The Devil's Playground

by Michael Reagan

replied.

  "Then who did?" the Indian asked with a questioning look.

  "I do not know but please pass on to Mr. Dowling that I will ask my friends in Tokyo to find out."

  "I am not sure that's going to cut it, Oshima," Navjot responded forcibly. "He's getting wash back from his friends," he continued, not understanding whom he was referring to but nonetheless repeating the words Hank had told him to say from their conversation earlier by phone.

  "Tell him to pass on to Secretary Young that our deal remains in place. The annexation will take place in three weeks as promised during the annual war-games and we will make sure that no more attempts are made on Litchfield-San until after the invasion. You have the word of the Katamaya-Gumi!" Shota stated abruptly to Navjot who was fighting desperately not to show the shock on his face over discovering the fact that the Secretary of State and Dowling were in cahoots together with the Japanese Yazuka over a potential invasion somewhere in the Asia.

  The conversation between Yorijo Katamaya and the man who looked after their affairs in the office located in the Paytagt Shopping Center of the Japanese Embassy in Ashgabat was a one-way conversation.

  "Toyoda, I want the person who ordered the death of Litchfield-San in Moscow to withdraw their contract on him immediately!" Yorijo Katamaya ordered angrily. His statement was empathized by his insulting use of the man's surname instead of his first name followed by the word "San" after it.

  "Yes, Yorijo-San," replied the young Under Secretary hesitantly with fear in his voice.

  "Make it clear that if they do not, they will make an enemy of the Katamaya-Gumi!" he said almost shouting down the phone before ending the call abruptly.

  26

  Beijing

  Jiang Zhanpang read the latest report from Agent Sha with a wry smile. He wasn't at all surprised that she hadn't been able to access Litchfield's files or communication devices as of yet because he believed men with Litchfield's former background didn't make mistakes in their personal security in protecting their interests. Recent events in Moscow had shown that. Nor was he surprised as he cast his eyes over the political analyst's report that the Oligarch was considered the prime suspect in the murder of business partner in Turkmenistan because he fully understood the reasons behind such an action.

  "A leader must always appear strong when disloyalty raises its head," he concluded with just a touch of admiration. He set aside the office analyst's report for a moment to sip on his ever-present cup of hot green tea and applied his mind to what was perplexing him the most, the assassination attempt on Litchfield.

  The analysts of MPS believed the attempt to be the work of the Japanese Intelligence Services. Jiang thought that this assumption was incorrect. Having gone to the trouble of making Litchfield public enemy number one by making him the instrument of the Russian President via the media, to kill the Englishman before the objective had been seized just didn't make sense to him. It was like releasing the steam from a locomotive engine. It was a question that had continued to perplex for him for a few moments until he picked up the political analyst's summary as to why.

  "?forcing Putin to respond to the challenge to his authority on Russian soil by destabilizing Turkmenistan," the report stated, "would increase the pressure on Japan's forward gas purchases thus enabling them to further justify their annexation internally and externally but more importantly because it affected China's Energy Security position, thus forcing China to protect her interests in the East and thereby focus on a bigger problem than Japan Sea question."

  Jiang pondered on the synopsis for a moment.

  "A fair assessment," he concluded changing his mind and instead agreeing with the analyst's overview. He could see his point. "The world is more likely to be concerned by the growing prospect of a conflict between two members of the Security Council than the annexation of a tiny piece of territory in the Japan Sea," he concluded, smiling to himself over the audacity of the plan.

  He then had an idea that if used correctly and in the right manner a "crisis" would give China not just control over the fields of Turkmenistan and also dramatically shift the geo-political landscape of Asia.

  "It would be a case of who blinked first!" he exclaimed, convincing himself even further that the idea had legs.

  He put down the combined reports for a second and picked up the digital phone on his desk. He dialed the number for the Commanding Officer of the unit that was nicknamed "the Falcon" in China but officially known as the Chengdu Military Region Special Forces Unit.

  When the unit was established in 1992, its primary role had been target locating, airborne insertion, sabotage, and offensive strikes. When Jiang took over the MPS, he immediately re-tasked the unit for a very different purpose that was similar in nature to role of the CIA's SAD and Russia's Zaslon units.

  Within seconds of connecting, the call the voice of General Qu Bo came on the line. Their conversation, short and sweet, ended with an order to come to the office so he could be given his orders.

  Jiang took a sip of his green tea. He then took another moment to smile allowing his gaze to fall upon the picture of The Last Supper from Zeng's Fanzhi "Mask" series, showing Jesus and the Apostles in historical garb of masked Young Pioneers, a Chinese Communist youth group that Jiang had once been a member of as a young man.

  He had loved the picture from the first time he had seen it because he had instantly understood the metaphor of the one of China's modern artists: the "Judas" figure wearing a gold tie instead of a red one to represent western capitalism that had transformed his nation. That was the reason why he had paid twenty-three million dollars for it at auction. To Zhang, no painting had ever documented the psychological toll that his country's economic reform has had on its citizens as well. It served to him, as a reminder that in the modern world China needed to adapt its historical position of never extending its historical borders and embrace, its destiny to rule and dominate the future of the planet. If it didn't then would never be the master of its own destiny, only a slave to the will of others.

  27

  Tokyo

  Yorijo Katamaya examined the face of the young woman sitting across from him in his lounge. There was no doubt in his mind that she was beautiful. She possessed a sense of style that was straight from the pages of the European magazines that the young women of Japan followed with such enthusiasm and bordered on obsession. Yet that was not what interested him; it was her bravery to tell him in person it was she that had killed the "fat man" and in so doing, the girl had immediately gained his respect.

  Initially he had planned to kill her to send a message to her husband that the Katamaya-Gumi that friends and partners were untouchable, but for the moment he had a far more pressing matter to contend with so he decided to park that action for the moment.

  When she had told him she was taking over the affairs of Ruslan Mingazow on behalf of their infant son, it had taken her up to a whole new level in his assessment of her because he had no idea that Mingazow was the father of her child until she presented the letter written in the fat man's own hand, confirming it as fact.

  Yorijo, notwithstanding the modern love affair for digital forms of letters, had always insisted that all his heads within his extended organization kept a sealed letter of introduction for their inheritors in the event of their deaths. Ruslan Mingazow's letter passed over by the young woman's elegant hand proved her bold claim.

  "A true Praying Mantis!" he concluded with a hint of admiration as she continued with her outline of terms while he read the letter.

  "With my husband's position we are able to discreetly assist your organization with its transportation requirements as before if not better," she continued without batting an eyelid.

  Yorijo nodded as he listened to her impressively back up her bold statement for the next ten minutes as to how to achieve it.

  "A shadow line into Europe with full diplomatic protection," he said once she finished. This time it was the young lady's turn t
o nod.

  "If the Katamaya-Gumi is to enter into partnership with your family then it requires you to step back from your feud with the Englishman," he stated with all the authority that he were famous for.

  The young girl's eyes instantly changed to a look of fire. Yorijo decided it was hatred. It reminded him of his mother who had a similar relationship with his father. His respect for the young woman grew even more.

  "Such passion!" he concluded. He could see instantly why Mingazow had been and why powerful men were so attracted to her in spite of her obvious youth and physical charms. "Strength is always something that must be tamed!" he thought, remembering his mother's words of long ago, "To dominate a woman and own her is one of life's great pleasures for a man but if used correctly, my son, a woman can achieve great things, so always be aware of the honey a woman offers."

  He thought wryly on his mother's words on the weakness of powerful men.

  "The Englishman is challenging the authority of our country. It is a separate matter to our mutual interests!" the woman replied with disgust, bring Yorijo back to the moment.

  "Jennet-San," Yorijo said giving respect to her position by use of the word San instead of Sen, the title in Japan that is usually given to young females, whilst straightening his back and leaning forward to reflect his dominance. "At this time the