Read Online Santorini by Alistair MacLean - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Alistair MacLean
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explode when the ticking stops but is then activated and ready to explode when triggered by passing engines. A guess, sir, but not necessarily a wild one. I'm going on the assumption that this mine could well be dropped by a surface vessel as well as a plane. In that case, the ship would want to be a large number of miles away before the mine was activated. So it would start the timing mechanism running at the moment it dropped it over the side. I am sure, sir, that the Pentagon could provide some illumination on this subject.'
'I'm sure it could,' Hawkins said. 'And your conclusions are far from worthless, they make a good deal of sense to me. Well, Captain, what do you propose to do about all this?'
'I rather thought, sir, that your purpose in coming down here was to tell me what to do.'
'Not at all. I just came to make myself au fait with the situation and to garner some information in return for some I give you.'
'Does this mean, Admiral -- I say this carefully, you understand -- that I have a hand in making the decisions?'
'You don't have a hand. You damn well make them. I'll endorse them.'
'Thank you. Then my first decision -- or, if you like, a suggestion respectfully made -- is that you and your two friends depart for Rome immediately. It's not going to help anyone, and will be a considerable loss to both the scientific and naval communities, if you three gentlemen elect for self-immolation. Besides, by asking me to make the decisions, you have implied that there's nothing you can do here that my crew and I can't. Lieutenant-Commander Van Gelder is at your immediate service.'
'The Lieutenant-Commander will have to wait. For me, at least. Your logic is sound but I'm not feeling very logical at the moment. But I do agree as far as my two friends are concerned. They could be back at their international conference in Rome tomorrow, without anyone having noticed their absence. We have no right to put the lives of civilians, not to mention two such eminent civilians, at risk.'
'You've just put your finger on it, Admiral.' Benson puffed comfortably on a sadly blackened pipe. 'Eminent or not, we are civilians. Civilians don't take orders from the military. I prefer the Aegean to Rome.'
'Agreed,' Wickram said. 'Ludicrous. Preposterous.'
'You don't seem to have any more clout with your two friends than I have with the three of you.' Talbot produced two slips of paper from his inner pocket. 'I suggest you sign those, sir.'
Hawkins took them, looked thoughtfully at Talbot, scanned the two sheets, then read from one of them.
'"Request urgent immediate dispatch of nearest salvage or diving vessel to 36.11N, 25.12E due south Cape Akrotiri, Thera Island, to recover one sunken plane, one sunken yacht. Further request immediate dispatch by plane to Thera Island two deep-sea divers with diving equipment for four, repeat four. Priority one double A. Signed Vice-Admiral Hawkins."' Hawkins looked at Benson and Wickram. 'This message is directed to Rear-Admiral Blyth, HMS Apollo. Rear-Admiral Blyth is the operational commander of European section of NATO sea forces in the Eastern Mediterranean. Priority one double A means drop everything else, this has absolute priority. Admiral Hawkins is, I take it, my good self. Why, Captain, the request for four diving suits?'
'Van Gelder and I are trained divers, sir. Ex-submariners.'
'I see. Second signal directed to Defence Minister, Athens. "Urgent contact Air Control Athens airport for information re aircraft, thought American, that crashed 1415 today south of Thera Island. Did it ask permission for flight path to, and landing in, Athens or other Greek airfield? Further request you enlist immediate aid of police and Intelligence re anything known about one Spyros Andropulos, owner of yacht Delos." This message is also, I'm flattered to observe, signed by me. Well, well, well, Captain, I nearly did you a great injustice a minute or two ago, I thought you
'I'm sure it could,' Hawkins said. 'And your conclusions are far from worthless, they make a good deal of sense to me. Well, Captain, what do you propose to do about all this?'
'I rather thought, sir, that your purpose in coming down here was to tell me what to do.'
'Not at all. I just came to make myself au fait with the situation and to garner some information in return for some I give you.'
'Does this mean, Admiral -- I say this carefully, you understand -- that I have a hand in making the decisions?'
'You don't have a hand. You damn well make them. I'll endorse them.'
'Thank you. Then my first decision -- or, if you like, a suggestion respectfully made -- is that you and your two friends depart for Rome immediately. It's not going to help anyone, and will be a considerable loss to both the scientific and naval communities, if you three gentlemen elect for self-immolation. Besides, by asking me to make the decisions, you have implied that there's nothing you can do here that my crew and I can't. Lieutenant-Commander Van Gelder is at your immediate service.'
'The Lieutenant-Commander will have to wait. For me, at least. Your logic is sound but I'm not feeling very logical at the moment. But I do agree as far as my two friends are concerned. They could be back at their international conference in Rome tomorrow, without anyone having noticed their absence. We have no right to put the lives of civilians, not to mention two such eminent civilians, at risk.'
'You've just put your finger on it, Admiral.' Benson puffed comfortably on a sadly blackened pipe. 'Eminent or not, we are civilians. Civilians don't take orders from the military. I prefer the Aegean to Rome.'
'Agreed,' Wickram said. 'Ludicrous. Preposterous.'
'You don't seem to have any more clout with your two friends than I have with the three of you.' Talbot produced two slips of paper from his inner pocket. 'I suggest you sign those, sir.'
Hawkins took them, looked thoughtfully at Talbot, scanned the two sheets, then read from one of them.
'"Request urgent immediate dispatch of nearest salvage or diving vessel to 36.11N, 25.12E due south Cape Akrotiri, Thera Island, to recover one sunken plane, one sunken yacht. Further request immediate dispatch by plane to Thera Island two deep-sea divers with diving equipment for four, repeat four. Priority one double A. Signed Vice-Admiral Hawkins."' Hawkins looked at Benson and Wickram. 'This message is directed to Rear-Admiral Blyth, HMS Apollo. Rear-Admiral Blyth is the operational commander of European section of NATO sea forces in the Eastern Mediterranean. Priority one double A means drop everything else, this has absolute priority. Admiral Hawkins is, I take it, my good self. Why, Captain, the request for four diving suits?'
'Van Gelder and I are trained divers, sir. Ex-submariners.'
'I see. Second signal directed to Defence Minister, Athens. "Urgent contact Air Control Athens airport for information re aircraft, thought American, that crashed 1415 today south of Thera Island. Did it ask permission for flight path to, and landing in, Athens or other Greek airfield? Further request you enlist immediate aid of police and Intelligence re anything known about one Spyros Andropulos, owner of yacht Delos." This message is also, I'm flattered to observe, signed by me. Well, well, well, Captain, I nearly did you a great injustice a minute or two ago, I thought you
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