So is this stuff going to turn my balls green?’ Nish asked, looking at the stainless steel container. Alex smiled as he drove their Land Rover back out of Lagos on the route north back through Niger to Libya.
‘No, it’s pretty inert until you enrich it. Needs to go through a gas centrifuge. Things don’t get exciting until you’ve got 90 percent enriched U235. That’s weapons grade. Assuming you’ve got a physicist who can make the numbers work as they should. Miscalculate, and as Oppenheimer found out, all you get is an expensive damp squib firework and not the sort of bang that shakes the foundations of the earth.’
‘So isn’t it kind of risky letting Saddam know all this stuff is being buried in his backyard?’
‘It wouldn’t do him any good. Getting the components isn’t that hard. It’s the knowledge needed to make it all work that is tricky. The real security is round the handful of people with the brainpower and expertise to successfully build and detonate a nuke. The theory is all over the Internet these days. Pretty much any teenager with a copy of The Anarchist’s Cookbook has the recipe to make a bomb, but the timing to make it actually work is the tricky part. You need a room full of Einstein’s for that. Watch the guys that can make the thing, and you control who can realistically build the bomb.’
‘So how is this plot credible?’
‘Because people just imagine you chuck the whole lot in the microwave for three minutes and bake your proverbial nuclear cake. They don’t need to prove Saddam is credibly capable of building it; just that he’s bought all the bits and wants to. That’s enough to scare the voters.’
‘You know if they go through with this, business is going to be hard to come by. All the American shops are going to get the spoils of war in that theatre.’
‘I know. Back to doing shitty jobs, in shitty places, for shitty people, for shitty money. Not the sort of work that inspires the brightest and best to join our firm is it?’
‘You thinking about calling it a day?’
‘If we can’t sort this mess out, I don’t think we have much choice, do you?’
‘We always have a choice. It’s just a question if the choice you have is the choice you want.’
‘I’ve got enough to settle. You?’
Nish smiled. ‘I’ve got the Latvians, plus a few quid in the retirement pot I saved for a rainy day.’
‘But?’
‘What am I going to do? Play bloody golf for forty years? What you going to do?’
‘I’ve spent my all my time so far ending lives. I’d quite like to know what it feels like to create one or two.’
‘You think Zara is the maternal type? I don’t see it myself.’
Alex shrugged. ‘Time will tell. Trouble is Nish; I don’t think this business we’re in ever lets you out, not really. It lets you have a bit of downtime, but sooner or later it just sucks you right back in so it can spit you out again.’
‘Do you regret it?’
‘No. If I hadn’t have got in that car with you, hadn’t become Alex Green, I’d maybe have never crossed paths with Zara. She’s the one decision I’ve never regretted. If the price of our meeting was the world we inhabit, and can’t escape from, then I’ll bear that cost. Besides I don’t much like golf.’
Alex paced nervously whilst Mister Patel prepared the solution from the sample they had taken for analysis. He put it in a centrifuge to mix it before removing the test tube and smearing it across a glass slide then placing it in the spectral analyser. The program worked for a few minutes before the printer spat out the results. He handed the printout to Alex.
‘This certain?’ Alex asked.
‘I’ve used three separate test samples. All came up with the same result.’
Alex took a deep breath and sighed slowly handing the paper to Nish. ‘Get the last of the kit on the boat Sooty. Tell the captain to make best speed for Mombasa.’ Sooty departed to finish packing the equipment. Alex and Nish walked back to Alex’s car.
‘So what now?’ Nish asked.
‘We still have to prove it’s going to Iraq, we still have to prove it’s being used for a bomb. If we don’t have that, we can’t convince Saddam the plot is credible. He’s not going to pay us to act on a plot that isn’t credible. You need to get to Mombasa. I’ll see if Zara’s dug anything else up.’
‘What are we looking for?’
‘Gas centrifuges, other weapon components, triggers, casings. She should have a list by now. I need to get us an expert. We need someone who can basically look at all this shit and provide witness testimony that they have the full package. When you get to Mombasa keep a low profile.’
‘Assuming we’re on?’
‘We try and cut a deal with Saddam. Worst-case scenario we do this job and split the bounty then go to ground. We’ll figure it out Nish. We always do.’
‘Where you going?’
‘I need to go to Moscow.’
‘Are you sure that’s wise?’
‘I made a deal with Grigor to buy us time. I have to honour it. I’d have liked to have more to act on than we have, but we’re out of time.’
‘You don’t want me to come with you?’
‘No, this is out of our hands now. I need you to keep on that shipment. That’s our only lead right now.’
‘You going to take her?’
‘I think it’s time. Whatever happens we’ll face it together. She seems to be resolved to that now. We’ll know the fate of the Russia House soon enough. If it falls then the situation in Iraq becomes academic. We’ve already lost. If you don’t hear from me within seven days assume the charter is gone, divide the assets and scatter on the wind.’
‘As you wish.’
‘Take care Harry. I’m sure we’ll see each other soon. Do me a favour, call the pilot and tell him to ready the jet, I’ll be there in thirty minutes.’ Alex got in his car and drove towards the exit. Nish watched him depart then returned to supervise the final pack up. With all Mister Patel’s kit packed they headed down to the boat and boarded it.
‘Boss not coming with us?’ Sooty asked.
‘No. He’s got to do what bosses do Sooty; he’s got to find us a way out of this. Tell the captain we’re ready to go. I’ll brief everyone after dinner.’
Alex arrived at the jet terminal and parked his car. He walked over quickly to his jet where the co-pilot was doing final checks. As Alex approached he called over. ‘Change of plan. We’re going to Amman.’ The pilot finished the checks as Alex boarded. As he settled into his seat, Alex punched in a number to his cell phone. ‘We need to meet. Urgently.’ He put his phone down and stared out the window.