Free Arctic Gold by Stephen Coonts Page B

European Summit on Global Warming, a prestigious event sponsored by the Royal Society. London City Hall was located on the south bank of the Thames close by the Tower Bridge, a straight- line distance of just sixteen miles, but a considerably longer and more indirect drive by way of London tangled roads and highways.
Okay, George, this is Gordon, Karr said, using the communicator hidden in his collar. George and Gordon were handles sometimes used by the Art Room and agents in the field; they came from the name of the Civil War officer who’d given his name to Fort MeadeGeneral George Gordon Meade. We’re on our way to the garage. How are we doing?
Marie Telach voice came back in Karr ear. We’ve got you, Tommy. We’re picking up feeds from the hotel security camera. Wave!
Karr glanced up and saw the small security camera mounted up near the ceiling and grinned but decided not to wave as well. They were supposed to be keeping a low profile, after all.
Switching to the camera in the parking garage, Telach told him. All clear outside the doors.
Through the lobby, down some steps, and out through two sets of glass doors to the parking garage, where Karr spotted the second camera.
This, he knew, was the reason Desk Three had been roped in on a simple security detail. The National Security Agency possessed a remarkable asset in its ability to monitor electronic links of all kinds virtually worldwide: Any place where security cameras existedlike that one mounted atop the garage attendant shack across the drivewaythe Agency signal- monitoring staff could trace the feed, duplicate the signal, and essentially peer over the security system personnel shoulders. It provided an extra layer of security for high- risk targets such as Dr. Spencer.
Karr still wasn’t sure why Spencer was considered so important but had by this time reconciled himself to the fact that someone thought him to be worth Desk Three time, attention, and resources. He felt he’d gotten off to a bad start with Spencer yesterday and hoped he could smooth things out this morning.
A few minutes later, Rogers drove the rented black Lincoln up to the door and the three climbed in, Delgado in front with Rogers, and Payne and Karr in the back, to either side of Spencer. Karr was momentarily startled to see the driver seated on the right, then remembered where he was.
Okay, Karr said as they pulled out of the garage. He glanced at the surrounding traffic, checking for possible tails. We’re rolling.
Give us some video, will you?
He pulled a small device from his jacket pocket, the size of a thimble, with a glassy lens on the narrow end. He stuck the base against the seat in front of them.
Smile, Doc! he said conversationally. You’re on Candid Camera
!
Very funny, Spencer replied. Are these melodramatic measures really necessary? He sounded somewhat scornful.
Beats me, Karr replied cheerfully. If we’re lucky, we won’t find out.
The car pulled out onto the street, made several turns, and picked up the M25, heading north.
Seriously, Doc, Karr said after a few moments. I’m sorry if I rubbed you wrong yesterday. I really am
interested in what you have to say.
Spencer was going through some papers in his briefcase, which he had open on his lap. Will you be at my presentation?
Of course.
Then you’ll hear what I have to say then.
Yeah, well, I’m curious, though. My people have been having some communications problems lately, y’know? And they were blaming sunspots. I wondered if that was what you were talking about, you know, with this solar model theory of yours.
Spencer studied Karr for a moment over the top of his glasses, as though considering whether the agent was serious or setting him up for some kind of practical joke. The solar model, he said finally, is simply an updated and extremely detailed computer simulation, which incorporates far more data than climatologists have had access to before. It demonstrates once and for all that humans really have very