looked more delicious as each condiment was added to it. “You wouldn’t have anchovies, would you?”

The cook stared at her and shook his head.

She grimaced. ‘I’m pregnant all right,’ Hiromi thought to herself as she got a slice of cherry pie and two containers of milk from the display case. It wasn’t just the unusual food she was craving that tipped her off, but her whole body was feeling physiologically different to her then it had at any time in her short female life. Ever since arriving at Alice Springs Airport, Hiromi’s breasts had felt heavier than normal, and just now she’d wanted anchovies, something she’d tasted a few times, but had never asked for in her life.

Hiromi’s hot dog was ready a few moments later. She paid for her food before walking back to where her parents and Gabrielle were already seated, pie and beverages before them. She hadn’t even noticed them, once she’d seen those hot dogs

Gabrielle was talking with Mrs. Slater as Hiromi approached. The mother had gotten coffee and snack for herself and Stuart at the same time her daughter got her own food. Midori smiled with approval the moment she saw her daughter approaching with food for herself.

“How are you feeling, Dad?” Hiromi asked after she took her first bite of the hot dog. It was incredibly wonderful. She couldn’t help turning back to the grill to see if the cook was still on duty, but he was already scraping the grill down and closing up shop. She frowned, hoping this one would be enough.

“I’m feeling better every day,” he said.

“Gabrielle told me about your surgery.” She saw her father had a heart shaped pillow with him. Hiromi concluded it must be very painful to sneeze or cough so soon after open heart surgery. A man or woman’s chest is cracked open for that operation and it can take up to a year for it to heal.

While they ate, Stuart told her about his surgery and recovery. “For the first few weeks I felt like I’d been hit by a truck but I’m a lot better now.”

“How was your operation last year?” Midori asked Hiromi.

“It wasn’t really an operation, Mom. It was more like magic. The doctors began an IV the same night I left Darrington. The next morning I was given Dr. Wagner’s treatment. I was asleep throughout whatever happened, and I woke up as a woman. Presto chango.”

“Was it painful?”

“No, Mom, not at all. I felt a little nauseous for a while, as I got used to my new hormones, and had a slight headache for a day or so after waking up, but that’s all.”

“Did your training start at once?” Stuart asked.

“After the doctors cleared me, I began training in South Korea. That was about a week after I had the treatment. After a month at Camp Casey, I was moved to Japan.”

Gabrielle spoke up. She had been enjoying the Slater family reunion in silence till this point. “Becky, why don’t you tell Mom the name you used for a short time.”

She laughed. “Mom, I was given the identity of Midori Sasaki. I hope you don’t mind.”

Rebecca’s mother seemed to perk up a little. Stuart Slater looked his daughter right in the eye, smiling broadly. “That was your mother’s maiden name, the name I first knew her by, and honor still.”

“I know, Dad. You and Mom gave me life and I love you both very much. My new body can’t ever change that part of me.”

“We know that, Rebecca. That was very kind and generous of you,” Stuart replied. He reached across the table and took her hand with fond affection, patting it with one hand while holding it gently with the other gently, seeming fascinated by how small it seemed in his grasp, the contrast between his large hands and hers stark against the brown plastic tabletop.

Gabrielle got up. “Please excuse me, folks, but I’ve got work to do before the meetings.”

Midori said, “That is all right, Gabrielle. Thank you for bringing Rebecca back safely to Stuart and I.”

Gabrielle said, “By the way, Becky, your meeting will start tonight at seven. I recommend business formal, from the guest list. There will be several high Japanese officials present.”

“Will I see you before then? We still have to talk about what I mentioned to you at the hotel last night.”

“Yes, but I don’t know when we will get to chat exactly. If worse comes to worse, we’ll have to catch up by telephone.”

“Gabby, can you ask Dr. Wagner if she could have a private talk with me?” Hiromi asked at the same time she raised her right eye brow slightly

“Yes, I can do that for you, Becky, and there’s one more thing I need to tell you, Becky. A JAG attorney will come to see you late this afternoon. I think you should plan on at least an hour. I’ve already given her a deposition, and she‘s very thorough.”

Hiromi knew she needed to speak to an attorney about her murder of Reina Shimizu. “Thanks, Gabby, for taking care of all the arrangements.”

“You’re welcome, Becky. I’ll talk to you later.” Hiromi, who by now was through eating her hot dog, watched as Gabrielle left the cafeteria.
 

~*~
 
Gabrielle had a great deal of work to do. Before Agent Ripley met with them, the Swan Song committee would first have a meeting without the undercover agent. It was scheduled to take place at 1600 hours, to allow plenty of time for arguing before Ripley showed up.

It was Gabrielle’s job to see that all those invited were aware of the preliminary meeting. She was also given the task of verifying everyone was already staying at either Pine Gap or somewhere in Alice Springs. Grant Williamson, FBI Director Robert Mueller, and a few others, would not be staying in one of Pine Gap’s underground living quarters, but in a private home in Alice Springs, because they were trying to minimize their role in all this. Gabrielle thought is smelled of Grant’s political maneuvering.

As Gabrielle made her way to Pine Gap’s administrative offices, she bumped into Hong Kong Probationary Inspector Maurice Gao. “Hello, Maurice, did you just get here?”

“Yes, I did, Gabrielle. Has Agent Ripley arrived?”

“Yes, she has. Sorry, Maurice, I’m in a bit of a hurry. Did they notify you of the meeting at four?”

Maurice nodded his head. “Yes, Gabrielle, I was told about that. I won’t keep you any longer and it is so nice to be working with you again.”
 

~*~
 
Patricia McBride prepared lunch for her son despite his protestations that he wasn’t hungry. A Roast Beef sandwich was soon placed in front of Chuck. He began eating it, but without any enthusiasm.

“Something happened between you and that woman you married. Am I right?” Patricia McBride didn’t have a very high opinion of Hiromi Sato, and it showed in her pursed lips and the tone of her voice.

“Mom, her name is Hiromi, and yes, something happened.”

“There was a fight and you left her?”

“Yes, Mom, I had a fight with Hiromi.”

“Hiromi does not deserve someone as good as you. She is a…..”

Chuck cut his mother off. “Mum, don’t say that. Yes, I’m angry with Hiromi right now and our marriage might be over, she is still my wife.”

“There are other women. Much better ones than her.”

As Patricia McBride unloaded her opinions about Hiromi, Chuck stopped listening and thought about his personal situation. He was still feeling angry and conflicted about the woman he’d married, but he had to push that to the side for now. The real Hiromi had been jailed unlawfully for a year. He couldn’t let that continue any longer.

‘Who do I go to for help?’ Chuck asked himself. A lawyer and the news media seemed to be the best places to start. As it was a Sunday, Chuck would begin his crusade for Hiromi’s freedom by contacting members of the Australian press. He wasn’t a crazy man, and the Australian press were always looking for government scandal, especially if it involved the Americans. Someone would believe what Chuck McBride was telling them, and Hiromi... whatever her name was... had given him as many facts as she knew. He had to give her credit for that, she’d helped him to rescue Hiromi as much as she could, in a crazy sort of way. For the first time, he began to doubt his own self-righteous anger, and remembered how much more she’d seemed to care for him in the past year, how desperate she was for his love, openly loving and kind, where the Hiromi he remembered, the other one, had often been distant and cruel. He’d felt, sometimes, that he’d only been her “boy toy,” something like her Fairlady sports car, which had only been a source of excitement and thrills for her, not anything she valued in and of itself for its fine Japanese workmanship and meticulous attention to detail, the way he cared for things, the way he’d cared for her.

“Where is Hiromi now?” Patricia McBride asked her son. “Is she in Australia?”

“Yes, Mom, Hiromi is in Australia. Can we please talk about something else? I have a lot of thinking to do about this whole situation, and you’re not helping.”
 

~*~
 
Air Force Major Audrey Grasso was just arriving at Pine Gap. She was the JAG attorney who had been assigned to give legal assistance to Agent Ripley.

Audrey had come to Pine Gap on the same bus that also brought the Japanese Swan Song representatives. Before that, they had all flown to Alice Springs on a chartered 767 that departed Tokyo-Haneda Airport during the wee hours of Sunday morning.

When boarding the 767, Audrey recognized two members of the Japanese delegation. The first was a prosecutor named Kazu Ippitsusai. Audrey had worked with him on a case once.

The second person Audrey recognized was Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama. Operation Swan Song must be very important if a Japanese Cabinet official was attending to it personally.

While everyone else but the air crew used the flight to catch up on their sleep, Major Grasso took the time to educate herself about Operation Swan Song and Captain Tom Slater. She was considered one of the leading authorities on the Status of Forces Agreement between the United States and Japan.

Operation Swan Song amazed Audrey in many ways. The science that made the Operation possible had far reaching implications. The crippled, terminally ill, and many others, could be all cured by Dr. Wagner’s formula. AIDS might even be wiped out.

Major Grasso asked herself why the formula wasn’t being used for those purposes right now. Any benefit to law enforcement was easily dwarfed by the formula could do for mankind. Every day Dr. Wagner’s work was kept secret meant more people around the world had to needlessly suffer.

On deep examination, Audrey suspected that knew why the formula was being used in the way it was, and why it was still secret. The government that funded Dr. Wagner’s work had its own selfish needs and pet projects. Operation Swan Song was undoubtedly not the only thing it was being used for at present. With an ageing population, consuming ever-greater amounts of the national wealth in health care and other benefits, Japan would be intensely interested in the process itself, far more, she suspected, than any prosecution. She wasn’t naíve enough to imagine that this case wouldn’t hinge as much on politics as it did fine points of law and military discipline.

The good news, as Major Grasso saw it, was that the more the formula was used for government projects, the more likely it would soon become public knowledge. A leak to the press had to come sooner or later, and then all the posturing would come to a screeching halt while all the parties tried to work out the best political deal.

Audrey’s amazement with Swan Song wasn’t limited to Dr. Wagner’s formula, though. The operation had overstepped many boundaries, stated and unstated, that law enforcement was supposed to confine itself to. In order to bring Japanese criminals to justice, Swan Song had itself broken many American and Japanese laws. A Japanese citizen had been kidnapped and was being held by Japanese authorities, from what she’d discovered so far, so any prosecution of her client would inevitably spill over into the Japanese government itself. Agent Ripley had killed a Japanese citizen in the course of her work, but these things happen in law enforcement operations and there was quite a bit of case law protecting officers acting reasonably within the limits of their authority from later kibitzing on the part of civil authorities. The presence of extenuating circumstances — including extreme duress — and the Status of Forces agreement between the United States and Japan didn’t mean Captain Tom Slater could not be prosecuted for murder, but it made a conviction a very dicey proposition indeed, since high Japanese police officials — at least — had been directly involved in setting up the whole sorry mess to begin with.

Would she be able to successfully argue that Swan Song’s own crimes mitigated in favor of Captain Slater not being charged with murder? The JAG attorney wouldn’t form an opinion till she sat down and talked with her client, but she was feeling much more confident now than she had when she’d first opened the brief.
 

~*~
 
As she ate lunch, Hiromi only made small talk with her parents. She wanted to talk to them about Swan Song, but in private. She didn’t want others to overhear what she was saying.

Midori and Stuart told their daughter about Ilsa Slater’s wedding — where Shannon was being cared for at present — and about the tragic accident that had taken the lives of the boy’s parents. “The police said Shannon was very lucky to survive the crash,” Stuart said.

As hard as she tried not to cry in public, Hiromi couldn’t stop herself from shedding tears in the cafeteria. “I would like to adopt Shannon after Swan Song is over, if that’s alright with you. I know it can’t be easy for you, taking care of a baby at your age.”

“Yes, Rebecca, we think so too. A baby needs a mother, not two grandparents. Your mother and I both agree on this,” her father said.

Midori also commented. “If Susan and Simon could speak to us now, I am sure they’d approve.”

“Thank you, Mom and Dad, for coming to see me. I missed both of you very much.”

“It is all right, Rebecca. We are very proud of you,” Midori replied. “Your Father and I love you just the same as before you went on your mission.”

“Thank you, Mom, it means a lot to me.” Hiromi then got up to throw away her garbage and return her tray.

“Did you have enough to eat, Rebecca?” Midori asked her daughter as they and Stuart left the cafeteria.

“I’m still a little hungry, Mom, but I will be all right.” Hiromi felt like eating another hot dog right then.

Hiromi took Midori and Stuart to her room. Once they were all inside, she shut the door. “Mom, Dad, there is a lot I want to talk to you about.”

“We are here for you, Rebecca,” Midori said. The furniture in Hiromi’s room looked like something out of a 1960’s or 70’s Holiday Inn.

Before she joined her parents in taking seats around a circular table, Hiromi asked if they wanted anything. Midori and Stuart both said no.

Hiromi got herself some bottled water before sitting down. “Mom, Dad, I know this is all very strange for you...”

Her mother shook her head. “You look good, Rebecca. More than that, you look happy, in spite of these little troubles.”

“Thank you, Mom, I feel good too, being here with you and Dad.” Hiromi’s initial nervousness with her parents was totally gone now. They accepted her new gender and loved her as if she had always been female. Her father’s spontaneous comment, especially, about how Shannon needed a mother now, had said much more about how he saw her than any mere reassurance possibly could. Her father was not a complex man, and had never told a lie — any untruth — in as long as she could remember.

“Mom, my DNA was rewritten by the treatment I was given. I really know next to nothing about exactly how it was done. Like I said, it was like magic as far as I was concerned. I went to sleep as a man, and woke up as Sleeping Beauty.”

Stuart seemed to understand better what had been done to his son. “So it wasn’t anything like plastic surgery?”

“No, it was nothing at all like that. I did have some cosmetic surgery done later, but only after my mission started.” For some reason, she didn’t want to speak about her breast enhancement in front of her father.

“Gabrielle told us you married a man named Chuck.”

“Yes, Mom, I was married to a man named Charles McBride last May 31st by a Methodist minister at the Watanabe family seat. I’m very sorry you couldn’t be there, but I thought about you. Everybody calls my husband Chuck. Chuck was Hiromi’s live-in boyfriend at the time I became her, although Swan Song didn’t know about him at the time.”

“Does Chuck love you?”

“Yes, Mom, he loves me very much, and I love him. It’s a little hard to explain, since the original Hiromi didn’t exactly love him when I took over, but she was very fond of him, and he... was exciting for her, because he was a visible symbol — as a Gaikoku-jin, a foreigner — of her rebellion from her family. Her memories of him... affected me, and I wasn’t damaged like Hiromi had been, so that affection grew very quickly to real love, although I tried not to admit it for a long time.”

“Why isn’t Chuck here now?” Stuart asked.

“Dad, I had to tell him the truth about myself last night. Chuck became angry about all the lies I’d been telling him for the last year.”

Stuart became angry at what Rebecca told him. “I think most of the lies you told Chuck were done in order to protect him.”

“Yes, Dad, most of them were, but you have to realize that, from his viewpoint....” She paused, then said ruefully, “From any viewpoint, Swan Song had kidnapped his girlfriend and replaced her with a pod person. He didn’t realize that the original Hiromi was mostly using him, and I don’t plan on telling him, because it would hurt him.”

“Chuck should get over himself.” Stuart had always been protective of his children, even after they became adults. Charles McBride had gotten off to a very bad start with his father-in-law.

“Where is Chuck now?” Midori asked.

“His Mom lives in Alice Springs. Chuck went to visit her while he thinks everything over.”

“Are you telling me he didn’t know you were not his real girlfriend?”

“He sometimes had suspicions — I was missing a scar on my leg from an operation, for example — but Chuck thought I was Hiromi and discounted the occasional discrepancies he noticed as ‘female’ moods.”

Midori nodded, then asked a question. “Where is the real Hiromi now?”

“She is in some Japanese prison.”

“No one ever suspected you of not being the real Hiromi?” Stuart asked.

“No, Dad, I have them all fooled. There is a reason for that. I didn’t just get the woman’s body but most of her memories too, although that took some time to develop. Let me explain what my mission was and how it went. What happened between me and Chuck is part of that too. and you should both know that I am Hiromi in many ways. I remember growing up as Hiromi, as a young girl. I remember my first period, having crushes on boys. I remember a miserable childhood as well as the wonderful childhood you gave me. It’s all mixed in together to make the woman you see before you now. Just as I had to tell Chuck the truth about me, there are things about me that you don’t know, and that I want you to know. I love you both, because you’re my good parents, but I had a not-so-good father as well, a truly evil grandfather, and a mother who died giving birth to me. I’m a lot more complicated now than when I started this strange journey.”

She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts, then started speaking again, “The original Hiromi, the woman I replaced, was part of a criminal gang called the Watanabe Yakuza, and served as their financial advisor. She was the granddaughter of the head of the family, but her father had fallen out with his grandfather, because he’d married for love, and not to further his father’s schemes for gaining power and influence through an arranged marriage...”

It was a long story, interrupted by a lot of questions from one or another of her parents, but eventually Hiromi was able to make them understand how terribly her predecessor had been treated as a young girl, and how it had made her bitter, and probably crazy. “I don’t blame Chuck for being angry with me, because I’ve connived with Swan Song —the people I work for — to treat the original Hiromi shabbily, even though she was a wicked criminal, and crazy, to trick Chuck into believing that I was her, and to steal his love from her, who had so little of her own to begin with.” She began to cry. “I’m proud that Chuck refuses to abandon her, because he’s a fine man, a man of honor and... and... courage....” Here she broke down completely, weeping bitter tears and sobbing in helpless grief.

Her parents just sat there staring at her, no longer knowing what to say.
 

~*~
 
Sachiko Isozaki was thoroughly asleep. So much so that she didn’t begin waking up till her answering machine picked up a phone call.

“Are you there, Sachiko-san? It is urgent I speak to you.”

Sachiko recognized the voice as belonging to her Yokohama police laboratory superior, Tetsuzan Narita. The lab technician got a hold of her phone before Tetsuzan was able to hang up.

“Hello, Narita-san. What can I do for you?”

“Sachiko-san, have you begun work on the articles of clothing given to you by Detective Hayakawa?”

It took the better part of a minute for Sachiko’s brain to come up to speed. She and her boyfriend had been out the night before until almost 3 a.m.

“No, Narita-san, I did not.”

“I need you to begin work on these at once. Can you come to the laboratory today?”

As Sachiko continued to grow more awake, she wondered in what way the stockings given to her could be connected to an important case. “Of course I can. I will be at the lab in no more than ninety minutes.”
 

~*~
 
Gabrielle found Dr. Wagner in her quarters. “What can I help you with, Agent Tanaka?”

“Doctor, Agent Ripley would like to have a private talk with you. Can you do that for her?”

“Of course, Agent Tanaka, I always have time for Agent Ripley. May I ask what she wants to discuss with me?”

“I think it may have something to do with her being pregnant but she may have other concerns too that she would like to talk over with you.”

Dr. Wagner smiled, for she too had been born a man and after giving herself the DNA formula she had invented, became a woman not just in body but soul. The German scientist noted the similarities between herself and Agent Ripley.

There were differences too. Hans Svenson had been a middle aged man with a messy personal life before taking his treatment. His fifth wife had just served him divorce papers in December 2002 and was planning to ask a judge for alimony. With two wives already collecting from him, Dr. Svenson was finding himself in a increasingly deep financial hole with no relief in sight.

It was early 2003 when Dr. Svenson and his team of scientists became ready to move on to experiments with humans. The task of finding DNA donors wasn’t difficult. Medical researchers and scientists were quietly contacted by the Double Helix project. Most but not all were enthusiastic at the opportunity to help Dr. Svenson with his project.

One DNA donor was Stefanie Schiebel, a Vanderbilt University microbiology student. Stefanie was from Brussels, her father was German and her mother French/Belgian. She had interned at Dr. Svenson’s University of Virginia laboratory during the summer of 2002.

The task of finding volunteers to take Dr. Svenson’s formula was much more difficult. With a high risk of mutation, even prison inmates and the terminally ill were not willing to step forward.

Dr. Svenson offered himself as a guinea pig. The Double Helix project’s managers rejected his offer.

“You are too valuable to the project,” A Double Helix administrator named Gilda Kurtzman proclaimed to the German scientist. Nevertheless with the help of his team, Dr. Svenson was given a formula made from Stefanie Schiebel’s DNA nine days later.

Stefanie Schiebel never learned who was given a formula made from her DNA, for just three days after Hans Svenson became an exact double of her, Stefanie was murdered by a jealous ex-boyfriend.

When she woke up, Dr. Svenson was immediately impressed by what her DNA had done to her. Hans now had a fully female body.

The original plan for Dr. Svenson was for him be given the formula a second time in order to become his old self but only after a suitable resting period. Experiments on mice had shown that there was a higher risk of mutation if two doses of DNA formula were given within fifteen days of one another.

“I have decided to stay female for a month, for reasons of safety,” Dr. Svenson told her assistants on her first full day as a woman.

Dr. Harvey Cain spoke up. “Hans, you do know you will experience a woman’s reproductive cycle if you remain female for that long.”

“I am curious to learn if the formula can create working reproductive organs. This will provide valuable information for our future studies,” he said.

On the very same day she woke up female for the first time, Heidi began keeping a computerized diary of her experiences. Her entries began with the words Day One, Day Two, etc.

An exasperated Gilda Kurtzman saw Dr. Svenson on Day two. “I can’t believe you did this.”

“This research I am conducting is very important.”

Gilda shook her head in exasperation. “What am I to say to my boss?”

“Tell him or her I need a temporary identity. I will be female for one month to five weeks.”

When Dr. Svenson was ready to emerge back into the world, she ran into an obvious problem. She had no female clothing. Dr. Greta Schneider and a female researcher from the laboratory named Allison Foch took Hans to a mall on Day four.

Due to his alimony payments, Hans tended to be a bit of a cheapskate. Therefore she only planned to buy sufficient clothing for seven days, so she had clothes for every day of the week, and could then wash them and start all over again.

“Hans….” Greta Schneider began to say to Hans after she heard of her clothing plans. “I can’t call you that name now. Would you please choose a female name?”

Dr. Svenson answered Greta instantaneously. “Call me Heidi.”

“All right, Heidi. Now please listen to me. I have years of experience as a woman. You need much more than a week’s worth of clothing. Not to mention shoes, handbags, and jewelry.”

Heidi wanted to look professional and be dressed accordingly. She just lacked the knowledge of how to do this in her temporary gender. “You are right, Greta. I will listen to your and Allison’s advice.”

Allison already had a suggestion for Heidi. “These would look good on you.”

Heidi looked at the stud earrings Allison was referring to. “Yes, I’ll want to try those on.” She thought for a few seconds, then said, “I’ll need more jewelry as well, won’t I?”

On Day seven, Heidi returned to work. She got many compliments on her appearance from both male and female co-workers.

Gilda was also there. She had brought Heidi a Virginia Driver’s license and a bank debit card in her new name, which was Heidi Wagner. By some miracle Dr. Svenson’s superiors gave the scientist the same first name she had chosen for herself.

“Thank you, Gilda,” Heidi said as she put the cards in a female wallet she had only purchased three days earlier.

Heidi was far too focused on scientific work to do anything more than unemotionally note in her diary the subtle behavioral changes happening to her. On Day Sixteen she wrote-

Allison said her cousin Jack is coming to Virginia next month. Should I go on a date some time?

The formula made from Stefanie Schiebel’s DNA hadn’t just changed Hans Svenson into a double of the deceased Vanderbilt University student, but caused the scientist to begin copying some of her habits and interests. Like twirling a few strands of her hair when nervous, going to have her nails done every two weeks, and reading mystery novels in her spare time.

On Day Twenty Seven, Heidi’s first menses started. It ended on Day Thirty. Her DNA formula could create a functioning female reproductive system in a person who had born male.

Gilda spoke to Heidi two days later. “When will you be taking the formula again?”

“I will wait a while. The time isn’t right,” Heidi replied.

The right time never came. On Day Forty One, Heidi went on a date with Allison’s cousin Jack. Heidi wrote in her diary the following day.

Jack and I had sex. It will only be one time. I am surprised I did this, but it was a nice experience. Could I be pregnant?

Heidi got the answer to her question on Day Fifty Five. That was when her second ever menses arrived. Eight days after that she went to talk to Gilda Kurtzman again.

“I would like to keep this body.”

Gilda was shocked. “Dr. Svenson, this was supposed to be only a temporary state of affairs.”

“Yes, but I don’t want to be Hans again. Can you help me to do that?”

Gilda said she couldn’t.

Heidi didn’t budge from her plans for the future.

“Should I be made to become Hans again, I will stop working for the project. Tell that to the other managers.”

“I will not be threatened, Dr. Svenson. Now I suggest you go back to your work.” The moment Heidi left her office, Gilda began placing phone calls to the other Double Helix project managers.

Heidi got her wish. She was allowed to stay a woman. Gilda Kurtzman got early retirement as a consolation prize for losing her battles with the German scientist.

All of Dr. Svenson’s ex-wives were informed their former husband had died in a tragic lab accident. Each got a share of his life insurance policy, which was much larger than any of them had anticipated.

Heidi met her future husband Henry Umbarger on the first anniversary of her last fight with Gilda Kurtzaman. Henry managed a Charlottesville area funeral home owned and run by his family.

It wasn’t too often that Heidi thought of her life as Hans Svenson. The experience Agent Ripley might be having at present caused her to recall the past. She too wanted to have a baby now, and the couple had been working hard at that since their late June wedding. “Tell Agent Ripley I would enjoy talking with her while she is at Pine Gap.”

“Thank you, Doctor.” Gabrielle exited the room.
 

~*~
 
Hiromi had finally managed to control herself, and had started the story again from where she’d broken off. “...when I met someone who the real Hiromi knew, or travelled to somewhere she’d been, memories would come flooding into my head.”

“That must have been a very weird experience,” Stuart said.

“Yes, Dad, it was. It’s like I was two people and as time went by it became harder to keep the Tom part of myself separated from the Hiromi part.”

Midori looked concerned for her daughter. “Rebecca, you should tell that to a doctor.”

“Yes, Mom, I plan on doing that. Gabrielle told me I will be undergoing physical and mental examinations while I am here.”

“That is good,” Midori replied.

“Without those memories, I don’t think you would have survived your mission,” Stuart said.

“Yes, Dad, that is probably true, but the memories were a curse and caused me problems too. The real Hiromi was not a well woman.”

“Gabrielle told us you did not recognize her one time, was that because of these memories of the other woman?” Midori said.

“Yes, Mom, that did happen. See part of my work involved another undercover agent. Her name was Reina Shimizu She was captured doing her job and other Yakuza made me kill her.”

“What exactly happened?” Stuart asked.

“One part of Reina’s work was to get onto Goro Watanabe’s computer in order to copy files on it. She was caught in the act.”

“Were you there when Reina was caught?”

“No, Dad, I wasn’t. Chuck and I had gone out to dinner that night. I was summoned to the place Reina was taken to after she was caught. There was a gang member there who didn’t particularly like me, because he felt that women had no place in the Yakuza —except as wives and girlfriends — and so he made me stand and watch while he decapitated one gang member — a mere guard who had been with two prostitutes instead of staying at his post — for his dereliction of duty, then told me that I had to kill my friend and bodyguard Reina, because she was my responsibility, and had been spying on us, as had I, but they didn’t know that. I suppose he meant to teach me a lesson — not to get above my station in life, but the threat to kill me, just as the guard had been killed for his weakness, was very present. I felt the menace in the air, and knew that my head would drop onto the floor if I failed in what Dai thought was my duty. There were seven of them in the room, and Reina was going to die. The only question was whether I was going to die along with her.”

“Rebecca, you were in an impossible situation. You had to kill Reina or be killed yourself.”

“Dad, did you ever have to kill someone who was on your side in combat?”

“No, Rebecca, I never did but I knew a few men who had to take similar actions to what you did.” Stuart had known a Army Corporal named Ron Vorocek from his time serving in Vietnam. One day in 1967 Ron killed his already badly wounded sergeant after both men were cut off and appeared to be facing imminent capture by the Viet Cong, who would surely have tortured him for the information he knew about upcoming operations in which other US soldiers might have been killed.

“How did those men feel afterwards?”

Stuart told Rebecca the story of Corporal Vorocek. “Ron felt very guilty because of what he did. He was rescued by another unit not long after he killed his sergeant.”

Midori intervened. “Rebecca, you shouldn’t be too hard on yourself. Otherwise you will always feel hurt.”

‘My Mother is the best. Mom loves me unconditionally and she is so wise too,” Hiromi thought to herself. “You’re right, Mom. Right now I have those feelings of guilt under control. I know now that I would have died if I hadn't followed through on what Dai thought was my duty, and in a way it was my duty, as her friend, to end Reina’s suffering as painlessly and as quickly as possible — she'd been very badly beaten already and would have been bludgeoned to death with the particular cruelty the Yakuza reserve for traitors, since she wouldn’t have merited the ‘kindness’ shown to the guard, who had merely been weak and unreliable, so ‘deserved’ an honorable death.

My last words to her were ‘Urigiri koto no kei desu ne, Reina-kun? Sayonara.’ She translated, ‘This is the price of betrayal, dear Reina. Farewell.’ I’ll remember the look in her eyes for as long as I live, because I betrayed her in the same act with which I spared her further pain and degradation.”

“There's a bitter irony there as well, because my grandfather would have had Dai killed had he carried though his intention, and later made it very clear to him that my obligations didn’t include violence. Dai made a very serious mistake in bringing me into the picture, but Reina was doomed in any case, as soon as she was caught.” She paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts, and then continued.

“Despite my personal feelings of guilt, I'm thankful now that I was able to give her a quick and relatively painless death after her suffering. If I hadn't been there, she would have been raped and beaten repeatedly, until she died, to show their official contempt for her actions against the ‘family.’ She was spared that only in deference to my own femininity, because she would otherwise have been stripped naked for the ‘convenience’ of her torturers.”

Her parents didn’t say anything at all for a few minutes, trying to grasp the horrors she’d been through on this mission, then her mother said, “Gabrielle tell us you did not talk to the committee for a long time.”

“Yes, Mom, it is true. I broke down completely after killing Reina. The Hiromi side of me took over and I went into a sort of fugue state, like a nervous breakdown. I should have been stronger.”

“It is all right, Rebecca. Your father and I are proud of you and are happy you are better now.”

“You will be meeting with the FBI Director today?” Stuart asked.

“Yes, Dad, I will be. It is my opinion the mission I was given should continue on. Let me tell you and Mom more about it…..”
 

~*~
 
In Yokohama Japan, family and friends of Robin Akiko Taylor were gathering outside Sacred Heart Catholic Church. The six-week old daughter of Nahoko and Brian Taylor was to be baptized that afternoon.

Watanabe shareigashira Katsuaki Koike had arrived at the church just ten minutes earlier. His sister Nahoko had met Brian while he lived and worked in Japan. Nahoko had converted to Roman Catholicism shortly after she and her husband got married.

“Nahoko, I think we should go inside now.”

“No brother, let us wait a few more minutes. Raku will not be late, I know it.”

Raku Minobe arrived at the Catholic Church ninety seconds later. She was one of Japan’s most popular singers in addition to being the lifelong best friend of Nahoko Taylor.

“Nahoko, Katsuaki, I am so sorry for being late. Please forgive me.”

“It is all right Raku,” Nahoko said with a smile. “You are my best friend. I can’t have my baby girl baptized without you being present.”

Over one hundred people were present for the baptism of Robin Akiko Taylor. Among them were the baby girl’s paternal grandparents, Eric and Sharon Taylor. They were from Appleton Wisconsin and there was nothing that would keep the couple away from their first granddaughter’s baptism and the party that would come after it.
 

~*~
 
Gabrielle had one more person to see. It was Scott Avery, the FBI computer expert. His Pine Gap quarters were only five doors down from the Slaters.

“Agent Tanaka,” Scott said as Gabrielle entered the room. “What brings you here?”

“Scott, I need a very big favor from you,” Gabrielle said as she locked the room door.

“Like what?” Scott asked in a slightly suspicious tone of voice.

“Can you hack into Grant Williamson’s FBI email account for me?” Gabrielle was taking this risky course of action because of a hallway conversation she had heard shortly after leaving the Slaters. Two members of the Japanese delegation were openly discussing the murder prosecution of Agent Ripley.

“Can I ask what the fuck for?”

“An innocent person may be sent to jail soon.”

“You’re talking about Ripley, am I right?”

“Yes, it is Ripley. Can you help me?”

“I could but….”

“Is working for an agency that sends innocent people to jail worth it?”

“Maybe not, but what is it we’re talking about? What is Ripley about to be framed for?”

Gabrielle gave Scott a short version of what happened to Reina Shimizu, and the involvement of Grant Willianson, including the fact that she suspected him of furthering his own career by trashing the careers of others. “I haven’t heard anything official about Ripley being prosecuted but I want to be prepared just in case.”

“Agent Tanaka, I too can be criminally prosecuted if I do what you ask of me.”

“Scott, if that happens, I will go to jail with you. Come on, please help me and Ripley out.”

Gabrielle stood there silently as Scott thought the matter over. If she was reading the computer programmer right, he no more liked Grant Williamson than Gabrielle Tanaka did. Plus Scott had always came off as an idealist to her. There was a strong chance he would be against the railroading of Rebecca Slater

Scott thought it over for nearly two minutes before giving Gabrielle his reply. “I’ll do it for you, Agent Tanaka. What specific emails or dates are you looking for?”

Gabrielle filled Scott in about Owl, also known as Emiko Takagi. She wanted any and all emails that referenced her.

“Deputy Director Williamson ordered a murder? I know the guy is a pompous jackass, but it is just incredible to me he would do that.”

“Scott, please believe what I’m telling you. Grant Williamson will do anything to be the next FBI Director.” Gabrielle then told Scott about the emails she accidentally received.

That was the clincher for Scott. “I can get those messages for you, Agent Tanaka.”

Scott was already thinking of how he could get into Deputy Director Williamson’s email account. He wouldn’t try cracking the man’s password except as a last resort. Instead Scott would try accessing the account as part of a routine FBI systems maintenance check.

Scott had previous experience getting into the maintenance system. In a fit of boredom the previous December, he tried accessing the system. It took him almost two hours but Scott was able to get through the firewalls. The system had been updated since, but he should still be able to get in. It would just take a few hours.

“Can you tell me between what dates I should be searching? Director Williamson has to have gotten thousands of legitimate FBI email, not to mention spam.”

“Look in any of his incoming and outgoing emails from July 1st of last year to the end of September. Can you save them for me and print off one copy of each also?”

“Yes, I can do that for you, Agent Tanaka. When do you need these by?”

“Would by the end of today be too much to ask?”

“No, not at all, Agent Tanaka. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a bit of work to do.”
 

~*~
 
“If my proposed plan is accepted, I may be able to get the Watanabes directed towards honest enterprises instead of organized crime in addition to doing harm to other Yakuzas in Japan,” Hiromi said to her parents.

Stuart gently nodded his head. “What do you think are the chances of your plan working?”

Hiromi was honest with her parents. “I’d say around thirty to fifty percent. If it gets too risky as far as my personal safety, or that of Chuck, I’ll bug out. That’s not an act of cowardice, Gabrielle has told me my testimony will be needed for any Swan Song related criminal trials. The files I will be giving to law enforcement plus my personal testimony should be sufficient to send most of the senior Watanabe Yakuza leadership to jail.”

“You did fine, Rebecca,” Stuart said.

“My plan is very dangerous. There have been multiple attempts on my life and the Watanabes at this moment are fighting with a neighboring Yakuza.” Hiromi could have mentioned the danger she faced from Keiji Watanabe but didn’t. It would take time to describe that complex and twisted relationship plus it could make the parents of Rebecca Slater feel even more scared for their daughter’s safety.

Midori was still concerned for her daughter. “Rebecca, are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yes, Mom, I am.” Rebecca then took her mother’s hand. “Mom, I don’t know when the day will be, but I will come home alive. I love you and Dad very much, but too many innocent people have died on this operation for me to allow it to fail through lack of courage, or to be content with only a limited success that served no real purpose other than to further a few careers. I have blood on my own hands; the only way to cleanse myself is for those deaths to have meant something.”

Tears began to fill Midori’s eyes. “Your father and I love you too, Rebecca. We will miss you, but your mission is important.”

Hiromi and Midori then hugged one another. A short pause followed the embrace.

“Mom, Dad, I’ve changed a lot since we last met. Some of the changes I couldn’t help. There were others I could have avoided if I had worked harder.”

Stuart spoke up. “Your mother and I understand. Combat changes a soldier, it changed me. What has happened to you because of Swan Song is like that.”

“We love you, Rebecca,” Midori added.

It was time for Hiromi to tell her parents the biggest news of all. “Mom, Dad, I might be pregnant.”

Midori hugged her daughter again. When finished, Midori had a question for Hiromi. “Have you tested yet?”

“No, Mom, I haven’t. I was going to ask Dr. Wagner if she could do a pregnancy blood test as part of the medical examinations I will be given. It is one of the things Gabrielle is checking up on.”

“Stuart and I will be happy if you test positive.”

“I’m glad, Mom. Operation Swan Song changed me both physically and mentally. When I was Tom, I was just drifting through life, but now I'm part of it all, and I want to immerse myself in it. That’s why I married the man I love, and why I planned to get pregnant.”

“That is all right, Rebecca. Your father and I still love you.”

“Yes, we do,” Stuart replied.

“Could a pregnancy prevent you from doing the mission?

“No, Mom. I'm not an action heroine, just an accountant, so I can still do Swan Song whether I’m pregnant or not.”

Stuart mentioned something. “The Army doesn’t allow pregnant soldiers to serve in Iraq or Afghanistan. After they test positive, they are shipped back stateside.”

“Yes, Dad, I know that. Swan Song is an undercover mission. Normal rules for female soldiers probably don’t apply.”

Stuart got the unsaid message from Rebecca and nodded to her, one soldier to another. She would do what the Army ordered her to do.

“When did you marry Chuck?” Midori asked.

“It was May 31st, Mom. Chuck is very kind and until last night loved me very much.”

Stuart spoke up. “Chuck should be here for you now. Does he expect you to do Swan Song and raise his child all by yourself?”

“Dad, Chuck would prefer if Swan Song ended right now. Even if it did, our marriage might be over because of all the lies I been telling him since I took the real Hiromi’s place.”

“He is married to you, not the other Hiromi. Does Chuck know you might be pregnant?”

“Yes, I told Chuck about that last night,” Hiromi said to her parents. Then she tried to explain more in depth the actions of her husband.

Stuart held firm. “A good husband and parent is always there for his family unless there is a good reason not to. Chuck’s pride is wounded. He should be here for you.”

“Chuck might be back. He said he wanted time to think.” Hiromi went on to explain that Chuck’s mother lived in Alice Springs. “He is an honorable man. Chuck feels he can’t abandon the real Hiromi. In spite of my own feelings for him, I agree with him, and will support and honor whatever decision he comes to.”

“Gabrielle loves you very much,” Stuart said with a weary look on his face.

“I love Gabrielle too.”

“She has been fighting like the devil for you besides keeping your mother and I in the loop.”

“Yes, I know that, Dad, and also understand how what Gabrielle did for me will probably destroy any future she has with the FBI.”

“Does Gabrielle know you may be pregnant?” Midori asked.

“Yes, Mom, she does.”

Midori glanced over at her husband, whose face looked drawn. “Stuart, are you feeling all right?”

“Yes, but I am beginning to feel a little tired. If you ladies will excuse me, I’m going to take a nap,” Stuart said as he got up out of his chair.

Hiromi understood her father’s need to pace himself after his recent heart surgery. “That is all right, Dad. We’ll have plenty of more opportunities to talk. I’d like hear about the last World Series and the Super Bowl, just to start with.” She smiled at him.

He smiled back. He was truly tired but he also thought his wife and Rebecca ought to have some privacy for a more intimate mother-daughter chat. He reached out and touched Rebecca. “I look forward to discussing that with you too, Rebecca. Bye.”
 

~*~
 
Stuart did a great deal of thinking as he walked back to the living quarters he shared with his wife. Gabrielle Tanaka hadn’t done justice when describing Tom Slater’s changes to his parents.

Overall, Stuart wasn’t bothered by the changes. It would just take a little time for him to get used to them. He would love Rebecca like he had his son. A good father never turns his back on his children, and Stuart believed in doing his duty, even if it took him into strange situations.

Some of the decisions Rebecca had made during the last year didn’t make sense to Stuart but he concluded that the unusual circumstances of his child’s work had caused this. His son Tom for the most part had his head on straight during his life. Rebecca appeared to be the same, except for one important aspect of her life. Stuart felt strongly that his daughter was wrong about Chuck McBride.

Like his wife Midori, Stuart thought Gabrielle Tanaka was the best person for Rebecca to spend the rest of her life with. Gabrielle loved their daughter very much. It was hard for either parent to believe there might be a better suited person in the world for Rebecca.

Neither Midori nor Stuart Slater had ever known any people living in a same-sex relationship, so it was all a little odd for them, but not as strange as it might have been for many other parents, because they’d always thought that their son Tom would marry a woman, they just hadn’t thought that Tom would be a woman when he did. The Slaters would obviously have to work a bit to understand that Rebecca chose to be in a same sex relationship, even though neither Midori or Stuart had ever known any people living that way, but they could understand it because Rebecca had once been Tom. The couple had talked about all of this while they waited for Rebecca to arrive at Pine Gap, but Chuck put a whole new spin on the situation — although it was more “normal” — but the fact that this Charles wasn’t here by his wife’s side right now, when she was in danger of being arrested and sent to prison, was a very black mark against him, however his daughter tried to put a happy face on it, and make out that it was all her fault. She’d been doing her duty as a soldier. Chuck was being a jerk.

Stuart got to his and Midori’s living quarters a few moments later. The retired master sergeant half undressed himself before climbing in bed. Almost a minute later, Stuart was fast asleep.
 

~*~
 
“Mom, is Dad really all right?” Hiromi asked her mother just after Stuart left her room.

“Yes, Rebecca, he is. Stuart just gets tired easy. The doctors say that is normal for someone who just had heart surgery.”

“I worry about you and Dad.”

Midori smiled at her daughter. “We know, Rebecca, and your father and I both love you also.”

With Stuart Slater gone, Midori and Rebecca were able to have a more female oriented conversation. They talked about family, friends, people in their lives, and only occasionally did their chat touch on Operation Swan Song.

“You look good, Rebecca.”

“Thank you, Mom. I feel good too.”

“You mentioned that you had other surgery?”

“Yes, Mom, I did. Chuck thought I would look more attractive with big breasts, so I got implants to please him.”

Her mother pursed her lips in obvious disapproval. “When did you meet Chuck?”

“On the third day after I started working in Yokohama. Chuck was Hiromi’s live-in boyfriend, but he’d been away on a business trip and I never looked into the closets and saw his clothes, so it was a big surprise when he showed up and let himself in.”

Her mother laughed knowingly. “Not too big a surprise, I hope.”

Hiromi blushed. “Not that night, Mom, because I told him I was tired, but then I ‘remembered’ him, and ‘remembered’ how much he meant to me, and I wanted to, even that first night, but we waited for a bit. He is really very kind and loving to me.”

“I am glad to hear that, Rebecca. Except for the fact that he isn't here, you make him sound like the perfect man for you.” She clucked her tongue, chiding him for his absence.

“Mom, the work I do is important but disgusting at the same time. The Watanabes deal in Narcotics, prostitution, human smuggling, extortion. I feel so dirty because of it.”

“Did Chuck know how you felt?”

“I never said anything to him, but I think Chuck understood the pressures I was under, because the other Hiromi had been under the same pressure, and had often reacted badly. When my day was over he would love me so much. He would send me flowers too sometimes, and little love notes, to let me know that he was thinking of me during the day.”

Midori nodded, seeing a little more of Chuck from her daughter’s obvious love for him than had been evident so far.

Hiromi continued to open up her heart to her mother. “When I signed up for Swan Song and after Dr. Wagner made me female, the last thing I thought would happen to me would be my falling in love with a man. Two days after Mother’s Day last year, a man came onto me at a Seoul hotel. I gave him the finger when he asked if I would come up to his room so we could have sex.”

“Almost from the first moment we met, Chuck made me feel different. He loved me and I wanted to return his love. Mom, it is hard for me to put it into words.”

“I think I understand, Rebecca. Remember, I fell in love with your father, and here you are. We didn't conceive you through chaste meditation; I’m a woman too, and your father is a man. Are you happy to be pregnant?”

“Yes, Mom, I am. Are you happy too?”

“Of course I am. I will be a grandmother again. Please take extra care of yourself if the mission is extended.”

“I will, Mom. One day soon I’ll be coming home. How is Shannon?”

“He was doing better the last time I talked to Gabrielle’s mother. Tonight or tomorrow I will try to call Chiyo and Shannon on Skype.”

“I suggested to Gabrielle on Wednesday night that she ask her parents for help.”

“Gabrielle told me that. Gabrielle was always telling Stuart and I how you were doing.”

Almost like she’d been magically summoned, Gabrielle came into the room. “Are you and Mom having a good talk?”

“Yes, Gabby, we are.”

Midori motioned to the chair previously used by Stuart Slater. “Gabrielle, please join us.”

“All right, Mom,” Gabrielle said as she repositioned the chair so it was alongside Hiromi. “I just can’t stay long. There is a meeting in a few minutes that I have to attend.”

“What meeting?” Hiromi asked. Gabrielle had told her of the meeting at seven, but not for any at four in the afternoon.

Gabrielle gave Rebecca a quick kiss before answering her question. “The Swan Song committee is going to discuss you and your plan before meeting with you.”

“Ok.” Hiromi noticed how her mother smiled after she and Gabrielle kissed.

“Becky, can you tell me exactly how the meeting you had with that triad on Friday concerns me?”

Hiromi gave Gabrielle a run down. “It seems a triad saw you meeting with me at the McDonald’s and with a member of the Hong Kong police on separate occasions. Eventually, he put it together and reported it to someone, who very kindly reported it to me so I could watch out for a potential informant.”

Midori spoke up. “Is Gabrielle in trouble?”

“No, Mom, I don’t think so, but it means that she’ll have to drop out of sight.”

“So I’m blown so far as any Swan Song work in Hong Kong goes?” Gabrielle asked. She always felt touched by Mrs. Slater’s concern for her.

“Yes, Gabby, I think you are. These triads can be pretty paranoid and I have to be careful. I don’t think you should go back to Hong Kong, and very probably not back to Japan. The triads are likely to mention this to someone else, to show their respect for the Watanabes, just as they mentioned it to me, so your cover is probably blown everywhere, not just in Hong Kong, and we can’t be sure that they don’t have pictures, which would be very bad. I’m going to ask that you be reassigned from fieldwork to support, to keep both of us safe.”

“I suppose so,” she said, “but I hate it.”

“I know, sweetheart, and I hate it too, but it won’t be long, I think. Another year at most and I’ll have done all I can. I’d like my child — assuming I’m as pregnant as I feel right now — to grow up without wicked people around her, or him, and with the support of a normal family.”

“Gabrielle, what do you think about Rebecca being pregnant?”

“I think it is wonderful news.”

Gabrielle rose from her chair soon afterwards but not before giving Hiromi another kiss. “I love you Becky, but I got to run now. Don’t forget your meeting with the JAG attorney.”

“I won’t, Gabby, and I love you too.”

“Bye, Mom, talk to both of you later.” Gabrielle left the room.

“Rebecca, why do you need an attorney?” Midori asked in a voice full of concern.

“It has to do with me killing Reina Shimizu. Gabby thinks it would be wise if I speak to an attorney about it,” Hiromi said to her mother.
 

~*~
 
“A special meeting of the Swan Song committee is called to order,” FBI Director Robert Mueller said to the other thirty-eight people in the conference room. He was seated at the center of a large table. On his left was Japan’s Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama and on his right a similar person but from South Korea. “Before we begin discussing the operation against the Watanabe Yakuza, I would like to get a few preliminary matters out of the way.”

The first preliminary matter was exactly who was in the room. In addition to the people there with an interest in Agent Ripley’s future, there were interpreters and stenographers present. Everyone in the room spoke English, but some translating might be needed. The stenographers had the task of keeping a record of everything that was said.

Gabrielle Tanaka was seated near one corner of the table. Next to her were Dr. Wagner and Inspector Yoshida.

There was not enough room for everyone at the table. Some people were seated in chairs against the room’s walls. Among them were Maurice Gao, Australian Federal Police Superintendant Vincent Carey, and Scott Avery.

Scott had his computer with him and he was working on the project given to him by Gabrielle. So far he hadn’t been able to get into Grant Williamson’s email.

One person was attending the meeting via teleconference call. It was Japanese Self Defense Forces Major Senichi Hoshino. He was the commander of Operation Rain Drop, the planned assault on Keiji Watanabe’s Mt. Fuji area home.

While the preliminaries were being gotten out of the way, Gabrielle and Inspector Yoshida exchanged hand written notes. “Are we any closer to devising a way of getting someone else undercover in the Watanabe Yakuza?”

Inspector Yoshida wrote Gabrielle back. “No, I am not. I was hoping you had some ideas.”

Gabrielle had none at present. Based on what she had heard from Grant Williamson, if an assistant to Ripley couldn’t be placed close to her, Operation Swan Song would not be extended.

One idea suddenly sprung into Gabrielle’s mind. It involved her coming to Rebecca’s aid. Gabrielle would have to make a temporary sacrifice, but one that may enable her to win Becky’s heart.

Gabrielle wrote Inspector Yoshida back. “I have one idea, Inspector. Let’s talk about it at another time.”

When the preliminary matters were completed, Robert Mueller moved on to the purpose of the meeting. “Has everyone received the Agent Ripley reports and read them? Please speak up if you haven’t.”

No one spoke up. Everyone had come prepared for the meeting.

Robert Mueller continued. “Agent Ripley has made an interesting proposal to extend Swan Song. I would like to hear some opinions.”

The South Korean Justice Ministry official named Dae-Young Park spoke up. “Has Agent Ripley identified the person or persons responsible for Judge Song’s murder?”

“Yes, according to Agent Tanaka, Ripley has identified them and their paymaster. Ripley has brought with her computer files that will back this up.”

“Have we received the files yet?” Dae-Young asked.

“No, but they will be turned over at tonight’s meeting.”

Gabrielle spoke up. “I think Ripley wanted to explain the files before turning them in.”

“Mr. Avery, after tonight’s meeting I want you to burn copies of all the files and give them to the people I designate. Can you do that ASAP for me?”

Before replying to Grant’s question, Scott clicked on two computer buttons. A computer game immediately appeared. Scott didn’t want someone seeing what he was working on while he talked with Grant Williamson.

“Yes, Director, I can.” Scott made no estimate on how long his work would take. It would depend on how many files there were and if they were encrypted or not.

Robert got the meeting back on track. “I would like to hear opinions concerning Agent Ripley’s proposal.”

Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama had his assistant, Shinko Zanagori, state Japan’s position on a continuation of Operation Swan Song. “We are opposed.”

“Can you tell us why?”

“My government has decided Swan Song should be terminated. Sufficient evidence has been obtained to prosecute all leaders of the Watanabe Yakuza.”

Robert Mueller wasn’t surprised by Japan’s stance, but he was still annoyed. If he had been forewarned, Robert may not have made the trip to Australia.

“Then arrests are being planned at this time?”

“Yes they are. Major Hoshino of the Japanese Self Defense Forces is at work on that matter.”

Robert addressed Major Hoshino. “Can you tell the committee when the arrests will be made?”

“I am not allowed to say.”

Robert paused for a short time. While this was happening, Gabrielle felt a deep sense of relief. Becky wouldn’t be going back into danger and the two of them may have a future after all.

At the same time a note was given to Robert Mueller. After he was finished reading it, he passed it to Grant Williamson.

The Japanese delegation was asking for a private meeting with the FBI Director at the conclusion of the meeting. They wanted to discuss with Robert their plan to arrest Agent Ripley for the murder of Reina Shimizu.
 

~*~
 
“Is this Captain Tom Slater’s room?” Audrey Grasso asked.

Hiromi instantly came to attention the moment she saw the Air Force Major. “Yes it is.”

Audrey came fully into the room. “I’m Air Force Major Audrey Grasso. I have been assigned to give you legal assistance in regards to your Swan Song work.”

Now it was time for Midori Slater to get up. “I will go back to my room.”

“Mom, don’t forget the laptop.”

While they were talking earlier, Hiromi said her Mom could have the laptop computer she had recently purchased in Hong Kong. Midori would use it in order to talk to other Slater family members. “I didn’t forget, Rebecca.”

“Bye, Mom, I will talk to you later.”

Once Midori was gone, Hiromi and Audrey sat themselves down. The JAG attorney had brought a tape recorder, two legal pads, and a box of pens to her meeting with Agent Ripley.

“Captain I just learned in the last forty-eight hours of the very interesting undercover operation you have been conducting inside of Japan.”

“It has been a unique experience, Major.”

“I am sure it has, Captain. I’d like you to talk freely to me now about any Japanese laws you may have violated during Operation Swan Song, and all the circumstances surrounding each such incident…..”
 

~*~
 
Midori Slater went back to her room. Stuart was still asleep, so she worked hard to be quiet.

After using the bathroom and checking on her husband, Midori put out the laptop given to her and turned it on. She waited patiently as the machine warmed up.

Midori was planning to go online in order to download Skype. When that was done, she would use the software program to talk with her children and grandchildren. The laptop given to her by Hiromi had a webcam.

As always, Midori was thinking of her family. Her meeting with Rebecca had filled her heart with joy but the mother and grandmother was also thinking of other children and grandchildren. Was Shannon’s ear infection getting better? What were Paul and Nicole doing in Germany?

When the laptop was finished warming up, Midori began searching for a wireless network. She soon discovered Pine Gap had one, but it required a User ID and a password. Midori had neither of these.

The next thing Midori tried was to calculate the time in Portland Oregon right then. It was a few minutes after midnight Sunday morning. A phone call to Chiyo Tanaka would also have to wait.

Midori settled on drafting email messages to the Tanakas and Ilsa Uhlmann. She was still writing the former, when someone knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

A man around thirty years of age and dressed in the uniform of a Australian Air Force sergeant entered the room. “Are you Midori Slater?”

“Yes I am.” Stuart Slater was awake by this time and had just come out of the bathroom. He introduced himself to the Sergeant whose name was William Norcross.

“Mr. and Mrs. Slater I am here to tell you more about Pine Gap. How you can use base facilities to enjoy yourself but also about the rules you have to follow while living here.”

Stuart spoke up. “Sergeant, I am retired from the United States Army. My wife and I are very used to following the rules that come with living on a military base.”

“That’s good then, Mr. Slater. I will need about an hour of your time if that is all right.”

Midori nodded her head. “Yes it is. We are here to see our daughter. She is busy now, so we have time.”
 

~*~
 
Once the baptism of Robin Taylor was finished, the newborn girl was taken by her parents to The Rosebud. The Rosebud was a Watanabe Yakuza owned club located a few blocks away from the Yokohama train station.

Seventy-four friends and family came with the Taylors to the club. Thanks to Katsuaki Koike, the celebration would be a private one. The Rosebud would be closed to any customers who tried to walk in off the street.

Even before everyone was settled in, some guests began clamoring for Raku Minobe to sing a song. Raku was considered by many to have the finest singing voice in all of Japan. Her compact discs were popular with young and old.

“Just give me a couple of minutes,” Raku told her friends. Another reason she was so popular in Japan, was because of her humbleness and sincere interaction with any fans she happened to meet.

Katsuaki spoke to one of the two Yakuza who accompanied him to the Rosebud. “Is there anything I should know about?”

“No, Koike-san. The Inagawas are being very quiet at this time.”

A few minutes later the lights inside the Rosebud were turned down low. After that was completed, Raku Minobe went on stage and began to sing the Japanese love ballad, ‘Get along with you’.
 

~*~
 
The Japanese members of the Swan Song committee continued to be intransigent when discussing the operation’s future. All the same, Robert Mueller continued to field ideas for Swan Song’s future.

“To have someone so near the top of a crime family could produce unheard of results,” Said Greg Pritchard who was a senior United States Justice Department official.

Dae-Young Park spoke next. “I agree. The Watanabes through their Yokohama location are well placed to learn of other organized crime efforts.”

Other than the Japanese Justice Ministry representatives, no one at the meeting thought a revised Swan Song was a bad idea. Most were strongly in favor of it.

Inspector Yoshida mentioned the problems Agent Ripley would be confronted with on her return to Yokohama. Gabrielle spoke immediately after this.

“Ripley is aware of both the war with the Inagawas and the danger posed to her by Keiji Watanabe. She is willing to accept these risks.”

“Can we lessen the risks?” Robert Mueller asked.

Gabrielle spoke up again. “I think Ripley has a few ideas on how the committee may help make her return to Yokohama a safe one.”

“We could have Keiji Watanabe arrested. With his terminal cancer, he would probably die in jail before any trial could begin,” Grant Williamson said.

“The computer records we have on the Watanabes at this time provide more than sufficient evidence to prosecute Keiji Watanabe,” Irving Fischman said.

“Does anyone disagree with that assessment?” Robert asked.

Kunio Hatoyama spoke for the first time since the meeting began. “We also agree a prosecution of Keiji Watanabe can be begun at once.”

Notwithstanding what the Japanese said about Swan Song’s future, Robert Mueller continued moving the meeting forward as if Swan Song would be continued.. “Agent Ripley will be debriefed and given medical examinations over the next fourteen days. While this is happening, I need the following work done….”

While Robert was discussing plans that would need to be drawn up to retrieve Agent Ripley at some later date, Scott Avery finally made his way into Grant Williamson’s private email.

“Bingo!” He’d been so intent on his task that he’d lost track of his surroundings, and the words escaped his mouth before he fully realized where he was.

Scott’s unexpected outburst caused at least half the people present to stare at the computer expert. “Is there something you want to share, Mr. Avery?”

It took all of Scott’s self control in order for him to remain calm while answering Grant’s question. “No, sir, there isn’t. Just an idea I had about another issue. I apologize for my inadvertent interruption.”

Gabrielle was again given the task of finding another person to go undercover in order to assist Agent Ripley. “Sir, I already have an idea on how we can do that.”

“Put it in writing, Agent Tanaka, and get it back to me or Deputy Director Williamson ASAP,” Robert replied.

After he was finished giving out instructions, FBI Director Robert Mueller reminded everyone present of the meeting with Agent Ripley that would start at 7 p.m. “Please be on time. This meeting is adjourned.”
 

~*~
 
After the meeting was over, Scott Avery sought out Gabrielle. “I completed that task you asked of me.”

“How many emails did you find?”

“There were thirty-one in all. I’m going to print them now for you.”

“Thank you, Scott, but there is no particular rush. Just give them to me tomorrow morning at breakfast time.”
 

~*~
 
Kunio Hatoyama got his semi-private talk with Robert Mueller immediately after the conference room emptied out. The only other people present were Grant Williamson and three Japanese Justice Ministry officials.

“I read your note, Minister. Am I right in believing Japan wants to prosecute Agent Ripley for the crimes she committed while doing her Swan Song work?”

“We only wish to prosecute Ripley for one crime, the murder of Tonichi Ogawa.”

“You mean Reina Shimizu?”

“Tonichi Ogawa was his real name. Reina Shimizu was her Swan Song alias.”

“Minister I understand the anger you and the people of Japan feel at one of your citizens being murdered but there is the Status of Forces Agreement between our countries.”

“That only covers active duty American soldiers.”

“Agent Ripley is a Captain in the United States Army.”

“It is our contention he wasn’t when the murder took place,” Kunio replied. One of his assistants handed him a document. The Justice Minister then gave it to Robert Mueller. “This is our view of what happened and how the SOFA does not apply.”

Robert looked at the memorandum that he had been handed. It was eleven pages in length and very detailed.

Kunio continued talking. “My government will soon be asking formally for Agent Ripley’s extradition back to Japan.”

“Minister, I and others will need time to study this. For the meantime, can we continue to debrief and process Ripley?”

“Yes, you may, but when you are finished my government will demand that she be returned to Japan to face trial.” Kunio Hotoyama and the other Justice Ministry officials immediately left the room.
 

~*~
 
Grant Williamson spoke up as soon as he and Robert were alone. “Director, will there still be a seven o’clock meeting?”

Robert Mueller had to think for a few seconds. “Yes, Grant, we will still have the meeting.”

Grant had another question as he and Robert left the conference room. “When will we tell Ripley about Japan’s intent to prosecute her?”

“Leave that up to me, Grant. I will make the decision when Ripley is to be informed.”
 

~*~
 
“Can you think of any other crimes that were discussed in your presence?” Audrey Grasso asked Hiromi.

“No, Ma’am, I can’t think of any.”

Audrey looked at her notes again. There were more questions she would like to ask of Agent Ripley, but they would probably have to wait till another day. There were less than ninety minutes until the second Swan Song meeting was supposed to begin.

“Major, can I ask a question?”

“Of course you may, Captain.”

“Could I be prosecuted for the murder of Reina Shimizu?”

Audrey looked Hiromi right in the eye. “It is too early to tell, Captain, but anything is possible. I haven’t spoken to anyone but you about your case.”

“Wouldn’t I be protected by the Status of Forces Agreement?” Hiromi asked. She still felt guilty for killing Reina and felt if any punishment was handed out to her it would be deserving. At the same time Hiromi thought about the trauma and grief her going to jail would cause her parents. They had been through so much already between her and what had happened to Stuart Jr., Susan, and Simon.

There was also the unborn baby Hiromi might be carrying at that time. If she went to jail, the child would grow up without her mother.

“Captain, I have to be honest. It could be tricky in your case. You never received anything but verbal orders for Operation Swan Song. The Japanese may contend that crimes committed as part of your Swan Song work were not within your prescribed military duties.”

Gabrielle knocked on the door. “My meeting is finished.”

Hiromi glanced at her watch. “Gabby, I’m still talking to the Major.”

“All right, Becky. I will go check on your parents. Talk to you soon.”

Audrey began talking again once Gabrielle was gone. “That was Agent Tanaka?”

“Yes, Major, it was. Gabrielle and I have become very good friends.”

“Yes, I noticed that,” Audrey replied. ‘The confession you made to your friend may just cost you your freedom or even your life, Captain Slater.’
 

~*~
 
“Hi Mom, Hi Dad,” Gabrielle said to the Slaters as she entered their room. Midori Slater was using her laptop computer and Stuart Slater was trying to read a book.

“Gabrielle, is your meeting over already?” Midori asked.

Midori told Gabrielle what she had been doing since they last met. “Did you talk to your mother today?”

“No, Mom, but I will call her tomorrow.”

“I owe your Mom and sister so much because they take care of Shannon for me,” Midori said as Gabrielle sat down beside her.

Gabrielle and Midori were still talking five minutes later when Hiromi came in the room. “I’m done for now.”

Stuart looked up from his book. “I think all of us should go and get something to eat.”

“That sounds like a good idea, Dad,” Hiromi said. Then, she, her parents, and Gabrielle left the room and began walking to the cafeteria.
 

~*~
 
The real Hiromi Sato was still in prison. A female guard had just brought her dinner.

“You are new here?” Hiromi asked the guard.

The guard, whose name was Sayo Seo, had been told to ignore Hiromi Sato and not to speak to her. So she turned her back and began walking out of the cell.

“Can you help me? I can make it worth your while.”

Sayo began closing and locking the cell door. Before the process was completed, Hiromi pleaded with the prison guard one more time.

“I will pay you one million dollars in return for my freedom. Think of the fancy car and clothes that could buy…..”

Hiromi began pounding the wall with her fists even before the last door lock clicked into place. Human beings cannot live in isolation or without human interaction for long periods of time before it begins affecting their mental faculties. If Hiromi Sato wasn’t certifiably insane at the time of her capture, she was undeniably so now.
 

~*~
 
Hiromi ate a fair sized dinner but had passed on having another hot dog. She decided to eat the meat loaf the cafeteria was serving instead. It didn’t taste anywhere near as delicious as her lunch had.

Over dinner, Hiromi avoided talking Swan Song business with her parents. However, Gabrielle said she had one important Swan Song matter to discuss with Becky.

“All right, Gabby. Can it wait till tomorrow?”

“Yes, Becky, it can.”

Hiromi talked to her parents next. “Mom, what are you and Dad going to do tonight?”

“After we eat, I’m going to take your father out for a walk. After that we will probably watch television till we go to bed.”

“I hope you and Dad don’t get too bored waiting around for me.”

“Your Mother and I will be fine.” The Slater family was very used to the ‘Hurry up and wait’ aspect of military life.

When Hiromi was through eating, she said goodbye to her parents. Then she went back to her room in order to freshen up.

It was while she was fixing her makeup that Hiromi thought of Chuck for the first time in several hours. She wondered what he was doing.

Probably due to the nearness of her parents, Hiromi was acting and thinking more like Tom Slater than she had in months. For example, she was mulling how she would move on in life if Chuck didn’t come back to her. Gabrielle was more than a very nice second option, and Tom Slater’s parents had made it abundantly clear who they preferred Rebecca to be with.

Tom Slater had always tried to be a good son by pleasing his parents. He regularly told his friends and other acquaintances that he had the greatest mother in the world.

When Hiromi felt satisfied with her appearance, she left the bathroom and began to gather her things. It was ten minutes to seven and she didn’t want to be late to the meeting.

Hiromi was half way to the conference room, when she bumped into Dr. Wagner. “Hello Doc, long time no see.”

“It is good to see you too Ripley,” Dr. Wagner replied. “Can you give me a few minutes of your time?”

“Of course, I can.” Hiromi was then shown to a nearby room.

A man around thirty years of age who was dressed in a lab coat was there waiting for Ripley. “Could you please sit down? I am here to take your blood.”

Hiromi did as she was asked. Dr. Wagner talked to her former patient while the phlebotomist got ready to do his work.

“Agent Tanaka said you wanted to speak to me.”

“Yes Doctor, I did,” Hiromi said as the phlebotomist asked her to make a fist. “Can we have a private chat some time later this week if you’re not too busy?”

“Of course we can, Agent Ripley.”

The phlebotomist began taking Hiromi’s blood about a minute later. In all six vials of varying sizes were filled.

Dr. Wagner showed a high interest in one particular vial. “I will have this blood marked ‘stat.’ You will get the results some time tomorrow.”
Ӭ
“Thank you, Doctor,” Hiromi had gotten the message. She would know for certain in twenty-four hours or less whether she was pregnant or not.
 

~*~
 
“Did you like dinner?” Patricia McBride asked her son.

“Yes, Mum, it was delicious.”

“I am happy you came home.”

Chuck got up in order to take his dinner plate and silverware to the kitchen sink. “I always like seeing you, Mum.”

“What are your plans for tonight? Will you be making more phone calls?”
Ӭ
Chuck had spent two hours trying to convince one media outlet after another that a grave injustice was being done to his wife and how it was taking place. One reporter hung up on Chuck, another told him to take his story to a tabloid instead, two other members of the media asked Chuck if he had lost his mind.

During his third phone call, Chuck found himself wishing Hiromi was making the phone calls. She had such excellent social skills.

Most people hate rejection, but Chuck wasn’t anywhere near giving up. He knew a reporter named Derek Sherman who wrote for a Melbourne newspaper. He was on vacation till Tuesday. Chuck planned to call Derek on Wednesday.

Chuck had also made the decision to get legal advice from an attorney. He would spend Monday placing even more phone calls.

For Sunday night, Chuck had other plans. “I was just going to stay home with you, Mum. Maybe there is something good on the telly that we could watch together.”

Chuck’s mother had another idea. “Son, you should go out tonight. Make some new friends. Forget about that evil woman in Japan. She is not good enough for you and never will be.”
 

~*~
 
Hiromi’s session with the phlebotomist caused her to arrive at the conference room a few minutes late. Grant Williamson appeared to be a little annoyed with Agent Ripley’s tardiness, but no words were exchanged. Other attendees arrived even later than Hiromi did.

Audrey Grasso was one of the early arrivals. “Come this way, Captain. We will be sitting together.”

Hiromi was shown to a place across the table from the main Swan Song representatives. People were still arriving, so Hiromi chose to study her notes a little more.

Robert Mueller called the meeting to order around ten minutes after seven. “Agent Ripley is here to talk about an extension of Operation Swan Song. You may begin, Agent Ripley.”

Hiromi rose from her chair. She had her notes in front of her plus seven compact discs. “Thank you, Director. As everyone present should know, I have been working undercover inside the Watanabe Yakuza for the last year. The purpose of my work has been to gather evidence in order to prosecute that criminal organization’s leaders.”

“Right now I have seven compact discs to deliver to the committee. On them are copies of financial records, emails, and other communications.”

Robert Mueller nodded in the direction of Scott Avery. The computer expert came over and collected the compact discs from Hiromi. Scott then returned to his chair.

“Also on the discs, are the names of officials and politicians, mostly located in Japan, but also some in other parts of Asia who are or have been on the Watanabe payroll. There is also evidence against other Japanese-based Yakuzas, plus criminal syndicates in Asia, Europe, and North America.”

“Understandably not all of this evidence is in the clear. I will gladly supply my inside knowledge so as to interpret these records and put them in context when needed. “
Ӭ
“The records I just turned in when combined with previous records transmitted to the committee, should enable prosecutions of most if not all of the Watanabe leadership. I have supplied proof of their involvement in murder, narcotics, and a long list of other major felonies.”

“I think Operation Swan Song has accomplished its goals but not without setbacks. What I want the committee to start looking at is this — what will happen after the Watanabe leadership is prosecuted?”

Grant Williamson was the first person to interrupt Agent Ripley’s monologue. “Can you tell the committee why it should care about what takes place once the Watnabes are eliminated?”

“It is simple, sir. Not all Watanabe Yakuza will be eliminated.”

“Of course they won’t, Agent Ripley,” Grant replied again. “But whomever is left will likely be both demoralized and with few resources. Aren’t I right?”

“You could be, sir, but I think it is more likely whoever is left will successfully reorganize. That may even take place with the assistance of other Yakuzas.”

Hiromi scanned the other faces in the room. She appeared to have everyone’s full attention. “Let me explain to the committee the status of the Watanabes within the greater web of Japanese organized crime, their legitimate business holdings, plus their relationship with certain members of the Japanese Royal Family.”

Robert Mueller noticed how Kunio Hatoyama cringed when Ripley mentioned Japan’s royal family. Were some of them in business with the Yakuza? That would be quite the scandal if it ever became public.

“The Watanabes are in a transition stage. We have had two different Oyabuns in last ten weeks and in a month there will be a third. His name is Dai Hashimoto, who at present holds the position of Saiko-komon, and is the Watanabe’s chief enforcer…..”
 

~*~
 
Hideichi Ishimoto arrived at a Kawazaki Office building shortly after 7:30. He was alone as he walked inside. His driver had been given strict orders to stay with the Watanabe shareigashira’s car.

Two well dressed Inagawa-kai members met Hideichi at the building’s main entrance. “Come this way. Inagawa-san will be here shortly.”

Hideicihi was put in a room with a long rectangular table that had six chairs placed around it. The only other objects in the room were a pitcher of water, four glasses, and two ash trays.

“When will Tokuro-san be here?” Hideichi asked the young Inagawa-kai Yakuza who had shown him to the room.

“I do not know. Please wait and do not try to leave this room.”
 

~*~
 
“Sweetheart,” Brian Taylor said as he bent down to kiss his wife. “I have to use the Men’s room. I will be right back.”

“Can’t you wait? Raku is about to go on stage again.”

“No, I can’t. When you got to go, you got to go,” Brian joked with Naoko before walking off to the bathroom.

The lights in the Rosebud began to dim a few moments later. Raku Minobe took the stage and told the audience she would next sing her favorite American song. It was ‘Moon River’.

Raku had just sung the lyrics ‘wherever you’re going I’m going your way’, when a Inagawa-kai-thrown incendiary device came through a window at the club’s front entrance. When it struck the floor, it burst into flames.

At the same time, another Inagawa-kai member drove a large truck up to the back door of the club and deliberately barricaded the door with the heavy vehicle, then turned off the ignition and drove a screwdriver into the ignition lock. With a smile, he climbed down from the cab and strolled away into the night.

One of Katsuaki Koike’s men was nearby when the explosion took place. He reacted quickly and tried to extinguish the fire. Still wooden furniture began to catch on fire and after that, some window curtains.

The Rosebud was divided into several areas. At the front was the entrance area. A heavy duty door separated it from the club itself. Other areas of the club were its kitchen facilities on the building’s east side and a storage area all the way at the back near the rest rooms.

Raku continued to sing, oblivious to the fire that was going on out front. Then one of the guests saw smoke starting to come from underneath the door.

“I think we have a fire.” The man called out but few people heard him over the noise.

Katsuaki also saw the smoke and went to investigate. He didn’t open the front door but felt it instead. It was warm to the touch.

More smoke was beginning to come into the club. The word ‘fire’ was being yelled regularly now and everyone in the Rosebud began to react.

Katsuaki pushed his way to the stage and took the microphone. Raku had stopped singing and was standing there like she was frozen in fear. “Everyone please remain calm and begin making your way to the three fire exits. Do not panic.”

In spite of Katsuaki’s efforts to keep everyone calm, most of the people at the party began to panic. The fire had begun to spread to the club itself via its ceiling. Almost everyone in the Rosebud began pushing and shoving their way to the fire exits.

Others remained frozen. These included Katsuaki’s wife and children. The shareigashira hurried to their side and began leading his immediate family and others towards the kitchen area fire exit.

“Raku, come this way,” Nahoko called out. The singer remained frozen till another person at the club came to her side.

“Come with me, Raku. There is an exit just behind the stage.”

The kitchen area employees had been among the first to exit the Rosebud. Katsuaki got some twenty plus people to safety too via the kitchen area emergency exit.

Once everyone was outside, Katsuaki dialed the fire department as another Yakuza went to check for the other guests and whether they had exited via the Rosebud’s two other fire doors. A few stragglers, most of whom were coughing violently, continued to come out the kitchen exit every couple of seconds.

After getting off the phone with the fire department, Katsuaki began to take a head count. His wife, two children, sister Nahoko, his niece Robin, and thirty-seven others had come out via the kitchen door.

Nahoko rushed up to Katsuaki. “Where’s Brian?”

“Don’t you worry, sister. He probably left the club by the rear exit.”

It was then that Katsuaki’s assistant came back to his boss. Kanezane Sato had a scared look on his face. “The club’s rear entrance is blocked. Some fool of a driver parked his truck up against it.”

Katsuaki ran to the club’s back entrance. There indeed was a loaded two-ton truck up against the Rosebud’s rear entrance. As Katsuaki tried to see if the truck could be moved, screams of trapped guests could be heard from inside the club.

Nahoko Taylor also began screaming. “Brian is in there. Somebody do something!”

Katsuaki was trying to do something. The truck couldn’t be budged and the driver was still missing in action. What would he do next?

There was only one option, someone had to go back into the club to rescue those trapped. Katsuaki chose himself for that dangerous mission.

Hisae Koike pleaded with her husband not to try. “Katsuaki you will die if you go back in there.”

“I have to try, my beloved,” Katsuaki replied. He then kissed his wife before darting back inside the Rosebud.

Seconds later, the first fire trucks arrived on scene. The search for the truck driver continued.
 

~*~
 
Hiromi had just finished talking about how the Watanabee’s ownership of Kanagawa Bank had established a connection to Japan’s Royal family. “The Prince and Princess do over a billion yens worth of business with Kanagawa yearly.”

“I’m sure Japan’s royal family has inadvertently done business with organized crime in other instances. Who knows, they could have other Yakuza connections in addition to Kanagawa Bank. In light of how protective Japan’s press is of the Royals, I don’t think any Watanabe revelations would tarnish the Royal family’s image,” Grant replied to Hiromi.

“Director, I totally agree with you, but that isn’t the point I’m making. The Watanabe relationship with the Royal Prince and Princess is seen by the Watanabes, and the people they do business with, as a great honor. Dai Hashimoto has said that to me personally.”

“There are other Watanabes who agree with Dai on this subject. It isn’t just an honor to be able to serve her Royal Prince and Princess but highly profitable also. Dai also knows should the Watanabe connection to the Royals become publicly known this would cause embarrassment to the Prince and Princess and disgrace and dishonor to the Watanabes because of it.”

“We in this room and the Japanese public may call the Watanabes criminals, but the truth of the matter is, they’re really business men and women. What they most want to do is make money. If the patronage of the Prince and Princess is ever lost, no matter what the reason, the financial loss would be immense. The Watanabes want to continue serving the Prince and Princess, and at the same time, in my humble opinion, lessen the risk to this relationship. I can lessen that risk, and I believe I can convince them of it.

“You really think you can turn the Watanabes into honest business people?” Irving Fischman asked.

“I think most of the Watanabes would prefer it to be that way. They just don’t know how to do it, The transition will be dangerous of course but the reward at the end would be well worth it to the Watanabes.”

Hiromi had everyone in the room listening to her, including Justice Minister Hatoyama. “This is how I would set out to do this makeover of the Watanabes……”
 

~*~
 
Almost an hour passed before Tokuro Inagawa showed up at the office building. “Ishimoto-kun, you wanted to see me about Hiromi Sato. Now tell me why.”

“I think the reason is obvious. Just ten days ago the Inagawas attempted to kill her.”

“An American tourist was shot by hoodlums. The last time I heard, no arrests were made.”

“We both know who the real target was and who did the shooting.”

“If I were you, Ishimoto-kun, I would be careful not to make unwarranted accusations. You may anger people."

Hideichi decided to move on. “Are the Inagawas interested in Hiromi Sato?”

“She is a business woman who my associates and I sometimes have dealings with. Of course I am interested in this person,” Tokuro said tersely, giving away nothing in particular.

“I have information about her.”

“Like what?”

“Hiromi Sato is not in Japan at this time.”

“The world outside Japan is very large.”

“Our Oyabun sent her to Hong Kong last weekend. I have heard Hiromi-san flew to Melbourne Australia yesterday.”

“Australia is a very large country. There are many places a person can go from Melbourne and still be in Australia.”

“Hiromi-san has an office in Sydney. Her husband is from Alice Springs. You have heard of those cities?”

“Of course I have,” Tokuro replied back angrily. He did not like being talked to like he was some kind of idiot. “But if I were interested in Mrs. Sato at this time, I would still have great difficulty locating her based on the flimsy information you are giving me.”

“The Inagawa-kai are strong, and with many resources. On that basis, I think finding Hiromi-san wouldn’t be too difficult.”

“Perhaps so, but can you tell me why I should do that?”

“With Sato-san out of the way, I think the disagreement between our parties can be brought to end.”

Tokuro stubbed out the cigarette he was smoking. “Why come to me, Hideichi-kun? Can’t you find and take care of Mrs. Sato yourself?”

“I know of the death of your son, Tokuro-san. It saddens me the disagreement between our parties became that personal.” Hideichi was hoping Tokuro Inagawa’s quest for revenge would be so strong it would override his normal cautiousness.

Tokuro did some thinking as he smoked yet another cigarette. He didn’t trust Hideichi Ishimoto one bit. The dumb Yakuza had shown he was willing to double cross the people around him, so why should Tokuro trust him not to do a triple cross? If the Inagawas knocked off Hiromi Sato now, Hideichi might leak back to the Watanabes who was responsible. Who knows what that mad dog Yakuza would do next?

“Hideichi-san,” Tokuro said as he came to a final decision. “If you want Hiromi-kun dead, I suggest you do it yourself.”
 

~*~
 
Tetsuzan Narita came by the laboratory to see how Sachiko Isozaki was progressing with the work he had assigned her to. “Do you have anything yet?”

Sachiko was methodical in her work and not used to having a supervisor looking over her shoulder. “No, I have nothing at this time.”

“When will you have your final results?”

“I am not sure, Narita-san. There is human DNA on both the inside and outside of the stockings. The problem I am having is with what I discovered on the outside.”

“Please describe this problem to me, Sachiko-san.”

“There is dried human blood, semen, and other fluids on the outside. They come from at least two different people.”

“How do you know that?”

“One of the substances I have identified on the stockings is Human Cerebrospinal fluid or CSF. You are familiar with CSF?”

“Of course I am. It is found in a human skull.”

“Exactly. It would have to be splatter from a very severe head wound. Then there is the semen. When examining the stockings, I found semen had dried on the exact same spot that CSF had previously dried on. I can only conclude two or more people have been in contact with the clothing.”

“I agree, Sachiko-san, and very good work.”

“Don’t compliment me yet, Narita-san. These stockings have been used for God knows what purposes. To get a proper DNA sample from them in order to match against our databases may not be possible. At the very least, it will take longer than is the norm for such work”

“Keep on trying, Sachiko-san. This is important work you are doing.”

“It is getting late and the amount of work I need to do will take many hours yet. Can I end my day no later than ten?” Sachiko was scheduled to begin work the next day at half past eight. Tetsuzan most likely knew that.

“Yes, Sachiko-san, you may. Until further notice, this is the only evidence you are to work on.”

“I will do as you say, Narita-san.”
 

~*~
 
Hiromi was just finishing up her presentation. She’d carefully laid out the risks and opportunities presented by her plan to turn the Watanabe Yakuza into a force for good using the greed of its own members as a lever. Under the present system, most of the gang members lived dangerous lives in squalid surroundings, while a very few of the top bosses lived well. With new direction at the top, the lives of everyone could be improved, because it’s easier to keep the money you make if you’ve made it legally. If her plan was accepted, she was sure revisions would be done to it. Other matters would have to be taken into account.

“In closing, there are two other matters I need to bring to the committee’s attention.”

“What are those, Agent Ripley?” Robert Mueller asked.

“The first is my husband. His name is Charles or Chuck McBride. He now knows about my Swan Song work.”

“Is he here at Pine Gap?”

“Regrettably sir, he isn’t. Chuck became angry when I revealed myself to him last night. He had no idea up to then that the real Hiromi had been replaced.”

“What is Charles McBride doing now?”

“I don’t know sir. He did talk of going public with his knowledge. Right now I believe Chuck is at his mother’s home in Alice Springs.”

The room became incredibly quiet. Hiromi knew that Swan Song could very well be dead now. Careers could be ruined. The entire operation and its most important secrets could be revealed to the world, including the Top Secret DNA process. Hiromi was perfectly serene. Life would go on.

“Because I was coming to Pine Gap, I had to tell Chuck the truth. He may return to me. Before we separated this morning, Chuck told me he needed time to think.”

“Is there anything else you haven’t told us?” Grant Williamson asked.

“Yes sir. I might be pregnant. Before I came to tonight’s meeting, Dr. Wagner had some of my blood drawn for testing.”

Dr. Wagner spoke up for the first time since the meeting began. “I was told we will have the results of Agent Ripley’s pregnancy test some time tomorrow afternoon.”
Ӭ
“Thank you, Agent Ripley, for coming here today,” Robert Mueller said as he began to wrap up the meeting. “Do you understand what is asked of you now?”

“Yes, sir, I do. I am to be debriefed plus be given a series of medical examinations. Also I am not to leave Pine Gap till further notice.”

“That is correct. Your debriefings will begin tomorrow morning at 8:30 sharp. Does anyone else care to speak before I adjourn this meeting?”

Audrey Grasso looked across the table at the Japanese delegation. The grave looks they wore on their faces was causing her to feel concerned for her client. Did Japan intend to prosecute Agent Ripley for the murder of Reina Shimizu?

Prosecutors in Japan and elsewhere were under no obligation to tell a person they were facing the possibility of arrest. Audrey would try talking to Kazu Ippitsusai on Monday in order to find out what were Japan’s intentions for Ripley.

There is one last thing Hiromi wanted to say. “I’d like to thank the committee for allowing my parents access to Pine Gap in order for me to meet with them.”

No one else answered Robert Mueller’s last call to speak up. “This Swan Song meeting is adjourned.”
 

~*~
 
Hiromi yawned as she made her way to her parent’s room. She wanted to say goodnight to her Mom and Dad before she herself got ready for bed.

Midori Slater was still awake. “Rebecca, did you finish your meeting already?”

“Yes, Mom, I am done for tonight. Is Dad asleep?”

“Yes, Stuart got in bed about ten minutes ago,” Midori said as she motioned to her daughter to sit down.

Hiromi did take a seat. The time was almost 9:45 and even though Hiromi was tired, she would talk to her mother first before going to bed. She was so glad to see her parents again.
 

~*~
 
Hideichi tried talking over a few other business matters with Tokuro. The Inagawa-kai Saiko-komon was not interested and the meeting soon ended.

A few minutes later, Hideichi’s car on its way back to Yokohama. His driver had a question to ask not long after he pulled onto a Kawazaki road. “Ishimoto-san, would you like me to turn on the car radio.”

“Yes, do that for me.”
 

~*~
 
Unlike Hideichi Ishimoto, Tokuro Inagawa did not go straight home after the meeting was over. The Inagawa-kai Saiko komon instead smoked one cigarette after another as he did some deep thinking.

Shuichi Saito waited patiently. He was Tokuro’s most trusted aide and had long grown accustomed to his Taro’s habits and routines.

After fifteen minutes of silence, Shuichi addressed Tokuro. “Is there anything I can do, Inagawa-san?”

“Just get my car to the front of the building. I wish to go home now.”
 

~*~
 
“Good night to you too, Mom” Hiromi said giving her Mom a kiss. “I’ll talk more with you and Dad in the morning.

After leaving her mother, Hiromi went straight to her own room. It was a few minutes past ten now and she was really beginning to feel tired.

Before she went to bed, Hiromi was in need of a bath first. She was already naked and about to step into the shower, when a voice called out.

“Do you mind if I join you?”

Hiromi turned around to see Gabrielle standing just outside the bathroom doorway. She didn’t have any clothes on either. “Not at all, Gabby. Come right on in.”
 

~*~
 
Hideichi Ishimoto was nearly home when the latest news was broadcast by the radio station he was listening to.

“A fire at a Yokohama night club tonight has taken the lives of at least ten people. That number is expected to rise as rescue workers continue to sift through the destroyed building…….”
 

~*~
 
To be continued in Part Twenty-Six