Robert Ludlum - The Parcifal Mosaic.txt

by The Parcifal Mosaic [lit]

  master sergeant approached the steel panel and closed it, then spun the

  wheel into its locked position.

  It was a room, but not an ordinary room, for there were no windows, no

  prints on the walls, no extraneous furniture, no amenities, only the quiet

  whir of ventilating machines. There was an oblong conference table in the

  center with five chairs around it, note pads, pencils, and ashtrays in

  place, a paper shredder in the far left comer; it was a table in a room

  preset for immediate consultation and instant destruction of whatever came

  from a given meeting. Whereas the room they had just left had twelve

  television monitors across the

  THE FARMAL MOSArc 447

  wall, this had a single large reflector screen, an odd-shaped projector

  bracketed into the opposite wall next to a panel of circular switches.

  Without speaking, Charles Berquist went directly to the panel, dimmed the

  overhead lights and snapped on the projector. The screen across the dark

  room was instantly filled with a double image, a straight black line

  dividing the two photographs. Each was a single page of two separate

  documents, both obviously related, the forms nearly identicaL Havelock

  stared at them in growing ten-or.

  "Ilds is the essence of what we call Parsifal," said the President quietly.

  "Do you recall Wagner's last opera?'

  . Not well," replied Havelock, barely able to speak.

  "No matter. just bear in mind that whenever Parsifal took up the spear used

  at Chrises crucifudon and held it against wounds, he had the power to heal.

  Conversely, whoever holds these has the power to rip them open. All over

  the world."

  "I ... don't ... beUeve this," whispered Havelock.

  "I wish to Cod I didnI have to," said Berquist, raising his

  hand and pointing to the projected document on the left.

  "This first agreement calls for a nuclear strike against the

  Peoplers Republic of China, executed by the combined forces

  of the United States of America and the Soviet Union. Ob

  jective: the destruction of all military Installations, govern

  ment centers, hydroelectric plants,systems

  and seven major cities ranging from the Manchurian border

  to the China Sea." The President paused and gestured at the

  document on the right. "This second agreement calls for a

  nearly identical strike against the Union of Soviet SocialiA

  Republics carried out by the combined forces of the United

  States and the People's Republic of China. The differences

  are minor, vital only to a few million people who will be

  burned to death in the nuclear fires. There are an additional

  five cities, inclusive of Moscow, Leningrad and Kiev. Total

  destruction: twelve cities obliterated from the face of the

  earth.... This nation has entered into two separate agree

  ments, one with the Soviet Union, the other with the People~s

  Republic of China. In each instance, we have committed the

  fullrange of our nuclear weapons to a combined strike with

  a partner to destroy the mutual enemy. Two diametrically

  448 ROBERT LUDLUX

  opposed commitments, and the United States Is the whore serving two studs

  gone berserk. Mass annihilation. The world has its nuclear war, Mr.

  Havelock, engineered with brilliant precision by Anthony Matthias,

  superstar."

  27

  'Mese mv ... iwarwf" whispered Havelock, his eyes riveted on the screen.

  "And we're a partner to each? Each commits us to a nuclear strike-a first

  strike?"

  "A second also, and a third, if necessary, from submarines ringing the

  coasts first of China, then of Russia. Two insane agreements, Mr. Havelock,

  and we are, indeed, a party to each. There it is in writing."

  "MY God . . ~" Michael scanned the lines of both documents, as if studying

  the deformed appendages of an obscene, horrible thing. "If these are ever

  exposed, there's nothing left."

  "Now you understand," said Berquist, his gaze, too, fixed on the agreements

  that filled both sides of the screen, his face drawn, his eyes hollow.

  "Thaes the unendurable threat wi*e living with. Unless we follow to the

  letter the instructions delivered to my office, we face global catastrophe

  in the truest sense. The threat is simple: the nuclear pact with Russia

  will be shown to the leaders of the People's Republic of China, and our

  agreement with the PRC will be given to Moscow. Both will know theyve been

  betrayed-by the richest whore in history. Thaes what they'll believe, and

  the world will go up in a thousand nuclear explosions. The last words heard

  will be: 'This is not an exercise, this is itl' And that is the truth, Mr.

  Havelock."

  449

  450 ROBERT LUDLUM

  Michael felt the trembling in his bands, the throbbing at his temples.

  Something Berquist had just said triggered a sudden uneasiness, but he

  could not concentrate to identify its source. He could only stare at the

  two documents projected on the screen. "There's nothing here about dates,"

  he said, almost pointlessly.

  "It's on a separate page-these are memoranda of intent. Conferences are to

  be held during the months of April and May, at which the precise dates of

  the strikes will be determined. April is scheduled for the Soviets, May is

  for China. Next month and the month after. The strikes are to occur within

  forty-five days of each conference."

  "It's . . . beyond belief." Overwhelmed, Havelock suddenly felt the

  paralysis again. He stared at Berquist. "You connected nze with this?

  These?"

  'You uwe connected. God knows not through your own doing, but dangerously

  connected. We know how; we don't know why. But the 'how' was enough to

  place you 'beyond salvage.' .

  'For Chrises sake, how?"

  'To begin with, Matthias built the case against your f~end Jenna, Karas."

  "Matthimr

  "It was he who wanted you out. But we couldn't be sure. Were you out, or

  were you simply changing jobs? From the government of the United States to

  the holy empire of Matthias the Great."

  "Which is why I was watched. London, Amsterdam, Paris

  . God knows where else."

  "Everywhere you went. But you gave us nothing.'

  "And that was grounds for 'beyond salvage'?"

  "I told you, I had nothing to do with the original order."

  "All right, it was this Ambiguity. But later it was you. You reconfirmed

  it."

  "Later, much later, when we learned what he had learned. Both orders were

  given, one in sanction, one not, for the same reason. You were penetrating

  the manipulation-the structure-behind these documents, the link between men

  In Washington and their unknown counterparts in the KGB. Wre in a race. One

  miscalculation on your part, one exPosure of the flaw in that structure and

  we have every reason to believe that these agreements, these invitations to

  Ar-

  THE PARWAL MOSAIC 451

  mageddon, would be shown to the leaders in Moscow and Peking.-

  "Wait a minutel" cried Havelock, bewildered, angry. "Iliaes what you said

  beforel Goddamn it, these were negotWed with Moscow and Pekingl"


  The President of the United States did not reply. Instead, he walked to the

  nearest chair at the table and sat down, the ,back of his large head and

  his thinning blond hair reflected ,in the shaft of light. And then he

  spoke. "No, they were not, Mr. Havelock~" he said, looking at the screen.

  "These are the detailed fantasies of a brilliant but mad mind, the words of

  a superb negotiator."

  "Cood God, then deny thenil They aren~t reall"

  Berquist shook his head. "Read the languagel" he said sharply. "It's

  literally beyond deniability. There are detailed references to the most

  secret weapons in our arsenals. Locations, activating codes,

  specifications, logistics-information that men would be labeled traitors

  for revealing, their lives ended in prison, none sentenced to less than

  thirty years for their acts. In Moscow or Peking, those even remotely

  associated with the armaments data in these documents would be Shot without

  a hearing on the mere possibility they had divulged, knowingly or

  unknowingly, even a part of it." The President paused, turning his head

  slightly to the left~ his eyes still on the screen. "What you must

  understand is that Should the leaders in either Moscow or Peking be shown

  the adversary document, they would be convinced beyond doubt of its

  authenticity. Every strategic position, each missile capability. every area

  of destructive responsibility, has been hammered out down to the last det4

  nothing left to de. bate-even to the hours of vehicular robot-controlled

  occupation of territories."

  "Hammered out?" asked MichaeL the phrase a glaring intrusion.

  Berquist turned around, his eyes once again the huntees, but wary, afraid.

  "Yes, Mr. Havelock, hamm d out. Now yoeve reached the core of Parsifal.

  These agreements were negotiated by two extraordinary-and extraordinarily

  infOrmed-minds. TWO men hammering out every detaiL each step, each point,

  as though his stature in history depended on the task. A nuclear chess

  game, the universe to the winnerwhaes left of it."

  452 RoBLPRT LuDLum

  'How do you know that?'

  'Language again. It's the product of two minds. It doesn't take a

  psychiatrist, or a pathologist, to spot the different inputs. More to the

  point, Matthias couldn~t have created these by himself, he didn~t have the

  in-depth information that readily available. But with another-a Russian, as

  knowledgeable about Chinese capabilities as we are-together they could do

  It. Did it. Two men."

  His gaze fixed on the President, Havelock spoke In a monotone. "Parsifal is

  that other man, isn't he?" he asked quietly. "The one who could rip open

  wounds-all over the world."

  "Yes. He has the original set of these agreements, the only other set that

  exists, he claims. We have to believe him. Hes got a nuclear gun to our

  heads-my head."

  'Men Ws been in touch with you," said Michael, his eyes shifting to the

  screen. "You got these fi-oni him, not Anton."

  ~Yes. His demands at first were financial, growing with

  each contact, until they were beyond being outrageous; they

  were astronomical. Millions upon millions-and millions after

  that. We assumed his motive had to be political. He had the

  re . sources to buy lesser governments, to finance revolutions

  throughout the Third World, to promote terrorism. We kept

  dozens of unstable countries under the closest intelligence

  scrutiny, penetrating their more entrenched elements with

  our best people, teffing them only to look for the slightest

  substantive change. We thought we might trace him, trap

  him. And then we learned that Parsifal had not gone near

  the money; it was merely the means that told him we would

  do as he ordered. Hes not interested in money; he never

  was. He wants control, power. He wants to dictate to the

  strongest nation on earth."

  "He hm dictated. Thaes where you made your first mistake."

  "We were buying time. We're still buying ie

  "At the risk of annihilation?"

  "Jm the all-co miming hope of preventing it. You still don't understand,

  Mr. Havelock. We can and probably will parade Anthony Matthias before the

  world as a madman, destroying the credibility of ten years' worth of

  treaties and negotiations, but it will not answer the fundamental question.

  How In the name of God did the information in these agreements get there?

  Was It given to a man certifiably insane? If it was,

  THE PARSIFAL MOSAIc453

  whom else has he divulged it to? And do we willingly deliver to potential

  enemies the innermost secrets of our offensive and defensive capabilities?

  Or let them know how deeply we!ve penetrated their own weapons systems? ...

  We have no monopoly on nuclear maniacs. There are men in Moscow and Peking

  who, at the first perusal of these, would reach for the buttons and launch.

  Do you know why?"

  "rm not sure... rm not sure of anything."

  "Welcome to a very elite club. Let me tell you why. Because ies taken all

  of us forty years and uncountable billions to get where we are today.

  Atomic knives at each other's throats. Theres no time and not enough money

  left to begin again. In short, Mr. Havelock, in the desperate attempt to

  avert a global nuclear holocaust, we might start one."

  Michael swallowed, conscious of doing so, the blood drainIng from his face.

  "Simplistic assumptions are out," he said.

  "They're not even fashionable," replied Berquist.

  "Who is Parsifal?"

  'We don't know Any more than we know who Ambiguity IC"

  "You don't know?"

  'Except that theyre connected. We can assume that."

  'Wait a minutel"

  'You keep saying that."

  'You!ve got Matthiasl Ybere running him through a computerized charade

  here. Tear into his headl Yoteve got a hundred therapiesl Use them. Find

  outl"

  "You think we haven7t tried? There!s nothing in the annals of therapy that

  hasdt been used-isnt being used. Hes awed reality from his mind, he's

  convinced himself he negotiated with the militarists in Peking and Moscow.

  He can7t allow it to be otherwise, his fantasies have to be real to him.

  They protect him."

  "But Parsifal's alive, he's not a fantasyl He has a face, eyes, featuresl

  Antods got to be able to give you somethingl"

  "Nothing. Instead, he describes-accurately, to be sureknown extren3dsts in

  the Soviet Presidium and Chinds Central Committee. Those are the people he

  sees when these agreements are mentioned-with or without chemicals. That

  mind of his, that incredible instrument, is as creative in protecting him

  now as It was when instructing the world of lesser mortals before.7

  454 ROBERT LUDLUM

  "Abstractionsr cried Havelock.

  "You've said that, too."

  "This Parsifars rea He existsf He's got you under a gunl*

  "My words, I believe."

  Michael ran to the table and pounded it with his clenched fist. "I can't

  believe thisl"

  "Believe," said the President, "but don't do that again. There's some kind

  of sonic thing that registers solid decibels, not conversations. If I don't
r />   speak immediately, the vault is opened and you could lose your life."

  "Oh, my Godl"

  "I don't need your vote. There's no third term any longer-if there is an

  'any longer-and I wouldn't seek it, anym way."

  "Are you trying to be funny, Mr. President?"

  "Possibly. In times like these, and if circumstances permit you to grow

  older, you may find a certain comfort in the rare attempt. But I'm not sure

  ... I'm not sure of anything any longer. Millions to build this place,

  secrecy unparalleled, the finest psychiatrists in the country. Am I being

  sold a bill of goods? I don't know. I just know I have nowhere else to go."

  Havelock sank into the chair at the end of the table, feeling vaguely

  uncomfortable at sitting down in Berquist's presence without having been

  instructed to do so. "Oh," he said meaninglessly, his voice trailing off,

  looking abjectly at Berquist.

  "Forget it," said the President. I ordered up your own personal firing

  squad, remember?"

  "I still don't understand why. You say I penetrated something, a flaw in

  some structure or other. That if I kept going, these"-Michael looked up at

  the screen, wincing-"would be given to Moscow or Peking."

  "Not would, might. We couldn't take the slightest chance that Parsifal

  might panic. If he did, he'd undoubtedly head for Moscow. I think you know

  why."

  'He has a Soviet connection. The evidence against Jenna, everything that

  happened in Barcelona; none of it could have taken place without Russian

  intelligence."

  "The KGB denies it; that is, a man denies it on an official basis.

  According to the Cons Op records and a Lieutenant Colonel Lawrence Baylor,

  that man met with you in Athens."

  "Rostov?"

  THE PARSIVAL MOSATc455

  'Yes. He didn7t know what he was denying, of course, but he as much as told

  us that if there was a connection, it wasn!t sanctioned. We think he7s a

  worried man; he has no idea how justified he is."

  "He may," said Havelock. "Hes telling you it could be the

  Im..

  "What the hell is that? Im no expert in your field."

  ~Voennaya Kontra Rozvedka. A branch of the KGB, an elite corps that

  frightens anyone possessing a scrap of sanity. Is that what I penetrated?"

  Michael stopped and shook his head. "No, it couldn't be. I broke it in