Life Goes On by Tayell, Frank (large ebook reader txt) 📗

“But it’s a start,” Hawker said.

“If you went to the actual lab where it was developed, wouldn’t that be even more useful than going to New York?” Anna asked.

“You want me to go to Colombia?” Leo asked.

“Obviously not on your own,” Anna said. “But if you found the lab there, you wouldn’t need to go to New York or England, no?”

“That really depends on what we find,” Leo said.

“We’ve received conflicting reports on how badly the Panama Canal was damaged,” Anna said. “But if we’re to one day restore a naval link with the Atlantic, it will have to be through the canal.”

“You want to send a ship north, to the canal, and see if we can force a passage?” Hawker asked.

“No, because if it is impassable, the journey will have been wasted,” Anna said. “The report I have from Mozambique says three warships are anchored off the coast of…” She paused, reaching into her pocket to pull out a small notebook. “Inhambane. Two U.S. frigates, and the HMAS Adelaide, a Canberra-class ship which has a range of seventeen thousand kilometres, yes?” She looked to Hawker.

“I’m more familiar with planes, and mostly how to jump out of them,” he said. “But that sounds about right.”

“The ships were there to assist in the evacuation of Africa to Madagascar,” Anna said. “That evacuation failed over a week ago. The island was overrun. The remaining refugees have been evacuated. No purpose is served having three warships off that coast. You’ll take the Adelaide around Africa, across the Atlantic to Colombia, and then to the canal. Hopefully, you can sail through it and home. Or, if Leo and Dr Avalon decide, you can continue to New York. Even Britain.”

“Fuel allowing,” Leo said.

“Agreed,” Anna said. “And food and radiation, but there is a limit to how much planning we can do here.”

“If the Herrera sisters really did make the virus in a lab there, they could have an army with them,” Tess said.

“You’ll have one, too,” Anna said. “There are a hundred U.S. Rangers in Perth. Technically, only sixty are Army Rangers. The others are really C.I.A., evacuated from their postings in South East Asia. Bruce, will that be enough?”

Hawker slowly undid his tie. “Saying no won’t get me more, so it’ll have to be. The Canberra-class is a landing platform, not a frigate. Do you know which U.S. ships are there?”

“Sorry, no.”

“Then we don’t know what their range is,” Hawker said. “And we don’t know where this lab is? Whether it’s underground, even?”

“No,” Tess said.

“We’ve no satellite coverage, no recon photos,” Hawker said. “We don’t how well they’re defended. There will be casualties.”

“I know,” Anna said. “But my hands are tied. This information will have to be taken to the U.N. They will demand action. They will demand justice against those responsible for this horror. So would the people, if they were asked. They would demand to know why action hasn’t already been taken. Better to send a ship now, because if we don’t, they’ll install a different leadership who will, but the last thing we need now is the instability that would bring.”

“Let me take all three ships,” Hawker said. “With two U.S. frigates, I can guarantee the destruction of this facility. I can’t promise the lab will survive. Understood?”

“I’ll put it in writing that the priority is the neutralisation of the threat,” Anna said.

“Thank you,” Hawker said. “Then there are two issues I’d like to address. You’re the politician, ma’am. I’m your soldier and I’ll follow your orders, but I’m duty-bound to offer my counsel. First, fuel. The Adelaide does have the range to reach the canal from Mozambique if her tanks are full. I can’t speak for the frigates.”

“And I can’t help you,” Anna said. “But a ship’s captain is more likely to know where to refuel.”

“As long as you understand undertaking this mission is fraught with more complexity than it would have been a month ago,” Hawker said. “Second, if we can refuel in Panama, and don’t go north, it could be a month before we’re home. If we go north, it could be two months.” He turned to Leo. “If you’re so certain this weapon is possible, can you afford that much time away from a lab?”

“Flo has some theoretical work to finish before we can unpack the test-tubes,” Leo said. “I’d estimate that will take about a month.”

“Sure, but do you need to come with us?” Hawker asked. “This will be dangerous.”

“We don’t need to go if you can find someone better qualified,” Leo said. “I’m certain there’s someone, somewhere, but after the last few weeks, you’re as likely to find them digging a field as working in a lab.”

“If this is to be done, I want it begun tonight,” Anna said. “When we tell the new parliament, the new U.N., I want it to be too late for them to have an input. The last thing we need now is to have every soldier still alive put aboard every ship still left. Let’s not forget what just happened off Tasmania.”

“Sorry, this might seem obvious,” Tess said, “but is there a reason we don’t fly there?”

“No runways,” Anna said. “Inhambane is the most westerly that we know of that is still open. As far as I understand, no planes have arrived there from the north, or the west, in over a week. I suppose you could fly over this compound in a long-range jet and parachute, but I don’t know how we’d get you home.”

“Jumping out of a plane is where I draw the line,” Leo said.

“Then ship it is,” Anna said. “If I could send anyone else, I would, but I don’t know whom else I can trust, and we can’t