Robert Ludlum - Aquatain Progression.txt
Page 38
national emergency."
"I thought it was forty-eight hours," said Hickman.
"No, sir. The forty-eight hours is standard with
the release of every flag regardless of who asks for
it except, of course the President. It's called the
vet delay. Naval intelligence cross-checks with the
CIA, the NSA, and G-Two to make sure there's no
material being released that's still considered classi-
fied. That procedure has nothing to do with the
prerogatives of a chief legal officer."."
"You know your law, don't you?''
"I believe as well as any attorney in the United
States Navy, sir."
"I seed' The admiral leaned back in his
upholstered swivel chair and placed his legs on the
corner of the desk. "Commander Fitzpatrick s off
the base, isn't he? Emergency leave, if I recall."
"Yes, sir. He's in San Francisco with his sister
and her children. Her husband was killed in a
robbery in Geneva, the funeral's tomorrow morning,
I believe."
"Yes, I read about it. Goddamned lousy.... But
you know where to reach him."
"I have the telephone number, yes, sir. Do you
want me to call him, Admiral? Apprise him of the
Fifth Naval request."
^'No, no," said Hickman, shaking his head. "Not at
a time
THE AQUITAINE PROGRESSION 243
like this. They can dry their mops at least until
tomorrow afternoon. I've got to assume they also
know the regulations if security's so damned
jeopardised, know where the Pentagon is and the
latest rumor out of Arlington is that they found out
where the White House is." The Admiral stopped,
frowned, and looked over at the lieutenant. 'Sum
pose you didn't
..But I do sirn,,ow where to reach Fitzpatrick?,
"Yes, but suppose you didn't? And a legitimate
request was received below presidential
involvement, but still pretty damned urgent you
could release that flag, couldn't you?
"Theoretically, as next in authority, yes I could.
As long as I accepted the legal responsibility for my
judgment."
"The what?"
"That I believed the request was sufficiently
urgent to override the chief legal odficer's prior
order, which granted him seventy-two hours for
whatever action he deemed necessary. He was
adamant, sir. Frankly, short of presidential inter-
venhon, I'm legally bound to uphold the CLO's
privilege."
' I'd say morally) too," agreed Hickman.
"Morality has nothing to do with it, sir. It's a
clear legal position. Now, shall I make that call,
Admiral?"
'No, the hell with it." Hickman removed his feet
from the desk. "I was just curious and, frankly, you've
convinced me. Fitz wouldn't have given you the order
unless he had a reason. The Fifth D can wait three
days, unless those boys want to run up telephone
bills to Washington."
"May I ask, sir, who specifically made the request?"
The admiral looked pointedly at Remington. "I'll
tell you in three days. You see, I've got a man's
privilege to uphold too. You'll know then anyway,
because in Fitz's absence you'll have to countersign
the transfer." Hickman finished his drink and the
lieutenant understood. The conference was over.
Remington got up and returned the half-filled
wineglass by thlle ciop?,p,er bar; he stood at
attention and spoke "Will that
"Yes, that's it," said the admiral, his gaze straying
to the window and the ocean beyond.
The lieutenant saluted sharply as Hickman
brought a casual hand to his forehead. The lawyer
then did an about-face and started for the door.
"Remington?"
244 ROBERT LUDLUM
"Yes, sir?" replied the lieutenant, turning.
"Who the hell is this Converse?"
"I don't know, sir. But Commander Fitzpatrick
said the status of the flag was a Four Zero
emergency."
'Jesus . "
Hickman picked up his phone and touched a
combination of buttons on the console. Moments
later he was speaking to a fellow ranking officer in
the Fifth Naval District.
"I'm afraid you'll have to wait three days, Scanlon."
"Why is that?" asked the admiral named Scanlon.
"The CLO negative holds on the Converse flag
as far as SAND PAC is concerned. If you want to
go the D.C. route be my guest. We'll cooperate."
"I told you, Brian, my people don't want to go
through Washington. You've had these things
happen before. D.C. makes waves, and we don't
want waves."
"Well then, why don't you tell me why you want
the Converse flag? Who is he?"
"I'd tell you if I could, you know that. Frankly,
I'm not all that clear on it myself, and what I do
know I've sworn to keep secure."
"Then go to Washington, I'm standing behind my
Chief Legal, who, incidentally, isn't even here."
"He isn't? But you talked to him."
"No, to his next in line, a lieutenant named
Remington. He took the direct order from the
CLO. Believe me, Remington won't budget. I gave
him the chance and he covered himself with
legalities. Around here he's known as a stickler
prick."
"Did he say why the negative was put out?"
"He didn't have any idea. Why don't you call
him yourself? He's probably still downstairs and
maybe you can "
"You didn't use my name, did you?" interrupted
Scanlon apparently agitated.
"No, you asked me not to, but he'll know it in
three days. He'll have to sign the release and I'll
have to tell him who requested it." Hickman paused,
then without warning exploded. "What the hell is
this all about, Admiral? Some pilot who was
discharged over eighteen years ago is suddenly on
everybody's most-wanted list. I get a departmental
priority teletype from the big Fifth D and you follow
it up with a personal call, playing the old Annapolis
memory game, but you won't tell
THE AQUITAINE PROGRESSION 245
me anything. Then I find out my own CLO without
my knowing about it has put a negative on this
Converse flag and labeled it a Four Zero emergency
status! Now, I know he's got personal problems and
I won't bother him until tomorrow and I
realizeyou've given your word to stay secure, but
goddamn it, somebody had better start telling me
something!"
There was no response from the other end of the
line. But there was the sound of breathing; and it
was tremulous.
"Scanlon!"
' What did you just say?" said the voice of the
admiral thirty-six hundred miles away.
"I'm going to find out anyway "
"No, the status. The status of the flag." Scanlon
could barely be heard.
"Four-Zero emergency, that's what I said!"
&nbs
p; The interruption was abrupt) there was only an
echoing click. Admiral Scanlon had hung up the
phone.
Walter Peregrine, United States ambassador to
the Federal Republic of Germany, confronted
Fitzpatrick. "What's your name, Commander?"
"Fowler, sir," answered the Navy lawyer, glancing
briefly but hard at Dowling. "Lieutenant Commander
Avery Fowler, United States Navy." Again Connal
looked at the actor, who stared at him through the
moonlight.
"I understand there's some question about that,"
said Peregrine, his glare as hostile as Dowling's.
"May I see your identification, please?"
"I'm not carrying identification, sir. It's the nature
of my assignment not to do so, sir." Fitzpatrick's
words were rapid, precise, his posture squared and
erect.
"I want verification of your name, your rank, and
your branch of service! Now!"
"The name I've given you is the name I was
instructed to give should anyone beyond the scope of
the assignment inquire."
"Whose instructions?" barked the diplomat.
"My superior officers, sir."
"Am I to infer that Fowler is not your correct
name?"
"With respect, Mr. Ambassador. My name is
Fowler, my rank is lieutenant commander, my
branch of the service is the United States Navy."
"Where the hell do you think you are? Behind the
lines,
246 ROBERT LUDLUM
captured by the enemy? 'Name, rank, and serial
number that's all I'm required to say under the
rules of the Geneva Convention'!"
"It's all I'm permitted to say, sir."
"We'll damn well find out about that,
Commander if you are a commander. Also about
this Converse, who appears to be a very odd
liar one minute the soul of propriety, the next a
very strange man on the run."
"Please try to understand, Mr. Ambassador, our
assignment is classified. In no way does it involve
diplomacy, nor will it impair your efforts as the chief
American representative of our government. But it
is classified. I will report this conversation to my
superiors and you will undoubtedly hear from them.
Now, if you gentlemen will forgive me, I'll be on my
way."
"I don't think so, Commander or whoever you
are. But if you are who you say, nothing's
compromised. I'm not a damn fool. Nothing will be
said to anyone on the embassy staff. Mr. Dowling
insisted on that and I accepted the condition. You
and I will be locked in a communications room with
a phone on a scrambler and you're going to place a
call to Washington. I didn't take this job at a loss of
three-quarters of a million a year to find shoe clerks
running an investigation of my own company without
my knowing about it. If I want an outside audit, I'll
damn well order it myself."
"I wish I could comply, sir; it sounds like a
reasonable request. But I'm afraid I can't."
"I'm afraid you will!"
"Sorry."
"Do as he says, Commander," interjected
Dowling. "As he told you, nothing's been said to
anyone, and nothing will be. But Converse needs
protection; he's a wanted man in a foreign country
and he doesn't even speak the language. Take
Ambassador Peregrine's offer. He'll keep his word."
"With respect, sirs, the answer is negative."
Connal turned away and started up the wide path.
"Major!" shouted the ambassador, his voice
furious. "Stop him! Stop that man!"
Fitzpatrick looked behind him; for reasons he
could not explain to himself he saw what he never
expected to see, and the instant he did, he knew he
should have expected it. From out of the distant
shadows of the immense, majestic building a man
rushed forward, a man who was obviously a military
THE AQUITAINE PROGRESSION 247
aide to the ambassador a member of the embassy
staff! Connal froze, Joel's words coming back to him.
Those men you saw at the airport, the ones from the
embassy . . . they're on the other side.
Under almost any other circumstances,
Fitzpatrick would have remained where he was and
weathered it out. He hadn't actually done anything
wrong; there was nothing illegal, no laws broken of
which he was cognizant, and no one could force him
to discuss personal matters where no law had been
violated. Then he realized how wrong he was! The
generals of George Marcus Delavane would force
him, could force him! He spun around and ran.
Suddenly gunfire erupted. Two earsplitting shots
above him! He dove to the ground and rolled into
the shadows of the bushes as a man's voice roared
over the stillness of the night and the sleeping
gardens.
"You goddamned son of a bitch! What do you
think you're doing!"
There were further shouts, a further barrage of
obscenities, and the sounds of struggle filled the
quiet enclave of the university.
"You don't kid a man! Besides, you bastard, there
could be other people! Don't say a word, Mr.
Ambassador!"
Connal scrambled across the graveled path and
spread apart the bordering foliage. In the clear
moonlight of the distant bench, the actor Caleb
Dowling the former marine from Kwajalein stood
over the body of the major who had run out of the
shadow, his boot on the supine man's throat, his
hand grasping the man's extended arm to wrench the
weapon free.
"You are one dumb son of a bitch, Major! Or,
goddamn you, maybe you're something else!"
Fitzpatrick got to his knees, then to his feet, and,
crouching, raced into the receding darkness of the
wide path toward the exit.
13
"I didn't have any choice!" said Connal. He had
dropped the attache case on the couch and was
sitting in an adjacent chair, leaning forward, still
shaking.
"Calm down; try to relax." Converse walked to
the elegant antique hunt table against the wall
where there was a large silver tray with whisky, ice
and glasses. Joel had learned to make use of room
service in English. ' You need a drink," he said,
pouring Fitzpatrick's bourbon.
Do I ever! I've never been shot at. You have.
Christ, is that what it's like?"
"That's what it's like. You can't believe it. It's
unreal, just mind-blowing sounds that can't really
have anything to do with you, until until. you see
the evidence for yourself. It's real, it's meant for
you, and you're sick. There's no swelling music, no
brass horns, just vomit." Converse brought the naval
officer his drink.
"You're omitting something," said Connal, taking
the glass and looking up at Joel.
"No, I'm not. Let's think about tonight. If you
heard Dowling right, the ambassador
won't say
anything around the embassy "
"I remember," interrupted Fitzpatrick, taking
several swallows of the bourbon, his eyes still on
Converse. "It was in one of the other flags. During
your second escape a man got killed; it was
sundown. You reached him when it happened, and
the flag said you went crazy for a couple of minutes.
Somehow, according to this guy a sergeant, I
think you circled around in the jungle, caught the
North Vietnamese, killed him with his own knife
and got his repeating rifle. Then you blew away
three other Viets in the area."
Joel held his place in front of the Navy lawyer.
He answered the younger man, his voice quiet, his
look angry. "I hate descriptions like that," he said
flatly. ' It raises all the im
248
THE AQUITAINE PROGRESSION 249
ages I loathe.... Let me tell you the way it was like
it was, counselor. A kid, no more than nineteen, had
to relieve himself, and although we stuck together he
had the dignity to go ten or fifteen feet away to take
care of his private functions, using leaves because
squeezable toilet paper wasn't available. The
maniac I won't use the word 'soldier' who killed
him waited for the precise moment, then fired off a