Consequences Unforeseen

Tokyo, June 7th. 1991

Tokyo, June 7th. 1991

 

Foros was beautiful on this wonderful spring day in the warm but not broiling June sunshine. Douglas could tell because none of the people on the streets showed any signs of perspiration or discomfort as they went about their daily shopping or worked in their yards performing normal gardening chores.

The people lucky enough to be on the beaches had not even started to remove all of their beach ware as yet, a sure sign that the water was nowhere near ready for the usual summer cavorting around.

He was taking his first tour of the seaside resort and enjoying himself enormously. While he and Kris were having a wonderful time in Ito, Yoshikawa made arrangements to have several dragonfly beasts secreted in the hills above Foros. So Bill Douglas could begin his preparations in earnest over the coming days.

When he was briefed on the details that made this part of his work so much easier, he reflected on the hours, days and weeks he would normally spend pouring over satellite images, maps and intelligence details from other operatives past ground operations.

The former images could be hit or miss depending on weather conditions, maps were simply static representations of the streets and access roads around a target and intelligence bore the stigma of other’s perspectives based on their circumstances and predicaments at the time.

Seeing things through other people’s eyes never suited his need for almost obsessive planning and risk analysis using the Carver Shock tool to both plan an attack from one’s own perspective, and plan to defend against such an attack from the target’s point of view.

He always chuckled to him self when he reflected that this tool was itself based on the old Chinese Master and strategist Sun Tzu and his teachings, ‘The Art of War,’ and the more recent ‘Go Rin No Sho,’ the Japanese ‘Book of Five Rings.’

He would spend time in Foros that was certain, but for now he was seeing Foros and the surrounding hills and cliffs in essence with his own eyes, as he took the various dragonflies here, there and everywhere. Flying these tiny devices was similar to a helicopter but with the simplistic controls of a small fixed wing aircraft. The computer flew them; all he had to do was point and guide the activity.

He focused much of his attention in getting to know the Russian President’s holiday home, his Dacha which was just to the east of the town center, but surrounded in trees and shrubs making it look and feel to visitors that it was totally isolated.

It was on the beach, yet not on the beach set back and on the upslope of a steep incline. From the patio area, a covered and protected tunnel stretched down to the beach itself. From a certain angle on the beach the view took in the Villa and the high rockface in the distance behind it, on top of which perched an old church which he wanted to check out.. The beach here was secluded and enclosed, but he knew the President, against the wishes of his security detail, preferred to use the more central beaches closer to town. He obviously preferred activity over privacy. 

The building was large by any standards and shaped like a Spanish castle with one side open and all windows were overlooking the sea.. It nestled in the center of  lush gardens which enclosed a private pool and magnificent patio. A direct view upwards showed its magnifent window arches reaching from the ground to the rrof an observatory above them all.

The dragonfly allowed him to penetrate this high security home with amazing ease, something he could never have done in person so quickly. He relished this freedom to explore the interior and visit the private quarters of the big man and his wife.