Overkill (25 page)

‘Yes. Definitely.’

‘And the films are significant – they do show something?’

‘Yes – or rather, they don’t show something, and that’s what my source told me we should look for.’

‘Don’t confuse me any more. I’ll contact JARIC and tell them we’re coming up.’

‘We?’ Richter asked, surprised.

Simpson smiled slightly. ‘I do get out of this office sometimes, Richter. Yes, we’ll visit the Crabs and see these films. Ring the Pool and tell them we’ll be taking the
Jaguar.’

American Embassy, Grosvenor Square, London

‘Anything yet from that Taylor character?’ John West-wood asked, as the two men entered the secure briefing room.

‘Nope,’ Roger Abrahams replied. ‘Don’t forget it’ll take him a while to talk his bosses into letting us access any source they’ve got.’

‘If at all.’

Abrahams nodded. ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘If at all.’

‘What have you got now?’ Westwood asked.

‘Langley came through with some new data on the secure link. You saw the preliminary report on the Blackbird films and detectors?’

‘Yes,’ Westwood nodded. ‘Just before I left.’

‘Well,’ said Abrahams, ‘the Langley in-house experts have gone through the films and the seismic records again. I think you said the preliminary assessment was that it was a
weapon in the five-megaton range?’

‘About that, yes.’

‘OK,’ Abrahams said. ‘They’ve had to re-think it a bit. Further analysis of the seismic records suggest that the detonation was actually about six or seven megatons. What
is troubling everyone is that any radiation that was produced had to have been real short-term stuff, because the detector records on the Blackbird showed no significant radiation. That means that
either it’s a radiation-free nuclear weapon, which as far as we know is impossible, or the radiation it produces dissipates astonishingly quickly. So whatever this device is, it’s brand
new. At least, a weapon with that yield and that speed of radiation dissipation is brand new. The short version is that this looks like some kind of a super neutron bomb. What bothers them,’
he finished, ‘is that nobody at Langley has any idea why the Russians built it, or what the hell they’re going to use it for.’

Abrahams paused. ‘Langley also came up with a new instruction, John. I don’t think you’re going to like it, but the Company has lifted the NOFORN caveat and authorized full
disclosure of all data to the British, initially only at Joint Intelligence Committee level.’

Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre, RAF Brampton, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire

Simpson drove fast but competently, and saw the radar speed trap on the A1 before Richter. They went through the beam at precisely fifty-nine miles per hour, and Richter
touched his forelock to the two constables as the Jaguar passed their pursuit car.

‘Bloody woodentops,’ Simpson muttered. He had a very low opinion of the British police force. On the other hand, he was scrupulously fair – he had a very low opinion of almost
everyone. Richter had the Smith under his left arm, and watched the duplicate passenger mirror like a hawk for any sign of HIS – Hostile Intelligence Service – activity, but saw
nothing.

Simpson turned into the main gate at Brampton at precisely eleven fifteen, and the two men went through the usual security procedures. Kemp was waiting for them in the JARIC foyer, and extended
a somewhat frosty greeting. Richter guessed that Simpson’s call to him had been couched in fairly peremptory terms. As Simpson preceded him through the doorway, Kemp asked Richter in a low
whisper what Simpson’s rank equivalent was. Richter told him Air Vice Marshal, which in fact elevated Simpson a couple of steps, but would at least ensure that FOE got any necessary
cooperation.

In the viewing room, Kemp introduced Penny Walters, who was waiting by the screen. Simpson smiled briefly and insincerely at her, then turned to Kemp. ‘Right, get on with it.’ Kemp
took up a position behind the lectern and began his preamble. Richter could see Simpson start to turn slightly pink, a sure sign of irritation, so he interrupted.

‘Squadron Leader, I think you can take it that Mr Simpson knows the details of the flight, and I can confirm his security clearance as Cosmic Top Secret. What we would like to see is what,
if anything, you have found on the films.’

Kemp looked slightly confused, and beckoned to Penny. ‘I haven’t been involved in further analysis of this material,’ he said, ‘but I believe that Sub Lieutenant Walters
here has had some success.’

Penny stepped forward and smiled nervously at Simpson. ‘The most obvious thing I’ve spotted isn’t something that’s there – it’s something that isn’t.
That sounds awfully confused, sir, but I’ll try and explain.’

Simpson sat forward. ‘That,’ he said, ‘is what we hoped you would say. We have had indications from another source –’ he glanced over at Richter ‘–that
the significance of these films is what they don’t show, rather than what they do show.’

Penny looked puzzled, but nodded and ploughed on. ‘On the satellite pictures of just over two months ago, there was a small hill, just about here.’ She pulled down the map of
north-west Russia that Richter remembered Kemp using on his previous visit, and pointed. Kemp looked interested.

‘So?’ he said.

‘Well, on the Blackbird film, the hill isn’t there any more. I thought at first it had been levelled for some sort of agricultural development, but it’s a bit too far out in
the wilderness for that. And there are no major roads anywhere near it, so I don’t think that it can be for any sort of construction.’ She stopped, and shrugged her shoulders.
‘That’s all, I’m afraid.’

‘Where’s it near?’ Richter asked. ‘I mean, what’s the closest settlement?’

Penny looked at the map, measuring distances with her eyes. ‘There’s really not a lot up there,’ she said. ‘The site’s right in the western foothills of the
Severnyy Urals. I suppose the closest would be Anyudin, and that’s about forty or fifty miles down to the south-west. But it’s pretty small.’

‘What about the closest cities?’ Simpson asked.

‘Pechora to the north-west, I suppose, or maybe Ukhta due west. They’re both roughly the same distance from the site.’

There was silence for a few moments while Richter and Simpson digested the information, then Kemp spoke. ‘I wonder. Could it be the first step towards the construction of a military
establishment? But there should be reasonable road access – it would be prohibitively expensive to fly construction equipment to a site so remote – and that means—’

Simpson interrupted him. ‘Wrong. We know it’s not a proposed site. Our informant has stated categorically that the significant point is the removal of the hill.’

Kemp looked at Simpson for a moment or two, then turned to Penny. ‘OK, Penny. Get the projection room to set up for binocular projection of the last satellite picture with the Blackbird
film frame of the same area.’

She returned after five minutes or so, by which time the coffee Kemp had presumably ordered had arrived. Kemp acted as mother. Richter was handed a slightly chipped white mug bearing an
indecipherable legend. Simpson got a cup and saucer, plus two biscuits.

‘All ready.’

‘Good,’ said Kemp. ‘Projectionist – ready?’ The lights dimmed. Simpson and Richter looked at the images, and Penny supplied the commentary.

‘The frame on the left is the satellite picture; source, USAF; picture taken four weeks ago; vehicle, the KH–12 Reconnaissance Satellite, more familiarly known as Keyhole. The
Keyhole satellite automatically converts images into digital form, then transmits the data to one of a number of communications satellites in geostationary orbit above it.’

‘And where does it go from there?’ Simpson asked.

‘Depending upon the location of the Keyhole, the communications bird beams the signal either directly, or indirectly via another communications satellite, to the Mission Ground Site at
Fort Belvoir, near Washington, D.C. From Fort Belvoir, the images are passed to the National Photographic Interpretation Centre – that’s N-PIC, the Americans’ equivalent of JARIC
– located in building 213 in the Washington Navy Yard. Keyhole technology means that the US planners and battle staff can get their pictures in as near real-time as makes no difference,
usually no more than a few minutes after the picture was taken.

‘We,’ Penny added, ‘usually have to wait a good deal longer than that to receive images from across the pond. At best it’s hours, but usually it’s days or even
weeks. The height of the satellite at this location is approximately one hundred and thirty-five miles, but as you can see the picture quality is good. This is due to the excellent cameras, and the
KH–12 provides an exceptionally stable platform for long-range surveillance photography. The frame on the right is from the Blackbird film, and it covers only the central section of the
satellite picture.’ She picked up a microphone from a wall bracket and spoke into it. ‘Increase magnification on the left-hand frame by a factor of ten.’ The picture wobbled
slightly, and then seemed to accelerate towards the viewers. ‘Stop. That’s fine.’

She spoke to Simpson. ‘We can’t greatly increase the magnification of the satellite picture through the projection system, or we’ll start to lose definition, but I think the
two frames will now illustrate what I wanted to show you.’ She picked up the microphone again. ‘Superimpose the grid overlay.’ The two frames, looking only slightly alike to
Richter, suddenly sprouted vertical and horizontal lines; letters vertical, numbers horizontal. ‘Reduce grid size on the left-hand frame by thirty per cent. Stop. Hold it there.’ She
walked over to the screen and took up her illuminated pointer.

‘Despite their different sizes, the two gridded areas represent the same geographical area, as near as makes no difference. They look different primarily because they have a different
orientation; the left-hand frame is aligned to true north, so north is conventionally at the top of the screen. The Blackbird frame, however, is effectively rotated about one hundred and ten
degrees anticlockwise, so the top of the frame is almost due east.’

She jabbed the pointer at the screen. ‘First, the points of coincidence. In grid Alpha Four, this small black patch is an outcropping of slightly darker rock.’ She pointed at a small
blob on the left-hand frame, and then indicated a similar feature on the Blackbird still. Richter took her word for it, because the picture was still a confused blur as far as he was concerned. He
wondered how long it took to train a PI Officer.

‘Here we have a small spur formation, in Hotel Seven, and a similar formation up here in Papa Eighteen. Now, the hill is quite clearly visible here on the left-hand frame.’ The
pointer traced a dark area more or less in the centre of the frame. Richter looked over to the other picture, and he could see that there was no dark area in the corresponding grid squares –
there was, in fact, a lighter patch in about the same position. Penny continued. ‘On the Blackbird frame, the hill has vanished, and there appears to be a slight depression in the same
position.’

Kemp interrupted. ‘For Mr Simpson’s benefit, could you indicate the size of the hill.’

‘Certainly. To an error factor of plus or minus fifteen per cent, it is – or rather was – around two hundred feet high, five hundred feet in diameter, more or less circular,
and in cross-section similar in shape to an inverted bowl.’

Kemp got up, walked to the screen and studied the two frames intently.

Simpson turned to Penny. ‘Richter tells me that you detected an unusual number of vehicles in one location in these films. Is that location anywhere near this hill?’

‘Yes, sir. They were about a mile away, down to the south-east.’

‘Anything unusual about any of the vehicles or the loads they were carrying?’

‘Nothing really, sir. As I told Commander Richter last time he was here, there were a couple of low loaders carrying a bulldozer and a digger, but all the other vehicles had rigid cargo
areas. In one of the shots the civilian lorry had its rear doors open, and it looked as if it might have been carrying a small satellite dish as part of its load, but that’s all.’

‘Satellite dish? Are you sure?’

‘Frankly, sir, no. That shot was taken on a sunny day and even though the rear doors were open, the interior of the vehicle was in deep shadow. What I saw was a light-coloured disk about
one metre in diameter. It looked like a satellite dish, but it could have been a small picnic table or even a big drum for all I know.’

Kemp interrupted. ‘I can’t see any evidence of tracks that would have been left by heavy wheeled vehicles in either frame, and if the hill had been flattened immediately after the
satellite snap, there should still be clear traces in this frame of the presence of the machinery they used.’ He looked again at the screen. ‘What I can see, though, are some tyre marks
close to the hill in the KH–12 frame. They look as if they’ve been made by a medium truck – say about a three-tonner.’

Kemp tapped the left-hand picture and addressed the room. ‘It takes a lot of very heavy-duty gear to shift something that size, you know. A hill like that isn’t like a sand castle on
the beach that you can just kick over. Even using demolition charges – and they would have had to – it would have taken at least a month to shift the earth and debris. Doing a rough
mental calculation, we’re talking about over one and a half million cubic metres of earth. Which is another point – where did they put it?’

‘Perhaps they dug a hole and buried it,’ Richter said. Penny giggled, and Simpson flashed him a look that could have fried an egg.

Simpson got up, walked over to the screen and looked at both pictures. ‘We aren’t, I suppose,’ he asked, after a moment or two, ‘looking at a nuclear weapon test
site?’

There was a brief silence before Kemp replied. ‘Not if it was any kind of a conventional nuclear weapon, no. Underground tests always leave a depression, like these pictures show, but they
also leave a telltale circular perimeter of disturbed earth some distance from the epicentre. There is no sign of such a perimeter in these pictures.’