by Mayer, Bob
“Your daughter?” Lake said.
Nira kept her attention on Kuzumi. “Yes, my daughter. I remarried after the war. An American. He was a good man and I needed him to keep my place in society even as I used the contacts I had made working for the Black Ocean to work my way into the Yakuza of San Francisco. I am the Oyabun!”
“You may be Oyabun, but I’ve got a couple of platoons of men headed in this direction right now,” Feliks said. “So I think—”
“I do not care what you think,” Nira snapped. “I am in charge here.”
“Says who?” Feliks asked.
Nira turned to Kuzumi. “The frequency for the detonator for Genzai Bakudan?”
Kuzumi had those numbers imprinted in his memory. He told her.
Nira held up a hand and in it was a small metal box. Lake recognized it as a twin to the one in the submarine. She turned a dial on the front. “I had the special code transmitted and now I have the proper frequency. I control Genzai Bakudan.”
“That thing won’t go off,” Feliks said, but Lake could hear a little bit of uncertainty in his voice.
“I think you’d better call Randkin and check on that,” Lake said. “When I asked him, he said there was a good chance the bomb would work.”
Feliks looked about, then settled on Nira. “What do you want?”
“The truth,” Nira said. “I knew one of you would have it.” She pointed at Kuzumi. “Obviously he is ignorant of what happened since he was a captive in Russia at the end of the war and Taiyo told him nothing but lies. So you must know the truth.”
Feliks shook his head. “What good would that do now? It’s all worked out for the best. Let it go.”
“It is my life!” Nira shouted, startling everyone with such a powerful voice in such an old body. “My life. My son’s life.” She snapped her head around to Kuzumi. “James is dead, isn’t he? Or was that another lie fed me?”
“I am sorry to tell you that our son is indeed dead,” Kuzumi said.
Nira turned back to Feliks. She held up the remote. “Tell me what treachery was wrought at the end of the war.”
“It was not treachery,” Feliks said, stung by the word. “What was done was done in the mutual best interests of my country and yours,” he added, nodding toward Kuzumi. “Taiyo was a very smart man. You tried to make a deal with the Russians. Give them Genzai Bakudan in exchange for their alliance against us in the Pacific. The Russians laughed at you and took Hungnam by force even before they declared war.
“Then you turned to us. You had one Genzai Bakudan after you blew the one at Hungnam. You knew we had the bomb—make that bombs. Hell, we really didn’t need the atomic bomb, we were hitting you with enough conventional ordnance that there would be nothing left of the infrastructure of Japan by the end of the year.”
Feliks’s voice carried over the sound of the waves hitting the rocks and echoed off the stone walls above them.
“Your Emperor wanted peace, but the military didn’t want to surrender. He needed a way out. We had the bomb. You had the bomb. One of the agents the Black Ocean used here in the states, a Spanish man, approached me with the word about Genzai Bakudan. At first, I think Taiyo thought we would be willing to negotiate something more than the unconditional surrender the Allies were demanding if we knew you had an atomic weapon.”
Feliks laughed. “He was quickly disabused of the notion, especially since Roosevelt had just died and the war in Europe was over. So it was time for plan two. My superior who headed the Ranch at that time went to Truman and told him about Genzai Bakudan. And that it was en route to attack some Allied target. This was right after Truman was briefed on the Manhattan Project.”
Feliks paused, as if thinking of how to say what he was telling them. He shrugged. “So we struck a deal. We dropped the bomb on Hiroshima, you assured us Genzai Bakudan would not be detonated.”
“What kind of deal was that?” Nira demanded, her shock representative of what Kuzumi and Lake felt.
“It was a deal that saved Japan from being leveled,” Feliks shot back angrily. “Do you know what would have happened if that thing”—he pointed at the jetty—”had gone off? Yeah, you would have taken out the Golden Gate Bridge and then what? You didn’t have any more and we knew that. You think the United States would have said. Gee, we’re sorry after five years of war and let’s have a truce? Didn’t you see how we reacted to Pearl Harbor? If you had detonated Genzai Bakudan, it would have been genocide. There wouldn’t be a Japan today. There’d be just a bunch of lifeless lumps of land in its place.”
“And Nagasaki?” Kuzumi asked. “Was that part of the deal too?”
“That was your problem. The Emperor still couldn’t get the military hotheads under control. So we helped him convince them.”
“That is why the frequency this was set on,” Nira said, “was the wrong one.”
“Correct,” Feliks said. “Taiyo kept that frequency as the final control over Genzai Bakudan.”
“And why they tried to kill me and get the detonator back,” she added, almost to herself.
“Right.”
“All these years,” Nira said. She looked at Kuzumi. “You knew none of this?”
Kuzumi shook his head. “I was in Russia. When I returned I was told that the 1-24 which carried Genzai Bakudan had been scuttled at sea and you were dead.”
Nishin spoke for the first time. “The detonator in the submarine was on the wrong frequency, too. Hatari thought he was betrayed.”
Kuzumi spread his hands. “I did not know.”
“But you did,” Nira said, staring at Feliks. She raised her empty hand and pointed at Feliks.
“It was necessary,” Feliks said. “It was the right...” He never finished the sentence as a black hole suddenly appeared in the center of his forehead. The back of his skull exploded out and the body flipped back onto the gravel. The two Ranch guards were also shot, their bodies crumpling under the impact of several rounds each.
“It was treachery all around,” Nira said. “There was no honor in it.” She reached out the same hand that had signaled Feliks’s death to Kuzumi and took his hand. “I am sorry that we have lost all these years.”
At the jetty Lake glanced at Nishin. Lake walked forward to Nira and Kuzumi. “What now?”
Nira’s face still held some of the beauty it had once glowed with. She smiled and handed Lake the detonator. “It is all yours. Peggy told me that you were a man that could be trusted. Do what you will with the bomb. Sink it at sea like it should have been long ago.” She turned to Kuzumi. “We must leave. It will be dawn soon and people will be coming.”
Kuzumi nodded. “Come with me?” he asked her.
Nira tapped her daughter on the shoulder. “Take the men back. I will get in contact with you later.” She took Nakanga’s place and pushed the wheelchair toward the tilt-jet, whose engines were starting up.
“Come with us, Nishin,” Kuzumi called out.
Nishin had walked forward with Lake. The Japanese looked at Lake and shrugged. “It is all I know,” he said.
Lake simply nodded. Nishin followed the couple, in step with Nakanga.
Lake looked at Harmon. She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a tape recorder. “You might want Feliks’s words. They might help you get reinstated.”
Lake took the tape recorder. “You should have told me the truth. I told you the truth about me.”
“My mother and I didn’t know the truth,” Harmon said. “We had to find it out.”
“So you lied to get to the truth?” Lake shook his head. “All of this,” he added, gesturing at the tilt-jet taking off, Feliks’s body, the Yakuza tug, the Coast Guard helicopter that was also taking off. “All of it happened because of lies.”
“What are you going to do?” Harmon asked.
Lake felt very tired. “The first tourist boat will be out here shortly. Maybe Feliks’s men are coming. The Coast Guard pilot probably has called the police by now.
“I’m going to wait,” Lake said. “I’m going to give the bomb to the park police. And I’m going to give them the tape.”
“You’re going to cause a lot of trouble if you do that,” Harmon said.
“All this happened because no one wanted the trouble the truth would cause. Seems like the lies don’t do much better than the truth.”
“And you?” she added in a different tone of voice.
“And I’m going away,” Lake said. He met her eyes for a long minute, then turned and walked away toward the tied-up SDV. Harmon stood still, then quickly walked toward the tub, her men following her.
Soon there was no one but Lake left alive on the island. He strolled over to Feliks’s body and reached into his jacket. He pulled out the old OSS cigarette case.
When the first police boat reached the island, Lake was on his second smoke.
THE END
Other Books
by Bob Mayer
"Heart-racing, non-stop action that is difficult to put down."-Mystery News on Bodyguard of Lies
"Thelma and Louise go clandestine."-Kirkus Reviews on Bodyguard of Lies
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“ . . .delivers top-notch action and adventure, creating a full cast of lethal operatives armed with all the latest weaponry. Excellent writing and well-drawn, appealing characters help make this another taut, crackling read.” Publishers Weekly
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“Fascinating, imaginative and nerve-wracking.” Kirkus Reviews
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THE GREEN BERET SERIES
“Mayer had me hooked from the very first page.” Stephen Coonts
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“Exciting and authentic. Don’t miss this one!” W.E.B. Griffen
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“Mayer has stretched the limits of the military action novel. Synbat is also a gripping detective story and an intriguing science fiction thriller. Mayer brings an accurate and meticulous depiction of military to this book which greatly enhances its credibility.” Assembly
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“Will leave you spellbound. Mayer’s long suit is detail, giving the reader an in-depth view of the inner workings of the Green Machine.” Book News
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“Mayer keeps story and characters firmly under control. The venal motives of the scientists and military bureaucracy are tellingly contrasted with the idealism of the soldiers. A treat for military fiction readers.” Publishers Weekly
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“Sinewy writing enhances this already potent action fix. An adrenaline cocktail from start to finish.” Kirkus Reviews
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“Incredibly believable and absolutely riveting. Quite possibly the best book every written about the Green Berets. Bob Mayer tells Green Beret stories like Joseph Wambaugh tells cop stories!” Macon News-Record
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BRAND NEW FICTION COMING 7 MAY 2013
NEXT IN THE GREEN BERET SERIES
“A background in Special Forces gives Mayer credibility and understanding from ‘having been there and done that.’” Airpower Journal
COMING 7 MAY
THE BLACK OPS SERIES
“Sizzling, first rate war fiction.” Library Journal
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“A military thriller in the tradition of John Grisham’s The Firm.” Publishers Weekly
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“The Omega Missile comes screaming down on target. A great action read.” Stephen Coonts
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“What a delicious adventure-thriller. Its clever, plausible plot gives birth to lots of action and suspense.” Kansas City Journal Inquirer
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“Exciting and authentic. Author Mayer, a Green Beret himself, gave me a vivid look at the world of the Army’s Special Forces as they battle America’s most deadly enemy. His portrayal of Green Beret operations and techniques takes you deep into the covert world of Special Operations as a you follow an A-Team into combat. Don’t miss this one.” W.E.B. Griffin
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Praise for Atlantis by Bob Mayer:
“Spell-binding! Will keep you on the edge of your seat. Call it techno-thriller, call it science fiction, call it just terrific story-telling.” Terry Brooks, #1 NY Times Bestselling author of the Shannara series and Star Wars Phantom Menace
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PSYCHIC WARRIOR SERIES
“A pulsing technothriller. A nailbiter in the best tradition of adventure fiction.” Publishers Weekly.
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AREA 51/NIGHTSTALKERS SERIES
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Nightstalkers is a NEW series birthed from the 9 book Area 51 Series
CLICK HERE FOR THE ENTIRE 9 BOOK SERIES
About the Author
NY Times bestselling author Bob Mayer has had over 50 books published. He has sold over four million books, and is in demand as a team-building, life-changing, and leadership speaker and consultant for his Who Dares Wins: The Green Beret Way concept, which he translated into Write It Forward: a holistic program teaching writers how to be authors. He is also the Co-Creator of Who Dares Wins Publishing, which does both eBooks and Print On Demand, so he has experience in both traditional and non-traditional publishing.
His books have hit the NY Times, Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal and numerous other bestseller lists. His book The Jefferson Allegiance, was released independently and reached #2 overall in sales on Nook.
Bob Mayer grew up in the Bronx. After high school, he entered West Point where he learned about the history of our military and our country. During his four years at the Academy and later in the Infantry, Mayer questioned the idea of “mission over men.” When he volunteered and passed selection for the Special Forces as a Green Beret, he felt more at ease where the men were more important than the mission.
Mayer’s obsession with mythology and his vast knowledge of the military and Special Forces, mixed with his strong desire to learn from history, is the foundation for his science fiction series Atlantis, Area 51 and Psychic Warrior. Mayer is a master at blending elements of truth into all of his thrillers, leaving the reader questioning what is real and what isn’t.
He took this same passion and created thrillers based in fact and riddled with possibilities. His unique background in the Special Forces gives the reader a sense of authenticity and creates a reality that makes the reader wonder where fact ends and fiction begins.
In his historical fiction novels, Mayer blends actual events with fictional characters. He doesn’t change history, but instead changes how history came into being.
Mayer’s military background, coupled with his deep desire to understand the past and how it affects our future, gives his writing a rich flavor not to be missed.
Bob has presented for over a thousand organizations both in the United States and internationally, including keynote presentations, all day workshops, and multi-day seminars. He has taught organizations ranging from Maui Writers, to Whidbey Island Writers, to San Diego State University, to the University of Georgia, to the Romance Writers of America National Convention, to Boston SWAT, the CIA, Fortune-500, the Royal Danish Navy Frogman Corps, Microsoft, Rotary, IT Teams in Silicon Valley and many others. He has also served as a Visiting Writer for NILA MFA program in Creative Writing. He has done interviews for the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Sports Illustrated, PBS, NPR, the Discovery Channel, the SyFy channel and local cable shows. For more information see www.bobmayer.org.
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