Red Hawk Rising

degrees of success. At a call from Judith, John suggested that they all wash before dinner and led them to a bathroom with towels laid out. It was a friendly, almost boisterous dinner and the time passed quickly. At 8.30 p.m. Lance suggested that they had better head back to base. As they were saying their goodbyes, Alice gave Andy a folded sheet of paper and told him to contact her. While it was a formal goodbye, the look Alice gave Andy was far from formal. The young men got into Lance’s car and he reversed out of the drive, the Walton family and Margaret waving them off. They headed back, all keeping quiet for a while, deep in their own thoughts. It was a day to remember. Later, they would discuss the day and the relationships.
***
Andrei Garasov had started his day feeling quite elated. The previous evening’s dinner at Manchester University had been a great success in more ways than one. Despite the Cold War between their nations, there was a respect for the cultural heritage of each. The consul’s speech had been well received and the informal discussions afterwards had been stimulating. Garasov had been seated next to a senior lecturer who lectured on Russian authors. They shared a mutual admiration for Tolstoy, not just for his literary ability but also for his social achievements. Dr Janet McLaren was not the old grey-haired lecturer in tweeds that one tended to imagine but an attractive brunette in her early thirties. Her doctorate had, in fact, been on the social consequences of the writings and practice of selected Russian authors. Coupled with her other degrees, she was an accomplished academic but with a social conscience, preferring to be with a ‘red-brick’ university to the older and more famous ones of England. Toward the end of the evening, Janet, having found out how he planned to spend the Sunday, had asked Andrei if she could join him on his hike in the Pennines on the morrow. He was pleasantly surprised and readily agreed. Janet had said that she lived near Stockport and suggested that he get a train to Stockport and then they drive out in her car. Andrei had agreed with her as it could mean they would not be as easily followed. He was happy to change his plans on where to hike. The consulate driver dropped him off at Piccadilly Railway Station and he caught a train to Stockport. Janet was waiting at the station and he joined her in the car and they headed out to Edale. They hiked up to ‘Kinder Scout’ and then on to ‘The Peak’. Conversation slowed as they climbed up to each peak and picked up again on the downward slopes. Following the ridge towards ‘Featherbed Top’, they decided to turn east and follow the burn down to the Snake Pass Inn for lunch. The interest in each other grew as the day wore on. Driving back to Manchester, Janet invited Andrei to her home for a meal but he suggested that they go to a Chinese restaurant that he knew. Before getting romantically involved, Andrei would have Janet checked out in case she was linked in to a British intelligence agency. He needed to be careful in his position. Janet understood his reticence about dinner at her home so soon in the friendship. Since she had suggested going out with him for the day, he had a right to be cautious. They ate at a restaurant not far from the university and the evening passed pleasantly. Andrei suggested that he get a taxi from there to the consulate, where he had rooms. This would avoid her being put on record by those who kept watch on the consulate. Janet gave a wry smile and wondered at the thought of being on the records of British or American intelligence. Driving home, she giggled at the thought of being branded a ‘Mata Hari’ but pleased that Andrei suggested they meet again. Major Andrei Garasov let out a deep breath of satisfaction as he was let into the consulate. A pleasant memory but tomorrow would be another day.
***
The RAF coach wended its way through the centre of Newcastle on its way to Wensley Electronics (Monday 26th). Corporal Andy Hill was reflecting on the day before and the note given him by Alice. She wanted to see him again and had written her telephone number for home and for work. He’d be gone in three days. That made it hard. Corporal Dan Brennan thought about Margaret Muir and next weekend when they planned to go to a concert together in the City Hall. Corporal Lance Williams felt pleased about the outcomes of yesterday. He and Anne had furthered their friendship and it would develop even more, he was sure. Alice taking to Andy Hill had been a real break for himself and Anne. They would meet in Hexham on the Wednesday evening if he didn’t have to work late. So to the day’s problems and getting the radar functioning properly.
Sam Wilson had started work early. He was employed on assembling the different modules of the radar. For this reason, he had access to the ‘high security’ section of the factory. He had gained security clearance and was working on the project before being befriended by Sean Byrne. He thought about the klystron. It was one of the few parts of the radar that was not duplicated. Apart from its size, it was not expected to fail except under extreme circumstances. The module was under test in the laboratory. He would have to wait for it to be fitted back into the prototype before he could get at it.
The RAF team arrived and went about their work. Andy went with Lance and Dan to the lab., returning the manual that he had taken on the Saturday. ‘Sarge’ directed him to the location of the radar being assembled and Andy headed