Griffin W.E.B. - The Corps 08 - In Dangers Path

.

«Good morning, Colonel,» Pickering said, offering his hand. «I'm Fleming Pickering.»

«Good morning, sir.»

«Have you had your breakfast?»

«I had some coffee, sir.»

«Well, I'm about to have my breakfast,» Pickering said. «You can either have some with me, or you can have a cup of coffee and watch me eat.»

«That's very kind of you, sir.»

«George,» Pickering ordered. «Round up Pluto and ask him to come to the dining room. I want you there, too.»

Pickering gestured for Waterson to precede him into the dining room.

«I have—this sounds like a line from a B movie—no secrets from either Hart or Major Hon,» Pickering said. «Not only because they have to know everything that's going on, but also because they generally know things before I do. They both have magic clearances. Pluto—Major Hon—knew about this latest development before I did, because he decrypted the message when it came in. You are familiar with this latest development?»

«I received a radio message from Colonel Donovan, sir,» Waterson said, «telling me that OSS Station Brisbane is now under your command.»

«Have a seat, Colonel,» Pickering said, as he sat down himself.

Pluto came into the room, trailed by George Hart. Pickering introduced Pluto.

«Let's go over our problems,» Pickering said. «Problem One is that General MacArthur doesn't want the OSS here at all.»

«But, General…« Waterson began.

Pickering held up his hand to shut him up.

«Problem Two is magic,» he went on, «which breaks down into three sub-problems: the analysis part of magic; magic clearances; and people to assist Pluto in the encryption/decryption.»

«General,» Waterson said, «you're going a little fast for me.»

«Let's talk about magic,» Pickering said. «How much do you know about that, Colonel?»

«I know it exists,» Waterson said.

«That's all? I'm disappointed.»

«I probably know more than I should, General,» Waterson said.

Pickering made a «give it to me» gesture with both hands.

«We've broken the Japanese codes,» Watersoi. said.

»

Some

of them,» Pickering corrected him. «Enough to be of enormous value. And obviously, it's the most important secret of the war.»

«Obviously,» Waterson agreed.

«People with a magic clearance cannot be placed in any situation where there is any chance at all they will be captured,» Pickering went on. «Right now we have three people here, Pluto, Hart, and Lieutenant Johnny Moore, who have magic clearance. Hart will be leaving with me. And two people are not enough to handle the traffic, particularly since the big brass have learned that the Special Channel is the best way to get a message through securely and in the shortest possible time.»

«Is that why Director Donovan has had trouble gaining access to the Special Channel?»

«Donovan is on the magic list, but General MacArthur decides who is to be given access to the Special Channel to SWPOA. I presume he decided the OSS didn't need it. But that's something else that's been changed. I have magic access, and I have every intention of using it—when necessary—to communicate with you.»

«Does that mean I'm to be given magic access?»

«I don't think so. For one thing, it would cause trouble with MacArthur. In SWPOA, only he and Willoughby have magic clearances. If I suddenly arranged for the Brisbane Station Chief to be placed on the list, MacArthur would think I had betrayed him. I don't want to do that.»

«Sir, I don't quite know quite what…«

«What I want from you are the names of two of your officers—now two of

our

officers—who (a) can be trusted with magic information; and (b) are junior to Pluto. I don't want anybody trying to tell Pluto how to do his job. Bear in mind that once they get magic clearance, they will no longer be available to do anything operational.»

«Let me think about that, sir,» Waterson said. «About the names, I mean.»

«Pluto will have the right of rejection,» Pickering said. «And then, once these men—one at a time—are taught how to encrypt and decrypt magic, Pluto will see that you have access to it.»

Waterson thought this over a moment, then said, «That will work.»

«Pluto and Moore are also analysts,» Pickering continued. «It would be nice if the people you select could be helpful in that area as well.»

«I think I have the guy,» Waterson said. «Let me think about it.»

Good. He's cautious.

«It would also be nice if he were a bridge player,» Pluto said. «A

good

bridge player.»

«You're a bridge player, Major? So am I.»

«So is El Supremo,» Pickering said. «Pluto, see if you can subtly let it drop to El Supremo that Colonel Waterson plays bridge.»

«Anything to get the camel's nose further into the tent?»

«Precisely,» Pickering said with a smile. He looked at Waterson again. «I want to make sure you understand the command structure,» he said. «I have just decided to name Major Hon and Lieutenant Moore to my personal staff. Appointments two and three.»

«Who's one?» Pluto asked.

«McCoy,» Pickering said, and met Waterson's eyes. «That way, if Director Donovan tells you to simply order either of them to do something, your reply is that you can't do that, General Pickering made it quite clear that they are not subordinate to you.»

Waterson nodded. «Sir? May I speak freely? Before these gentlemen?»

«Of course.»

«Question. I'm aware, of course, of the… relationship… between Director Donovan and yourself.»

«I thought you might be,» Pickering replied.

«The question: What are the chances of a truce?»

«I've been wondering the same thing,» Pickering said. «Frankly, 1 don't have high hopes. If the… relationship… between myself and Donovan is awkward for you, Colonel, feel free to ask Donovan to reassign you.»

«Oh, I don't think I'd want to do that, General. From everything I've heard, I think I'm going to enjoy working for you.»

«Four,» Pickering said.

«Sir?» Pluto and Colonel Waterson asked in chorus.

«Appointment Four. I need Banning. Fritz Rickabee won't like it, but whatever I wind up doing, I'm going to need Ed Banning to help me do it.»

«Yeah,» Pluto agreed thoughtfully.

That was not the proper military response

, Pickering thought,

but it means, Thank God that Pluto agrees with me

.

«General, I'm getting the idea you're going home soon?» Waterson asked.

«Tomorrow,» Pickering said. «I've got some goodbyes to say here, and then I'm going to Washington.»

Where, unless I'm mistaken

, Pickering thought, I

am going to get assigned one hellishly impossible project in the deserts of Mongolia

.

Chapter Four

note 16

Aboard Transcontinental & Western Airlines Flight 303

Above Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

1530 16 February 1943

Fleming Pickering was not the only one traveling to the United States just then.

«And there it is, the City of Brotherly Love,» the pilot of the DC-3 announced to the two other pilots in the cockpit, gesturing out the windshield at the city below.

The two other pilots chuckled dutifully.

The pilot picked up his microphone, checked to see that the proper frequency was set, and called the Philadelphia Tower.

«Philadelphia, TWA 303, ten miles north at 3500. Request landing instructions.»

«TWA 303, Philadelphia. You are cleared as number two to an Eastern DC-

now on final to runway one-seven. The altimeter is two-niner-eight, winds are negligible.»

«Three-oh-three understands number two to one-seven after the Eastern DC-3 on final. I have him in sight.»