Read Online The Satan Bug by Alistair MacLean - Free Book Online
Authors: Alistair MacLean
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Satan Bug. It's virtually indestructable, I tell you. And it's a closed circuit nitration unit. The same air, washed and cleaned, is fed back in again. But you can't wash away the Satan Bug."
There was a long pause, then I said to Gregori, " If the Satan Bug or botulinus is loose in this lab, how Long would it take to affect the
'hamster?"
" Fifteen seconds," he said precisely. " In thirty seconds it will be in convulsions. In a minute, dead. There will be reflex muscle twitchings but it will be dead. That's for the Satan Bug. For botulinus only slightly longer."
" Don't stop me from going in," I said to Cliveden. " I'll see what happens to the hamster. If he's O.K., then I'll wait another ten minutes.
Then I'll come out."
"If you come out." He was weakening. Cliveden was nobody's fool. He was too clever not to have gone over what I had said and at least some of it must have made sense to him.
"If anything—any virus—has been stolen," I said, "then whoever stole it is a madman. The Kennet, a tributary of the Thames, passes by only a few miles from here. How do you know that madman isn't bent over the Kennet this instant, pouring those damned bugs into the water?"
" How do I know you won't come out if that hamster does die?" Cliveden said desperately. " Good God, Cavell, you're only human. If that hamster does die, do you expect me to believe that you're going to remain in there till you die of starvation? Asphyxiation, rather, when the oxygen gives out? Of course you're going to come out."
"All right, General, suppose I come out. Would I still be wearing the gas-suit and breathing apparatus?"
" Obviously." His voice was curt. " If you weren't and that room was contaminated—well, you couldn't come out: You'd be dead."
"All right, again. This way." I led the way out to the corridor, indicated the last corridor-door we'd passed through. " That door is gas-tight. I know that. So are those outside double windows. You stand at that corridor door—have it open a crack. The door of number one lab opens on it— you'll see me as soon as I begin to come out. Agreed?" "What are you talking about?"
" This." I reached inside my jacket, pulled out the Hanyatti automatic, knocked the safety catch off. " You have this in your hand. If, when the lab door opens, I'm still wearing the suit and breathing apparatus, you can shoot me down. At fifteen feet and with nine shots you can hardly fail to. Then you shut the corridor door. Then the virus is still sealed inside ' E' block."
He took the gun from me, slowly, reluctantly, uncertainly. But there was nothing uncertain about eyes and voice when finally he spoke.
"You know I shall use this, if I have to?" " Of course I know it." I smiled.
But I didn't feel much like it. " From what I've heard I'd rather die from a bullet than the Satan Bug."
" I'm sorry I blew my top a minute ago," he said quietly. " You're a brave man, Cavell."
" Don't fail to mention the fact in my obituary in The Times. How about asking your men to finish off printing and photographing that door, Superintendent?"
Twenty minutes later the men were finished and I was all ready to go.
The others looked at me with that peculiar hesitancy and indecision of people who think they should be making farewell speeches but find the appropriate words too hard to come by. A couple of nods, a half wave of a hand, and they'd left me. They all passed down the corridor and through the next door, except General Cliveden, who remained in the open doorway. From some obscure feeling of decency, he held my Hanyatti behind his body where I couldn't see it.
The gas-suit was tight and constricting, the closed circuit breathing apparatus cut into the back of my neck and the high concentration of oxygen made my mouth dry. Or maybe my mouth was dry anyway. Three cigarettes in the past twenty minutes—a normal day's quota for me, I preferred to take my slow poisoning in the form of a pipe—wouldn't have helped any either. I tried
There was a long pause, then I said to Gregori, " If the Satan Bug or botulinus is loose in this lab, how Long would it take to affect the
'hamster?"
" Fifteen seconds," he said precisely. " In thirty seconds it will be in convulsions. In a minute, dead. There will be reflex muscle twitchings but it will be dead. That's for the Satan Bug. For botulinus only slightly longer."
" Don't stop me from going in," I said to Cliveden. " I'll see what happens to the hamster. If he's O.K., then I'll wait another ten minutes.
Then I'll come out."
"If you come out." He was weakening. Cliveden was nobody's fool. He was too clever not to have gone over what I had said and at least some of it must have made sense to him.
"If anything—any virus—has been stolen," I said, "then whoever stole it is a madman. The Kennet, a tributary of the Thames, passes by only a few miles from here. How do you know that madman isn't bent over the Kennet this instant, pouring those damned bugs into the water?"
" How do I know you won't come out if that hamster does die?" Cliveden said desperately. " Good God, Cavell, you're only human. If that hamster does die, do you expect me to believe that you're going to remain in there till you die of starvation? Asphyxiation, rather, when the oxygen gives out? Of course you're going to come out."
"All right, General, suppose I come out. Would I still be wearing the gas-suit and breathing apparatus?"
" Obviously." His voice was curt. " If you weren't and that room was contaminated—well, you couldn't come out: You'd be dead."
"All right, again. This way." I led the way out to the corridor, indicated the last corridor-door we'd passed through. " That door is gas-tight. I know that. So are those outside double windows. You stand at that corridor door—have it open a crack. The door of number one lab opens on it— you'll see me as soon as I begin to come out. Agreed?" "What are you talking about?"
" This." I reached inside my jacket, pulled out the Hanyatti automatic, knocked the safety catch off. " You have this in your hand. If, when the lab door opens, I'm still wearing the suit and breathing apparatus, you can shoot me down. At fifteen feet and with nine shots you can hardly fail to. Then you shut the corridor door. Then the virus is still sealed inside ' E' block."
He took the gun from me, slowly, reluctantly, uncertainly. But there was nothing uncertain about eyes and voice when finally he spoke.
"You know I shall use this, if I have to?" " Of course I know it." I smiled.
But I didn't feel much like it. " From what I've heard I'd rather die from a bullet than the Satan Bug."
" I'm sorry I blew my top a minute ago," he said quietly. " You're a brave man, Cavell."
" Don't fail to mention the fact in my obituary in The Times. How about asking your men to finish off printing and photographing that door, Superintendent?"
Twenty minutes later the men were finished and I was all ready to go.
The others looked at me with that peculiar hesitancy and indecision of people who think they should be making farewell speeches but find the appropriate words too hard to come by. A couple of nods, a half wave of a hand, and they'd left me. They all passed down the corridor and through the next door, except General Cliveden, who remained in the open doorway. From some obscure feeling of decency, he held my Hanyatti behind his body where I couldn't see it.
The gas-suit was tight and constricting, the closed circuit breathing apparatus cut into the back of my neck and the high concentration of oxygen made my mouth dry. Or maybe my mouth was dry anyway. Three cigarettes in the past twenty minutes—a normal day's quota for me, I preferred to take my slow poisoning in the form of a pipe—wouldn't have helped any either. I tried
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