璇玑之心刃·冷血悍将-第90部分

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‘Yes？‘　a　petty　officer　asked。
‘John　Kelly；　I　have　an　appointment　with　Admiral　Maxwell。‘　He　was　invited　to　take　a　seat。　On　the　coffee　table　was　a　copy　of　Navy　Times；　which　he　hadn‘t　read　since　leaving　the　service。　But　Kelly　was　able　to　control　his　nostalgia。　The　bitches　and　gripes　he　read　about　hadn‘t　changed　very　much。
‘Mr　Kelly？‘　a　voice　called。　He　rose　and　walked　through　the　open　door。　After　it　closed；　a　red　do…not…disturb　light　blinked　on　to　warn　people　off。
‘How　are　you　feeling；　John？‘　Maxwell　asked　first　of　all。
‘Fine；　sir；　thank　you。‘　Civilian　now　or　not；　Kelly　could　not　help　feeling　uneasy　in　the　presence　of　a　flag　officer。　That　got　worse　at　once　when　another　door　opened　to　admit　two　more　men；　one　in　civilian　clothes；　the　other　a　rear　admiral　…　another　aviator；　Kelly　saw；　with　the　medal　of　honor；　which　was　even　more　intimidating。　Maxwell　did　the　introductions。
‘I‘ve　heard　a　lot　about　you；‘　Podulski　said；　shaking　the　younger　man‘s　hand。
‘Thank　you；　sir。‘　Kelly　didn‘t　know　what　else　to　say。
‘Cas　and　I　go　back　a　ways；‘　Maxwell　observed；　handling　the　introductions。　‘I　got　fifteen‘　…　he　pointed　to　the　aircraft　panel　hanging　on　the　wall　…　‘Cas　got　eighteen。‘
‘All　on　film；　too；‘　Podulski　assured　him。
‘I　didn‘t　get　any；‘　Greer　said；　‘but　I　didn‘t　let　the　oxygen　rot　my　brain　either。‘　In　addition　to　wearing　soft　clothes；　this　admiral　had　the　map　case。　He　took　one　out；　the　same　panel　he　had　back　at　his　home；　but　more　marked　up。　Then　came　the　photographs；　and　Kelly　got　another　look　at　the　face　of　Colonel　Zacharias；　this　time　enhanced　somehow　or　other；　and　recognizably　similar　to　the　ID　photo　Greer　put　next　to　it。
‘I　was　within　three　miles　of　the　place；‘　Kelly　noted。　‘Nobody　ever　told　me　about　…‘
‘It　wasn‘t　there　yet。　This　place　is　new；　less　than　two　years　old；‘　Greer　explained。
‘Any　more　pictures；　James？‘　Maxwell　asked。
‘Just　some　SR…71　overheads；　high…obliques；　nothing　new　in　them。　I　have　a　guy　checking　every　frame　of　this　place；　a　good　guy；　ex…Air　Force。　He　reports　to　me　only。‘
‘You‘re　going　to　be　a　good　spy；‘　Podulski　noted　with　a　chuckle。
‘They　need　me　there；‘　Greer　replied　in　a　lighthearted　voice　bordered　with　serious　meaning。　Kelly　just　looked　at　the　other　three。　The　banter　wasn‘t　unlike　that　in　a　chief‘s　mess；　but　the　language　was　cleaner。　He　looked。　over　at　Kelly　again。　‘Tell　me　about　the　valley。‘
‘A　good　place　to　stay　away　from。‘
‘First；　tell　me　how　you　got　little　Dutch　back。　Every　step　of　the　way；‘　Greer　ordered。
Kelly　needed　fifteen　minutes　for　that；　from　the　time　he　left　USS　Skate　to　the　moment　the　helicopter　had　lifted　him　and　Lieutenant　Maxwell　from　the　river‘s　estuary　for　the　flight　to　Kitty　Hawk。　It　was　an　easy　story　to　tell。　What　surprised　him　were　the　looks　the　admirals　passed　back　and　forth。
Kelly　wasn‘t　equipped　to　understand　the　looks　yet。　He　didn‘t　really　think　of　the　admirals　as　old　or　even　as　totally　human。　They　were　admirals；　godlike；　ageless　beings　who　made　important　decisions　and　looked　as　they　should　look；　even　the　one　out　of　uniform。　Nor　did　Kelly　think　of　himself　as　young。　He‘d　seen　bat；　after　which　every　man　is　forever　changed。　But　their　perspective　was　different。　To　Maxwell；　Podulski；　and　Greer；　this　young　man　was　not　terribly　unlike　what　they　had　been　thirty　years　earlier。　It　was　instantly　clear　that　Kelly　was　a　warrior；　and　in　seeing　him　they　saw　themselves。　The　furtive　looks　they　traded　were　not　unlike　those　of　a　grandfather　watching　his　grandson　take　his　first　tentative　step　on　the　living…room　rug。　But　these　were　larger　and　more　serious　steps。
‘That　was　some　job；‘　Greer　said　when　Kelly　finished。　‘So　this　area　is　densely　populated？‘
‘Yes　and　no；　sir。　I　mean；　it‘s　not　a　city　or　like　that；　but　some　farms　and　stuff。　I　heard　and　saw　traffic　on　this　road。　Only　a　few　trucks；　but　lots　of　bicycles；　oxcarts；　that　sort　of　thing。‘
‘Not　much　military　traffic？‘　Podulski　asked。
‘Admiral；　that　stuff　would　be　on　this　road　here。‘　Kelly　tapped　the　map。　He　saw　the　notations　for　the　NVA　units。　‘How　are　you　planning　to　get　in　here？‘
‘There‘s　nothing　easy；　John。　We‘ve　looked　at　a　helicopter　insertion；　maybe　even　trying　an　amphibious　assault　and　racing　up　this　road。‘
Kelly　shook　his　head。　‘Too　far。　That　road　is　too　easy　to　defend。　Gentlemen；　you　have　to　understand；　Vietnam　is　a　real　nation　in　arms；　okay？　Practically　everybody　there　has　been　in　uniform；　and　giving　people　guns　makes　them　feel　like　part　of　the　team。　There　are　enough　people　with　guns　there　to　give　you　a　real　pain　ing　up　this　way。　You‘d　never　make　it。‘
‘The　people　really　support　the　munist　government？‘　Podulski　asked。　It　was　just　too　much　for　him　to　believe。　But　not　for　Kelly；
‘Jesus；　Admiral；　why　do　you　think　we‘ve　been　fighting　there　so　long？　Why　do　you　think　nobody　helps　pilots　who　get　shot　down？　They‘re　not　like　us　over　there。　That‘s　something　we‘ve　never　understood。　Anyway；　if　you　put　Marines　on　the　beach；　nobody‘s　going　to　wele　them。　Forget　racing　up　this　road；　sir。　I‘ve　been　there。　It　ain‘t　much　of　a　road；　not　even　as　good　as　it　looks　on　these　pictures。　Drop　a　few　trees　and　it‘s　closed。‘　Kelly　looked　up。　‘Has　to　be　choppers。‘
He　could　see　the　news　was　not　wele；　and　it　wasn‘t　hard　to　understand　why。　This　part　of　the　country　was　dotted　with　antiaircraft　batteries。　Getting　a　strike　force　in　wasn‘t　going　to　be　easy。　At　least　two　of　these　men　were　pilots；　and　if　a　ground　assault　had　looked　promising　to　them；　then　the　triple…A　problem　must　have　been　worse　than　Kelly　appreciated。
‘We　can　suppress　the　flak；‘　Maxwell　thought。
‘You‘re　not　talking　about　…52s　again；　are　you？‘　Greer　asked。
‘Newport　News　goes　back　on　the　gunline　in　a　few　weeks。　John；　ever　see　her　shoot？‘
Kelly　nodded。　‘Sure　did。　She　supported　us　twice　when　we　were　working　close　to　the　coast。　It‘s　impressive　what　those　eight…inchers　can　do。　Sir；　the　problem　is；　how　many　things　do　you　need　to　go　right　for　the　mission　to　succeed？　The　more　plicated　things　get；　the　easier　it　is　for　things　to　go　wrong；　and　even　one　thing　can　be　real　plicated。‘　Kelly　leaned　back　on　the　couch；　and　reminded　himself　that　what　he　had　just　said　wasn‘t　only　for　the　admirals　to　consider。
‘Dutch；　we　have　a　meeting　in　five　minutes；‘　Podulski　said　reluctantly。　This　meeting　had　not　been　a　successful　one；　he　thought。　Greer　and　Maxwell　weren‘t　so　sure　of　that。　They　had　learned　a　few　things。　That　counted　for　something。
‘Can　I　ask　why　you‘re　keeping　this　so　tight？‘　Kelly　asked。
‘You　guessed　it　before。‘　Maxwell　looked　over　at　the　junior　flag　officer　and　nodded。
‘The　Song　Tay　job　was　promised；‘　Greer　said。　‘We　don‘t　know　how；　but　we　found　out　later　through　one　of　our　sources　that　they　knew　…　at　least　suspected　…　something　was　ing。　They　expected　it　later；　and　we　ended　up　hitting　the　place　right　after　they　evacuated　the　prisoners；　but　before　they　had　their　ambush　set　up。　Good　luck；　bad　luck。　They　didn‘t　expect　Operation　KINGPIN　for　another　month。‘
‘Dear　God；‘　Kelly　breathed。　‘Somebody　over　here　deliberately　betrayed　them？‘
‘Wele　to　the　real　world　of　intelligence　operations；　Chief；‘　Greer　said　with　a　grim　smile。
‘But　why？‘
‘If　I　ever　meet　the　gentleman；　I　will　be　sure　to　ask。‘　Greer　looked　at　the　others。　‘That‘s　a　good　hook　for　us　to　use。　Check　the　records　of　the　operation；　real　low…key　like？‘
‘Where　are　they？‘
‘Eglin　Air　Force　base；　where　the　KINGPIN　people　trained。‘
‘Whom　do　we　send？‘　Podulski　asked。
Kelly　could　feel　the　eyes　turn　in　his　direction。　‘Gentlemen；　I　was　just　a　chief；　remember？‘
‘Mr　Kelly；　where‘s　your　car　parked？‘
‘In　the　city；　sir。　I　took　the　bus　over　here。‘
‘e　with　me。　There‘s　a　shuttle　bus　you　can　take　back　later。‘
They　walked　out　of　the　building　in　silence。　Greer‘s　car；　a　Mercury；　was　parked　in　a　visitor　slot　by　the　river　entrance。　He　waved　for　Kelly　to　get　in　and　headed　towards　the　George　Washington　Parkway。
‘Dutch　pulled　your　package。　I　got　to　read　it。　I‘m　impressed；　son。‘　What　Greer　didn‘t　say　was　that　on　his　battery　of　enlistment　tests；　Kelly　had　scored　an　average　of　147　on　three　separately　formatted　IQ　tests。　‘Every　mander　you　had　sang　your　praises。‘
‘I　worked　for　some　good　ones；　sir。‘
‘So　it　appears；　and　three　of　them　tried　to　get　you　into　OCS；　but　Dutch　asked　you　about　that。　I　also　want　to　know　why　you　didn‘t　take　the　college　scholarship。‘
‘I　was　tired　of　schools。。　And　the　scholarship　was　for　swimming。　Admiral。‘
‘That‘s　a　big　deal　at　Indiana；　I　know；　but　your　marks　were　plenty　good　enough　to　get　an　academic　scholarship。　You　attended　a　pretty　nice　prep　school　…‘
‘That　was　a　scholarship；　too。‘　Kelly　shrugged。　‘Nobody　in　my　family　ever　went　to　college。　Dad　served　a　hitch　in　the　Navy　during　the　war。　I　guess　it　just　seemed　like　something　to　do。‘　That　it　had　been　a　major　disappointment　to　his　father　was　something　he‘d　never　told　anyone。
Greer　pondered　that。　It　still　didn‘t　answer　things。　‘The　last　ship　I　manded　was　a　submarine；　Daniel　Webster。　My　chief　of　the　boat；　senior　chief　sonarman；　the　guy　had　a　doctorate　in　physics。　Good　man；　knew　his　job　better　then　I　knew　mine；　but　not　a　leader；　shied　away　from　it　some。　You　didn‘t；　Kelly。　You　tried　to；　but　you　didn‘t。‘
‘Look；　sir；　when　you‘re　out　there　and　things　happen；　somebody　has　to　get　it　done。‘
‘Not　everybody　sees　things　that　way。　Kelly；　there‘s　two　kinds　of　people　in　the　world；　the　ones　who　need　to　be　told　and　the　ones　who　figure　it　out　all　by　themselves；‘　Greer　pronounced。
The　highway　sign　said　something　that　Kelly　didn‘t　catch；　but　it　wasn‘t　anything　about　CIA。　He　didn‘t　tumble　to　it　until　he　saw　the　oversized　guardhouse。
‘Did　you　ever　interact　with　Agency　people　while　you　were　over　there？‘
Kelly　nodded。　‘Some。　We　were　…　well；　you　know　about　it；　Project　PHOENIX；　right？　We　were　part　of　that；　a　small　part。‘
‘What　did　you　think　of　them？‘
‘Two　or　three　of　them　were　pretty　good。　The　rest　…　you　want　it　straight？‘
‘That‘s　exactly　what　I　want；‘　Greer　assured　him。
‘The　rest　are　probably　real　good　mixing　martinis；　shaken　not　stirred；‘　Kelly　said　evenly。　That　earned　him　a　rueful　laugh。
‘Yeah；　people　here　do　like　to　watch　the　movies！‘　Greer　found　his　parking　place　and　popped　his　door　open。　‘e　with　me；　Chief。‘　The　out…of…uniform　admiral　led　Kelly　in　the　front　door　and　got　him　a　special　visitor‘s　pass；　the　kind　that　required　an　escort。
For　his　part；　Kelly　felt　like　a　tourist　in　a　strange　and　foreign　land。　The　very　normality　of　the　building　gave　it　a　sinister　edge。　Though　an　ordinary；　and　rather　new；　government　office　building；　CIA　headquarters　had　some　sort　of　aura。　It　wasn‘t　like　the　real　world　somehow。　Greer　caught　the　look　and　chuckled；　leading　Kelly　to　an　elevator；　then　to　his　sixth…floor　office。　Only　when　they　were　behind　the　closed　wooden　door　did　he　speak。
‘How‘s　your　schedule　for　the　next　week？‘
‘Flexible。　I　don‘t　have　anything　tying　me　down；‘　Kelly　answered　cautiously。
James　Greer　nodded　soberly。　‘Dutch　told　me　about　that；　too。　I‘m　very　sorry；　Chief；　but　my　job　right　now　concerns　twenty　good　men　who　probably　won‘t　see　their　families　again　unless　we　do　something。‘　He　reached　into　his　desk　drawer。
‘Sir；　I‘m　real　confused　right　now。‘
‘Well；　we　can　do　it　hard　or　easy。　The　hard　way　is　that　Dutch　makes　a　phone　call　and　you　get　recalled　to　active　duty；‘　Greer　said　sternly。　The　easy　way　is；　you　e　to　work　for　me　as　a　civilian　consultant。　We　pay　you　a　per…diem　that‘s　a　whole　lot　more　than　chief‘s　pay。‘
‘Doing　what？‘
‘You　fly　down　to　Eglin　Air　Force　Base；　via　New　Orleans　and　Avis；　I　suppose。　This‘　…　Greer　tossed　a　billfold…like　ID　in　Kelly‘s　lap　…　‘gives　you　access　to　their　records。　I　want　you　to　go　over　the　operations　plans　as　a　model　for　what　we　want　to　do。‘　Kelly　looked　at　the　photo…Ю。　It　even　had　his　old　Navy　photograph；　which　showed　only　his　head；　as　in　a　passport。
‘Wait　a　minute；　sir。　I　am　not　qualified　…‘
‘As　a　matter　of　fact　I　think　you　are；　but　from　the　outside　it　will　look　like　you‘re　not。　No；　you‘re　just　a　very　junior　consultant　gathering　information　for　a　low…level　report　that　nobody　important　will　ever　read。　Half　the　money　we　spend　in　this　damned　agency　goes　out　the　door　that　way；　in　case　nobody　ever　told　you；‘　Greer　said；　his　irritation　with　the　Agency　giving　flight　to　mild　exaggeration。　That‘s　how　routine　and　pointless　we　want　it　to　look。‘
‘Are　you　really　serious　about　this？‘
‘Chief；　Dutch　Maxwell　is　willing　to　sacrifice　his　career　for　those　men。　So　am　I。　If　there‘s　a　way　to　get　them　out—‘
‘What　about　the　peace　talks？‘
How　do　I　explain　that　to　this　kid？　Greer　asked　himself。　‘Colonel　Zacharias　is　officially　dead。　The　other　side　said　so；　even　published　a　photo　of　a　body。　Somebody　went　to　visit　his　wife；　along　with　the　base　chaplain　and　another　Air　Force　wife　to　make　things　easier。　Then　they　gave　her　a　week　to　vacate　the　official　quarters；　just　to　make　things　official；‘　Greer　added。　‘He‘s　officially　dead。　I‘ve　had　some　very　careful　talks　with　some　people；　and　we‘　…　this　part　came　very　hard　…　‘our　country　will　not　screw　up　the　peace　talks　over　something　like　this。　The　photo　we　have；　enhancement　and　all；　isn‘t　good　enough　for　a　court　of　law；　and　that‘s　the　standard　that　is　being　used。　That‘s　a　standard　of　proof　that　we　can‘t　possibly　meet；　and　the　people　who　made　the　decision　know　it。　They　don‘t　want　the　peace　talks　sidetracked；　and　if　the　lives　of　twenty　more　men　are　necessary　to　end　the　goddamned　war；　then　that‘s　what　it　takes。　Those　men　are　being　written　off。‘
It　was　almost　too　much　for　Kelly　to　believe。　How　many　people　did　America　write　off　every　year？　And　not　all　were　in　uniform；　were　they？　Some　were　right　at　home；　in　American　cities。
‘It‘s　really　that　bad？‘
The　fatigue　on　Greer‘s　face　was　unmistakable。　‘You　know　why　I　took　this　job？　I　was　ready　to　retire。　I‘ve　served　my　time；　manded　my　ships；　done　my　work。　I‘m　ready　for　a　nice　house　and　playing　golf　twice　a　week　and　doing　a　little　consulting　on　the　side；　okay？　Chief；　too　many　people　e　to　places　like　this；　and　reality　to　them　is　a　memo。　They　focus　in　on　"；process"；　and　forget　that　there‘s　a　human　being　at　the　far　end　of　the　paper　chain。　That‘s　why　I　re…upped。　Somebody　has　to　try　and　put　a　little　reality　back　into　the　process。　We‘re　handling　this　as　a　"；black"；　project。　Do　you　know　what　that　means？‘
‘No；　sir；　I　don‘t。‘
‘It‘s　a　new　term　that‘s　cropped　up。　That　means　it　doesn‘t　exist。　It‘s　crazy。　It　shouldn‘t　be　that　way；　but　it　is。　Are　you　on　the　team　or　not？‘
New　Orleans　。。。　Kelly‘s　eyes　narrowed　for　a　moment　that　lingered　into　fifteen　seconds　and　a　slow　nod。　‘If　you　think　I　can　help；　sir；　then　I　will。　How　much　time　do　I　have？‘
Greer　managed　a　smile　and　tossed　a　ticket　folder　into　Kelly‘s　lap。　‘Your　ID　is　in　the　name　of　John　Clark；　should　be　easy　to　remember。　You　fly　down　tomorrow　afternoon。　The　return　ticket　is　open；　but　I　want　to　see　you　next　Friday。　I　expect　good　work　out　of　you。　My　card　and　private　line　are　in　there。　Get　packed；　son。‘
‘Aye　aye；　sir。‘
Greer　rose　and　walked　Kelly　to　the　door。　‘And　get　receipts　for　everything。　When　you　work　for　Uncle　Sam　yon　have　to　make　sure　everyone　gets　paid　off　properly。‘
‘I　will　do　that；　sir。‘　Kelly　smiled。
‘You　can　catch　the　blue　bus　back　to　the　Pentagon　outside。‘　Greer　went　back　to　work　as　Kelly　left　the　office。
The　blue