“These are some of the senior offices. Their secretarial assistants sit outside them. If you get lost, those women are a wonderful resource. Down this way are our interrogation—erm, interview rooms, and beyond that, one of our gymnasiums.”
It was quite an involved operation, she noticed. And rather obvious, since it stood in the middle of an open field.
“Sir, I understand this is top secret, but what do we say if someone asks? This place is quite large and… noticeable.”
“Yes, it is. We have about two hundred seventy-five acres here. The people in this area believe that our installation is a part of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and that we are extending the radio service for local customers. The antennae outside help with that illusion.”
Brilliant, she thought, warming to the camp.
“However, no one will ask you, because you won’t be leaving the premises.”
“Ever?” she squeaked.
He stopped short. “I’m afraid not. In your position, you will be in possession of top secret material. The only way to leave here would be under very special circumstances, and even then, permission may be denied.”
Dot’s spirit sank. It didn’t matter how close she was to her parents. It was an impossible distance to cross.
“What about letters? Can I still write letters to my family?”
“Of course,” he replied. “And in them, you will find new and fascinating ways of describing how ridiculously tedious your life as a clerk truly is. Now, back to the tour.” Gerald turned. “As you drove in, you no doubt noticed the Communications Building, where our teletype machines are constantly tapping away. Women work on those machines day and night. Beyond them is our codebreaking room.”
“Is that where I will be working?”
“Not quite. We have something planned for you which is a little moreinvolved. I will explain that later. I understand you are fluent in Morse code and quite impressive at decoding as well.”
“Yes, sir. Morse code is my second language.”
“As I thought. Excellent. Moving along…”
“Bang!” someone yelled as they passed an open door, and Dot flinched.
Just inside the room, a man held a pistol near the back of a woman’s head. Dot glanced at Gerald, concerned, but her guide was observing with interest.
“Faster!” the man barked. “Come on, Susan. You can do this. Try again.”
Gerald entered the room, curling a finger toward Dot. “We’ll stay back here,” he whispered, “out of the way, but this will be your first lesson in self-defence. Watch. The attacker is about a yard behind her, his gun pointed at her back. At that distance, she has no idea where he is exactly, but as soon as she becomes aware of his presence, she will have to disarm him, or she’s dead. You’ll learn this when you begin your training.”
Someone was going to point a gun at the back of Dot’s head?
She watched in stunned silence as Susan failed the next two times. On the third, she saw the woman’s jaw tighten with determination. In a blur, she knocked her attacker flat then turned the gun on him. Dot tucked her hands in her armpits to keep from applauding.
The man rolled back to his feet and took the weapon back. “Again.”
From there, Gerald led Dot through a classroom. He called it a lecture hall and said she and other prospective agents would learn from the blackboard, the books in the library, and their teachers. They would be tested repeatedly. If they failed after eight weeks, they were not welcome to remain at Camp X.
“Does all of this include me? I’m sorry, sir. I’m afraid I still do not understand my role here.”
“Naturally, you will be working in communications. Among otherthings, you will listen to coded messages from and about our agents, you will send coded transmissions when required, and you will decrypt messages. Generally, you will be working with Hydra.”
Her pulse picked up. “Hydra, sir?”
“Yes. We’ll get to that. Maybe tomorrow. It’s rather dark outside to show you now.” He frowned. “I realize that in my rush tonight I forgot to mention something important, and I must clear that up first. You arenotbeing trained to become an agent, but youwillbe training alongside them. Eight weeks of training is mandatory.”
“Training, sir? Like drills?”
“Oh yes.” He smiled, looking temporarily younger despite his silver moustache. “It’s quite a lot, actually. Physical training exercises as well as classroom and practical education. Everyone here must be prepared to defend the camp at any time.”
Defend the camp. Gun at her head. What in the world?
