Sudden Threat

by A. J Tata

  They showed their credentials at the west gate and walked into the national security advisor’s office, where President Davis was waiting with Dave Palmer, the NSA, and Frank Lantini. They exchanged pleasantries and Meredith found both Palmer and Lantini to be likable people. Lantini complimented her on her performance a couple of days ago and mentioned that the president was very impressed with her.

  “Don’t go giving her any ideas, she’s mine,” Stone remarked.

  They all laughed, then got down to business as Secretary of State Jim Fleagles entered the room a minute late.

  “The way I see it, we’ve got to make them show some force. We can’t just sink the ships in the ocean,” Palmer said, watching Fleagles take a seat.

  Stone looked at Meredith.

  “I agree,” responded Meredith. “The only problem is, how much is enough? If we let too much get on the ground, it will be too hard to fight. If we don’t let enough, the attack will appear unprovoked.”

  “Why can’t we just sink the ships, Dave?” Davis asked.

  “Well, sir, I think the Japanese could claim that they were going to use those weapons, if they ever admitted to owning them, for defensive purposes. They could claim that they were building storage sites. It would make us look bad.”

  “I just hate to let a war happen,” the president said, concerned. “We’ll lose American lives. Hell we’ve already lost over twenty, and maybe the hostages.”

  “Sir,” Meredith interrupted, “I’ve got a friend who’s one of the hostages—”

  “I’m so sorry,” Davis said.

  Meredith looked at the president. Okay, friend might have been a stretch, but she did feel close to Matt, and she was inexplicably worried about him.

  “Thank you, the point I want to make is that I believe force is necessary. Think of how many lives it will cost if we don’t stop the Japanese. What happens if they seize the Philippines? What kind of message does it send the world if we don’t respond?” she said, still uncomfortable asking the president questions. She continued, “The real issue is, how much do we let the world know about?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “If we can sink the other six ships and blockade Japan from doing much else with their rather large ‘self-defense force,’ then we might just be able to show a still somewhat weak Japan kind of gone crazy with four divisions. But if the world, especially China and Korea, find out that they have ten divisions floating in the water with three or four manufacturing plants in Mindanao still cranking tanks out every day, I think we’ve got a regional conflict beyond anything we could imagine. So the issue is letting them look like the aggressor but limiting what they can fight with.”

  “I agree,” said Lantini. Palmer nodded also.

  “Is there any way to negotiate our way out of this thing?” Davis said, turning to Secretary Fleagles.

  “Sir, I think we’ve already been out-negotiated. If they’ve got four divisions’ worth of equipment moving into Manila Bay, in my opinion they’ve already attacked. They did this whole thing behind our backs, lying to us every step of the way,” Fleagles said.

  “Still, why can’t we just call up the prime minister and tell him not to attack?” the president asked.

  “Once again, sir, the Japanese do not appear to be concerned with our response. Mizuzawa wouldn’t even see me when I flew out there, so I came straight back. I think they truly believe we will not respond—”

  “Then we must make them continue to believe it,” Meredith said.

  “Right,” said Fleagles, unsure of how to treat Meredith. “If we’re gonna fight this thing, we need to make up our minds. I’ll go negotiate, but they’ve been bullshittin’ us for a couple of years, and as far as I’m concerned, that constitutes breaking diplomatic relations. In effect, sir, they declared war on us when they developed this plan of theirs.”

  “This thing has the potential to get way out of hand,” the president said. “They need to know that I will do whatever is right for the American people, even if that means waiting to deal with Iraq. Okay? That’s the plan then. We wait for their attack on the Philippines to commence, then we sink the six ships in the water as we launch our forces. I assume we’ve still got the carrier group moving to Korea.”

  “Yes, sir,” Stone responded. “I’ve got a team working up an assessment of the impact this will have on the Iraq time line also.”

  “That’s fine, but if we get locked down here, I want to do it right,” Davis said.

  Meredith cocked her head. Good move, she thought. It was clear guidance.

  A military aide stuck his head in the door and said, “Sir, the Japanese ambassador is here to see you. He’s waiting outside the Oval Office.”

  President Davis looked at the gathering and declared, “Showtime.”

  He walked past Meredith, caught a whiff of her perfume and wondered if Stone was getting any yet.

  CHAPTER 74

  White House, Washington, DC

  Kaitachi was waiting for the president in the anteroom to the Oval Office. He shook hands with the Japanese diplomat and placed an arm around him as they walked in.

  “Good afternoon, my fine Japanese friend,” the president said.

  “Good afternoon, Mr. President,” Kaitachi responded with a slight bow.

  They walked into the Oval Office. The military aide closed the doors behind them. The president walked to a window and looked at the Washington Monument. The cherry blossoms were in full splendor around the tidal basin. It was a beautiful, tranquil sight. The trees were a gift in 1912 from the Japanese ambassador’s wife, Davis recalled. What other gifts are they bearing today?

  “I’ve considered your plea for a response from us,” the president said.

  “Oh?” Kaitachi said, sounding surprised.

  The president shot his eyes to the side, measuring the inflection in the ambassador’s voice.

  “Yes,” he said, turning and looking at the old man. “We will send a carrier battle group off the coast of Korea and warn them against any aggression.”

  “That is not necessary,” Kaitachi said, backtracking. “We were only hoping for satellite assistance in observing the region.”

  “Well, why didn’t you say so? Now I’ve moved an entire carrier group over there.”

  “You are free to call them back, sir. My intentions were not to have you send forces, simply provide us intelligence in keeping with the spirit of our alliance,” Kaitachi said.

  I bet that’s all you wanted. He’s smooth. Very smooth.

  “Whatever you say, but it may take some time to get them turned around. How do you guys feel about this situation in the Philippines?” he asked. The president grabbed a handful of peanuts from a bowl on his desk and popped them into his mouth.

  “We are still concerned, but now believe that we can handle the threat in a regional sense,” Kaitachi said.

  “What do you mean?” Davis asked, interested. Could this be it? Are they finally going to come clean?

  “Through statecraft, we can ensure our sea-lanes are not intercepted. We do not believe the Muslim insurgents, the Abu Sayyaf, will be a large threat to the region, as Bin Laden is to the world. Though we will watch. If it is more of an internal revolution that may, in the long run, improve the condition of the average Filipino, then, naturally, we support such improvement. But the primary reason I am here is to relay to you that my prime minister is very satisfied with your leadership in this crisis.”

  I bet, you sneaky son of a bitch.

  “Well, thank you. Send my regards to Prime Minister Mizuzawa.”

  “I shall.”

  “Oh, by the way. My condolences on the death of your emperor. He was a good man,” the president said sincerely. He had known Emperor Shigazawa to be a kind and caring person.

  “Thank you. I will pass your remarks on to the prime minister.”

  President Davis watched Ambassador Kaitachi leave his office, knowing full well that the diplomat was lying. He want
ed to stop him and tell him that they knew everything, but that would have been a mistake.

  Davis felt confident for the first time in days. He finally had the upper hand.

  The president, still seated in his office, was wondering if they might be able to let Japan attack the Philippines, then counter with American force, eschewing the United Nations initially. After which, they could petition the UN for a peacekeeping force and mandatory trade concessions that would regulate trade imbalances. The key was forcing Japan into the “Hitler” aggressor role as America had rightly done, and was doing, with Saddam Hussein. That shouldn’t be too hard.

  President Davis jotted a note on White House stationery, then called his press aide and gave him some instructions regarding packaging his speech to the American people, the one that would inform the world of impending American action in the Philippines.

  Not against the Islamic insurgents, but against Japan.

  He picked up a remote and turned on the television, flipping through the channels rather quickly, then stopping and backing up. Then forward again. He recognized someone. There it was.

  Kaitachi was on television. The president noticed the small c-span symbol in the corner of the screen. Kaitachi was briefing the General Assembly of the United Nations. He raised the volume and listened as the interpreter spoke after Kaitachi talked in his native tongue. The ambassador must have taken the Japanese diplomatic jet to LaGuardia. Door to door from DC to the UN was less than two hours with the efficient transportation that a head of state or ambassador typically commanded.

  “I have just received word from Prime Minister Mizuzawa that I am to address the body today concerning the revolution in the Philippines. Also, I briefed the president of the United States this morning on my remarks today.”

  What the hell is he talking about! The president sat forward in his chair, pressed an intercom button, and screamed into the receiver, “Dave, get in here, now!” The National Security Advisor came running into the oval office and saw the president watching C-SPAN.

  “Look at this shit!”

  They watched as Kaitachi spoke.

  “Today, we have joined alliances with the United States in a dramatic way in this Global War on Terror. The Japanese military has landed on the Philippine Island of Luzon with a small show of force in an effort to ensure that our critical sea-lanes remain open. As you all know, we orchestrated the release of American and freedom-seeking peoples from the Philippines. Regrettably, further negotiations with Commander Talbosa, the so-called Abu Sayyaf leader, have led to his refusal to cooperate and resulted in a serious threat to Japanese sea-lanes and freedom-seeking peoples in the country.

  “The barbaric acts of this Islamic ideologue must not go unchecked. His actions threaten the nascent democracies in the region. We have had several discussions with President Davis and his secretary of defense, who have requested assistance regarding this vital matter. I will provide transcripts of these conversations for the media. In effect, we were given the green light by the United States to handle the situation ourselves, and so we have.

  “We promise to attempt to crush Islamic fundamentalism, restore the democratic process to the Philippines, and ensure that our vital sea-lanes remain open. Our only goal is to alleviate the burden and pain of the Filipinos, who will surely suffer under the rule of Sharia law.

  “Rest assured, we have no designs beyond protecting the fine people of the Philippines and protecting our vital interests. We want to thank our great allies, the United States, for their advice and assistance in this matter.”

  Kaitachi finished and walked away from the podium, leaving behind a speechless delegation, U.S. president, and world community.

  Palmer snatched the remote and flipped to CNN, which was scrambling with the news. A CNN correspondent was sticking a microphone in his ear, looking at his notes, ready to provide some in-depth analysis.

  Palmer shut off the television.

  He and Davis looked at one another for a few brief seconds. Japan had surrounded them with bishops, knights, and rooks. The president felt frozen in place. Was America facing a potential checkmate? No, that wasn’t possible.

  It occurred to him, as it might have occurred to Napoleon that Wellington was indeed on the reverse slope of the hill as his forces impaled themselves on the British lances, that they had been at least one step behind Japan at every juncture.

  “Why do I feel like we’re standing here holding our jockstraps, Dave?”

  Palmer looked uncomfortably at the floor, then leveled his eyes on the president.

  “Because we are, sir.”

  CHAPTER 75

  McLean, Virginia

  Meredith had raced to her condo five minutes away in Pentagon City, where she was pulling her nylons over her legs and had a hairbrush clutched between her teeth doing the “Superman change,” as she called it. It was nearing seven o’clock, and Latisha had called to remind her that Stone was expecting her to arrive at his home for some planning. Latisha had mentioned that they might return to the Pentagon after the secretary had his dinner, depending on developments in the Philippines. She was not thrilled about having to fight DC rush-hour traffic from her Arlington apartment to his McLean mansion.

  The television was blasting FoxNews in the background as she stood, yanking the hose up around her waist, then letting her cocktail dress fall to her knees. She stepped to the mirror, sighed, and said, “This will have to do.”

  She slipped Rathburn’s thumb drive into her purse, disappointed that she’d not had much time to truly consider what its contents might be, or might portend.

  “Ambassador Kaitachi has just announced that Japan intends to join forces with the United States in the Global War on Terror to, and I quote, ‘crush Islamic fundamentalism’ in the Philippines …”

  She was brushing her hair, then in slow motion she stopped the smooth stroke against her blond locks, staring at the image of the television in the mirror.

  “Oh my God,” she said.

  Her mind raced and locked onto the big picture. Just as the Third Reich had begun with the embarrassment and constraining loss of territory from World War I’s Treaty of Versailles, Japan was still smarting from World War II’s post conflict occupation and dominance by the Americans. Like an ill patient who has sweat through the sheets shedding a virus, Japan has suffered the alien imposition of Western culture only to come back to their native heritage.

  Hitler had started with the Night of the Long Knives, where key German leaders were murdered in order to allow for consolidation of power. The Japanese Emperor has just committed suicide, she thought.

  Then Hitler got around the German constitution limiting their Army to one hundred thousand soldiers by merging the Army and the Sturmab-teilung, the assault force. Japan is circumventing their constitution by building tanks and helicopters in the Philippines.

  In 1938, Hitler compelled Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg to capitulate in a bloodless invasion. Then followed Sudetenland, or Czechoslovakia, then Poland and …

  “Oh my God,” she said again.

  Japan is starting with the Philippines, then going to Taiwan!

  How did we miss this?

  She jumped in her old Honda Prelude and took the George Washington Parkway from her Pentagon Row apartment onto Dolley Madison and into McLean. She found the address and debated a few minutes whether to pull into the long driveway or park on the street. She looked around and deter-mined that her piece of junk might get towed if she left it on the street. As she pulled into the long driveway, she noticed that it arced in front of the huge colonial mansion. She followed the curve and stopped just beyond the hedgerow that abutted the asphalt.

  She stood, grabbed her briefcase and purse, and walked up the steps.

  Soaking in the moment, and the environment, the old Virginia Slims commercial rang in her head.

  You’ve come a long way, baby.

  CHAPTER 76

  Stone swirled his Scotch in his
glass and thought about the day. He had met with the Joint Chiefs once again to discuss the announcement of the Japanese ambassador at the United Nations. The media frenzy was predictable but unnerving. War in Afghanistan was raging, and now the Philippines? How were Abu Sayyaf and Al Qaeda linked? Did the Philippines add a Pacific Rim dimension to the Global War on Terror? Did it scuttle the plan for Iraq? How much joint and combined planning had the United States done with the Japanese?

  All good questions.

  He had given a brief press conference, not wanting to say anything of significance before the president’s speech. They had worked hard through the day, and there was little else he could do tonight other than monitor the situation from his home. Besides, he had Meredith coming over for dinner shortly, and with his wife out of town, he thought he might digress from the rapid pace of events for a while. It’s officially a meeting, he thought to himself.

  She smiled at me a lot today. I’m Mick Jagger! Stone muddied his mind with prurient thoughts of Meredith. She’s wearing prettier dresses for me. She wants me, I can tell.

  He sat in his leather recliner in the study of his McLean mansion, which had cost well over two million dollars. It was a large, redbrick, Colonial design. The house was beautiful, with far too many rooms for any two people, and Stone had a servant who lived in separate quarters.

  He heard the doorbell ring and listened to the footsteps of Andre, his butler for all practical purposes. He heard the banter of small talk and smiled when he heard Meredith’s voice sing sweetly in the large foyer, drifting through the expansive hallways, echoing into the abyss of his depraved mind. She wants me. Otherwise, she would not have shown. He had changed into a shirt and sweater with khaki pants. He figured the collegiate look might attract her. The sweater could not hide his protruding gut, though, and the khaki pants did not make him look any taller. In fact, Meredith was a good two inches taller than he was. It made him uncomfortable, and, therefore, he had to conquer her.