by Chris Ryan
'Will he be able to open the doors using the wires?' Ben asked tersely.
'Not probable,' he said. 'But just to be sure—' He looked meaningfully at the gun Ben held in his hand, and then at the keypad to the left of the doors. Ben understood what he meant. He flicked the small safety catch on the handgun, then aimed it at the keypad.
Bang!
The keypad exploded as the bullet hit it. The sound of the gun, however, seemed to reverberate along the corridor with a deafening echo. The trio looked at each other nervously. 'We'd better hope nobody heard that,' Annie muttered.
Ben nodded, not wanting to think of what would happen if their captors ran in this direction to find out what had happened. He looked down the corridor to his right. 'I think we came this way,' he said. 'Are we all agreed?'
Joseph and Annie nodded.
'Come on, then,' he instructed and, grasping his gun tightly, Ben led the way.
They walked briskly but quietly, desperately trying to remember the way back to the room in which Lucian had interrogated them. Each time they came to a corner, they flattened themselves against the wall while Ben peered round, gun at the ready, to check it was safe. Now and then, they would pass a door. When that happened, Ben would press his ear against it to see if there was any sound of voices; when he was sure it was silent, he would open the door, gun firmly at the ready, and check out what was inside.
Most of the rooms were empty. Others, however, clearly acted as store cupboards. There were shelves full of electronic equipment that meant nothing to Ben, as well as scientific implements, wires, batteries and even, in one room, boxes of plastic explosive. But there was no sign of any people. After several minutes of searching, it became clear that the dimly lit, maze-like concrete corridors of this underground warren were practically deserted; it also became clear that they were lost.
'How on earth are we supposed to find our way out of here?' Annie burst out suddenly.
Ben turned to see tears in her eyes. He gave Joseph a long look. 'I don't know,' he said quietly. 'I guess we just have to keep trying—'
He cut himself short. From somewhere — he wasn't sure where — he heard the sound of footsteps. The trio threw each other anxious glances, then pressed themselves hard against the wall. The footsteps grew louder, and they seemed to be coming along a corridor that ran at right angles to the one in which they stood. Ben gestured at the other two to run back out of sight, and the three of them scuttled down the corridor as quietly as they could, turning a corner just in time — Ben peered back to see two men continuing on their way. Although he was watching from a distance, he was sure that one of them was Flight Lieutenant Johnson.
As soon as they were out of sight, the trio followed. When they got to the end of the corridor, Ben peered round again in time to see them knock on a door, wait, and then walk inside.
'What should we do?' Annie whispered hoarsely.
'That was Johnson,' Ben replied. He turned to Joseph. 'I think we need to hear what they're saying, don't you?'
Joseph nodded and, feeling his blood beating through his veins, Ben led them towards the door.
It was dark at that end of the corridor, but Ben was glad of the darkness as they took up positions outside the partially open door and strained their ears to hear what was going on inside. A voice was speaking: Ben instantly recognized it as being Lucian's.
'There was really no need for you to come,' he said tersely. 'Everything is under control, and your presence here is a risk.'
A man with a thick Russian accent answered. 'My employer believes it is a risk worth taking,' he said darkly. 'If you are not satisfied with my presence, I suggest you consult with him.'
'No,' Lucian replied after a moment's thought. 'That won't be necessary.'
'Good,' the Russian replied emphatically.
A brief silence.
'I must say,' Lucian observed, 'that I'm surprised the North Koreans have bought it. I'd have thought the Iranians would have been drooling at the mouth.'
'You need not concern yourself with that,' the Russian replied insultingly. 'You and your men have been well paid to develop the project. My advice to you would be to concentrate on getting out of the country as soon as you can after Vortex is delivered.'
'Ah,' Lucian replied lightly, 'I'm glad you mentioned that. You have our fake passports?'
'They are all prepared. I will deliver them to you when the time is right, along with your money. In the meantime, you will explain to me how this device works.'
There was a brief pause, and then Ben heard a low chuckle coming from Lucian. 'I see,' he said softly. 'Your beloved employer trusts you so much, he hasn't even told you what Vortex does.'
The Russian did not respond.
'Don't worry,' Lucian replied. 'Vortex is my baby. All proud parents like to show off their children, don't they?'
Ben strained his ears even more. He did not want to miss a single bit of the explanation that followed.
Lucian cleared his throat, as though he was about to address a public meeting. 'Any electronic device that works wirelessly — mobile phones, radio, wireless Internet connections — uses electromagnetic signals. Vortex is designed to interfere with these signals. The user simply decides which portion of the electromagnetic spectrum is to be scrambled, and the area over which the effect is to take place, up to a maximum radius of fifteen miles.'
'It sounds very simple,' the Russian replied.
'So do most things, to the unscientific mind, my friend. In reality, of course, I have been working on this for more than five years. It is the only weapon of its kind in the world.'
As Lucian spoke, Ben became aware of Joseph. His face was red, and he had started muttering under his breath. 'Idiots!' he spat. 'Don't they realize what they could do? Idiots!'
'Be quiet, Joseph,' Ben whispered, but it was no good. The old man continued to curse and splutter.
'They're going to hear him, Ben,' Annie urged.
'I know,' Ben replied. 'Come on, let's get back round the corner.' Each of them grabbed one of Joseph's arms and pulled him back down the corridor and out of sight.
Joseph was still cursing. 'Those fools,' he raged. 'Don't they understand the implications? It all makes sense now. Lucian must have been working here helping the military with their electronic warfare tactics. But all the while, he's been secretly developing the technology for his own kind of war.'
'Er, Joseph,' Ben ventured. 'To be honest, it sounded to me like they're planning to switch off everyone's mobile phones. I've got to tell you that it really doesn't sound all that bad to me.'
Joseph took a deep breath, turned and stared directly at Ben. His face was alarming: sharp and serious, and it made Ben regret his brief moment of sarcasm.
'It may not sound that bad to you, young man, but let me be quite clear: disabling the electromagnetic spectrum over that kind of range would be disastrous. It won't just be teenagers chatting on their telephones who will be affected.'
'Why?' Ben asked. 'What would happen?'
'You would probably know better than me, young man. Fifty years ago this technology was in its infancy; now it's commonplace, but I have only been able to read about it in scientific journals, and watch its effects on the television. You may not be able to see the electromagnetic spectrum, Ben, but you use it every day when you switch on the TV or listen to the radio. But that's not what an electromagnetic scrambler would target.'
'What, then?'
Joseph's face hardened. 'Think of sick people,' he said. 'Sick children. Patients who need X-rays and radiotherapy. Children with cancer. Activate Vortex, and all the technology which allows them to be treated would be rendered instantly useless. No TV to disseminate important news. No traffic lights on the streets. No Internet. One of these devices in every city would lead to an epidemic of suffering like we have not known for hundreds of years.'
Ben and Annie stared at him in shock.
'That's not all,' Joseph continued. 'The moment you sw
itch such a device on, aircraft would not be able to communicate with air traffic control, or each other; their navigation systems would be rendered useless; they would crash and burn. Hundreds of people could die. Maybe thousands. The emergency services would be completely ineffectual, unable to help anybody in the wake of such a disaster because they would not be able to communicate with each other. Whole cities could be plunged into chaos. It would be an unspeakable disaster; it would be a…' He seemed to struggle to find the words.
'It would be a Code Red situation,' Ben murmured to himself.
'As if that were not bad enough,' Joseph continued relentlessly, clearly not having heard what Ben had said, 'imagine the effect it could have on our defence systems. Position several of these devices correctly, and all our satellite warning systems would be instantly disabled: we would have no idea that we were under attack, and we would be in no position to order a counter attack. If somebody were to scramble the electromagnetic field correctly as a prelude to a nuclear attack, they could obliterate their enemy without any fear that their missiles could be destroyed. Believe you me, Ben Tracey, if that device works and falls into the wrong hands, it could spell disaster for millions of people across the world.'
A heavy silence fell as the impact of Joseph's words sank in.
Ben turned to Annie. 'I came away for a quiet weekend of bird-watching,' he said almost accusingly. 'Instead, I find myself in the middle of another—' He looked down at the floor in disgust. 'I'm getting sick of this,' he muttered.
'Listen to me, you two,' Joseph was saying sharply. 'What my brother is doing cannot be allowed to happen.'
'But what can we do to stop it, Joseph?' Annie asked in desperation. 'You said it yourself — two teenagers and a seventy-something. What can we do?'
The question hung in the air as they stood there in that gloomy concrete corridor.
It was Joseph who spoke first. 'I have to do something,' he stated, almost matter-of-factly. 'Lucian is my brother, and I must take responsibility for his actions.'
And with that, before either of them could do anything about it, he strode round the corner and back down the corridor. Annie gasped and Ben watched, stunned, as he approached the partially open door. Joseph turned back to them, gave them a sad little smile of comradeship and then pushed the door wide open.
'This is not what science is for, Lucian,' he said in a clear, ringing voice. 'This is not what science is for, and it has to stop. Now.'
Chapter Fifteen
'Who is this?'
In the silence that followed Joseph's shock entrance into the room, Ben and Annie had tiptoed back up to the door. The Russian man was speaking, and he sounded as though he was getting increasingly angry.
'I said, who is this?'
'Are you going to tell him, Lucian, or am I?'
A pause.
'It's nobody important,' Lucian hissed. 'You don't need to worry about it.'
'I beg to differ—' Joseph's voice rang clearly; but it was interrupted by a sudden thud, and then a groan. Instinctively, Ben made as if to burst into the room and help the old man, who had clearly just been dealt a debilitating blow, but Annie forcefully held him back. 'Not yet,' she hissed, as voices started up again in the room.
'Don't tell me what I do and don't need to worry about,' the Russian snapped. 'I do not need to tell you what would happen if people found out about this — you for one do not strike me as the type of man who would do well in a prison cell for the rest of your life.'
'That won't happen,' Lucian countered. 'I can deal with this person.'
'You will deal with him in the way I see fit. My employer is quite clear on this matter. If anybody else becomes aware of the existence of this weapon, they are to be eliminated immediately.'
'Eliminated?' Lucian's voice sounded scornful. 'Don't be ridiculous. This isn't Chechnya, my friend. We can't just go around killing people whenever we feel like it. I will deal with this… I'll deal with him, OK?'
'No,' the Russian stated flatly. 'It is not OK. I want him dead before Vortex leaves this place. Your money depends on it, do you understand?'
There was the sound of a fist banging on a hard surface. 'I've told you already, I've been working on this for years. If you think you can start messing me about with the money now—'
Lucian was interrupted by a weak voice. 'Think of what you're saying,' Joseph gasped.
'SHUT THAT LUNATIC UP!' Lucian screamed, and once more there was the sound of scuffling. Ben winced as he heard the unmistakable sound of someone being brutally punched and then falling heavily to the floor.
'It seems to me,' the Russian almost purred, 'that you are a very long way from being able to deal with this intruder. I want him dead before the weapon leaves here, do you understand?'
Lucian sniffed. 'I understand,' he said, seemingly through gritted teeth.
'Then that concludes our business for now. Let me know when it is done.'
Ben and Annie heard movement in the room, and in an instant they realized that the Russian was about to walk out. Quickly they turned and ran, sprinting down the corridor as deftly as their feet would carry them; adrenaline burned in Ben's veins as he prayed that the strange owner of that harsh Russian voice would not see them slip round the corner, and as they hid in the shadows, he half expected to be at the wrong end of a gun at any minute. Nervously he fingered the firearm that he had taken from the guard outside the cell; other than that, they kept perfectly still, their breath held, as they listened to the sound of footsteps dying away.
Only when all was quiet did Annie speak. 'What are we going to do?' she whispered.
Ben's brow furrowed as he tried to think his way through all this. To all intents and purposes, they were stuck down here. They didn't know their way around, and he was pretty sure that as soon as anyone came across them, they'd be history. Moreover, it was only a matter of time before someone discovered that the guard they had incarcerated in their cell was missing. When that happened, all hell would break loose.
Annie interrupted his thoughts. 'Lucian wouldn't really do that, would he?' she trembled. 'Kill him, I mean. His own brother.'
'I don't know,' Ben replied grimly. 'If what Joseph told us was true — and I don't really see any reason to doubt him — then that brother of his is a pretty nasty piece of work. Look what he did to him all those years ago.'
Annie looked troubled. 'But he didn't kill him. Surely that's something, isn't it?'
Ben wanted to agree with her, but he couldn't. 'I don't think we can count on the kindness of Joseph's brother to get us out of this, do you?'
Annie thought for a moment, then shook her head. 'No,' she said finally. 'I don't.'
Silently, Ben held up his handgun. 'I don't know about you,' he said, 'but it seems to me that this is the only ace we're holding.'
His cousin's eyes narrowed. 'Listen to me carefully, Ben,' she said. 'Flight Lieutenant Johnson is still in that room. He's RAF, you can bet your bottom dollar that he's armed, and he's been highly trained. If you rush in there all guns blazing, I promise you he'll have a bullet in your head before you can raise an arm.'
The warning hung there in the air between them. Eventually Ben nodded his head. 'You're right,' he said. 'But if we walk in there unarmed, we'll just be taken prisoner again, and who knows what they'll do with us this time—'
'Quiet!' Annie hushed him. 'Footsteps!'
Ben listened. Sure enough, he heard the unmistakable sound of people leaving the room. And then a voice, so loud that it made them both jump. 'How dare you!' they heard Joseph almost shout. 'How dare you treat me like this and leave my brother alone there with that wicked device!'
A thump.
A pained cough.
'Shut up,' they heard Johnson growl.
Annie's eyes went steely. 'Let's follow them,' she whispered with determination in her voice.
'No,' Ben replied forcefully. 'Don't you see? Joseph was just letting us know that Lucian's alone with the device. He's in c
harge round here. If we can get him to do what we say, that makes us in charge. You said it yourself — we'd be stupid to go face to face with Johnson.'
'But Joseph—' Annie started to say, and Ben wondered if he saw the beginnings of tears in her eyes.
'I know,' he whispered. 'I know. But this is the best chance we have of saving him — and stopping Vortex from seeing the light of day.'
Annie bit her lip. 'Do you think it's as bad as Joseph said?' she asked.
Ben breathed out heavily. 'I don't know,' he replied. 'But I don't think it's a risk we can afford to take, do you?'
Annie shook her head.
'OK then,' Ben said tersely. 'Let's go.' And with the gun firmly in his grip, he moved stealthily back up the corridor, round the corner and towards the door. It was shut now, and the two of them waited outside for a brief moment as they prepared themselves for what was to follow. Then Ben stretched his gun arm out straight, pointing the firearm in front of him, and slowly, quietly opened the door.
Lucian was there, but he did not see them at first. His back was turned, and he stooped over a desk against the far wall, resting his hands on the table and seeming to stare into space. His back was hunched, and the hair on the back of his head thin: from this angle, he looked to Ben like a very old man. An old man who was carrying a tremendous weight on his shoulders.
In front of him, in the middle of the room, was another table, a large one, with extremely bright halogen lights beaming down onto it from the ceiling. And on the table, gleaming in the bright light, was a metallic cylinder. It was about the size of a small suitcase, and there was something rather elegant about the smooth, polished metal and the surprisingly few controls and displays that were embedded along the top of the cylinder.
