Stealing Trinity by Ward Larsen Read Free Book Online

agendas, deals to make. In a matter of days this one would be offering everything for a price. And then the words came to Thatcher's mind. Manhattan Project.
    He wondered what the devil it meant.
     

Chapter 6.
    The day's run had been without incident. U-801 ran quietly at ninety feet, her black hull easing closer to the coast of Long Island. Braun had divided his time between the navigation table, monitoring a plot of the boat's course, and below in his quarters preparing his gear. He was eager to get the drop over with before anything changed, any message or scrap of information that could take away the legitimacy of the ship's standing orders. If Germany surrendered, the Kriegsmarine would recall the fleet. And Braun would lose control of his destiny.
    Shortly after dark, U-801 began her final approach. She rose to periscope depth where the captain confirmed that conditions were adequate. Scanning the surface, he addressed Braun, "The seas are light, Wehrmacht, but a low moon in the east will give some illumination."
    He moved to the chart table to join Braun, who was dressed for his mission -- khaki pants, heavy shirt, wool sweater, and workman's boots. The ensemble was worn, but clean and serviceable, the labels all authentically American.
    "We will soon be in place," the captain said, pointing to a drop zone circled on the chart, just off the eastern end of Long Island. "You are ready?"
    "Yes. How long will it take for your men to deploy the raft?"
    "We will be on the surface no more than three minutes."
    Not much of an answer, Braun thought, but it conveyed the idea. He would climb up the sail, then back down onto deck while a raft and oars were stuffed up through the forward hatch. With any luck the thing would land upright in the water. From there, Braun was on his own. U-801 would seal her hatches and submerge, leaving him to negotiate the final, most dangerous miles.
    With the drop imminent, the control room of U-801 took on a surreal air. Red lights basked gauges, instruments, and faces in a bloody hue. The crew fell silent, and the scents of the submarine seemed to magnify. Oil from machinery, brine from the bilge, and the sweat of fifty sailors. All mixed regularly in the damp, stale atmosphere, but now it was traced with something else, something Braun recognized from the rat holes of Stalingrad -- fear. The tang of the unexpected.
    The crew stood at their stations, grasping wheels and levers, but all eyes were locked on the captain. On his command, U-801 started to rise. Just short of the surface, the boat leveled and the skipper turned once more to the periscope, scouting for any last sign of trouble. Apparently satisfied, he gave the final order.
    "Bring her up!"
    Compressed air hissed into the ballast tanks, voiding water and providing enough buoyancy to bring 900 tons of warship back to the crew's natural surroundings.
    "Captain!" The shout came from the aft passageway. An ordinary seaman from the radio room stood waving a paper.
    "Not now!" the captain ordered.
    "Captain, please!"
    The crewmen stared down the sailor, but the skipper eyed the man with interest. Braun knew what he was thinking. No one would interrupt at such a moment without good reason. The captain nodded and the sailor scurried to hand over the message. The boat's deck pitched forward slightly, and a gentle rocking motion told everyone that U-801 had surfaced.
    Braun watched intently as the captain's face cracked into a weak smile. He looked up, his eyes darting between crewmen before making the announcement. "Gentlemen, our war has ended."
    There was no cheer, no refrain of joy as would certainly have been the case on an American or British boat, but the relief was palpable. Some bowed their heads, perhaps in thanks to whatever god had delivered them this far, while others grinned at their buddies, open hope that a better life might soon lay ahead.
    "Germany has conceded unconditionally," the captain continued, "and we are to return