«There are obviously
some
drawbacks to the miracle of faster-than-a-speeding-bullet transoceanic flights,» he said aloud, and then added, «Okay, stop feeling sorry for yourself, you old bastard, haul your ass out of bed and get to work.»
«Sir?» Second Lieutenant George F. Hart, USMCR, asked. A moment later, his face appeared from behind a screen in one corner of the room.
I
didn't know that he was in there
.
«I was talking to myself, George, something that old men tend to do,» Pickering said. «Sorry to wake you.»
«I thought I'd sleep into next week when I went to bed last night,» Hart said. «But I've been wide awake for thirty minutes.» He walked into the room, wearing his uniform, except for the tunic.
Pickering pushed himself up and swung his legs out of the bed. Then he pushed himself to his feet and reached for his trousers. «And you are presumably bursting with energy, eager to face the challenges of the new day?» he asked.
«Actually, sir, my ass is really dragging. I really didn't want to get out of bed.»
«I'm glad to hear you say that, George,» Pickering said. «I feel exactly the same way. I thought maybe I was getting sick.»
«We spent a lot of time on those airplanes, General.»
«Where did you sleep, George?»
«There's a little alcove behind the screen, General. I had them get me a cot.»
«Have we got a phone number for Banning?» Pickering asked. «I want to know if he's located McCoy.»
«We do, sir,» Hart said. «But he said, last night, that he would be here about seven. He's probably on his way by now.»
«I want to talk to Albright, too,» Pickering said, as much to himself as to Hart. «Let's find ourselves some breakfast. I need a cup of coffee. Give me a minute to finish dressing.»
«Yes, sir.»
Captain Jerry Sampson, the one who'd been at Harvard with «Malcolm,» was standing by a double sliding door off the foyer of the house. He was wearing what Pickering thought of as «a white hunter's jacket.»
He came to attention. «Good morning, General,» he said.
«Good morning,» Pickering said, smiling at him.
«Ah-ten-HUT!» Sampson bellowed in Pickering's ear, startling him.
There was the sound of scraping chairs and six officers sitting around a large table got to their feet and came to attention.
«Good morning, gentlemen,» Pickering said. «Please take your seats.» He turned to Sampson. «That was very nice. Captain, but we'll dispense with that in the future. And we will also dispense with anybody waiting for me to show up to eat.»
«Yes, sir,» Captain Sampson said.
The table was set for breakfast. There was even a rack of toast before an empty place—where Pickering knew he was expected to sit—at the head of the table. Colonel John J. Waterson remained standing at the position to the right, Lieutenant Colonel Richard C. Platt remained standing to the left.
«May I introduce my officers, sir?» Platt asked.
«Of course,» Pickering said.
Platt led him around the table and introduced him to the officers of OSS station Chungking.
They all look like they were stamped from the same mold as Sampson
, Pickering thought.
Nice-looking, intelligent-looking, young men
.
«I'll gratefully eat whatever is put before me,» Pickering announced when he had taken his seat.
Lieutenant Colonel Platt rang a small silver bell, and a line of houseboys marched into the room and began serving breakfast.
Lieutenant Colonel Ed Banning came through the door, noticing as he did an empty place beside Colonel Waterson. He wondered if it was left empty by coincidence or was reserved for him. He slipped into it. «Good morning, General,» he said.
«Any word on McCoy, Ed?» Pickering asked.
Banning, looking uncomfortable, shook his head, «no.»
«I did talk to the B-17 pilot, sir. He'd like to take off at four, if that fits in with Colonel Waterson's schedule.»
«You have any problem with that, Jack?»
«No, sir.»
«Okay, Ed, confirm that.»
«Aye, aye, sir,» Banning said. «And there's been another Special Channel for you.» He reached into his tunic pocket and handed Pickering a sealed envelope.
'"Special Channel'?» Captain Sampson quoted curiously. «May I ask—«
«No, you may not,» Colonel Platt said.
Well, at least Platt learns quick
, Pickering thought, suppressing a smile at the look on Captain Sampson's face. He tore open the envelope and read the Special Channel.
T O P S E C R E T
CINCPAC HAWAII
VIA SPECIAL CHANNEL
DUPLICATION FORBIDDEN
0905 GREENWICH 8 APRIL 1943
US MILITARY MISSION TO CHINA
EYES ONLY BRIGGEN FLEMING PICKERING, USMC
BEGIN PERSONAL FROM ADM NIMITZ TO BRIG GEN PICKERING
DEAR FLEMING:
REFERENCE REPORT FROM YOUR MAJOR DILLON DATED 7 APR 43:
FOR YOUR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, I HAVE BEEN ADVISED BY MAJGEN MCINERNEY THAT FULLY QUALIFIED VOLUNTEER PILOTS WILL BE ON STATION HERE WITHIN NO MORE THAN FORTY-EIGHT (48) HOURS.
SUBMARINE SUNFISH WILL BE AVAILABLE TO OPERATION GOBI AS OF 1600 GREENWICH 8 APRIL AND DRY RUN IN HAWAIIAN WATERS INVOLVING BOTH AIRCRAFT WILL BE CONDUCTED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE THEREAFTER.
INASMUCH AS ESTIMATED BEST POSSIBLE SAILING TIME TO RENDEZVOUS POINT FOURTEEN (14) DAYS TWELVE (12) HOURS AND ACTUAL SAILING TIME WILL LIKELY TAKE AS MUCH AS FOUR (4) DAYS LONGER, REARADM WAGAM RECOMMENDS THAT SUNFISH SAO, FOR RENDEZVOUS POINT IMMEDIATELY AFTER CONCLUSION OF SUCCESSFUL DRY RUN AND REMAIN ON STATION UNTIL RENDEZVOUS IS MADE OR MISSION ABORTED. IN ABSENCE OF OBJECTION FROM YOU THIS WILL BE ORDERED.
AGAINST THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE FIRST RENDEZVOUS ATTEMPT MAY FAIL, WITH THE LOSS OF AIRCRAFT, AND MAY TAKE PLACE AFTER SUNFISH HAS BEEN ON STATION FOR SOME TIME WITH RESULTANT EXHAUSTION OF FUEL AND FOOD, I HAVE DIRECTED REARADM WAGAM TO HAVE TWO ADDITIONAL PBY-5A AIRCRAFT MODIFIED AT EWA IMMEDIATELY, AND TO BE PREPARED IMMEDIATELY UPON NOTIFICATION THAT THE FIRST RENDEZVOUS ATTEMPT HAS BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL AND SUNFISH IS RETURNING TO PEARL HARBOR TO DISPATCH A SECOND SUBMARINE FROM PEARL HARBOR TO EFFECT AN AT SEA RENDEZVOUS WITH SUNFISH. REARADM WAGAM ESTIMATES PERSONNEL AND EQUIPMENT ABOARD SUNFISH CAN BE TRANSFERRED TO SECOND SUBMARINE IN ONE HOUR.
I HAVE EVERY CONFIDENCE YOU HAVE BEEN ABLE TO EXPLAIN TO GENERAL STILLWELL THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE SECURITY PROBLEMS THAT HAVE OCCURRED.
BEST PERSONAL REGARDS
CHESTER W. NIMITZ
ADMIRAL, US NAVY
CINCPAC
END PERSONAL FROM ADM NIMITZ TO BRIGGEN PICKERING
T O P S E C R E T
Pickering handed the message to Colonel Platt. «Give this to Colonel Waterson when you've read it,» Pickering ordered. «Then it goes to Hart.»