《璇玑之心刃·冷血悍将》

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璇玑之心刃·冷血悍将- 第124部分


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irst place。 But there was no real loyalty here。 Trust stopped at his usefulness。 Henry had never expected any more than that; but if his associate ever started pressing on his pipeline 。。。
Piaggi wondered if he‘d pressed too far; wondering if Tucker knew the potential of what they were doing。 To control distribution on the entire East Coast; and do so from within a careful and secure organization; that was like a dream e true。 Surely he would soon need more capital; and his contacts were already asking how they might help。 But he could see that Tucker did not recognize the innocence of the inquiry; and if he discussed it further; protesting his goodwill; that would only make things worse。 And so Piaggi went back to his lunch and decided to leave things be for a while。 It was too bad。 Tucker was a very smart small…timer; but still a small…timer at heart。 Perhaps he‘d learn to grow。 Henry could never be ‘made;‘ but he could still bee an important part of the organization。
‘Next Friday okay?‘ Tucker asked。
‘Fine。 Keep it secure。 Keep it smart。‘
‘You got it; man。‘
It was an uneventful flight; a Piedmont 737 out of Friendship International Airport。 Kelly rode coach; and the stewardess brought him a light lunch。 Flying over America was so different from his other adventures aloft。 It surprised him how many swimming pools there were。 Everywhere you flew; lifting off from the airport; even over the rolling hills of Tennessee; the overhead sun would sparkle off little square patches of chlorine…blue water surrounded by green grass。 His country appeared to be so benign a place; so fortable; until you got closer。 But at least you didn‘t have to watch for tracer fire。
The Avis counter had a car waiting; along with a map。 It turned out that he could have flown into Panama City; Florida; but New Orleans; he decided; would suit him just fine。 Kelly tossed both his suitcases into the trunk and headed east。 It was rather like driving his boat; though somewhat more hectic; dead time in which he could let his mind work; examining possibilities and procedures; his eyes sweeping the traffic while his mind saw something else entirely。 That was when he started to smile; a thin; posed expression that he never thought about while his imagination took a careful and measured look at the next few weeks。
Four hours after landing; having passed through the lower ends of Mississippi and Alabama; he stopped his car at the main gate of Eglin AFB。 A fitting place for the KINGPIN troopers to have trained; the heat and humidity were an exact match with the country they‘d ultimately invaded; hot and moist。 Kelly waited outside the guard post for a blue Air Force sedan to meet him。 When it did; an officer got out。
‘Mr Clark?‘
‘Yes。‘ He handed over his ID folder。 The officer actually saluted him; which was a novel experience。 Clearly someone was overly impressed with CIA。 This young officer had probably never interacted with anybody from there。 Of course; Kelly had actually bothered to wear a tie in the hope of looking as respectable as possible。
‘If you‘ll follow me; please; sir。‘ The officer; Captain Griffin; led him to a first…floor room at the Bachelor Officers Quarters; which was somewhat like a medium…quality motel and agreeably close to the beach。 After helping Kelly get unpacked; Griffin walked him to the Officers‘ Club; where; he said; Kelly had visitor‘s privileges。 All he had to do was show his room key。
‘I can‘t knock the hospitality; Captain。‘ Kelly felt obligated to buy the first beer。 ‘You know why I‘m here?‘
‘I work intelligence;‘ Griffin replied。
‘KINGPIN?‘ As though in a movie; the officer looked around before replying。
‘Yes; sir。 We have all the documents you need ready for you。 I hear you worked special ops over there; too。‘
‘Correct。‘
‘I have one question; sir;‘ the Captain said。
‘Shoot;‘ Kelly invited between sips。 He‘d dried out on the drive from New Orleans。
‘Do they know who burned the mission?‘
‘No;‘ Kelly replied; and on a whim added; ‘Maybe I can pick up something on that。‘
‘My big brother was in that camp; we think。 He‘d be home now except for whatever 。。。‘ 
‘Motherfucker;‘ Kelly said helpfully。 The Captain actually blushed。
‘If you identify him; then what?‘
‘Not my department;‘ Kelly replied; regretting his earlier ment。 ‘When do I start?‘ 
‘Supposed to be tomorrow morning; Mr Clark; but the documents are all in my office。‘
‘I need a quiet room; a pot of coffee; maybe some sandwiches。‘
‘I think we can handle that; sir。‘
‘Then let me get started。‘
Ten minutes later; Kelly got his wish。 Captain Griffin had supplied him with a yellow legal pad and a battery of pencils。 Kelly started off with the first set of reconnaissance photographs; these taken by an RF…101 Voodoo; and as with SENDER GREEN; the discovery of Song Tay had been a plete accident; the random discovery of an unexpected thing in a place expected to have been a minor military training installation。 But in the yard of the camp had been letters stomped in the dirt; or arranged with stones or hanging laundry: ‘K‘ for ‘e and get us out of here;‘ and other such marks that had been made under the eyes of the guards。 The list of people who had bee involved was a genuine who‘s who of the special operations munity; names that he knew only by reputation。
The configuration of the camp was not terribly different from the one in which he was interested now; he saw; making appropriate notes。 One document surprised him greatly。 It was a memo from a three…star to a two…star; indicating that the Song Tay mission; though important in and of itself; was also a means to an end。 The three…star had wanted to validate his ability to get special…ops teams into North Vietnam。 That; he said; would open all sorts of possibilities; one of which was a certain dam with a generator room 。。。 oh; yeah; Kelly realized。 The three…star wanted a hunting license; to insert several teams in…country and play the same games OSS had behind German lines in the Second World War。 The memo concluded with a note that political factors made the latter aspect of POLAR CIRCLE … one of the first cover names for what became Operation KINGPIN … extremely sensitive。 Some would see it as a widening of the war。 Kelly looked up; finishing his second cup of coffee。 What was it about politicians?… he wondered。 The enemy could do anything he wanted; but our side was always trembling at the possibility of being seen to widen the war。 He‘d even seen some of that at his level。 The PHOENIX project; the deliberate targeting of the enemy‘s political infrastructure; was a matter of the greatest sensitivity。 Hell; they wore uniforms; didn‘t they? A man in a bat zone wearing a uniform was fair game in anyone‘s book of rules; wasn‘t he? The other side took out local mayors and schoolteachers with savage abandon。 There was a blatant double standard to the way the war had been conducted。 It was a troubling thought; but Kelly set it aside as he turned back to the second pile of documents。
Assembling the team and planning the operation had taken half of forever。 Good men all; however。 Colonel Bull Simons; another man he knew only by his reputation as one of the toughest sharp…end bat manders any Army had ever produced。 Dick Meadows; a younger man in the same mold。 Their only waking thought was to bring harm and distraction to the enemy; and they were skilled in doing so with small forces and minimum exposure。 How they must have lusted for this mission; Kelly thought。 But the oversight they‘d had to deal with 。。。 Kelly counted ten separate documents to higher authority; promising success … as though a memo could make such a claim in the harsh world of bat operations … before he stopped bothering to count them。 So many of them used the same language until he suspected that a form letter had been ginned up by some unit clerk。 Probably someone who‘d run out of fresh words for his colonel; and then expressed a sergeant‘s contempt for the interlocutors by giving them the same words every time; in the expectation that the repeats would never be noticed … and they hadn‘t been。 Kelly spent three hours going through reams of paper between Eglin and CIA; concerns of deskbound bean…counters distracting the men in green suits; ‘helpful‘ suggestions from people who probably wore ties to bed; all of which had required answers from the operators who carried guns 。。。 and so KINGPIN had grown from a relatively minor and dramatic insertion mission to a Cecil B。 DeMille epic which had more than once gone to the White House; there being known to the President‘s National Security Council staff—
And that‘s where Kelly stopped; at two…thirty in the morning; defeated by the next pile of paper。 He locked everything up in the receptacles provided and jogged back to his room at the Q; leaving notice for a seven o‘clock walk…up call。
It was surprising how little sleep you needed when there was important work to be done。 When the phone rang at seven; Kelly bounced from the bed; and fifteen minutes later was running along the beach barefoot; in a pair of shorts。 He was not alone。 He didn‘t know how many people were based at Eglin; but they were not terribly different from himself。 Some had to be special operations types; doing things that he could only guess at。 You could tell them from the somewhat wider shoulders。 Running was only part of their fitness game。 Eyes met and evaluated others; and expressions were exchanged as each man knew what the other was thinking … How tough is he; really? … as an automatic mental exercise; and Kelly smiled to himself that he was enough a part of the munity that he merited that kind of petitive respect。 A large breakfast and shower left him fully refreshed; enough to get him back to his clerk‘s work; and on the walk back to the office building; he asked himself; surprisingly; why he‘d ever left this munity of men。 It was; after all; the only real home he‘d known after leaving Indianapolis。
And so the days continued。 He allowed himself two days of six…hours‘ sleep; but never more than twenty minutes for a meal; and not a single drink after that first beer; though his exercise periods grew to several hours per day; mainly; he told himself; to firm up。 The real reason was one that he never quite admitted。 He wanted to be the toughest man on that early…morning beach; not just an associate part of the small; elite munity。 Kelly was a SEAL again; more than that; a bullfrog; and more still; he was again being Snake。 By the third or fourth; morning; he could see the change。 His face and form were now an expected part of the morning routine for the others。 The anonymity only made it better; that and the scars of battle; and some would wonder what he‘d done wrong; what mistakes he‘d made。 Then they would remind themselves that he was still in the business; scars and all; not knowing that he‘d left it … quit; Kelly‘s mind corrected; with not a little guilt。
The paperwork was surprisingly stimulating。 He‘d never before tried to figure things out in quite this way; and he was surprised to find he had a talent for it。 The operational planning; he saw; had been a thing of beauty flawed by time and repetition; like a beautiful girl kept too long in her 
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