Guy N. Smith The Pluto Pact

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in the riot which resulted. In Sweden, Japan and West Germany, similar plans
are being met with protest. So we agree to do all their dirty washing for
them!'
'And yet,' Dyne spoke with a note of triumph, ka meeting in Trafalgar Square,
organised by someone like yourself, attracted a mere one hundred and fifty
people. From that one can only draw the conclusion that the British people are
happy for us to strengthen our economy with the aid of plutonium. The go-ahead
for the new Oxide fuels is worth five hundred million pounds to this country.
We cannot allow it to be sabotaged by cranks like yourself!'
'It is a deal with the devil.' Coyle rose to his feet. 'In America, the
Nuclear Regulator Commission is attempting to determine the full implications
of nuclear reprocessing. Until new guidelines have been laid down, no nuclear
reprocessing in the USA will be allowed to operate on a commercial basis. They
no longer regard reprocessing as inevitable; and preventing proliferation of
nuclear material must take precedence over economic benefits. The President
has called for a worldwide standstill on the building of reprocessing plants
until international controls are worked out. Yet Britain, apparently, is
blatantly ignoring this. All countries with reprocessing facilities will
automatically become atomic powers. Just think of the implications. Every new
reprocessing plant is a potential trigger for a nuclear war!'
'And just what do you intend to do about it, Mr Coyle?' Dyne's features
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hardened.
'I shall emphasise the dangers of "Holocaust" even more strongly in my paper,'
Coyle snapped. 'I shall continue to warn people of this town, and hope that
the other media will support me. I'm already organising a petition. Any large
technological development of a hazardous potential should be under the control
of an international authority. I shall press the Secretary for the Environment
to hasten a full-scale public enquiry.'
'You have an inflated opinion of yourself, Mr Coyle,' Winston Dyne sneered.
'You're attempting to prove that one man is mightier than the system. You are
fighting a lost cause, and your foolishness will be apparent in a very short
time. It is clear that this interview has been a waste of both my time and
yours. As for this newspaper of yours . . . well, I advise you to tread
carefully. The freedom of the press is not quite what it was a decade ago.
Good day to you, Mr Coyle.'
Coyle turned away abruptly, and saw that the door was already opening in
anticipation of his exit, the armed policeman motioning him back down the maze
of featureless corridors.
Chapter 4
'Well?' Anne looked up from her typewriter as Bob Coyle strode into the
office, allowing the outer reception door to slam noisily behind him. He
nodded to her, but there was no hint of a smile on his rugged features.
The clock on the far wall showed the time as 2.45 p.m. He had been gone five
hours.
'Well, at least we know where we stand now' - he flung his briefcase angrily
into the corner - 'both with this lunatic town council and these other
ruthless bastards. Get me a couple of calls through, will you, please. Firstly
to the Secretary for the Environment, or as high up as you can get there.
Secondly, I want a word with the Radiological Protection Board. Again, as far
up the ladder as is possible.'
She consulted some telephone directories, and began dialling. He went through
to his private office to take the calls.
It was ten minutes before Bob Coyle reappeared in the general office. His
expression had not softened. If anything, he was more tight-lipped than ever.
Anne looked up, but did not speak.
'The Energy Department were rather abrupt, to say the least,' he said. 'They
pointed out that they were well aware of all the aspects relating to the
"harvest process", as they officially term the new method of disposing of
nuclear waste. They promised to convey my concern to the Secretary of State
for Energy himself. A lot of good that will do. The girl concerned has
probably already forgotten about it.'
'And the Radiological Protection Board?'
'They're already looking into it.' He shook his head.
'We've got a real fight on our hands now. Anne.'
'It could be you're wrong, and nothing whatever will happen. Surely the
Radiological Protection Board will investigate every detail, take steps to
ensure that there cannot possibly be a leak.'
'I have no faith in officialdom,' he sighed. 'It's just another form of
nationalisation. Everything botched up under a cloud of false efficiency, one
big con, and I don't see that this is going to be one little bit different.
All that worries me is when. A year, two, five, ten - who knows?'
'We'll fight them, though, won't we?'
'We?'
Tm with you all the way, Bob, no matter what'
He leaned over and kissed her, their tongues entwining briefly. She sensed his
gratitude, and pulled him closer.
'Only one thing worries me, though' she murmured at last. 'How long before
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your wife finds out about us?'
'Or your parents?'
'That would be a minor catastrophe. They would be shocked, disgusted, but
there would be no repercussions from my end. But what if Jane got to know?
What would happen, Bob? What would you do?'
'I don't know.' he admitted frankly, 'but I wouldn't want to give you up . . .
at any price. I couldn't.'
'I'm glad.' she sighed deeply. 'But you may be faced with a choice.'
'I know whom I'd choose, darling, but I don't think it'll come to that. Not
yet, anyway.'
He noted a flash of disappointment on her face, and regretted his words
instantly.
'What I mean is . . . well, we've time to get things sorted out. Us, I mean -
not this damned plutonium business. God knows if anybody will ever sort that
out, until it's too late.'
'It's an odd time to start discussing our future' - she blushed slightly,
something which she rarely did these days - 'but, well, I suppose it's the
thought that we may all be blown to Kingdom-come that's made me think about it
more deeply. I mean, we don't spend much time together, do we? Once, maybe
twice a week. She has you every night, even if you don't do anything.'
'We haven't made love for over two months now.' He admitted, and she knew he
spoke the truth. 'I used to wonder if she was going into the change
prematurely, but it's just that her sexual desires have gone. Otherwise, she
performs the usual marital duties without complaining: cooking, washing,
cleaning . . . '
'And the children?'
'Well, they aren't children any more, are they? Richard's nineteen, Sarah's
seventeen, and they've made it quite plain that they don't need either of us.
It doesn't make it any easier for me to have both of them working up at the
nuclear centre. Either they're just plain rebellious, or else Dyne and Co.
have done a first-class brainwashing job. Dad's just a trouble maker, they
think; a silly bugger trying to stir up trouble. In a lot of ways I'm glad I
don't see much of them. That doesn't sound very good coming from a father,
does it? It's Sarah that worries me most, though.'
'You mean her affair with Houston?'
He nodded.
'That would really crucify Jane if she got to know. Far worse than if she
found out about us. Sarah knows about you and me, of course. A sort of family [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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