Chain Reaction

by Christopher Hodder-Williams

  Hargreaves said: ‘If at any time we go too fast for you, please don’t hesitate to say so. I know you’re an expert, but you’re not a machine. So sing out if you lose us, won’t you?’

  Mr Rupert’s voice turned out to be much more in keeping with his hair than with his job. ‘In that unlikely event,’ he said sibilantly, ‘I will certainly let you know, sir.’

  The impression of smugness this conveyed did not in the least deter the Director. But Manson stared at him in obvious disapproval. The Director said: ‘Are you ready, Alec?’ The subtle admonishment was there.

  Manson smiled agreeably. ‘I’ve familiarized myself with the facts,’ he said.

  Hargreaves smiled with great charm. ‘That’s fine, then.’ He looked up at the ceiling, where some cable had been run to the centre. The bared ends of the wires were knotted loosely near a square piece of wood that had been newly fixed to the ceiling. ‘When are they installing the fan, Simmel?’

  Simmel cleared his throat and spoke up loudly. He always used this voice at conferences. It seemed to be expected of him; although it was really better suited to the large conference room they normally used than to the deadened acoustics of Hargreaves’ private office. However, it sounded authoritative, and made up for the fact that he was easily the most unimportant person present. ‘During lunch, sir,’ he declaimed. ‘The engineers couldn’t finish it this morning.’

  ‘Good. Well, let’s hope it doesn’t fan the flames.’

  Only Alec Manson laughed at the inadequate joke.

  The Director shuffled his notes together as if they were playing-cards, and placed them squarely on the table in front of him. Then he crossed his arms and leaned back. The conference had begun.

  ‘First,’ he announced, ‘I’d like to thank you all for making it your business to get to the meeting so speedily — and notice I use the word ‘meeting’, not ‘conference’. I want the atmosphere to be informal; even if it does amount, in effect, to a court of enquiry. By now all of you have a rough idea what it’s all about, and what it could mean to the future of this Department if the present state of affairs turned out to be our fault. We will all have to look to our laurels in that event, and if any or all of us are to blame’ — and he scanned the table with his eyes at this point — ‘then blame will eventually be fixed. The thing to remember, however, is this: What damage has been done — and we don’t yet know the extent of it — is already done; and we mustn’t simply hunt around for scapegoats. What we must do is to ensure that it cannot possibly happen again — either this or anything else at all that could result from a slip or series of slips in those branches of nuclear research for which we are responsible. We must make perfectly certain that not one more casualty occurs, from now on, that could be prevented by us. True, we cannot help those poor blighters who have already been infected — only the doctors can do that. But henceforth every tin of contaminated food that is opened and its contents eaten is another mark against us. And by ‘us’ I mean everyone who has a hand in the harnessing of Atomic Power.

  ‘As you no doubt will have guessed, an enormous operation was put in hand, less than thirty-six hours ago, to trace and call in every can of infected food that has been shipped. This is no easy matter, as you will later on discover — the principal reason being that Mr Spigett’s product is exported in several different countries and under several different labels. Since those companies also buy up other small companies’ products and put their labels on them, you can see that the job of locating the contaminated ones will be a nightmare. You have heard, no doubt, over your radio or on the television, and seen in the newspapers, the warnings we have issued — though we haven’t yet given the full facts — and no doubt in most areas we can prevent the sale and consumption of Spigett’s beans, but — and this is the sobering part — we cannot hope to reach the back-woods of foreign and primitive countries at such short notice. You don’t have to look at a map of Africa — one of Spigett’s principal markets — to realise what a monumental task it will be to ensure the safety of every white, brown and black man in that vast continent, and yet that is no less than what we must do.

  ‘Mr Heatherfield here, of the Kenya Colony Claims Office, found a small group of adventurous young people who were ‘prospecting’ — or at any rate thought they were — for uranium in the Northern Frontier. They had with them a geiger counter, and reported to him that it had been behaving peculiarly, especially on the ship while they were en route for Africa. Well, you have all read the report on the Cartwright affair, and will no doubt have linked the two incidents, as we did. Our worst fears were confirmed when a quick investigation into the health of the crew of the ship revealed that three other men were also suffering from a hitherto undiagnosed malady which turned out to be radiation sickness, though these were mild cases.

  ‘The boys themselves may be in danger of radiation poisoning because they are known to have with them some of the canned beans among their food supplies. Efforts are being made to get in touch with them — they have a two-way radio — but the boys have chosen this of all times to disappear into some remote district of the frontier, and have lost radio contact. No doubt they will be found soon; but the fact that emerges from their experience on the ship proves that Cartwright’s tin was not just an isolated phenomenon.’ Hargreaves paused for a moment. ‘The extent and immediacy of the possible effects of consuming the contaminated food does, of course, depend on its exact nature. In all probability those boys would suffer little or no harm as a result of eating their present supply. But’ — and here he emphasized each word — ‘if we find that the contaminated food has been in circulation for some considerable time, I do not have to remind you of the possible results — some of you have been studying this for years.

  ‘It will now be clear to you what the two purposes or this meeting are: firstly, and immediately, to prevent the present danger from spreading any farther; and secondly, but every bit as important, to find out how it happened and make life entirely safe from this threat for the general public in the future. The two functions are linked inasmuch as until we find out exactly what happened we will have no means of knowing how many consignments have been affected, how long it has been going on and whether, even, that Spigett’s Baked Beans are the only carriers of the deadly radiation.

  ‘We have got to find out such facts as these: Was it initially the metal or the food product that became infected? In either case, how did it happen? To what level of radiation were they raised? What type of radiation is it? When did it happen, and what is the “half-life” of the infected food and of the tins in which it is packed? All these matters must be investigated as quickly as possible before the health authorities can know the magnitude and extent of the problem they have to deal with. Simmel, can you organize some ash-trays? I see no reason why we shouldn’t smoke; I for one feel the urge coming on already.’

  ‘I had some sent up, sir,’ said Dick, going over to a cupboard and collecting them, ‘but I wasn’t sure whether —’ He left the unnecessary part of the sentence in the air. While he was distributing them, Manson put the first question.

  ‘Sir Robert, why are we so sure that this situation is our baby, as opposed to the Atomic Energy Authority’s? If there is no information regarding how the contamination took place, how does anyone know the source?’

  The Director was making his contribution to the general cloud of smoke that had coincided with the appearance of the ash-trays. ‘That is the fundamental question, Alec,’ he acknowledged. ‘And the answer is — we don’t know. Naturally the A.E.A. have started a very comprehensive investigation themselves. After all, they are the parent body, and the senior one. But they created us largely to take over the responsibility for public safety, and, as you know, we liaise very closely with the Authority at all levels. For Heatherfield’s benefit, I should explain that we deal mainly with the commercial interests involved — such as firms that use nuclear processes and materials for manufacturing their goods; whereas t
he Authority controls the power-stations, national research establishments and the production of fuel for weapons of war.

  ‘The Authority suspects — and not unreasonably, in my view — that it is far more likely that the mistake has occurred on the industrial side, since private industry has had so much less experience all round. That doesn’t mean to say that they are taking this for granted (hence their own investigations), but it does put the ball very much in our court. We’ve got to prove that we are in the clear. Also the problem of the tins is a matter involving industry and public safety — both of which tend to be our “babies”. But you mustn’t think that the A.E.A. are merely passing the buck. On the contrary, they are giving us every possible assistance — which, in fact, you will discover when Frank tells you exactly what steps are being taken by them and ourselves to deal with the immediate crisis.’

  Gatt said: ‘Where is the man-power coming from — to trace the infected tins and so forth?’

  ‘We’ll be coming to that. But briefly, the task will be carried out — is being carried out, in fact — mainly by the police and the civil defence authorities. They are also getting considerable assistance from the fighting services. Really, this problem involves an enormous range of people, including the Ministry of Health (who are playing a major part, of course) and even the fire brigades, because they possess much of the necessary equipment nowadays. And as you will no doubt have read in the papers, the United States Army are lending a generous hand. But you’ll get this in more detail from Frank.’

  Seff put the next question. His voice sounded husky and nervous. ‘Incidentally,’ he said, ‘what about the press? They haven’t been told much yet, but they’re bound to dig deeper if we don’t give them more to go on.’

  ‘Yes. Well, they’ve been pretty decent so far. The Public Relations Department of the Home Office put out a mutually agreed hand-out yesterday, emphasizing that it would be unwise to display curiosity at this stage, and up to now they’ve played it down pretty well. There has been no mention anywhere of radiation. The story is that the food is simply poisoned.’

  Heatherfield said: ‘But isn’t it dangerous to handle the tins on the outside, even without opening them?’

  Hargreaves gestured to Gatt to answer the question. ‘There may be a risk, of course,’ agreed Gatt. ‘On the other hand, the radiation level on most of them would probably be pretty low; only when a quantity of them are stored in the same place would it start to get significant. And I think the Director is right: the risk is not nearly so great as the possibility of panic. You will appreciate, of course, that the ingestion of contaminated food is more dangerous than the effect on the human body of comparatively weak radiation from external sources. Those tins probably aren’t hot enough to push out enough radiation to do much harm. But we will have a better idea of that when we’ve completed the tests now in hand.’

  ‘But what about the men on the ship? They didn’t eat any of the food.’

  The Director nodded. ‘Quite. But don’t forget there were two tons of the stuff in that hold; and the hold was immediately adjacent to the crew’s quarters, with only a wooden partition between.’

  Heatherfield nodded. ‘I get you,’ he said. ‘So, as far as pure radiation is concerned, the places to worry about are those where the stuff is stored in bulk … wholesalers, shipping offices and so on?’

  ‘Yes. Even window-displays in the shops themselves, and the factories where the food is canned. The “bulk-storage” problem particularly applies to you, Mr Heatherfield, since you already know Kenya is one of Spigett’s biggest markets.’

  Heatherfield spoke parenthetically to the room in general. ‘I am empowered by the Governor of Kenya to order whatever steps are necessary to deal with all circumstances arising from the present situation,’ he said, ‘and that is why I am here.’

  ‘Well, you’d better know what the rest of us do,’ said the Director. ‘This is Frank Gresham on my right, who is our Admin wizard, as well as the Deputy Director. God, Frank!’ he exclaimed, ‘you’re not going to smoke that foul pipe, are you?’

  ‘Sorry, old boy!’ said Frank, continuing unabashed with the task of stuffing in the tobacco, ‘but I can’t think without it. Dick, you’d better get that fan fixed all right! Or I won’t be the popular boy.’ He turned to Heatherfield. ‘I would hardly describe myself as a “wizard” at anything. I just plod along, doing the things which nobody else can be bothered to do. However, I should be delighted to put you in the picture regarding those who actually do the important things in this establishment. So here they are, in no particular order.

  ‘You know about Mr Rupert already — though I confess that I don’t altogether understand how he can possibly take down everything we’re saying, since he only presses a key every now and then. But I assure you he manages it, by some strange magic.’ Mr Rupert attempted a pleasant smile, but it came out a supercilious leer. ‘Next to him is Dick Simmel, the Director’s P.A. Get on the right side of him — he can make your stay in London a very pleasant one, and it’s his job to do so.’

  Heatherfield smiled. ‘He’s already done me proud,’ he said.

  ‘Good. Well, he has a way with the girls in the ticket agencies; so if you want to see My Fair Lady he’s your man. Then there’s Alec Manson, across the table. He’s our research man here — quite separate from the Marsdowne establishment. As you will see, an enormous variety of work is done at the labs downstairs — anything, in fact, from testing new fluorescent materials for television screens to giving a free opinion to industrial organizations on such matters as the design of reactors, X-ray photography, “programming” — that is the word, isn’t it? — for electronic computers — even such things as radioactive gadgets for checking the “register” in printing machines. Everything of ours, in fact, that is not actually done at Marsdowne.

  ‘Marsdowne itself is entirely run by Jack Seff, on my right here, and is our main research establishment — the equivalent of the atomic Energy Authority’s establishment at Harwell.’

  ‘What is its function, then? Surely not to duplicate what they do?’

  ‘No. You might describe it as a ‘pure research link’ with private industry. Just as Alec examines their practical problems in the lab here, so Jack Seff helps them with basic development. Of course, the two things are very closely knit; so Jack and Alec spend a good deal of time together — in fact, Manson is up at Marsdowne two weeks in every four, and vice versa. All our heavy plant is at Marsdowne; and although it isn’t as well-equipped as Harwell, it is very advanced in certain fields.’

  Heatherfield phrased his next question rather carefully. ‘Is it at Marsdowne,’ he said, ‘where most of the radioactive materials originate — I mean, those for which your department are responsible?’

  Seff answered this himself. This time he seemed to be perfectly at his ease. ‘That is so,’ he affirmed. ‘The whole process of the acquiring, storing, disposal and everything else of radioactive materials is entirely my responsibility.’

  There was a short, slightly tense, silence for a few seconds. The Director looked at Seff with just a faint suggestion of a smile. ‘Not forgetting,’ he added pointedly, ‘that the ultimate responsibility is mine.’

  For a moment even Mr Rupert appeared to hesitate, sensing the atmosphere. Surprisingly, Manson said: ‘You should understand, Mr Heatherfield, that though responsibilities are necessarily clearly defined, we all work so closely as a team that we sometimes exchange our jobs. Last week, for instance, I personally transported, in a lead-lined truck, enough cobalt-60 to kill everyone in this room if it were to be placed in the centre of the table without any shielding. If anything had gone wrong, I would undoubtedly have taken part of the blame; but Seff would have had to take the responsibility for handing it over to me in the first place.’ He stared out of the window after this little speech.

  If the Director was surprised at the generosity of this point, coming as it did from Manson, he did not show it. ‘A legitimat
e point, I think,’ he said. ‘But do not let us forget that at this meeting considerations of facts are of much greater significance than those of culpability. Therefore the fact that you did transport the isotope would have been more interesting to us if anything had gone wrong — which it did not — than why you did it, or whether it was your job to do it. I want to make that very clear from the start. All through this meeting, however long it goes on, I want you all to think in that objective way. Sorry, Frank; please go on.’

  ‘ ’T’sall right, old boy. Glad the point was made. You will no doubt be beginning to see, Mr Heatherfield, that we work very much as a team here.’

  ‘Yes, indeed,’ said Heatherfield. He was impressed.

  ‘Now, who’s left? Oh yes: the large person you see on the Director’s left is Arlen Gatt. In a way he’s like the doctor; we call him in when we get into trouble — though up to now, I’m glad to say. there has only been one real failure. But you’ll hear all about Project 3 later, no doubt. At Marsdowne Seff works to extremely wide margins, by which I mean, for example, that he keeps the radiation level down to something like fifteen per cent of the maximum safe figure. Now, he doesn’t wait for that to rise even to within a mashie shot of the danger-point before he takes action. In fact, if it goes up to thirty per cent, he shuts down and full emergency safety measures go into action. In this event Gatt drops everything and goes up there to keep an eye on things.’

  Gatt took over, looking at Seff appraisingly for an instant before he directed his attention towards Heatherfield. ‘You see, this is very necessary, not because Jack can’t handle it himself but because if anything comes unstuck he automatically has his hands full. Otherwise valuable data he could obtain in the event of such a minor crisis — and the threat, by the way, is seldom to personnel but rather to valuable equipment — would have to go by the board. You can learn just as much — or more — from a situation that has got partially out of control than you can when all is serene. But you mustn’t be distracted by side-issues to the experiment in hand. When a reactor gets overheated or an experiment goes wrong, Seff is more interested in the why and the wherefore than in the crisis itself. As a matter of fact, I think Jack rather enjoys it when the mighty atom starts playing hell; it’s an exciting business when you come to grips with the unknown. Is that right, Jack?’