All previous chapters - CHAPTER 1 - CHAPTER 2 - CHAPTER 3 - CHAPTER 4 - CHAPTER 5 - CHAPTER 6 - Chapter 7 - CHAPTER 8 - CHAPTER 9 - CHAPTER 10 - CHAPTER 11 - CHAPTER 12 - CHAPTER 13 - CHAPTER 14 - CHAPTER 15 - CHAPTER 16 - CHAPTER 17 - CHAPTER 18 - CHAPTER 19
Previously on “The bomb in the shed…”; Arthur settles into a new Sunday lunch with his family and Jacob, only to discover that Fitzpatrick and Gibson have gone missing with Bella, and Elizabeth had left him a parting gift which might just save the day.
And here we go with CHAPTER 20…
Chapter 20
“Have you been to an air force base before?” asked Jacob.
He and Arthur had been travelling up the M11 towards Cambridge and just taken the turning onto the A11 that would bring them into Suffolk and to RAF Lakenheath. The rain was coming down hard and the wipers were on full. Arthur was driving. He insisted he was fine, and anyway, Jacob didn’t have a car. There was no point owning a car if you lived and worked in London. They’d barely spoken during the journey, just a bit of awkward chat now and then. What could they say? The situation they were in was too awful to think about. It wasn’t even clear what they might achieve going to the base, but they had to try something.
“No, I was only ever in the labs,” replied Arthur.
“Me neither.”
Jacob had been on the periphery of the defence industry. Early stage start-ups with new technologies that were just one small cog in the big machine. He’d never been involved in the sharp end where the stuff was actually used. Never even thought about it. Nothing he did made a whole lot of difference to anything. Until now.
He got his phone out. “I’ll Google Lakenheath, see what I can find out.”
There was a surprising amount of information about the place out in the public domain. Nominally it was RAF Lakenheath, but it was American run, a mini US enclave in the English countryside. Over 5,000 people lived and worked there.
“They’ve got a sports centre, 18 hole golf course and a Burger King,” said Jacob as he scrolled through a website. “And a sports bar called Liberty Wings. It sounds more like a theme park than an air force base.” He scrolled some more. “But they do have over fifty F-35A Lightning II fighter bombers. We probably shouldn’t forget that.”
“I worked on those,” replied Arthur. “For Lockheed Martin. Well, some of the systems I worked on were in the X-35 and ended up in the F-35.”
There was a wistful tone to Arthur’s voice. Like he was harking back to simpler, happier times.
Jacob said, “They used to store nuclear bombs there. Until 2008.”
“They still do,” replied Arthur. “They brought them back about a year ago. Never admitted it, but it’s obvious, if you look at the press releases.”
A bit more searching online uncovered articles about storage of ‘special weapons’ and some small protests, but it seemed crazy the whole thing hadn’t been bigger news. Maybe people didn’t care so much anymore. It didn’t feel great to be driving towards a giant stockpile of nuclear bombs. Though it meant Lakenheath was probably the right place for Arthur’s bomb. They’d know how to look after her.
“Do you think we should call ahead?” Jacob had found some contact details.
“Is there a phone number?”
“There are dozens of phone numbers. They also have a website, blog and a mobile app. It tells you who to call if you want to adopt a baby, are thinking of committing suicide or need a haircut. Nothing for if you want to hand in a nuclear bomb. They don’t have a number for that. Do you know who Gibson and Fitzpatrick were talking to there?”
“No idea,” replied Arthur. “Maybe we should wait until we get there.”
That was probably for the best. How could you explain everything that had happened to an operator over the phone?
Arthur said, “Do you think Gibson and Fitzpatrick have Bella?”
“No idea.”
Hard to imagine why they would. Gibson worked his whole life in intelligence and security, in theory making the world safer. Fitzpatrick was a scientist who worked for the US military for years. What could they gain from stealing Bella? Maybe they were dead, or in the hands of whoever stole it. Jacob carried on reading while Arthur focussed on driving in the rain. Lakenheath was the home of a deadly arsenal of lethal weapons, yet its public profile seemed so innocuous. Like a multinational corporation, small town and municipal centre all rolled into one. A home to thousands of people with every kind of public service you could think of.
“What do you think will happen to us?” asked Jacob.
“What do you mean?”
“We’re about to go onto US territory and admit to their military that we’ve developed a nuclear bomb and then lost it.”
Arthur looked confused, “I’m sure it will be fine, we’re trying to help.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Was Arthur being naïve? Or was he right maybe? After all, they were trying to help. Either way they had to try. They couldn’t just sit back and see what happened.
Jacob said, “What were you going to do with Bella, when she was finished? What was the plan?”
“There was no plan, it was more a passion project.” replied Arthur.
Jacob couldn’t imagine how you could build a nuclear bomb without knowing what you were going to do with it after. Was it so strange for Arthur though? Why does anybody do anything? People like to think they’re masters of their own destiny, but ultimately they’re just a product of their genes, past experiences and environment. For Arthur building something like Bella was a normal thing to do. Not thinking too hard about what happened next was probably normal too. It’s what he’d done his whole career. How much thought had Jacob given to the consequences of what he did for a living, the implications of his investment in Arthur’s dream? He’d been acting like a self-interested venture capitalist just as much as Arthur had been acting like a self-absorbed weapons engineer. Bella would never have been finished without his help. She was both of their responsibility.
---
A tall chain link fence lined the approach road to the main gate of RAF Lakenheath, barbed wire at the top all along its length. Jacob got a quick flash of a large red sign as they drove past. This area is restricted under the official secrets act. No drones allowed. They paused in a short queue at some traffic lights, waiting to turn left into the main entrance. It was a wide open space so Jacob could see it clearly from where they waited. There was a large canopy that covered the checkpoint. A sign said Welcome to RAF Lakenheath, home of the 48th FW. Now they were here it didn’t look much like a fun park. It was all dull brown and faded brick, with soldiers in fatigues questioning the occupants of a line of cars as they sought entry. Beyond the checkpoint were X shaped metal anti-tank obstacles that would have looked more at home on D-Day beaches. Even in the age of new technology sometimes the old wayds were the best.
“Last chance to turn back,” said Jacob.
He kept his tone light, like he was joking.
But he was only half joking. Now they were here it was easy to have second thoughts. The lights turned green and Arthur joined the queue for the security checkpoint.
“What are we going to say?” asked Jacob.
How were they going to convince somebody manning a checkpoint that they were serious.
“You’ve heard of Broken Arrow?” said Arthur.
“The film? You know that’s not an actual thing, right?”
They were inching closer to the group of men with guns and very serious looks on their faces. It would be there turn in a moment. Jacob didn’t fancy their chances quoting lines from a John Travolta movie.
“I know,” replied Arthur. “But there are real protocols. I had to learn them in New Mexico.”
Arthur pulled up to the checkpoint and wound down his window. A soldier asked how can I help? British accent. Arthur leaned over and said something to him. Jacob couldn’t quite catch what it was. There was a brief exchange during which he could hear Arthur sharing their names. The soldier went back over to his booth and had a quick chat with his colleague who talked on his radio. At least they were getting somewhere. A few nods and the barrier was lifted and they were directed to a waiting area. A couple of soldiers came over and watched them, rifles in their hands.
“What happens now?” asked Jacob.
“We wait,” replied Arthur. “I doubt it will be too long.”
---
Arthur was right. A short while later a black security van pulled up and two plain clothed security guys invited them out of their car and into the back. Each was sporting collapsible batons and a revolver holstered in their belts. The van didn’t look like an appealing form of transport but it didn’t seem there was much of an option to decline. Before they got in Jacob and Arthur were searched and their phones taken. You’ll get them back when you leave. They climbed in the back of the van and sat opposite each other on benches. There were metal grills on the windows and between them and the drivers up front. Like prisoners on transfer. At least they weren’t in restraints. The security guys climbed in after them and secured the doors. They sat on each side of Arthur and Jacob, staring ahead, faces like stone as the van got underway.
Jacob leaned forward and whispered to Arthur. “What’s going on?”
Arthur shrugged. He didn’t look too concerned, but then again he could be a strange man sometimes. A few minutes later the van pulled to a stop and the security guys opened the back doors and led Arthur and Jacob to a drab looking single story building nearby. It was isolated, across the runway from the main cluster of buildings at the opposite end of the base. There was a single old aircraft hangar next to it. The building had no signs. Inside felt like a neglected office. Like the office of Seed Capital One’s law firm if it had been left to wither for twenty years.
“Where are we going?” Jacob asked one of their civilian escorts as they were led from the van towards the building.
“Debriefing,” was all the explanation he got.
Inside was a long featureless corridor with doors off either side. The first on the right was opened so Arthur could go in. Jacob went to follow but found his way blocked.
“You’re down the other end.”
“Can’t we stay together?” replied Jacob.
The door was closed now. Arthur was gone.
“You’re down the other end,” the guy repeated.
There was just a subtle change of inflexion in his voice that suggested Jacob would be best off complying. The guy didn’t reach for his baton or his revolver but just the presence of these two items seemed to give weight to his words. Jacob carried on down the corridor and when invited to, entered the room at the end. It was bare apart from a table with a chair on one side, two chairs on the other. The table had a metal bar imbedded in it. Jacob had seen that before on the TV, it was for securing handcuffs.
The door slammed shut behind him and a bolt shot home. He sat down and looked around the room again. There really was nothing there. Just a table, chairs and a window with bars on it. And a security camera with a blinking light, wired into the ceiling in the corner, staring down at him. Was he being watched? Recorded? Probably both. Hopefully he didn’t have to stay here long. He missed having Arthur with him. He hadn’t realised until now but Arthur was somehow a comforting and calming presence. Arthur knew the Americans from New Mexico. Surely he would be able to sort all this out.
After a couple of hours the door opened. Two people walked in, a man and a woman, both wearing army fatigues. Neither smiled. They sat opposite Jacob. The two security guards were hovering outside.
Jacob said, “Have you talked to Arthur? What’s going on?” Everything should have been explained by now.
The woman got out a Dictaphone and pressed record. She introduced herself and her colleague as present, their location and the date. She spoke with an American accent.
Then she said, “Are you Jacob Landis, employee of Seed Capital one?”
Her voice was flat and emotionless. She could have been processing a consignment of bolts for all the emotion she was displaying.
“Yes.”
She continued in the same monotone voice. “Under the powers granted by the UK 2000 Terrorism Act, we have reason to believe that you are involved in activities that pose a threat to national security. You are being detained for further questioning and investigation. Do you understand what I have told you?”
“What are you talking about? You know why we’re here, right?”
None of this seemed to register.
“Do you understand what I have told you?”
“Yes, but…”
The moment the word yes had passed Jacob’s lips the woman snapped the recorder off, stood and left the room, her colleague following. The door slammed shut behind them, the lock sliding into place once more.
Jacob banged on the door and shouted for a while, but no one came.
---
Arthur felt very unsettled, being left in the room alone. Why had they separated him from Jacob? It didn’t make sense. But then again he had never really understood how the military operated. Logic never really came into it as far as he could tell. He’d long ago given up trying to understand it all and instead focussed on what he was doing in the lab. At least things made sense there, mostly.
It was half an hour later that the door opened and two people came in. The first was a short Latino woman with a pony tail who was dressed in a dark neat suit. She was followed by an older male colleague with razor short grey hair who was dressed in fatigues. They sat opposite Arthur. The woman took a folder out of her bag and placed it carefully on the table in front of her. The man simply stared at Arthur without emotion.
The woman showed Arthur her credentials, “My name is Ramirez. I’m Director General of the National Nuclear Security Administration. You know who we are I assume?”
Arthur nodded. They’d run security in New Mexico. They did so for all nuclear facilities and the US nuclear programme in general. Arthur had been interviewed by a number of their agents when he was first recruited onto the project. He was also aware they’d performed a background check on him. This was all very good news. If anyone was able to understand what he had to say and have the influence to do something it was the NNSA.
He said, “I’m Arthur Price.”
Ramirez nodded. “Oh, I know exactly who you are, Arthur. And what you’ve been doing...”
Good. That would certainly save time.
“… Where is my bomb?” Ramirez was staring at him in quite an unpleasant way.
“What?”
“You’ve spent the last twenty years attempting to build a nuclear bomb in the garage of your home. Professor Fitzpatrick promised to deliver it to me here at the base yesterday, but he never arrived, nor did the device. Where is it?”
“I don’t know.”
Arthur wanted to explain but Ramirez was giving him a searching look that made him feel incredibly uncomfortable and left him tongue tied. And the man was still staring at him too. He didn’t seem to be blinking.
Ramirez nodded, then took some pictures out of a file and put them in front of Arthur.
She said, “Do you recognise this truck?”
There were a dozen photographs, all showing the same truck in a lay-by off a country lane. The exterior from various angles, every corner of the now empty cargo area and finally the drivers cab. Arthur’s stomach was in knots anyway, after seeing the last of the photos he felt sick.
He said, “Yes, it’s the truck that Gibson and Fitzpatrick took Bel… the bomb away in yesterday.”
Ramirez nodded again and took the photographs back. She placed them back into the folder carefully before continuing. “We’ve had the blood analysed.”
The photos had clearly shown blood smeared across both seats of the cab and further blood splatters throughout the interior. There were bullet holes in the windshield. It was like something you’d expect to see in a TV show, but knowing what you were seeing was real and involved people you knew made it feel so much worse.
Arthur said, “Whose blood is it?”
“Gibson’s… and Fitzpatrick’s.”
“They’re both dead?” he asked.
“We don’t know. There were no bodies.“
Did someone kill them so they could steal Bella? If so it was all Arthur’s fault. If he’d never created her none of this would have happened. Two people dead because of him was terrible, but it could get a lot worse, if they didn’t find Bella in time. He had to find a way to explain this to Ramirez.
But she jumped back in before he got a chance.
She said, “Did you know there was a spy operating in the facility in New Mexico while you were there?”
What did this have to do with anything?
“No,”
It was hard to keep the impatience out of his voice.
“We thought it might be Elizabeth.”
“That’s not possible.”
His response was immediate. Instinct. It must have seemed odd to Ramirez, she was giving him a quizzical look. But the very idea was ridiculous. There wasn’t anyone more patriotic than Elizabeth. She loved her country, to the point of obsession. Bored Arthur with it. Maybe it was his fault they suspected her. All their clandestine behaviour had seemed innocent enough at the time, after all it was all for the benefit of the programme. But it could all have pointed the finger of suspicion in Elizabeth’s direction.
Ramirez said, “Do you think it could have been Fitzpatrick?”
She was studying Arthur closely now. Staring at him every bit as intently as her colleague was. What did they expect him to say? He didn’t really know Fitzpatrick. Or anything about spies.
Arthur said, “All I know is there’s a nuclear bomb out there that could be detonated at any moment. That’s what we should be worrying about right now.”
Ramirez said, “You believe the bomb is active?”
“Yes. That’s why we came here. To warn you.”
“You’ve created a fully functional cold fusion nuclear device? Something that has eluded the best scientific minds for decades.”
Arthur wasn’t one to pick up on irony in conversations, but even he realised where Ramirez was headed with this.
He nodded.
But all the strength of conviction he’d had since he’s found Elizabeth’s card evaporated. How could he make this woman believe him. The only proof he had was the word of someone who had died twenty years ago. The same person they thought might be a spy and had blown up the facility.
Ramirez pulled something else from her folder and put it in front of Arthur. “Do you recognise this?”
It was Arthur’s contract from New Mexico.
He nodded.
Ramirez turned to the pack page and pointed. “And this?”
“It’s my signature.”
She took the contract back and placed it back into the folder. “I honestly don’t know why you came here today Arthur, but I’m pleased you did. It saved us having to come find you. I don’t see an imminent nuclear emergency. But I do see stolen military secrets that we were on the verge of recovering have gone missing, and you and your friend Jacob are responsible.”
Ramirez got up to leave. So did her colleague.
Arthur said, “We need to do something.”
“We are going to do something,” replied Ramirez, pausing at the door. “We’re going to keep you here while we piece together everything that happened in New Mexico and everything you’ve been doing since. And I have to warn you it could take a very long time.”
“What about the bomb?” asked Arthur.
“Just let us worry about that, Mr Price. We’ll find it eventually, I promise you that.”
The door slammed shut and Arthur was alone in the room once more.
That’s it for Chapter 20, I hope you enjoyed it and are looking forward to more. Chapter 21 will be out the same time next week, Friday at 4:00pm UK time.
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