Drone Command

EIGHT

Tanaka sat behind his desk in Japan’s version of the White House, the ashtray in front of him crowded with butts. He flicked a gold-plated Dunhill to light another cigarette as his personal cell phone rang. He recognized the incoming number. A vice president of TEPCO, the Tokyo Electric Power Company. He took a long drag before picking up.

“Yoshio! How are you, my old friend?”

“I’m well, Tanaka-san. Sorry to bother you.”

Tanaka didn’t like the worried tone in his voice. “What’s wrong?”

“That American was snooping around again. Asking more questions.”

“The Issei? Yamada?”

“Hai. Dr. Yamada, from the University of Hawaii. I confirmed with an associate at the Ministry of the Environment. Unofficially, of course. Dr. Yamada’s story checks out. An environmentalist group contracted with Dr. Yamada and his research team.”

“More Fukushima nonsense?”

“Hai.”

Tanaka took a thoughtful drag. “What did Yamada want to know?”

“The usual. I assured him personally that our cleanup efforts were proceeding according to plan. He said he was well aware of our efforts. Very strange.”

“Strange? How so?”

“He said he was friends with one of the foreign deconstruction crews. August Mann’s team, with Pearce Systems.”

“Pearce? Troy Pearce?”

“Hai.”

“Anything else?”

“No, sir.”

“Keep me posted if this Yamada character shows up again. And keep your eyes on the Pearce Systems people.”

“Is there a problem? Should I dismiss them?”

“Not yet. But have your internal-security people pay close attention to them.”

Tanaka hung up the phone and stabbed out his cigarette. More Westerners snooping around the Fukushima facility. Either environmentalists or spies. Japan didn’t need either, especially meddling do-gooders. Humiliating. Japan would fix the problems. His country needed energy independence and nuclear power was the key.

And this Pearce fellow. Ito informed him that he brought Pearce Systems in for a drone demonstration, but he wasn’t aware Pearce was involved in Fukushima as well. He knew that drones and robots were being deployed in the hazardous cleanup. Pearce Systems had the best drones in the world, so it made sense. But this was quite a coincidence.

Tanaka lit another cigarette. Picked up the phone and called an acquaintance in the intelligence service. Time to find out more about Pearce.