W.E.B. Griffin - The Corps IV - Battleground

"Have you got a first name?"

"John."

"Would you like a beer, John? Or something stronger?"

"I'd love a beer. Thank you."

As he followed her down the deck to the cabin, Moore observed that she was just as good looking from that perspective.

She opened a refrigerator door and took out a bottle of beer.

"Mexican," she said. "Ken says it's much better than the kind they make in 'Diego. Would you like a glass?"

"The bottle's fine, thank you," he said.

"Where are you from?"

"Philadelphia," he said.

"Oh, I'm from Jersey. Bernardsville. I've spent some time in Philly. I used to go with a guy-nothing serious-who was at U.P."

"I went to the University of Pennsylvania," he said.

"And then you joined the Corps?"

He nodded.

"Ken's from Norristown," she said. "But he's only been back once since he joined the Corps."

"Oh," Moore said, aware that he was tongue-tied.

"I told Whatsisname, Zimmerman's driver, the one he won't let drive, to put your bag in a cabin-second door to the right when you go below-so if you'd like, when you finish your beer, you could have a shower."

"I need one," Moore said. "I've been traveling for forty-eight hours."

"And you've been on The Lark," she said with a smile. "Anyone who's been on The Lark needs a long, hot shower."

She smiled at him, and he smiled back. He had no idea who this young woman was, but he liked her.

Sergeant John Marston Moore, USMCR, came back in the cabin just as Second Lieutenant Kenneth R. McCoy, USMCR, entered it from the deck.

Lieutenant McCoy, who was in dress green uniform, looked not unlike other second lieutenants Moore had seen. That is, he was young-about my age, Moore thought-and trim, and immaculately shaven and dressed. But there was one significant difference. Above the silver marksmanship medals which all second lieutenants seemed to have- although McCoy seemed to have more of these, all EXPERT -he had five colored ribbons, representing medals. Moore had seen very few second lieutenants with any ribbons at all.

Moore didn't know what all of them represented, but he did recognize two. One was the Pacific Theater of Operations Campaign Medal. McCoy's had a tiny bronze star, signifying that he had participated in a campaign. And on top was the ribbon representing the Purple Heart. This second lieutenant had already been to the war in the Pacific and had been wounded.

Miss Ernestine Page kissed Lieutenant McCoy. It was a wifely demonstration of affection, Moore judged, although it had been made clear that whatever her relationship was with Lieutenant McCoy, she was not his legal spouse.

"I'm Ken McCoy, Moore," he said. "I'm a friend of Captain Sessions. Ernie been taking good care of you?" He put out his hand. His grip was firm, and there was something about his eyes that made Moore decide that this was a good man.

"Yes, Sir, she has."

"Let me get a beer, Baby, and get out of this uniform," McCoy said. "Give Moore another one."

"Aye, aye, Sir. Right away, Sir."

McCoy patted her possessively on the buttocks.

"Be nice," he said.

"I'm always nice," Ernie Page said.

"How about eighty percent of the time?" McCoy said, and, carrying a bottle of beer, went below. By the time Moore had finished his second beer, McCoy reappeared, wearing shorts and a T-shirt. He looked even younger than he had before.

He caught Moore's eye.

"Why don't I loan you a pair of shorts and a T-shirt?" he asked.

"I don't want to trouble you, Sir."

"You'll trouble me in your greens," McCoy said. "Come on."

He took two fresh bottles of beer from the refrigerator and led Moore below again. He sat on the double bed in the cabin as Moore changed out of his greens.

"Zimmerman tell you about Outshipment? The way those feather merchants handle difficult passengers like you?"

"Yes, Sir."

"And that we figured out how to-fuck them-get you on your way to Australia?"

"Yes, Sir," Moore replied, and then took a chance. "Is that where I'm going, Sir, to Australia?"

"Sessions didn't tell you? What the hell is the big secret? He told me you were going to Australia when he called and asked me to make sure you got on the plane."

"No, Sir, he didn't tell me."

"OK. Well, keep your mouth shut, about where you're going, and who told you."

"Yes, sir."

"You're going to Australia. You know the outfit?"

"My orders say 'Special Detachment 14.' I don't know what that means, Sir."

"Well, I guess that's the reason for the secrecy. So I won't go into that. But your new CO is one of the good guys. His name is Major Ed Banning. I used to work for him in Shanghai. So did Captain Sessions. For that matter, so did Zimmerman. What he's doing is very important, and the reason you're travelling on a Six-A priority is that he needs someone, yesterday, who speaks Japanese."

Moore nodded.

And then he put everything together.

"Lieutenant, are you the one they call 'Killer McCoy'?"

The friendly smile that had been in McCoy's eyes vanished. Moore did not like what he saw in them now.

"Where did you hear that?" McCoy asked, and his voice was as cold and menacing as his eyes.

Moore knew that it had been the wrong question to ask, and tried to frame a reply that would be placating. When he did not immediately reply, McCoy, now visibly angry, asked, "Did that fucking Zimmerman run off at the fucking mouth again?"

Moore didn't reply instantly.

"I asked you a question," McCoy snapped.

"No, Sir. I heard that at Quantico. There was a Master Gunnery Sergeant there..."

"Name?" McCoy snapped.

"I don't remember his name, Sir," Moore said, and then remembered. "He said he was the S-3 Sergeant of the 4th Marines..."

"Nickleman," McCoy interrupted. "He always had a bad case of runaway mouth."

"... and he was talking about the 4th Marines, and Shanghai, with Captain Sessions."

McCoy stared at him for a long moment. Gradually, the cold fury in his eyes died, and blood returned to his lips.

"I'm sorry, Sir, if..." Moore began.

McCoy waved his hand to shut him off.

"To answer your question, Sergeant," McCoy said. "There are some people who call me 'Killer,' including people who should know better, like Mike Nickleman and Captain Sessions. I don't like it a goddamn bit. But you didn't know, so don't worry about it."

Moore's mouth ran away with him. "Why do they call you that, Sir?"

The ice came instantly back into McCoy's eyes, and his lips drew tight and bloodless again. He looked at Moore for a long moment, and then shrugged.

"OK. Let me set that straight. I had to kill some people in China. I didn't want to. I had to. It just happened that way. Some Italians, the Italian equivalent of Marines. Three of them. And about a month later, when Sessions and Zimmerman and I were fucking around in the boondocks, trying to find out what the Japs were up to, we had to kill some Chinese. They were supposed to be bandits, but what they were was working for the Kempae Tai-Japanese secret police. There was about twenty of them got killed. The word got back to Shanghai and some wiseass-I still don't know who-in the 4th heard about it. He didn't know what we were really doing up there, just that we got in a fight with Chinese bandits, so what he did was have a sign painted, 'Welcome Back, Killer' and hung it in the club. The name stuck. It makes me sound like a fucking lunatic, like I go around getting my rocks off knifing and shooting people."

"I'm sorry, Sir, that..."

McCoy held up his hand to cut him off again, and then, switching to Japanese, which startled Moore, said, "I'd be damned surprised, Moore, if you haven't figured out you're now in the Intelligence business, that we both are. Rule One in the Intelligence business, and I'm surprised Captain Sessions didn't tell you this, is to disappear into the wallpaper. The one thing you can't afford, in other words, is to have people point you out and say, 'there he is, Killer McCoy, who killed all those people.' Understand?"