They’d been tracking Fujiyama for years and in fact had been subtly involved in discrediting him sufficiently for the CIA to fire him. After he was let go, though, he’d continued working on his theories and buried a cleverly designed safe with what they assumed was physical evidence supporting his ideas.

When Takahashi had discovered the existence of this buried treasure, he’d ordered it dug it up and replaced it with an explosive. The theory was that Fujiyama and anyone interested in what he’d compiled would be vaporized before they could do any damage. Obviously, that hadn’t worked as planned. Leaving Fujiyama alive had proved to be a poor decision.

“Where are they now?” Himura said.

“Driving on Interstate Five in the American state of Oregon.”

“Destination?”

“Our assumption is the airport. Russell has been known to steal vehicles from long-term parking and based on the make and model of the car, we know it’s not a rental.”

“Can we control it?” Takahashi asked.

“No. It’s probably more than thirty years old.”

“Have they contacted anyone?” Himura said.

“Doubtful. They haven’t stopped and Fujiyama typically insists that people he meets with carry no electronics.”

“Do we have human assets in the area? Anyone who could intercept them?” Takahashi said.

“None.”

Takahashi took his intelligence director’s arm and pulled him back toward the wall. “There’s no way to know what Fujiyama told them before he died. We have to assume he gave them something—a thread to pull on.”

Himura nodded. “If we’re going to act, we need to act now. Before they can talk to their superiors. If we lose them again…” His voice faded.

“How?”

“We can’t use their car, but we can use others. I must caution you, though, General. The risk of exposure is incredibly high. In fact, it’s almost certain.”

Takahashi looked across the room at the screen being used to monitor Smith and Russell’s vehicle. Himura was right. It was impossibly dangerous. But doing nothing was equally dangerous. If they’d gone to Fujiyama, it seemed likely that they’d discovered the nanotech and suspected Japan of having a hand in its development.

“Do it,” Takahashi ordered.

Himura gave a short bow and walked up behind the young man at the terminal. “Are there other vehicles available?”

“Yes. But we’re going to lose the satellite image and the traffic around them is fairly light at this point. Their ETA to the airport is ten minutes. That’s plenty of time for us to tie into the security cameras. We’ll have good coverage and a higher density of modern vehicles.”

Himura put a hand on the young man’s shoulder. “Russell and Smith are not to enter the terminal. Is that understood?”

38

38

Portland International Airport
Portland, Oregon
USA