CHAPTER XXI 'THE PERSUADER'

KREBS ECHOED the maniac laugh with a high giggle. "A master-stroke, mein Kapitдn. You should have seen them charge off down the hill. The one that burst. Wunderschцn! Like the lavatory paper of a giant. That one will have made a pretty parcel of him. He was just coming round the bend. And the second salvo was as good as the first. Did you see the driver's face? Zum Kotzen! And the Firma Bowater! A fine paperchase they have got on their hands."
"You did well," said Drax briefly, his mind elsewhere.
Suddenly he pulled into the side of the road with a scream ' of protest from the tyres.
"Donnerwetter," he said angrily, as he started to turn the car. "But we can't leave the man there. We must get him." The car was already hissing back down the road. "Gun," ordered Drax briefly.
They passed the lorry at the top of the hill. It was stopped and there was no sign of the driver. Probably telephoning to the company, thought Drax, slowing up as they went round the first bend. There were lights on in the two or three houses and a group of people were standing round one of the rolls of newsprint that lay amongst the ruins of their front gate. There were more rolls in the hedge on the right side of the road. On the left a telegraph pole leant drunkenly, snapped in the middle. Then at the next bend was the beginning of a great confusion of paper stretching away down the long hill, festooning the hedges and the road like the sweepings of some elephantine fancy-dress ball.
The Bentley had nearly broken through the railings that fenced off the right of the bend from a steep bank. Amidst a puzzle of twisted iron stanchions it hung, nose down, with one wheel, still attached to the broken back axle, poised crookedly over its rump like a surrealist umbrella.
Drax pulled up and he and Krebs got out and stood quietly, listening.
There was no sound except the distant rumination of a car travelling fast on the Ashford road and the chirrup of a sleepless cricket.
With their guns out they walked cautiously over to the remains of the Bentley, their feet crunching the broken glass on the road. Deep furrows had been cut across the grass verge and there was a strong smell of petrol and burnt rubber in the air. The hot metal of the car ticked and crackled softly and steam was still fountaining from the shattered radiator.
Bond was lying face downwards at the bottom of the bank twenty feet away from the car. Krebs turned him over. His face was covered with blood but he was breathing. They searched him thoroughly and Drax pocketed the slim Beretta. Then together they hauled him across the road and wedged him into the back seat of the Mercedes, half on top of Gala.
When she realized who it was she gave a cry of horror. "Halt's Maul" snarled Drax. He got into the front seat and while he turned the car Krebs leant over from the front seat and busied himself with a long piece of flex. "Make a good job of it," said Drax. "I don't want any mistakes." He had an afterthought. "And then go back to the wreck and get the number plates. Hurry. I will watch the road."
Krebs pulled the rug over the two inert bodies and jumped out of the car. Using his knife as a screwdriver he was soon back with the plates, and the big car started to move just as a group of the local residents appeared walking nervously down the hill shining their torches over the scene of devastation.
Krebbs grinned happily to himself at the thought of the stupid English having to clean up all this mess. He settled himself back to enjoy the part of the drive he had always liked best, the spring woods full of bluebells and celandines on the way to Chilham.
They had made him particularly happy at night. Lit up amongst the green torches of the young trees by the great headlamps of the Mercedes, they made him think of the beautiful forests of the Ardennes and of the devoted little band with which he had served, and of driving along in a captured American jeep with, just like tonight, his adored leader at the wheel. Der Tag had been a long time coming, but now it was here. With young Krebs in the van. At last the cheering crowds, the medals, the women, the flowers. He gazed out at the fleeting hosts of bluebells and felt warm and happy.
Gala could taste Bond's blood. His face was beside hers on the leather seat and she shifted to give him more room. His breathing was heavy and irregular and she wondered how badly he was hurt. Tentatively she whispered into his ear. And then louder. He groaned and his breath came faster.
"James," she whispered urgently. "James."
He mumbled something and she pushed hard against him.
He uttered a string of obscenities and his body heaved.
He lay still again and she could almost feel him exploring his sensations.
"It's me, Gala." She felt him stiffen.
"Christ," he said. "Hell of a mess."
"Are you all right? Is anything broken?"
She felt him tense his arms and legs. "Seems all right," he said. "Crack on the head. Am I talking sense?"
"Of course," said Gala. "Now listen."
Hurriedly she told him all she knew, beginning with the notebook.
His body was as rigid as a board against her, and he hardly breathed as he listened to the incredible story.
Then they were running into Canterbury and Bond put his mouth to her ear. "Going to try and chuck myself over the back," he whispered. "Get to a telephone. Only hope."
He started to heave himself up on his knees, his weight almost grinding the breath out of the girl.
There was a sharp crack and he fell back on top of her.
"Another move out of you and you're dead," said the voice of Krebs coming softly between the front seats.
Only another twenty minutes to the site! Gala gritted her teeth and set about bringing Bond back to consciousness again.
She had only just succeeded when the car drew up at the door of the launching-dome and Krebs, a gun in his hand, was undoing the bonds round their ankles.
They had a glimpse of the familiar moonlit cement and of the semi-circle of guards some distance away before they were hustled through the door and, when their shoes had been torn off by Krebs, out on to the iron catwalk inside the launching-dome.
There the gleaming rocket stood, beautiful, innocent, like a new toy for Cyclops.
But there was a horrible smell of chemicals in the air and to Bond the Moonraker was a giant hypodermic needle ready to be plunged into the heart of England. Despite a growl from Krebs he paused on the stairway and looked up at its glittering nose. A million deaths. A million. A million. A million.
On his hands? For God's sake! On his hands? With Krebs's gun prodding him, he went slowly down the steps on the heels of Gala.
As he turned through the doors of Drax's office, he pulled himself together. Suddenly his mind was clear and all the lethargy and pain had left his body. Something, anything, must be done. Somehow he would find a way. His whole body and mind became focused and sharp as a blade. His eyes were alive again and defeat sloughed off him like the skin of a snake.
Drax had gone ahead and was sitting at his desk. He had a Luger in his hand. It was pointing at a spot halfway between Bond and Gala and it was steady as a rock.
Behind him, Bond heard the double doors thud shut.
"I was one of the best shots in the Brandenburg Division," said Drax conversationally. "Tie her to that chair, Krebs. Then the man."
Gala looked desperately at Bond.
"You won't shoot," said Bond. "You'd be afraid of touching off the fuel." He walked slowly towards the desk.
Drax smiled cheerfully and looked along the barrel at Bond's stomach. "Your memory is bad, Englishman," he said flatly. "I told you this room is cut off from the shaft by the double doors. Another step and you will have no stomach."
Bond looked at the confident, narrowed eyes and stopped.
"Go ahead, Krebs."
When they were both tied securely and painfully to the arms and legs of two tubular steel chairs a few feet apart beneath the glass wall-map, Krebs left the room. He came back in a moment with a mechanic's blowtorch.
He set the ugly machine on the desk, pumped air into it with a few brisk strokes of the plunger, and set a match to it. A blue flame hissed out a couple of inches into the room. He picked up the instrument and walked towards Gala. He stopped a few feet to one side of her.
"Now then," said Drax grimly. "Let's get this over without any fuss. The good Krebs is an artist with one of those things. We used to call him Der Zwangsmann-The Persuader. I shall never forget the way he went over the last spy we caught together. Just south of the Rhine, wasn't it, Krebs?"
Bond pricked up his ears.
"Yes, mein Kapitдn." Krebs chuckled reminiscently. "It was a pig of a Belgian."
"All right then," said Drax. "Just remember, you two. There's no fair play down here. No jolly good sports and all that. This is business." The voice cracked like a whip on the word. "You," he looked at Gala Brand, "who are you working for?"
Gala was silent.
"Anywhere you like, Krebs."
Krebs's mouth was half open. His tongue ran up and down his lower lip. He seemed to be having difficulty with his breathing as he took a step towards the girl.
The little flame roared greedily.
"Stop," said Bond coldly. "She works for Scotland, Yard. So do I." These things were pointless now. They were of no conceivable use to Drax. In any case, by tomorrow afternoon there might be no Scotland Yard.
"That's better," said Drax. "Now, does anybody know you are prisoners? Did you stop and telephone anyone?"
If I say yes, thought Bond, he will shoot us both and get rid of the bodies and the last chance of stopping the Moonraker will be gone. And if the Yard knows, why aren't they here already? No. Our chance may come. The Bentley will be found. Vallance may get worried when he doesn't hear from me.
"No," he said. "If I had, they'd be here by now."
"True," said Drax reflectively. "In that case I am no longer interested in you and I congratulate you on making the interview so harmonious. It might have been more difficult if you had been alone. A girl is always useful on these occasions. Krebs, put that down. You may go. Tell the others what is necessary. They will be wondering. I shall entertain our guests for a while and then I shall come up to the house. See the car gets properly washed down. The back seat. And get rid of the marks on the right-hand side. Tell them to take the whole panel off if necessary. Or they can set fire to the dam' thing. We shan't be needing it any more," he laughed abruptly. "Verstanden?"
"Yes, mein Kapitдn." Krebs reluctantly placed the softly roaring blowtorch on the desk beside Drax. "In case you need it," he said, looking hopefully at Gala and Bond. He went out through the double doors.
Drax put the Luger down on the desk in front of him. He opened a drawer and took out a cigar and lit it from a Ronson desk lighter. Then he settled himself comfortably. There was silence in the room for several minutes while Drax puffed contentedly at his cigar. Then he seemed to make up his mind. He looked benevolently at Bond.
"You don't know how I have longed for an English audience," he said as if he was addressing a Press conference.
"You don't know how I have longed to tell my story. As a matter of fact, a full account of my operations is now in the hands of a very respectable firm of Edinburgh solicitors. I beg their pardon-Writers to the Signet. Well out of danger." He beamed from one to the other. "And these good folk have instructions to open the envelope on the completion of the first successful flight of the Moonraker. But you lucky people shall have a preview of what I have written and then, when tomorrow at noon you see through those open doors," he gestured to his right, "the first wisp of steam from the turbines and know that you are to be burnt alive in about half a second, you will have the momentary satisfaction of knowing what it is all in aid of, as," he grinned wolfishly, "we Englishmen say."
"You can spare us the jokes," said Bond roughly. "Get on with your story, Kraut."
Drax's eyes blazed momentarily. "A Kraut. Yes, I am indeed a Reichsdeutscher"-the mouth beneath the red moustache savoured the fine word-"and even England will soon agree that ,they have been licked by just one single German. And then perhaps they'll stop calling us Krauts-BY ORDER!" The words were yelled out and the whole of Prussian militarism was in the parade-ground bellow.
Drax glowered across the desk at Bond, the great splayed teeth under the red moustache tearing nervously at one fingernail after another. Then, with an effort, he crammed his right hand into his trouser pocket, as if to put it out of temptation, and picked up his cigar with his left. He puffed at it for a moment and then, his voice still taut, he began.