Miss Atomos, page 9
“Calling dinghy,” Gaylord announced.
“Go ahead,” Akamatsu said.
“The Boss asked me to tell you congratulations. And he just sent two speedboats to the port. They’re mission is to capture the Somota in case it gets away from you. Plus, the USS Missouri is cruising off the coast of Palm Beach. It’s ready to back up the boats. Call me if you have news and don’t forget to contact me in 15 minutes, even if it’s dead calm. Got it?”
“Got it.” Gaylord signed off and Akamatsu put the walkie-talkie on the seat.
“We’re there,” Cadogan said, taking the final turnoff. The De Soto drove onto the dock and the two men found themselves amidst the multi-colored panorama of the port and the beach. The Somota was still anchored in the same place and no movement could be seen on board. Cadogan stopped the car in the shade of the seawall and turned off the engine. The silence was heavy, but the trees and the sea were starting to sway in the wind. There was something soothing about the return to normal. It was like the end of the Atomos spell was linked to the awakening of nature.
“Shall we go?” Cadogan offered.
Akamatsu slipped on the walkie-talkie straps and grabbed his Colt Cobra. “Let’s go,” he said, “but carefully. If someone is watching from the yacht, they’ve already seen us.”
Cadogan took the second walkie-talkie, let off the safety of his .38 and the two men got out of the car. They went along the dock staying in the shadows and stopped a few yards away from the yacht.
“Let’s not put all our eggs in the same basket,” Akamatsu said. “Cover me while I get on board.”
Cadogan took cover behind a bollard and motioned that he was ready. Akamatsu ran up the narrow gangway and slid onto the foredeck. At that very instant they heard the sound of an engine backfiring. At the other end of the dock the old truck had just appeared and was scrambling along the seawall. Cadogan whistled low and Akamatsu understood that he had recognized the truck from Route 441 whose attack the De Soto had narrowly escaped by sacrificing its fender.
Dr. Soblen kept a close eye on his guards from the time they left the tunnel. He got up a few times to take his handkerchief out of his pocket or to straighten his wrinkled pants or to get in a more comfortable position and no one tried to hold him back. So, in the truck he had a certain freedom of movement that he decided to use to his advantage the first chance he got.
Soblen was not aggressive, but he was terribly bull-headed and had absolutely no fear of the risks he would run by attempting another escape. The cover had not been completely closed and when it lifted Soblen could see the road and the trees alongside. Thus, he knew that the truck was coming into the Palm Beach port when the trees disappeared and were replaced by mooring cables and the poops of ships. Up until then Soblen had not placed much faith in his chances. Jumping out on the highway was throwing himself on open land where he would be an easy target for the mortal disintegrating guns. But water was a favorable element.
Soblen was no athlete, but he could swim well…
Cadogan watched the old truck coming toward him. He was sure that the passengers were Miss Atomos’ servants and his finger instinctively tensed up on the trigger of his gun. Cadogan had never really fought directly against Madame Atomos and what he felt most was pure panic as he watched the truck approach, looking harmless, but obviously hiding the worst means of destruction under its faded cover.
On the other hand, Cadogan was impulsive. His reflexes worked faster than his brain. He thought that, stuck between the truck and the yacht, he and Akamatsu had no chance of pulling through if a skirmish broke out. So, when the truck was in range, the G-man opened fire. His first shot shattered the windshield. The second blew out the right front tire. The vehicle immediately swerved across the dock and smashed hard into the thick seawall. At this precise moment, Soblen jumped over the side panel. He rolled along like a rabbit on the uneven pavement, jumped up surprisingly alert, ran and dove between two boats.
Akamatsu knew that a confrontation was inevitable, so he called Gaylord at the first shot. He saw Soblen pass by, but he kept talking into the microphone. “Get over here! Don’t worry about us, try to sink the yacht. Miss Atomos has to be in the truck and…”
Three men in black jumped out. Cadogan saw them and emptied his gun at them. One of the men raised his disintegrator rifle and pointed it at the G-man. There was a blinding flash and a swish like crumpled paper. Cadogan and the bollard he thought would protect him went up in flames and collapsed into dust.
“Watch out!” Akamatsu warned. “They have disintegrator rifles.”
“We’re taking off,” Gaylord responded. “Get out of there quick. A bomber is on the way to give you a hand.”
“I’m diving,” Akamatsu said. He slipped under the rail and into the water. There were boats all around the Somota and he had no trouble getting away without being seen. Hanging onto a chain he glanced at the dock. Miss Atomos was walking to the yacht. A group of men armed with the terrifying rifles surrounded her. Closer, the wind was starting to blow away ashes of Cadogan.
All of a sudden the whining of rotor blades tore through the air. Akamatsu saw the helicopter rise up over the rooftops. He brought the walkie-talkie up to his mouth and yelled, “Get higher, Gaylord! Their disintegrator rifles can shoot 300 yards! Be careful! They’re next to the seawall!”
“No worries,” the pilot answered excitedly. The helicopter shot up while the machine gun swept over the seawall and the Somota. Two of Miss Atomos’ partners were brought down by the bullets, but they got up right away. They were fatally wounded for sure, but the motor-brain in their skull really did grant them immortality.’
Akamatsu swam away fast. He went between two boats and saw Dr. Soblen hanging onto a buoy. “Soblen!”
The doctor turned around and yelled something at Akamatsu that he did not hear because the helicopter had just opened fire on the Somota again. The yacht shook under the flurry of exploding bullets. A dull explosion sounded on board and it was surrounded by smoke. A second later flames burst out and rose up very high in the sky. Akamatsu knew that the gas tank had been hit. He mentally tipped his hat to Robinson and swam up to Soblen.
“Well, doctor, how are you?”
“Fine,” Soblen said curtly. “Can you tell me why the helicopter is hammering away at this yacht when Miss Atomos is planning to escape on a submarine?”
Akamatsu hung onto the buoy. The Somota was burning like a torch now and the glowing debris hissed through the air. “There’s no submarine in the port,” he said. “Where did you come up with that, doc?”
“Believe me, Yosho! I was a prisoner of Miss Atomos and I know that she’s planning to get on board a submarine with her men.”
Akamatsu called Gaylord and when contact was established he said, “I found Soblen. He claims that a submarine is in the port somewhere. Do you see it?”
“No, but get out of there! The bomber is coming. After it drops its shells Palm Beach won’t have a seawall, a dock or a single boat left.”
“We can’t move. Miss Atomos and her gang can spot us. Their weapons won’t miss.”
The helicopter hurtled past and Gaylord answered, “Don’t worry about that. They all just cleared out in a car that was parked nearby. I would have picked them off, but the yacht was the priority, wasn’t it?”
“Okay. Good job. Now, follow that car, Gaylord. We’re going to try to get out of here before it’s too late.”
The helicopter went off with its blades whining. “Come on, doc,” Akamatsu said.
The two men swam to the dock, pulled themselves onto solid ground and started running toward the houses. They had 100 yards to go before crossing the seawall. Behind them the Somota was still burning and starting to fall over. One by one its mooring cables snapped like a whip and the boat next to it caught fire.
“The bomber’s attack is useless now,” Soblen panted. “In a few minutes all the boats will be on fire and if Miss Atomos goes back to the city, it’s because the submarine wasn’t at the meeting point.” Since he was slowing down, Akamatsu grabbed his arm to help him keep up. They were only halfway to safety when the bomber appeared in the sky. It was flying quite high, but the string of bombs it dropped was clearly visible from the ground. Akamatsu and Soblen threw themselves to the ground and rolled against the seawall.
The barrage announced by Gaylord hit the port. Two bombs fell first in the middle of the row of boats, not far from the two men, and the rest dropped without interruption. The Somota was hit full on, pulverized, and it sent its burning debris shrieking through the air on all sides while the seawall shook under the impact.
It calmed down while the bomber made a u-turn and the two men started running toward the beach. Now the boats that had not sunk were on fire. The seawall had been reduced and huge waves were rushing along the crumbling dock. The bomber passed over to check the results of its attack, headed toward Palm Beach and then made one more pass.
Still running in the dust and smoke, the two men finally reached the boardwalk where the seawall began. They were out of danger there. After crossing the road they hid under a porch. The port was unrecognizable and the roar of the explosions was still echoing in the dead city.
“Look!” Soblen cried. The top of a submarine emerged from the water. The submarine rolled over and its keel surfaced while a long trail of oil spread out in the water. On its return, the bomber, just to be sure, dumped its bombs on the already dying submarine, which was crushed like a nutshell and disappeared for good under the water.
Miss Atomos could tear up her return ticket…
Chapter XII
While the submarine was sinking in the troubled waters under the bomb blasts, a squadron of B-52s was pounding away at the Everglades. Soblen and Akamatsu felt the ground tremble under their feet and the windows of the buildings kept shaking. A huge black cloud rose up in the west, turning red every time a napalm bomb hit the swamp.
A seagull appeared all of a sudden. It crossed the seawall and glided overhead, circling the burning port. It looked like it was watching the blackened wreckage that was floating in the oily water like it was a new, troubling universe. Finally it went over the pier and landed on the beach. It was the first living animal that the two men had seen since their arrival in Palm Beach.
Dr. Soblen, who had had no time until then to think about anything but saving his own skin, remembered what his guard had said. Wiping his glasses he turned to Akamatsu and said, “You haven’t asked me where the submarine was supposed to take us, Yosho?”
“That’s true, doctor, but you know, it wasn’t exactly the right time.” He saw the doctor’s face turn grave and added, “Are you going to announce a new disaster?”
Soblen shook his head. “Not exactly. The submarine was supposed to take us to Atomos City. At this very moment its off the coast of Palm Beach and will probably stay there until Miss Atomos and her partners are taken back.”
The Japanese narrowed his eyes. “Do you think that we’re up to finding it and destroying it?”
“Maybe. But first of all you have to know that Sam Forbes, Maggy Fairbanks, Gregory and May Maxwell as well as their two sons are on the island.”
Akamatsu’s brow was deeply furrowed. “I don’t understand. Why the devil would Miss Atomos take their corpses?”
“They’re alive, Yosho!”
“Impossible, doc.”
Soblen told him Miss Atomos’ secrets and to conclude his unlikely story he said, “I myself was supposed to be operated on this morning. If I didn’t get your help to escape, I’d be a robot, too, under the control of the Great Brain.”
Akamatsu was silent for an instant and then said, “It’s mind-blowing, but we at least we’re sure that the Great Brain and those who obey it are neutralized every day for one hour. We have to tell the Boss and Smith Beffort about where things stand.”
He called Gaylord on the walkie-talkie, which he had not dropped in spite of its extra weight, and instantly connected to the helicopter. He told the pilot that the floating island was off the east coast of Florida and a conversation took place between Akamatsu and the Boss with Gaylord serving as the go-between. Since Miss Atomos and her men had abandoned the De Soto before vanishing in the streets of Palm Beach, it was decided that the city would be evacuated first thing and blockaded by the army. Moreover, the navy would close the Florida Strait. The plan was to keep Miss Atomos where she was and the floating island in the Strait until the next morning at 9 a.m. It was a kind of truce, but it was necessary.
The same day life went back to normal throughout the state. The spheres had been destroyed by the air force and the air became perfectly breathable again. The immediate danger seemed far away now, but because of Dr. Soblen’s revelations, the police, the army and the entire population remained in a state of alert. An incredible slaughter of baby rattlesnakes took place in the afternoon and the robot portrait of Miss Atomos was circulated by the press.
Palm Beach, which had been completely evacuated for 21 hours, became the most deserted city in the world. The army surrounded it. They were sure that Miss Atomos and her formidable servants were still there and would breach the barricades during the night. At sea the navy was on guard. The Gulf of Florida was turned into a giant trap that even a fish could not escape.
From the balcony of the Hilton the Boss contemplated the empty streets. Next to him Soblen, Akamatsu and Beffort were smoking in silence. A strange tension was in the air.
“So,” the Boss mumbled without turning around, “they led you to believe that they had other means of attack?”
Soblen looked up. “And that’s all they said,” he emphasized.
The night was heavy. The lights of the warships stretched a thin garland across the horizon and the streetlights on the sidewalks and roads cast pale halos on the ground. In front of the hotel three armored cars armed with flamethrowers were parked around the Boss’ Jeep and Beffort’s De Soto, which had been found not far from the port—Miss Atomos had abandoned it because its gas tank was empty. Afterward it was filled up and the car ran fine, but Beffort was wondering under what circumstances he could use it because (and this was the dilemma) nothing could be undertaken as long as Miss Atomos was in hiding. The same went for Atomos City. The island could remain safely under water for months while the navy wore themselves out. The United States thought they had the situation under control, but it was only an illusion.
“All thing considered,” the Boss said, “we’re forced to play defense.” That was a statement that everyone generally agreed with. No comment was made. The Boss took a drag off his cigar and continued, “We’re forced to play defense and the guessing game. How do you think things are going to play out, Smith?”
Beffort dropped his cigarette butt and ground it out under his shoe. “How should I know? We’re dealing with a machine whose reactions are unpredictable. We think that the Great Brain won’t leave the Strait without Miss Atomos. That’s a ridiculous idea! Right now the island might be miles away from Palm Beach and we don’t know if the Great Brain has killed Mie Azusa and her partners before taking off… As you said rightly, we’re forced to play the guessing game.”
The Boss turned around. The end of his cigar glowed like a warning light. “And you, doctor, you have nothing to say?”
Soblen cleared his throat. “I don’t agree with Smith. During my captivity, I had the feeling that the Great Brain and each of its members formed an indissoluble whole. I don’t think that the mind of Madame Atomos, which is manifested in this electronic machine, can allow one of its servants to be lost. The Atomos organization needs hands to make its devices that are meant to destroy the United States and every time one of its living dead disappears, the totality loses some effectiveness. Therefore, I think that the island will stay in the Strait as long as Miss Atomos is trapped in Palm Beach.”
The Boss sat down. “There’s something I don’t understand in all this,” he said. “If Miss Atomos and her henchmen are immortal, why didn’t they escape when the helicopter was shooting and burning the Somota?”
Akamatsu took the floor. “The immortality given to Miss Atomos didn’t give her the power to swim to the island. The Great Brain saw the destruction of the submarine and it gave the order to retreat. Now we can’t forget that all this might have been foreseen.”
“Don’t exaggerate,” Soblen begged.
“He’s right,” Beffort interjected. “The Atomos organization has never been caught off guard. Every act leads to the next and nothing is left to chance. I wouldn’t be surprised if a large-scale attack is launched against Palm Beach tonight.”
The Boss shrugged his shoulders. “Attacking this city wouldn’t do any good,” he objected. “If Miss Atomos isn’t in danger, the Great Brain has no reason to interfere. Look, the houses were searched during the evacuation and we didn’t find any place she could hole up. Tell me, Smith, don’t you have any inkling about this?”
Beffort looked surprised. “What makes you ask that?”
The Boss puffed on his cigar and said innocently, “You’re the one who saw Mie Azusa in your room. I’m simply wondering whether she told you any secret…”
“I told you how things went down with us,” Beffort felt uncomfortable. “The girl who came to see me had nothing in common with Miss Atomos. She didn’t even remember how she got to the Hilton. Ask Dr. Soblen what he thinks about this split personality.”
The doctor waved it off nonchalantly. “Don’t start with that again, Beffort. I’m sure that Sam Forbes, Maggy Fairbanks and the Maxwells aren’t serving the Great Brain with their hearts full of joy.”
“They’re dead!” the Boss barked. “Mie Azusa is alive and no one can make me believe that she’s being forced to do what she does! I’m thoroughly convinced that this girl is just acting in order to trap you more easily.” He pointed his cigar at Beffort and said, “Don’t forget, Smith, that she emptied her gun at you just after your first meeting. It was a miracle that you didn’t die and the next day she came back with a loaded weapon. Can you be sure that she wasn’t going to try it again? Can you sure that the Great Brain exists?”
