“It has to. A war between the US and China just plain can’t happen. Whenever I ask anyone about how it would play out, all they can do is curl up into the fetal position.”

Klein completely understood that reaction. While he found the words hard to utter, what they were talking about was World War III. There was no way the Europeans and Russians could sit out a confrontation involving the world’s two largest economies and two most powerful militaries. The situation would spiral out of control, and in the context of modern technology that could mean turning the planet into an irradiated cinder.

“Sam, I’m convinced that there is more to this than meets the eye. You need to keep things at a slow boil until Jon and Randi can figure out what happened at Fukushima. My gut says that there’s something critical there. That it’s the piece we’re missing in all of this.”

Castilla nodded, but his stare was a bit distant. “You’ve known me for a long time, Fred. My decision-making style isn’t that complicated. I gather the facts, listen to the experts, and hire the best people available to execute the solution we come up with. But do you know what I’m going to do tonight? I’m going to have a few too many drinks and then I’m going to get on my knees and pray.”

30

30

Alexandria, Virginia
USA

Jon Smith parked away from the lights in the empty lot and eased himself out of his classic Triumph. A chill immediately went through him, but it wasn’t just the fall air. It was also the memory of the panicked 4:00 a.m. call he’d received from Greg Maple. After multiple unheeded warnings that the line wasn’t secure, he’d finally had no choice but to tell the man he was on his way and hang up.

Smith managed to achieve a slow jog as he approached the front of the concrete bunker of a building. Inside, the lights were dim, but he could see a shadow moving on the other side of the glass. By the time he made it up the steps, one of the doors was swinging open and he was being motioned inside.

“Are you all right, Greg?”

The scientist didn’t answer, instead scanning the lot before closing the door and locking it again.

“Did you find contamination somewhere else?”

Maple had examined the samples Klein’s contacts had collected from the other Japanese nuclear power plants and pronounced them clean. Smith was concerned that the man had discovered he’d missed something and that another Asian nuclear disaster was in the offing. Maybe more than one.

Maple just shook his head and started back into the building at a hurried walk. “They’re fine. The first samples you gave me are unique.”