W. Griffin - The Hostage

Captain Walsh smiled, and shook his head.

"As to why there is no record of their aircraft being granted permission to land here, I have no idea. I was notified by CentCom that they were coming. I am forced to conclude that either CentCom or the Air Force fucked things up again, as both are lamentably famous for doing."

"I'll look into it, General," Winters said.

"If I may offer advice without giving offense, Oscar, let sleeping dogs lie."

"No offense taken, General."

"Would it be possible for you to drag that airplane somewhere where it will be more convenient for them to get back in it after we've had some breakfast?"

"Certainly, sir. Colonel, do you need fuel?"

"No, sir. We're all right," Torine said.

"Castillo, once again demonstrating his remarkable ability to arrive at the wrong time, did so by arriving here just as Walsh and I finished our wake-up five-mile trot around Smoke Bomb Hill," General McNab said. "I require sustenance immediately after my morning five-miler. Otherwise, my wife accuses, I become ill-mannered."

"I understand, General," Winters said.

Fernando appeared at the Lear's door.

"Can I get off now without being blown away?" he asked.

"Aha," McNab said. "Unless I err, the owner of the airplane. You may not believe this, Oscar, but he was once a fairly competent captain of armor."

"How are you, General?" Fernando asked.

"Very well, Fernando, for an old man, with all these terrible responsibilities heavily weighing upon my overburdened shoulders. Could you use some sustenance?"

"Yes, sir, I could."

"I'll have it towed to Base Ops," General Winters said.

"Thank you, sir," Torine said.

"Thank you, Oscar," General McNab said, and gestured to Castillo, Torine, and Lopez that they should get into the Humvee. There was still a small line waiting to be fed at what the Army now called the "dining facility"-formerly "mess hall"-of the 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment when McNab's Humvee pulled up outside. Everyone in the Humvee piled out and went to the end of the line.

One of the principles of leadership Castillo had learned while he had been Second Lieutenant Castillo, aide-de-camp to Brigadier General McNab, was that the quality of food served was one of the most important factors in troop morale, and that a very good way to ensure that high-quality food was served at all times was for senior officers to drop in unannounced at a randomly selected mess hall and eat what was being served to the privates.

General McNab took out his wallet and paid for breakfast for everybody but his driver, an unmarried sergeant living in barracks who was not drawing a rations and quarters allowance, and they went through the line watched by a visibly nervous mess sergeant, who was aware both of McNab's legendary temper and that it was often triggered when food did not measure up to his expectations.

The food-and there was a wide array of choices- was good. McNab waited until they were through, poured himself another cup of coffee, and then handed Castillo a sheet of Teletype paper.

"If you have trouble with the big words, Charley, I will be happy to explain them to you," he said.

Castillo took the message and read it.

COPIES TO:

1. CONFIRMING VERBAL ORDERS OF THE PRESIDENT TO THE UNDERSIGNED 26 JULY 2005 AND TELECON BETWEEN GEN NAYLOR AND LT GEN MCNAB 2305 26 JULY 2005. 2. BY DIRECTION OF THE PRESIDENT: * (A) COMMANDING GENERAL XVIII AIRBORNE CORPS/SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND WILL IMMEDIATELY MAKE AVAILABLE SUCH PERSONNEL AND EQUIPMENT AS MAY BE REQUESTED BY C. G. CASTILLO, CHIEF, OFFICE OF ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY. * (B) ANY INABILITY TO PROVIDE SUCH PERSONNEL OR EQUIPMENT WILL BE IMMEDIATELY REPORTED TO CINC CENTCOM EYES ONLY GEN NAYLOR BY THE MOST EXPEDITIOUS MEANS, PREFERABLY SECURE TELEPHONE.

Castillo handed the message to Torine, who read it and then handed it back to McNab, who folded it and put it in his pocket.

"So tell me, Chief," McNab said, "what are you requesting besides the three radios, and operators therefor, that General Naylor mentioned last night?"

"That's about it, sir," Castillo replied.

"I have two more questions, Chief," McNab said, "if I may dare to ask them."

"Ask away, sir."

"Thank you, Chief. One, when do I get Vic D'Allessando and my twenty-four shooters back from Mississippi? General Naylor said that decision is up to you."

"Sir, just as soon as other security arrangements can be made to protect the Mastersons. I'm working on that now."

"Will it count as another question, Chief, if I ask you where you're going to get those security arrangements?"

"As soon as I get to Washington, sir, I'm going to call China Post and see who's available."

"What the hell is that?" Fernando asked.

"Some allege, Fernando," McNab explained, "that China Post Number One in Exile of the American Legion-your cousin and I are members-functions as an employment bureau for former and/or retired special operators seeking more or less honest civilian employment." He turned to Castillo. "If you'd like, Charley- excuse me, Chief-I'll give China Post a heads-up call and tell them you'll be calling."

"That'd be great, sir. Thank you very much."

"It would probably help if I could assure them the compensation would be in line with their skills."

"Money is not a problem, sir."

McNab nodded.

"Question two," he went on. "What the hell is going on?"

"Yesterday, sir, immediately upon landing, Mrs. Masterson told me the villains who abducted her and murdered Mr. Masterson…" "So you're going to try to find this Lorimer fellow?" McNab asked, when Castillo had finished.

"Yes, sir. With a little bit of luck, we'll be in Paris late this afternoon."

McNab was silent for a moment, visibly thinking.

"You want to take two radios and operators with you, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Al?" McNab said to Captain Walsh.

"Sir, they'll be at Base Ops by the time we get back over there," Captain Walsh replied.

"The best we could do about the radio for Buenos Aires is to get the operator on the 2310 American Airlines flight out of Miami tonight. That'll put him there at 0620 their time tomorrow morning. The radio itself posed a problem. I didn't want to send it through their customs, and not only because I wasn't sure we could get it through their customs, so I called Secretary Cohen, when she was still on Air Force One on her way back to Washington. She promised to have someone in Miami slap the appropriate diplomatic stickers on it to whisk it through customs unopened-it's addressed to the ambassador-but that may not go as smoothly as we like. I don't have a lot of faith in the State Department."