«We did that last night, General,» shouted the voice of Sly from inside. «It’ll be here in twenty minutes.»
«You mean you’re up?»
«Of course, sir,» replied Marlon. «We’ve already been out and run forty or fifty blocks.»
«You don’t have doors to the hallway.»
«That’s right, sir,» agreed Sylvester.
«I didn’t hear you leave, and I hear everything!»
«We can be very quiet, General,» added Marlon. «And you must have been very tired. You didn’t even move… We’re all meeting here for petit déjeuner … early mess, sir.»
«Goddamn!»
To the Hawk’s annoyance, the telephone rang again. Angry but resigned, he returned to the desk and picked up the shrill instrument. «Yes?»
«Ahh, it is most pleasurable to hear your beautiful voice,» said the obviously Oriental male on the line. «This most unworthy soul is most rucky to make your acquaintance.»
«Nice to meet you, too, and who the hell are you?»
«Yakataki Motoboto, but my rovery friends in Horry wood call me ‘Cruiser.’»
«I can understand that. Come back in five hours and call from the lobby first.»
«Ahh, yes, you are being friverous, no doubt, but perhaps I can imminate your conditions, since I believe we now own this beautiful hotel and its robby.»
«What are you talking about, Motorboat?»
«We also own three of the rargest studios in Horrywood, most worthy person. I suggest you see me first, or perhaps most unfortunatry we must evict you instantry.»
«No can do, Tojo. Your front desk has a line of credit on our behalf to the tune of a hundred thousand. Until that’s in jeopardy, you can’t move our asses anywhere. That’s the law, Bonsai, our law.»
«Aiyee! You try the patience of this unworthy soul. I represent the Toyhondahai Enterprises, U.S.A. Motion Picture Operations!»
«Good for you. I represent six warriors that make your samurai look like chickenshit purveyors… Five hours, Slope, or I’ll call my buddies in the Tokyo Diet and they’ll take away your tax-exempt company expense accounts for reasons of corruption!»
«Aiyee!»
«On the other hand, come back in five hours and all is forgiven.» The Hawk hung up the phone and went to his open duffel bag on the couch. It was time to dress. The gray suit, not the buckskins.
Nineteen minutes and thirty-two seconds later, the men of the Suicidal Six stood rigidly at attention, a line of superbly conditioned stalwarts impressively filling out their camouflaged combat fatigues, their .45 caliber side arms holstered and strapped tightly around their enviously slim waists. Gone were the theatrical manifestations of their currently assumed «names»; the slouches, swaggers, and vocal imitations had vanished. In their places were rock-hard faces, sharp, precise language, and the concrete postures of relatively young but experienced soldiers, each with striking features and clear, unblinking eyes that held both intensity and perception. At the moment they were passing inspection for their surrogate commander.
«That’s it, boys, you’ve got it!» cried the Hawk approvingly. «Remember, this is the image you want to give ’em when they first take a look at you. Tough but smart, battle-scarred but human, above the crowd but with the common touch. God, I love it when men look like you! Damn it to hell, we need heroes! We crave brave souls who’ll ride into the mouth of death, into the jaws of hell—»
«You’ve got it backwards, General, it’s the other way around.»
«Same damn thing.»
«Not really.»
«He wants William Holden in the last scenes of Kwai.»
«Or John Ireland in O.K. Corral.»
«How about Dick Burton and Big Clint in Eagles Dare?»
«Or Eroll Flynn in anything.»
«Don’t forget Connery in The Untouchables.»
«Hey, fellas, what about Sir Henry Sutton as the knight in Becket?»
«Absolutely!»
«Hey, what about Sir Henry, General? We’re here, but where is he? We consider him a part of us now, especially where our movie’s concerned.»
«On another assignment, men. A very vital assignment; he’ll meet up with you later… Now, back to the engagement facing us.»
«Can we relax, sir?»
«Yes, yes, of course, but don’t lose that, that …»
«Collective image, General?» asked Telly gently.
«Yeah, that’s what I mean—I think.»
«And you’d be quite right, sir,» added the Yale-trained Sly. «You see, we’re basically ensemble players. It’s largely improv and goes with the interacting totality, as it were.»
«Totality …? Yeah, sure… Now, listen up. The Hollywood types and the London film types you’re going to meet don’t know what to expect, but when they see six military hunks—as a dear friend of mine who understands their mentalities put it—they’ll see bucketfuls of bucks. Especially because you’re the real thing, and that’s where you’re different. You don’t have to sell yourselves, they’ve got to sell themsleves. You’re the choosers, not the choosees; they may want to buy, but you may not want to sell. You’ve got certain standards.»
«Isn’t that a dangerous position?» asked The Duke. «Producers hold the purse strings, not actors, especially not actors like us who haven’t exactly set Broadway on fire, to say nothing of Hollywood.»
«Gentlemen,» said the Hawk. «Forget your previous lives and whatever marks you made or didn’t make. As of now, who and what you are is setting the world on fire! That’s what these people will see flowing into their cash registers. You’re not only professional actors, you’re soldiers, commandos in various disguises to achieve your missions!»
«Oh, hell,» said Dustin, shrugging. «Anyone with advanced acting techniques under his belt could do it—»
«Don’t ever say that!» shouted MacKenzie.
«Sorry, General, but I think it’s the truth.»
«Then keep it a secret, son!» said the Hawk. «We’re dealing with ‘high concept’ here. We keep it big, not small.»
«What does that mean?» asked Sly.
«Don’t bring in details; their attention spans can’t handle it.» MacKenzie walked to the desk and picked up the clipped pages of his third wife’s literary labors; he turned back to the unit. «This is what’s known as an outline, or a ‘treatment,’ or something just as dumb-sounding, and there’s only one copy—that’s to keep its security at a maximum. It’s a high-powered summary of your activities over the past few years, and let me tell you, it’s a nuclear missile. When each of these vultures arrives, I’ll give him this single copy and tell him he’s got fifteen minutes to read it and then ask whatever questions he likes, the answers to which will be subject to national security. I want you to sit in those chairs over there that I’ve placed in a semicircle maintaining that collective—whatever you call it.»
«Collective image of silent strength with an admixture of intelligence and perception?» suggested Telly the professor.
«Yeah, that one. And maybe it wouldn’t hurt if a couple of you slap the holsters of your forty-fives whenever I say ‘national security.’»