At nine o’clock that evening Great Tom began his customary hundred-and-one single chimes. Undergraduates hurried through the gate of Christ Church Tower, hastened on their way by the great bell immediately above their heads.
The sound echoed and re-echoed along the High, and along the darkening road and the grazing fields to the place they called ‘The Wall’.
A car stood outside number 14, and everyone in that district know it as the doctor’s car. And inside the house Dr Fuller stood talking to the Cartwrights. He stood in his most characteristic pose, with his weight forward. His very bald head reflected back the light from the television screen.
‘Yes, I’ll stay for the news, if I may,’ he said, ‘though I’m really on borrowed time. Should be at the hospital, you know. Still, I thought you would like to know that Maureen’s anaemia is not chronic.’
Julia’s voice was far from steady, but she was glad the lights were switched off so that at least she could conceal tears of profound relief. As she spoke she gripped John’s hand very tightly, and she knew she would always love him. She said: ‘I can hardly believe it. It seems like a sort of miracle!’
Fuller showed no emotion, but she knew he was not unmoved by it. ‘Once the caesium is out of her system, her blood count will gradually return to normal. We can’t do anything about the strontium, of course — that will remain in the bone. But I don’t personally think there is enough of it there to do any harm. The anaemia was purely a temporary condition brought on by the gamma rays distributed throughout her body. As I say, these will disperse. And I think the news is coming on now.’
John crossed over to the set and turned up the sound. The television announcer presented his usual meaningless smile to an audience of millions, and began the news bulletin by saying that all dangerous foods had now been withdrawn and that the public were safe once more. He quoted from a speech that the Prime Minister had made in the House earlier in the day.
‘Let this be a warning to us for all time,’ the Prime Minister had said. ‘We live in the most exciting age, perhaps, that there has ever been. We are on intimate terms with the forces of nature themselves. We can put the atom to work, and make it serve us in our daily life, fight for us when our survival is at stake.
‘But let us see to it that it doesn’t turn upon us in anger, attacking our very blood and bones because we have in ignorance done things we cannot undo. And when we harness the atom — as we are doing increasingly as part of the inevitable progress of civilisation — to make our electricity, drive our ships across the seas, and to keep the heart-beat of this nation strong and sound, let us be certain that we do not imperil ourselves by failing to respect the mighty forces we have called upon for help.’
General Sir Horace Tripling lowered The Times for a moment when Sophie turned off the set. He had been listening — as he always did — without having to look at the ingratiating face of the news-man.
‘When does Dick get out of hospital?’
‘Next week. The pilot won’t be out for another month though.’
‘What about the radiation? Do they reckon they had a bad dose?’
‘No, thank God. But Dick’s leg will be in plaster for a while.’ She smiled reminiscently. ‘He gets very cross about it.’
‘Huh. I would, too.’ He put a match to his pipe. ‘What’s he going to do? Is he staying with the Department?’
‘Yes. He’s staying on as Lord Amberton’s P.A.’
The Times went up again, and Sir Horace finished the conversation from behind it. ‘Well, I hope Lord Amberton absorbs all Dick’s nuclear energy until you two have got things settled. They may talk about mutations, but there’s one thing you can’t change.’
Her face caught the firelight as she smiled. ‘Who wants to?’ she said.
A great column of smoke rose from behind The Times and mushroomed out into a cloud.
Sophie went to the telephone and called a Radiocab.
‘Where will you want to go to, please?’ said the girl at the other end.
‘Bart’s Hospital,’ said Sophie.
GLOSSARY OF TECHNICAL TERMS
ALPHA RAYS. Positively charged panicles emitted from some radioactive matter. They originate from the nuclei of atoms, and each particle consists of two protons and two neutrons (i.e. helium nuclei). Can only penetrate matter to a depth of a few thousandths of an inch.
ANAEMIA. A disorder resulting from an insufficiency of certain blood cells that can be caused by radiation.
ARTIFICIAL NEUTRON SOURCE. An apparatus containing radium and beryllium. It is used for the purpose of emitting free neutrons. In a reactor it is this initial supply of neutrons that start it working.
ATOM. The smallest unit in which matter can exist permanently. Atoms seldom, however, exist in their isolated state, but combine to form molecules.
BACKGROUND COUNT. The count recorded on a geiger counter that originates from cosmic rays and other natural sources. It always exists, and life is adjusted to this small degree of radiation.
BETA RAYS. Negatively charged particles emitted from the nucleus of some radioactive substances. They are, in fact, high speed electrons. Can penetrate a thin sheer of cardboard.
CAESIUM-137. A radioactive isotope of caesium that emits gamma rays and beta particles. When eaten, spreads more or less uniformly throughout the body, and is eventually removed by sweating, etc.
CARBON DIOXIDE. A gas used in many reactors to cool them, and to transfer the resulting heat to the heat-exchangers whereby steam can be made. In this case the gas is known as the coolant.
CELL DIVISION. The process by which living cells multiply. The cells divide in half periodically, and thus rapidly increase their population. (See Genetic Effect.)
CHAIN REACTION A multiple fission process resulting from the fact that when a fissionable substance (such as uranium-235) is bombarded by neutrons, it emits at least two more neutrons which in turn bombard other atoms of the fissionable material.
COBALT-60. An isotope of cobalt with an atomic weight of 60 emitting gamma rays; also emits beta particles.
CONTROL ROD. A rod containing boron which can absorb neutrons and therefore slow down a chain reaction. If sufficient neutrons can be absorbed by a number of controls rods, the reactor will cease to function.
COOLANT. (See Carbon Dioxide.)
CRITICAL MASS. The minimum size of a reactor below which a chain reaction could not take place because there would be insufficient neutrons to go round.
DECAY. All radioactive matter decays at a certain rate and changes its nature thereby. The elements continue to decay until they reach a stable condition. For instance, uranium decays until it becomes lead. (See Half-life.)
DOSE RATE. The rate at which the ‘whole body’ of a human being or animal is irradiated. Expressed in this book in roentgens (per hour). The lethal dose in one single irradiation is anything upwards from 300 roentgens.
ELECTRON. A very small negatively charged particle. Normally electrons rotate round the nucleus of an atom. The electrons are spaced out in a series of one or more rings or ‘shells’. The number of electrons normally equals the number of protons within the nucleus, thus maintaining an electrical balance. If they do not, the atom is said to be ionised. (See Ionisation.)
ELECTROSCOPE. A simple apparatus which indicates an electrostatic charge on an object. Radiation discharges an electroscope.
ENRICHED URANIUM. Uranium containing a greater proportion of the isotope-235 than exists in nature.