Codename Angel (The Angel Chronicles Book 1) (5 page)

‘Yes, I have thought
about that.’ Wilks paused.

‘And.’ Lloyd pressed.

‘It’s entirely
possible that these flying saucers could exceed the speed of light.’

‘You realise what
you’re saying would be classed as bordering on madness. A flying saucer, ship
or whatever capable of faster than light travel.’

Wilks composed
himself. ‘For the past few years I have been in contact with one Hermann Weyl,
a German Mathematician and American theoretical physicist John Archibald. Both
have speculated the possibility of being able to fold space itself to create a
tunnel or short cut in order to travel vast distances in a very short space of
time. Both Nathan Rosen and Albert Einstein have also theorised the possibility
of creating what’s known as a wormhole.’

Admiral Berkshire jumped
to his feet. ‘This is ludicrous! Why are we entertaining such preposterous
blasphemy?’

‘Please Anthony sit
down.’ Frederick said calmly. ‘The very reason this group has been set up is to
explore all possibilities no matter how far fetched they may seem. Richard has
even said what he proposes is all speculation.’

Berkshire sat back
down.

‘I just have one more
question for you Professor Wilks.’ Dr Lloyd said. ‘You say that these flying
saucers are capable of faster than light travel. You do realise that goes
against everything Professor Albert Einstein has contributed to modern day
physics despite what you have just claimed.’

‘Yes, however ten
years ago our scientists were sceptical that man could travel faster than
sound. But five years ago Chuck Yeager proved us wrong. It’s as I stated,
things that may seem impossible to us now, may be possible further on down the
road.’

‘Ok.’ Frederick said
wringing his hands. ‘Suppose at least some of what you say is true. What do
these flying saucers want?’

Wilks took a deep
breath. ‘The only conclusion I have reached so far is to study us.’

‘Study us?’ Malcolm
Chambers questioned. ‘Find out our weaknesses, are we talking about a possible
invasion?’

Wilks shook his head.
‘If they are far more advanced than us then they could have invaded whenever
they want. My guess is that they are here on some sort of scientific venture,
studying us in the same way we study animals and other elements.’

‘So we could be the
subject of scientific research.’ Sir Harold Bates asked.

Wilks nodded. ‘It’s
possible.’ He looked across at Admiral Berkshire and noted the expression on
his face. ‘Look I know what I have said here today is difficult to take in. For
all we know it could be the Russians or Americans, but we cannot rule out the
theory that it could be something else, something we haven’t yet encountered.’

Frederick nodded
glancing around the room. ‘Ok, I think we need to leave it there, there’s a lot
to digest.’ He turned to Wilks. ‘I want you to prepare a full report for the
Prime Minister.’

‘Huh, I’d love to see
the old man’s face when he reads it?’ Berkshire sneered looking over at Wilks.

Frederick then turned
to Professor Norman Canning. ‘I need you to monitor our listening posts, if
anything crops up with any reference to these flying saucers I want it
catalogued.’

Canning nodded.

‘Another report is
being prepared by Henry Tizard in response to public and Newspaper interest. Ok
thank you for coming today and I trust I don’t need to remind you that this
meeting is classified.’

Morris Stanford
walked out of the room with Frederick. ‘How did your visit up north go last
week Ralph? I meant to ask you this morning, but you distracted me with your
little encounter at the train station.’

‘I interviewed Mr
Jones and he seemed sincere in what he was telling me, but.’ Frederick paused.
‘Since he was the only witness to the incident I cannot be sure of anything. I
have read cases of people committing murder and having no recollection. To be
honest with you Morris I’m sticking to my original theory. They had some sort
of argument and she just upped and left him.’

Stanford smiled, ‘You
sound just as sceptical as Berkshire.’

‘I’m a scientist
through and through Morris. I need hard evidence to support a theory and so far
all we have is second hand reports from people seeing these objects.’ Frederick
paused for thought. ‘I had an interview with Sir William Ingles he had some
interesting information.’

‘Really.’ Stanford
replied.

‘He told me that
Peter Horsley has an interest in flying saucers.’ Frederick noted the
expression on Stanford’s face. ‘I take it you already knew this.’

‘I received a
telephone call this morning off him. Ingles spilled the beans about your visit
last week. He also wanted to know about the committee.’

Frederick nodded.
‘Malcolm did mention The Duke of Edinburgh has an interest in flying saucers.
Looks like Peter could be his errand boy regarding this matter. Perhaps we need
to keep an eye on what’s happening at the Palace.’

‘If I didn’t know any
better Ralph I’d swear you were suggesting we spy on the Royal household.’
Morris winked at him.

‘Nothing quite that
drastic, but we need to find out if any other high ranking figures have an
interest. We need to rein this in.’

‘Agreed, I’ll have a
look around and see what I can find out.’

Chapter 9

The Report

10 Downing Street –
Whitehall – 11:18am

Wednesday 6
^th
August 1952

The Prime Minster
took long deep breaths as he read the report in front of him. Frederick sat
opposite fidgeting nervously. After what seemed like an eternity Churchill
looked up. ‘You realise this Professor Wilks sounds like a raving lunatic. Why
on earth did you assign him to the committee?’

‘Professor Wilks is
the most senior astronomer, and a trusted friend sir. I know his ideas are
unorthodox but I promise you he wouldn’t have said what’s in his report if it
didn’t have a foundation of truth.’

Churchill nodded
slowly. ‘I take it Lord Admiral Berkshire wasn’t too pleased at these ideas.’

‘No sir.’

A smile appeared on
the Prime Minister’s face. ‘Berkshire is from fine stock, a very proud family.
He’s not fond of change, and quite frankly neither am I. This so called brave
new world full of technological wonders can scare a lot of people, the new ways
clashing with more traditional ways.’

‘Yes Prime Minister.’

‘I’ve set up funding
for your group, and a temporary office has been set aside at Bletchley Park in
order to collect intelligence on these flying saucers.’

Frederick nodded. ‘If
I may ask Prime Minister, what do you plan to do about all the press stories and
the public interest?’

‘Let them run, I’ve a
feeling the public will tire of these stories after a while and go back to
their lives. In the meantime you and your group will carry on with your
investigation.’ The Prime Minister paused. ‘I know you’re uncomfortable
investigating this flying saucer nonsense Ralph, which is why I put you on this
team. I trust your judgement and know you won’t be sucked in by all the hype. I
promise you’ll be done in a few months.’

‘Thank you Prime
Minister.’

‘What about this chap
who claims his wife was kidnapped by a flying saucer?’

‘I interviewed the
gentlemen in question and a number of other people. The husband seems to be
sticking to his story, about an encounter with a mysterious object late at
night. But like I said to the others it’s nothing more than a domestic tiff.’

Churchill nodded.
‘And the police, what’s their view on the matter?’

‘They’re puzzled, but
they are sure he didn’t murder her.’

‘Good, keep me
informed.’

Frederick didn’t get
up, he locked eyes with Churchill. ‘If you don’t mind me asking Prime Minister
I would like to know if you have discussed the notion of flying saucers to
anyone other than myself or other committee members.’

‘I have discussed the
matter with Norman Hinshelwood a few times. The subject has surfaced on a
number of occasions with Royal Society members.’

Frederick nodded. ‘I
see, Mr Hinshelwood must have mentioned it to a colleague of mine a Professor
Osborne.’

The Prime Minister
looked back at Frederick. ‘You’re worried about leaks.’

Frederick nodded. ‘As
you can see from my report the man I encountered at Downham Market claimed he
knew many people at the Royal Society. I’m already uncomfortable looking into
the flying saucer phenomenon. I explained to Malcolm I don’t want my reputation
damaged by such nonsense. If we are to maintain total secrecy we must discuss
committee matters with members only.’

Churchill nodded. ‘I
understand Professor, if Norman does ask me anything else I’ll pass him on to
Henry Tizard.’

Frederick took a deep
breath. ‘Malcolm also feels that Tizard’s team have a leak. There’s also the
matter of Peter Horsley’s visit to Ripley and the Duke of Edinburgh’s interest
in flying saucers.’

‘I wouldn’t worry
about the Duke Professor, he will soon tire of all this flying saucer nonsense.
If he does pop up I will speak to him further to quash any interest.’

‘Thank you Prime
Minister.’ Frederick got to his feet and headed for the door. 

Chapter 10

Possibilities

Royal Observatory – Greenwich – 1:41pm

Friday 8
^th
August 1952

Frederick and
Professor Richard Wilks walked slowly by the Transit Radio telescope discussing
the meeting four days earlier.

‘I must apologise for
Admiral Berkshire’s attitude towards you Richard I had no idea he was going to try
and humiliate you like that.’

Wilks shook his head.
‘There’s no need to say sorry on his behalf Ralph I knew he was going to be a
sceptic. His brother is Bishop of York, he also has another brother who is a
vicar in Oxford. And his father was a vicar.’

‘Berkshire didn’t
follow in his footsteps then?’

‘No, from what I know
of him he is a man of faith but he wanted to join the navy from an early age,
much to his father’s disapproval who wanted him to carry on the family
tradition.’

‘That explains his
reluctance to embrace anything you had to say on Monday.’

‘There will always be
people like Admiral Berkshire around, unwilling to embrace new ideas and new
technologies. I hear that Winston Churchill isn’t a big fan of television.’

Frederick shook his
head smiling. ‘No he isn’t, he prefers to sit down and listen to the Archers on
the wireless or read a good book.’

Wilks stopped and
looked up at the Transit radio telescope. ‘New technology seems to be the focal
point of many things these days. Development of new technology is the driving
force of this cold war.’

‘Do you think there
will be another world war?’

‘I certainly hope
not, especially with what the Americans and Russians are working on. Everything
seems to be hanging on the Korean War at the moment, will they or won’t they
blow each other to bits. I saw first-hand the devastation at Hiroshima and
Nagasaki during the closing stages of the war. Whole cities flattened beyond
recognition and people vaporized, not to mention the poor souls that survived.
If the world was engulfed in such a war then everything that we have achieved
will have been for nothing. We are struggling to rebuild after the last war.
Another war using these atomic weapons would push mankind to the brink of
extinction. And now we have a team of engineers and scientists who are months
away from conducting the first British atomic weapons test. If I didn’t know
any better I’d swear our leaders wanted another war.’

‘I share your
concerns Richard I look at my daughter and wonder what kind of world she will
grow up in.’ Frederick looked at the radio telescope.

‘We’ve been
monitoring radio signals from the Andromeda galaxy. Just the usual cosmic
chatter, but remarkable never the less.’ Wilks explained.

Frederick turned his
head towards the sky. ‘The Andromeda galaxy, it seems too fantastic to
comprehend. It’s hard to imagine our own galaxy, let alone others.’

‘We’ve plans to
construct more of these radio telescopes. More advanced, capable of looking
beyond Andromeda. I believe that there could be a lot more galaxies out there.’

Frederick shoved his
hands into his pockets. ‘Someone told me the other day that the universe is a
mathematical constant and that events like the creation of new stars are
happening all the time.’

Wilks nodded. ‘It’s a
concept that science is starting to embrace. We are only beginning to find out
what’s in our cosmic back garden. We believe there are millions upon millions
of stars in our galaxy and as you say stars are being born all the time.’ He
looked at Frederick. ‘Do you think it’s possible that life could have evolved
elsewhere?’

Frederick shrugged.
‘I don’t know what to think, I thought I had my feet firmly on the ground only
believing what my eyes can see, not what they can’t see. These flying saucer
stories that are being published in the press are just too farfetched to
believe.’

Wilks turned to face
Frederick. ‘Ralph we’ve known each other since we were at Cambridge together. I
like to think that I know you well enough to know you’re ready to embrace new
ideas. You were always putting new ideas to the apostles, I seem to remember
you flaring a few tempers.’

Frederick laughed.
‘Yes I remember some of those arguments.’ He took a deep breath. ‘It’s just the
concept of embracing the fact that we might not be alone in this universe
challenges my belief in a god.’

‘You wonder why the
bible doesn’t mention men from Mars.’

‘Basically yes, I
know I’m a scientist but I had a traditional upbringing, I went to Sunday
school. I have respect for those who have faith.’

‘As do I Ralph, faith
in god can bring many positive aspects to a troubled world. It can bring people
together. But you and I have seen the horrors of war. If there is indeed a god
then where was he for those who died in death camps dreamt up by Hitler and the
rest of his cronies. The people who perished must have thought their god had
disserted them in their final hours. And what about those who survived, can you
call that an act of god.’ Wilks shook his head. ‘Every day religious faith is
tested, and as we look on in horror at what atrocities man is capable of you do
have to wonder where god is amongst such madness. Religion has been around for
so long most of us do not question its place in the world. It makes you wonder
who says we have to believe in god. We’re forever being told, believe or be
dammed. The more science discovers the more religion begins to unravel. One
thing is certain, if we are to start building rocket ships to the moon and
beyond then mankind will have to grow up, we can’t take our politics or religion
into space.’

‘You sound very much
like the main character from The Day the Earth Stood still.’ Frederick joked.
‘I took Liz to see it last week.’

‘To a more advanced
civilisation we would seem like a barbaric people. At our current level of
development we are not ready to meet another race not by a long shot.’

‘And what about the
future, will we mature as a species?’

‘I believe the human
race has great potential, don’t forget it’s only the few in power that make our
world a mess. Most people would just prefer to go about their lives and live
normally. We are on the threshold of something huge Ralph, but it will still
take time for all of humanity to accept that we are not the only intelligent
species. Sudden disclosure could be the end of us all.’

‘Suppose one day we
do discover that we are not the only intelligent life in our universe and we do
make contact with another race, what could we possibly offer them?’

‘The possibilities of
such an event are overwhelming, as for what we could give them.’ Wilks
shrugged, smiling. ‘Bangers and mash.’

Frederick burst into
laughter. ‘I’ll get Liz to make the gravy she makes the best gravy ever.’

‘The Human race is
rich in knowledge and history, we might not be advanced as they are, but we
have much to offer that will be of value to a more intelligent race.’

Frederick thought
about his friend’s words as they walked back towards his car. Professor Wilks
had a habit of bringing the most mundane or complicated subjects down to a
level most people would understand. He looked at his watch. ‘I’m afraid my time
is up I better head back to Cambridge.’

Wilks nodded and
shook Frederick’s hand. ‘Say hello to Elizabeth and Susan for me.’