tc.redstormrising-第17部分

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〃I　know　that；　sir；〃　Toland　said。
〃Took　balls　to　do　that；　and　it's　nice　to　see　in　a　young　officer；　what　with　all　the　ones　who　just　want　to　cover　their　ass。〃　Pipes　rose。　〃I　don't　like　what　you　just　told　me；　son；　not　one　little　bit。　We　got　Ivan　playing　Santa　Claus　with　all　this　diplomatic　horseshit；　and　at　the　same　time　he's　dialing　his　submarine　force　in。　Could　be　a　coincidence。　Then　again；　it　might　not　be。　How　about　you　and　me　go　over　to　talk　with　CINCLANT　and　his　intelligence　chief？〃
Toland　winced。　What　have　I　got　myself　into？　〃Sir；　I'm　down　here　for　a　training　rotation；　not　to…〃
〃Looks　to　me　like　you　got　this　intelligence　crap　down　pretty　pat；　mander。　You　believe　what　you　just　told　me　is　true？〃
Toland　stiffened。　〃Yes；　sir。〃
〃Then　I'm　giving　you　a　chance　to　prove　it。　You　afraid　to　stick　your　neck　out…or　do　you　just　offer　opinions　to　relatives　and　friends？〃　the　Admiral　asked　harshly。
Toland　had　heard　that　Pipes　was　a　real　hard…case。　The　reservist　rose　to　his　feet。
〃Let's　do　it；　Admiral。〃
Pipes　picked　up　his　phone　and　dialed　in　a　three…digit　number；　his　direct　line　to　CINCLANT。　〃Bill？　Dick。　I　got　a　boy　in　my　office　I　think　you　oughta　talk　to。　Remember　what　we　discussed　last　Thursday？　We　may　have　confirmation。〃　A　brief　pause。　〃Yeah；　that's　exactly　what　I'm　saying。　。　。　。　Aye　aye；　sir；　on　the　way。〃　Pipes　set　the　phone　down。　〃McCafferty；　thank　you　for　bringing　this　man　in　with　you。　We'll　go　over　your　patrol　report　this　afternoon。　Be　here　at　1530。　Toland；　you　e　along　with　me。〃
An　hour　later；　Lieutenant　mander　Robert　M。　Toland；　USNR…R；　was　informed　that　he　had　been　placed　on　extended　active　duty　by　order　of　the　Secretary　of　Defense。　In　fact　it　was　by　order　of　CINCLANT；　but　the　forms　would　be　correctly　filled　out　in　a　week　or　so。
At　lunch　that　day　in　〃flag　country〃　of　Building　One　of　the　plex；　CINCLANT　called　in　all　his　type　manders…the　three…star　admirals　who　controlled　the　aircraft；　surface　ships；　submarines；　and　replenishment　ships。　The　conversation　was　subdued；　and　ceased　entirely　when　the　stewards　came　in　to　change　the　courses。　They　were　all　in　their　fifties；　experienced；　serious　men　who　both　made　and　implemented　policy；　preparing　for　something　they　hoped　would　never　e。　This　hope　continued；　but　by　the　time　each　had　finished　his　second　cup　of　coffee；　it　was　decided　that　fleet　training　cycles　would　be　increased；　and　a　few　surprise　inspections　would　be　made。　CINCLANT　made　an　appointment　with　the　Chief　of　Naval　Operations　for　the　following　morning；　and　his　deputy　intelligence　chief　boarded　a　mercial　airliner　for　a　quick　trip　to　Pearl　Harbor；　to　meet　with　his　opposite　number　in　the　Pacific。
Toland　was　relieved　of　his　post　and　transferred　to　Intentions；　part　of　CINCLANT's　personal　intelligence　advisory　staff。

6　…　The　Watchers

NORFOLK；　VIRGINIA
Intentions　was　a　small　second…floor　office　normally　occupied　by　four　officers。　Shoehorning　Toland　in　there　was　difficult；　mainly　because　all　the　classified　material　had　to　be　covered　up　while　the　civilian　movers　got　the　desk　in　place。　When　they　finally　left；　Bob　found　he　had　just　about　enough　space　to　get　into　and　out　of　his　swivel　chair。　The　office　door　had　a　cipher　lock　with　five　rocker　switches　concealed　in　a　steel　container。　Located　in　the　northwest　er　of　CINCLANT　headquarters；　the　office's　barred　windows　overlooked　a　highway　and　little　else。　The　drab　curtains　were　closed　anyway。　Inside；　the　walls　might　have　been　painted　beige　once；　but　the　plaster　had　whitened　from　underneath　to　give　the　office　the　sort　of　pallor　expected　in　a　yellow…fever　ward。
The　senior　officer　was　a　Marine　colonel　named　Chuck　Lowe；　who　had　watched　the　moving…in　process　with　a　silent　resentment　that　Bob　only　understood　when　the　man　got　to　his　feet。
〃I　may　never　make　it　to　the　head　now；〃　Lowe　grumped；　sticking　his　cast　around　the　er　of　his　desk。　They　shook　hands。
〃What　happened　to　the　leg；　Colonel？〃
〃Mountain　Warfare　School　out　in　California；　day　after　Christmas；　skiing　on　my　own　Goddamned　time。　The　docs　say　you　should　never　break　the　tibia　close　to　the　bottom；〃　Lowe　explained　with　an　ironic　smile。　〃And　you　never　get　used　to　the　itching。　Should　have　this　thing　off　in　another　three　or　four　weeks。　Then　I　have　to　get　used　to　running　again。　You　know；　I　spent　three　years　trying　to　break　my　ass　out　of　intel；　then　I　finally　get　my　Goddamned　regiment；　and　this　happens。　Wele　aboard；　Toland。　Why　don't　you　grab　us　both　a　cup　of　coffee？〃
There　was　a　pot　atop　the　farthest　filing　cabinet。　The　other　three　officers；　Lowe　explained；　were　giving　a　briefing。
〃I　saw　the　writeup　you　gave　CINCLANT。　Interesting　stuff。　What　do　you　think　Ivan's　up　to？〃
〃It　looks　like　he's　increasing　readiness　across　the　board；　Colonel…〃
〃In　here；　you　can　call　me　Chuck。〃
〃Fine…I'm　Bob。〃
〃You　do　signal　intelligence　at　NSA；　right？　You're　one　of　the　satellite　specialists；　I　heard。〃
Toland　nodded。　〃Ours　and　theirs；　mostly　ours。　I　see　photos　from　time　to　time；　but　mostly　I　do　signals　work。　That's　how　we　twigged　to　the　report　on　the　four　colonels。　There　has　also　been　a　fair　amount　of　operational　maneuvering　done；　more　than　usual　for　this　time　of　year。　Ivan's　been　a　little　freer　with　how　his　tankers　drive　around；　too；　less　concern　about　running　a　battalion　across　a　plowed　field；　for　example。〃
〃And　you're　supposed　to　have　a　look　at　anything　that's　unusual；　no　matter　how　dumb　it　seems；　right？　That　gives　you　a　pretty　wide　brief；　doesn't　it？　We　got　something　interesting　along　those　lines　from　DIA。　Have　a　look　at　these。〃　Lowe　pulled　a　pair　of　eight…by…ten　photographs　from　a　manila　envelope　and　handed　them　to　Toland。　They　seemed　to　show　the　same　parcel　of　land；　but　from　slightly　different　angles　and　different　times　of　year。　In　the　upper　left　er　was　a　pair　of　isbas；　the　crude　huts　of　Russian　peasant　life。　Toland　looked　up。
〃Collective　farm？〃
〃Yeah。　Number　1196；　a　little　one　about　two　hundred　klicks　northwest　of　Moscow。　Tell　me　what's　different　between　the　two。〃
Toland　looked　back　at　the　photos。　In　one　was　a　straight　line　of　fenced　gardens；　perhaps　an　acre　each。　In　the　other　he　could　see　a　new　fence　for　four　of　the　patches；　and　one　patch　whose　fenced　area　had　been　roughly　doubled。
〃A　colonel…army…type…I　used　to　work　with　sent　me　these。　Thought　I'd　find　it　amusing。　I　grew　up　on　a　corn　farm　in　Iowa；　you　see。〃
〃So　Ivan's　increasing　the　private　patches　for　the　farmers　to　work　on　their　own；　eh？〃
〃Looks　that　way。〃
〃Hasn't　been　announced；　has　it？　I　haven't　read　anything　about　it。〃　　Toland　didn't　read　the　government's　secret　in…house　publication；　National　Intelligence　Digest；　but　the　NSA　cafeteria　gossip　usually　covered　harmless　stuff　like　this。　Intelligence　types　talked　shop　as　much　as　any　others。
Lowe　shook　his　head　slightly。　〃Nope；　and　that's　a　little　odd。　It's　something　they　should　announce。　The　papers　would　call　that　another　sure　sign　of　the　'liberalization　trend'　we've　been　seeing。〃
〃Just　this　one　farm；　maybe？〃
〃As　a　matter　of　fact；　they've　seen　the　same　thing　at　five　other　places。　But　we　don't　generally　use　our　reconsats　for　this　sort　of　thing。　They　got　this　on　a　slow　news　day；　I　suppose。　The　important　stuff　must　have　been　covered　by　clouds。〃　Toland　nodded　agreement。　The　reconnaissance　satellites　were　used　to　evaluate　Soviet　grain　crops；　but　that　happened　later　in　the　year。　The　Russians　knew　it　also；　since　it　had　been　in　the　open　press　for　over　a　decade；　explaining　why　there　was　a　team　of　agronomists　in　the　U。S。　Department　of　Agriculture　with　Special　Intelligence…partmented　security　clearance。
〃Kind　of　late　in　the　season　to　do　that；　isn't　it？　I　mean；　will　it　do　any　good　to　give　'em　this　land　this　time　of　year？〃
〃I　got　these　a　week　ago。　I　think　they're　a　little　older　than　that。　This　is　about　the　time　most　of　their　farms　start　planting。　It　stays　cold　there　quite　a　long　time；　remember；　but　the　high　latitudes　make　up　for　it　with　longer　summer　days。　Assume　that　this　is　a　nationwide　move　on　their　part。　Evaluate　that　for　me；　Bob。〃　The　colonel's　eyes　narrowed　briefly。
〃Smart　move　on　their　part；　obviously。　It　could　solve　a　lot　of　their　food　supply　problems；　particularly　for…truck…farm。　stuff；　I　guess；　tomatoes；　onions；　that　sort　of　thing。〃
〃Maybe。　You　might　also　note　that　this　sort　of　farming　is　manpower　intensive　but　not　machinery…intensive。　What　about　t