tc.redstormrising-第33部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


n　open　door。
〃You　must　be　Toland；〃　observed　a　somewhat　frazzled　officer。
〃Must　be…unless　the　time　zone　changes　did　something。〃
〃You　want　the　good　news　or　the　bad　news？〃
〃Bad。〃
〃Okay；　you'll　have　to　hot…bunk。　Not　enough　berths　for　all　of　us　intel　types。　Shouldn't　matter　much；　though。　I　haven't　slept　for　three　days…one　of　the　reasons　you're　here。　The　good　news　is　that　you　just　got　another　half　a　stripe。　Wele　aboard；　mander。　I'm　Chip　Bennett。〃　The　officer　handed　Toland　a　telex　sheet。　〃Looks　as　though　CINCLANT　likes　you。　Nice　to　have　friends　in　high　places。〃
The　message　announced　tersely　that　Lieutenant　mander　Robert　A。　Toland；　III；　USNR；　had　been　〃frocked〃　as　a　mander；　USNR；　which　gave　him　the　right　to　wear　the　three　gold　stripes　of　a　mander；　but　not　to　collect　a　mander's　pay　just　yet。　It　was　like　a　kiss　from　one's　sister。　Well；　he　reflected；　maybe　a　cousin。
〃I　guess　it's　a　step　in　the　right　direction。　What　am　I　going　to　be　doing　here？〃
〃Theoretically　you're　supposed　to　assist　me；　but　we're　so　friggin'　overwhelmed　with　information　at　the　moment　that　we're　divvying　the　territory　up　some。　I'm　going　to　let　you　handle　the　morning　and　evening　briefs　to　the　battle　group　mander。　We　do　that　at　0700　and　2000。　Rear　Admiral　Samuel　B。　Baker；　Jr。　Son　of　a　B。　He's　an　ex…nuc。　Likes　it　quick　and　clean；　with　footnotes　and　sources　on　the　writeup　to　read　afterwards。　He　almost　never　sleeps。　Your　battle　station　will　be　in　the　CIC　with　the　group　tactical　warfare　officer。〃　Walker　rubbed　his　eyes。　〃So　what　the　hell　is　happening　in　this　crazy　world？〃
〃What's　it　look　like？〃　Toland　answered。
〃Yeah。　Something　new　just　came　in。　The　space　shuttle　Atlantis　was　pulled　off　the　pad　at　Kennedy　today；　supposedly　for　a　puter　glitch；　right？　Three　newspapers　just　broke　a　story　that　she　was　taken　down　for　payload　replacement。　They　were　supposed　to　loft　three　or　four　mercial　munications　birds。　Instead；　the　payload　is　reconnaissance　satellites。〃
〃I　guess　people　are　starting　to　take　this　seriously。〃

AACHEN；　FEDERAL　REPUBLIC　OF　GERMANY
〃Siegfried　Baum〃　awoke　six　hours　later　to　see　three　men　wearing　surgical　garb。　The　effect　of　the　anesthesia　still　heavy　on　him；　his　eyes　could　not　focus　properly。
〃How　are　you　feeling？〃　one　asked。　In　Russian。
〃What　happened　to　me？〃　The　major　answered　in　Russian。
Ach　so。　〃You　were　struck　by　a　car　and　you　are　now　in　a　military　hospital；〃　the　man　lied。　They　were　still　in　Aachen；　near　the　German…Belgian　frontier。
〃What　。　。　。　I　was　just　ing　out　to…〃　The　major's　voice　was　that　of　a　drunken　man；　but　it　stopped　abruptly。　His　eyes　tried　to　focus　properly。
〃It　is　all　finished　for　you；　my　friend。〃　Now　the　speaker　switched　to　German。　〃We　know　you　are　a　Soviet　officer；　and　you　were　found　in　possession　of　classified　government　documents。　Tell　me；　what　is　your　interest　in　Lammersdorf？〃
〃I　have　nothing　to　say；〃　replied　〃Baum〃　in　German。
〃A　little　late　for　that；〃　the　interrogator　chided；　switching　back　to　Russian。　〃But　we'll　make　it　easy　for　you。　The　surgeon　tells　us　that　it　is　now　safe　to　try　a　new；　ah；　medication　for　you；　and　you　will　tell　us　everything　you　know。　Be　serious。　No　one　can　resist　this　form　of　questioning。　You　might　also　wish　to　consider　your　position；〃　the　man　said　more　harshly。　〃You　are　an　officer　in　the　army　of　a　foreign　government；　here　in　the　Federal　Republic　illegally；　traveling　with　false　papers；　and　in　possession　of　secret　documents。　At　the　least；　we　can　imprison　you　for　life。　But；　given　what　your　government　is　doing　at　the　moment；　we　are　not　concerned　with　'least'　measures。　If　you　cooperate　you　will　live；　and　probably　be　exchanged　back　to　the　Soviet　Union　at　a　later　date　for　a　German　agent。　We　will　even　say　that　we　got　all　our　information　due　to　the　use　of　drugs；　no　harm　could　possibly　e　to　you　from　this。　If　you　do　not　cooperate；　you　will　die　of　injuries　received　in　a　motor　accident。〃
〃I　have　a　family；〃　Major　Andre　Chernyavin　said　quietly；　trying　to　remember　his　duty。　The　bination　of　fear　and　drug…induced　haze　made　a　hash　of　his　emotions。　He　couldn't　tell　there　was　a　vial　of　sodium　pentothol　dripping　into　his　IV　line；　and　already　impairing　his　higher　brain　functions。　Soon　he　would　be　unable　to　consider　the　long…term　consequences　of　his　action。　Only　the　here　and　now　would　matter。
〃They　will　e　to　no　harm；〃　Colonel　Weber　promised。　An　Army　officer　assigned　to　the　Bundesnachrichtendienst；　he　had　interrogated　many　Soviet　agents。　〃Do　you　think　they　punish　the　family　of　every　spy　we　catch？　Soon　no　one　would　ever　e　here　to　spy　on　us　at　all。〃　Weber　allowed　his　voice　to　soften。　The　drugs　were　beginning　to　take　effect；　and　as　the　stranger's　mind　became　hazy　he　would　be　gentle；　cajoling　the　information　from　him。　The　funny　part；　he　mused；　was　that　he'd　been　instructed　on　how　to　do　this　by　a　psychiatrist。　Despite　the　many　movies　about　brutal　German　interrogators；　he　hadn't　had　the　least　training　in　a　forceful　extraction　of　information。　Too　bad；　he　thought。　If　there　was　ever　a　time　I　need　it；　it　is　now。　Most　of　the　colonel's　family　lived　outside　Kulmbach；　only　a　few　kilometers　from　the　border。

KIEV；　THE　UKRAINE
〃Captain　Ivan　Mikhailovich　Sergetov　reporting　as　ordered；　rade　General。〃
〃Be　seated；　rade　Captain。〃　The　resemblance　to　his　father　was　remarkable；　Alekseyev　thought。　Short　and　stocky。　The　same　proud　eyes；　the　same　intelligence。　Another　young　man　on　his　way　up。　〃Your　father　tells　me　that　you　are　an　honor　student　in　Middle　East　languages。〃
〃This　is　correct；　rade　General。〃
〃Have　you　also　studied　the　people　who　speak　them？〃
〃That　is　an　integral　part　of　the　curriculum；　rade。〃　The　younger　Sergetov　smiled。　〃We've　even　had　to　read　through　the　Koran。　It　is　the　only　book　most　of　them　have　ever　read；　and　therefore　an　important　factor　in　understanding　the　savages。〃
〃You　do　not　like　the　Arabs；　then？〃
〃Not　particularly。　But　out　country　must　do　business　with　them。　I　get　along　with　them　well　enough。　My　class　will　occasionally　meet　with　diplomats　from　politically　acceptable　countries　to　practice　our　language　skills。　Mainly　Libya；　and　occasionally　people　from　Yemen　and　Syria。〃
〃You　have　three　years　in　tanks。　Can　we　defeat　the　Arabs　in　battle？〃
〃The　Israelis　have　done　so　with　ease；　and　they　don't　have　a　fraction　of　our　resources。　The　Arab　soldier　is　an　illiterate　peasant；　poorly　trained　and　led　by　inpetent　officers。〃
A　young　man　with　all　the　answers。　And　perhaps　you　will　explain　Afghanistan　to　me？　Alekseyev　thought。　〃rade　Captain；　you　will　be　attached　to　my　personal　staff　for　the　forthing　operation　against　the　Persian　Gulf　states。　I　will　lean　on　you　for　linguistic　work；　and　to　support　our　intelligence　estimates。　I　understand　that　you　are　training　to　be　a　diplomat。　That　is　useful　to　me。　I　always　like　to　have　a　second　opinion　of　the　intelligence　data　that　KGB　and　GRU　send　us。　Not　that　I　distrust　our　rades　in　the　intelligence　arms；　you　understand。　I　simply　like　to　have　someone　who　thinks　'Army'　to　review　the　data。　The　fact　that　you've　served　in　tanks　is　doubly　valuable　to　me。　One　more　question。　How　are　the　reservists　reacting　to　the　mobilization？〃
〃With　enthusiasm；　of　course；〃　the　captain　replied。
〃Ivan　Mikhailovich；　I　presume　your　father　told　you　about　me。　I　listen　attentively　to　the　words　of　our　Party；　but　soldiers　preparing　for　battle　need　to　know　the　unvarnished　truth　so　that　we　can　bring　about　the　Party's　wishes。〃
Captain　Sergetov　noted　how　carefully　that　had　been　phrased。　〃Our　people　are　angry；　rade　General。　They　are　enraged　over　the　incident　in　the　Kremlin；　the　murder　of　the　children。　I　think　'enthusiasm'　is　not　a　great　exaggeration。〃
〃And　you；　Ivan　Mikhailovich？〃
〃rade　General；　my　father　told　me　that　you　would　ask　this　question。　He　told　me　to　assure　you　that　he　had　no　prior　knowledge　of　it；　and　that　the　important　thing　is　to　safeguard　our　country　so　that　similar　tragedies　will　never　again　be　necessary。〃
Alekseyev　did　not　reply　at　once。　He　was　chilled　by　the　knowledge　that　Sergetov　had　read　his　mind　three　days　before；　and　dumbfounded　that　he　had　confided　so　enormous　a　secret　to　his　son。　But　it　was　good　to　know　that　he　had　not　misread　the　Politburo　man。　He　was　a　man　to　be　trusted。　Perhaps　his　son　also？　Mikhail　Eduardovich　evidently　thought　so。
〃rade　Captain；　these　are　things　to　be　forgotten。　We　have　enough　to　occupy　us　alread