The Thinking Machine Affair

by Joel Bernard

  Illya was almost certain that this meant the THRUSH agent was going to communicate with his center, so, pretending to make a telephone call, he fastened the listening device in his ear and was in time he hear the man transmit:

  "We are at Vienna Airport and awaiting further instructions."

  "I'll have a helicopter ready for you in two hours' time for taking you both with your cargo to Vysehrad," Illya heard another voice say. "Proceed immediately to the landing strip near St. Pölten and be prepared for immediate takeoff. On arrival beneath Vysehrad on the bank of the Moldau, board the boat with the yellow light above its starboard navigation light. From Vysehrad you'll be brought here."

  "Message received and understood, sir," the other voice said, and Illya heard the soft click of the ultra-shortwave radio transmitter-receiver being switched off.

  The man reappeared in the airport lounge, and with his accomplice, went to the warehouse. A few moments later, the coffin was loaded into a van. The two men boarded the driver's cabin and the vehicle drove off at high speed.

  Illya found a quiet corner in the airport building to send a message to Waverley, informing him that he was taking a plane to Prague to be on the scene ready for action.

  "Contact Mr. Solo on arrival," Waverly instructed.

  "He's pursuing a lead and your hitherto separate assignments are merging."

  "Yes, sir," said Illya and closed Channel D.

  While the charter aircraft, with Illya as its sole passenger, took off for Prague, the Chief Organizing Officer at THRUSH European Center E was taking off in another way—he was losing his temper; for Professor Novak was stubbornly refusing to cooperate. What made matters worse was that no THRUSH scientists or technicians could figure out how the simple-looking apparatus worked and how it could be used for THRUSH'S own purposes.

  "I am unable to tolerate your stubbornness any longer, Professor," the Chief Organizing Officer bellowed at the tired scientist who faced him with defiance. "I have allowed you to meet your daughter to ascertain that she is well and happy, and I have made it clear to you that high reward and esteem will be yours if you cooperate with us; but you don't seem to appreciate this, otherwise you wouldn't behave like an obstinate mule."

  He paused and looked at the Professor, trying to detect whether his words had made any impact on the elderly man. When he saw that the scientist remained unperturbed he yelled:

  "I warn you, Professor Novak! If you force me to use different persuasion, I will!"

  "You can do what you wish," the Professor said, unmoved. "I have lived my life and I don't care..."

  The THRUSH Officer interrupted: "You don't care what happens to your daughter, Professor Novak?"

  At this, the scientist's face showed his hatred, but the THRUSH chief knew it was, above all, motivated by fear for his daughter's safety.

  "You don't seem to appreciate that your daughter wants you to work with us," he continued. "Indeed she is eager to join you in your research. She told you so herself."

  "Because you brainwashed or hypnotized her. I know Vlasta." He sat back in the chair, then suddenly said: "Can I speak with my daughter once more—in private?"

  "Certainly," the other agreed, and summoned a guard from outside the office. "Take the Professor to his daughter," he ordered, "and make sure they can talk in complete privacy and undisturbed."

  "Very well, sir," the guard acknowledged as he led the scientist away.

  The Chief Organizing Officer activated the closed circuit television receiver to watch Vlasta's room and to listen to what father and daughter said to each other.

  "Did you agree to work for them, father?" the girl said after the Professor had entered the room and the door had been closed.

  "I wanted to talk with you first once more."

  "There is no purpose in refusing, father," she insisted.

  "I am shocked to hear you speak like that, Vlasta."

  "Why?"

  "Because we're talking with each other in private now. There's no longer any need to continue your acting, which was very convincing when we talked to each other in the presence of that man."

  "I mean what I say, father. There is no purpose in refusing to work for them. They are determined to get their way and if you don't follow their orders they'll kill both of us."

  "You really believe they would kill you?"

  "I do. And I also believe that the only way to stay alive and to be set free again is by our cooperating with them and providing them with the improved apparatus."

  "Don't you realize that we would betray our country if we worked for them?"

  "I don't want to be tortured to death, father, and I don't want it to happen to you either."

  "So you want me to capitulate, Vlasta?" the Professor said, at last broken in spirit.

  "Yes, I do. I know it's hard for you to throw overboard your convictions and your loyalty to our Government, but it's the only solution. It will give us the opportunity to be with one another continuously and work together in perfecting the apparatus."

  "All right, Vlasta," he sighed. "I know I'll be committing a terrible crime against our nation by agreeing to work for these people, but I'll nevertheless do it—for you, my child."

  Vlasta felt miserable as her father left to report his decision. She had been tempted to signal her father that she was playing a part because she was certain their conversation was being overheard, but she feared that even a warning signal from her would be dangerous. Since her father and the apparatus had arrived at the Center she had evolved in her mind how their captors could be outwitted by using the thought-transference apparatus against them. But, to be able to turn her counterattack idea into reality, she and her father needed to worm their way into the enemy's nerve center and gain their confidence. When they were eventually in control of the apparatus, they could hit back. But how could she tell this to her father, with no secure possibility of discussing it with him in genuine privacy?

  Unaware of Vlasta's intentions, the Chief Organizing Officer was pleased with her behavior and switched off the closed circuit television in his office as soon as the Professor left her room. When the scientist entered the office moments later, he said: "Well?"

  "I have talked over matters with my daughter and have decided to accept your invitation to work with you," Professor Novak announced wearily. "Together with my daughter, I will carry out the research on my apparatus to the best of my ability and endeavor to make as rapid headway as possible. But now I am worn out and need rest."

  "I am pleased with your wise decision and am convinced a beneficial association has just commenced between us," the THRUSH executive assured him. "I shall make it my personal business to see that your stay with us doesn't lack any comfort."

  "Thank you," Professor Novak said, and followed a guard to a luxuriously furnished bed-sitting room. He was happy when he discovered that his daughter was allocated an adjoining and almost identical room.

  But this evening he did not feel like visiting and talking with her, as had been his habit at the villa. All he wanted to do was to sleep...

  And, as he slept, the jet bringing Illya Kuryakin to Prague landed at Kbely Airport.

  The plane had been expected, and with minimum delay U.N.C.L.E.'S Enforcement Agent was able to step into a waiting car and drive to a point on the bank of the river Moldau, opposite Vysehrad. Illya studied the deserted area through his night field glasses.

  The helicopter, with the coffin and the two THRUSH agents, was not due in Prague for another half-an-hour.

  The distant sound of a boat engine somewhere on the river broke the silence. The heavy rain clouds hanging low in the sky shut out all moonlight and in the almost total darkness the approaching boat could not be seen until it was almost on top of him. The craft's skipper suddenly switched on the navigation lights before turning around in mid-river and anchoring on the opposite bank. As the boat passed, Illya could see a dim yellow light above the starboard navigation light.

  Soon afte
rwards, the noise of an approaching helicopter disturbed the night. Through the field glasses he watched the helicopter land and a few minutes later the coffin was lifted out and taken to the waiting boat, which then moved off towards the city of Prague. The helicopter took off and headed back in the direction from which it had come.

  Illya returned to his car and drove along the road by the riverbank towards Prague. The sound of the direction finder concealed in the man's tooth in the coffin was clearly picked up by his receiver, but when the road took a sharp turn to the left and ran a quarter of a mile or so inland, he lost contact. Huge blocks of buildings stood between the river and the road and before Illya had managed to make his way back to the Moldau, the boat had gone and the direction finder was beyond range.

  Annoyed, he returned to the car and drove into the city. He doubted whether the boat could have proceeded too deep into the built-up area because the THRUSH European Center E was unlikely to be located anywhere where there was the slightest chance of detection. He made up his mind to return to the area outside Prague, where he had lost contact with the direction finder, as soon as he'd met Solo. They would have to cover the whole zone on both banks of the river before they could again find the radio transmitting coffin.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  MURDER IS SUCH A MESSY BUSINESS

  MAJOR KLIMA looked up gloomily as Napoleon Solo entered his office at Czech State Security Head quarters the morning after the incident at the Axa Hotel. But despite his discontent with the way things were going, he stood up and greeted the U.N.C.L.E. Chief Enforcement Agent cordially enough.

  "Any development?" Napoleon asked casually.

  "My suspicions regarding your amorous lady were confirmed by the fingerprint experts," Major Klima said. "I'll do my best to have her located as speedily as possible. For some inexplicable reason, this lady succeeded in living somewhere in town without being registered with the police. But don't worry, Mr. Solo, we'll find her."

  Major Klima confirmed Napoleon's conclusion that the woman was a female THRUSH. In all probability, she was resident at the THRUSH European Center E, otherwise she would not be able to live anywhere in Prague without police registration. He kept the thought to himself and felt almost certain that all efforts to find her would be as futile as was the search for Professor Novak and his daughter.

  "You hit your two would-be assailants mighty hard, Mr. Solo," Major Klima added. "They only came round an hour or so ago."

  "Did interrogation bring anything to light?"

  "Not a thing," the Czech frowned. "They've chosen to remain silent, but will probably change their minds when they've been in the cells long enough—not that this helps us at the moment."

  "Any news of the body that walked out of the public mortuary?" Napoleon queried.

  "No news," Major Klima grumbled. "We have thoroughly questioned all the mortuary staff, all of them conscientious and reliable people, but no one saw or heard a thing."

  "Well, Major, there's not much point in my keeping you any longer," Napoleon said, seeing that with the present unsatisfactory state of affairs the Czech felt somewhat uneasy in his company. "I'll be in touch."

  "Please do, and let's hope I have better news next time."

  Napoleon checked various possible clues but none led him closer to THRUSH European Center E. His investigations led him all over Prague and he found walking on uneven cobblestones tiring. When he finally returned to his hotel room late evening, he felt the need of a hot bath before food or more work. He was about to step into the hot water when the call-sign of his radio receiver started to bleep. He extracted the gadget from his pocket and opened the receiving channel.

  "Napoleon," Illya said.

  "Yes, where are you, Illya?"

  "In Prague. At the Hotel Paris near Powder Tower."

  "Can you come to the Axa Hotel in Poric Street?"

  "When?"

  "In ten minutes."

  Napoleon switched off the receiver and stepped into the bath. The hot water was soothing and he wished Illya wasn't coming so soon—he would have liked a long, long soak.

  Illya arrived and looked with envy at his colleague now sitting in his room in a comfortable dressing gown. "Some people seem to have all the luck," he said with a grin.

  "The THRUSH Center can't be too far away from where I lost contact with the direction finder," Illya explained after a while. "I'll double-check the whole area on both banks of the Moldau to find a lead to their Headquarters."

  "Let's hope their detection devices haven't discovered and silenced the direction finder," Napoleon said.

  "I don't think they have," Illya said confidently. "Their devices work on different frequencies to ours."

  "I wouldn't rely on it too much."

  "Perhaps I shouldn't; but then I'm an optimist." They parted later—and Illya returned to the river bank of the Moldau at the point where the road turned inland sharply, while Napoleon again crisscrossed Prague, hoping to hit on an accidental clue.

  The first real break came early that evening.

  As Napoleon turned from Prikopy Street into Wenceslas Square, his eyes detected the girl standing at a tram stop. Beside her was the man from the airport reception area. There was no possibility of a mistake—they were in full view and he could see them clearly.

  Napoleon dived into the entrance of the corner shop to prevent his being spotted by them. He considered whether to communicate with Major Klima but dismissed the thought and decided to follow the pair himself. If need be, he could always call for the Major's assistance later.

  A tram with a trailer carriage drew up at the stop and the two boarded the front vehicle. Napoleon mingled with the dense stream of pedestrians, crossed the street towards the island stop in the middle, and managed to board the trailer unnoticed. From his seat he could see them in the front carriage.

  The tram journey dragged on and on until they were out of the inner city and well into the suburbs. The pair in the now almost empty front carriage appeared to be engrossed in their evening papers.

  As the tram approached the second stop from the last, he saw them prepare to alight. He swiftly stood up and, about fifty yards from the stop, jumped off the fast-moving vehicle. He had to take the precaution— in this completely deserted suburban street they were almost certain to notice him if he left the trailer at the stop.

  While the tram driver reduced speed and brought the vehicle to a halt, Napoleon stepped behind a thick tree on the pavement to conceal himself from view. He was only just in time, for seconds later he saw the man scan every direction, obviously checking.

  Napoleon shadowed them from a safe distance as they walked along the empty streets without talking to each other. Not once did they look back to see if they were being followed.

  They reached the last house of the built-up area, then continued along a dusty path into the country side. It was now almost pitch dark and there were heavy rain clouds. Napoleon was pleased for this gave him added cover. The darkness was actually an ally.

  The pair headed for the Moldau, and climbed down the grass-covered embankment to the river shore. A sudden break in the clouds bathed the scene in silvery light. Napoleon slid behind a dense bush and watched them walk along the riverbank. It occurred to him that the spot could not be too far from the area where Illya had lost contact with the direction finder on the previous night.

  Almost as they reached the bend where the Moldau turned in a northerly direction, they stopped. Napoleon's view was obscured by some high foliage, but he heard the sound of a boat being dragged over stony ground, and soon afterwards there came the unmistakable noise of rowing oars. He saw a small boat moving across the river towards the far shore.

  Napoleon watched it through his binoculars and was surprised when it stopped alongside an almost vertical rock formation covered with moss and small vegetation. He was even more surprised when he saw a section of the rock slide to one side to enable the boat to enter what was obviously a secret water passage. Imm
ediately the boat had entered, the ingenious stone door shut and the massive rock looked as impenetrable as before.

  This must be the way into the THRUSH European Center, he thought. He activated his ultra-shortwave radio transmitter-receiver to give Alexander Waverly this new information, and when Channel D was closed again, walked along the riverbank searching for a boat in which to cross the river.

  About half a mile from the spot where the two THRUSH agents had boarded their rowing boat, he found a kayak lying on the grass verge some twenty feet from the river. He lifted the light boat, carried it to the water, boarded it, and steered towards the rock formation on the far bank.

  As he reached the rock the clouds began to close in again on the moonlight, but before darkness engulfed him he located a small lever in a crevice beneath a layer of artificial moss. He tried to turn it, without success. Perhaps it was locked by a safety device from the inside? He extracted a small electronic gadget from one of his pockets. It was constructed to open any lock silently.

  He was in the process of fastening the opener to the lever when the river currents moved the kayak from the rock. To keep the boat in position, he grabbed the lever with his left hand and unintentionally pulled it. The rock slid aside. The door had been constructed from steel and made to look like a genuine continuation of the moss-covered rock formation.

  He steered the kayak into the inky black manmade underground tunnel and reflected that it was similar to the underwater channel entrance to U.N.C.L.E. Headquarters. As soon as the kayak passed the door, it automatically shut.

  He was alarmed that this entrance door was operated by electronic eyes, knowing this could have set off an alarm. To bypass concealed alarm devices along the underground channel, he switched on his electronic diversion device, which temporarily put out of action any alarm network.