They both took a swallow of the amber liquid and Dan gestured to Harry to continue.
‘I think,’ said Harry, ‘our own government has been a bit sneaky. As usual. In the United States and here, companies have been researching and perfecting fuel cell technology since the nineteen fifties. It’s no big secret – the NASA space program has always relied on them, including the space shuttle. It’s the only way they could generate the fuel to power the rockets while at the same time producing water for the crew and craft. What if our own government has been doing the same thing, trying to perfect fuel cell technology on a large scale so when the coal stops burning, they can effectively switch over to fuel cells instead?’
‘What’s that got to do with Delaney though – not to mention this group of his? What’s their interest in it?’ asked Dan.
Harry smiled. ‘A lot of organisations have been working on making bigger fuel cells – some are already widely used, but it’s really starting to take off now. I should’ve put two and two together at the beginning – I just didn’t see it,’ he said.
‘Harry – we couldn’t have got this far without your knowledge, so don’t beat yourself up,’ said Dan gently. ‘Just help me work this out so I can stop them.’
Harry nodded. ‘I know. It’s bloody frustrating though. I’m out of practice.’ He shrugged, took another sip of his drink, and then continued. ‘Fuel cells use platinum group metals.’
‘The same that Delaney has been buying into?’ interrupted Dan.
‘The exact same,’ Harry nodded. ‘In a fuel cell, the platinum group metal, gold we’re presuming in this instance, is used to coat the catalyst – the driver of the fuel cell if you like.’
Dan held up his hand. ‘Hang on, slow down. I didn’t do physics, remember?’
Harry grunted. ‘You did. I seem to remember you flunking it though.’
‘Thanks for the reminder,’ glared Dan. ‘Give me an idiot’s guide to fuel cells then.’
Harry smiled. ‘Easy. You need a reactant fuel – hydrogen for instance. The catalyst separates the protons and electrons within the fuel and the electrons are forced through a circuit – that’s what converts them to electrical power. Once the reaction has taken place, the catalyst puts the electrons back into the mix, which creates waste products like water. Very effective.’
He paused. ‘There are a few issues that have cropped up over the years though. It’s expensive – obviously, when you’re using platinum group metals – and you have to make sure the membrane around the fuel cell is kept hydrated so it doesn’t dry out. If it does, it’ll create too much heat and the fuel cell itself gets damaged. At the same time though, you have to make sure the water evaporates at a specific rate. If it evaporates too slowly, the fuel cell will become flooded which prevents the hydrogen reaching the catalyst.’
Harry took a sip of his drink then watched as he swirled the liquid around in his glass. ‘If someone has worked out how to perfect the manufacture of white gold powder on a large scale, they’re going to be able to generate a hell of a lot of energy in just one tiny fuel cell for a fraction of the cost it currently takes.’
Dan closed his eyes, lost in thought. Then he opened them. ‘David seems to think Delaney has worked out a way to make an atomic-like weapon. What do you think?’
Harry stared at the fire. The cat stood up and stretched lazily, then yawned and settled back onto its bed. Harry looked over at Dan.
‘He might have a point. When you try to turn white gold powder back into metallic gold, it can let off a small amount of radiation. If Delaney’s perfected that element of the process, he could very well use the hydrogen to propel the white gold reaction and generate an atomic explosion I suppose, especially if he lets the fuel cell dry out so it generates enough heat to start the reaction.’
Dan nodded. ‘That’s what I think he’s done. He’s going to take an alternative energy, probably the best one we’ve got, and scare people out of using it,’ he mused. ‘Do you think it’ll be enough to protect his coal business?’
‘Depends how big it is,’ said Harry. ‘If he’s successful and there’s an explosion somewhere, the media is only going to have to use the words ‘atomic bomb’ once and you’ve got mass hysteria.’
‘And in the meantime, we’ve got a car on a ship going somewhere and we don’t know much more,’ groaned Dan, slumping back into the armchair. Suddenly he sat up straight. ‘How is Delaney going to make sure the bomb will work when it reaches its destination – don’t fuel cells go flat?’
‘All he’d have to do is keep the fuel cells charged up – probably by wiring them up to the car battery,’ said Harry. ‘Until he hits the switch or whatever to trigger the reaction between the white gold powder and the hydrogen, it’ll be safe enough to transport.’
‘That black sedan is the key,’ agreed Dan. ‘We have to find it.’
Chapter 35
London
Dan parked the car on the side of the street and got out, hitting the alarm button on the key fob. He pulled his jacket closed and zipped it up against the cold breeze. He shoved the keys in his jeans pocket, checked the road for traffic then jogged over to the entrance of the apartment block.
He took the stairs two at a time. As he neared the fifth-floor landing, he happened to glance up, and then stopped in his tracks. He held onto the banister, and took another step, peering over the balustrade at the top of the stairs and across to the door to Sarah’s apartment.
It had been left slightly open.
He slunk closer to the outer wall of the staircase and crept upwards. He glanced over the staircase, listening for any movement.