Scott was one of the old hands from way back. He should have been manning a desk at Langley, but he preferred field assignments. He and Hawk knew each other, and although Scott had heard of Carter, they had never met.
They shook hands when Scott showed up in the Consular Affairs office. "I just got a call from your boss," he said.
They went upstairs to Scott's fourth-floor office. His secretary brought them coffee, and when they were alone Scott pulled a bottle of bourbon out of his desk and poured some into each of their coffee cups.
"Hawk has pulled out the big guns," Scott said. "We've gotten it from on high that we're to cooperate with you one hundred percent."
"I appreciate it."
Scott shook his head. "Hawk said something about never finding the chip here in Tokyo…?"
"Even if it is here, I don't think we'd find it in a hundred years of searching."
"So what are we all doing here?"
"Not nearly enough. I'm going to need a diversion. The bigger the better."
Scott's eyes narrowed. "What have you got in mind, Carter?"
"We need the Petrograd chip. It's highest priority."
"But you just said…"
"Right — we'll never find the chip here in Tokyo. But I know where another one is."
Scott started to protest, but then he sat back in his chair, a look of amazement on his face. "Svetlaya."
Carter nodded.
"You're going to lift a computer chip out of a Soviet submarine in the middle of the most heavily guarded base in the world.
"Something like that. But if the Russians here in Tokyo think we've stopped looking, they might begin to get worried about Svetlaya, and beef up their security even more."
Scott thought about that for a moment or two. Carter took a sip of his laced coffee. It was good.
"The Japanese will have to be informed," Scott said. "How does Hawk feel about that?"
"It'll make the operation seem more legitimate."
"But we're not going to tell them what's really going on?"
That was a tough one. "Not yet, I don't think," Carter said. "Major Matsu Rishiri and I have done business before, and he doesn't particularly care for me."
Again Scott fell silent while he thought that through. "You've made arrangements to get to Svetlaya?"
"Yes, I have."
"I don't want to know about it." Scott shook his head. "Paul Tibbet was a good man. They killed him right here in Tokyo over the chip. They won't be kind to you either if you're caught."
"No, they won't."
Scott reached out and flipped his intercom button. "Get Major Rishiri on the telephone. Tell him I'd like to meet with him here — immediately. Top priority."
"Yes, sir," his secretary said.
Scott poured them some more coffee and bourbon. "Between Rishiri's men and my people, we should be able to make a pretty fair-sized stink."
"One that I'll have to be personally involved in," Carter added.
"What?"
"I want the Russians to see me. I want them to know that I'm here in Tokyo."
"If they've seen you here, and believe you're still here, they won't suspect you're jogging off to Svetlaya."
"Something like that," Carter said, grinning.
Scott's secretary buzzed him five minutes later. "Mr. Scott… Major Rishiri is here already, sir."
Scott's eyebrows rose. "Send him in."
"He's been following me around," Carter said. He and Scott got to their feet as the major came in.
"I was expecting this little meeting," Rishiri said cooly. He didn't look too happy.
"Good afternoon, Major," Scott said. "You know Mr. Carter, I believe."
"Indeed," Rishiri said. "On Mr. Carter's account I have spent a trying half hour this morning with my boss and my Secretary of State. They are two very persuasive men who do not enjoy becoming involved in the personal likes or dislikes of their subordinates."
"Then you'll cooperate with us?" Carter snapped. He was tired of playing games with the man.
"For the moment, Mr. Carter, for the moment."
"We start tonight, Major."
"Start what?" Rishiri asked.
"You asked me what the Russians were looking for, and why Paul Tibbet was killed. Now I will tell you."
Rishiri looked to Scott. "Carter is CIA? He works for you? He is to be assigned here in Tokyo?"
"No to all of the above. Mr. Carter is simply here on a special assignment. When it is completed, he will leave."
"Good," Rishiri said. "Good. Now tell me everything, Nicholas-san."
Carter went through most of the story again, including the business with Lieutenant Lavrov attempting to trade the Petrograd chip for a secret defection. He left out his discussion with Howard Peyton, and of course made no mention of Kazuka, AXE, and his plans for departing Hokkaido that night.
When Carter was finished, Rishiri fell into a thoughtful silence. Scott looked at Carter and shrugged.
"The only ones who will have any chance of finding the chip are the Russians themselves. We have to follow them. All of them. Night and day. The moment they come up with the chip, we'll grab it," Scott said.
"It is their property after all," Rishiri said reasonably.
"The Petrograd-class submarine, once it is fully operational, will seriously upset the balance of power. It could mean war."
"Spare me the histrionics, Carter."
"Will we have your cooperation?"
Rishiri hesitated. Finally, however, he nodded. "Of course. It will be interesting to see how the Russians will react to your presence. Their man in the park across from their embassy is dead. Their ambassador has been called to see my Prime Minister. You have been here for barely twenty-four hours, and already there is trouble. There will be more. But I have nothing to say about it."
Major Rishiri arranged for two rooms on the twenty-first floor of the new Tokyo Hilton that had a good view of the Soviet embassy. Within a couple of hours a complete communications net had been set up in one of the rooms, while in the other, surveillance gear had been installed so that the embassy itself could be monitored visually, aurally, and electronically. The systems were all passive, so that the Russians would not be able to detect the surveillance. They would, however, be able to monitor the communications net.
Rishiri had at least two dozen of his people in the field, while Scott had been able to muster only a half dozen of his legmen. It was enough, however, to completely cover the Soviet embassy and especially KGB operations. It was also enough for the Russians to know that something was going on. How they were going to react was anyone's guess.
Carter managed to slip away into the lobby of the hotel long enough in the late afternoon to call Kazuka and confirm that she had been able to make all the arrangements.
"Everything is ready, Nicholas," she said. "But what is happening with the Russian embassy? There is a lot of activity over there."
"Call our people back. This is Scott's and Rishiri's show," Carter said.
"You're involved with it?"
"Yes, but listen to me very carefully, Kazuka. No matter what you hear… no matter what you think may be happening, stick to our schedule. Do you understand?"
"I hope so, Nicholas."
"I'll see you tonight at ten."
"Good luck," she said.
Carter hung up and went back upstairs. It was starting to become a habit for people to wish him luck on this assignment. It was beginning to get on his nerves.
By six that evening it was becoming obvious what the Russians were up to. They had divided their efforts into six teams, each assigned to one of Tokyo's major districts: Kanda, Hongo, Kyobashi, Asakusa, Nihonbashi, and Kojimachi-ku.
They evidently had a list of Lavrov's haunts and contacts, as well as the haunts and contacts of other embassy employees.