Takahashi appraised the man in front of him as he poured two cups and held one out. Once again fate had smiled on him. Most politicians were dim and one-dimensional. Not so, Castilla. He was an extremely intelligent man who didn’t need to rely on others for knowledge of history, geopolitics, and economics. Even war. While he would resist, the man would at least be capable of understanding.

The Americans were an interesting people. While there was little doubt that they were inferior to the Japanese, their genetic impurity was in many ways their advantage. Originally America had attracted only those who had the ability to make the difficult ocean crossing and, perhaps more important, those who wanted to. Individuals who had the courage, mental capacity, and discipline to throw off the yoke of Europe’s repressive aristocracies and carve out a better life on their own.

The president didn’t seem inclined to speak further, so Takahashi decided to take the initiative. “I assume that Colonel Smith and his people have fully briefed you on Fukushima?”

“That you were using Reactor Four to develop a weapon based on molecular manufacturing?”

Takahashi nodded.

“They have. It’s my understanding that it can destabilize concrete, plastic, and steel—the building blocks of modern civilization. But it’s also my understanding that it will be almost impossible to control. And that if it should run wild…” Castilla’s voice trailed off.

“It’s been extensively tested with one hundred percent success,” Takahashi said. “We can control it.”

“By using the earth’s magnetic field to localize it and limiting its ability to reproduce,” Castilla said.

“You are indeed well informed.”

“The problem is that my people aren’t convinced. They believe there’s a big difference between a lab setting and the real world. The consequences of using this type of weapon go well beyond anything developed by humanity thus far. The only analogy I can come up with would be a full-scale nuclear war between the US and the Soviet Union.”

Takahashi took a sip of his tea. As formidable as this politician was, he was, at his core, a hypocrite. When it was the American people who were threatened, the United States threw its values of freedom, human rights, and privacy into the trash bin. It indiscriminately wiped out civilians via robotic drones. It imprisoned countless people without charge and then tortured them for information. It dropped atomic bombs. But when another country was in the crosshairs, the Americans were always the first to call for moderation and restraint.

“Our development efforts over the last decade have been quite varied, Mr. President. The nanotech is only one component.”

“And what are the other components?”

Takahashi didn’t respond, instead taking a sip of his tea.

“Surely, one of the benefits of having an incredible arsenal is letting your enemies know that it exists and that you’re willing to use it.”