Code Red 1 - Flash Flood by Ryan Chris

Author:Ryan, Chris
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781409098225

Chapter Nineteen

In Hendon, General Thomas Chambers had been on the satellite link with Chequers. He had some information about the Prime Minister, but it wasn’t helpful. He wasn’t in a top-secret meeting. He had taken off from Chequers that morning in a helicopter. Now General Chambers was waiting for staff at Chequers to get back to him with the flight plan.

Right now, they were having another conversation he’d hoped to avoid. The chief commissioner was trying to persuade the politicians and civil servants in the bunker at Whitehall to give the go-ahead to evacuate the city.

The Foreign Secretary and the two grey-haired civil servants had been joined by a fat man in a pinstripe suit, who General Chambers recognized as a back-bench MP.

‘If we evacuate London,’ said Fat Pinstripe, ‘it could wipe billions off the stock market. It’s just unnecessary.’

The general could see someone behind him. She was only visible from chest to mid-thigh, as she paced in and out of shot, continually rolling up the sleeves of a crumpled purple suit. ‘The world will have seen the news pictures by now,’ she said testily. ‘You’re not going to stop people finding out.’ Her tone was haranguing; it sounded vaguely familiar.

Fat Pinstripe didn’t seem to be taking much notice of her. He turned to Sidney Cadogan and Clive Brooks. ‘It’s a disgrace that they don’t keep us better informed down here. When we get out, we’d better make sure they improve things. We can’t be left out of the loop like this. We haven’t had any proper debate. A decision to evacuate needs proper debate.’

‘You’ve been institutionalized too long,’ said Purple Sleeves. ‘This is real life, not your cosy House of Commons debating club.’

Fat Pinstripe turned round and addressed her directly. ‘It’s you who seems to be playing to the audience, Doctor Kelland. You’re not on News Focus now. This issue hasn’t been thought through. If we evacuate, where are we going to put them all?’

She came back at him immediately. ‘Where are we going to put all the bodies if they’re dead?’ She sat down, shaking her head angrily. ‘You asked me to join you for my knowledge of this kind of scenario – just what we’ve been predicting could happen for years. But now you’re not even listening. You’ve got to evacuate. I’ve seen situations like this before – and computer models of even more. The sewers will be flooding and disease will start to spread. It’s summer. Yes, it’s not a nice summer, but it’s still warm. Bacteria are going to be breeding like wildfire in that water. And what about drinking water?’

Madeleine Harwood cut in at this point. ‘Can’t you just follow emergency procedures?’ she asked.

The chief commissioner kept his voice even. ‘Yes, once you give the order to evacuate.’

There was a silence. Madeleine Harwood caught the eye of the other woman, who didn’t say anything but her face dared the Minister to back out. ‘Evacuate London,’ said the Foreign Secretary after a long pause.

The chief commissioner cut the connection and addressed the room at Hendon.

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