Doctor Who_ Just War - Lance Parkin [14]
A superbomber?’ Chris said curiously. ‘What exactly do you mean?’
‘I mean a bomber much larger and faster than anything else in the sky. It will be the Dreadnought all over again, only this time the Germans will have it first.’ Kendrick could see that Roz was confused, so he explained, ‘In 1906, the Navy put the HMS Dreadnought to sea: it was the fastest, most heavily armed ship that the world had ever seen. It was so powerful, in fact, that it could outclass any other ship on the oceans. Now, you’d think that this would have strengthened the British Navy, but instead —’
‘— when the Germans built one, it made every other warship in the Navy obsolete,’ finished Roz. ‘Whoever built the most dreadnoughts would win the arms race, regardless of how many centuries of naval tradition they had.’
Kendrick nodded. ‘Well done. Thankfully, we could build more than the Germans, so we could keep control of the seas and win the last war. It’s an open secret that the RAF
are trying to develop a heavy bomber that will really be able to take the fight to the German cities, but we are still over a year away from seeing one of those in action. Until a couple of weeks ago, though, we thought that the Germans had other priorities. Now it looks as if Hartung is building a superbomber after all.’ Kendrick paused, looking at Cwej in a way that made Roz feel distinctly uncomfortable. It was the sort of look that her superiors always used to give her before sending her offworld to adjudicate on a planet where the two sides were already holed up on different continents firing photon bombs at each other. Sure enough:
‘This is our last chance to bring Hartung over before his project is complete. We need to snatch him from them. A commando raid is out of the question; we need something smaller to get through coastal defences. Likewise, Downing Street can’t spare us any paratroopers, not without better evidence. Lieutenant Cwej, I want you to go over to France on your own and bring Hartung back to London. I’ve checked your file and you are the most qualified person in the SID for such an operation. I have arranged to get you down to Plymouth for this afternoon, there you will join the submarine Prometheus. Commander Hobson will take you to the French coast, and you’ll receive a further briefing from MI5 on the way. Any questions?’
Roz stood. ‘With respect, Admiral, I’m far more experienced than Cwej. I should go.’
‘It’s far too dangerous for a woman, and your skin makes you just a little bit conspicuous, don’t you think?’ The response was disdainful, and Roz wouldn’t have talked to a child like that. She tried to appear calm. A hand touched her shoulder and she almost ripped it off. It was Chris.
‘Don’t worry, Roz, I’ll be fine.’ He beamed his gerbil smile.
Forrester looked at him, eager to go off to war. Oh Goddess, she thought, please let him come back.
3 Bang on Time
Celia had changed into a thick floral dress. Gerhard thought that it suited her, and it must help to keep her warm. He had told her as much, but she hadn’t seemed to hear him. The cold wind that had been blowing all day had finally developed into a thunderstorm. Celia also wore a heavy navy-blue coat, unlike Gerhard who had been trying not to shiver ever since they’d left the boardinghouse. It was dark now, and as usual there was a blackout in force. All over the island, the street lights had not been lit and curtains were in place. If it had been a clear night, it might have been possible to see the odd light on the French or even the English mainland, but tonight the horizon was black as pitch.
Gerhard had the distinct impression that Celia was steering him away from the town and out into the country. He could understand this — with the age difference between them the islanders were sure to gossip, and the