“Dr. Wagner, speaking for myself, I’m sorry you had to interrupt your honeymoon to help the committee.”

“It is all right, Agent Tanaka; I want to help the committee.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

“Agent Tanaka, I want to help you as well. You and Captain Slater deserve to be as happy as Henry and I are now.”

Synopsis- Operation Swan Song begins to wind down but the danger for Tom Slater continues to increase.

I need to thank Puddin for helping me prepare this story chapter for publication. Her kind help and ideas are invaluable.

Note- Yokohama Japan is thirteen hours ahead of East Coast United States time. Germany is six hours behind Yokohama time.

Also note, a person who had Open Heart Surgery could indeed travel internationally less than two months after coming out of the hospital. I had major cardiac surgery in August 2008 and know people like a character portrayed in this story that had heart valve replacement surgery and traveled not long afterwards. Some patients must travel by airplane for the operations they undergo.
 

~*~
 
Motomachi Shopping Street, or any of the other popular shopping areas in Japan, differs greatly from their western counterparts. Like Fifth Avenue in New York or Oxford Street in London.

For one thing, vendors and store owners spill their merchandise out into the sidewalk and even the street if no one stops them. This is the rule rather than the exception. Most shops had overhead awnings, which allowed their owners to easily secure their property at day’s end. The awnings served as window and door coverings, not just as overhangs that lent cover from falling rain and bird dung to goods being sold street side.

Bird poop was certainly a hazard at Motomachi which is located alongside picturesque Yokohama Harbor. As Gabrielle Tanaka spent a day shopping there, the sound of seagulls overhead or the horn of a tugboat were just two of the many marine related sounds that penetrated her ears.

Last but not least were the many Gabrielle encountered at Motomachi. The scent that came from fresh ocean air or smell of sweet incense burning at a Shinto shrine, and lastly the smell of food cooked indoors but found its way into the shopping areas.

Gabrielle spent the afternoon of July 13th walking around the Motomachi Shopping Street in the Neka ward of Yokohama. She had been there a little two hours and had made some small purchases. A pair of tennis shoes, a blouse, a box of chocolates to satisfy the FBI agent’s sweet tooth, plus two greeting cards. One for her parents upcoming wedding anniversary, the other for Midori Slater’s birthday.

It was just yesterday that Inspector Yoshida had advised her to take some time out for herself, so she could rest before Operation Swan Song entered its final stage.

Gabrielle had only half-listened to Inspector Yoshida. She had put aside her Swan Song work for two days but she found it nearly impossible to relax mentally.

Earlier that day Gabrielle had visited Queen’s Square, an urban amusement park, home to Cosmo Clock 21, the largest Ferris wheel in the world. As she walked by the attraction, which included a roller coaster, Gabrielle daydreamed how it would be for her to ride these one day with Tom Slater and Shannon Zebriskie as a family.

No matter where she was or what she was doing, Gabrielle couldn’t stop thinking of Tom Slater. Every Swan Song setback just made her more obsessed with the plight of her friend.

A lingerie store was less than fifty yards from Cosmo Clock 21. Gabrielle went inside and soon found herself being drawn to a sales rack full of nighties.

Gabrielle carefully scrutinized all the nighties before selecting two to try on. A sales clerk who seemed to have the powers of ESP, offered to show Gabrielle where the dressing room was.

It was in the dressing room that Gabrielle's obsession with Tom Slater reached its greatest peak yet. As she felt the silky texture of the nighie on her skin, she imagined Tom Tom behind her, his breath on the back of her neck, his voice whispering in her ear, his hands reaching around her body, already feeling the hot flush of her desire sweep across her breasts and rise into her throat, almost breathless with longing...

Then the scene shifted slightly. The only difference was that Tom was an attractive woman. She had a sweet smell now and small dainty hands that felt more delicate than silk when they touched Gabrielle's skin.

A third scene started. Tom was still female, but Gabrielle was now male. All of a sudden, all three imaginings began to play at once and formed a madly erotic kaleidoscope.

Gabrielle was sharply jolted back to reality by the sound of her cellphone beginning to ring. Without looking to see who was calling, Gabrielle flipped the device open and put it next to her left ear.

“Tanaka.”

Inspector Yoshida said, “Gabrielle-san, I need you to come to the Yokohama police station at once. We have just received a message from Ripley.”
 

~*~
 
After a sleepless Saturday night spent trying to make her sick grandson Shannon feel better, Midori Slater felt she had no more options left. She would have to take the two-year-old boy to a pediatric clinic located at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

Early on Sunday morning, Midori told her husband Stuart what she planned on doing. He immediately agreed with his wife’s plan. “Let me get dressed, and then we can all go together.”

“Stuart, I can take Shannon. You and Carl have plans for today.”

Carl Fritsche was an old Army buddy of Stuart’s. They were scheduled to go hunting that day.

“No, Shannon needs both of us now. Besides, I can read the map while you drive us to Ramstein. I know we’ve both been here before, but it’s been quite a while and we haven’t had time to reacquaint ourselves with the area.”
Ӭ
Stuart Slater was doing exceptionally well for someone less than two months out from open heart surgery. His stamina had returned, and what had once been debilitating pain had receded enough that he wasn’t even taking Tylenol for it anymore.

Still, his wife made sure that he didn’t overexert himself. He wasn’t permitted to do any heavy lifting, including even picking up or carrying his grandson Shannon.

The Slaters and their grandson arrived at the pediatric clinic a little under two hours later. After checking in at the desk, Midori was given some forms to fill out.

In the meantime, Shannon had fallen asleep. Either the boy was feeling better or was totally drained due to his constant crying throughout the night.

Shannon’s nap wasn’t a long one. As soon as Dr. Marcus Borzak began to examine him, the boy began to get upset. When the pediatrician began to probe his right ear, Shannon began to scream.

Midori worked hard to calm her grandson. Just like the previous evening, the efforts were mostly futile.

“Does my grandson have an ear infection?” she asked Dr. Borzak.

“I don’t know yet, Mrs. Slater,” he said. “My otoscopic examination isn’t complete yet, although there is obvious inflammation in his right ear, but there are several tests we’ll have to complete before we can say with absolute certainty.”

Shannon and his grandparents were at the pediatric clinic for almost five hours that day. When all the tests were run and all the examinations completed, Midori was proved right in her diagnosis.

“Your grandson does indeed have an ear infection, actually several,” Dr. Borzak said to Midori and Stuart, and he went on to elaborate on the cause for the severe pain response Shannon had displayed when his right ear was touched. Otitis externa, commonly caused ‘swimmer’s ear,’ which is usually caused by damage to the very delicate skin of the ear canal, sometimes by well-meaning caretakers with cotton cleaning swabs. Here, the pediatrician leveled a meaningful look at Midori.

“Many people don’t realize that the ear is self-cleaning, and that the skin inside the ear canal is actually attached to the bone, so it’s extremely easy to tear it, even with a delicate touch, and once torn, normal bacteria from the skin can get up to mischief in places they oughtn’t have access to.” He looked toward her again. “The only thing which should be used to clean the ear is a finger wrapped in a washcloth, and if you have any cotton swabs, make sure to place them on your makeup table where they belong, just as soon as you return home."

"My wife tells me that they’re absolutely perfect for removing the last bits of her nail polish,” Stuart Slater said.

Dr. Borzak looked down at his notes. “He also has a viral infection which has caused otitis media, an inflammation of the air-filled ear cavity between the eardrum and the fluid-filled inner ear, which usually involves the Eustachian tubes, the duct which normally allows fluid to drain from the middle ear. The virus is undoubtedly associated with a mild upper respiratory disease, because your grandson shows a slight build-up of fluid in his lungs, but you were absolutely right to bring him in."

"Untreated, these sorts of infections can lead to very serious consequences, because the tissues of the ear are very near the mastoid processes at the base of the skull, and even the brain, so deeper and more dangerous infections can ensue, mastoiditis, or even meningitis, which were among the leading causes of infant and childhood mortality in the days before modern medicine.”

“What will you do for it?” Midori asked, at once fearful and guilty.

Dr. Borzak laid out a course of treatment for Shannon. The first step of which had already been taken when the doctor drained the excess fluid from the boy’s ears.

“I’m going to prescribe Shannon an antibiotic, plus some ear drops which should help alleviate his pain and bring the infection under control. Can you bring him back on Wednesday so I can examine him again? We should have initial culture results by then, which will help to guide our treatments.”

“Yes, Doctor,” Midori replied as her husband sat silently next to her. “We are not returning to America till next week.”

Dr. Borzak nodded his head. “When you get back home, I suggest you bring Shannon to a pediatric ear nose and throat specialist. His left ear canal is unusually inflamed. It’s possibly due to an allergy of some type, but I am not certain, and we won’t have time for a full series of tests to be sure.”

Midori said she would do as the doctor said. Not too long after Dr. Borzak’s last examination was complete, the Slaters and their grandson were back on the road again.

“Do you mind if I take a nap?” Stuart asked, not too long after his wife began driving back to the bed and breakfast where they were staying with Shannon.

“No, Stuart, you go ahead. I will be fine,” Midori said before taking a backwards glance at her grandson. Shannon was again asleep and was, for the moment, evidently feeling better.

As she drove home, Midori began to think of her other family members. What was happening with her son Tom right then?
 

~*~
 
“I hope you enjoyed today, Sato-san,” Zenji Horita said to Tom Slater. His yacht was a mile out from the Zushi City marina and headed home.

“Yes, Zenji-san, I did. I had never been out fishing before,” Tom replied. Chuck was seated beside her.

“It is a good way to spend a day. Maybe you would be interested in buying my yacht?”

“I’ll think about it. How is your health, Zenji-san?”

“It is the same. My doctors tell me I should be dead by now.” Zenji had been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer seventeen months earlier. Shortly after he begun chemotherapy and radiation treatments, he relinquished his Watanabe shareigashira duties.

Tom showed a brief smile. “I hope you continue to make fools of them, Zenji-san.”

The yacht docked at the marina five minutes later. Tom and Chuck were helped off the boat by Yuri and two other bodyguards. As she walked over to the Fairlady, Tom noticed an identical car with two people standing beside it not too far away.

Tom asked Yuri about it as the Russian bodyguard opened the car door for him. “Are they meant to be decoys?”

“Yes, boss. Hashimoto-san thought it was a wise precaution.” Moments later, Tom, Chuck, and their protection detail were all on the way back to Yokohama.

“Is Yojimbo’s all right for dinner?” Tom asked not long after leaving the marina parking lot. Right then, she had a flash of recognition as she remembered seeing her double before, Ana Ramirez, formerly a bodyguard for Ai Toguchi.

Ana wasn’t a bad choice to play the role of Hiromi Sato’s double. The two women each had medium length black hair, were of similar builds, and were not too far off when it came to the size of their breasts. Ana had to be a D cup at least, and Tom, after undergoing breast augmentation, was a DD.

As for Chuck’s double, Tom had no idea who the man was.

Chuck answered promptly, “Of course, Kimi-chan. Should I call Yuri and tell him of our plans?”

“Yes. Please do that for me.”
 

~*~
 
Once Hiromi Sato was out of his presence, Zenji Horita lit up a cigarette and began to smoke. Cancer or no cancer, Zenji would not stop his life-long practice of using tobacco.

Zenji thought of the future as he took a long drag on the cigarette. He didn’t have much time left, it had taken all the strength he could muster just to do that day’s outing. No one had made Zenji ask Hiromi Sato to join him for a fishing trip. It had been his own decision, even knowing it would further sap the ebbing life energy that still remained to him.

As his own mortality neared, Zenji thought about how little or no trace of him would be left behind after his death. He was widowed and childless. He and his wife had both been only children, and neither had any surviving family members who were close.

The only legacy Zenji would leave behind was the work he did for the Watanabes. Would any of them remember him after his passing? Probably not, and Zenji considered that unfair. He had done much work for the Yakuza since becoming one of its members five decades earlier.

Zenji would not be thinking of this except for what had happened to another member of the Watanabe Yakuza. Takanori Yokoyama had been more than an employee of Zenji Horita, over time he had become a friend and trusted confidante of the shareigashira.

Outside the Yakuza, Takanori was a married man and father of three children. Over the years he, his wife Noriko, and their children had become like family to Zenji Horita and his late wife. Zenji had taken Takanori’s two sons out on his yacht more times than he could remember.

Then one day in October 2007, it was discovered that Takanori had been less than honest when it came to reporting the earnings of a Watanabe business enterprise. What punishment was handed down to Takanori? His throat was cut and his body dumped in a Yokohama back alley.

Zenji had been a Yakuza member for all of his adult life. He therefore knew what the unbending penalty was for those Yakuza who were caught stealing. It was death. So why did Zenji feel Takanori Yokoyama and his family had been wronged?

It was because the Yokoyamas had been treated badly. The Watanabes had failed to show proper appreciation for the work Takanori Yokoyama did, and instead of being generous to the man who had risked his life for their safety and profit on many occasions, had been mean-spirited and stingy. It was true Takanori was thanked many times for his services, and that Goro Watanabe had once said he was one of the Watanabe’s most valued members, but this hadn’t made up for the poor compensation Takanori had received for his loyal service, much of which was dangerous, and required a lot of time spent away from his wife and three children, who were now struggling just to get by.

So Zenji felt that the Watanabe money Takanori had taken was rightfully his, and that the death sentence handed down to him was therefore unjust.

Zenji received regular reminders of how unjust his friend’s death was. If not for his financial assistance, Noriko Yokoyama and her children would be homeless in addition to being without their husband or father. The death of his friend had been bad enough, but now to see the Yokoyama family struggle financially, facing an uncertain future without their loving husband and father, caused Zenji as much pain as the cancer that wracked his body.

As Zenji and his wife had no family or heirs, they had spent money as quickly as it was earned. What assets the retired sharigashira had, including the fine yacht he had taken Hiromi Sato out on, were mortgaged to the hilt.

Zenji was feeling rare pangs of guilt as he discarded his cigarette into the bay waters. He should have saved something for the Yokoyamas after his death. It would have served as a way to thank Takanori for his loyalty and many years of friendship.

The guilt vanished as Zenji reminded himself of who gave the orders to end Takanori Yokoyama’s life. It had been Hiromi Sato.

As Zenji lit another cigarette, he made a vow. He would avenge the death of Takanori Yokoyama. Now he had to formulate a plan to attain that goal.
 

~*~
 
Grant read Agent Ripley’s message three times before he uttered a single word. “This was brought to us by a homeless person?”

“Yes, sir, it was,” Inspector Yoshida replied. “His name is Kosuke Nomura. He has no fixed address.”

“Is Mr. Nomura in any way connected to the Watanabe Yakuza?”

Gabrielle Tanaka, who was seated on the right hand of Inspector Yoshida, fielded this question. “No, sir, he isn’t.”

Inspector Yoshida added, “Nomura-san has a long arrest record, but all were for minor crimes.”

As Inspector Yoshida sipped on some coffee, Gabrielle took it upon herself to tell Grant Williamson about the one and only set of fingerprints found on the message brought by Kosuke Nomura. They belonged to Hiromi Sato.

Grant, the FBI Deputy Director, didn’t say anything for almost two minutes, obviously lost in deep thoughts.

Of course, part of the reason for Grant’s pause was the fact he had been awake for less than an hour. He had been jarred awake at six in the morning by the ringing of his bedside phone. It was the FBI communications center on the line and they told Grant that a message marked urgent had been received from Gabrielle Tanaka.

‘Why has Ripley come back to life now?’ he thought. What about that nervous breakdown Dr. Wagner said she must have suffered?’ These were just two of the many questions Grant had floating around in his head. Rather than speculate on what the answers might be, Grant focused on the immediate task at hand.

The communication from Agent Ripley stated she was active and performing her mission. No explanation was given for her prolonged absence and non-cooperation over the preceding four months.

Grant understood the need for Ripley to be concise in her messages. That didn’t prevent the FBI Deputy Director from remaining angry with the field agent. His chances for career advancement were directly tied to the success or failure of Swan Song now.

When Swan Song was over, Ripley would have a great deal of explaining to do in addition to her debriefing. Her sudden return from the dead had Grant questioning if Ripley had really suffered the nervous breakdown Dr. Wagner and others believed to have happened to her.

Finally, he spoke, “Agent Ripley is to be withdrawn from the field at the earliest possible opportunity.”

Gabrielle was relieved to hear this. At the same she wondered what was causing Grant Williamson’s sudden concern for Tom Slater.

In his communication to the Swan Song committee, Agent Ripley had asked for instructions. Was she to continue her mission or abort it? If it was decided that her mission was to be ended, Ripley offered two alternate ways to conclude it: Either she would be picked up in Hong Kong or, alternatively, she would fly to Australia with Chuck under the guise of making a visit to some member of the McBride family. Once on Australian turf, Ripley would go straight to the local authorities.

While she waited for new instructions, Ripley said she would continue doing her mission as per the last orders given to her.

“I believe that is the wisest course of action now. An intelligence report written just yesterday by one of my colleagues says the Watanabe Yakuza is in the beginnings of a power struggle,” Inspector Yoshida said.

“Inspector, what is your opinion?”

“I would have to agree. After the murder of his nephew, Keiji Watanabe again assumed control of the Watanabe’s many business enterprises. Due to his age, this can only be a temporary solution. A new Oyabun will have to be decided upon very soon.”

“Other than his granddaughter, are there any other potential candidates for Oyabun who are relatives of Keiji Watanabe?” Grant Williamson asked.

For a few moments Grant fantasized about what damage could be done if Agent Ripley was allowed to stay in place as she rose to the position of Oyabun. One word summed it up – Immense. From a leadership position, Ripley could potentially bring damage and destruction not just to the Yakuzas operating out of Japan, but to organized crime around Asia and possibly the world.

Grant then snapped back to reality. FBI Director Robert Mueller had made it clear only the day before that Agent Ripley was to be withdrawn from the field before Operation Swan Song entered its final phase.Ӭ

Inspector Yoshida then answered Grant’s question. “No, there is no one but Hiromi Sato at present. I rate the chances of her being selected the next Oyabun as very poor. Some Watanabe Yakuza may support her succession, but Keiji Watanabe will most likely choose someone else.”

Gabrielle then spoke up. “It is almost certain that the next Oyabun will be Dai Hashimoto. He is at present the family’s chief enforcer.”

“Is this perceived conflict between Keiji Watanabe and Ripley the power struggle mentioned in the report?” Grant asked.

“Yes, I believe that it is. I fear the failure of Operation Firecracker may have caused Keiji Watanabe to see his granddaughter as a potential threat now.”

Gabrielle then added. “I agree with Inspector Yoshida. Agent Ripley may be facing more danger now than she has at any other point in her mission.”

“Inspector, would you please forward me a copy of that report once this meeting is over.”

“Sir, if you check your email, you should have it already.”

The Deputy FBI Director took a moment to check his FBI email account. “Yes, Inspector, I have received it. Thank you.”

While checking for Inspector Yoshida’s email, Grant noted another message he had just received. It was from the Japanese Justice Minister, Kunio Hatoyama, himself.

‘What the hell is that about?’ Grant asked himself. He decided to finish the meeting before checking on the other email, so he could legitimately claim that he’d just read the message if it demanded any immediate actions.

Gabrielle then addressed an issue that was sure to come up. “Inspector Yoshida and I concur in the belief that the message from Ripley is authentic and wasn’t written as a trick.”

“When we meet tomorrow,” she continued, “I’d like Dr. Wagner to be present. If she is still on her honeymoon, then have one of her colleagues sit in.”

“What time will this meeting be?” Gabrielle asked.

“It will start at ten in the morning, Washington time.” Grant then rattled off a lengthy list of people he wanted available for the next teleconference call. “Agent Tanaka, I want you to personally call and email everyone I named. Tell them attendance is mandatory.”

Gabrielle, who was keeping notes on the meeting, counted over a dozen people she would have to get a hold of in a very short time. “I will do that, sir.”

“Inspector Yoshida, I want you and Agent Tanaka to begin thinking of ways to safely retrieve Agent Ripley. I want at least two possible retrieval plans in front of me by no later than mid-week.”

“Sir, I have a question,” Gabrielle stated. “Can Inspector Yoshida and I use members of Major Hollins team to assist us?”

“Yes, Agent Tanaka, but only in so far as they can help with the planning of Ripley’s retrieval. Any operation I give final approval to will not be a military one. Repeat, it will not be a military operation.”

“I understand, sir.”

Grant paused for about ten seconds. “I would like Major Hollins’ second-in-command at tommorow’s meeting. What is his name?”

“Captain Higgins,” Gabrielle replied. “He was still at Camp Zama as late as last Friday.”

Inspector Yoshida spoke. “Tokushu Sakusen Gun troops are now at work on a plan to arrest Watanabe Yakuza members.”

Gabrielle had a question. “The Tokushu Sakusen Gun are the equivalent of American Special Forces?”

Inspector Yoshida nodded his head. “Yes, Tanaka-san, they are. Their commander, Lieutenant Colonel Tazio Ichinose, is, I believe, a graduate of the military academy at West Point.”

Grant got the conversation back on track. “Inspector, please contact these people. Ask if a representative can sit in at tomorrow’s meeting.”

Inspector Yoshida then made a suggestion. “A few days ago I took it upon myself to contact an acquaintance of mine who is a member of the Hong Kong police, Chief Inspector Sylvia Chang. Without divulging anything about Operation Swan Song, I mentioned to Sylvia that Hiromi Sato is under surveillance now by law enforcement inside and outside of Japan.”

Grant Williamson had worked once on a FBI matter with Sylvia Chang and had a very high opinion of her, so he nodded in tacit approval, despite the fact that none of them could see him.

“I then asked Sylvia to make some general enquiries for me. She has confirmed for us that Agent Ripley will be moving to Hong Kong on or around the 25th of this month.”

Grant knew where Inspector Yoshida was going without the Yokohama policeman saying another word. “If the decision is made to retrieve Agent Ripley in Hong Kong, I’ll have you or Agent Tanaka brief Chief Inspector Chang on Operation Swan Song. In the meantime, don’t tell her of our exact interest in Hiromi Sato.”

“I will do as you say, sir.”

“One last thing before we adjourn till tomorrow, the request made by Agent Ripley that we include Economist in any retrieval operation,” Grant said. “Inspector, Agent Tanaka, Economist is the man who married Ripley?” Economist was the Swan Song code name for Chuck McBride.

Grant knew many undercover agents have to do things they would never do in their own lives. Still he had trouble reconciling this action from a supposedly heterosexual male to Ripley’s need to maintain her cover. Couldn’t she have just maintained the relationship at the cohabitating level or even better, found a reason to dump Charles McBride rather than marry the man?

Then Grant reminded himself of Dr. Wagner. The German scientist had stated more than once that mental changes were likely to occur in Ripley because of the environment she was in. The recently married Dr. Wagner was also living proof of what her DNA formula could do to a heterosexual male.

“Yes, he is,” Inspector Yoshida replied.

“Is this Charles McBride in any way connected to the Watanabe Yakuza?”

Inspector Yoshida fielded this question too. “Not to our knowledge, no. He is a currency trader at Kanagawa Bank, a bank Hiromi Sato is the majority owner of. McBride and Hiromi Sato began living together sometime in 2004 or 2005.”

“I think it is fair to say that Charles McBride’s life would be in jeopardy if he should remain behind once Agent Ripley is retrieved,” Gabrielle interjected.

Inspector Yoshida added, “Because of his employment by Kanagawa Bank, he may also be able to testify in one of the planned criminal prosecutions of the Watanabes. Kanagawa is the largest conduit the Watanabes use when it comes to laundering their money.” He sipped his coffee.

Grant took a minute to think before handing out his next order. “All right, include Economist in any retrieval plans. Anything else we should discuss today?”

“No, sir,” Gabrielle replied.

The FBI Deputy Director immediately adjourned the meeting.
 

~*~
 
“We have much to do, Gabrielle-san, and very little time,” Inspector Yoshida said to Gabrielle as the two of them exited the room they had done the teleconference call from.

“Yes, Inspector, I know. If it is all right, I’d like to go to the canteen and eat something. The last meal I had was this morning.”

The City of Yokohama’s main police station had a small eating area in its basement. “Go ahead. I will be in my office when you are finished.”

Gabrielle then asked if Inspector Yoshida would like to join her. The policeman said no. He needed to call his wife Betty to inform her that he would not be home till very late.

After parting ways with Inspector Yoshida, Gabrielle made her way to a nearby stair well. As soon as the door was closed behind her, Gabrielle had to use all her self control to suppress a loud scream of joy. Tom Slater was back!

Gabrielle would now focus all her energy on getting Tom back safe. As she began walking downstairs to the canteen, she asked herself if it was time to call Midori and Stuart Slater.

In the end Gabrielle decided not to. She would call Tom’s parents when she had more news. By her calculations, that would be in as little as a day or two, or at worst by week’s end.

The canteen was five floors below the office where the teleconference call took place. At the second landing Gabrielle again wondered about Grant Williamson’s sudden concern for Tom Slater. Whatever the cause, it mattered little to her as long as Tom safely survived his Swan Song mission.
 

~*~
 
For the second time in four days, Tom and Chuck had dinner at Yojimbo’s. This time around, they allowed others to dine with them. They were Watanabe shareigashiras, Akira Sudo and Ryuku Kinjoh. While the two men and two women ate, they discussed many non-Yakuza subjects.

As they exited the restaurant, Tom had a question for bodyguard Yuri. “Is my grandfather at home tonight?”

“No, Taro-san, he isn’t. Oyabun is still at the lake, but he is supposed to be coming to Yokohama sometime tomorrow,” Yuri explained as he opened the Fairlady driver side door for Tom.
 

~*~
 
“I never realized how wise Sato-san was until the two of us spoke to her tonight,” Akira Sudo said to Ryuku Kinjoh as they watched Tom drive off in the Fairlady. “Ryuku-san, when was it you first met Sato-san?”

“It will be ten years next summer. I don’t remember the exact day and month.”

“You are also very wise, Ryuku-san. I am surprised you do not remember.”

“My mind can store only so many details. There is a limit to everyone’s knowledge.”

“That is very true, Ryuku-san.”

“Akira-san, would you like to help me learn more important details by coming to my apartment tonight?”

“I would enjoy that very much Ryuku-san,” Akira said at the same time he tried very hard to keep himself from grinning.
 

~*~
 
After dinner, Tom and Chuck went straight to the Negishi Bay apartment. Neither was surprised when they saw the condition of their living quarters. Seventy-five percent of the apartment was either empty or filled with boxes in preparation for the move to Hong Kong. Only the living room, kitchen, and master bedroom had been left untouched.

“Kimi-chan, are we going to take our showers together?” Chuck asked only a few moments after the apartment door was closed.

“Yes,” Tom replied. “Is it all right if I check on something first?”

Chuck then gave his wife a brief kiss. “Of course you may. I will be in the bedroom whenever you are ready.”

Tom went straight to Hiromi Sato’s office area. With the exception of a few wall decorations, the entire contents of the room had been totally packed into twenty or so boxes.

After a minute of frantic looking, Tom found the box he was looking for. It was unsealed and the words ‘musical CDs’ was written on the side facing the office wall. Tom opened the box and began to sort through its contents.

“Thank God, they are still here,” Tom muttered softly after he located the two compact discs labeled Beethoven, which in fact had copies of Watanabe financial files on them. When he was through checking, Tom made sure the box was arranged as closely as possible to the condition he had found it in.

The brief reemergence of the Hiromi Sato persona had caused Tom a great amount of stress as he feared the discs may have destroyed. Now that she knew the discs were safe, she was again much calmer.

Before leaving her home office, Hiromi checked on a few other boxes. The room’s office computer was also packed up.

Tom would still be able to use a computer in the apartment and be able to read any Swan Song message sent to her. For one thing, Hiromi Sato owned not one but two laptop computers and the entire Negishi Bay apartment building had wireless internet service. Chuck also had his own desktop computer out in the living room.

Chuck was totally undressed and waiting patiently when his wife entered the bedroom. “I’m ready to take a shower when you are.”

“Yes, I can see that.” Tom then began the process of undressing himself.

While they were in the shower together, Tom noticed a change in Chuck. “Your skin is red.”

Chuck’s body color was indeed darker than it was when he got up that morning. “I got a little burned, didn’t I?”

“Yes, you did,” Tom replied as she examined Chuck’s torso. His skin, except for the area covered by his swimming trunks, had turned reddish rather the light brown a person wishing to tan their body would prefer. Chuck’s lower arms and face were the reddest areas. “Is it painful?”

“Yes, just a little bit.”

“I’ll put some lotion on it when we get out of the shower.”

Chuck wrapped his left arm around his wife and pulled her body close to his. “You really care about me, Kimi-chan.”

“Of course I do. You are my husband.”

Sometimes Tom still questioned how she ever agreed to marrying a man. It ran totally counter to the person she had been before getting Dr. Wagner’s DNA formula.

Tom was honestly concerned for Chuck. He knew just how dangerous skin cancer was, and she didn’t want the tall and very handsome Australian man to suffer from that terrible disease. Even after Swan Song was done and finished and Tom back to living as a man again, he would want Chuck to be healthy.

“Kimi-chan, I love you so much. Next time we go out, I’ll make sure to put on lots of sunscreen.”

After their shower was completed and they had dried themselves off, Tom spent at least five minutes treating Chuck’s burnt skin. After that, the two of them watched CNN International on a living room television for a while. It had been an enjoyable but long day for both of them.

Chuck was the first to announce his intention to go to sleep. He got up from the couch he and Tom were seated on and began to stretch. “Don’t know about you Kimi-chan, but I’m exhausted and ready to go to bed.”

“I want to do that also,” Tom replied. Chuck then offered his right hand to his wife in order to help her up off the couch.

Once in bed, Chuck began to gently kiss his wife.

“Chuck, can we take a break tonight? I really am very tired.”

Chuck, who was almost always considerate of his wife’s feelings, smiled before kissing Tom one last time. “Of course, Kimi-chan. Good night and sleep well.”
 

~*~
 
Inspector Yoshida and Gabrielle worked till almost one in the morning on the assignments given to them by Grant Williamson. By that time, the two Swan Song committee members had called or emailed every person who would need to attend the next committee meeting.

Gabrielle and Inspector Yoshida had spent the rest of their time on tweaking two plans for the retrieval of Agent Ripley. Both involved some risk for Tom Slater but the two Swan Song committee members worked hard to minimize this.

Before she left the police station, Gabrielle made sure to grab the bags of goodies she bought at Motomachi. One of the last things she wanted to see happen was a colleague of hers see the two nighties she had bought right after receiving Inspector Yoshida's phone call.

"I see you took my advice today, Gabrielle-san," Inspector Yoshida said to Gabrielle as they got on board an elevator together.

"Yes I did, Inspector. It really did me a great deal of good.

“We’ll begin fresh in the morning,” Inspector Yoshida said to Gabrielle as they exited the Yokohama police station. A police sergeant would drive Tetsuro home.

“Drive safely, Tanaka-san.”
 

~*~
 
When Gabrielle got home, she immediately got ready for bed, but then tried to unwind by checking her personal email before going to sleep. Mixed in with about a dozen spam mail were messages from Gabrielle’s sister Roxanne and one from her friend Cassie Myers.

The email from Roxanne Yonai was short and pleasant. She first inquired as to how Gabrielle was doing. Then the oldest Tanaka began a short description of what was happening in her own life of late.

Roxanne’s email ended with a suggestion. The eldest Tanaka sister told Gabrielle of an upcoming visit by their parents. Roxanne said she knew Gabrielle was in Japan but implored her sister to try making some time in order for her to come back home and visit.
 

~*~
 
Mom and Dad would so like to see you and I would too. We can celebrate their wedding anniversary which is coming up in less than a month. Please let me know if you can come or not.
 
~*~
 
Next up was Cassie’s email. Gabrielle’s former Cal Berkeley roommate also wanted to know how she was doing. The rest of the email was about the 2008 Presidential race and what Cassie thought of Republicans and President George W. Bush in particular.

Cassie also liked to share inside gossip she had about politicians and appointed officials, who among them was supposedly having an affair, the politician whose wife had just learned he’d fathered a baby with a former staffer and so on.

As Gabrielle was uninterested in politics and Washington D.C. gossip, she stopped reading her friend’s email before it was half way finished.

Gabrielle began to yawn. She had been touched by Roxanne’s letter and the suggestions she had made. The two sisters had rarely gotten along. Too bad the closing phases of Operation Swan Song would prevent a Tanaka family get together. Gabrielle would email her sister in a day or two to say she wouldn’t be coming.

Around ten minutes later, Gabrielle had her computer turned off and was fast asleep. For once her slumber was a peaceful one.
 

~*~
 
Tom was sipping some coffee at the breakfast table on Monday morning, when Roger Hyde entered the apartment. “Good morning, boss.”

“Welcome back. How was your trip?” Tom asked as she put her coffee cup down.

“Nice but busy,” Roger replied. “Boss, would it be possible for both you and Chuck to spare me about a half hour of your time? There are some matters we need to discuss.”

Tom exchanged glances with Chuck before nodding her head. “Would tonight after dinner be all right?”

“Yes, boss, it would.”

Later on when riding an elevator down to the parking garage, Tom gave Roger some orders. “Everything in my apartment office can be shipped.”

“All right, Boss. I will let Kimo know that.”

“Make sure nothing of mine gets lost or broken,” Tom firmly instructed the British bodyguard.

“Nothing will, Boss. We’re being very careful with all your belongings.”

Not long after Tom got to Watanabe Trucking, Suki and Aki came into her office. They were bringing their Taro her phone messages, newspapers, plus her morning tea.

Aki reminded her Taro of appointments she had scheduled for the week. Dai Hashimoto would be coming Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. to discuss his investments. Tom had also had an appointment with her gynecologist on Tuesday afternoon.

For Wednesday and Thursday, Hiromi Sato was scheduled to supervise an audit of a Watanabe Yakuza business. In addition to all this, Tom had her usual Yakuza duties plus her responsibilities at Kanagawa Bank to perform.

“Is there anything else you need, Taro-san?” Aki asked.

“No, Aki, not right now.”

Aki left the office but Suki remained behind. “Taro, I did what you asked me to do.”

It was Suki Kobayashi who had bribed Kosuke Nomura with a bottle of scotch in return for his giving a message to Knuckler aka Inspector Tetsuro Yoshida. Tom Slater had chosen his personal assistant for this unusual mission because she trusted Suki and knew she wasn’t Yakuza or an informant.

“Thank you, Suki.”

“Taro, is there any thing else you need me for?”

“No Suki, nothing right now.”

A few moments later as Tom sat down at her desk, she thought. ‘One down, one to go.’
 

~*~
 
Whereas Tom Slater was just beginning his work day, others in Japan connected to Operation Swan Song had been working for some hours already. Hundreds of miles away from Yokohama, Sakusen Gun forces under the command of Major Senichi Hoshino were busy training for Operation Raindrop. Raindrop was the codename for the raid on Keiji Watanabe’s home scheduled for the evening of August 2nd.

The rehearsals were taking place at a Self Defense base in the Akita Prefecture of northern Japan. This particular site, in the shadow of Mount Chokai, had been chosen not just due to its remoteness but also because of its similarity to the Mt. Fuji area where Keiji Watanabe lived.

A mock up of the Watanabe home was not completely built yet. Nevertheless, Major Hoshino was already training his men very hard for their upcoming mission.

In a phone conversation that morning with his Sakusen Gun superior, Lt. Colonel Tazio Ichinose, Major Toshino said his men could be in place and ready for Operation Raindrop within thirty-six hours. That was if the raid had to be moved up for some unknown reason.

Major Toshino was in the middle of barking out orders to soldiers in his command, when a young corporal came running up towards him. The enlisted man saluted before speaking a single word.

“Sir, we just received this communication.”

Major Toshino took the piece of paper offered him and began to read it. He let out a loud grunt a few seconds later. The Major had just received an order to report to the Ministry of Defense in Tokyo at once, so the training for Operation Raindrop would have to be supervised by his executive officer for at least the next twenty-four hours.
 

~*~
 
Tom Slater had a phone conversation with Keiji Watanabe just before noon time. “Grandfather, I am so sorry to hear you are not feeling well.”

“It was only for a short time, Granddaughter. I have now regained my strength.”

“That is good then. Grandfather, if you will be in Yokohama tomorrow night, Charles and I would like to speak to you about something.”

Keiji paused for a few seconds thought. His granddaughter seemed to be acquiescing to her grandfather’s decision about her future, which would very wise, if she wished to live a long life. “Yes, granddaughter, I would most like to see both of you. Can you and Charles come have dinner with me at 7:30?”

“Yes, Grandfather, we can.” Tom Slater hung up the phone a few minutes later and went back to her other Yakuza work. A meeting with the Watanabe Yakuza Oyabun was needed, even if it made Tom’s schedule for the week more crowded than ever.

Aki then came into the office and handed her Taro a sealed envelope. Inside it was a message from Tom’s assistant, Ryoji Ishii. It said–

The shipment of narcotics headed for the Inagawa-kai has just arrived at the Port of Yokohama. Customs officials are inspecting the freighter at present and according to our source, they are no more suspicious than usual.
 

~*~
 
Gabrielle and Inspector Yoshida’s preparations for the next Swan Song meeting were going smoother than could have been hoped for. All but one of the people Grant Williamson had asked to be in attendance had already contacted Gabrielle by phone or email to say they would be present.

One surprise attendee at the Monday meeting would be Dr. Wagner, the German scientist and inventor of the DNA formula given to Tom Slater, who would interrupt her honeymoon in the South of Spain so the Swan Song committee could tap her expertise if needed. She had contacted the FBI on her own initiative, which seemed fortuitous, to say the least.

“How was the wedding?” Gabrielle asked the German-born scientist.

“It was very nice, and so is our honeymoon, which Henry and I are enjoying even now.”

“I want to wish you both congratulations again.”

“Thank you, Agent Tanaka.”

“May I ask how you learned of the meeting?”

“I received a phone call from Dr. Schneider. She sometimes calls or tweets me about the work we are doing together.”

“Dr. Wagner, speaking for myself, I’m sorry you had to interrupt your honeymoon to help the committee.”

“It is all right, Agent Tanaka; I want to help the committee.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

“Agent Tanaka, I want to help you as well. You and Captain Slater deserve to be as happy as Henry and I are now.”

A tear or two formed in Gabrielle’s eyes as she got all choked up. “I don’t know what to say, Doctor, other than thank you. How is Henry?”

“He is sleeping now. I made him very tired tonight. It’s four in the morning right now, so I should probably get some rest as well,” she laughed almost girlishly, “but I felt strangely energized.”

Gabrielle was happy for her, really, but her happiness made her own situation seem all the more bleak. She had to get back to work. “Good night, Dr. Wagner, and thank you for calling.”

Gabrielle and Inspector Tetsuro Yoshida thought they had two solid plans already in development to retrieve Agent Ripley. The first would need the co-operation of authorities in Hong Kong, but because of Tetsuro’s professional relationship with Chief Inspector Sylvia Chang, there shouldn’t be too much difficulty getting that.

“The trick will be getting our message to Ripley,” Inspector Yoshida said to Gabrielle, not long after both of them began work again on Monday morning. “Our usual lines of communication to her have all been severed.”

Before the operational phase of Swan Song commenced, Tom Slater was told she could receive and deliver email communications via email in an emergency situation only. This form of communication between the Swan Song committee and Ripley was too dangerous to use on a normal basis.

Tom would receive an innocent looking email that came with a special attachment. For this, the Swan Song committee would call upon its computer consultant. His name was Scott Avery. He spent almost fifteen minutes talking to Gabrielle on Monday morning, Japan time.

“No problem, Agent Tanaka. Once the message is written and ready to be sent, I can prepare the email. It’s rather simple…..” Scott began to say.

Gabrielle’s eyes began to glaze as Scott gave a very technical description of exactly how the email attachment would work. “That’s good but I think Director Williamson will want to hear this also. You can describe it to both of us at the meeting.”

“I’ll be there. Talk to you then.” Scott then hung up the phone.
 

~*~
 
In another part of Yokohama, former Watanabe Yakuza Zenji Horita had just passed along some secret information to a member of the Inagawa-kai. “I hope that you find you what I told you to be of use.”

“Yes, Zenji-san, I think it is most valuable. Is there any way that I might compensate you for what you told me.”

“No, that is not necessary. Thank you for listening to me.”
 

~*~
 
As soon as he hung up the phone on Zenji Horita, Tokuro Inagawa immediately began to reflect deeply on what he had just been told. Its potential importance to the Inagawa-kai Yakuza could not be exaggerated, but it was fraught with many dangers as well.

After a few moments, he picked up the phone again. He would have to speak to his Oyabun, Kakuji Inagawa, before taking any precipitous action on Zenji Horita’s information.
 

~*~
 
A young male Air Force Sergeant named Hugh Signorelli approached the apartment of Major Ed Hollins and knocked on the door. When the door opened, he saw the Major and saluted, saying, “Sir!” From the corner of his eye, he saw a pair of suitcases and a garment bag stationed neatly in the hall and asked, “Are these your only bags, sir?”

Major Hollins returned the salute and said, “I believe so, Sergeant, but let me take a quick look around.”

If Major Hollins was packed and ready for his plane ride back to the United States, he was in no way prepared for what was likely to happen upon his return to the United States, so he was stalling just a little. In all likelihood he was about to have his military career ended. There was a good chance he might end up being court-martialed.

‘Court-martialed for what?’ Was the question Major Hollins had been asking himself repeatedly over the last three to four days. Operation Firecracker had been a complete failure, but who was really at fault for that?

Major Hollins went through the motions of checking his living quarters one last time to make sure he had not forgotten anything, but he wasn't at all sure he really cared. When that task was complete, he left the apartment. Sergeant Signorelli, carrying one suitcase with each of his hands and the garment bag slung over one forearm, walked ahead of him.

A jeep was parked outside. With his broken collarbone and general body soreness, Major Hollins had to be very careful as he climbed into the vehicle.

The first inclination Major Hollins received that something else was about to go wrong for him, was when he was told to wait while other non-essential personnel got on board the C5-B destined for Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. Just a few feet away from Ed, Hugh Signorelli was making a phone call.

“Sir,” Hugh said after his phone call ended. “Your orders have been cancelled.”

“Cancelled?”

“Yes, Sir. They were cancelled. The Deputy base commander also wishes to have a word with you.”

‘I sure as hell want to have a word with him,’ Ed thought as he followed the Sergeant out of the waiting area.
 

~*~
 
Colonel Wayne Colbert was Yokota’s Deputy Base commander. Ed Hollins was shown straight into his office.

“We just received these orders less than an hour ago,” Colonel Colbert said before handing Major Hollins a piece of paper.

Major Hollins shook his head in disbelief as he read the message. “I’m to stay here at Yokata till further notice and I am confined to the base. Do you have any idea why?”

“No, Major, I haven’t heard anything officially.”

“Unofficially?”

“It appears that Japanese authorities may want to speak to you again in relation to your work of last week.”

‘Shit. My life is becoming a nightmare,’ Major Hollins silently thought to himself.
 

~*~
 
Tom and Chuck got home a little after seven that evening. Soon afterwards, Juanita served the couple a dinner of fresh flounder that had been sprinkled with lemon and garlic salt.

While they ate dinner, Tom told Chuck about their dinner plans for the following night. “All right, Kimi-chan. Whatever you plan is fine with me.”

Only after he received a summons from his boss, did Roger come into the apartment. Tom and Chuck were briefed by the British bodyguard as they sat together in the living room.

While Roger talked about the Hong Kong arrangements for Hiromi Sato, Tom worked hard to appear interested. She knew deep down that the move to Hong Kong would reduce her Yakuza workload down to almost nothing. Her days as Hiromi Sato had to be nearing an end, and what Roger was saying to her really mattered very little.

‘Have Gabrielle and the committee gotten my messages?’ Tom asked herself. She had checked for a Swan Song email early on Monday morning, but had only found spam mail.

Something Roger said then caught Tom’s attention. “Boss, it is my advice that you make your main office at Kanagawa Bank not East China.”

“Why is that?”

“To be perfectly honest, the building that houses East China is a bloody firetrap,” Roger said before going on to explain why he held that opinion.

“All right, Kanagawa it is,” Tom said in voice that made it clear she and not Roger had made the decision.

Chuck then spoke up. “Kimi-chan, you should think of it this way. With your office at Kanagawa, we can see each other even more.”

“Yes, but will either of us be able to get any work done?” Chuck then bent over and gave Tom a small kiss.

Roger talked about how long it could take for Hiromi Sato’s personal goods to be cleared by Hong Kong customs. Tom said she didn’t care, as long as they were ultimately returned to her.

“When does the shipping to Hong Kong begin?”

“They’ll be shipped air freight on Thursday, but will have to wait through Hong Kong Customs, which can take many days.”

Tom thought of one benefit from her move. Those compact discs with the copied files would be safer with Hong Kong customs than in Yokohama. No Watanabe Yakuza could discover what they were really for.

The next to last thing Roger had to talk to his boss about was the staffing of her new home. In the end, Tom rubberstamped all the decisions her bodyguard had made so far. All she asked was that Teresa Wu be available for a phone interview on Wednesday morning.

“Are you planning to ship the Fairlady to Hong Kong?” Throughout his meeting with Hiromi Sato, Roger was consulting his notepad to remind him of the exact subjects he would have to go over with his boss. He also used the same notepad to jot down any necessary notes to himself.

Hiromi Sato was hardly a sentimental woman. She considered it a sign of weakness, especially if a person resorted to it on a regular basion

The only sentimentality Hiromi Sato ever showed, was in her choice of automobiles. It was on her 19th birthday that Keiji Watanabe gave his granddaughter her first Nissan Fairlady. The Fairlady is known outside of Japan, as Datsun Z cars. The latest model of which was the 370Z.

Ever since getting her 19th birthday present, Hiromi stuck to driving Fairladys only. Oh she would get a new one every few years, and change colors from purchase to purchase. The last time going from Silver to Red. The thrill she got from driving the sportscar hadn't changed with each new Fairlady. She would go on driving Fairladys as long as Nissan continued to manufacture them.

“Yes, I want the Fairlady brought to Hong Kong.”

“It is likely to be held up in Customs then like everything else. Would you like me to find you temporary transportation in Hong Kong or would you prefer doing that yourself?”

“You can handle it for me. Just lease or rent me a suitable car.”

Roger knew what Hiromi Sato meant when she said ‘suitable car’. She wanted a sportscar that had lots of horsepower under its hood.

“Boss, there is one more thing I need to go over with you. You have probably noticed that whenever you travel here in Japan there is always a decoy car now.”

“Yes, I did notice that.”

“Hashimoto-san thought this was a wise precaution after what happened last week. We don’t want you to change the way you drive, but just ask you have a word with me or Yuri before setting out for anywhere.” We’d like to evaluate each situation before deciding whether similar arrangements will have to be made in the Territory.

“All right, that is acceptable to me.”

“Thank you, Boss, for giving me some of your time,” Roger said as he rose from his chair. His meeting with Tom had taken closer to forty-five minutes than the intended thirty. “All these arrangements will be ready for your arrival in Hong Kong on July 26th.”

“When do you go back to Hong Kong again?”

“Thursday night,” Roger replied.

After Roger was out of the apartment, Chuck had a question for his wife. “What do you want to do now?”

“I’d just like to sit here with you for now, if that’s all right.” She smiled, and reached for him as they began to cuddle together on the couch.
 

~*~
 
“Before this Swan Song meeting gets underway,” Grant Williamson said, “I want to thank Dr. Wagner for being in attendance. Most of you probably don’t know that the Doctor is taking time away from her honeymoon to be here today.” There were twelve other people taking part in the teleconference call.

The sound of applause then came over Dr. Wagner’s speaker phone. “Thank you.”

Gabrielle was attending the Swan Song meeting with Inspector Yoshida as usual. Prior to the start of the teleconference call, Tetsuro also commented on how Grant Williamson had undergone a change of attitude in the last few days.

Also at the meeting were Grant Williamson’s secretary and a phone technician. The former would keep notes and the later make sure the communications links between the conferees worked smoothly at all times.

“We have just received a communication from Agent Ripley.” Grant Williamson went on to summarize the message received just one day earlier. “It has been decided to end that particular part of Operation Swan Song. Today’s meeting has been called to discuss this, the communication we will be sending Ripley, and how we will retrieve our field agent.”

Captain Higgins, who was taking the disgraced Major Hollins’ place, had a question to ask. “If Ripley is back communicating again, why don’t we leave him in place?”

Grant Williamson became annoyed at what he considered a dumb question. “Major Hoshino, would you like to answer that question for me?”

“Men under my command are readying to arrest the Watanabe leadership.”

“When will this take place?” A Korean Justice Ministry official named Dae-Young Park asked.

“I am not allowed to say,” Major Hoshino answered. “It will be soon.”

Grant Williamson spoke again. “An intelligence report written by a member of the Yokohama police says a power struggle has begun within the Watanabe Yakuza. This only increases the danger Agent Ripley is facing.”

“Let me remind everyone, we have lost four undercover agents to date during this operation,” Inspector Yoshida. “Agent Ripley’s situation is definitely precarious, even as we speak.”

Debra Dudley, the FBI forensic accountant working for the Swan Song committee, then butted in. “It’s my opinion, and it’s shared by the Justice Department case management team, that only Agent Ripley’s knowledge will let us fully understand the Watanabe financial picture. It’s incredibly complex.”

The official representing the DOJ named Gregory Pritchard said he agreed with Ms. Dudley. Grant Williamson brought the discussion about why Agent Ripley’s mission needed to end, to a quick conclusion.

“Agent Tanaka and Inspector Yoshida have been at work on plans for Agent Ripley’s safe retrieval. Inspector, would you like to begin?”

Inspector Yoshida then outlined a way to retrieve Agent Ripley upon her arrival in Hong Kong. With the cooperation of local officials, Ripley and Economist would be detained after they presented their passports to immigration.

“Who exactly is this person we call Economist?” Dae-Young Park asked.

“He is a close associate and friend of Ripley,” Grant explained. Of the people at the meeting, only Grant, Inspector Yoshida, Gabrielle, Captain Higgins, and Dr. Wagner knew that Ripley and Economist were married to one another.

Greg Pritchard spoke again. “Why don’t we pick up Ripley and Economist when they try to exit Japan?”

Inspector Yoshida answered the question. “The Watanabes are very well connected and informed about all matters involving Haneda Airport. Haneda is the likely exit point for Ripley and Economist. We cannot guarantee that the Watanabes would not quickly come to know of any plan to arrest or divert Hiromi Sato at Haneda, which would give them ample time to start destroying records and preparing for our arrival at their doorstep.”

“Ripley exited Japan on one other occasion without the Swan Song committee immediately learning about it. There are Haneda airport employees willing to help the Watanabes,” Gabrielle explained without going into detail about how Chuck and Tom’s had exited from Japan the previous May so they could go on a honeymoon.

Major Hoshino while outwardly silent, saw further justification for keeping Operation Raindrop details secret. ‘Who knows, maybe someone close to the Swan Song committee is on the Watanabe payroll.’

As Grant listened to Gabrielle, he received a private message on his computer. The representative from the Japanese Justice Ministry, whose name was Yugoro Bunya, was requesting a private chat with Grant once the Swan Song meeting was finished.

Inspector Yoshida finished explaining the Hong Kong plan. “If this plan is approved, we should contact Chief Inspector Sylvia Chang of the Hong Kong police at once. She knows of my interest in Hiromi Sato but nothing of Operation Swan Song.”

“I understand Agent Ripley requests we bring in Economist along with her, but is that operationally necessary?” Yugoro Bunya asked.

“It isn’t operationally necessary,” Inspector Yoshida admitted. “But Economist is a Kanagawa Bank employee and may have some knowledge that could be of use. Also if it is likely he would be eliminated by the Watanabes when it is discovered that for the last year an undercover agent has been posing as Hiromi Sato.”

“When is Ripley moving to Hong Kong?” Dae-Young Park asked.

“On or around July 25th,” Inspector Yoshida replied.

Gabrielle then began to lay out Plan B. Which consisted of Ripley turning herself and Charles in after flying to Australia. “Economist has family members in Australia. He and Ripley paid them a visit last December.”

“How would the Australian pickup work?” Again Dae-Young Park was the person asking a question.

“Agent Ripley and Economist would just turn themselves in at the Japanese Consulate in Sydney.”

“It would be that simple?” The Korean Justice official asked.

“Yes, it would be that simple. Ripley and Economist went to Australia without Yakuza backup on their last visit to the country.”

“When is Ripley supposed to travel to Australia?” Captain Higgins asked.

“We don’t know yet,” Gabrielle replied. “But it wouldn’t be till after Ripley’s scheduled move to Hong Kong.”

Grant Williamson addressed a question to Major Hoshino “Major, do you have any input on these proposed operations?”

“My only advice is that Agent Ripley be retrieved as early as possible,” Major Hoshino replied in a very tightlipped fashion.

Captain Higgins spoke up. “Couldn’t Ripley travel to Australia with Economist at an earlier date?”

Grant, Gabrielle, and Inspector Yoshida had already thought of this. It was their opinion that Ripley had some unstated reason for not wanting to travel to Australia earlier.

Gabrielle spelled this out to Captain Higgins. The replacement for Major Hollins remained unconvinced. “Couldn’t a cover story be created to allow Ripley to go to Australia earlier? Like when….”

“That is not an option, Captain Higgins,” Grant Williamson said in a firm, even angry tone of voice. The FBI Deputy Director had also upon taken it upon himself to momentarily cut Higgins’ communications link to the rest of the committee. There were some Swan Song operational details that were known to a very exclusive few.

Gabrielle had something pop into her mind for just a second but it disappeared just as quickly. She was so focused then on the plan to save Tom Slater that other matters were now trivial

Grant Williamson continued on. “The plan to retrieve Ripley and Economist in Hong Kong is approved.”

“Yes, sir,” Inspector Yoshida replied. He also considered Hong Kong the better option.

“Agent Tanaka, you are to meet with Chief Inspector Chang and brief her totally on Operation Swan Song. Tell her I am personally asking for her assistance.”

Grant Williamson went on to tell Gabrielle that all planning for the retrieval in Hong Kong was her responsibility. Conditionally, if the Hong Kong authorities gave their permission, she could use the same personnel that were available for the earlier Hong Kong and Singapore rendezvous.

“I understand, sir.”

Next up for discussion was where and when Ripley would be debriefed. Before that could begin, Dr. Wagner had a question to ask.

“Should I schedule Ripley’s DNA treatment for as early as two days after we have her safely in our custody? My schedule for the week of July 27th is totally open.”

Grant Williamson hadn’t given the subject of Ripley’s return to his natural form much thought. “Dr. Wagner, would giving Ripley your formula cause her to lose any memories she has from her undercover assignment?”

“No, it would not. In the past I have treated other undercover agents with my formula. No memory loss was suffered.”

“Are you sure of that, Dr. Wagner?” Captain Higgins asked. “Ripley has acted more than a little confused of late.”

Dr. Wagner showed some rare annoyance. “Any further DNA treatment on Ripley will NOT adversely affect her mental condition.”

Grant Williamson’s next words were meant to soothe the German scientist. “Dr. Wagner, the committee has total confidence in you and your work. After Ripley receives her treatment, how long will it be before they can start a debriefing?”

“It would be no more than forty-eight hours afterwards. If, say, Ripley has her treatment on a Tuesday morning at 7:30, she would be well enough for questioning on the Thursday morning after she wakes up. Maybe even on Wednesday evening. Some of my patients make a quick recovery.”

Yugoro Bunya from the Japanese Justice Ministry then asked Dr. Wagner what the average length of time was for a patient who got the DNA therapy till the time they woke up. The German scientist said it was anywhere from twenty-eight to thirty-six hours.

Gabrielle spoke again. “We can do an initial debriefing of Ripley on the plane trip from Hong Kong to the United States also.”

Grant Williamson asked if any of the Justice representatives had an objection to Ripley getting treated immediately after her retrieval. No opposition was voiced.

The next subject up for discussion was the message to be sent to Ripley. It would have to be quite detailed and the committee discussed what information should be relayed to their last remaining field agent.

Gabrielle and Inspector Yoshida had spent part of Monday composing a possible message. The committee accepted their work with just a few slight revisions.

“Mr. Avery,” Grant Williamson said. “We want to send this message in a very secure manner. One that will leave no evidence behind of its existence after it is read. How can we do that?”

Before she started her Swan Song mission, a yahoo email account had been set up for Ripley. She was told to check it only if and when all other means of communicating were severed.

“It is simple,” Scott Avery said. “We send Ripley an email with an subject heading that makes it look like spam to most computer users. One of my associates named Anthony trained Ripley as to what email address to look for and how the attachment was to be used.”

Scott then gave a very technical description of how the attachment worked. Safety precautions would be in place in order to prevent someone other than Ripley from reading the Swan Song message.

“How is the email and attachment destroyed once Ripley has read them?” Gabrielle asked.

“Ripley was told to close the attachment and delete the email once she was through with them. The attachment also comes with a virus in it. One hour after the attachment is closed, the virus goes to work.”

“What happens then?”

“The virus destroys the computer hard drive of the machine Ripley views the attachment on. Not even Omar Rafique will be able to do a data recovery from it.”

Omar Rafique, also known as ‘The Indian’, was the computer programmer expert used by the Watanabe Yakuza. He and Scott Avery were both MIT graduates and had come to know one another but weren’t very close.

“Can you have this attachment and virus ready by tomorrow?”

A evil grin formed on Scott Avery’s place. If Grant Williamson needed a demonstration of the virus, the FBI computer expert could send him one immediately. However fun it might be, wiping out the computer hard drive of the FBI Deputy Director couldn’t be called a good career move. “That won’t be a problem, sir.”

The latest Swan Song meeting lasted only another ten minutes before it was adjourned. Every one had been given their jobs to do.
 

~*~
 
Once the teleconference call was ended, Grant Williamson placed a phone call to Japan. “Mr. Bunya, what is it you needed to speak to me about?” Grant asked the Japanese Justice Ministry official.

“Mr. Williamson, I was asked by the Minister of Justice to make a formal request of you.”

“All right, Mr. Bunya. It was yesterday that I received Minister Hatoyama’s email. He said you would be speaking for him today. What is it you are asking?”

“The decision was made that Ripley would receive the DNA treatment right after his retrieval.”

“Yes Mr. Bunya, I remember that. I also remember you voicing no objection to it.”

“My government is asking that Ripley be returned to Japan once her treatment is finished.”

“Mr. Bunya, I am not declining your Minister’s request, but can I ask why?”

“We would like to ask her questions about Firecracker.”

Once Grant heard the reason for the request, the private phone conversation began to make sense to him. “Mr. Bunya, please give Minister Hatoyama my personal word that Ripley will return to Japan as soon as Dr. Wagner declares her fit for travel.”

“Thank you. We will want to speak to Agent Tanaka also.”

“You will have her full cooperation I assure you. Is there anything else?”

“No, that is all. I wish to thank you Director Williamson for giving me a little of your time.”
 

~*~
 
The only person at the just adjourned Swan Song meeting who was without work for the moment was Captain Higgins. If asked if he minded, the Army Officer would have said point blank that he did.

Captain Higgins, like Major Ed Hollins, felt he was being falsely blamed for the failure of Operation Firecracker and the casualties that resulted from it. Both men had been relieved of all their duties for the time being. Another similarity Andrew shared with his former CO were feelings of complete bitterness that made both men not care an iota about Tom Slater’s ultimate fate.

‘Why did I have to attend this meeting?’ Andrew asked himself as he exited Camp Zama’s communications building. ‘Nobody wanted to listen to me when I tried giving advice. Tonight was a total waste of my time!’

When Captain Higgins got back to his Camp Zama living quarters, he thought for a moment about calling Major Hollins and giving him a Swan Song update. Andrew decided not to and instead made a decision to go visit his former CO the next time he had a day off.
 

~*~
 
Gabrielle didn’t arrive at her apartment till a little past one in the morning, Yokohama time. She was exhausted by then, both physically and mentally, so the only things she did before climbing in bed were to take her clothes off and check her cell phone for any messages.

There were none. For a moment Gabrielle considered making a call to Midori and Stuart Slater but she though that it was still too early to take that step.

Gabrielle put her cell phone down on the night stand but didn’t turn it off. A few minutes later she fell into a deep and troubled sleep.

Her slumber was so deep that it took over two minutes of almost constant ‘Gilbert and Sullivan’ ringtones to wake Gabrielle up. Her eyelids were still incredibly heavy as she used her right hand to grab the cellphone.

“Hello.”

“Gabrielle, I’m sorry to be calling you at this hour.”

The sound of Candace Ishii’s voice on her cell phone caused Gabrielle to almost jump out of her bed. Her sister would only be calling in the middle of the night Japan time if there was some kind of family emergency.

“Candy, why are you calling? Is something wrong?”

“No, big sister, there is nothing wrong. The reason I’m calling is because of an express mail envelope Bob got this morning at work. Bob was in a meeting….”

Robert ‘Bob’ Ishii was Candace’s husband. He worked as a lobbyist in Sacramento California.

Candace then got to the point of her phone call. “Sis, do you know someone named Ripley?”

Gabrielle’s heart began to race even before she could utter a single syllable. “Yes, I do. What did Bob receive, a letter?”

“Actually, there are two of them. One is in Japanese.” Candace Ishii’s Japanese reading skills weren’t very good and her husband’s even worse.

“Candy, can you please fax the letters to me?” Gabrielle asked as she turned on the desktop computer in her apartment. Alongside the machine was a computer printer that doubled as a fax machine.

“I don’t have them, Bob does. Here is his work telephone number…..”

Gabrielle was on the phone with her brother-in-law five minutes later. First she had to endure a few nerve wracking minutes on hold before getting to talk to Robert Ishii.

“I’m sending the letters now. Gabrielle, tell me when you get them on your end,” Bob said as he personally handled the fax.

“Bob, thank you for doing this for me.”

“You’re welcome, Gabrielle. I’ll do it any time.”

The letters came through on Gabrielle’s end and were readable. “Bob, can you do me one other favor?”

“Anything Gabrielle, just name it.”

“Can you Fedex me the originals plus any envelopes they came in?” Gabrielle asked as she read and re-read Tom’s messages. The first was a duplicate of his letter to the Swan Song committee. The second was addressed to Gabrielle and was personal in nature.

Gabrielle couldn’t dismiss the chance of there being another hidden message from Tom in the mail he had sent. Her friend was in danger and taking risks that at the same time were laced with caution.

“Absolutely, Gabrielle, what’s your mailing address in Japan?”

Gabrielle gave the address of the Yokohama police station she was temporarily assigned to. Then after thanking Bob one more time, she hung up the phone before making a return call to Candace.

“Candy, I just want to say thanks. I owe you and Bob dinner the next time I come to visit.”

“You’re welcome, sis, and dinner isn’t necessary. This Ripley, is that the friend of yours you told me about the last time we spoke?”

“Yes, she is.”

Candace let out a short laugh. “When both of you come visit Bob and I, you’ll have to teach me what their right name is. So far you have given me four names for him or her.”

“I’ll do that, Candy, but it’s late and I’ve got to go,” Gabrielle said but not before allowing herself a short laugh.

“Sis, just one last thing before you hang up. Did you get the email Roxanne sent you?”

“Yes, I did. I won’t be able to make it. It is just because of my work. Otherwise I would be there.”

“All right, big sister. If you want to thank me and Bob, just come pay us a visit this Thanksgiving or Christmas. Bring your friend along also. Do you think you can do that?”

“Yes, I hope so.”

“I’ll let you go now, big sister. Please stay in touch.”

“I will. Bye, Candy.”

Even after Gabrielle turned off her cell phone, she remained seated on the edge of her bed. She allowed herself just a short cry before getting her emotions under control again.

‘He loves me. Tom wrote me that. He loves me, but is in danger and needs my help. What do I do now?’ Gabrielle thought to herself as she went over Tom Slater’s letter to her again and again in her mind.

The letter was signed ‘love, Tom,’ and told how he feared for himself physically and mentally more than ever now. Gabrielle didn’t see these admissions as a sign of cowardice. How could she? Tom Slater had been in extreme danger for almost a year and suffered a nervous breakdown which she was now making a tenuous recovery from. Any one under those conditions would feel less than secure for their own safety. Tom Slater was a brave man, but courage had a limit.

Gabrielle began asking herself what should be her next step. In the end, she decided to get some more sleep. A clear and well-rested mind was the first requirement for anyone devising plans to rescue Tom Slater from the twisted world of the Watanabe Yakuza.
 

~*~
 
Tuesday morning was just another day for Tom Slater, at least until Dai Hashimoto arrived at her office for his 10 a.m. appointment.

“Send him right in,” Tom told Aki over an office intercom.

Dai Hashimoto walked into Hiromi Sato’s office a few seconds later. Before doing anything else, he bowed to his Yakuza counterpart.

“Hiromi-san, it is good to see you. Are you well today?”

“Yes I am, Dai-san. Thank you for asking,” Tom replied as Dai sat down in the chair directly across from her.

While Dai sat himself down, Tom spoke to Suki and Aki via her intercom. “No interruptions, please.”

Before Dai arrived, Tom had Aki print copies of Dai’s latest financial statements. Then Tom spent another hour analyzing them and highlighting certain parts in preparation for the meeting that was now under way.

Almost at once Tom noted something was different about this meeting with Dai. There was none of the edginess in the Saiko-komon’s body language that had always given her the creeps in the past. Dai also seemed to be really listening to every word Tom said.

“My money has grown?”

“Yes, Dai-san, it has,” Tom said as she pointed to the figures for July 2006 and July 2007. “But not at the same rate as past years.”

“We have a recession now?”

Tom was surprised by Dai’s use of an economic term. “Yes, Japan is in a recession. Most of the rest of the world is in the same shape.

“It is good my money grew. Let me ask, are there any changes you would make to my investments right now?”

“No, Dai-san, there aren’t.”

Dai then asked Tom to call him if she ever felt changes needed to be done to his portfolio. “Of course, Dai-san, I will always do that for you.”
 

~*~
 
Gabrielle arrived at the Yokohama police station she worked out at a little before nine on Tuesday morning. On the way into work she had spent most of her energy thinking over ways of getting Tom out on her own, and bypassing the Swan Song committee entirely.

An independent plan to retrieve Tom was placed on hold the minute Gabrielle sat down behind her desk. Grant Williamson had given her clear instructions on what work she was to do next.

Gabrielle tried to call Sylvia Chang. “I work for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. May I speak to Chief Inspector Chang?”

“She isn’t in the office right now. May I ask who is calling?”

Gabrielle identified herself by name and said where she was calling from. “When will Inspector Chang be in again?”

“I do not know. She is very busy at this moment.”

“Can you tell me when I may expect a phone call back? I have something very urgent to speak to the Inspector about.”

“She will call you back, but I do not know when.”

Gabrielle tried to get the person she was talking with to be more specific but the man refused to budge.

Gabrielle then placed a call to Grant Williamson at his Washington D.C. home.

“Thank you, Agent Tanaka, for bringing this to my attention. I will try calling Sylvia personally.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Are there any other Swan Song updates?”

“No, sir, not at this moment.” Gabrielle had already made the decision not to tell any of the Swan Song committee members of Tom’s personal letter to her.

As nothing could be done in regards to the Hong Kong plan for the moment, Gabrielle focused again on her own personal plans. The fate of Tom Slater totally dominated her life now, and she didn’t fully trust any of the other players.
 

~*~
 
Even when Keiji Watanabe is not living there, his Lake Yanagawa home is heavily protected. This protection also extends to the only road leading to the property.

A Watanabe Yakuza named Mamoru Goto was on duty Tuesday morning when a two-ton truck came up the road towards him. He waved for it to stop.

“This is a private road. What is your business here?” Mamoru asked the driver of the truck that had the words Cherry Tree Home Décor plus a telephone number written prominently on all its doors plus sides.

The driver handed Mamoru a clipboard that had a work order on it. “Me and my helper are bringing goods to the Nimura home. It is being redecorated by the owner.”

An estate belonging to the late Takemune Nimura bordered the property belonging to Keiji Watanabe. Nimura had once been the president of the Mitsubishi Corporation.

No one was living at the Nimura home right then. People did however come to service the property from time to time.

Momoru Goto was a cautious man. He placed a cellphone call to Radek Krejci, the head of security for the Watanabe home.

“Let them through,” Radek told Mamoru. “I just got a fax from the owner yesterday. These people were hired by Mrs. Nimura to do some work.”

Mamoru gave the truck driver his clipboard back. “You may pass.”

The driver remained cranky because of the delay Mamoru had caused him. “I hope you won’t be like this every time I’m coming up here. We have better things to do than put up with this shit.”

Mamoru again ordered the driver to go. The two-ton truck continued on its way.

As soon as the truck was stopped outside the Nimura home, the driver and his helper quickly jumped out of the cab and ran to the back portion of the truck. A well worn brown key put into a similarly aged lock, freeing the back door. With one upward shove, the driver’s helper allowed what was inside to see bright sunshine for the first time in nearly an hour.

In the back of truck was a mixture of cargo and people, four men and one woman, who began to gently leap to the ground below as soon as their eyes became adjusted to the daytime sun. The first support personnel for Operation Raindrop had arrived.
 

~*~
 
“Ingawa-san will see you now,” A burly male bodyguard said to Akihisa Uno. Akihisa then walked through the doorway that was being held open for him.

Tokuro Inagawa was waiting for Akihisa. He did not give the young Yakuza any signal that he was permitted to sit down. “Akihisa-kun, have you heard of the Watanabes?”

The twenty-one-year-old Yakuza hid his nervousness well. “Yes, of course I have. They are the enemy of the Inagawa-kai.”

“The job I am about to assign you will help cause the destruction of this enemy.”

“I am eager to be of service to you, Inagawa-san. Just tell me what I am to do….”
 

~*~
 
After Dai Hashimoto expressed satisfaction with his finances, he and Tom went on discuss several Yakuza matters. The Watanabe Yakuza was always looking for new forms of business and activities to get into, plus strengthen those they already operated.

“The Oyabun will have many decisions to make,” Tom said.

“Hiromi-san, what do you think should be done?”

“Nothing needs to be changed now. I think the family is well placed.”

“What about the future?”

‘Are we about to start a philosophical discussion, Tiger-san? If so, you are a more complex man than I had originally thought.’ Tom mused to herself before answering Dai’s question. “As much as I may wish otherwise, I can’t predict the future.”

“I disagree, Hiromi-san. You are very good at knowing where business and investments are going.”

“Thank you, Tiger-san. I don’t predict as much as I use past business trends and economic data to project future results.”

Dai slowly began to nod his head. “How did you learn to do this?”

Tom said her investment skills were partly learned from when she studied at Tokyo University. Then she gave Dai a simplified explanation of why it was important for her to stay informed about all news, not just financial. “Politicians and government decision makers make policy every day. These decisions affect the free market system in many ways, and eventually how well your and my investments will do. Sometimes what is decided is not good for business. I then have to make appropriate adjustments.”

“Politicians should not interfere in my business.”

That comment from Dai caused Tom to smile for a moment. The Saiko-komon was a libertarian at heart and that was interesting. “Tiger-san, I do agree with you on that. Contracts between two parties should be as free as possible from third party interference.”

“You are very wise, Hiromi-san.”

“I have had many good teachers. First there were my professors at the university and then Goro-san, Grandfather, and you, after I came to work for the family.”

“Are there any changes you would make to our business now?”

“No, I can not think of any at this time.”

“We will need to make changes in the future.”

“Of course, Dai-san, change is inevitable. Only a foolish person tries to permanently maintain the status quo.”

“I will always be in need of your wise advice, Hiromi-san.”

“After I move to Hong Kong, you may still call me anytime you wish, Dai-san.”

“It will not be the same.”

“My Grandfather has asked that I work somewhere that is safer,” Tom told Dai. Did her fellow Saiko-komon know of the meeting she was to have with Keiji Watanabe that evening?

“You were very skilled the other Sunday when you came under attack.”

“Thank you, Dai-san. You and others come to my assistance. I am forever in your debt.”

Dai Hashimoto shook his head. “No Hiromi-san, you need not be that way. My help was only small whereas you were brave. You thought and reacted quickly when those gaijin attacked you.”

“I tried to think like those who were attacking me. Get into their heads, you might say.”

Dai nodded his head. “You are right, Hiromi-san. To defeat our enemies, we must think like them to discover their weaknesses.”

“I agree.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course you may, Dai-san. Go ahead and ask me what ever you like.”
 

~*~
 
“You do understand what I request of you now?” Tokuro Inagawa asked

Akihisa Uno nodded his head slightly. “I understand completely, Ingawa-san.”

“There will be a great reward for you if you complete the job I ask of you successfully.”

Akihisa Uno also knew what would happen to him if he failed. The Yakuza standing in front of Tokuro Inagawa was young but not foolish.

“This is the person you are to make sure is dead before this week is over,” Tokuro said as he passed Akihisa a photograph. The young Yakuza examined it closely.

The person Akihisa Uno had just been ordered to kill was none other than Hiromi Sato.
 

~*~
 
To be continued in Part Sixteen