“I don’t understand.”
“We rule the Pacific Ocean. The Great American Republic and the Chinese Empire are under our control. Shouldn’t we be magnanimous with the locals? It’s their gods that have abandoned them, not ours.”
“Their God urges them to fight through George Washington,” Ben said.
“Their God is a symbol of archaic values, a morality that favors the masses with illusions to make suffering more bearable now. Heaven is Tijuana without consequences. Endless feasts, a perpetual state of ecstasy induced by holy drugs, and the rest, a vague flood of light.”
“If we lost the War, do you think the gods would be different?”
“We didn’t lose the war,” Wakana said. “The Greeks believed the worst sin wasn’t murder, not even infanticide, but hubris. Is a man who sets himself up as a god committing the ultimate sacrilege?”
“Not if he is a god.”
“Who determines that?”
“The victor?” Ben posed as both answer and question.
Wakana laughed. “Yes. The victor. How many have we killed in our march to empire?”
“I don’t know.”
“Every great empire has a mountain of corpses underneath it as its foundation. The Romans, the Chinese – even the Americans wiped out millions of Indians and enslaved the African natives. No one remembers those who were sacrificed. It’s like our earthquakes that wipe away the glories of the past. We’ve used the atomic torpedo on the Americans three times and they were all launched on the same day. There’s still fierce debate about whether it was even necessary. The Americans were ready to surrender.”
“I’d always thought we used them to spare our soldiers from ground combat since the Americans were going to fight to the death.”
“We’d already broken all their ciphers and knew they were going to wave the flag, especially with most of the east coast overrun. They had a few minor conditions, but nothing unreasonable considering the circumstances.”
“Why didn’t we accept them?”
“Because we wanted to scare the Germans, make it clear this was our turf and we’d do anything to defend it. It was supposed to be a political statement and a surefire way of ending the war. Hundreds of thousands of Americans were killed. Mostly civilians. There were many rallies against the use of the atomics. Even now, there are many who’ve gathered in Kyoto to protest against our conflict with the George Washingtons, demanding a peaceful resolution.”
“Why?”
“I’ve wondered the same thing. Do you think the world would have had more peace if the Empire had been defeated?”
“That’s hard to say, sir. I watched a portical film about Musashi a few years ago,” Ben said. “He killed a lot of people. Maybe it’s in our blood.”
Wakana was amused by the comment. “One of the tactics he teaches is called the Glue and Lacquer Emulsion Body. You stick to the enemy with your head, body, and legs and you’re so closely attached, there isn’t the slightest gap between you.”
“Like a lover?”
Wakana guffawed. “Is everything about love to you?”
“Not everything.”
“There are many questions about you that I find perplexing,” he said.
“Me?”
“Forgive me if I’m blunt, but almost every report I’ve read about you is negative. This dates back to your time at BEMAG and the ensuing years. And yet, everywhere Lieutenant Colonel Mutsuraga goes, he specifically requests you come – in fact, insists on it. You would have been shipped off to Africa or Vietnam a long time ago if not for him. Why is that?”
“I didn’t know the lieutenant colonel was the one keeping me near him.”
“You must have noticed. Your academy reports say you failed basic officer’s field training for your inability to use a sword properly.”
“Like I said, I’m worthless with a sword.”
“And yet, here you are.”
“I’m not sure what you’re getting at.”
Wakana put his blade away and leaned on his staff again as they walked away from the temple. When they were a distance from the altar, he asked, “How much do you know about the lieutenant colonel’s relationship with his wife, Meredith?”
“Not much.”
“You mean you don’t want to say?”
“The lieutenant colonel’s personal life is his own,” Ben answered.
“Do you think his personal life is affecting his judgment as commander?”
“I’m not sure. As a lieutenant, I rarely deal with the lieutenant colonel.”
“Yes, and your official job is censoring messages people send via their porticals. So you must have read the lieutenant colonel’s private correspondence.”
“I-I have.”
“And?”
“Their relationship is their own personal business.”
“Not when it affects the Empire.”
“But–”
“I’m going to have to pull rank and remind you I have the authority of Tokyo Command behind me.”
“I feel it’s inappropriate talking about the lieutenant colonel’s personal life.”
“Even if the stability of the USJ could hinge on it?”
Ben hesitated. “Their relationship is strained,” he admitted, putting it as diplomatically as he could.
“Why is it strained?”
“The-the lieutenant colonel believes Meredith is having an affair.”
“Did he order you to watch her?”
Ben shifted his feet, discomfited. “I’ve been monitoring all her portical activity.”
“And what have your portical eyes told you?” Wakana inquired.
“That she’s having an affair with a GW.”
“Have you told the lieutenant colonel?”
“Just recently, I confirmed it for him.”
Wakana looked back at the statue of Musashi in a combat pose, growling fiercely while holding his sword.
“This ability to monitor someone else’s portical activity. Is this something you got from the Kikkai Department?”
Ben shook his head. “It’s something I… Lieutenant Colonel Mutsuraga helped me to develop.”
“Why are we at this shrine, Lieutenant Ishimura?”
Ben’s eyes looked past the major to a gaunt-looking male who wore a hat with a logo on top of it. Huge sunglasses covered half his face and he was clad in an army green trench coat that he’d buttoned up. It was Captain Yoshioka. “How’d you know he’d be here?” Wakana asked.
“I’ve been monitoring his portical activity through lunch. Should I call for backup?”
“I hope we won’t need to.”
Captain Yoshioka bowed in front of the shrine, both arms out in front of him in obeisance. Twice, he removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes, wiping away tears.
“What do you think he’s praying about?” Wakana asked.
Ben scanned his portical. “I think Lieutenant Colonel Mutsuraga ordered him to kill someone.”
“Someone?”
“Someone named Andrew Jackson.”
Wakana cursed under his breath. “I wish I’d known about your device so we could have spared ourselves a lot of trouble.”
“You know Andrew Jackson?”
“Andrew Jackson is the GW that is sleeping with Meredith Mutsuraga. The lieutenant colonel probably promised to take care of Yoshioka’s family if he went out on one last suicide attack. But Andrew Jackson can’t die.”
“Why not?”
“He’s the staunchest supporter of compromise with us among their ranks. Meredith has convinced him that the George Washingtons should negotiate, that the Empire is here to stay, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
“Is she a double agent?”
Wakana shook his head. “This would all be easier if she were. Still, peace is peace.”
“But at what price?”
“A price that’s going to have to be paid.”
“The loss of face for the lieuten–”
“Is nothing in service of the Emperor. Think of the lives that’ll be saved. We have to protect Andrew Jackson, even if it means he gets a military guard,” Wakana said.
Ben stared at Wakana. “Are you here for Captain Yoshioka, or the lieutenant colonel?”
Wakana snickered. “And they said you weren’t sharp.”
Yoshioka’s prayer ended and he walked briskly away, a paranoid turn of his head to make sure he wasn’t being followed. When he saw the two of them in uniform, he broke into a sprint.
“Captain!” the major yelled. “Captain!”
Yoshioka stopped. When he turned around, he held a pistol in his hand.
Wakana did not let it hinder him and approached closer.
“How did you find me?” Yoshioka asked. His eyes were black holes and his lips were a dry mess of torn flesh. He had a huge Adam’s apple that bounced back and forth as he spoke and a big nose that protruded into several dull ridges. He glowered at Ben. “You gave me up, Ishimura?”
“We would have found you eventually,” Wakana said. “Let’s talk. I’m Major Wakana, sent by Tokyo Command.”
“I know you’re here to take me away. But I won’t be executed for following orders!” he shouted.
“No one said anything about an execution. I just want to ask a few questions.”
“Like what?”
“At Balboa Park, did someone give you the order to fire on the civilians?”
“They attacked me first. I have witnesses. The officers told me I’d be OK. You can’t kill me for defending myself.”
“You’ll be given a fair trial.”
“What about my mother? Who’ll take care of her if I’m gone?”
“Your mother will be taken care of by the Empire.”
“Families of executed officers are never taken care of,” Yoshioka said. “You think I don’t know how it is?”
Wakana twisted his staff in place, wondering if there was some way he could placate Yoshioka.
“If you get closer, I’ll kill you!” Yoshioka threatened. Glaring at Ben. “You don’t even have the loyalty of a dog.”
Wakana raised his arms in the air to show he was unarmed and stepped forward. “I’ve read your past record. You’ve always been a loose cannon, Captain. You shouldn’t have been put in charge there in the first place. I know that.”
“It’s not my fault. Someone threw a bottle at one of the soldiers. I thought I heard a gunshot. I had to protect my men.”
“Did Lieutenant Colonel Mutsuraga order you to kill someone?”
Yoshioka lowered his head.
“Did he promise to take care of your mother in return?”
“Step back!” Yoshioka yelled, then opened up his jacket. He was covered with explosives.
Ben flinched. Wakana did not. “You want to kill me, that’s fine. But you’ll answer my questions first.”
“W-what questions?”
“How many people have you killed?”
“I don’t know.”
“Before Balboa Park?”
“Seventeen.”
“Enemy combatants?”
Yoshioka nodded.
“It was different this time, wasn’t it?”
“What are you talking about?”
“This time it was innocent people.”
“They weren’t innocent! I warned them to disperse!”
“Shigeko. Do you mind if I call you that?”
“Whatever. I don’t care.”
“Shigeko. Who do you see when you go to sleep?”
Ben was confused by the question, but Yoshioka’s eyes began to tear up.
“I know there’s someone. Maybe one person. Maybe two,” Wakana said. “They’re always there. You try to distract yourself, but right before sleep, there’s nowhere to hide. That’s why you haven’t slept in weeks.”
“It wasn’t my fault,” Yoshioka said. “I told them to go home.”
“I know. Who is it you see?”
Yoshioka shook his head. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to me.”
“Why?”
“Because I have someone I see too,” Wakana admitted.
“How long ago?”
“When I first started, decades ago.”
“So it never… it never goes away?”
“Mutsuraga told you to blow yourself up for the Empire. But you just want it to end.”
Yoshioka wiped the mucus dripping from his nose. “She was so young. Couldn’t have been more than eight. I didn’t see her until it was too late. One of the GWs brought her as a human shield. How could they bring a little girl there, knowing it was a combat zone?”
Wakana stared at him for a long time. “There are soldiers who don’t feel an ounce of remorse for killing even the innocent. At least you still have a conscience. The Americans believed there is redemption for everyone as long as you believe in their God.”
“I don’t believe in their gods.”
“You think blowing yourself up will be your redemption?”
“I will kill enemies of the Empire,” Yoshioka affirmed.
“You mean Andrew Jackson?”
Yoshioka was startled. “H-how did you know?”
“The lieutenant colonel neglected to tell you the real reason he wants Jackson dead is because Jackson is having an affair with his wife. This is a personal vendetta, not a mission for the Empire. Am I right, Lieutenant Ishimura?”
“Yes, sir. I’ve been tracking his messages. The–”
“Shut up, Ishimura! I don’t want to hear another word from you!”
“But you know there’s no one who would know better than the lieutenant,” Wakana asserted.
Yoshioka’s hands rustled in his pockets.
“You want to blow yourself up, go ahead,” Wakana said. “Go right there. But don’t kill another father in the process.”
“Another father?”
“Andrew Jackson is the father of two daughters. He wants peace with the USJ. You are killing the last hope we have for peace with the GWs.”
“W-what am I supposed to do?”
“Either blow yourself up here or surrender,” Wakana stated.
“B-but–”
“I can’t promise you redemption – I’m not American. But I can promise you justice.”
“You mean my life?”
“A chance to absolve yourself.”
“How?”
“I don’t know. That’s up to the judge.”
“I’ve caused too much trouble.”
“It’s the troublemakers who change empires,” Wakana replied. “What’ll it be?”
“I’m not sure. I nee–”
Wakana wrapped his arms around Yoshioka. “You wanna die. Let’s go, captain! Set off the bomb! I’m ready to die too! I’ve been ready to die every day since that morning. Are you?”
“Get off me!” Yoshioka exclaimed, trying to push Wakana off.
But Wakana’s hands quickly disarmed the igniter, separating Yoshioka from the explosives connected to his body with the deft use of a knife that had appeared from his sleeve. “Do you really want to die? One poke in your neck, and I can end it for you,” Wakana said.
Yoshioka struggled to break free, but Wakana cuffed the captain. “Ishimura. Go call for some support and call the bomb brigade too.”
2:31PM
The military police disarmed the rest of Yoshioka and carted him off on a jeep. Local police were there as well, though more for general security as the prisoner was under military jurisdiction. The monks were distraught, wondering what all the commotion was for. Wakana asked for an unmarked car from one of the officers investigating the scene.
“Where are we going?” Ben asked.
“Have you ever met a George Washington?” Wakana asked back.
“In person?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve spied on some.”
“We’ll meet some directly,” Wakana said.
“Where?”
&nbs
p; “A market in the Gaslamp Quarter.”
“The Stingaree?” Ben asked. “I think that’s where Yoshioka was heading.”
“It’s because the GWs are having a private rally there.”
“How do you know?”
“I’ve been in negotiations with Andrew Jackson and he’ll be explaining our compromise there. But something doesn’t sit right with me. Mutsuraga knows you’re with me, so it’s safe to presume he’ll also know it means you can track Yoshioka. We can’t assume Yoshioka will be the only one trying to attack the rally.”
“You think Mutsuraga wants revenge?”
“Revenge, and to publicly humiliate them. I hope I’m wrong. But there are others besides Mutsuraga who have a vested interest in making sure the negotiations fail.”
“What’ll happen to Yoshioka?”
“Depends on how the negotiations with the GWs go.”
They got in the car and Beniko drove.
“I didn’t know Andrew Jackson had two daughters,” Ben said.
“He doesn’t,” Wakana answered.
“Then why…” Ben began, but he realized the answer himself.
“To disarm him mentally,” the major confirmed.
“And the part about seeing someone?”
Wakana stared flatly ahead. “Keep your eyes on the road.”
Exiting Tijuana was faster than entering through all the security checkpoints.
“How far is it?” Wakana asked.
“Not too far.” Ben sped up. “You really think peace with the GWs is possible?” he asked.
“Have you heard of how the GWs deal with traitors?”
“They feed them to animals,” Ben answered.
“Sometimes ants. They are savage, but disciplined and ruthless in their organization. Even if we killed George Washington, another would take his place. Perhaps a friend, a brother, a fellow patriot. They will fight us to the death. Our compromise will carve out San Diego into separate regions. They will be autonomous, though they will grant us access. They promise to cease all attacks in exchange.”
“Tokyo Command agrees to this?”
“They sent me,” Wakana affirmed.
“I’m curious what the simulation would say about this.”
“Why don’t you input the variables later?”
United States of Japan Page 15
