Free The Devil's Footprint by Victor O'Reilly Page A

and apparently a very good one.   He was also a qualified metallurgist.   Barragan need such a man and naturally turned to a relative.   Blood would have been better, but Patricio
would do.   He was still better than a
stranger.
    "However,
Barragan did not know that Patricio was a Zarra supporter.   So Patricio went to Zarra, who introduced him
to Cochrane, and together they mounted a series of penetration operations of
Tecuno.
    "At
first, all they got was useful but relatively low-grade intelligence because
Patricio was working in a lab in
Tecuno
City
, but then he got
moved to a highly classified base in a place called the Devil's Footprint.   Nothing for several months, because even
senior employees are restricted to the compound and access to the outer world
is strictly controlled, and then Patricio made a run for it.   I don't know what went wrong, but his cover
was blown and the word put out.   I guess
they had a shrewd idea where he was heading, or maybe he was followed.   And the rest you know.   It was a nasty way to die, but they were
determined he wouldn't talk.   And he
surely didn't."
    "But surely
he brought something with him," said Kathleen.   "By the sound of it, he was an
intelligent man and he was a scientist.   He would have brought notes or tapes or negatives or something."
    Fitzduane gave
a vaguely frustrating shrug.   "Two
packages were found on Patricio's body," he said.   "Clearly, he considered the material
important, because they were concealed and strapped to him under his
jacket.   One package contained a layout
of the base and the diagram of what they say is some kind of computerized controller.   The other consisted of a small metal bar and
some chips of concrete.
    "A
controller for what?" said Kathleen.
    "The lab
thinks gas," said Fitzduane.   "It controls the precise blending of gas.   There is a self-monitoring facility built in
and the processes are triplicated, and all three have to agree or the procedure
is shut down.   So whatever the system is,
precision is vital."
    "Any idea
what gases," said Kathleen.
    "We don't
know," said Fitzduane, "except that there are indications that the
quantities involved would be substantial."
    "Does the
layout of the base give any hints?" said Kathleen.
    "It might
have if it had been completed," said Fitzduane, "but though there is
considerable detail of the perimeter fencing, guard posts and the like, most of
the explanations are missing.   It looks
as if he started off with what he could see and was adding the rest as he
discovered what other buildings were for.   Different pens were used, for instance.   Anyway, he never finished it."
    "What
about the metal bar?" said Kathleen.   "Uranium?   Plutonium?   Radioactive who-knows-what?   Something sexy like
that?"
    Fitzduane
smiled slightly and shook his head.   "There were no abnormal radiation readings from either the metal or
Patricio's body" — he saw the question on Kathleen's face — "nor from
the concrete chips."
    Kathleen
wrinkled her nose in mock irritation.   "So what was the metal?"
    "Steel,"
said Fitzduane, "a high -grade but relatively
common steel.   Maraging steel, it is
called."
    "It
sounds like a cooking process," said Kathleen.   "First ‘marage’ your steel.   Then add seasoning."
    "That's
not so far from the way it is," said Fitzduane.   "Though the final use
can be less domestic.   The stuff
is used for all kinds of critical applications — including weapons."
    "Gas, concrete,
and weapons-grade steel," said Kathleen, "in a heavily guarded remote
base.   This does not sound like a good
thing."
    "Maybe
not," said Fitzduane.   "But
they all constitute elements in a   high -tech oil research facility — and
that is exactly what this is supposed to be."
    "What are
they doing there?"
    "Tecuno
is mostly on a plateau," said Fitzduane.   "High desert.   In that part of the world, that translates
into rocky, shale-festooned, waterless terrain.   Blazing