Chapter 1
Once again Japan had its sights set on Pearl Harbour. Terrorists had been active in recent years in Tokyo, even targeting the subway system in a deadly sarin attack. Their leader and many of his followers had been hanged for their involvement but such movements always attracted offshoots and the wrong kind of followers. There was always some kind of new threat.
Chima Oshira knew all about Aum Shinrikyo, the doomsday cult led by Shoko Asahara that had brought such deadly results to the Tokyo subway system in 1995. Aware that their cult had sprang from millenarianism, he found them filled with ineptitude. Millenarianism stemmed from a doctrine or belief in a future utopian event following from a thousand year era of preparedness.
Chima had been in Honolulu for six weeks preparing the way for his followers. He felt like a pathfinder preparing the way. He had found a house for them on the outskirts of Honolulu in the Punchbowl, which guaranteed easy access to the city of Honolulu. He had acted like a regular tourist in his first few days, taking in all of the sights, and in particular that of Pearl Harbour. What he was in effect doing was building up a map in his head of possible targets down the road. He took plenty of photographs and consulted maps in libraries. Within a week or two he felt like a native and knew his way around the main attractions.
He had conducted some research into previous attempts to terrorise Hawaii, including a recent attempt to set off a dirty bomb at the USS Arizona. Press clippings had helped although he recognized there would always be gaps. Stuff that hadn't been released to the press by the police. He recognized some of the shortcomings of previous attempts, in particular the way they had seemed to underestimate their opponents - a cop called Mano seemed wholly responsible for their demise.
He keyed in Mano on Google. A wealth of information appeared on the man. He ran a special squad dealing with terrorism from police headquarters and he had the full backing of HPD behind him. Oshira recognized the cop's latent danger; the very fact that he had worked undercover for eight years nearly told its own story. A man committed, totally dedicated. Oshira had seen his type before, even back in Japan. He thought of the Japanese Investigative Agency and their effectiveness. Men like Abe Nakano were every bit as deadly. Smart too.
The irony of what he was planning for Hawaii wasn't lost on him and especially Pearl Harbour which his countrymen had targeted with such precision before. It might have been 1941, but even in 2019, Oshira still sensed a hint of dominance and arrogance over the Americans and their precious fleet. If he could be half as successful as his forebears he was confident he would make America shake again.
