‘We managed it, just about. The bastard’s in place. Toad said he could hear the satellite talking to it, so we presume it’s all set up. But I tell you – even if it isn’t, I’m not going back down that fucking tunnel in a million years.’

‘You couldn’t smell any worse if you did,’ Whinger observed.

‘Thanks. And by the way – what made that fearsome racket?’

‘When?’

‘About an hour ago. It sounded as though an aircraft carrier went up the river.’

‘Oh, that. It was just a barge with a load of sand on board.’

‘Christ – it scared the shit out of us. We thought the tunnel was coming in.’

‘Oh, well.’ Whinger sounded unimpressed. ‘It didn’t. So that’s it for tonight, is it? One down and one to go.’

Chapter Eleven

ELEVEN

In the morning we felt, and looked, pretty shattered. When our students noticed some pale faces and started asking questions, we pretended we’d once again been on the piss. In fact we were rapidly gaining a reputation – quite unjustified – as leading piss-artists, and we claimed to have been so smashed that we couldn’t remember the names of any of the bars we’d allegedly visited.

In fact we’d got back to barracks by 1.30 a.m., and I’d sent Hereford a coded message through the patrol radio to report the insertion of Apple. Late as it was, the lads were far too hyped up by the success of the operation to feel sleepy. As we had sat round the kitchen table with a brew, Pavarotti had croaked, ‘What the fuck have we done?’ perhaps partly in amazement because we’d managed it, partly in alarm at the possible consequences. ‘That’s put the frighteners on the bastards, anyway.’

‘Not yet it hasn’t,’ I’d corrected. ‘It may do at some time in the future, but they don’t know about it yet.’

‘If that thing went off now,’ Johnny had said, ‘what effect would it have on us here?’

‘Ask Toad.’

Toad, as usual, was hovering at a distance from the rest of us.

‘Eh, Toad!’ Pav had shouted. ‘Would Apple do for us here, now, if it went off?’

‘Not immediately,’ he’d replied. ‘We’d hear it, of course. We’d feel the shockwave. But the big danger would be the radiation.’

‘How long would that take to get here?’

‘Depends on the wind. An hour?’

‘Would we feel anything from it?’

‘Not until it was too late.’

‘Firekin ell!’ went Whinger.

‘Duty, old boy. Must do your duty.’ Rick could take off the CO to perfection.

We’d gone on shooting the shit till nearly 3.00, so it wasn’t surprising that morning found us a bit jaded.