tc.redrabbit-第84章

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　　　Oleg　Ivanovich　did　the　same；　puffing　on　his　cigarette。　Passing　through　Sofia；　he　found　himself　wondering　which　building　housed　the　Dirzhavna　Sugurnost。　Was　Colonel　Bubovoy　there；　working　on　his　plot；　probably　with　that　Colonel　Strokov？　How　far　along　might　they　be？　Was　the　Pope's　life　in　immediate　danger？　How　would　he　feel　if　the　Polish　priest　was　murdered　before　he　could　get　his　warning　out？　Could　he　or　should　he　have　moved　faster？　These　damned　questions；　and　no　one　in　whom　he　could　confide　them！　You　are　doing　your　best；　Oleg　Ivan'ch；　he　told　himself；　and　no　man　can　do　more　than　that！
　　　The　Sofia　station　looked　like　a　cathedral；　an　impressive　stone　building　with　an　almost　religious　purpose。　Somehow　he　wasn't　worried　now　about　a　KGB　arrest　team　boarding　the　train。　His　only　thoughts　were　to　press　on；　get　to　Budapest；　and　see　what　the　CIA　did　there。。。　and　hope　they　were　petent。　KGB　could　do　a　job　like　this　with　consummate　professionalism；　almost　like　stage　magicians。　Was　CIA　also　that　good？　On　Russian　TV；　they　were　frequently　portrayed　as　evil　but　bumbling　adversaries…but　that　wasn't　what　they　said　at　The　Centre。　No；　at　#2　Dzerzhinskiy　Square；　they　were　thought　to　be　evil　spirits；　always　on　the　prowl；　clever　as　the　devil　himself；　the　most　deadly　of　enemies。　So；　which　was　true？　Certainly　he'd　find　out　quickly　enough…one　way　or　another。　Zaitzev　stubbed　out　his　cigarette　and　led　his　family　back　to　their　partments。
　　　〃Looking　forward　to　the　mission；　Jack？〃　Harding　asked。
　　　〃Yeah；　like　the　dentist。　And　don't　tell　me　how　easy　it'll　be。　You've　never　gone　out　in　the　field　either。〃
　　　〃Your　own　people　suggested　this；　you　know。〃
　　　〃So；　when　I　get　home…if　I　get　home…I'll　slug　Admiral　Greer；〃　Ryan　responded；　half…but　only　half…joking。　〃I'm　not　trained　for　this；　Simon；　remember？〃
　　　〃How　many　people　are　trained　to　deal　with　a　direct　physical　attack？　You've　done　that；〃　Simon　reminded　him。
　　　〃Okay；　I　was　a　marine　lieutenant　once；　for…what　was　it？…eleven　months　or　so；　before　the　helicopter　crunched　on　Crete　and　I　got　my　back　broke。　Shit；　I　don't　even　like　roller…coasters。　My　mom　and　dad　loved　the　goddamned　things；　they　were　always　taking　me　up　in　them　at　Gwynn　Oak　Amusement　Park　when　I　was　a　little　kid。　Expected　me　to　like　the　damned　things；　too。　Dad；〃　Ryan　explained；　〃was　a　paratrooper　in　the　One　hundred　first　Airborne；　back　forty　years　ago。　Falling　out　of　the　sky　didn't　worry　him　too　much。〃　That　was　followed　by　a　snort。　One　nice　thing　about　the　Marine　Corps；　they　didn't　make　you　jump　out　of　an　airplane。　Well；　damn；　Jack　thought　suddenly。　Was　he　more　worried　about　this　than　the　airline　flight？　That　caused　a　downward　look　and　an　ironic　chuckle。　〃Do　your　field　officers　carry　weapons？〃
　　　That　generated　a　laugh。　〃Only　in　the　movies；　Jack。　They're　bloody　heavy　to　lug　about；　and　they　can　be　difficult　to　explain。　There　are　no　double…o　people　in　SIS…at　least　not　to　my　knowledge。　The　French　occasionally　kill　people；　and　they　are　actually　rather　good　at　it。　So　are　the　Israelis；　but　people　do　make　mistakes；　even　trained　professionals；　and　that　sort　of　thing　can　be　difficult　to　explain　to　the　press。〃
　　　〃You　can't　invoke　a　D…notice？〃
　　　〃Theoretically；　yes；　but　they　can　be　difficult　to　enforce。　Fleet　Street　has　its　own　rules；　you　see。〃
　　　〃So　does　The　Washington　Post；　as　Nixon　found　out。　So　I　ought　not　to　kill　anyone。〃
　　　〃I　would　try　to　avoid　it；〃　Simon　agreed；　munching　on　his　turkey　sandwich。
　　　Belgrade…Beograd　to　its　natives…also　had　a　fine　station。　In　the　previous　century；　evidently；　architects　had　worked　hard　to　outdo　each　other；　like　the　pious　ones　who'd　built　cathedrals　in　the　Middle　Ages。　The　train　was　several　hours　late；　he　saw　with　surprise。　He　couldn't　see　why。　The　train　hadn't　stopped　for　any　length　of　time　anywhere。　Perhaps　it　wasn't　traveling　as　fast　as　it　was　supposed　to。　Leaving　Belgrade；　it　snaked　up　some　modest　hills；　and　none　too　quickly　at　that。　He　imagined　this　country　would　be　pretty　in　winter。　Wasn't　there　an　uping　Olympiad　hereabouts？　The　winter　probably　came　here　about　the　same　time　it　did　in　Moscow；　It　was　a　little　late　this　year；　but　that　usually　meant　it　would　be　unusually　harsh　when　it　arrived。　He　wondered　what　winter　would　be　like　in　America。。。
　　　〃Ready；　Jack？〃　Charleston　asked　in　his　office。
　　　〃I　suppose。〃　Jack　looked　at　his　new　passport。　Since　it　was　a　diplomatic　one；　it　was　a　little　more　ornate　than　the　usual；　and　bound　in　red　leather；　with　the　Royal　Coat　of　Arms　on　the　front　cover。　He　paged　through　it　to　see　the　stamps　of　all　the　places　he　had　not　visited。　Thailand；　the　People's　Republic　of　China。　Damn；　Jack　thought；　I　really　do　get　around。　〃Why　this　visa？〃　he　asked。　The　U。K。　didn't　require　them　for　anybody。
　　　〃Hungary　controls　movement　in　and　out　rather　sternly。　They　require　an　entry　and　exit　visa。　You'll　not　be　needing　the　latter；　I　expect；〃　C　observed。　〃Hudson　will　probably　be　taking　you　out　in　a　southerly　direction。　He　has　good　relations　with　the　local　smugglers。〃
　　　〃Walking　over　any　mountains？〃　Ryan　asked。
　　　Basil　shook　his　head。　〃No；　we　don't　often　do　that。　Car　or　truck；　I　should　think。　Ought　not　to　be　any　problem　at　all；　my　boy。〃　He　looked　up。　〃It　really　is　quite　routine；　Jack。〃
　　　〃You　say　so；　sir。〃　It　damned　sure　isn't　for　me；
　　　Charleston　stood。　〃Good　luck；　Jack。　See　you　back　in　a　few　days。〃
　　　Ryan　took　his　hand。　〃Roger　that；　Sir　Basil。〃　Semper　fi；　pal。
　　　There　was　a　car　waiting　on　the　street。　Jack　hopped　in　the　left…front　seat；　and　the　driver　headed　east。　The　ride　took　about　fifty　minutes　with　the　light　afternoon　traffic；　almost　as　fast　as　the　train　would　have　been。
　　　On　getting　to　Chatham；　Ryan　found　his　daughter　napping；　Little　Jack　playing　with　his　feet…fascinating　things　they　were…in　the　playpen；　and　Miss　Margaret　sitting　with　a　magazine　in　the　living　room。
　　　〃Dr。　Ryan；　I　didn't　expect…〃
　　　〃That's　okay；　I　have　to　take　a　business　trip。〃　He　walked　to　the　wall　phone　in　the　kitchen　and　tried　calling　Cathy；　only　to　learn　that　she　was　giving　her　damned　lecture　on　her　laser　toy。　It　was　the　one　she　used　for　welding　blood　vessels　back　shut；　he　thought。　Something　like　that。　Frowning；　he　went　upstairs　for　his　bag。　He'd　try　to　call　her　from　the　airport。　But；　just　in　case；　he　scribbled　a　note。
　　　OFF　TO　BONN。　TRIED　TO　CALL。　WILL　TRY　AGAIN。　LOVE；　JACK。　This　one　found　its　way　to　the　refrigerator　door。　Ryan　bent　down　to　give　Sally　a　kiss　and　then　reached　down　to　lift　his　son　for　a　hug；　a　sloppy　one；　as　it　turned　out。　The　little　guy　dribbled　the　way　a　car　engine　dripped　oil。　That　necessitated　a　paper　towel　on　the　way　out。
　　　〃Have　a　good　trip；　Dr。　Ryan；〃　the　nanny　called。
　　　〃Thanks；　Margaret。　See　ya。〃　As　soon　as　the　car　pulled　off；　she　called　Century　House　to　let　people　know　Sir　John　was　on　the　way　to　Heathrow。　Then　she　went　back　to　her　magazine；　this　month's　Tattler。
　　　The　train　came　to　an　unexpected　halt　in　a　yard　right　at　the　Hungarian　frontier；　near　the　town　of　Zombor。　Zaitzev　hadn't　known　about　this；　and　the　surprise　was　soon　pounded。　There　were　cranes　on　their　side　of　the　train；　and　no　sooner　had　the　train　stopped　than　a　crowd　of　coveralled　workmen　appeared。
　　　The　Hungarian　State　Railway　operated　on　standard　gauge；　the　tracks　1；435　millimeters…4　feet；　814　inches…apart；　which　was　the　world's　standard；　and　which　incongruously　dated　back　to　the　two…horse　chariots　used　by　the　Romans。　But　the　Russian　train　gauge　was　five　feet；　or　1；524　millimeters…for　some　reason　no　one　remembered。　The　solution　to　that　here　was　to　lift　the　train　bodies　off　the　Russian　tracks…the　wheel　sets…and　lower　them　onto　a　different　set。　That　took　about　an　hour；　but　it　was　efficiently　done；　for　all　that。　It　utterly　fascinated　Svedana；　and　it　even　impressed　her　father　that　the　task　was　performed　so　routinely。　An　hour　and　twenty　minutes　later；　they　were　moving　almost　due　north　on　narrower　tracks　behind　a　new　electric　lootive；　crossing　the　rich　agricultural　soil　of　Hungary。　Almost　at　once；　Svetlana　chirped　at　the　sight　of　men　in　local　dress　riding　horses；　which　struck　both　parents　and　child　as　quite　exotic。
　　　The　aircraft　was　a　fairly　new　Boeing　737　and；　for　this　trip；　Ryan　decided　to　take　a　friend。　He　bought　a　pack　of　cigarettes　at　the　airport　and　lit　one　up　at　once　on　the　concourse。
　　　The　good　news　was　that　he'd　been　give　a　first…class　window　seat；　1…A。　The　scenery　up　in　the　sky　was　the　only　good　part　of　flying；　with　the　additional　bonus　that　nobody　could　see　the　fear　in　your　face；　except　maybe　the　stewardess；　because　like　doctors　they　could　probably　also　smell　fear。　But　up　front　the　booze　was　free；　and　so　Ryan　tried　to　order　whiskey；　only　to　find　that　the　selection　was　Scotch　（which　he　didn't　like）；　vodka　（which　he　didn't　like）；　or　gin　（which　he　could　not　stand　in　his　presence）。　It　was　the　wrong　airline　for　Jack　Daniel's；　but　the　wine　list　was　okay；　and；　climbing　to　cruise　altitude；　the　no…smoking　light　dinged　off；　and　Ryan　lit　up　another　smoke。　Not　as　good　as　a　nice　bourbon；　but　better　than　nothing　at　all。　At　least　it　enabled　him　to　lean　back　and　pretend　to　relax　behind　closed　eyes；　occasionally　looking　out　to　see　if　the　stuff　under　the　aircraft　was　green　or　blue。　The　flight　was　agreeably　smooth；　with　only　a　few　bumps　to　make　him　grab　for　the　armrests；　and　three　glasses　of　a　decent　French　white　helped　smooth　his　anxiety　out。　About　halfway　there；　over　Belgium；　he　got　back　to　thinking。　How　many　people　hated　flying？　Maybe　a　third；　maybe　half？　How　many　of　them　detested　it　as　much　as　he　did？　Half　of　those？　So；　probably；　he　wasn't　alone。　Fearful　people　tried　to　hide　it；　and　a　look　around　showed　faces　much　the　same　as　his　probably　was。　So　at　least　he　probably　wasn't　the　only　wimp　on　the　airplane。　And　the　wine　was　nice　and　fruity。
　　　And　if　the　ULA　hadn't　been　able　to　punch　his　ticket　with　Uzis　right　in　his　home　on　the　Chesapeake　Bay；　then　random　chance　was　probably　on　his　side　as　well。　So　he　might　as　well　relax　and　enjoy　the　ride…he　was　stuck　here　one　way　or　another；　after　all；　and　the　Boeing　cruised　along　at　500　knots　or　so。
　　　There　were　a　few　bumps　in　the　descent；　but　for　Ryan　this　was　the　one　part　of　the　flight　during　which　he　felt　safe…when　the　aircraft　was　returning　to　earth。　Intellectually；　he　knew　that　this　was　actually　the　most　dangerous　part；　but　somehow　his　gut　didn't　see　it　that　way。　He　heard　the　whine　of　various　servos；　and　then　the　whooshing　sound　that　announced　the　open　landing…gear　doors；　and　then　felt　safe　enough　to　see　the　ground　rushing　toward　him。　The　landing　was　bumpy；　but　Jack　weled　it。　He　was　back　on　the　ground；　where　you　could　stand　up　and　ambulate　all　by　yourself　at　a　reasonably　safe　speed。　Good。
　　　They　were　in　another　train　yard；　packed　with　boxcars　and　cattle　cars；　and　their　train　car　jostled　back　and　forth　through　switches　and　turns。　Once　more；　zaichik　had　her　nose　against　the　glass；　and　finally　they　passed　under　a　glass　roof　and　the　train　jerked　to　a　stop　in　Eastern　Station。　Semi…uniformed　and　rather　scruffy…looking　porters　drew　up　by　the　baggage　car。　Zaichik　practically　leaped　off　the　car　to　look　around；　almost　outracing　her　mother；　who　fumbled　after　her　with　their　carry…on　bags。　Oleg　walked　to　the　baggage　car　and　oversaw　the　transfer　of　his　bags　to　the　two…wheel　hand　truck。　They　walked　away　from　the　train；　through　the　old　and　rather　seedy　ticket　room；　and　from　there　outside　to　the　cabst