Dimitry sat for a few moments, thinking through the conflicting tangle of impossible demands and loyalty to his office. Maybe there was a way to show he was carrying out orders, yet not implement them in full. He would need a little time to work out the details, but in the meantime his President expected him to execute his command.
If that was what he wanted, who was Dimitry Kamenev to refuse?
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Inside the Airbus the Load-master handed Sean and Khostov mugs of coffee. Khostov put the internal phone back on its cradle.
‘That was a long conversation. How are they doing?’
Khostov sighed. ‘OK. I’ve advised them what they should do.’
‘Is it helping?’
‘Yes, I think so. They understand the concepts, but it is difficult to describe what procedures they should follow at the end of a phone. How long before we arrive?’
‘About five hours. You should get some sleep if you can. You won’t get a chance once we land.’
Khostov gazed at the vast empty belly of the plane, taking in the constant vibration and drone of the four Europrop TP400-D6 engines.
Sean laughed. ‘When you’ve been in as many aircraft as I have, you learn to sleep just about anywhere.’
‘I suppose you don’t often fly normal commercial flights,’ observed Khostov dryly.
‘Not really. I started by flying helicopters for some of our elite soldiers.’
‘What happened?’
‘After a year or two they asked me to join them on the ground.’
‘And did you?’
Sean eyed Khostov. ‘I did. But it’s a long story.’
Khostov opened the palm of his hands. ‘We’ve got plenty of time.’
Sean drew a hand through his hair, unsure where to start. ‘I trained for the SAS.’
‘I have heard of them, your Special Air Service. They’re widely admired in Russia — though no-one in the military would admit to that.’
‘After a bit, I found I enjoyed the company. Sure, the work was difficult, but the blokes I met would do anything for you in a fight.’ Sean laughed. ‘They’d steal your food and your brew if you weren’t looking, but when it came down to the wire, they would give their lives to protect you.’ Sean reflected a moment. ‘And you would do the same for them.’
‘When I talk to some of my friends in the military, they tell me it is like a family.’
‘That’s how it was for me. I guess that’s why I stayed on so long. Then one thing led to another, and I wound up working for a clandestine part of British Intelligence.’
‘You sound like you’ve been there a while.’
‘Too long.’
‘Did you ever think about retiring?’
Sean hesitated. ‘Actually yes. I plan to leave sometime in the next six months.’
‘That will be a big step, no?
‘Yes. But now I’ve given my notice, I’m looking forward to it.’
‘So there is somebody — to go to?’
Sean reached for the St. Christopher medal in his pocket. Before he left he had called Natasha, but there was no answer on her mobile. Maybe she was in the middle of moving, and too busy to return his calls. He felt guilty at not being there to help her with the move, but he was puzzled she had not contacted him by now. ‘I don’t mean to be rude Alexei, but I do think you should try to get some rest.’
Khostov waved his hand in the air. ‘I had a rest at your wonderful place at Brampdon Manor. It’s like an old fashioned English hotel,’ he mused. ‘I felt I was on holiday after an exciting adventure.’
Sean glanced at him sideways to check if he was being serious. He was. ‘Well your little adventure nearly got you killed. And two men in Paris died coming after you.’
Khostov appeared crestfallen. ‘I am sorry. I didn’t intend to make little of your efforts to protect me. Those people were evil.’
They sipped their coffee in silence for a few moments, and Sean turned his attention to the job ahead. ‘How does something like a meltdown happen?’ Sean asked.
Khostov looked at Sean carefully, as though he were leading him to a trap. ‘Why do you ask?’
He shrugged. ‘Just curious really.’
Khostov took a deep breath and held it for a count of ten, then faced Sean. ‘Accidents happen. More often than not the cause is human error. You know, I have worked in nuclear physics all my life. That’s why I’ve devoted a lot of my career into making these systems safer — safer for the operators, and for the general public.’
‘So what went wrong here?’
‘People, Sean. Greedy, grasping, penny pinching people. I designed a complete safety backup system for this type of Pressurised Water Reactor. In order to shave costs from the project and to increase output power, the manufacturer removed the steel cladding. To compensate, the water jacket surrounding the core had to be increased in diameter. The water acts as a neutron-absorbing shield. But if the water is lost in an accident, the operators will receive a fatal dose.’
‘I see’ remarked Sean sombrely, not really understanding.
Khostov surveyed the large cargo bay. ‘That’s not the worst of it. These types of reactors are more complicated and expensive to build than conventional ones. Because it’s more complex, we have to take greater precautions when it comes to safety. So we develop several safety systems. The idea is that if there’s a problem with the first one, the second comes into play. And if that doesn’t work, the third one becomes operational, and so on.’
‘How many did you design into it?’
‘Four. Then some accountant took a look at the project cost and put a pen through the fourth. They had no idea what they were doing. With one stroke they shaved over 50 million roubles.’ Khostov brought his gaze back to Sean. ‘And probably cost the lives of countless people.’
‘At my briefing I was told it might cause a lot more deaths — nearly the whole of the Arctic could be contaminated.’
Khostov paused. ‘Yes and no.’
Sean regarded Alexei. ‘Which is it?’
‘It is true that if the melt were to react with the salt water, there would be an enormous explosion which would send radioactive elements into the atmosphere. But the engineers I spoke to managed to partially operate the second safety backup system. We have a little more time.’
‘How much?’
‘A few hours.’ Khostov shrugged. ‘We should arrive before then.’
’Supposing you’re not able to fix the second system?’
‘I will have to implement the third mechanism. It contains an aqueous solution of cadmium-nitrate which can be fed directly into the core.’
‘You don’t sound sure it will succeed.’
‘It’s awkward and needs several hours for mounting and start-up. It is very complex, and hasn’t been tested exhaustively.’
‘So it could fail?’
Khostov nodded. ‘In reality, it probably will.’
‘Jesus, Alexei. You’re not giving me much confidence.’
Alexei studied Sean. ‘I am telling you the truth. I am also saying, in all modesty, that I am the only person on the planet who has a hope of making it work.’
The British PM chose an anteroom in the Finanzministerium for the meeting. While he was in Vienna for the summit, he knew that most of the real business would be conducted in rooms such as this one — away from the Baroque elegance of the hall where ministers from the wealthiest seven countries of the world discussed mutual and global energy issues.
There was a knock and the PM’s bodyguard looked for approval to allow the person in. A man entered and handed two envelopes to the British PM. As he turned to leave, Terrance Ashdown motioned for him to stay.