'Yes, 007. Yes, we went in about an hour after you drove out, but the birds had flown. I don't think many were left when you departed.

The rest have vanished into thin air. Bag and baggage. We thought you could tell us - 'I'm instructed to return there, by the same route as I came.' Bond recalled the deserted feel of the place that morning, and the fact that he had seen only Cindy and the Arab first thing, and Tigerbalm, Holy, Rahani and Zwingli later.

'The cars were there.' He felt it was a lame comment.

'Three of them, still in the garage.'

'Two when our people arrived.' The officer Bond recognised but could not name was obviously running liaison.

'How about my girl? How about Cindy?' Percy touched his sleeve, and Bond could not meet her eyes.

'I'm not certain. She was a great deal of help, last night. Even tried to steal a copy of their main program the simulation of whatever they're doing.' He turned to M. 'It's on SPECTRE'S instructions, this business, sir, did you know?'

'Is it, indeed?' M could administer the iceberg treatment when he had a mind to. 'That villainous outfit is on the warpath again, eh?'

'You still haven't told me about Cindy.' Percy had her hand tightly on his arm now.

'Just don't know, Percy. No idea.' He told her about the previous night, leaving out all that happened after he got back to her room, but repeating the conversation with Holy in the morning.

'So we have no ideas abut this simulation?' M sucked at his pipe.

'If I could have a word.' They all turned towards Amadeus. 'I've seen the simulation running. It was a couple of weeks ago. The wee small hours. Couldn't sleep. I went down to the laboratory, and Jason was in what we call the War Room - Mr. Bond knows: it's at the far end.

Jason was engrossed. Just didn't hear me.' He passed a hand across his forehead. 'That was before all those great oafs - gun-happy boys turned up. Before I got nervous about being there.

M looked uncomfortable, spluttering over his pipe.

'Well, thinks I, have a look, Pete. See what the crooks are after next. They refer to it as the Balloon 'The Balloon Game, yes,' Bond interrupted.

'I've seen it and you haven't. I have the floor, Mr. Bond, please.' He looked around him revelling in the attention he was getting. 'As I was saying, they call it the Balloon Game, but it's to do with something they've named Operation Down Escalator.' M's brow creased as he repeated the words under his breath.

'The simulation - Amadeus raised his voice appears to be set in a commercial airport. Not large.

I didn't recognise it, but that's nothing to go by. The scenario begins in an office complex just to the left of the main terminal building. There's a lot of stuff with cars, and positioning men. As far as I could see, the idea was to lift one man.

'Lift?' M enquired.

'Kidnap, sir,' explained Bond.

Amadeus shot them a glance, then scowled, letting them know he did not like being interrupted. 'They lift this chap, and there's a lot of changing around in cars you know, he's taken to one point, then switched to another car.

Then the location alters to a smaller field an airfield. It's tiny, with a mini control tower and one main building, a hangar, and guess what? An airship.'

'Airship?' Bond repeated in surprise.

'Hence Balloon Game. They get on to this field using the man they've lifted. It does appear to be terribly clever - there are three cars twelve men, and the hostage, if that's what he is. Result? They take over the whole shooting match. There is a final scenario and that's to do with flying the airship somewhere. It got very technical and 'Chief of Station almost shouted. 'Go and check it out. We know the thing's there, because it's on the itinerary. Saw it myself. They cleared it with the President's people, the Prime Minister and the Russians.

Doing a sort of fly-past tomorrow morning.' Bill Tanner was out of the room before he finished.

Bond looked at his chief the questions clear on his face. 'Sir, I haven't seen, or heard, any news lately. They even immobilised the car radio. Could you ?'

'Yes,' M leaned back. 'At least we've now got a small idea of what it's about. We know where, and how. What?

Well, that's a very different matter.'

'Sir,' Bond prompted.

'It's been kept under wraps for some time - a good few months in fact' M began. 'These things always take the devil of a time to organise, and the participants wanted it to remain very low profile.

Tonight, members of a Summit Conference are to arrive in Geneva.

In fact, the first main session is this very night. They've taken over the whole of Le Richemond Hotel for three days 'Who, sir?'

'Russia, the United States, Britain, France and West Germany. The President of the United States, the French President, the Chairman of the U.S.S.R the German Chancellor, and our Prime Minister - with all advisers, secretaries, military, the entire circus. The discussions will be on arms control and a more positive and prosperous future. The usual pie-in-the-sky.'

'The airship?' Bond's heart was sinking. The more he heard, the less he liked it.

'Goodyear. They have their ship, Europa, in Switzerland at the moment. When they heard about the Summit, Goodyear asked permission to fly what they called a goodwill mission, taking them straight over Le Richemond. They've got the Europa tethered just up the lake on a small strip - a tiny satellite field you can approach only from the lake itself. Mountain rescue boys and some private flyers use it.'

'But when did Goodyear arrange this?' Bond had not heard a whisper about any Summit Conference.

M grunted. 'You know what it's like, 007. They arrange their flights a year in advance. The Europa would have been there in any case. Would have been flying.

However, they had to get permission once the Conference was announced.' Percy had caught on. 'Dr Amadeus, when did you first hear about the Balloon Game?' About four months ago, he told her, four or five.

'And the Summit. . .?'

'It's been pencilled in for almost a year, said M. 'The information was available only through diplomatic channels. The Press have been good boys for a change. Not a whisper, even though they must have known.' Bill Tanner returned with the news that he had been in contact with Geneva.

'I talked to the Goodyear security man out at the strip.

No problems, and we've alerted the Swiss police. They're going to close the field to everyone but accredited Goodyear staff. That means around thirty to thirty-five people, handlers, publicity and PR, mechanics, two pilots. Nobody's going to get in unless the Goodyear representatives okay the bona fides. It's sewn up, sir.

'Right. Well, 007, all we have to do now is sew up the remainder of this unpleasant lot. Any ideas?' Bond had one idea, and one only.

'You give me the EPOC frequency, sir - the real one, just in case they already have it, because I wouldn't put anything past SPECTRE and this crowd who are doing their dirty work for them.'Oh yes, the EPOC frequency. That was mentioned in your message. Made us think. Tell me about that, 007.' Bond went through the essentials of the story, from start to finish, leaving out nothing.

'They claimed to have the Russian equivalent, sir, and the emergency ciphers for both Russia and the U.S.A.

I'm inclined to believe them.' M nodded. 'Yes, SPECTRE S never been backward in acquiring information. Good job we've got the Goodyear field under wraps, Chief-of-Staff. Chivvy the Swiss would you, and keep in contact with the Goodyear people.' M fiddled with his pipe as he began to expand on his own theory. If they did have the emergency ciphers of the United States and Russia, together with the frequencies and if SPECTRE'S agents were able to get near either of the leaders, they could activate that country'S cipher.

'The way to do it,' Bond cut in, 'would be to hijack the airship and load enough shortwave hardware. Then take the Europa right over the very spot where heads of state are gathered together 'That's it, 007! Directly overhead would be enough for the United States' communications satellite to recognise the cipher, and, I presume, the Russian one as well.' There were two possibilities: full nuclear strikes by one of the superpowers, or a simultaneous strike by both, knocking each of them out, leaving nothing but desolation on the two great continents

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