Red Hawk Rising

the radar. If the scientists were correct, then this model would be more advanced than anything the Russians or Americans had. That made it a logical target. He decided that he’d better follow Corporal Hill north. Besides, that lad seemed to attract ‘action’ and it might be good to be nearby. He picked up the ‘phone to London.
Out in the North Sea, a Russian trawler was heading south from the Arctic Circle. One of its holds had a catch of cod that would be very saleable in England. Captain Petrovsky had sailed north under instructions, fished for cod and was now headed south. He had no doubt that he would soon have new orders. He had been told to stay at sea instead of taking the agent back to Russia and he had to have a reason for going into a British port. The cod would help. High overhead, a RAF Shackleton of Coastal Command was taking photographs of the trawler. With its sensitive cameras it didn’t need to fly low to make an identification. It was near the end of its long patrol and the crew would be happy to touch down at their base.
The train to Newcastle was slowing down as it went through Durham Station. Looking out of the window he had a magnificent view of Durham Cathedral and the castle. The two buildings were set on a hill in a loop of the river. The old Norman cathedral was very imposing, with its twin towers at the end overlooking the River Wear. Memories of walks along the river bank below the cathedral came flooding back. He wondered how his parents were and whether he would have time to visit them. There had been no time when he had returned from overseas. Although he was due leave, he hadn’t been allowed to take it due to the present urgency. The journey up had been uneventful. The MI5 man had kept an eye on him in York station but made no contact. He was on the train a couple of compartments away and had walked past a couple of times, obviously keeping a check on him — and nearby passengers. Andy had been wondering who had initiated the attempt on his life. Hamilton had said it was a past assignment but could it be linked to the present one? It was hard to know. He tended to think that it was the latter reason and could only link it in to the incident with the cleaners. That was now in the hands of MI5. Andy got up, slid the compartment door open and went out into the corridor of the carriage. He wanted to stretch his legs and also see the bridges as they crossed the River Tyne. The train was slowing as it travelled through the Team Valley on the outskirts of Gateshead. The train crossed over on the King Edward Bridge and, looking east, he saw the three bridges — a familiar sight. Then the train was drawing into Central Station. It was still a busy station but not as busy as it had been a few years ago. Andy went back into the compartment and pulled his bag off the rack before heading for the carriage door. He noticed the MI5 man, Anderson, waiting in the corridor. He then moved in behind Andy. They got off the train and headed for the barrier. The porter took Andy’s ticket and Andy headed for the movements office that existed for the armed forces personnel. Anderson seemed to just melt away. Andy went into the movements office and saw a RAF driver sitting there. Showing his movements authority, he asked about transport to Wensley Electronics. The army sergeant at the desk nodded toward the driver who got up and indicated Andy to follow him. A Vanguard Phase 1 with RAF markings was parked outside. The driver was a leading aircraftman and said his name was Higgins. He had been detached from RAF Acklington to provide transport for the radar team working at Wensley Electronics. He pulled out of the station concourse and headed towards Mosley Street to get onto New Bridge Street and then the Shields Road. On the way over, Higgins bemoaned the fact that they had to work this weekend. He had planned to go up to Amble to see his girlfriend and he hoped she wouldn’t be put out by this. Andy told him that he wasn’t the only one put out since he had hoped to visit his parents that weekend. The complex was near Byker, not far from the famous Parsons Works. In its early days, Wensley had been contractors to Parsons but when the Second World War came, they were able to diversify into the newer field of electronics, becoming contractors to the Ministry of Defence. Now they specialised in radar and associated equipment.
The car turned into the grounds of Wensley Electronics and pulled into a parking spot near the administration. They both got out and LAC (Leading Aircraftman) Higgins led the way into the building. He showed Andy where to register and after completing the register, Higgins took Andy down to the office of Flying Officer Goodhew and left him there. Andy knocked and at the “Come in!” he went in, came to attention and saluted.
“Corporal Hill reporting in, sir.”
“At ease, Corporal.” Taking the envelope from his tunic, he handed it to Flying Officer Goodhew and said that the officer in charge of the detachment had asked him to deliver it personally. Goodhew took the envelope and nodded him to a chair. As he opened the envelope, he said, “I understand that you are to study the radar unit and its different components from the perspective of a system design for trials analysis. How long do you think you will need here?”
Andy suggested that two to three days should be enough. “I also want to compare contractors’ documentation to see how well they align for