Participants:
| Scene Title | According To Plan |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Long before Operation Armagettin formalized, there were plans and counterplans… |
| Date | July 22, 2019 |
The Times Square Building
West Downtown, Rochester NY
Glass clinks against the edge of the glass, echoing in the empty room Shedda Dinu utilizes for their meetings. The high ceiling seemed to enhance the sound. Godfrey could only imagine how lovely a grand piano would sound with those acoustics. A vaguely impatient gaze moves to the antique clock on the wall. It softly ticks out an even rhythm, a counter to the crack and pop of wood in the fireplace. Even though it was still early for him, Godfrey knew for others it may be considered insanely late. Arriving at this hour to seek an audience with his esteemed leader, meant he might be waiting.
No reason to do that sober.
The sound of a door opening on the other side of the room comes just as he starts to fill a second glass. Antonio Garza was a man to be respected and properly feared. And oh how Godfrey feared the man. Still when Godfrey turns with not one, but two glasses in his hands, he offers the other man a smile filled with smug mischief.
A man seemingly without fear.
His head inclines respectfully to Garza. “I do apologize for the intrusion on your night, Antonio, but I do believe Kimiko Nakamura has just handed me a unique opportunity that you may find interesting,” Godfrey explains as the second glass is held out, a peace offering in return for the other man’s time.
“Well, look at that, your timing is impeccable Godfrey.” Garza says as he settles down into the high-backed armchair he usually declines in during these kinds of meetings. Both planned and not. “I was just going to ask how things were going on the other side of the gilded fence.” He says with a smile, reaching up to take the offered glass in hand.
“Leadership is concerned with Nakamura,” Garza explains with a raise of one brow, “she and Yamagato both have been surprisingly quiet and the usual skirmishes between her company and Praxis Heavy Industries has become worryingly sparse on this side of the ocean…” Swirling the glass around in one hand, Garza looks down at the drink, then back up to Godfrey. “So, what is the young Nakamura planning?”
“Believe it or not, she asked me to go to Japan.”
Godfrey is highly amused by this turn of events, if his smug smile says anything about it. Both bosses wanting him to go overseas. What a thing.
Letting that sink in a moment, the liaison takes a sip of the amber liquid. There is a small sound of appreciation at the taste, before he reveals the reasoning for the meeting at Yamagato. “She asked me, specifically, to lure their pet assassin back with a shiny new arm. Seems Nakamura ousted Miss Dawson and used her like a worm on a hook. Of course, Leadership is far too intelligent to fall for it and now she wants to bring her back into the fold.”
His drink lifts in a salute, “And there an opportunity presents itself.”
Or at least Godfrey feels confident there is one. “So, if leadership is worried about the two super power companies getting all buddy buddy… why not use this to give the pot a little stir.” He gives a little swirl of his finger in emphasis, with a wicked smile.
Garza isn’t one to be at a loss for words, but there he is, swallowing them along with a mouthful of alcohol. His eyes wander the room, away from Godfrey, away from the late-night news broadcast he’d been watching on mute with closed-captions on. “How do you propose to do that?” Garza asks, languidly angling a look back to Godfrey. “I’d be more concerned with Dawson getting back to Yamagato, truth be told. So anything that can be done to… destabilize that would be appreciated.”
Garza rolls his drink in one hand, watching it swirl in the glass. “As for the prosthetic, don’t make a good case for her to keep it, and I can feed information to our assets in the Ghost Shadows in Japan to swipe it.” He looks from the dark liquid swirling in the glass to Godfrey. “How does that fit in with your plan?”
“Mmm. It fits very well, actually.”
Godfrey practically purrs it over the lip of his drink before sipping it, all the while watching his boss intently. “In fact, Nakamura wants me doing this under the radar, which means no Yamagato security. Yours truly is hiring the muscle for this trip. So should one of their people find their way into my employ…”
There is a bit of a grimace, not at the liquid burning it’s way down his throat, but at what he’s going to have to do. Risk his precious reputation for the betterment of the whole. Swiftly, it falls behind that smug smile again. “Well, how fortuitous for them.”
“As for Miss Dawson… she is a proud woman who was used by the very people that want her back.” Godfrey gives that issue a dismissive flick of his fingers. “I feel that little problem may very well solve itself.” He sounds confident, but is he really?
Godfrey steps away from the bottle, he tucks his freehand into a pant pocket, relaxed and without a care. “But as I was saying, the arm is snapped up and I come home to a very upset Kimiko. I’m shamed and humiliated for being so incompetent.” He really didn’t like that part, but he continues his slow pace behind the chair occupied by Garza, spinning his tale. “However, I would never let such a thing stand. Kimiko knows me well enough, that inaction would potentially be a red flag.”
His steps take him to Garza’s other side, “So, I will gather up some of Yamagato’s…” there is a small hesitation on the liaison’s part, unwilling to besmear the names of his… he hesitates on the word friend… associates. Instead he goes with, “…more enthusiastic and loyal employees, and retrieve the arm from the Ghosts. Even better if we can make them think that Praxis is behind the whole thing.”
The story spun, Godfrey tips a brow up curiously at Garza. Well?
Garza leans back in his seat, forsaking his drink for the moment. There is a distant look in his eyes, one that belies the amount of mental effort going on behind them. When he blinks a look back up to Godfrey, there is hesitation in a response — any response — save for the smallest of sighs. Garza sets his drink down on the small table beside his chair, then sits forward and folds his hands together, brows knit.
“The leader of the Ghost Shadows, Wenzhuo Zhao has been… worried, as of late.” It seems unusual for Garza to know something like that. “This is… between you and I, Godfrey. But Zhao, the Triad, all of it… it’s connected.” Garza’s dark eyes drift down to the floor, then back up to Godfrey after a moment of quiet consideration. “But Zhao has been worried about his lieutenant, Wai Ching Tsai, wanting to… wrest control of the organization from him.” Garza’s brows lift in a what can you do about it sort of way as he leans back into his chair.
“I can arrange that the arm goes to Tsai’s people,” Garza admits quietly. “Strengthen our relationship with Mr. Zhao and… I suppose this all was only a matter of time.” There’s a subtle shift in Garza’s demeanor, but he doesn’t comment on it. “You have my blessing, Godfrey.”
The subtle change in Garza doesn’t go unnoticed by the Brit. Eyes narrow ever so slightly, but the smile of mischief (and maybe a touch flirtatious) never leaves his lips. Nor does Godfrey comment on it, distracted by permission given. He now had a job to do.
“Well, sir,” Brows lift and his smile widens with pleasure at the acceptance of his plan. Lifting his glass, Godfrey smoothly assures Garza…
“Consider the matter handled.”