«Captain K. R. McCoy, USMCR, and Gunnery Sergeant Zimmerman, sir.»
«And why are they wearing beards and civilian clothing?»
«Sir, it is in connection with their mission.»
«Which is?»
«Sir, with respect, Captain McCoy and Sergeant Zimmerman are on an OSS mission that I am not at liberty to discuss.»
«You are refusing to answer my question?»
«Sir, with respect, I do not believe the General has the Need To Know.»
«We'll see about my Need To Know just as soon as you have magic up and running,» General Dempsey said. «In the meantime, I am going to give you two simple orders. One, get magic up and running and tell me the moment we have a link with Washington. Two, have those two characters report to Colonel Platt at the OSS station. I'm sure he'll see that they are shaved and into uniform.»
«Sir, with respect, I don't believe you have the authority to issue orders to Captain McCoy or Sergeant Zimmerman.»
«Goddamn you! How dare you question my authority? Don't you ever again question any order I give you!»
«Yes, sir.»
«You are dismissed, Colonel. Report to me, whatever the hour, when you have established a magic link with Washington.»
«Yes, sir.»
Banning snapped to attention, saluted, performed a crisp about-face maneuver, and marched out of General Dempsey's office.
Over his shoulder, he heard General Dempsey furiously demand of General Newley, «Jack, can you believe that? Goddamned arrogant Marine!»
He walked back to the wide area in the tunnel and motioned for McCoy to join him.
«Captain,» he said, formally, «you may consider yourself and Gunnery Sergeant Zimmerman detached.»
«Aye, aye, sir,» McCoy said. «What's going on?»
«You've got the gold?» Banning asked.
McCoy tapped his waist. A money belt heavy with U.S. twenty-dollar gold coins was strapped around it.
«There's an OSS station here. Do you know anything about that?»
McCoy shook his head negatively. «First I've heard of it.»
«The signal officer here has ordered me to order you to report there, to a Colonel Platt.»
«What gives this Army Signal Corps officer the right to give you orders?»
«That's a very interesting question, Captain.»
«Is that what you're doing? Ordering me to report to the OSS here?»
«You're detached,» Banning said. «I am no longer authorized to give you orders.»
«What went on in there?» McCoy asked. «What's going on?»
«I can't go into that, Ken,» Banning said. «Sorry.»
McCoy looked at him very thoughtfully.
«Correct me if I'm wrong, Captain, but I seem to recall that your last valid order from Brigadier General Pickering was, upon detachment from the team bringing personnel records here, to make preparations to move into the Gobi Desert.»
«Yes, sir, that is correct.»
«Having been detached, Captain, those orders remain valid unless countermanded by an officer senior to Brigadier General Pickering, such as the major general who is the signal officer here.»
«I'm getting the message,» McCoy said.
«I don't know what's going on around here, Ken, but whatever it is, you shouldn't be involved with it.»
«Yes, sir,» McCoy said, and put out his hand to Banning.
«Grab your gear, Ernie,» he said. «We're leaving.»
«Don't go into the desert, Ken, until Pickering tells you to.»
«I'll be around,» McCoy said, and motioned for Zimmerman to precede him out of the tunnel.
note 59
U.S. Navy Hospital
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1615 25 March 1943
«Well, look what's washed up on my beach again,» Commander Jerome C. Kister, MC, USNR, greeted Captain James B. Weston, USMC, when he walked into his office and found Weston waiting for him. He touched Weston's shoulder.
«Good afternoon, sir.»
«Come on in. Rest your weary bones. It's a long drive from West Virginia, isn't it? Even in your gas guzzler?»
«It's a long ride,» Weston agreed.
During which I had a lot of time to think about what I'm going to do about Janice. And did not come up with any answer, except perhaps suicide.
«Sit,» Dr. Kister said, indicating an upholstered chair facing his desk.
«Thank you, sir.»
«And how was your recuperative leave? Are you appropriately grateful to the grateful taxpayers who picked up the tab for your month in the lap of luxury?»
«I wish they just gave me the money,» Weston said.
«But—a little bird told me—you did find the time to work in a little romance. So all was not lost time, was it?»
«I also found time to go to Pensacola,» Weston said. «I don't think I'm going to have to learn to fly all over again.»
«I heard. Tubby Bolemann has been keeping me up to date.»
Weston smiled. Although it made sense, it was the first time he had heard the corpulent psychiatrist called that. «He's a good guy,» Weston said.
«Yeah. They offered him retirement—a hundred percent to start, and fifty percent guaranteed for the rest of his life—but he decided to stick around. Now he's trying to go back to sea.»
«A good guy,» Weston repeated.
«He's also made it official that you are no crazier than any other Marine Aviator. So what happens now is we run you though another quick physical, which I'll schedule for tomorrow morning. And then you can go back to full duty.»
«A flight physical, I hope?»
«Since you're not on flight status, I'm not technically supposed to give you a flight physical. But—don't be shocked by this confession—I have made administrative errors before. I don't know if Pensacola will accept a flight physical from here, but you never know.»
«Thank you.»
«You can spend the rest of the day tomorrow putting your affairs in order— pay, that sort of thing—and then I'll discharge you from here as of the day after tomorrow. I think you get five days to drive to Pensacola.»
«Fine,» Weston said.
«It's one hell of a drive from here to Pensacola,» Dr. Kister said. «I suppose you have been thinking about that.»
«Sir?»
Dr. Kister didn't reply. He reached for his telephone and dialed a number.
«Ah, Lieutenant,» he said to whoever answered the phone. «Just the Naval officer with whom I wished to communicate. And how are you this afternoon?»
He's scheduling my physical
, Weston decided.
There was a reply, and then Kister said, «Yes, by a wild happenstance, he's sitting right here with me.»
He handed the phone to Weston, who took it.
«Captain Weston.»
«Hi,» Janice said.
His heart jumped. «Hi, yourself.»
«How was the drive?»
«Long.»
«Listen, I have the duty until 2000.»
«Damn!»
«Can you meet me in the Benjamin Franklin Hotel at eight-thirty?»
«Sure.»
«You can find it all right?»