The Boy Who Glowed in the Dark

CHAPTER 5

Johnny waited in his hotel room all day for the man from the train station to call. He ordered chicken yakitori and a bowl of buckwheat soup for dinner. He passed on the Japanese beer and washed his dinner down with bottled water and green tea instead. It was a major sacrifice. The Japanese drank beer with everything. Anyone could buy it in vending machines on street corners all over Tokyo. There was a reason they drank it with their cuisine. It was delicious. But under the circumstances, Johnny didn’t want even a drop of alcohol impeding his judgment or slowing him down.

He fell asleep watching a Japanese game show featuring housewives in pink miniskirts battling each other in a singing competition for a free hot tub. When the phone jarred him awake, the clock said 11:27 p.m.

“I’m in the bar,” a man said.

Johnny recognized the voice. It was the beggar from the train station.

He hung up before Johnny could reply.

Johnny got dressed and went to the bar. Most of the tables were occupied by businessmen in dark suits and ties. Shibuya may have been the playground for the young, but the businesses were owned and operated by grown men.

A young singer with an exaggerated hourglass figure and peroxide hair sang an Adele tune onstage. She was more bosom than voice, but that seemed to suit the audience just fine. It suited Johnny well, too. There was talent and then there was talent. She was accompanied by a band. A sign on an easel at the entrance to the bar said the band’s name was Melbourne. Australian talent, Johnny thought. He’d never gotten down under that way. But now, with Nadia in the picture, he wasn’t even tempted.

Johnny found the man at a table for two in the back. A candle provided just enough lighting for Johnny to recognize him. He wore a gray plaid sports jacket over a black dress shirt. He’d washed his hair and shaved. He looked ten years younger. Still, even the candlelight couldn’t hide the creases in his face. They spoke of hardship and suffering and commanded Johnny’s respect.

An adorable waitress with a pageboy hairdo appeared. The man ordered Suntory whiskey on ice. Johnny didn’t want to dull his senses with alcohol but he had no choice. Men in Japan were expected to drink and drink heavily when in the company of other men. He ordered a Sapporo beer. He’d been craving one since dinner.

“I am Nakamura,” the man said, after the waitress left.

In Japan, men called each other by their last names. “I’m Johnny Tanner.”

“I know.”

“Why are you here?”

“You know why I’m here. Nadia Tesla, and her cousin, Adam, received e-mails from my friend. I’m here on his behalf, just as you are here on their behalf.”

“What is your friend’s name?”

Nakamura thought about the question. “Let’s just call my friend Genesis II.”

“What do you do for a living?”

“I work with an organization called Global Medical Corps.”

“You’re a doctor?”

“Yes.”

“What kind?”

“The impoverished kind. Global Medical Corps goes where they are needed. We were on the ground in Fukushima within forty-eight hours of the earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, providing medical assistance, setting up temporary housing, delivering key household items. And of course, providing medical support. There were 59,000 evacuees. Some are still living in makeshift shelters.”

“That was a real tragedy. I’m sorry for your country’s troubles.” Johnny bowed his head slightly and let a few seconds pass out of respect. “Where did you learn to speak English so well?”

Nakamura paused as though remembering something, and then smiled. “I was an exchange student for a year in high school. Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Cheese country. I lived on a farm. I liked it so much I went to college at the University of Wisconsin. In Madison. Much of our work has been done in countries where English is the common language so I’ve been able to keep it up.”

“Who was the kid at the train station? The one that met me at the mural?”

“A college student. A volunteer.”

“Volunteer?”

“The Corps relies on volunteers. Students from all over the world take semesters off to work with us, give back to the community.”

“So he’s not Genesis II?”

“No. He is not Genesis II. It was just a precaution. To make sure you were who you said you were.”

“Why the precaution?”

“Genesis II has confided in me as a friend. He believes he has something of extreme value. Something that could change the world. He has led a troubled life, and as a result is not a trusting person. He sometimes suffers from anxiety and delusion. He is constantly fearful.”

“At the train station, you said we can’t assume we’re alone.”

“I have no reason to believe I’m being followed, but Genesis II said to expect the unexpected. He said that you should do the same. I trust him, and believe in him and the power of the treasure he possesses.”

“Tell me what you know about the treasure. I need to be convinced this is all real.”

Nakamura started to answer and stopped. Two men in slick suits walked by their table. One of them glanced alternately at Nakamura and Johnny. The men seated themselves at a table closer to the stage. Johnny spied bulges under their jackets. He was reminded of what his teachers had told him during his first day as an exchange student. The further from the center of Tokyo, the greater the influence of the Yakuza, the Japanese organized crime syndicates.

“That was a very American question,” Nakamura said.

“What do you mean, American question?”

“Blunt, direct, inappropriate. I could ask you the same. What do you know about the treasure? But that would be rude, and a waste of time. Because you would merely deflect the question and we would engage in a battle of wits until our drinks arrived.”

“You’ve got the wrong man, friend. I don’t deflect questions. Ask anything you want. You might not like the answer, but I won’t waste your time.” Johnny kept his voice down and maintained a calm expression on his face. He wanted his demeanor to contrast with his words to lend them even more power. “That’s me being very American, as opposed to the Japanese, who’ll wait twenty years to publicly own up to a mistake and then commit suicide. Is that your idea of appropriate behavior?”

Nakamura appeared stunned.

“Oh, have I got your attention? Are we done bullshitting each other here?”

Nakamura stared at him.

Johnny said, “In the e-mail, Genesis II used the phrase, ‘Fate of the free world depends on us.’ What did he mean by that?”

“You know what the treasure is, so you know what he meant by that.” Nakamura smiled. “See? The battle of wits begins despite your assurances to the contrary. Who will reveal himself first?”

“I’m not the one wearing the kimono. You can see right through me and I wouldn’t have it any other way. What made him choose those exact words?”

“Genesis II said those words would have meaning to Nadia and Adam Tesla. And that given you were their representative, they would have meaning to you. Was he right?”

Johnny shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

“Says the man without the kimono.”

Johnny smiled.

The waitress arrived with their drinks and two bowls of salty Japanese crackers and nuts.

“I have to ask you another question,” Johnny said. “It’s going to sound blunt, direct, and inappropriate.”

“No kidding,” Nakamura said.

“Who is Genesis II?” Johnny didn’t expect Nakamura to answer the question or unintentionally reveal a clue, but he knew Nadia would be disappointed if he didn’t ask.

Nakamura looked away. “I expected more from you. But you are such an American, aren’t you?”

“Yes, and proud of it. Does Genesis II know Adam?”

Johnny studied Nakamura’s reaction for a tell of some kind. He got nothing. Instead, Nakamura continued looking stone-faced at the stage.

“How did you and Genesis II meet?”

Nakamura sipped his whiskey. “I’ve given you enough information for you to answer that question yourself.”

Johnny remembered their earlier conversation. “You’re a doctor. You’re working in Fukushima. You must have met Genesis II in Fukushima. Genesis II is a survivor of the earthquake, tsunami, or the nuclear disaster.”

Nakamura’s eyebrows furrowed a smidge. It was just enough of a physical reaction to tell Johnny he was wrong.

“No,” Johnny said. “He’s not a victim. He’s a volunteer.”

Nakamura lifted his chin.

“Hot dog. Score one for the boy from Jersey.”

They sipped their drinks some more. A moment of silence passed between them. Johnny’s victory proved momentary. He still needed proof the locket existed and contained a formula, and he was no closer to that than when he arrived.

“So you know who I am,” Johnny said. “I know who you are. I travelled here to meet you. You’re calling the shots, but I may or may not play along. What do you suggest we do now?”

Nakamura slid a flash drive memory stick across the table to Johnny.

“What’s this?” Johnny said.

“A token of good faith. When you see it on a computer monitor, you’ll understand.”

“Understand what?”

“That the second half of the formula exists.”

Johnny’s heart thumped. “After I take a look at it, I’d like to meet with Genesis II.”

Nakamura straightened the lapels of his jacket. “I’m sure you would. But that’s not going to happen. He will only meet with the boy. He will only meet with Adam. Adam must come to Fukushima. He must come immediately. And he must bring the locket.”

Nakamura stood up, knocked back the rest of his whiskey, and left.

Johnny went to the business center to use one of the computers. He slipped the flash drive into the USB port. It contained a single file. The file was called “Genesis II.”

The file consisted of two strings of chemical symbols. Each string contained four hexagons and a chemical formula. It could have been gibberish or proof the second half of the formula existed. There was only one way to find out.

Johnny rushed to his room to call Nadia.