Doctor Who_ The King of Terror - Keith Topping [70]
‘Well done!’ replied Paynter. ‘Seen one alien transportation vessel, seen them all. Now let’s get inside before we freeze to death!’
134
Chapter Fifteen
Surfing Blind
There were few meetings of the conglomerate that were not extraordinary in as many senses as that word can apply to. But even by the unique standards of the InterCom board this was more unusual than most.
Dozens of black Cadillacs were parked next to an isolated ranch house twenty-five miles north of Los Angeles, in the shade of a forest of Californian oak trees and fronting a wide lake. Beside them, dozens of men in dark suits and dark glasses were huddled, keenly watching the only approach road for any stirring of dust that would signal the arrival of unwanted visitors.
Inside, despite an agenda of ‘business as usual’, as always with the conglomerate the bizarre was never too far away.
‘Although the problems with the Japanese operation have been largely dealt with by the elimination of that Australian girl, or whatever she really was, we cannot afford to be complacent. There is still the possibility, however small, that she was able to pass details of our operation to our enemies.’ Sanger paused and was surprised by the uneasy mumbling that followed this dramatic announcement. ‘Gentlemen please,’ he said, ‘there will be plenty of opportunity for questions at the appropriate time.’
‘I take it Chung Sen has been liquidated?’ asked Elphistone nervously.
Sanger looked genuinely appalled by such a prospect. ‘Not at all,’ he told the English representative. ‘Chung Sen has been, and remains, vitally important to the success of this project. All of us owe him a great deal. I see no reason to . . . What’s the phrase?’ he asked, turning to Michelle Stonebringer.
‘Throw the baby out with the bath water?’ she suggested.
‘Exactly. We shall have need of Chung when phase three of implementation is under way. Unless, of course, you know of any other scientists of his calibre on this forsaken hole of a planet?’
‘He allowed his wretched libido to make decisions for him,’ said Bois angrily.
‘But of course,’ soothed Sanger. ‘He is only human after all!’
The entire conglomerate began to laugh uproariously. Finally, Sanger called the meeting to order. ‘I’m therefore ordering the closure of the Okenawa site and transferring all the merchandise back here.’
135
‘Isn’t that dangerous?’ asked Joyce. ‘You’re putting all our eggs in one basket.’
‘An interesting phrase,’ said Sanger. ‘You’re even beginning to sound like one of them.’
Joyce wasn’t used to being insulted by anyone, even Sanger. ‘I thought that was the whole idea,’ he replied pithily. There was a murmur of agreement from most of the rest of the group.
Sanger shrugged. ‘We have no choice,’ he noted. ‘The programme must proceed. If we waste time trying to plug leaks that may not even exist then we play into their hands.’ He paused and turned to Giresse. ‘I’d value your comments at this juncture.’
‘Are you looking for support, Paolo?’ asked the Frenchman.
‘I’m looking for common sense.’
Giresse didn’t say anything for a moment, and several of the other members of the conglomerate, including Bois and Elphistone, began to make their thoughts known, in some cases loudly. Sanger banged on the table. ‘Let him speak,’ he urged.
‘I agree that it is an insanely dangerous ploy,’ Giresse said at length. ‘However, it may be our best, indeed our only option.’
‘Thank you,’ said Sanger warmly. He looked at the group. ‘And you,’ he continued, ‘would do well to remember just how much we have achieved here. And how much we have to lose.’
‘We do Paolo,’ answered Pavel Luvik. ‘And we all know what happens if we fail. Both to us personally, and to our race. It’s just that with the stakes being so high . . . ’
Sanger seemed satisfied with this. ‘They may be higher than you think,’ he replied. ‘We have reliable information that a Canavitchi reconnaissance ship was spotted over the Nevada desert late yesterday evening.’
‘You didn’t tell me that!’ said Giresse, half-standing, with a look of dismay that was echoed