'He's coming through on the hour,' one of the operators said, 'using the booster at Lausanne. Would you like to sit down?'

'No.'

They waited quietly with their hands on their laps and the light of the panel on their faces.

I'll need a shield, a sharp voice came from the main console, but you'll have to hurry. It sounded like Symes, but I didn't think they'd use him for an Asian job; both missions were designated Far East alongside the code names and he was a Latin-country specialist, you could smell the garlic the minute he came in for debriefing.

The operator flicked the switch for direct contact with the base director and started talking, but I didn't hear the rest because a light started winking on our unit and the man with the chewing-gum opened the signal and set to scramble and clarify.

'A-Alpha. Channel 3. Clarifying.'

We waited. The light went on winking.

'Croder.' There was a long pause. 'The weather's closing down everywhere, and the London flight was laid off.' His voice was thin and precise, the scrambler giving it a metallic echo. 'Have you brought Quiller in?'

'Yes, sir.' The operator slipped out of the padded chair and motioned me to take it.

I sat down. 'This is Quiller.'

'Ah yes.' A couple of seconds went by. 'You were on leave, I understand.'

'I still am.'

There was a much longer pause. 'Yes. I am on leave too. But I want you to listen very carefully. I don't think I can reach London with any immediate predictability, since a lot of flights are either being cancelled or diverted. But I can reach Berlin before midnight, according to current reports. I would like you to meet me there, as soon as you can get a plane.'

In a moment I said: 'Look, I'm still on leave and I need to relax. It's too soon.'

I felt Tilson move an inch, beside me.

'I understand that,' the thin, precise voice came from the speaker. 'But something rather exceptional has happened, and we've got to deal with it as soon as we can. Or if you prefer, I've got to deal with it. I was rather hoping you'd agree to help me, but — what can I say? You are on leave.'