Pandemic (71 page)

15
. 
Emerging viruses
by Leonard G. Horowitz D.M.D., M.A., M.P.H., Tetrahedron Publishing Group, ISBN:
0–923550–12–7, page 528.

16
. 
‘
The Strecker Memorandum
’. URL: http://www.konformist.com/1999/aids/strecker.txt.

17
. 
‘W.H.O. murdered Africa’ by William Campbell Douglass, M.D. URL: http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/who.htm.

James Barrington is a trained military pilot who has worked in covert operations and espionage. He now lives in Andorra and this is his second novel. His previous novel,
Overkill
, also featured Paul Richter.

Also by James Barrington

Paul Richter series

OVERKILL

FOXBAT

TIMEBOMB

PAYBACK

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

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 ‘Chóra Sfakia’ is spelt ‘Khóra
Sfakíon’, 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.

800 NAS   
800 Naval Air Squadron: Sea Harrier squadron

814 NAS   
814 Naval Air Squadron: Merlin helicopter squadron

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

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

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

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

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

Enigma T301   
Type of mobile phone allowing totally secure conversation

EPI1   
Essentially a movement order for CDC (q.v.) personnel. It specifies what the team members are hoping to achieve, where they are going, who they are to
contact on arrival, and so on

ERC   
En-route Chart. Aviation chart showing airfields, airways, upper air routes and other information

ERS   
En-Route Supplement. Document listing airfield, beacon and other aviation information for a specified geographic area

FAA   
Federal Aviation Administration: the American Government organization responsible for all aspects of aviation and air traffic control in the United
States

FADEC   
Full Authority Digital Engine Control: a computerized control system used on the Agusta 109 helicopter

FDO   
Flight Deck Officer: physically controls all movements on the Flight Deck of an aircraft carrier

Fibbies   
Slang term for the FBI

Filovirus   
A lethal thread-like virus found in Africa: there are several different types, the most deadly being Ebola Zaïre

Flight Level   
Height of an aircraft in thousands of feet based upon the standard pressure setting (q.v.) of 1013.25 hPa (hectopascals) or 29.92 inches (for
some American aircraft)

Flyco   
Flying Control position: located on the port side of the bridge of an aircraft carrier, Flyco controls all launches from, and recoveries to, the
ship

FOE   
Foreign Operations Executive. The fictitious organization that employs Paul Richter. Although FOE does not literally exist, the concept of the SIS
employing ex-military personnel to carry out deniable operations is well established. These recruits are known collectively as ‘The Increment’

Fort Detrick   
Location of USAMRIID, the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, which possesses one of the only two BSL4 laboratories in
America

FRS1   
Early model of the Sea Harrier

Glock   
Austrian-manufactured 9mm semi-automatic pistol

GSM   
Global System for Mobile Telecommunications. The technical name for the system that operates the ubiquitous mobile phone

Guard   
Military Emergency frequency of 243.0 megahertz: the equivalent civil VHF frequency is 121.5 megahertz

Guardian   
Radar warning receiver fitted to Sea Harrier aircraft

HEPA   
High Efficiency Particle Arrestor: a very efficient filter

Hi-Power   
Browning 9mm semi-automatic pistol: the standard British Forces side-arm

Homer   
A radar console manned by a specialist Air Traffic Control officer on an aircraft carrier

Little F   
Lieutenant Commander (Flying)

MDC   
Miniature Detonating Cord: thin line of explosive bonded into an aircraft canopy, which shatters it a split-second before the ejection seat is
fired

Merlin   
Agusta Westland Merlin HM Mk 1 ASW helicopter

MI5   
Military Intelligence 5 – the Security Service – responsible for counter-espionage in the United Kingdom. Also known as
‘Five’

Model 92   
Beretta 9mm semi-automatic pistol

Mossad   
The Institute for Intelligence and Special Tasks. The Israeli intelligence service, headquartered in Tel Aviv, is one of the most competent and
feared services in the world, achieving remarkable results from a total staff of only about 1,200

NAVHARS   
Sea Harrier’s inertial navigation system

NBCD   
Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence

N-PIC   
National Photographic Interpretation Center: part of the Science and Technology Directorate of the CIA and based at Building 213 in the Washington
Navy Yard

Perp   
Perpetrator

PGP   
Pretty Good Privacy: a type of data-encryption computer program

Pigeons   
Magnetic heading to steer and distance to run to reach a ship. Passed to a pilot on recovery to the ship in the format: ‘Pigeons two seven
five at forty-two’

Porton Down   
British biological and chemical weapon research facility

POTUS   
President of the United States

PWO   
Principal Warfare Officer

RDF   
Radio Direction Finder

RDX   
Cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine. Also known as hexogen or cyclonite, it’s a white crystalline substance that is one of the most powerful and stable
of the military-application explosives

RFA   
Royal Fleet Auxiliary: merchant ships that operate under special rules and act as supply vessels to Royal Navy ships

Ripple Three   
ASW tactic using three helicopters in a screen to protect a group of surface ships: each aircraft is relieved on task by another, so providing
a constant ASW protection against the perceived threat

RPS   
Regional Pressure Setting: the lowest forecast pressure setting for an area that is used by low-level aircraft in transit through that area

SDS   
Satellite Data System. American satellites used to relay images and data from reconnaissance and geostationary communications satellites, and to detect
nuclear detonations. The current version is the SDS-2

SEM   
Scanning Electron Microscope

Shareholders   
Naval Air Squadron meeting, normally held every morning, covering administration, flying programme, etc

SIG P226   
Swiss-manufactured 9mm semi-automatic pistol

SIS   
Secret Intelligence Service: often but inaccurately known as MI6, and responsible for espionage outside the United Kingdom. Also referred to as
‘Six’

SISDE   
Servizio per le Informazione e la Sicurezza Democratica
: the Italian Secret Service

SITREP   
Situation report

Sobs   
Senior Observer of a Royal Navy squadron

SOP   
Standard operating procedure

SPC   
Surface Picture Compiler. Royal Navy noncommissioned officer or rating responsible for tracking all surface radar contacts around the mother ship

Spectre   
Italian-manufactured 9mm sub-machine-gun, unique in that it is double-action, and unusual in having a magazine capacity of fifty rounds

Splot   
Senior Pilot of a Royal Navy squadron

SPS   
Standard Pressure Setting of 1013.25 hPa (hectopascals) or 29.29 inches (for some American aircraft). Set on the altimeter sub-scale, it is used above
about five thousand feet to ensure all aircraft altimeters share a common setting to allow accurate vertical separation