Comrade Charlie

Chapter 15

It was an important conference, the first assessment session between the KGB chairman and Valeri Kalenin to consider the Star War material collected so far, and once again Berenkov travelled from the Moscow outskirts to wait for his friend at Dzerzhinsky Square.

Berenkov recalled the last occasion he had waited like this, standing before this same window overlooking the square, and decided he’d done very well obtaining what he had. Well enough, in fact, for headquarters etiquette to have been eased for him to be invited to the conference instead of being kept waiting cap-in-hand for the outcome to be relayed to him. Berenkov resented being kept out. It made no sense: it could actually be counterproductive always for there to be an intermediary despite that intermediary being someone he trusted as completely as Kalenin. Having spent so much of his operational life absolutely alone Berenkov felt difficulty in relying upon anyone else. It was all the more frustrating that he could do nothing about it, but to attempt to do so — suggest he should be included in the future, for instance — risked offending the other man. And worse, hinting that there was not complete trust between them. What about Kalenin’s trust in him, he thought uneasily. There was no comparison: whatever happened, he wouldn’t call upon Kalenin’s protection.

It was the working of the electronic door that again warned Berenkov of his friend’s return. The diminutive, bearded man stopped just inside, expressionless and momentarily unspeaking. Then Kalenin’s face broke and he announced: ‘We’ve done it!’ and strode across to embrace Berenkov in a bear-hug of congratulation.

‘There’s sufficient for them to reach a conclusion?’ queried Berenkov cautiously.

Kalenin nodded. ‘There was a meeting of the Politburo this morning to consider the preliminary report of our space people at Baikonur on what we’ve so far got from America. Their view is that the American development is unquestionably the “garage” part of their Star Wars programme.’

‘Garage?’

‘The actual space facility to store the destructive missiles that would be triggered against any offensive rocket,’ explained Kalenin simply.

It was obvious from the blueprints and drawings they’d already received from San Francisco that it was some sort of satellite but Berenkov hadn’t guessed at this. He said: ‘They’re sure?’

‘Convinced, according to the chairman,’ said Kalenin. ‘Which is as bad as it is good. It’s good that we’ve told them what it is. But we’ve created our own burden to get all of it, so that Russia can win the race…’ The man paused. ‘Incidentally,’ he said, smiling more broadly. ‘You’ve been officially commended by name. There should be celebrations!’

Kalenin produced the vodka bottle from a drawer of his desk. Berenkov accepted the drink, feeling a stab of guilt at the way he was still keeping the Charlie Muffin pursuit from his friend. He said: ‘Let’s hope we can go on as we’ve started.’

‘The technical instructions are that Britain is vitally important,’ cautioned Kalenin. ‘It’s essential to know how their carbon fibre is being utilized. The guess is that it’s a thermoplastic resin process but they need to do more than guess.’

‘We’re well established in America,’ reflected Berenkov. ‘With the man Krogh we could hardly be better placed: within his own organization he can do virtually what he likes, demand access to whatever he wants, without challenge.’

‘But what about England?’

‘Untried, as yet,’ admitted Berenkov honestly. ‘We’ve got an employee desperate for money: a women situation again. But he hasn’t anything like the access seniority that Krogh commands in America.’

‘He can’t be allowed to fail,’ said Kalenin, the warning all the more ominous for its quiet simplicity. ‘Everything is dependent upon us. We stand or fall by what happens now. Personally, I mean.’

‘I know,’ accepted Berenkov.

‘You told the British rezidentura to be careful?’

Now was the opportunity to talk about Charlie Muffin and of baiting his trap with Natalia Nikandrova. At once came the barrier: it was still too soon to be sure that Kalenin would support him. And Berenkov was determined against being ordered to abort the idea. He said: ‘I’ve taken every precaution.’

Blackstone thought excitedly that perhaps it was not going to be quite as difficult as he’d feared. He hadn’t tried getting into the secure area yet, but there was the inevitable talk now that the project was under way. By listening instead of talking in the canteen and the social club he’d learned the basic matrix was going to be made by impregnating the carbon fibres with a polyetheretherketone petrolbased resin and that the sizing appeared quite large, although he couldn’t risk asking actual dimensions or how many layers were being considered for the lamination. It was still enough, for a start. And to show he was trying. Blackstone considered it imperative that he appear to be trying, so that the money didn’t dry up.

Blackstone found a public kiosk about three miles outside Newport and as Losev had promised the telephone was answered quickly, on the second ring, although not by the Russian he knew. Blackstone identified himself and said: ‘I’ve got something.’

‘We’ll come to collect,’ said the voice.