Burning Angels

‘Now, why would a Nazi-era Safe Haven flight be routed to a stretch of water? Consider that second item on the list: BV222. During the war, the Nazis had a secret seaplane research centre at Travemunde, on the German coast. There they developed the Blohm and Voss BV222, the largest aircraft operated during the war.

‘This is what we now believe happened. At war’s end, Tanzania was a British colony. Kammler promised the British a wealth of Nazi secrets in return for their protection. So they green-lit a flight to the ultimate Safe Haven — Lake Katavi — using a BV222. SS General Hans Kammler was on that flight, as was his precious virus — either frozen, or in a kind of desiccated powder form — though of course that was one secret he would never reveal to the Allies.

‘When the British decolonised East Africa, Kammler lost his sponsors — hence his decision to purchase a vast expanse of land around Lake Katavi. And there he set up his laboratory — somewhere to develop the Gottvirus in absolute secret.

‘Of course, we have no proof that this germ laboratory exists,’ Miles continued. ‘If it does, it has perfect cover. Hank Kammler runs a bona fide game reserve. It has all the trappings: game guards, a top conservation team, a plush safari lodge, plus an airstrip for flying clients in and out. But the last item on our list offers a final clue.

‘Choma Malaika is Swahili — the language of East Africa. It means “Burning Angels”. Within Kammler’s game ranch there happens to be a Burning Angels Peak. It sits in the Mbizi mountain range, to the south of Lake Katavi. The Mbizi mountains are densely forested and almost completely unexplored.’

Miles flicked up another image. It showed a jagged-rimmed mountain towering above the savannah. ‘Now of course, the existence of those keywords in the email chatter and the existence of a mountain of the same name could just be a bizarre coincidence. But your grandfather taught me never to believe in coincidences.’

He stabbed a finger at the image. ‘If Kammler has a germ warfare lab, we believe it’s hidden deep beneath Burning Angels mountain.’

29

Peter Miles ended his briefing by calling for a brainstorming session, utilising the vast military expertise in the room.

‘Stupid question,’ Lewis Alonzo began, ‘but what’s the worst that can happen?’

Miles eyed him quizzically. ‘The Armageddon scenario? If we’re faced with a madman?’

Alonzo flashed his signature smile. ‘Yeah, a real nutter. A fruitcake. Not pulling any punches — tell us.’

‘We fear we are facing a germ agent that just about no one would survive,’ Miles replied darkly. ‘But only if Kammler and his people have worked out how to weaponise it. That’s the nightmare scenario: a worldwide release of the virus, with enough simultaneous outbreaks so no government has the time to develop a cure. It would be a pandemic of unprecedented lethality. A world-changing — a world-ending — event.’

He paused, letting the chilling import of those words sink in. ‘But what Kammler and his cronies may be intending

to do with it — that’s another guess entirely. An agent like that would be priceless, obviously. Would they sell it to the highest bidder? Or somehow blackmail world leaders? We just don’t know.’

‘Couple of years back, we war-gamed some key scenarios,’ Alonzo remarked. ‘Had the top guys in from US intelligence. They listed the three foremost threats to world security. The absolute numero uno was a terror group acquiring a fully functioning weapon of mass destruction. There are three ways they could do that. One, buy a nuclear device off a rogue state — most likely a former Soviet bloc country gone to rack and ruin. Two, intercept a chemical weapon being moved from one state to another; so maybe sarin gas from Syria, en route to disposal. Three, acquire the necessary technology to build their own nuclear or chemical device.’

He eyed Peter Miles. ‘Those guys sure knew their stuff, and no one ever mentioned some crazed son-of-a-bitch offering a ready-made germ weapon to the highest bidder.’

Miles nodded. ‘And for good reason. The real challenge is to deliver it. Presuming they’ve perfected an airborne version, it’s easy enough to board an aircraft and wave around a handkerchief liberally sprinkled with the dry virus. And remember, one hundred million crystallised viruses — that’s the populations of England and Spain put together — would cover the full stop at the end of your average sentence.