The so-called "secret meeting" of intelligence chiefs from Japan, India, and Turkey—hosted in Bangalore and orchestrated by Japan—quickly reached a consensus. Time was of the essence.
Turkey was under constant attack from Syrian forces and Kurdish militants, both heavily funded by the U.S. and the British. The Kurdish forces, who had a blood feud with Turkey, were launching offensives from three different neighboring countries. Meanwhile, the Kurds inside Turkey, now armed to the teeth, had turned the country into a chaotic battlefield.
Turkey was desperate to turn the tide, especially since Syria had just received two downgraded versions of U.S. Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, pushing into disputed waters. The country now faced a multi-front war and needed a way to shift its predicament.
(Side note: The U.S. would never sell an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer with the Aegis system to any country. Even Japan's fleet, which includes ships equipped with Aegis, did not receive actual Arleigh Burkes. If this detail is inaccurate, blame the author's memory!).
Given the situation, Turkey was the most eager of the three nations to execute Japan's proposal—assembling a special operations team to target Castle for both revenge and technological extraction.
Upon reaching Bangalore and meeting with the Japanese Cabinet Intelligence and India's Defense Intelligence Agency, Turkey's intelligence representative immediately agreed to the plan.
For Turkey, there were three main objectives:
Revenge – Castle had triggered a chain reaction that led to Turkey being isolated and assaulted by NATO-backed forces. Technology Acquisition – With Turkey likely to be kicked out of the F-35 program, acquiring Castle's aviation and weapons technology was a top priority. Dragging Japan and India into its mess – Turkey knew Japan and India weren't truly supporting it out of goodwill. By involving them in an operation that the U.S. was bound to uncover, Turkey aimed to force them into deeper alliance—ensuring they'd share the consequences of America's wrath.
Turkey understood how the U.S. operated—if this mission succeeded, Washington would hunt for clues. Even if Japan and India covered their tracks, Turkey planned to leave behind enough evidence to ensure the U.S. found them.
This way, when America inevitably retaliated, it wouldn't just be Turkey on the receiving end—Japan and India would be dragged down as well.
While Turkey had its own ulterior motives, Japan's obsession with Castle's technology was unmatched.
From the moment Castle successfully developed his drone control system and partnered with Northrop Grumman, Japan had been watching him.
It had already kidnapped his daughter, Alexis, in a failed attempt to extract information.
And when Castle retaliated by launching a devastating cyberattack on the Japanese Cabinet Intelligence Agency, stealing classified data on Japanese operatives in the U.S., and completely wiping out Japan's intelligence network in Hawaii, the damage was unprecedented.
The aftermath?
Japan lost its most valuable spies in the U.S.Its intelligence operations in Hawaii were permanently crippled.The leaders of the Watanabe Group were killed on American soil.
And yet, Japan still refused to give up.
Why?
Because Castle's technology was simply too advanced.
Japanese military scientists had already calculated that obtaining Castle's research would catapult their military capabilities ahead by a full generation—particularly in aerospace and stealth warfare.
For a nation that still dreamed of rising as an Asian military power, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Did Japan still have U.S. military forces stationed on its soil?
Yes.
Did that matter?
Absolutely not.
Japan's imperial ambitions had never faded, and no amount of American military presence was going to change that.
Even their contingency plan was ready:
Once Castle's technology was secured, it wouldn't be taken back to Japan. Instead, it would be smuggled into secret Japanese research facilities in Africa, where U.S. intelligence wouldn't think to look.
This way, even if the U.S. started hunting for the stolen research, Japan would have plausible deniability.
Japan wasn't entirely blinded by greed, however.
Unlike Turkey and India, Japan actually had the technological capacity to fully absorb Castle's research.
Turkey and India?
They were hopelessly outmatched in this area.
Both nations wanted Castle's stealth and missile technologies, but neither had the infrastructure to actually utilize them.
Japan, on the other hand, wanted everything.
As for India?
India was simply the dumb muscle.
It had been dragged into this operation purely to boost the team's numbers.
With each nation having different objectives, the meeting in Bangalore proceeded smoothly.
Turkey, eager to shift the battlefield away from its own borders, was surprisingly cooperative.
It didn't fight for leadership of the task force.
It didn't argue over technology distribution.
Turkey's real goal was to use Japan and India as shields against U.S. retaliation. If the U.S. started investigating, it wanted Japan and India to take the hit first.
With their agreement finalized, the task force was assembled:
Each country would contribute 5-8 operatives, forming a 20-person elite unit. The operation would commence immediately, aiming to abduct Castle as quickly as possible. Once captured, any means necessary would be used to extract Castle's knowledge.
The plan moved rapidly—as Castle was still busy coordinating with U.S. defense contractors, agents from Karachi and Tokyo had already arrived in Bangalore.
Why Bangalore?
Aside from being the meeting location, India also wanted to show off its "technological might".
Bangalore was home to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), India's pride in aerospace engineering.
Turkey wasn't particularly impressed.
Japan, however?
Japan was barely holding back laughter.
India prided itself on its domestic fighter jet production, but Japan's own aviation industry had been advanced since the 1940s.
Even after being crushed in WWII, Japan had rebuilt its aerospace sector under U.S. supervision—decades ahead of India's frankly embarrassing efforts.
Even in the best-case scenario, if Castle's technology was miraculously integrated into Indian aircraft, Japan doubted it would make much difference.
The HAL Tejas was already notorious for its dangerously high crash rate, earning it the infamous nickname "The Widowmaker."
And since Tejas development was riddled with corruption, some Japanese operatives half-jokingly suspected that HAL was actually run by Pakistani spies.
But India, with its delusional overconfidence, firmly believed it could somehow make use of Castle's research.
If all else failed?
Well… they could always perform a traditional Indian blessing ritual and hope for the best.
With each country having its own agenda, discussions wrapped up quickly.
These intelligence chiefs didn't need to handle the details—they just set the direction.
Once the general plan was in place, the special operations unit was finalized.
20 operatives from three nations.Immediate execution of the abduction.Full extraction of Castle's knowledge—by any means necessary.
Meanwhile, in Hawaii, Castle had already set the stage.
As the Bangalore operatives finalized their mission, Castle was busy preparing his counterattack.
By the time Turkey, India, and Japan's teams landed in Hawaii, they would be walking into a nightmare they never saw coming.
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