“No.”
“And the Chinese,” Shaw asked. “The infiltration from Mongolia?”
Treece smiled. “Ah, yes, I heard your friend Andreyev had picked up rumors about that. I can’t say if they were true or not, but if they were, they were nothing to do with me. Of course, the Chinese fitted into my plans — but not as insignificant infiltrators.”
“Where did they fit, then?”
Treece’s eyes suddenly took on an inward look and he hesitated. Then, after a moment, he went on quietly, “I had a vision… a vision of a world at peace, genuine and lasting peace, under one unified control—”
“Communism?”
“Certainly.”
“Conroy’s vision?”
“Yes, Ivan Conroy’s vision, how did you guess?” Treece gave a curious, high laugh. “He and I were friends, great friends over very many years. We studied together, we worked together later. We had precisely the same ideas and outlook — we were like hand and glove. When Ivan Conroy died I knew I had to carry on his work — I was in a unique position to do so, and I considered it was up to me. I decided to kill two birds — the Chalok River project which means so much to Russia, and Kosyenko himself.”
“But I don’t understand! Why in heaven’s name should a Communist wish to harm Russia? Why kill a man of your own ideas, like Kosyenko, however much you dislike him? I thought the party always came first!”
Treece grimaced, then smiled wearily. “You asked me that question in London. You quoted that Cabinet Office memo — why should dog kill dog? Well, it’s very simple really. Let us take Kosyenko first. I told you in London that he and Conroy were enemies — that was true — they detested each other — this dislike wasn’t mine at that stage; I never knew Kosyenko — and finally it was Kosyenko who won out. Information came to me that Kosyenko’s agents had got Ivan Conroy in Brazil. The evidence was detailed, and it was indisputable. Conroy had been thrown alive into a river — to the crocodiles. For that I made up my mind I would kill Kosyenko — but not for that alone, I admit. The Cabinet memo summed it up very well, I thought. Kosyenko’s a father-figure and the people love him, even those who aren’t in his political following — and it’s a damn big following! Well, his death would automatically be put down to a plot of the moderates, backed by the West, and this alone would cause a catastrophic swing against moderate ideas inside Russia and might even force a change of government. That was my idea, as a matter of fact.” He made a tired gesture. “As to Russia… the Kosyenko angle, as you see, links with Russia herself. I didn’t, of course, wish to harm Communism. I wished to help it. In my views China is the rightful heir of the old Marxist ideals of world revolution — after the success of which would come that lasting peace I spoke of a few moments ago.” He paused. “D’you know, I remember Sir Alec Douglas-Home talking about the end of the cold war being in sight — rubbish, I say! Admittedly, there’s been a good deal of relaxation, but basically the world’s too small now for two ideologies to live together — war’s bound to come one day. As for Russia… Russia has grown soft since the days of Stalin, Russia believes in peaceful co-existence, which I believe to be a contradiction in terms. One can’t ever hope for peace in a world where there are those two massive and opposed philosophies. One or the other must always strive to prevail, even if only as a defensive measure, and there will be no rest until one has prevailed. The Chinese leaders believe as I do — therefore I determined, with a promise of their ultimate assistance — I had been in touch with Pekin over many years — to alter the balance of Communist power in their favor — weaken Russia so that China might have more power and more say in Communist counsels.”
“How did you mean to alter the balance of power — by destroying the industry of the Chalok Valley, Treece? That was it, wasn’t it?”
Treece smiled. “Was, my dear chap — and is! And when Kosyenko’s seen it destroyed, that’s when I kill him!” His eyes swiveled towards the uniformed men across the compartment.
Shaw caught the flicker of purpose in them and just as he did so he heard the sudden cry of pain from Virginia, followed by a revolver shot; and then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the dark blur of a man leaping out towards him from one side of the room. He twisted away from Treece but a heavy, staggering blow caught him on the shoulder and he lurched, gasping with pain. He heard the hiss of breath from Treece, saw the man’s lips drawn back in a snarl of hate and sudden triumph, saw the flash of steel in his hand as a knife glinted in the electric light. Shaw squirmed violently, felt the blade’s slash along his arm, and saw the bright surge of blood. Then he heard the second sharp explosion as someone fired again and one of the uniformed men, the MVD colonel who had moved out towards him, crashed down almost on top of him. As Treece, his eyes crazed again, backed away, Shaw pushed the MVD man clear and scrambled up, his arm dripping blood. He saw Virginia holding a smoking revolver, and he smiled briefly at her. “Thanks a lot!” he said.
She tried to smile back, but her lips were like jelly. She said unsteadily, “I had to do it, but I’ve never killed a man till now, and he kind of looks dead.”
Shaw bent down beside the man and felt for the heartbeat. There was nothing; he was dead all right. He wouldn’t talk; but Treece would talk plenty, if ever he could be got back to London before the storm burst about the world’s capitals. And what Treece had already said would rock Whitehall to its foundations, and the whole Western Alliance too if this thing couldn’t be hushed right up… so maybe the man ought to die after all. Maybe, Shaw thought grimly, he ought to obey that killing order!
Treece wasn’t finished yet.
He had moved very fast indeed and very suddenly while Shaw had been examining the dead man. Using his bulk, he barged full into Shaw and sent the Kalashnikova flying, Shaw himself being hurled into the steel side of a big bank of dials and switches and levers. While Shaw lay temporarily stunned, the Russian engineer knocked the revolver from Virginia’s hand, and Treece himself ran for a set of big, two-handed levers. His grip closed over them, one after the other, wrenching them swiftly downward; after that he pressed a series of buttons. At once, there was a slight change in the tempo of the electric motors, and the humming noise increased. The air in the control-room seemed to close in, as though the pressure was going up rapidly for some reason. Then the humming became a fast, high whine and lights dimmed momentarily on the instrument panels, then came up again, this time to a full and scintillating brilliancy. As Treece and the two remaining men raced towards the door out of the control-room a green streak of light began dancing in an opaque globe and then there was a roar from below, far below, a roar that increased alarmingly, deafeningly. And a moment after that, the whole great structure of the Chalok Dam seemed to shake and tremble.
The sluices were open.
Shaw got dazedly to his feet, and flung himself across the compartment. He grabbed the Kalashnikova, which Treece hadn’t waited to pick up. He fired blind in the split-second that Treece reached the doorway; lead spattered against the steel frame as the door swung open, ricocheted back over Virginia’s head. Shaw fired again, but Treece and the others had gone. Shaw and the girl ran for the door. As they came out, they caught the movement down a passage to the right, a form going fast up some steps.
Shaw yelled, “That must lead to the walkway above the sluices — he’ll try to cross it to the head of the canyon! If he does that he could get clear away, maybe into Mongolia.” They were already running up the steps. “He can still find a way of knocking off Kosyenko if someone hasn’t already done it…”