Ryder appreciated the boss’s candour.
Conway picked up the vanilla folder. “Thanks for this. Yet another gem for archives and possibly for historical analysis thirty odd years from now – that’s if we are all still around.”
The head of Omega stood up, indicating the meeting was over.
Ryder left, wondering if the boss’s cynicism could have some truth to it.
Gentle rain began to fall when he drew out from Lots Road and headed the Harley for Norfolk Mansions. He considered going to the Albert for a quick pint, but decided against. Instead he would watch a little TV and turn in early. He felt weary; the Korean mission had taken more out of him than he cared to admit; it would be good to get a full night’s sleep. Tomorrow he would perhaps do a spot of fishing.
As Ryder climbed the stairs to his apartment, he thought about what the future might bring.
EPILOGUE
In the packed Briefing Room at the White House a month later, President William Marsh faced the world press and a barrage of TV cameras. He gave a sanitized account of the events surrounding the incident at Rum Cay in response to intense media pressure after unsuccessfully attempting to keep the whole episode under wraps. When he eventually finished, question time began.
A female journalist from the Washington Post fired the first. “Sir, why has it taken you so long to inform the world of this incident?”
“A number of reasons, but the most important of which at the time was not to alarm the world unnecessarily. The whole incident has been quickly brought under control and contained. Due to the complexities of the situation, however, it was decided to classify all information involving this incident – whether morally right or wrong.” Marsh quickly turned away and pointed towards another reporter in the front row. “John.”
“Sir, our sources say the warhead contained a super bug for which there is no known vaccine. Is that true?”
“I have no knowledge of that. As I have said: the virus found in the warhead is a variant of smallpox for which a vaccine is available. The Bahamian Government, and ourselves, took all necessary precautions to ensure the virus was contained on the island.”
“Sir, smallpox has been eradicated since 1979. What was it doing in the warhead?”
“Good question. Small amounts are preserved for experimental purposes in laboratories at Atlanta and also in Russia. It is possible some of the Russian stock may have gotten into the wrong hands. However, the survivability of the virus in the temperatures experienced on the cay is less than several hours, so there was no risk whatsoever that it would be passed on to others outside of the island – and time has proved that.”
The president turned away and pointed towards a journalist in the front row from the Los Angeles Times.
“Mr President, you say the missile was fired from a Russian submarine. What are we doing about that?”
“The Russians were as much a victim of all this as ourselves. The submarine was sold to the North Koreans and then stolen from them by terrorists.”
“How do we know they were terrorists?”
“Through our intelligence services. More than that I cannot say.”
“Al-Qaeda?”
“Possibly; no other organization would have the capability.”
“Was the sale to the Koreans with our knowledge?”
“We have protocols in place to cover that.”
“Is that a yes, sir?”
“Correct.” The president then pointed to another reporter, this time from the New York Times.
“Sir, how did they obtain a bio-warhead carrying a supposedly eradicated virus, and who could manufacture such a weapon?”
“To the first part of your question: it was no doubt purchased on the black market through an intermediary organization sympathetic to terrorist aims and unsympathetic to the Western world’s. To the second part, all nations capable of making nuclear weapons, including a few third-world countries, are capable of manufacturing bio-weapons.”
“Such as the North Koreans?”
“Possibly, but we have received assurances from all those countries, including North Korea, that they did not supply the warhead.”
“In the light of this, what are we doing about North Korea? Can we believe them after all the sabre rattling and threats recently from Kim Jong-Un?” another reporter questioned when pointed at.
“I believe we can. As you know, the recently recommenced non-proliferation talks, although at times difficult, are moving forward. As part of these talks they are currently allowing inspectors in to check the decommissioning of nuclear and biological weapons manufacturing facilities, in particular those at Yongbyon, Onjong and Pyorha-ri. Our aid to them increases proportionately to the level of concessions made.”
“Many believe, under the current leadership, North Korea will remain a dangerous, unstable nation, despite agreements, and would need to be closely watched in the war against terrorism and the proliferation in the uncertain future,” pressed the reporter.
“That may well be so,” answered the president, “but I believe North Korea would not risk its future by supplying terrorists with weapons of mass destruction.” If only that were true.
President Marsh turned to another reporter at the rear.
“Sir, how was the submarine allowed to come so close to our shores?”
“First, the submarine was outside our territorial waters, and second, I was advised that it entered the Atlantic through the Magellan Straits and then hugged the South American shoreline, right up to the Caribbean, making it extremely difficult to discover. It was an allied submarine that eventually tracked it down and destroyed it, but not before the missile was released. Fortunately, one of our surface ships intercepted the missile before it could land directly on American soil.”
“What was the nationality of the allied sub?” asked another reporter.
“At this time, that is classified information,” Marsh shot back. He was a little embarrassed it was not American, but it was not his place to reveal the identity of an allied vessel without that nation’s prior agreement. He knew well enough that no sovereign nation wanted the whereabouts of their submarines to be known to the public under any circumstances. He pointed to a raised hand in the front row.
“Sir, I understand another Russian submarine was involved too?”
“That may well be; Russian submarines do prowl the Atlantic. However, you should put that question directly to the Russians. Next.” President Marsh pointed to a reporter from the Chicago Tribune.
“Mr. President, there was a lot of unusual naval activity in the Western Pacific and in the South and North Atlantic a month or two prior to the event, particularly off the Korean Peninsula – some talk of a blockade. Is there a connection?”
“We did blockade the Korean Peninsula for a short time, yes, as intelligence had reported that Taepo-dong long-range missiles were being transported to Iran in violation of international agreements. This occurs from time to time. Regarding activity in the Atlantic: they were combined exercises undertaken with the British to coordinate naval strategies and to jointly test new technology.” The president turned away and nodded towards another journalist.