tc.redrabbit-第67章

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o　be　nontrivial　for　this　sort　of　handling。　He　picked　up　his　phone　and　hit　speed…dial　#5。
　　　〃This　is　Basil　Charleston。〃
　　　〃Basil；　it's　Randy。　Something　just　came　in　for　you。　Can　I　bring　it　over？〃
　　　A　sound　of　shuffling　papers。　Basil　would　know　this　was　important。　〃Say；　ten　o'clock；　Randy？〃
　　　〃Right。　See　you　then。〃　Silvestri　sipped　his　coffee　and　estimated　the　time　required。　He　could　sit　here　for　about　an　hour　before　heading　over。　Next　he　punched　his　inter　button。
　　　〃Yes；　sir？〃
　　　〃Annie；　I　have　a　package　to　be　couriered　to　Moscow。　We　got　a　bagman　on　deck？〃
　　　〃Yes；　sir。〃
　　　〃Okay；　could　you　take　this　down　to　him？〃
　　　〃Yes；　sir。〃　CIA　secretaries　are　not　paid　to　be　verbose。
　　　〃Good。　Thanks。〃　Silvestri　hung　up。
　　　Jack　and　Cathy　were　on　the　train；　passing　through　Elephant　and　Castle…and　he'd　still　not　learned　how　the　damned　place　had　gotten　that　name；　Jack　reminded　himself。　The　weather　looked　threatening。　England　wasn't　broad　enough　for　a　storm　system　to　linger；　Ryan　thought。　Maybe　there　was　just　a　series　of　rain　clouds　ing　across　the　Atlantic？　In　any　case；　between　yesterday　and　today；　his　personal　record　of　fair　weather　over　here　seemed　to　be　ending。　Too　bad。
　　　〃Just　glasses　this　week；　babe？〃　he　asked　his　wife；　her　head　buried　as　usual　in　a　medical　journal。
　　　〃All　week；〃　she　confirmed。　Then　she　looked　up。　〃It's　not　as　exciting　as　surgery；　but　it's　still　important；　you　know。〃
　　　〃Cath；　if　you　do　it；　it　must　be　important。〃
　　　〃And　you　can't　say　what　you'll　be　doing？〃
　　　〃Not　until　I　get　to　my　desk。〃　And　probably　not　then；　either。　Whatever　it　was；　it　had　doubtless　been　transmitted　via　secure　printer　or　fax　line　overnight。。。　unless　it　was　something　really　important；　and　had　been　sent　via　courier。　The　time　difference　actually　made　that　fairly　convenient。　The　early　747　from　Dulles　usually　got　in　between　six　and　seven　in　the　morning；　and　then　it　was　forty　minutes　more　to　his　desk。　The　government　could　work　more　efficiently　than　Federal　Express　when　it　wanted　to。　Another　fifteen　minutes　of　his　Daily　Telegraph　and　her　NEJM　and　they　parted　pany　at　Victoria。　Cathy　perversely　took　the　tube。　Ryan　opted　for　a　cab。　It　hustled　past　the　Palace　of　Westminster；　then　hopped　across　the　Thames。　Ryan　paid　the　four　pounds　fifty　and　added　a　healthy　tip。　Ten　seconds　later；　he　was　inside。
　　　〃Good　morning；　Sir　John；〃　Bert　Canderton　called　in　greeting。
　　　〃Howdy；　Sar…Major；〃　Ryan　said　in　reply；　sliding　his　pass　through　the　gate；　then　to　the　elevator　and　up　to　his　floor。
　　　Simon　was　already　in　his　seat；　going　over　message　traffic。　His　eyes　came　up　when　Jack　entered。　〃Morning；　Jack。〃
　　　〃Hey；　Simon。　How　was　the　weekend？〃
　　　〃Didn't　get　any　gardening　done。　Bloody　rain。〃
　　　〃Anything　interesting　this　morning？〃　He　poured　himself　a　cup　of　coffee。　Simon's　English　Breakfast　Tea　wasn't　bad　for　tea；　but　tea　just　didn't　make　it　for　Jack；　at　least　not　in　the　morning。　They　didn't　have　bear　claws　here；　either；　and　Jack　had　neglected　to　get　his　croissant　on　the　way　in。
　　　〃Not　yet；　but　something's　ing　in　from　America。〃
　　　〃What　is　it？〃
　　　〃Basil　didn't　say；　but　when　something　es　in　by　hand　on　a　Monday　morning；　it's　usually　interesting。　Must　be　Soviet…related。　He's　told　me　to　stand　by　for　it。〃
　　　〃Well；　might　as　well　start　the　week　with　something　interesting。〃　Ryan　sipped　his　coffee。　It　wasn't　quite　up　to　what　Cathy　made；　but　better　than　tea。　〃When's　it　ing　in？〃
　　　〃About　ten。　Your　Station　Chief；　Silvestri；　is　driving　it　over。〃
　　　Ryan　had　only　met　him　once。　He'd　seemed　petent　enough；　but　you　expected　that　of　a　COS；　even　one　in　a　sunset　posting。
　　　〃Nothing　new　from　Moscow？〃
　　　〃Just　some　new　rumors　about　Brezhnev's　health。　It　seems　that　stopping　smoking　did　him　precious　little　good；〃　Harding　said；　lighting　his　pipe。　〃Nasty　old　bugger；〃　the　Brit　analyst　added。
　　　〃What　about　this　stuff　from　Afghanistan？〃
　　　〃Ivan's　getting　cleverer。　Those　Mi…24　helicopters　seem　to　be　rather　effective。　Bad　news　for　the　Afghans。〃
　　　〃How　do　you　think　that's　going　to　play　out？〃
　　　Harding　shrugged。　〃It's　a　question　of　how　many　casualties　Ivan　is　willing　to　take。　They　have　the　firepower　they　need　to　win；　and　so　it's　a　matter　of　political　will。　Unfortunately　for　the　Mujahideen；　the　leadership　in　Moscow　doesn't　trouble　itself　very　much　with　casualties。〃
　　　〃Unless　something　changes　the　equation；〃　Ryan　thought　out　loud。
　　　〃Like　what？〃
　　　〃Like　an　effective　surface…to…air　missile　to　neutralize　their　helos。　We　have　the　Stinger。　Never　used　it　myself；　but　the　write…up's　pretty　good。〃
　　　〃But　can　a　mob　of　illiterate　savages　use　a　missile　properly？〃　Harding　asked　dubiously。　〃A　modern　rifle；　certainly。　A　machine　gun；　sure。　But　a　missile？〃
　　　〃The　idea　is　to　make　a　new　weapon　soldier…proof；　Simon。　You　know；　simple　enough　that　you　don't　have　to　think　while　you're　dodging　bullets。　There's　not　much　time　to　think　then；　and　you　make　the　steps　as　short　as　you　can。　Like　I　said；　I've　never　used　that　one；　but　I've　played　with　anti…tank　weapons；　and　they're　pretty　simple。〃
　　　〃Well；　your　government　will　have　to　decide　to　give　them　the　SAMs；　and　they　haven't　yet。　Hard　for　me　to　get　overly　excited　about　it。　Yes；　they　are　killing　Russians；　and　I　reckon　that's　good；　but　they　are　bloody　savages。〃
　　　And　they　killed　a　lot　of　Brits　once；　Ryan　reminded　himself；　and　Brit　memories　are　as　long　as　anyone　else's。　There　was　also　the　issue　of　having　Stingers　fall　into　Russian　hands；　which　would　not　make　the　United　States　Air　Force　terribly　happy。　But　that　was　well　above　his　pay　grade。　There　were　some　rumbles　in　Congress　about　it；　though。
　　　Jack　settled　into　his　seat；　sipped　his　coffee；　and　read　his　message　traffic。　After　that　he'd　get　back　to　his　real　job　of　analyzing　the　Soviet　economy。　That　would　be　like　drafting　a　road　map　of　a　plateful　of　spaghetti。
　　　Silvestri's　job　in　London　was　not　a　secret。　He'd　been　in　the　spook　business　too　long；　and　while　he　hadn't　been　burned　per　se；　the　East　Bloc　had　pretty　much　guessed　which　government　agency　he　worked　for　by　the　end　of　his　stay　in　Warsaw；　where　he'd　run　a　very　tight　shop　and　winkled　out　a　lot　of　good　political　intelligence。　This　was　to　be　his　final　tour　of　duty…the　same　was　true　of　most　of　his　officers…and　since　he　was　respected　by　various　allied　services；　he'd　drawn　the　London　posting；　where　his　main　job　was　interfacing　with　the　British　Secret　Intelligence　Service。　So　he　had　an　embassy　Daimler　drive　him　over　across　the　river。
　　　He　didn't　even　need　a　pass　to　get　through　security。　Sir　Basil　himself　was　waiting　for　him　at　the　entrance；　where　hands　were　cordially　shaken　before　the　trip　upstairs。
　　　〃What's　the　news；　Randy？〃
　　　〃Well；　I　have　a　package　for　you；　and　one　for　that　Ryan　guy；〃　Silvestri　announced。
　　　〃Indeed。　Should　I　call　him　in？〃
　　　The　London　COS　had　read　the　cover　sheet　and　knew　what　was　in　the　packages。　〃Sure；　Bas；　no　problem。　Harding；　too；　if　you　want。〃
　　　Charleston　lifted　his　phone　and　made　the　summons。　The　two　analysts　arrived　in　less　than　two　minutes。　They　had　all　met　at　least　once。　Ryan；　in　fact；　was　the　least　familiar　with　the　other　American。　Sir　Basil　pointed　them　to　seats。　He'd　already　ripped　his　envelope　open。　Silvestri　handed　Ryan　his　own　message。
　　　For　his　part；　Jack　was　already　thinking　oh；　shit。　Something　unusual　was　in　the　offing；　and　he'd　learned　not　to　trust　new　and　different　things　at　CIA。
　　　〃This　is　interesting；〃　Charleston　observed。
　　　〃Do　I　open　this　now？〃　Ryan　asked。　Silvestri　nodded；　so　he　took　out　his
　　　Swiss　Army　Knife　and　sliced　through　the　heavy　manila　paper。　His　message　was　only　three　pages；　personally　signed　by　Admiral　Greer。
　　　A　Rabbit；　he　saw。　He　knew　the　terminology。　Somebody　wanted　a　ticket　out　of。。。　Moscow。。。　and　CIA　was　providing　it；　with　the　help　of　SIS　because　Station　Budapest　was　currently　out　of　business。。。
　　　〃Tell　Arthur　that　we　will　be　pleased　to　assist；　Randy。　We　will；　I　assume；　get　a　chance　to　speak　with　him　before　you　fly　him　off　to　London？〃
　　　〃It's　only　fair；　Bas；〃　Silvestri　confirmed。　〃How　hard　to　pull　this　one　off；　you　suppose？〃
　　　〃Out　of　Budapest？〃　Charleston　thought　for　a　moment。　〃Not　all　that　difficult；　I　should　think。　The　Hungarians　have　a　rather　nasty　secret…police　organization；　but　the　country　as　a　whole　is　not　devoutly　Marxist…oh；　this　Rabbit　says　that　KGB　may　have　promised　your　munications。　That　is　what　Langley　is　excited　about。〃
　　　〃Damned　straight；　Basil。　If　that's　a　hole；　we　have　to　plug　it　up　fast。〃
　　　〃This　guy's　in　their　MERCURY？　Jesus　Christ；〃　Ryan　breathed。
　　　〃You　got　that　one　right；　sonny；〃　Silvestri　agreed。
　　　〃But　what　the　hell　am　I　going　into　the　field　for？〃　Jack　demanded　next。　〃I'm　not　a　field　officer。〃
　　　〃We　need　one　of　ours　to　keep　an　eye　on　things。〃
　　　〃I　quite　understand；　Randy；〃　Charleston　observed；　his　head　still　down　in　his　briefing　papers。　〃And　you　want　someone　whom　the　opposition　doesn't　know？〃
　　　〃So　it　seems。〃
　　　〃But　why　me？〃　Ryan　persisted。
　　　〃Jack；〃　Sir　Basil　soothed；　〃your　only　job　will　be　to　watch　what　happens。　It's　just　pro　forma。〃
　　　〃But　what　about　my　cover？〃
　　　〃We'll　give　you　a　new　diplomatic　passport；〃　C　answered。　〃You　will　be　quite　safe。　The　Vienna　Convention；　you　know。〃
　　　〃But。。。　but。。。　it'll　be　fake。〃
　　　〃They　won't　know　that；　dear　boy。〃
　　　〃What　about　my　akzint？〃　It　was　painfully　obvious　that　his　accent　was　an　American's；　not　a　Brit's。
　　　〃In　Hungary？〃　Silvestri　asked　with　a　smile。
　　　〃Jack；　with　their　bloody　language；　I　seriously　doubt　they　will　notice　the　difference；　and　in　any　case；　with　your　new　documents；　your　person　is　quite　inviolable。〃
　　　〃Relax；　kid。　It's　better　than　your　little　girl's　teddy　bear。　Trust　me　on　that　one；　okay？〃　Silvestri　assured　him。
　　　〃And　you'll　have　a　security　officer　with　you　at　all　times；〃　Charleston　added。
　　　Ryan　had　to　sit　back　and　take　a　breath。　He　couldn't　allow　himself　to　appear　to　be　a　wuss；　not　in　front　of　these　guys　and　not　before　Admiral　Greer。　〃Okay；　excuse　me。　It's　just　that　I've　never　been　in　the　field　before。　It's　all　kinda　new　to　me。〃　He　hoped　that　was　adequate　backpedaling。　〃What　exactly　will　I　be　doing；　and　how　do　I　go　about　it？〃
　　　〃We'll　fly　you　into　Budapest　out　of　Heathrow。　Our　chaps　will　pick　you　up　at　the　airport　and　take　you　to　the　embassy。　You　will　sit　it　out　there…a　couple　of　days；　I　expect…and　then　watch　how　Andy　gets　your　Rabbit　out　of　Redland。　Randy；　how　long　would　you　expect？〃
　　　〃To　get　this　moving？　End　of　the　week；　maybe　a　day　or　two　longer；〃　Silvestri　thought。　〃The　Rabbit　will　fly　or　take　the　train　to　Budapest；　and　your　man　will　figure　how　to　get　him　the　hell　out　of　Dodge　City。〃
　　　〃Two　or　three　days　for　that；〃　Sir　Basil　estimated。　〃Mustn't　be　too　quick。〃
　　　〃Okay；　that　keeps　me　away　from　home　for　four　days。　What's　my　cover　story？〃
　　　〃For　your　wife？〃　Charleston　asked。　〃Tell　her　that　you　have　to　go　to…oh；　to　Bonn；　shall　we　say；　on　NATO　business。　Be　vague　on　the　time　factor；〃　he　advised。　He　was　inwardly　amused　to　have　to　explain　this　to　the　Innocent　American　Abroad。
　　　〃Okay；〃　Ryan　conceded　the　point。　Not　like　I　have　a　hell　of　a　lot　of　choice　in　the　matter；　is　there？
　　　Upon　getting　back　to　the　embassy；　Foley　walked　to　Mike　Barnes's　office。　Barnes　was　the　Cultural　Attache；　the　official　expert　on　artsy…fartsy　stuff。　That　was　a　major　assignment　in　Moscow。　The　USSR　had　a　fairly　rich　cultural　life。　The　fact　that　the　best　part　of　it　da