After meeting with Ambassador Dominic, Kayle was treated like a queen. Celie, the assistant of the ambassador, spent the entire morning leading her around Ginza shopping mall. They bought four jeans, six shirts, three T-shirts and other women's basics for her two weeks in Japan. The price was expensive as hell, but Kayle didn't have to pay a single coin. All expenses would be paid by the embassy, even her impromptu visist to the Spa . The secretary agreed that she needed to take care of the skin that had been winded and devastated by the sun and unforgiving desert winds , but when Kayle asked her to join, Celie shook her head:
"It's not for me."
The truth spoke for itself, Kayle was well-aware why she had recieved so many privileges. Lieutenant General Ron's reputation always follows every step of his daughter. She was not surprised by that, not any miracle or luck helped her avoided testimony and court martial for former Specter members.
"It's on me this time." Kayle said, "Is that okay?"
"But that is not what the ambassador order me to do."
"What did he tell you?"
"Ah..mm ... He said I had to make you feel comfortable. "
"I feel very comfortable having a friend to talk to when people put slices of cucumber on my faces. "
However, that was enough to convince Celie to repaint ten of her nails, the secretary refused any other service. Anyway, Celie looked pretty and elegant from head to toe. Her cream white dress suits her complexion, her flattering hair to honor her long face and eyes that was as blue as clear sky, It doesn't really a matter if there are a few flowers missing on her hair.
When standing next to Celie, Kayle became invisible. The major did not bother about it, but rather she was glad that she would not be the centre of attention for a while. Being the only woman in the world of men for so long brought only worse memories than people thought. At first, it seemed like an exciting adventure with anonymous letter, sweet and corny flirtations but when she had to look behind her back everytime she went the bathroom, it was not fun any longer.
While waiting for the masking cream to dry out, Kayle and her friend killed time with the television screen placed near the entrance, next to the colorful beauty magazine. They watched a boring advertising program for kitchen tools, a short anime of nearly twenty minutes, followed by a daily news report. Of course, Celie was always with her, diligently translating them into English.
"Today, the National Assembly has just approved a new spending budget instead of the old one which has been criticized. It is believed that the new budget will cause divisions within the ruling party but at the very least calms the opposition. "Celie yawned. Indeed, this news is even more boring than the kitchen knife advertisement earlier. "The next news, a JSDF soldier was killed, two others were injured in a traffic accident in the Special Zone yesterday. They said the soldier named Nakato Mori, twenty year old, a specialist of the 3th motorized regiment died because the his car fell down a steep slope in bad weather. Poor man, he is too young to die like that "
There are much worse types of death. She recalled the bodies lying on the street, many of them was damaged so bad that they could not the difference between them, the screams of women when they realized that the person lying there was their child, their husband, father or younger brother. Oh forget, the curse, too, from those women or brothers in arms in the unit.
"The second accidents of the week and the eighth in five months. So far, there have been nine JSDF soldiers killed by accident and twenty-one wounded. "The secretary smiled wryly." And I thought it would be safe to be a soldier in peacetime. "
At least one person died Kayle was at Fort Bragg, it seems that his name is Jimmy Brown. She wasn't sure because it had been so long but it was truth that he fell from a helicopter to the ground and broke his neck.
"Sometimes death have a weird sense of humor. Do you ever hear of Bobby Leach? "
Celie shook her head.
"He crossed Nigara Falls in an barrel, walked on the airplane wing with a rope around his waist but on a beautiful day, that indestructible man stepped on the orange peel on his way back home from the pub and died . "
When they exited the mall, the sun was high but the air was still cold and wet. Kayle wore only a thin leather jacket outside her T-shirt with a pair of high-heel, and as the result, had her teeth chattering against the cold wind. There was never a day when she thought she remembered the scorching heat of the desert so much, at least back then she knew some tricks to avoid the sand flying into her eyes and tying the headscarf properly.
"The weather will be colder in the coming months." Celie breathed out a white breath and smiled. "It's just the end of autumn."
"Fortunately we wouldn't be here at the snows fall" Kayle rub both hands together"How long have you been in Japan?"
"Two years. At first, I worked at the Japan-US cultural exchange office for about six months. After that, I was transferred to the Kyoto. One year after the Ginza event, Mr. Dominic himself asked me to be his secretary and unoffical second assistant, but I always found all of this a little strange. Why he chose me personally while there were many other candidates out there who were more talented and more experienced "
Not Everyone have such nice legs and lovely waist like you, dummy . Kayle felt that it was gonna be rude to speak it out lound, so she kept her mounth shut.
On Chuo Dori pedestrian street, they saw the infamous Gate. Actually, the thing they saw was the huge dome that the Japanese built up to prevent people from looking at their treasures. There was only one entrance with ten soldiers dressed in combat uniforms and two Type-90 tanks standing stately like two Babylonian sphinxes, coldly putting their guns on the passersby.
"Have you ever seen that gate yet?" Kayle asked.
"Several times, it was before they erected the walls and dome around it. The Gate looked nothing special, in my opinion, it is smaller than the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Patrick said there were inscriptions on the gate but no one could read them. "
That damn sneaky bastard. Fortunately, he did not accompany Kayle but Celie instead. If he was here, she was afraid she could stop herself from breaking his face. A dumb move, Kayle knew, but she couldn't stand his arrogant attitude any longer. Why do the white collar from Langley always tried so hard to be a dick? Looks like they always did their best to piss other people off one way or another.
"The Japanese say the peoples on the other side of the gate use a language similar to Latin called Falmat and some other jargon. However, the inscription I refer to is not Falmat, it is much older, so old so that indigenous people cannot read it. "
This was a good thing to hear, although her Latin is not considered to be excellent but it was still better than learning something entirely new. Arabic was the most difficult language Kayle has ever known, there are too few vowels and when they speak quickly, it was impossible to understand. Even though Kayle spent two hours every day to improve her Arabic, in the end, she gave up and brought along an interpreter.
"The ambassador said you knew Latin. Did you go to a seminary?"Celie asked.
"No, I have a tutor. Did they teach Latin in seminary ? "
"I'm not sure. My father studied in once when he was young but he knew Latin because he wanted to be priest someday. Of course it was before he met my mother. When I was twelve, he began to teach me. A beautiful language for beautiful people I remember him saying that. Every night, he sat down reading classical poems for my brothers and me before going to bed. "
Back then, Kayle struggled with a confusing verb conjugation just because her father thought it was fashionable. Their teacher was Mr. Sober and Mr. Sober would never read poetry, but instead punish her hard for every grammatical error. He hated Kayle for some reason that she never understood and favored Louie to the point some would consider it ridiculous.
"My father vehemently protested when he knew I was going to the Special Region. He even want to fly over here and drag me home. "
" But you're still here. "
A fleeting smile appeared on Celie's lips.
" Audentes Fortuna iuvat. I've come too far to turn around then" (Latin : Fortune favours the bold)
Now, it still have time to do so. It would be a little strange if Kayle said dads always knew what was best. Who knows what is waiting for them out there? Dominic was so excited by the prospect of becoming the first Americans arrive in the new world that he would risk his life and his subordinate's. The CIA clearly had a plot in this, Kayle could smell the stink everywhere but she still didnt know what it was yet. According to her bloody experience, when an idiot and the guys who was expert on pulling the strings like Patt on the same side, people around should be more cautious. Thing could go south faster than they thought.
"Out there can be very dangerous." Kayle said, "As far as I remember the place are standing on was the battlefield."
"The Japanese signed a treaty with the Empire, the war is over, Major . Pattrick says everything is under control. "
They signed a piece of paper that anyone could use to wipe their ass and when the CIA claimed there was nothing to worry about, you knew you had to run away quickly.
About fifty yards away from them, a group of a dozen foreign tourists were taking selfies with two tanks near the barrier. Initially, the guards paid no attention to these people, but when one of them tried to climb over the fence, the Japanese chased them away.
When Celie took out her phone to call a taxi, Kayle suddenly heard a familiar sound. The sound of a heavy engine roared, the sound of tank chains clenched down on the road, strangled the space and made the pigeons to dissolve in fear. Kayle looked up to see a looming armor appear at the crossroads, leading a team of four military trucks that painted in olive green. The armor looked similar to Bradley, though the barrel was a little longer.
The convoy stopped in front of the security gate, the guards raised the barrie bar so that the armor could roll in, while the four trucks still hold their posistion.
Suddenly, Soldiers jumped out of the trunk of the vehicle under the orders of the grey-haired officer, and immediately lined up in four, guns in safety position, fingers off the trigger. Soon undulating green waves were formed right in the middle of the pedestrian street. The camouflage of this unit was darker than the Multi cam of the US Army, so Kayle guessed t on the other side of the Gate, the climate could be humid with a thicker vegetation than the Middle East, where she was too familiar with.
A green beret member once told Kayle that the best method of assessing quality of the troop was to look at how they held their weapons. Amateur like to wear guns hanging from their sides or carry them on their shoulders, which makes it difficult to react in case of being sudden attacked, not to mention the danger of putting the barrel forward which could cause serious negligent discharge. Professionals always wear weapons on breast, hands off the trigger, ready to improvise at any time.
"Not bad at all." This company had the power to take out entire the half-ass militia battalion that Kayle's had trained in Iraq.
However, the performance of the JSDF soldier did not impress people. It was easy to see that locals don't seem to care much about their soldiers or the huge building in the heart of Ginza. There were still a few people who turned their heads to look, commenting for grant, but most still pretending that nothing happened. Even Celie, the secretary observes everything with a sigh. For those who had no interest in military, the scene was nothing special but a bunch of men dressing in funny way and four rough trucks, but even so, they could realize something strange here.
"Who are those people?" Celie pointed at the group of soldiers wearing caps at the end of the formation. Kayle saw eight people all. They wore t-shirts of all colors under bulletproof vests, looked relaxed and carefree, in contrast to the solemnity of the rest of the company. "Why do Japanese give weapons to civilians?
"They are not civilians." Kayle shook her head replying. "It must be a special task force of the JSDF."
Even their weapons were advanced type that Kayle had never seen before. Probably a version of the HK416 series or a new M4 variant.
"But why aren't they wearing military uniforms?" Celie gasped in surprise. "I thought everyone in the army had to wear some kind of military uniform."
"Um… it's true but most men in the special forces never dress properly. You know, working makes they ignored usual standards, plus no one bothered to check what the hell they wear on the field. "
Indeed, commanders, including Kayle, wouldn't even bat their eyes to bullshit such as grooming or uniform as long as the tasks were completed quickly and beautifully, and that only encouraged these fancy boys invest more effort and time on their looks. As Kayle remembered, there was a time SEAL favored clean shaved face and ducking hat, in order to distinguish themselves from Delta rivals, who were famous for their long beard and gray cap. Fisher often weared flamboyant shirt bought in Hawaii when charging the low hills of the Hindu Kush. A third of Specter had short boxed beard while some adopted mustache and sneaker.
"It seems that your life is not that difficult at all" The secretary said, "I always thought that in the military, everything was about rules and discipline."
"That is the reward for sitting on the same spot waiting your target pass by for several days, peeing in your pants and ready jump on the plane to go whenever you are order to." Kayle smiled wryly. "We have best food, latest toys and much more liberity compared with the rest of US military. "
" That's strange, then. If that's the case, these men are gonna be the lucky ones. They can enjoy all those privileges without breaking a sweat ? The war is over. "
" Damn it! "Kayle swore quitely.
Surprisingly, the obvious truth came from a random secretary. Why didn't she think about it before? She should have noticed the abnormality at first. Time of idleness seem to do dull her judgment. Deadly accidents, special units, specialized weapons. She had forgotten that it was not just the CIA that could lie. One day, Kayle must thank Celie for saving her ass or should secretary must thank her for saving their?
"Who in charge of our security?"
Ceile rolled his eyes. "I don't know. You have to ask Pattrick, he has more information than me. "She stared at Kayle." What's wrong? "
There was fear in the secretary's voice. That's good because at least Celie was not as crazy as her boss.
"I need to talk to them," she said. "There are some things I need to clarify."
In the afternoon Pattrick Hammer called Kayle to the embassy, following him was a tailor to take her measurements for the new uniform. .
"I have never done a army uniform before." The tailor said after taking her waist measurement "But I believe I can do it."
"How long will it take?" Patt asked.
" Five days, I guess."
"Three."
"How can I make it with such deadline?" The tailor was taken by surpirse "it's outrageous"
"Well then, in that case you should consider from now on, there would be any orders from the US embassy ever again. "
When the tailor left, Patt gave her a explanation for his rudeness.
"Tomorrow we will hold a press conference. Everyone will be present. Everyone here is the media, American diplomats, representatives of Japan and countless guests from our allies. Admiral Flint is also present even though he has nothing to do with the event. Mr. Dominic insisted on inviting the him, I was of course against it but it seems like they are cronies. This make me to rearrange every VIP seats. What's a mess! "
He took the layout of the press conference on the table.
"The ambassador will sit between the admiral and the Japanese spokesperson, next to him is ..."
"Is Colonel Hart in charge of our security?" Kayle interrupted him
Pocker is the living legends of the US special forces. If the government wants his diplomatic convoy to reach the Imperial capital alive, they must come to him.
"Hmm ... Where do you have this information from?" There was some intimidation in his voice.
"Just my guess" Kayle lied "Is it true?"
"We don't share information if it's not necessary. You used to work for us, you know our way better than anyone else." Patt gave her a warning look and turned to the diagram." You will sit next to Norton tomorrow and remember to answer the journalist as I told you . In case of a question on the sidelines, I will handle it. "
" I understand. But can I meet Colonel Hart? "
"What do you need to see him for?" The spy replied angrily "Don't tell me you're going to whore yourself to him like you did to Moyes."
Kayle's anger flared up but she managed to hold it back. If not, Pattrick Hammer would be unconscious on the floor.
"I have no intention to Colonel Hart but to his deput." Kayle said, "Lieutenant Colonel Emerson is a close friend to my father and I am very fond of him. It's been 6 years since we last talked to each other, so I thought I should visit and say hi "
Patt looks semi-disbelieving. She was afraid he would refuse, but if he did, she had to find another way. Maybe Ceile will help or be her father. Thinking about helping her father, Kayle almost laughed. What do you have to say to him? Oh hi dad, I doubt our beloved army and government were pushing me to death, and by the way, can you contact Colonel Hart for me?
"Shino Hill, about forty kilometers away from here." He said curtly. "Are you going to go now?"
"After the press conference tomorrow if you find it convenient." Kayle smiled wryly. "Thank you."
Kayle left the room in victory. Hoping the colonel would listen to her then intervene. Is not ! It would be best if he tries to get rid of this risky voyage before they all return home in body bags.
.
.
… And may God bless these pioneers, grant them wisdom and courage on the road to come. God blesses America. "
Ambassador Dominic finished his speech in thunderous applause. Kayle did not know whether they were happy because of his eloquence or because the long monologue finally came to an end.
Dominic had prepared a speech of more than twenty pages, promising a prospect that half of the audience would fall asleep while the other half didn't understand a third of what he said. The classical history fan shows all of his knowledge within thirty minutes, starting with quoting the calculus of more than a thousand years ago, the immortal words of Perciles, Agustus, Marcus Aurelius, then the principles of primitive materialism, and of course indispensable verses of Iliad.
Kayle only listened to him for about five minutes before starting to play with her pencil and notebook. She painted Dominic, fat and silly, riding donkey. His right hand holding the spear, the left hand holding the shield, charging against the windmill. Patt also had a role in her little world, he was ragged, filthy, looked ridiculous with a large hump on his back.
"Thank God, it's finally over" Norton Strange sat beside her grumbling. "Everyone only has a maximum of five minutes but he…."
The biologist, Dr. Norton also wrote a speech on the importance of studying flora and fauna in the Special Region, however, his effort may have been in vain. Patt stated loudly that it was time for the speech of representatives from Japanese government , then reporters could freely ask questions.
The Japanese spokesperson stood up to praise the friendship between the two countries, the prospect of both sides' cooperation in the Special Zone and a commitment which she knew totally false:
"The Japanese government and the JSDF will promote all necessary measures to ensure security for the US delegation. "
Even your men are getting killed out there, how can you ensure our safety? Perhaps she was paranoid, or it was the truth. Nine people died and eight accidents within a month, even the South Sudan army would found it hard to achieve that achievement for the JSDF. The CIA certainly knew what the hell was going on in the Special Region but they still tried to turn a blind eye to the problem no matter what. Kayle was damn sure of it. Those sneaky bastard had been ignoring the fact that the Sadam had stopped uranium processing after the Gulf War then lured the U.S into another fucking war where she and many men got shot for their country.
Yet Kayle still hasn't seen the whole picture.
If the Centre intelligence agency was aware of the danger, why did they still throw money into it? All the night yesterday, lying in bed, Kayle thought about it for a long time. There must be some reason that made the White House, Langley, ready to put their people at risk. Everyone wanted to have their share in the new world, Patt was right to say that, but the problem was whether they were ready to defied everything to achieve that goal as he claimed?
Kayle thought they were but she couldn't understand how the U.S could set its foundation in the Special Region by having a failed mission with a dozen of body bags.
"The gentlemen to wear a brown jacket on the left." The ambassador said, "Yes, next to the beauty in lovely pink dress. Now I'm sorry for choosing you instead of her. "
A laugh broke out from Dominic's joke, the biggest laugh was the young man in a jacket. He has an nice looking guy with beautiful white grin and manly beard. Kayle appreciate that very much. Despite whatever people liked to think about her, Kayle was still a woman and she has her own needs. On the way from Okinawa to Tokyo, there are only three weirdos around her, Havey the clowns, the old fat pilot Christ, Cooper would look nicer if it wasn't for that hooky nose. At the embassy, Dominic proves that historians were always bad lovers right up to every word, but Pat or to be more precise assistant Pattrick Hammer was the real nightmare. His face was not too ugly to look at, even Kayle thought some women would like him, intense green eyes that were very attractive to female.
However, The thing that scares Kayle and many people here was his habit of harassing, stinging, bullying. Patt liked what he did and he was also very good at it, until now Kayle didn't even once win a shouting match against that damn fox. Seemingly, he always knew where to hit, to lure her into the trap then launch the killing blow. Someday, I have to see if his hand is as fast as his mouth.
"I am from the New York Times. If what is written in the summary is true, then there is a military attaché in your convoy. "The reporter said in a warm voice." Can you tell me what is the intention of the United States in this matter? "
"We are clear on the role of the military attache, but since all of this is unprecedented, so I think it is better for Major Kayle Wilson explained it . "
Patt had prepared an answer to this kind of question for her from previously "Under the appointment U.S Sate department and Department of Defense, I was given the task of introducing to the other side of the gate - or the Empire as people call it - the basic knowlegde on the military of the U.S. "
"It sounds like a threat. Is this the way the United States implements its policy in the new world? We have a powerful force and will use it to om you if you don't want to compromise. "
Slow down, handsome. Kayle glanced at Patt, who was standing near the technical area with Celie. The agent immediately signaled her to respond with "I cannot comment on the US policy or its intent in the region."
But Kayle knew she was better than that and Patt couldn't have her doing whatever he said.
"Let's consider my role is the same as every researcher and scholar in the delegation - introduce to people in the Special Region about the United States. America is great, I believe everyone here agrees with that. Culturally diverse society, economy, democracy were values that made us prosperous, but the United States would not become great without a mighty army to protect those values. You should remember that we gain freedom from fighting rather than having it delievered so United States government sees it as a shortcoming if this detail is forgotten. Moreover, according to the information we have, the Empire has a culture that uphold its military to very high standard so my presence is absolutely necessary. "
The reporter and colleagues were a bit surprised, they perhaps expecting a preposterous answer, not an eloquent statement.
"Thank you, Major," He nod in appreciation "What about…."
"You can only ask one question at the time, my good man" Dominic gently reminded him "You have asked two."
The reporter nodded in agreement but light eyes didn't .
"Any other questions? Oh i almost forget, the lady in the lovely pink dress, please "
With that, everything went on for half an hour. Kayle received two more questions. One was about how she felt when she was the first female American soldier to set foot into Special Region, Kayle merely replied, "Very honored." The second was much more annoying, a bald head reporter from CNN wanted to know about security task of their convoy. Kayle refused to comment - Patt had warned her not to reveal that the security team had only eight people.
"The public is very worried about the safety of our men, Major." The reporter did not seem satisfied with the answer. "There have been rumors of insecurity in the Region."
"I think our government and the JSDF will do their best to ensure our safety."
A lie. A few days ago, she told herself that she would not lie to anyone else, starting with Christ but now ...
"Damn it." Kayle muttered.
Eight men would be too few to make the difference, though the gunmen might be from Seal team 6. Although the enemy the Japanese were facing in the Special Region could only be equipped with outdate melee weapon and crossbow but the years fighting taught Kayle lessons to life: All those who intend to kill were equally dangerous whether in their hands is a stick of wood or a rifle. And the truth had spoken for itself, JSDF had lost nine people in a single month
The situation that Japanese was having right now was the same situation that the United States had during the Iraq war. They had overwhelming victories in conventional warfare with superior weapons but when the battle turned to unconventional warfare, problems began to arise. JSDF could conceals their casualties in the meantime, but would the next deaths be that easy? Once the story was revealed, their fight would really begin. On a sweltering night, Roland sadly told Kayle the truth when she asked if they could win the war:
"We have two enemies. One is the gunmen chanting the name of Alla out there. Two is more than hundred millions of Americans back home. Let's assume I can kill all those fanatics but how are you going to fight your compatriots? "
Roland's prediction finally came true. Specter was destroyed by the people it swears to protect. Kayle didn't know if Roland was still alive, what would he think about the situation right now, but she herself didn't have any regrets on the end of their unit. They did terrible things and had to receive karmic retribution. Fisher, Carrick, and Roland paid off the debt. It was probably Kayle's turn now.
But Celie or Dominic did not deserve that outcome. Even the asshole like Pattrick Hammer didn't have to die, though he often tested her nerves over and over again. After all, Patt was no different from Kayle, a blind man who obeyed the orders of the superior.
"Are you alright, Kayle?" Dr. Norton suddenly turned to look at her. Norton was not familiar with the stuff in military, so he often called her by name instead of the rank "Look at you like a trapped bear."
"I'm not used to this."
"I understand. Sitting still is easy to make people like you bored. It was strange because they used lions, leopards, bears, and other fearsome beasts to honor warriors. Do you know that predators spend most of their time sitting in the shade of a tree and sleeping? "
" Oh? "Kayle petended to be amused." Maybe we should choose another animal, something much more industrious would be sufficient "
"Beaver is a good choice. This kind of rodent seems to work relentlessly. Each day of them is a series of busy actions, from nibbling on trees, pulling trees to the nest, to building dams. When people come to destroy its dam to clear the flow, beaver does not simply move to another place, it only waits for a while then resumes its old work. You can call its action brave, but I see beaver is a subbornt creature.
" An army rushed into the battlefield with a banner of beaver nibbling on the tree , Kayle covered her mouth with her hand to not laugh too loudly. Embroidering the portrait of Justin Bieber on the shoulders was less ridiculous.
"Sorry, we only have enough time for another question." Patt stepped out from behind the wings. "Mr. Dominic has prepared a buffet. We have seafood sushi, rice balls, pudding and ice cream waiting in the next room. "
But no one asked any questions, maybe they gradually realized that it was not possible to get anything interesting here. Patt had prepared a lot of perfect responses to every question thrown at them, so perfect that the reporter's efforts broke like waves broke on rocky shores.
Or maybe they are hungry. The combination of Sushi and Ice Cream, East and West was really hard to resist. The ambassador led them out of the annunciation room, Admiral Flint walked beside him, behind were two Japanese and four others Kayle didn't know the name of. Dr. Norton told Patt that he had some things to do so he could not accompany with them. The sp did not say anything, just nodded silently in response.
"He is here." Patt told her "Out of the hall."
"Who?"
"Lieutenant Colonel Emerson. Who else can it be?" Patt exasperated. "Last night, I called to tell him to come here. It would be more convinient. You doesn't know ways around Tokyo so I think this is for the best. "
Whether it was Hart or Emerson didn't matter that much, as long as they were ready to listen to what she was about to say. Deep inside, Kayle preferred to talk to Emerson because she and Hart were completely strangers to each other.
The agent continued the story in boredom. "However, that old colonel also asked to meet the new military attaché so Emerson will take you to Shino. "
Kayle had no objection to that. What he was saying was somewhat true, she must have spent the whole day crawling to Hart's place. The base on Shino Hill located in remote area, completely separated from the residential area, so there were no bus routes.
"Thank you."
"Just finish your work and come back here. The remaining members of the delegation will be here in the afternoon. The ambassador wants to have an internal meeting. "He took a folded paper from his pocket and handed it to Kayle." This is from the ambassador to the colonel, give it to Emerson. "
After that, Patt followed the flow of people walking towards the buffet.
The embassy hall was divided into three separate section: the department that received the visa application, the consulting room and the public relations department. Normally, the hall was crowded but today the ambassador stopped all daily activities to prepare for the press conference so there were only a few security guards and employees presented.
She found the lieutenant colonel in the hallway near the entrance. Emerson sat comfortably on the sofa, his silver hair brushed backward from front to back, staring intently at the " Washington Crossing The Delaware " on the opposite wall.
"Uncle Emerson." Kayle called out "Thank you for coming here to pick me up."
"Major Wilson." Emerson stood upright and saluted her according to military protocol.
Kayle blushed, awkwardly returned his courtesy " Lieutenant Colonel, long time no see."
He looked at her from head to toe and gave her a friendly smile. Emerson rarely smiled and therefore, each of his smiles always had a special meaning.
"The last time we met, you was just a pretty seventeen-year-old girl who liked drinking Puan and talking about the bride's dress color at the wedding party," Emerson said. "Now look at you! I almost didn't recognize you. Don't misunderstand what I mean, you are still pretty like the days before, only different. You father must be very proud. "
Not as proud as you think. He probably did not know that they did not talk to each other for nearly four years.
"You also is different, uncle Emerson. Back then, you never let your hair grow too long. "
Kayle thought that combed hairstyle made a man looked extremely sexy, but this was only true for guys at her age. Emerson had passed that age, so this really needed to be rethought.
"At that time I was still in the Middle East but now ... Well, we should go. Hart has many admirable virtues, unfortunately patience is not among them. We can talk on the way to the base. "
"As you wish. "
A white SUV parked in front of the building, empty behind the steering wheel so Kayle knew Uncle Emerson came alone. She opened the door and sat in the front seat.
"They told me to give this to you." She passed the paper to him. "The ambassador's assistant said this is for Colonel Hart."
Emerson held the paper close to his face, his eyes narrowed when reading the words on it. Kayle suddenly realized that he was not wearing glasses.
"Red, Toyota," Emerson muttered, his eyes suddenly darkening. Kayle was still able to notice it even it only happened in half a second.
"What?" She asked "What do you mean by that."
"Nothing. I'm just taliking to myself "Emerson folding paper and stuffed it into his pocket " Seatbelt on, Kayle. Japanese polices are strict and have no mercy. "
" Oh! My bad. "
She slid the seatbelt over her shoulder and felt a little strange. When serving in Iraq, whether she was a Humvee or a civilian car, she did not have the habit of fastening her seatbelt. Danger always existed behind every corners of every road, on the rooftops and underneath the cloak, so the first thing she learned was that the battle could break out anytime, anywhere. A seatbelt would slow the reflexion of the occupant in the vehicle and slow here always mean death.
"It's hard to get rid of old habit, don't you think? Hart called it instinct, but I don't agree with him. Instinct is born with us. Hunger and crying are instincts, but did you know how to adjust the iron sight from a young age, distinguish the sound of bullets in the air and measure the distance of the target? It is not a natural instinct. We are taught to do so. They break us to the very essence of we are made of then stuffed into us discipline, obedience before rebuilding us back up and created a new being which is more dangerous than the old one. Gradually the warrior also accepts that it is his person and forgets his former man. "
" You regret having joined the army? "
"No . It is true that the military and the wars have made me cry, make me disgust myself, lose faith in life, make me just want to blow my head off but strangely I don't regret it. When I returned from Iraq, I thought that I was too tired to go on, that my military home was coming to an end and I would spend the rest of my life at the estate, but you see, I'm still here. Like it or not, i must admit that the new battlefield is where i really belong, and the idealistic young man from Moblie that year is gone forever. "
" I disagree". Kayle said, "Time is what you need."
"Let me tell you this, Kayle" Giong suddenly became upset. "Once you lived in the wild, you could never be a dog any longer."
.
.
The special district of Minato, one of the twenty-three eastern special zones bearing in itself the overwhelming splendor of the largest city on the planet with shopping malls, restaurants, and clubs located side by side on narrow strips of land running along Tokyo Bay. Although only at the end of autumn and most Japanese people were not Christian, Kayle still sees eye-catching pine trees, sparkling string lights for the coming Christmas.
It would be remiss to not mention the skyscraper, which the Tokyo big cities like always had. In Toranomon, these buildings were like mushrooms growing after rain, the latter was higher than the previous one, arrogantly covering its great shadow over ten million creatures crowded below. Celie once said that a bowl of ramen here was more valuable than her salary. And that's true, when Mr. Emerson stopped in front of a humble tiny grocery store so that Kayle could buy some pastries for breakfast, she was able to experience how expensive it could be.
Sixteen dollars for two Sticker and a can of Coke!
"More like robbing than selling" Kayle muttered at the counter.
In response to her complain, the cashier's smile couldn't be more cheerful. Apparently he did not know English.
Fortunately, Celie only paints her nails, if not I'm going to be broke.
Kayle brought two thousand dollars in cash to Tokyo with two credit cards, one was opened by her with one hundred thousand in the account, the other was from CIA worth more than million. Of the four members who directed Spectre's combat operations, only Kayle was the only one alive and not in jail so spymasters did not hesitate to do whatever it took as long as Kayle accepted to bring their secrets to the grave. Although she only told them to transfer herself to a peaceful place, not mentioning anything about money, they ended up giving her a million dollar, which according to that strange bald man, she could it temporarily called a farewell gift from them.
Kayle intended to spend her savings on Louie. Her brother dreamed of having a private restaurant at Boardway, where he would fill the stomachs of upstart stock broker his with dreams. It would be very expensive, he told her, but it was also worth the effort. As for CIA money, Kayle didn't know what to do with it. Each dollar was filled with Carrick's blood, Roland's as well as the dead in their hands.
Blood money.
Maybe Kayle will give it to charity, or to Louie. But no matter what, she decided not to spend a cent.
"Here you are." Kayle put the five thousand yen bill on the counter. The cashier returned three thousand yen and said goodbye to her with a silly and weird English accent.
"Thank you for using our service."
Paying stupid money wasn't enough, Kayle was also bothered by two Irish tourists outside the shop. They were newlyweds who just arrived in Japan last week and looked ridiculous. The husband was about fifty years old, his hair was gray and curly, wearing a small clumsy purple knit sweater. In contrast to him was a black hair wife, about half of his age and also taller than him 8 inch. Her taste for fashion was also more delicate than that of her husband, a elegant black trench coat wrapped around her slender body, thick knee boots to keep the legs warm
What a weird couple they are . Kayle couldn't help but wondered how he had managed to get with such a beautiful girl. It must be a good story.
"Can you take a picture for us?" The young wife gave Kayle phone and then walked over to the statue of Maneki Neko (A luck sympol in the shape of a cat waving his hand) in front of grocery store "Come here darling, stand next to me."
The man waddled over, wrapped his arms around his wife's waist and smiled:
"Wait, you should step a few steps back first, madam" He held up two fingers in a V "We want to take the cat as a background"
Kayle did what he told with a sigh. Because the husband was shorter than the wife and the cat, it took her a while to find the perfect frame.
"Thank you so much, officers." The wife giggled as she removed the silk gloves then clutching hands to Kayle "I'm Colleen Mcknight, nice to meet you."
"Honey. Did you forget that you already have a husband? "The man pretended to .
"Oh, I'm sorry" Colleen gave her husband a kiss. After that, she looked at Kayle with an affectionate expression. "It's hard to give up the habit of using a girl's name, don't you think so? Let me introduce myrself again, my name is Collena Wilson, nice to meet you ... "
" Kayle ... Kayle Wilson, "she replied, and immediately regretted.
"Oh my, John, she have the same last name as your." Collena exclaimed happily, her eyes shining as if catching gold. "We have to take some pictures together . Come and help me, my husband. "
Collena pulled Kayle to stand next to the cat without asking if she agreed or not
"Just make sure it's going be a nice one " Said Collena.
"I know."
Though she was annoyed, Kayle wasn't that rude to spoil their honeymoon, so she could only smile and smile and hope it would end as quickly as possible. She took two photos with Collena and one with her husband John. At the very least, John was somewhat more polite (or because of the fear of a beautiful wife's jealousy). He simply stood next to Kayle, his posture was strained, and did not touch her as freely as Collena.
"Do you think we have…." John looked up, even though her height was only one meter seven "We had the same ancestor?"
"I don't know." Kayle turned her head and looked down. "How about you?"
"I think not."
Lieutenant-General Ron had taught Kayle and her brothers about family history, in fact the one who was forced to listen to the long sermon was Louie and not her, Kayle was just accidentally nearby and playing with dolls. According to her father's story, the great grandfather Tom Wilson was a confederacy officer who defected to the North when he saw that the war seemed about to come to the end. It was certainly not glorious nor honnorable but this treacherous act was the starting point for the affluence of the Wilson family.
After the war ended, Tom was given a piece of land in Boston to live, but in 1870 he sold it to the city and moved to Virginia with a small amount of money. There, he built his fortune by hiring white people to grow corn, then growing coffee, then rushing into the construction industry which was very profitable during the reconstruction period. No one is more successful than him in the bidding because none of contractors could find a hard-working and cheap labor force as he had.
The administration at the time liked to force businessman to employ black people to work with well-paid job to get votes, but Tom still ignored that order and continued to take advantage of the South's ex-veterans who were willing to do anything to get paid. At first, Kayle thought her ansector had to be very tough to do this but to be fair, how could she and Louie know that his wife Amanda Prime, the daughter of Kayleuel Prime, the governor of Virginia, the woman that had never once been asked for her hand in 45 years? A few years later, when she had the chance to witness the beauty of her great-grandmother, she immediately understood why no one borther asking for Amanda's hand, and the image of brave ancestor in her also disappeared in a puff of smoke. She remembered Louie laughing with tears in his eyes when she saw the painting while Lieutenant General Ron was angry.
"A practical man with brain. He always thought of the future, such nuisance ... didn't matter much. "
"How can you call that nuisance? "He pointed to the big ugly nose of their great grandmother" I thought he was very brave and indeed he was. "
"I don't like your attitude and don't you call it courage. Not every war wins with courage but intelligence always does. He had chosen the federation because he knew that the confederacy was a lost cause, people might say him was coward but think about it, What would happen if he stayed and fought? A glorious death? I have seen corpses on the battlefield and there was no glory in them, Louie, all was a stench that made you want to puke. How can the beauty compared to the legacy that he left for us? The woman fade over time but the name Tom Wilson will lives forever and the proof of that is over a hundred years later, the three of us still stand here to talk about his greatness
Greatness ?More like ruthlessness.
Her father also inherited his characteristic. He had climbed as high as he could in the army and now he again sat in the Oval Office as a national security adviser. Maybe Kayle should stop wondering why her life was tied to the shady CIA people.
"Hurry up, darling, we have to watch the Gate and the cherry garden too" John urged his wife who seem to be into taking selfie with the cat.
"Why should we have to see that ugly gate? You saw it in the newspaper a dozen times already. I want to go see the cherry blossom first. "
"If you say so but i still want to see the gate. "
If she remember correctly, this wasnt the season for cherry blossoms and they couldn't expect to pass tight security of the JSDF undetected.
"If you want to watch some flowers, you should go north." Kayle said, "Near the palace is a famous flower spot next to the canal."
The channel named Chidorigafuchi but she could not pronounce it.
"Great, thank you, Kayle" Collena turned to her husband "Go get the car, honey. Hop hop"
The man nodded, happily complied his wife's orders without any question and the way she said it did made him looked more like a servant than a husband to her.
"Did you bring your own car here?" Kayle was surprised. "Do you need any special papers?"
"Oh no, you're wrong. Just a car we hire in Tokyo "Collena rubbed hands together " Seven thousand yen for the old Toyota, if you want a new model, you have to pay twelve thousand. I told John to rent a new one, but all he got was this junk. Poor my life! Do you know he sent all the lottery money to the bank and never touch the interest? There are five million pounds in the pocket and he spent money as if he were a Scot. Needless to say how much I got tired of that sweater, but John still didn't want to throw it away. "
So it turned out to be the lottery. In a few years, maybe John Wilson would have to scratch his head and looked half of his fortune disappeared after a noisy divorce. Kayle suddenly felt sorry for him but it was none of her business.
"Goodbye, Collena. Nice to meet you. "
"The honor is mine." Collena laid kiss on Kayle's cheek. "It's a pity that you are a woman. Earlier I thought that today was my lucky day. It's not easy to meet a handsome guy in military uniform but if ... "
" Goodbye " Kayle interrupted and left immediately.
The idea that was about to come out of Collena's mouth made Kayle goosebumps. Previously, someone had made a similar proposal to Kayle and she ended up transfering to another unit.
Lieutenant Colonel Emerson stood in the middle of the Japanese crowd next to the traffic light and she almost missed her companion if not for his iridescent hair and his distinguished height. Today, Emerson did not wear his uniform but simple brown suit with trench coat instead so it was easy to mistake him for a civil servant who was about to retire.
Maybe that was the case, this time it might be the lieutenant colonel's last mission. Kayle did not like to call this "War" because it made her feel like she was about to kill people or was about to be killed by people, moreover, there wouldn't be such a thing after she meeting Hart Sayer.
Poker had considerable influence on this matter, if he spoke out his concern, the White House would definitely consider the decision. Her country had to wait a little longer before building soft power on Falmat, as long as the JSDF had not yet wiped out the resistants over there, it would not be foolish to send men and equipment to the special regions.
"You are very talented, aren't you?" He gave her a mystic smile. "I have heard many stories about Specter, most of them are not very pleasant but no one dares to doubt their abilities. The death of Abu Aman the Drilling Machine deserves to be in the textbook at Fort Bragg, the raid at outskirts of Mosul is even more amazing, but how could Specter know that the leader of the Unified Iraqi was there ? I and Hart have been hunting him all year long and have not gained anything ... "
" We have good intelligence. "
If he didn't get excited to visit his wife, Emerson's hunt would be far from ending. There was no raid here, Kayle and Carrick simply pretended to be two WHO employees knocking on doors to collect medical information. There was no need to say how stunned they were when they found out Amit Musab was hiding in there and play Call Of Duty online.
When he opened the door with the PS3 controller in his hand, Carrick shouted, "Gun! Gun "and then" May ". The leader of unified Iraqi collapsed at the door step with a big coin-sized hole on his head. The silly things people read in later newspapers were all crafted by the CIA to score points with the public.
" I happened to see your interview on television. Well done, my whole life never had such a powerful speech. And the other two tourists, you gave them a good impression of the US military. A good commander, a great spokesperson, and now a nice and gentle army officer . Tell me, Kayle, are you still hiding anything else in your sleeves? "
Is he complimenting or mocking me?
"There was a guy in my unit taught me to play blackjack and how to cheat while playing blackjack but I am still bad at it."
She pull out a cigarette from pack and lit it up, Emerson immediately scowled at that
"Some Marines nearly have me broke at Ramandi if it wasn't for Roland and his habbit of saving damsels in distress. I used to play the piano pretty well, but it is best if you don't ask me to perform, for seven or eight years I haven't touched a single key yet. "
" When did you learn to smoke? "Emerson asked solemnly like a father who just realized the smell of cannabis in his house. "This devilish thing kills more people than chemical weapons."
"In Iraq," she said. "Back then, dying of cigarettes was the least concern for me."
The farther the west, the lower the house after every mile of the road. They were on the outskirts of the outskirts and soon, the hills would appear just behind the simple roofs of baked bricks built from the last century. If the center of Tokyo was a modern westernized girl, its outskirts represent the old Japanese woman, gentle, resigned and thoughtful.
"What Colonel Hart look like?"
There were dozens of rumors about the legendary warrior of the United States, but like Team 22 in general, the man named Hart Sayer remained a big question mark.
"Impatient, like to act, hate the white-collars, especially the CIA. The last hoax of weapon of mass destruction is too hard to swallow to him so you should be prepared. "Emerson grabbed the cigarette in her mouth and tossed it out of the car door." And don't be foolish to smoke in front of Hart. That old man hates cigarettes even more than hates spies. "
A typical soldier and she didn't expect to be on the same level of talking to him. Even with the same starting point, Specter members are always regarded as bastard children because the unit's mother was an intelligence agency. When the secret activities of the team were uncovered, the military bluntly called people like her "Assassin wearing a T-shirt" on the newspaper to emphasize its impudence.
"I was a bit surprised when Hart wanted to talk to you. Usually he doesn't care about the sidelines, but when you are forced to send the eight best people to an area where no American has ever step foots into before, I think you would have some questions to ask. "
" Actually I want to see you but ... "
" The person you wants to meet is Hart, "Emerson retorted." I thank you for your concern, but I'm not an idiot, Kayle. My headquarters in Baghdad located only a few miles from your and when didn't you visit this old man? When the Pattrick Hammer called me on the night before, we also vaguely guessed your purpose. A person like you would never like to chat. "
A guy named McGregor liked to spend hours and hours talking before cutting prisoners' necks. In the early days, he was quiet and easy to control, but like that stupid war, the situation began to go south. Kayle did not know if the war had made him so crazy or that it was his true nature. Perhaps she never got the answer because McGregor died in an ambush with four military contractors three years ago, the militants pulled his corpse parading around the streets before throwing it to the dog. .
"What brings you to Hart? For several months now, he has been snubbing with Admiral Flint, intelligence, weather and food. Especially food. Treating special forces with second-class potato and baccon is really insulting. This escort mission even made his mood worse, so do not fool around with him unless you want to add more fuel to the fire. I promised him that I have something useful. "
"What about the secret, the betrayal and CIA? "
Hopefully the colonel would swallow the meal she cooked whether he liked it or not.
"Oh, of course." Emerson implicitly said, "Why don't I be surprised?"