Then the location alters to a smaller field an airfield. It's tiny, with a mini control tower and one main building, a hangar, and guess what? An airship."
"Airship?" Bond repeated in surprise.
"Hence Balloon Game. They get on to this field using the man they've lifted. It does appear to be terribly clever - there are three cars twelve men, and the hostage, if that's what he is. Result? They take over the whole shooting match. There is a final scenario and that's to do with flying the airship somewhere. It got very technical and "Chief of Station almost shouted. "Go and check it out. We know the thing's there, because it's on the itinerary. Saw it myself. They cleared it with the President's people, the Prime Minister and the Russians.
Doing a sort of fly-past tomorrow morning." Bill Tanner was out of the room before he finished.
Bond looked at his chief the questions clear on his face. "Sir, I haven't seen, or heard, any news lately. They even immobilised the car radio. Could you ?"
"Yes,' M leaned back. "At least we've now got a small idea of what it's about. We know where, and how. What?
Well, that's a very different matter."
"Sir,' Bond prompted.
"It's been kept under wraps for some time - a good few months in fact" M began. "These things always take the devil of a time to organise, and the participants wanted it to remain very low profile.
Tonight, members of a Summit Conference are to arrive in Geneva.
In fact, the first main session is this very night. They've taken over the whole of Le Richemond Hotel for three days "Who, sir?"
"Russia, the United States, Britain, France and West Germany. The President of the United States, the French President, the Chairman of the U.S.S.R the German Chancellor, and our Prime Minister - with all advisers, secretaries, military, the entire circus. The discussions will be on arms control and a more positive and prosperous future. The usual pie-in-the-sky."
"The airship?" Bond's heart was sinking. The more he heard, the less he liked it.
"Goodyear. They have their ship, Europa, in Switzerland at the moment. When they heard about the Summit, Goodyear asked permission to fly what they called a goodwill mission, taking them straight over Le Richemond. They've got the Europa tethered just up the lake on a small strip - a tiny satellite field you can approach only from the lake itself. Mountain rescue boys and some private flyers use it."
"But when did Goodyear arrange this?" Bond had not heard a whisper about any Summit Conference.
M grunted. "You know what it's like, 007. They arrange their flights a year in advance. The Europa would have been there in any case. Would have been flying.
However, they had to get permission once the Conference was announced." Percy had caught on. "Dr Amadeus, when did you first hear about the Balloon Game?" About four months ago, he told her, four or five.
"And the Summit. . .?"
"It's been pencilled in for almost a year, said M. "The information was available only through diplomatic channels. The Press have been good boys for a change. Not a whisper, even though they must have known." Bill Tanner returned with the news that he had been in contact with Geneva.
"I talked to the Goodyear security man out at the strip.
No problems, and we've alerted the Swiss police. They're going to close the field to everyone but accredited Goodyear staff. That means around thirty to thirty-five people, handlers, publicity and PR, mechanics, two pilots. Nobody's going to get in unless the Goodyear representatives okay the bona fides. It's sewn up, sir.
"Right. Well, 007, all we have to do now is sew up the remainder of this unpleasant lot. Any ideas?" Bond had one idea, and one only.
"You give me the EPOC frequency, sir - the real one, just in case they already have it, because I wouldn't put anything past SPECTRE and this crowd who are doing their dirty work for them."Oh yes, the EPOC frequency. That was mentioned in your message. Made us think. Tell me about that, 007." Bond went through the essentials of the story, from start to finish, leaving out nothing.
"They claimed to have the Russian equivalent, sir, and the emergency ciphers for both Russia and the U.S.A.
I'm inclined to believe them." M nodded. "Yes, SPECTRE S never been backward in acquiring information. Good job we've got the Goodyear field under wraps, Chief-of-Staff. Chivvy the Swiss would you, and keep in contact with the Goodyear people." M fiddled with his pipe as he began to expand on his own theory. If they did have the emergency ciphers of the United States and Russia, together with the frequencies and if SPECTRE'S agents were able to get near either of the leaders, they could activate that country'S cipher.
"The way to do it,' Bond cut in, "would be to hijack the airship and load enough shortwave hardware. Then take the Europa right over the very spot where heads of state are gathered together "That's it, 007! Directly overhead would be enough for the United States' communications satellite to recognise the cipher, and, I presume, the Russian one as well." There were two possibilities: full nuclear strikes by one of the superpowers, or a simultaneous strike by both, knocking each of them out, leaving nothing but desolation on the two great continents for years to come. It was unthinkable. M said so, loudly. Bond pointed out that Jay Autem Holy had talked only of peace.
"There would be the danger of their using a reserve plan if I failed to return with the EPOC frequency."
"There's one alternative.
Ploughshare." M said it as though this were the answer to everyone's dreams.
"Ploughshare, and whatever the Russian equivalent is." Percy asked what Ploughshare was, and M told her with a smile that it was a way of consigning all nuclear weapons - the bulk of them anyway - to the scrap heap.
Quietly he informed the assembly of the cipher which could be sent over the EPOC frequency that would set in motion the destruction of all arming codes, and the disarming of all nuclear weapons, strategic and tactical.
"It's been reckoned that the process would take around twenty-four hours in the U.S.A. I should imagine it would be a little longer in the Soviet Union. Just as there's always been a Doomsday Machine, we've had a Swords to Ploughshare Machine for the last three decades." M pursed his lips and waited for this to sink in before continuing.
"It's there in case of some catastrophe, like a 67 percent paralysis of the armed forces by nerve gas, or a genuine stalemate. Of course it's always been hoped that if the Ploughshare option were taken, it would be by mutual understanding. But it's there. And it's just as potentially dangerous as blowing two great nations to pieces, because using it would be the easiest way to destabilise the two superpowers, by removing their nuclear balance at a stroke. Do that, and the stage is set for real revolution, economic disaster and chaos." Bond was right. Let him be supplied with the EPOC frequency, and a homing device, one or two of the Armourer's more fancy pieces of equipment, and a good surveillance team. "You can then go back from whence you came, 007. Somewhere along the way, they'll pick you up, and we'll track you - safe enough if the team stays well back." Without further ado the meeting broke up and they took Bond off into a side room, where Major Boothroyd wired three homing devices into his clothes, and one for luck into the heel of his right shoe. The Armourer then handed Bond a couple of small weapons, and they gave him five minutes with Percy.
She clung to him, kissed him and told him to take care.
There would be time enough once this was over, Bond said, there was no doubt about it, and the haymaking season would last all summer.
Percy smiled the knowing smile women the world over smile when they've got what they really want.
Back in the conference room, they gave him the EPOC frequency that had come into effect at midnight. It was now one in the morning, and Bill Tanner gave the final hasty briefing.