Pandemic

Also by James Barrington

Paul Richter series

OVERKILL

FOXBAT

TIMEBOMB

PAYBACK

Acknowledgements

Writing this book required extensive research in areas with which I was unfamiliar, including post-mortem examinations, biological warfare and open-water diving. Much of the information was obtained from the Internet and my own resources, but I would particularly like to thank Tony McGovern – a friend, former paratrooper and very experienced professional diver – for casting his expert eyes over the underwater sequences.

I must also thank my friend and agent, Luigi Bonomi, for his unfailing enthusiasm and encouragement, and Peter Lavery at Macmillan for his talented editing, which undoubtedly substantially improved this book. I’m also grateful that Macmillan was prepared to accept without demur a manuscript that, although a work of fiction, is nevertheless highly controversial.

And, of course, Sally.

James Barrington

Principality of Andorra, 2005

Author’s Note

One of the difficulties in writing about a country like Crete, where the language is Greek and uses a completely different alphabet to the rest of the world, is the spelling of place names. In The Times Concise Atlas of the World, for example, you will find that the town I have called ‘Chora Sfakia’ is spelt ‘Khora Sfakion’, but in The Collins Road Atlas of Europe, it’s just called ‘Sfakia’. I elected to take the spellings I have used in this book from the Automobile Association’s Spiral Guide to Crete. This is a most useful pocket-sized guide to the island, full of helpful information and with the most detailed maps of any publication I was able to find.

Glossary

800 NAS 800 Naval Air Squadron: Sea Harrier squadron

814 NAS 814 Naval Air Squadron: Merlin helicopter squadron

Aden cannon 30mm cannon, which can be carried by a Sea Harrier

AGR Anti-gas respirator

AIM-9L or AIM-9M Sidewinder air-to-air missile

AMRAAM AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile

APC Air Picture Compiler

APU Auxiliary Power Unit: used to start the main engine on a Sea Harrier

ASaC Airborne Surveillance and Area Control Sea King Mark 7 helicopter

ASI Airspeed indicator

ASW Anti-submarine warfare

AWO Air Warfare Officer. More correctly Anti-War Warfare Officer, responsible for the defence of a ship against airborne threats

Beretta Italian company which manufactures weapons, including the Model 92 semi- automatic pistol

BIOS Basic input-output system: low-level software that runs when a computer starts

Blue Vixen Ferranti coherent pulse-Doppler radar fitted to Royal Navy Sea Harriers

BLV Bovine Lymphotrophic or Leukaemia Virus: a slow-acting virus affecting cattle

Bogey Royal Navy slang for a potentially hostile airborne radar contact

BSL4 Bio-safety level four: a maximum-safety biological research laboratory

CAP Combat Air Patrol: defensive air patrol mounted by pairs of Sea Harriers to protect the aircraft carrier and other vessels from air attack

CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia

CIA Central Intelligence Agency: the Americans’ foreign espionage organization

Cockers-pee Royal Navy slang for a cocktail party

Collective The control lever in a helicopter which alters the angle of attack of the rotor blades and causes the aircraft to climb or descend

CPO Chief Petty Officer: senior non-commissioned officer in the Royal Navy. Also known as ‘Chief’

CVS The official designation of a Through-Deck Cruiser, like HMS Invincible

DCPP Direzione Centrale Polizia di Prevenzione: the division of the Italian police force that carries out arrests on behalf of the SISDE

DECOM Type of table (and software program) that allows a diver to calculate decompression stops for specific times underwater

DP51 Daewoo 9mm semi-automatic pistol

Dragunov Snayperskaya Vintovka Dragunova sniper rifle in 7.62mm Soviet calibre, normally equipped with either the PSO-1 telescopic sight or the NSPU-3 night sight

DSCS-3 Defense Satellite Communications System 3. Hardened, jam-proof satellites in geostationary orbit that are designed to provide uninterrupted high-priority secure communications

E2B Simple magnetic compass fitted in Sea Harrier aircraft

ECG Electrocardiogram. Essentially an electronic recording of the heart to allow doctors to assess its condition

ECM Electronic Counter-Measures: devices used to jam or otherwise disrupt radio and radar systems

EEG Electroencephalogram. Test intended to detect electrical abnormalities in the brain

EMCON Emission control policy: statement of intent governing the use of radios and radar