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Chapters (124)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Acclaim for Frank Gardner’s Luke Carlton thrillers
  4. Also by Frank Gardner
  5. Dedication
  6. Epigraph
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. 64
  71. 65
  72. 66
  73. 67
  74. 68
  75. 69
  76. 70
  77. 71
  78. 72
  79. 73
  80. 74
  81. 75
  82. 76
  83. 77
  84. 78
  85. 79
  86. 80
  87. 81
  88. 82
  89. 83
  90. 84
  91. 85
  92. 86
  93. 87
  94. 88
  95. 89
  96. 90
  97. 91
  98. 92
  99. 93
  100. 94
  101. 95
  102. 96
  103. 97
  104. 98
  105. 99
  106. 100
  107. 101
  108. 102
  109. 103
  110. 104
  111. 105
  112. 106
  113. 107
  114. 108
  115. 109
  116. 110
  117. 111
  118. 112
  119. 113
  120. 114
  121. 115
  122. Epilogue
  123. Acknowledgements
  124. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

‘There is something else we should share with you,’ Pullover was saying. Then he made a sudden movement, pulling up a chair on casters and sitting down on it abruptly. ‘We think there’s a connection with Lithuania. It wouldn’t be surprising. After all, the Baltic states were a part of the Soviet Union for over fifty years and they still have a sizeable population of ethnic Russians. Nearly fifteen per cent of people living in the Lithuanian capital are Russians. So, what is that connection?’

He paused, looking pointedly at two of the Norwegians, who were having a whispered conversation, like two naughty schoolboys at the back of the class. ‘As I was saying,’ he pressed on, ‘Lithuania. We’ve back-traced communications between the Russian individual who died in that hut in Svalbard and an address in a suburb of Vilnius – that’s the Lithuanian capital. Sorry, you probably all knew that. The address in question turns out to be a factory … a factory that produces industrial chemicals. It’s called Matulis ChemExport. And, right now, we’re extremely interested in what they’re up to.’

26

No. 10 Downing Street, London

Wednesday, 9 March, 1749hrs GMT

WHEN A SENIOR Scientific Adviser from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down requests an urgent meeting it is rarely turned down, even by the prime minister’s office. Dr Clarissa Gall, one of just two SSAs with an expertise in genetic modification, requested and got her slot in the PM’s diary, with no cut-off time. She drove herself up from Wiltshire in the afternoon, after a morning of intense discussions with her senior team. They needed to be absolutely certain of their diagnosis.

Everyone remembered how the entire UK government machine had been caught off-guard by the elaborate Russian disinformation campaign after the Salisbury Novichok attack in 2018. Surely, argued Russia and its London embassy at the time, it could be no coincidence that the former KGB officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter had been poisoned just eight miles down the road from the Porton Down laboratory. Maybe it was a leak. Or an experiment gone wrong. Whitehall counted at least twenty-eight different explanations put out by Moscow. But in the end much of the world drew its own conclusions and 153 Russian ‘diplomats’ were expelled from at least twenty countries, thereby dismantling entire networks of intelligence-gathering that had taken Moscow years to build. And more recently, recalled Dr Gall, there had been China’s attempt to blame the Pentagon for the Coronavirus outbreak of early 2020. No, they needed to be sure they had the science absolutely right on this, or it could turn very embarrassing.