"What?"
"Matt, by bringing down the 'copter with all three of us in it, he was
planning to stop MITI and us both. Now he may think he did."
"You're right." I looked at her, and finally understood the real import
of the crash. "Which means we're now officially dead. If nobody else
knows we weren't on that chopper, why would Noda?"
She didn't answer for a long moment. Finally she said, "Maybe that
gives us the time we'll need."
"Time to nail him."
"Right. I've been thinking. About what it all means."
"Noda's play?"
"Not just that. I'm talking about Japan. Everything. You know, this
country could lead the world someday, maybe even now, if it wanted. It
has the finest schools, the most disciplined people; it's not hung up
on a lot of 'superpower' male-macho bullshit. It could be a beacon in
the dark, a force for good. But what has Noda done? He's turned it all
upside down. He's exploited the noble things about Japan for his own
selfish ends. Greed and power."
"Lucifer, the fallen angel. Who walked out on the Kingdom?"
"I guess so. But I'm also thinking about what he did to me. He
exploited the fact I was part Japanese, that I understand the potential
this country has. He made me think that's what I would be helping him
realize. But all along he intended to pervert it. He's perverted us,
Matthew. Both of us. Perverted us and used us. And now that we're no
longer needed, he's tried to kill us."
"High time we evened things out."
"Damned right. I learned a lot when I lived here. About the Japanese
mind. And you understand legal tactics. Swordsmanship. I think we're
ready."
"Ready?"
"To turn our knowledge against him."
"Start probing for the niche in his armor?"
"No. There's no time for that." She was silent for a moment, as though
preparing her words. "We've got to just sink him. Obliterate Dai Nippon
totally. And with it Matsuo Noda."
"You mean . . . go public about the sword? The problem with that is . .
."
"Exactly. Everything's destroyed. So why not forget about the sword for
a while? Whatever you know about it, at this point that's just your
word against his. I mean we have to bring the whole thing down."
"Tam, we're talking billions of dollars. This could take a while. That
number is a little hard to argue with."
"But what if that's both his strength and his weakness." She glanced
over at me. "Look, I've been thinking about what we might try. Maybe
there is a way."
"To assault him on the money front?"
"Right, but we'll need your friend Bill Henderson. Think he'd help?"