Odessa Reborn: A Terrorism Thriller (Gunner Fox Book 4) Read online

  Odessa Reborn

  A Gunner Fox trilogy, book one

  Bobby Akart

  Copyright Information

  © 2020 Crown Publishers Inc. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of Crown Publishers Inc.

  Thank You

  Thank you for downloading ODESSA, REBORN book one in this Gunner Fox trilogy by Author Bobby Akart.

  For a copy of my critically acclaimed monthly newsletter, The Epigraph, updates on new releases, special offers, and bonus content visit me online at

  BobbyAkart.com

  or visit my dedicated feature page on Amazon at

  Amazon.com/BobbyAkart

  Praise for Author Bobby Akart and Gunner Fox

  “Only Akart can weave a story that begins so calm, so normal and before you know it, you are at the end of the book with your pulse pounding in your chest and your mind screaming for more! Amazon Hall of Fame, Top 2 Reviewer

  “Another phenomenal story from THE master story teller of our time!”

  Amazon review of Asteroid Destruction

  “Akart is a master of suspense, keeping us on the edge of our seats. But, he does it with fact-based fiction that would scare even the most hardened readers.”

  “Mixing science and suspense is something Bobby Akart is a master of—writing character driven stories that will have you on the edge of your seat.”

  “I have highly enjoyed Mr. Akart’s literary works because his research is comprehensive and he has an eerie prescience of writing fiction and it becoming reality.”

  “Mr. Akart has become one of my favorite authors joining the ranks of fellas named King, Grisham & Clancy.”

  “Bobby Akart is one of those very rare authors who makes things so visceral, so real, that you experience what he writes … His research, depth of knowledge, and genuine understanding of people make his works more real than any movie.”

  “No one, and I mean NO ONE, does it better!”

  There is nothing more important on this planet than my darling wife, Dani, and our two princesses, Bullie and Boom. With the love and support of Dani and the never-ending supply of smiles our two girls give us, I’m able to tell you these stories.

  For many years, I have lived by the following premise:

  Because you never know when the day before is the day before, prepare for tomorrow.

  My friends, I study and write about the threats we face, not only to both entertain and inform you, but because I am constantly learning how to prepare for the benefit of my family as well. The Odessa trilogy is dedicated to Dani and the girls. I will always protect you from anything that threatens us.

  Acknowledgments

  Creating a novel that is both informative and entertaining requires a tremendous team effort. Writing is the easy part.

  For their efforts in making the Virus Hunters a reality, I would like to thank Hristo Argirov Kovatliev for his incredible artistic talents in creating my cover art. He and Dani collaborate (and conspire) to create the most incredible cover art in the publishing business. A huge hug of appreciation goes out to Pauline Nolet, the Professor, for her editorial prowess and patience in correcting this writer’s same tics after fifty-plus novels. Thanks again to the newest member of the team, Drew Avera, a United States Navy veteran, who has brought his talented formatting skills from a writer’s perspective to create multiple formats for reading my novels. The accomplished Chris Abernathy has returned as the voice of Gunner Fox. His performance of the Asteroid trilogy earned him a nomination for best thriller/suspense narration by the Independent Audiobook Awards.

  Now, for the serious stuff. The Odessa trilogy required countless hours of never-ending research. Without the background material and direction from those individuals who provided me a portal into the history of Nazi Germany, the German settlements establishments in Argentina following World War II, and the terrifying world of bioterrorism, this story couldn’t have been written.

  Once again, as I immersed myself in the science and history, source material and research flooded my inbox from around the globe. Without the assistance of many individuals and organizations, this story could not be told. Please allow me a moment to acknowledge a few of those individuals whom, without their tireless efforts, the Odessa trilogy could not have been written.

  Many thanks to Dr. Catherine Epstein, Winkley Professor of History and Dean of the Faculty at Amherst College. Her research and lecture material on the history of Nazi Germany, especially the emergence of Adolf Hitler and Nazi ideology, provided me an invaluable glimpse into how dictatorships function and why brutal regimes engage in mass murder.

  In that same vein, Constance Nicholls, who holds a master’s degree in public history, and sat on the advisory board for the National World War II Museum, shared her outstanding research work on the Architect of Terror: Heinrich Himmler. Her in depth analysis of Himmler’s implementation of the Final Solution, gave me insight into the devil that Himmler was. However, it was a passing comment during a conversation regarding Himmler’s affinity for Norway and Norwegian women that took this story into a very interesting direction. Thanks Connie!

  Odessa, like many of my other novels, could not have been written without the support of the former director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Steven Walker; Janet Waldorf, Deputy Chief of Communications within the DARPA Public Affairs office, and her staff; and the DARPA program managers and contractors who took the time to speak with me by phone or via email. Left of boom. Now, I get it. Thanks to you all!

  For my research in Argentina, I called upon a fellow author, Abel Basti who wrote the World War II history book titled Hitler in Exile. The language barrier was a challenge but Google translator came through. Not only did he have me utterly convinced that Hitler escaped his Berlin bunker and fled to Argentina via Spain, but that the Soviet Union assisted in the coverup in exchange for future cooperation against the United States. I’ve always loved a good conspiracy theory, and Hitler’s escape is certainly a grand one. However, one thing is certain. It was the Soviet Red Army who discovered Hitler’s dead body and then promptly whisked it away before British Intelligence could view it. Confirmation of death was always in question.

  Finally, as always, a special thank you to my team of loyal friends who’ve always supported my work and provided me valuable insight from a reader’s perspective. Denise Keef, Joe Carey, Jim Bennett, Shirley Nicholson, Bennita Barnett, and Karl Hughey.

  This is why I wrote Odessa.

  Because you never know when the day before is the day before, prepare for tomorrow.

  Thank you all!

  Choose Freedom and Godspeed, Patriots!

  About the Author, Bobby Akart

  Author Bobby Akart has been ranked by Amazon as #25 on the Amazon Charts list of most popular, bestselling authors. He has achieved recognition as the #1 bestselling Horror Author, #1 bestselling Science Fiction Author, #5 bestselling Action & Adventure Author, #7 bestselling Historical Fiction Author and #10 on Amazon’s bestselling Thriller Author list.

  Mr. Akart has delivered up-all-night thrillers to readers in 245 countries and territories worldwide. He has sold over one million books in all formats, which includes over forty international bestsellers, in nearly fifty fiction and nonfiction genres.

  His novel Yellowstone: Hellfire reached the Top 25 on the Amazon bestsellers list and earned him multiple Kindle All-Star awards for most pages read in a
month and most pages read as an author. The Yellowstone series vaulted him to the #25 bestselling author on Amazon Charts, and the #1 bestselling science fiction author.

  Bobby has provided his readers a diverse range of topics that are both informative and entertaining. His attention to detail and impeccable research has allowed him to capture the imagination of his readers through his fictional works and bring them valuable knowledge through his nonfiction books.

  SIGN UP for Bobby Akart’s mailing list to receive a copy of his monthly newsletter, The Epigraph, learn of special offers, view bonus content, and be the first to receive news about new releases featuring Gunner Fox and the Gray Fox team.

  Visit www.BobbyAkart.com for details.

  Contents

  Author’s Introduction to the Odessa trilogy

  Author’s Note about Gunner Fox and the Gray Fox Team

  Real-World News Excerpts

  Für meine Mutter. Ich liebe dich!

  Das folgende beruht auf wahren begebenheiten

  The Oath

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Thank You for Reading Odessa Reborn!

  Author’s Introduction to the Odessa trilogy

  August 15, 2020

  As of this writing, the United States was going through a period of upheaval. For my loyal readers, you’ve known for years that my worldview, and therefore my novels, have been shaped by personal experiences as well as certain other works of literature and art.

  Years ago, reading the massive treatise by Edward Gibbons titled the History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire led me to the following premise:

  All empires collapse eventually. Either they are conquered by a more powerful enemy or they collapse under the weight of their debt. But make no mistake. Every great empire and nation-state eventually fails. There have been no exceptions in the history of mankind.

  Which leads me to the artistic work of Thomas Cole. Beginning in 1833, Thomas Cole created a series of five paintings depicting the growth and fall of an imaginary empire. It’s a place that begins peaceful and full of freedom. Then, it achieves a level of glory indicated by joyous occasions and vast amounts of wealth, as shown in The Consummation of Empire.

  But, as Gibbon’s Decline and Fall led me to realize, Cole had reached the same conclusion as evidenced by his paintings. Like the Roman Empire, Cole showed decadence, wealth, vice, and corruption ultimately led to war and eventually destruction of the state. The result, was Destruction as depicted in this painting.

  It’s possible America is going through a similar period at this time. Like all new empires, the Founding Fathers thought they’d laid the groundwork for their principals and ideals to last forever through the adoption of the Constitution. Only time will tell whether the U.S. Constitution and this great republic can withstand the enormous political pressures from both outside our borders, and from within.

  During World War I, an obscure German soldier named Adolf Hitler had been injured and was hospitalized as The War to End All Wars came to an end. He took up political work in Munich and then joined the small German Workers’ Party.

  His ability to convince and manipulate others led him to be put in charge of the Party’s propaganda. Resentment at the loss of the war and the severity of the peace terms imposed upon the German people brought widespread anger to the country, especially Bavaria which had a disdain for Berlin’s government.

  Under Hitler’s leadership, the party was renamed to the National Socialist German Worker’s Party, which became commonly referred to as the Nazi Party. Hitler and his ardent supporters envisioned a Third Reich of a thousand years in which all German peoples, including Austria, would be led by the Nazi Party.

  Hitler rode this wave of enthusiasm for the Nazi cause to lead Germany into a period of expansion across Europe and into Northern Africa. He was a brutal leader who murdered millions of innocent people, Germans included, in the quest for ethnic purity.

  Even during the Second World War, Hitler’s name became synonymous with pure evil. To this day, his name, the term Nazi, and the symbol of the swastika adopted by the Nazi Party evokes feelings of anger and hostility.

  World War II ended in 1945 and Germany eventually became a respected member of the European Community and a world leader. Many former Nazis were captured, killed, or went into hiding. The European continent moved on vowing to never allow the rise of a charismatic leader like Hitler to gain power again.

  History has shown that many high-ranking officials in the Nazi Party escaped Germany in the waning days of the war as well as afterwards. Their means of transportation were as varied as their destinations. Organizations and governments around the world have devoted eight decades tracking down every last Nazi soldier, party leader, and conspirator in the Holocaust until even those in their late nineties were brought to justice.

  This story, however, is about a different group. It’s a story of legends and a tale of conspiracy. But as is always the case with my novels, it is based in historical fact.

  The ODESSA, or Organisation der Ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen, translated as Organization for Former SS Members, was created to assist in the escape of the Nazi Party officials and German business leaders who feared they’d be captured and imprisoned by the Allied forces. They sought destinations around the world, escaping through European portals including Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and Norway. They arrived in strange, faraway lands including the Middle East, Africa, and South America.

  And they never gave up their dreams for a Fourth Reich. With their vast amounts of ill-gotten gains in the form of money, gold, and historic artifacts, the Nazis abroad were well-funded, hidden from Allied intelligence and above all, committed to continuing their quest for a future Nazi Germany.

  Many of the gatherings in the formation of Odessa were discovered by the intelligence community after the war. The destination and the ratlines used by the escaping Nazis were based upon countless hours of research and interviews with history experts from Hamburg to Buenos Aries.

  Some of the most feared Nazis on the planet during the rise and fall of the Third Reich—Adolph Eichmann, Josef Mengele, Walter Rauff, and Franz Stangl, among many others, managed to escape to these destinations.

  Then, there were the wives, mistresses, children, and future grandchildren of the Nazis who carried the torch of the Nazi Party ideology. They still believed in the viability of the Reich. As a result, every single historian I contacted agreed on one thing:

  The Third Reich may have ended but the possibility of a Fourth Reich is held in the hearts of many ancestors of the Nazis.

  Hatred doesn’t die with its leader.

  Thank you for reading the Odessa trilogy.

 
Bobby

  Author’s Note about Gunner Fox and the Gray Fox Team

  June 13, 2019

  Major Gunner Fox, United States Air Force special operator and experimental aircraft test pilot had paid his dues. He’d performed beyond the call of duty when his country needed him. He’d suffered emotionally when his wife, Heather, a NASA astronaut, died during a spacewalk outside the International Space Station. He found himself in a dark place after her death, without a reason to live.

  Until America needed a hero. A previously undiscovered asteroid was on a collision course with Earth. It was deemed to be a planet-killer, a near-Earth object equal in size and destructive capability as the one that brought the dinosaurs to extinction.