rludlum-shelby.thecassandracompact-第13部分

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　〃One　day；　Tony；　the　politicians　will　have　to　get　it；〃　Richardson　said　grimly。　〃Running　this　country　through　public　opinion　polls　is　killing　us。　Mention　that　you　want　to　stockpile　anthrax　or　Ebola　and　watch　your　numbers　sink。　That's　bullshit！〃
　〃Old　news；　Frank；〃　Price　replied。　〃You　might　recall　that　our　biggest　problem　is　verification。　Both　we　and　the　Russians　agreed　to　have　our　biochem　stockpiles　monitored　by　international　inspectors。　Our　labs；　research　and　manufacturing　facilities；　the　delivery　systems…　everything　was　out　in　the　open。　So　the　politicians　don't　have　to　‘get'　anything。　As　far　as　they're　concerned；　bioweapons　are　a　dead　issue。〃
　〃Except　when　they　e　back　to　bite　them　on　the　ass；〃　Richardson　said　caustically。　〃Then　they'll　be　screaming；　‘Where　are　ours？'　〃
　〃And　you'll　be　able　to　tell　them；　won't　you？〃　Price　replied。　〃With　a　little　help　from　the　good　doctor　Bauer。〃
　〃Thank　Christ　for　guys　like　him；〃　Richardson　said　through　clenched　teeth。
　Behind　the　auditorium　was　a　small；　circular　landing　pad。　A　mercial　Jet　Ranger　helicopter　with　civilian　markings　sat　waiting；　the　rotors　spinning　lazily。　When　the　pilot　saw　his　passengers；　he　began　to　warm　up　the　turbos。
　Price　was　about　to　duck　into　the　passenger　partment　when　Richardson　stopped　him。
　〃This　business　in　Venice；〃　he　said　over　the　growing　whine　of　the　engines。　〃Did　we　take　it　on　the　chin？〃
　Price　shook　his　head。　〃The　hit　came　down　as　arranged。　But　there　was　an　unexpected　development。　I'm　expecting　an　update　shortly。〃
　Richardson　grunted　and　followed　Price　into　the　cabin；　strapping　himself　into　his　seat。　As　much　as　he　respected　Bauer　and　Price；　they　were　still　civilians。　Only　a　soldier　knew　that　there　were　always　unexpected　developments。
　
　
　The　sight　of　the　Big　Island　from　two　thousand　feet　never　failed　to　stir　Richardson。　In　the　distance　was　the　lush　Kona　Coast；　with　its　grand　hotels　moored　like　great　ocean　liners　along　the　seaside。　Farther　inland　were　the　black　plains　of　hardened　lava；　as　foreboding　as　the　lunar　landscape。　In　the　center　of　what　appeared　to　be　sheer　desolation　was　the　fountainhead　of　life：　the　Kilauea　volcano；　its　crater　glowing　red　from　the　magma　seething　deep　within　the　earth's　core。　The　volcano　was　quiet　now；　but　Richardson　had　seen　it　during　eruptions。　Creation；　the　formation　of　the　newest　place　on　the　planet；　was　a　sight　that　he　had　never　forgotten。
　As　the　helicopter　swung　along　the　edge　of　the　lava　field；　what　had　once　been　Fort　Howard　came　into　view。　Occupying　several　thousand　acres　between　the　lava　field　and　the　ocean；　it　had　been　the　army's　premier　medical　research　facility；　specializing　in　cures　for　tropical　diseases；　including　leprosy。　Several　years　ago；　Richardson　had　set　the　wheels　in　motion　to　have　the　base　demissioned。　He　had　found　himself　an　opportunistic　senator　from　Hawaii　and；　with　a　little　behind…the…scenes　help；　had　gotten　the　politician's　pork…barrel　project　through　Congress：　a　brand…new　medical　facility　on　Oahu。　As　a　quid　pro　quo；　the　senator；　who　was　on　the　Armed　Forces　Appropriations　mittee；　had　rubber…stamped　Richardson's　request　that　Fort　Howard　be　mothballed　and　sold　off　to　private　enterprise。
　Richardson　had　already　had　a　buyer　waiting　in　the　wings：　the　biochemical　firm　Bauer…Zermatt　A。G。；　headquartered　in　Zurich。　After　two　hundred　thousand　shares　of　pany　stock　had　been　deposited　into　the　senator's　safe…deposit　box；　the　politician　saw　to　it　that　no　other　bids　for　the　base　were　acceptable　to　his　mittee。
　Richardson　spoke　to　the　pilot　over　the　headset：　〃Swing　over　the　pound。〃
　The　helicopter　banked；　giving　the　general　a　panoramic　view　of　the　area　below。　Even　from　this　height；　he　could　tell　that　the　perimeter　fence　was　new　and　strong…　a　ten…foot…tall　Cyclone　fence　topped　with　razor　wire。　What　looked　like　military　personnel　manned　the　four　guard　posts。　The　Humvees　parked　at　each　post　heightened　the　effect。
　The　pound　itself　was　startlingly　empty。　The　Quonset　supply　huts；　barracks；　and　warehouses　stood　baking　under　the　tropical　sun；　with　no　activity　around　them。　Only　the　old　mand　building；　repainted；　with　a　few　Jeeps　parked　nearby；　looked　as　though　it　was　being　used。　The　overall　effect　was　perfect：　a　mothballed　military　installation；　still　off…limits　to　everyone　except　a　few　locals　who　serviced　the　skeleton　staff　working　there。
　The　effect　was　extremely　deceptive。　In　truth；　what　had　once　been　Fort　Howard　now　lay　three　stories　beneath　the　earth。
　〃We're　cleared　to　land；　General；〃　the　pilot　informed　him。
　Richardson　took　a　last　glance　out　the　window　and　saw　a　toylike　figure　tracking　the　helicopter's　flight。
　〃Take　us　down；〃　he　replied。
　
　He　was　a　short；　muscular　man　in　his　early　sixties；　with　swept…back　silver　hair　and　a　carefully　trimmed　goatee。　He　stood　with　his　feet　apart；　his　back　ramrod　straight；　hands　clasped　at　the　small　of　his　back…　an　officer　of　wars　past。
　Dr。　Karl　Bauer　watched　the　helicopter　drift　down；　flutter　above　the　grassy　landing　area；　then　settle。　He　knew　that　his　visitors　would　have　hard　questions　for　him。　As　the　rotors　wound　down；　he　carefully　reviewed　just　how　much　he　would　tell　them。　Herr　Doktor　did　not　take　kindly　to　having　to　provide　explanations　or　apologies。
　For　over　a　hundred　years；　the　pany　founded　by　Bauer's　great…grandfather　had　been　at　the　forefront　of　chemical　and　biological　technology。　Bauer…Zermatt　A。G。　held　a　myriad　of　patents　that；　to　this　day；　were　a　revenue…producing　stream。　Its　scientists　and　researchers　had　developed　pills　and　potions　that　remained　household　staples；　at　the　same　time　they　had　brought　to　market　esoteric　drugs　that　had　won　the　pany　international　humanitarian　awards。
　But　for　all　the　medicines　and　vaccines　it　distributed　to　health…care　workers　in　the　Third　World；　Bauer…Zermatt　had　a　dark　side　that　its　well…paid　spinmeisters　and　glossy　brochures　never　alluded　to。　During　World　War　I；　the　pany　had　developed　a　particularly　noxious　form　of　mustard　gas　that　was　responsible　for　the　slow　deaths　of　thousands　of　Allied　soldiers。　A　quarter　century　later；　it　supplied　German　panies　with　certain　chemicals　that　were　then　bined　to　subsequently　create　the　gas　used　in　the　death　chambers　throughout　Eastern　Europe。　The　firm　had　also　closely　monitored　the　ungodly　experiments　of　Dr。　Josef　Mengele　and　other　Nazi　physicians。　At　the　end　of　the　war；　while　other　perpetrators　and　acplices　were　rounded　and　hanged；　Bauer…Zermatt　retreated　behind　the　Swiss　cloak　of　anonymity　while　quietly　extrapolating　on　Nazi　medical　research。　As　for　Bauer…Zermatt's　owners　and　principal　officers；　they　disclaimed　any　knowledge　of　what　might　have　been　done　with　the　corporation's　products　once　they'd　left　the　alpine　borders。
　In　the　second　half　of　the　twentieth　century；　Dr。　Karl　Bauer　had　not　only　kept　the　family　firm　in　the　forefront　of　legitimate　pharmaceutical　research；　but　had　also　broadened　its　secret　program　of　developing　biochemical　weapons。　Like　a　locust；　Bauer　went　where　the　fields　were　most　fertile：　Gadhafi's　Libya；　Hussein's　Iraq；　the　tribal　dictatorships　of　Africa；　and　the　nepotism…infested　regimes　of　Southeast　Asia。　He　brought　with　him　the　best　scientists　and　the　most　modern　equipment；　in　return；　he　was　showered　with　largesse　that　was　transferred　by　puter　keystroke　into　the　vaults　beneath　Zurich。
　At　the　same　time；　Bauer　maintained　and　upgraded　his　contacts　with　the　military　in　both　the　United　States　and　Russia。　A　prescient　student　of　the　global　political　condition；　he　had　foreseen　the　breakup　of　the　Soviet　Union　and　the　inevitable　decline　of　the　new　Russia　struggling　to　adopt　democracy。　Where　the　twin　streams　of　Russian　desperation　and　American　ascendancy　met；　Bauer　fished。
　Bauer　stepped　forward　to　greet　his　visitors。　〃Gentlemen。〃
　The　three　men　shook　hands；　then　fell　in　step　to　the　two…story；　Colonial…style　mand　building。　On　both　sides　of　the　gracious；　wood…paneled　lobby　were　the　offices　of　Bauer's　hand…picked　staff；　who　looked　after　the　administrative　duties　of　the　facility。　Farther　along　were　the　cubbyholes　where　the　scientists'　assistants　toiled；　inputting　data　from　the　laboratory　experiments。　At　the　very　back　were　two　elevators。　One　was　hidden　behind　a　door　that　could　be　opened　only　with　a　key　card。　Built　by　Hitachi；　it　was　a　high…speed　unit　th