matter.
The barricades around the parks went up in remarkably swift time, then’ use being more to confine the gas in a more concentrated area than to contain the rats. The roads out ofLondonwere jammed with cars and coaches, and trains ran non-stop services into the neighbouring provinces. Troops poured in to patrol the streets and to train for the emergency. More protective clothing was mass-produced in a very short time for the police and army. Any public demonstration was quickly broken up and dealt with, peacefully if possible.
At first, it looked as though the city would never be ready for the oncoming battle but miraculously - and mostly due to the co-operation, caused by fear, of the public - on the fifth day the stage was almost set.
Last minute conferences were held, revisions to existing plans made, final instructions to helicopter crews and the army given, and then the long vigil through the empty night, waiting for the dawn and the deciding climax it would bring.
Harris and Judy had laid awake most of the night, making love, talking - trying to push thoughts of the on- coming day’s events from then’ minds. They’d finally fallen into fitful sleep as the grey dawn forced the night darkness aside, the sun slowly rising upon a strangely still city.
When they awoke, their tiredness evaporated instantly as thoughts of the day flooded then’ minds. Judy cooked a breakfast which was left almost untouched and they made ready to go out into the deserted streets. As they opened their front door they saw a black rat scurry across the road into the small square park opposite. They hurried to their car and drove off, Harris glancing into his rear-view mirror, almost expecting to see the road behind him filled with vermin.
They finally reached the Ministry of Defence building, parked beside a shining Rolls Royce, and made their way into the gloomy entrance showing their passes. On their way down the endless corridors to their respective operations rooms they encountered a beaming Howard.
‘Good morning! All set for the big day?’ he clapped his hands together enthusiastically.
‘Ready enough,’ smiled the teacher.
‘I’ve been here all night. Spent a few hours on a camp bed.
Everything’s set for the big operation. ‘Good.’
‘I’d better get to my room,’ said Judy ‘Locating sewer entrances from those old maps and positioning them on new street maps isn’t my idea of fun, but if it all helps the cause.’
They all turned at once as a familiar figure came striding towards them from the other end of the corridor, waving his arm at them. As the figure drew nearer they realised with shock that it was Foskins. Tieless, badly in need of a shave, but with an excited look in his eyes.
‘Good Lord, what are you doing here?’ asked Howard, looking incredulously at the ex-Under-Secretary.
‘I’ve been around since last Tuesday,’ he said, the excitement giving way to a look of bitterness. He pulled at his open shirt collar and buttoned his jacket. ‘Before our last,er , unsuccessful operation, I ordered a search through records of anyone entering the country within the past two to three years who’d come from a tropical zone.’
‘You mean the sort of country that would breed this type of rat - or at least something like it?’ said Howard. ‘Exactly. But unfortunately, because we thought the virus operation would be so successful, it was rather pushed aside.
I - I must admit, I forgot all about it in the excitement that followed.’
There was a slightly embarrassed silence which Harris broke: ‘So?’
‘So, after my dismissal, I gathered the information I’d asked for and began sifting through it myself.’
‘Why?’ asked Howard coldly.
‘Because, well... ‘
‘Never mind,’ Harris cut in, glancing at Howard disdainfully. ‘What did you find?’
‘There were many entries from the tropics, of course, but only a few that fit the bill for our purposes. I made enquiries
I still have friends in Civil Service departments and came up with one man.’ His hand shook as he held up a piece of paper.
‘This man. Professor William Bartlett Schiller - zoologist.
He’d spent several years inNew Guineaand the surrounding islands apparently investigating reports of mutant animals seen by the locals. It seems quite feasible, for an island in that area had been used for a nuclear test and some of the inhabitants had been affected by radiation. Of course, it was all hushed up, but somehow Schiller got wind of it and decided to do some investigating.’
‘All right,’ said Howard impatiently. ‘But what makes you think this professor has anything to do with the rats?’
‘Well obviously the fact that he’d been inNew Guineaand he’d been involved in the study of abnormalities in animals.’ In his irritation, Foskin almost became the man he’d once been - been in public anyway.
‘Added to that,’ he continued, ‘he took up residence in
London. Near the docks. In a house by a canal.’
‘The Canal!’ Harris exclaimed. ‘Of course I’ve been trying to remember. In the beginning, that’s where the rats were seen. Keogh saw them. I saw them! Near the old lockkeeper’s house. I used to play there when I was a kid but they closed the canal down and the lock-keeper moved on.
I bet it was his house the professor took over.’
‘This is the address,’ said Foskins, thrusting the piece of paper at him, ‘That’s it.’
‘Oh, come now,’ broke in Howard. ‘What does it matter how? So this lunatic professor smuggled in one of his mutant species and took it to his home to study... “And allowed it to breed...’ ‘Yes, allowed it to breed. But that knowledge doesn’t help matters now; the operation goes on as planned. Maybe later we can investigate...”But why not now?’
‘Because, Mr Foskins, there are too many more important things to contend with today. Or haven’t you heard of
“Operation Extirpate”?’
‘Yes, of course I have, but if you’re going to root them out..’
‘I’ve got no more time for this sort of discussion, Mr
Foskins, so ff you’ll excuse me...’
‘You bloody fool! You soon sink into the background when your last idea didn’t work.’
‘Huh! You were busy taking all the credit for it - I didn’t see why you shouldn’t take all the blame.’
Foskins paled and then his whole body seemed to lose its tautness.
‘Y-yes, you’re quite right. I accept the blame - but I implore you, learn by my mistakes,’
‘It isn’t important just now, don’t you understand? Good
God, man, we can make all the investigations we like after, don’t you see, but today, we’re going to wipe them out.’ He turned towards Harris, who had failingly tried to keep from sympathising with the ex-Under-Secretary. ‘Are you coming, Harris? We’ve plenty to do.’
’Right.’ He touched Foskins’ arm. ‘It’ll be looked into, don’t worry.’ And I’ll make sure he at least gets some credit for it, he thought.
They strode off towards the big operations room, leaving
Judy standing alone with the distressed man.
All thoughts of Foskins were pushed from their minds as they entered the bustling operations room. In the centre was a huge map ofLondon, with shaded green areas illustrating the parks and dead red lights indicating the positions of the transmitters. When they came into operation, the red lights would come on.
The position of the helicopters was shown by yellow arrows and the troop vehicles by blue. The room was crowded with people, most of them having a function, but many were there as onlookers. Harris noticed the Prime Minister discussing last-minute details with the Chief of Staff. One side of the room was devoted to radio and television equipment; the transmitters would be operated from here, instructions sent out to the troops and helicopters, everything is monitored by cameras aboard the helicopters and those set up in the streets. The whole event was to be televised nationwide, and relayed by satellite to other countries. The P.M. felt his presence was vital, not to the operation itself, but to his political career. To be seen at the head of such a vast life-saving exercise such as this – and seen all over the world - was a bonus few other leaders had shared. He disappeared into the adjoining room to be interviewed by the television networks.
