A smile flickered across his face. ‘Does the Chief Executive of the Bank of England have to live at the Savoy Hotel in London? This is my place of work… my office. We have no need of filing cabinets, documents, computers systems or the like. In my profession, all the information is kept up here.’ He tapped his forehead with the first two fingers of his right hand. ‘Clearly you are not aware that this row of houses is a fortress. Shock-proof, sound-proof, bullet-proof and relatively bomb-proof. I am, as you say, as safe as houses.’
I rued the fact that it wasn’t odour-proof as well.
‘As you know,’ he continued, ‘the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks known as SALT I and II treaties imposed limits on the number of nuclear weapons to be held by Russia and the United States. Inevitably, it meant that some of the weaponry not required was certain to find its way into the hands of other people in other countries. The Americans possessed two major missiles… the Cruise and the Pershing 2. The Russians had four… the SS20, the SS4, the SS22 and the SS12/22. The last three were very short in range and rather ancient. So it was deemed that seven hundred Soviet missiles were to be destroyed. But human nature is such that people do not always follow the rules especially where money can be made. Subsequently, not all of them were destroyed. They found their way into foreign hands. Worst still is the fact that those controlled by the major powers are placed in so many countries there is doubt as to who actually controls them. With regard to artillery pieces, there are three categories of nuclear or ‘dual-capable’ weapons which exist. Dual-capable relates to weapons with ranges of nine to eighteen miles. Within the NATO Guidelines Area they are deployed by Britain, the United States, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Russia and Poland. Some three thousand of them! The dual-capable aircraft, mainly NATO’s F-111 and Tornado, and the old Warsaw Pact’s SU-7, SU20, Mig-23 and SU-24 total over one thousand two hundred and they have a range of nearly three thousand miles. Battlefield nuclear weapons comprise NATO’s Lance missile with a range of almost seventy miles. Additionally, there are the Frog SS-21 and the SCUD missiles. If one nation were to occupy another nation by force, it would automatically acquire a whole armoury of nuclear weapons.’
I held up my hand for him to stop. ‘All this is extremely interesting,’ I cut in quickly, but what has it got to do with me? I’m no weaponry expert. My job with Dandy Advance Electronics is to deal with domestic computers.’
Menel shrugged his shoulders, jutting out his lower jaw and playing his lips over his front teeth. ‘I’m well aware of that,’ he responded calmly. But you work for them and they have a prototype of a very advanced nuclear laser gun for military purposes. The most advanced of its kind in the world. I’ve been informed that it is far more advanced than the American prototypes which were supposed to be used in their Star Wars programme.’
I sipped the coffee trying not to show my distaste for the ugly liquid. ‘Let me guess,’ I advanced with an element of contempt. ‘You want me to get those plans for you!’ By now, I was beginning to understand my role in the future of the organisation although I was technically unable to fulfil it.
‘Indeed,’ he went on. ‘But first let me explain the situation. ‘When Islam starts to assemble its troops for World War Three, it will have in its possession a whole array of nuclear weapons.’
‘But so will we,’ I countered. ‘I mean there’s no point in them using them against anyone because retaliation will be severe. The world might even wipe itself out.’
He flapped the fan forwards and backwards in front of his face. ‘Now you’re getting the picture, Mr. Scott,’ he said confidently. ‘And that’s the reason we must prevent any group or country taking over another one in advance. We must protect ourselves from allowing them to gain those weapons of destruction. The main advantage of a nuclear weapon is that it acts as a deterrent. It can never be deployed as an operational weapon for fear of retaliation. As you say, in such a circumstance, the planet could be wiped out. So, in essence, it’s not a weapon but a threat. A foe could invade a country claiming it had an arsenal of such weapons and no one could do much about it. If someone decides to press the red button releasing nuclear missiles there is no doubt there will be an equal response. If we became too frightened to retaliate we would be unable to defend ourselves. Therefore it’s essential that we find a new weapon far superior to enable us to maintain control. I understand that the laser gun developed by Dandy Advanced Electronics is capable to destroying missiles at a range of one hundred miles and that the beams are deadly.’
‘I know nothing about the new laser gun,’ I rattled sharply. ‘It’s not in my domain.’
‘But it will do the trick,’ he muttered. ‘I hear that the laser beam produces such intense heat over a wide area that it dissolves metal almost instantly. It is a death ray of the highest quality. The power that rises in the Middle East could threaten us with nuclear power but we dissolve their missiles, rockets and weapons before they could come into contact with us as well as any large guns or tanks they may have. We would also be able to wipe out their soldiers in the field with great accuracy. World War Three would never be able to get under way.’
Only now did the picture become clear to me and I had to admit that I felt somewhat swayed by his delivery. ‘What’s your role in all this?’ I questioned, going on to the attack. ‘I mean you’re an arms dealer. What would you do with the plans if I managed to get them? Would you sell them to all and sundry at a huge profit?’
His eyes seemed to penetrate me as though I had offended him and then he looked away before replying. ‘Mr. Scott, I am a top-class arms dealer. I’ve made more money in the last decade than you would make if you lived a thousand years. Profit no longer interests me. My role, as you would call it, is the appointment of a Chief Arms Adviser to the 21st Century Crusaders. I have laid my life on the line for them.’
‘For what reason?’ I challenged suspiciously. ‘You don’t have to take risks like that.’
He clapped his hands for the cups to be removed but instead of the giant Arab who had appeared earlier a beautiful young woman entered the room. ‘Let me introduce you to my daughter, Davina.’
She smiled at us sweetly and began to clear away the crockery. She was a slender attractive young woman with long jet-black hair that almost reached down to her waist. Her face was distinctly Eurasian with black eyes and high cheekbones. I was stunned by her natural beauty, forgetting in that instant my feelings for my wife or Penny. Even when she had left the room, the outlines of her delicate features and her lithe body continued to linger in my mind like that of a haunting refrain.
‘She is the reason for my interest,’ explained Menel. ‘I have all I need for myself. It’s my responsibility that my family can enjoy freedom for the next thousand years without fear or torture. I speak not only for her but for the many young people like her.’
I paused to think for a moment, coming back to reality. ‘Why don’t you present your case to the Chairman of Dandy Advanced Electronics? You might be able to persuade him to do some kind of a deal.’
‘It cannot happen that way. As a commercial organisation, they will still come under the auspices of the British Defence authorities. It would all have to be approved by them and I cannot see them trying to entertain such a request. It could never happen.’
‘If what I’ve been told is true… the oil running out… the rise of Islam… World War Three… the British Government would be foolish to ignore any measure to try to correct the situation.’
‘The British Government would never encompass such an idea. They always wait until it is too late to resolve matter. Peace in our time! Isn’t that what the Prime Minister Chamberlain said in 1939 when he returned from a visit to Hitler… even though intelligence indicated that the Fuehrer was building up armaments at a rate of knots? After that, at least fifteen million people died in the Second World War. We cannot trust any government. Almost certainly they will feel disinclined to act. The United Nations would be useless because many Arab states would use their veto on actions related to force. War would become inevitable if it wasn’t for the 21st Century Crusaders. The main way to resolve the problem is for you to obtain a copy of the plans. Will you do that for us?’