W E B Griffin - Corp 07 - Behind the Lines
Page 50
The boy took some time to consider the question. It seemed to confuse him for a moment.
"From Australia, Sir. General Pickering sent us."
Thank God!
"And who is General Pickering?"
That question also seemed to momentarily confuse him.
"He's a Marine general, Sir. We work for him."
"You landed by submarine?" Fertig asked as he pushed his legs into his still-soggy trousers.
"Yes, Sir. We came off the Sunfish."
"And how many of you are there?"
"Three of us, Sir. Plus an officer from the OSS."
What the hell is the OSS?
'And the name of your commanding officer?"
"McCoy, Sir. Lieutenant McCoy."
They sent a lieutenant? Well, that certainly establishes our position, doesn't it?
"And where is Lieutenant McCoy?"
"I left him on the beach with the supplies, Sir. Lieutenant Everly rode me on his motorcycle to where we met Captain Hedges. Captain Hedges sent this guy-he pointed to a Filipino standing to one side-to bring me on the motor-cycle to you, and then he took the patrol back to the beach."
"What sort of supplies, Sergeant?"
"Some weapons, Sir, some medicine, other stuff. And the gold, too, of course."
"Gold?" Fertig asked as he pulled on his boots.
"Yes, Sir," Koffler said, and pulled his dyed-black khaki shirt out of his trousers.
Around his waist were two dully gleaming black belts. One formed a tube about two inches wide. The second was narrower, with a package, about five inches square, in the center. Koffler untied the cords that closed the tubular belt and handed it to Fertig. It was a good deal heavier than it looked.
God, is there really gold in here?
Fertig felt what could be coins under the strange, smooth, slippery mate-rial. He tried to find an opening.
"If you want to open that, Sir," Koffler said helpfully, "you're going to have to cut it. That plastic can't be torn."
Fertig looked at him.
Koffler ducked out of the cord around his neck and handed Fertig the sword.
"What is 'plastic,' Sergeant?" he asked, taking the sword and testing the blade with his thumb. It was as sharp as a razor.
"I don't really know what it is, Sir," Koffler said. "The Army started packing their radios in it, and we used it to pack the stuff we brought you."
Fertig slit the plastic. A gleaming United States twenty-dollar gold piece fell out.
"We're each wearing a money belt, General," Koffler said. "And there are a couple of bundles back on the beach. There's two hundred and fifty thou-sand dollars in all."
If they're sending me that kind of money, somebody is taking us seriously.
"And you were sent here to deliver the gold?"
"No, Sir. I was sent here to find you, and when I did, to call Australia."
"We have a radio, but at the moment it's not working. We're on the move, as you can see."
"I've got a radio, General," Koffler said. "I've got two hours' worth of batteries, so if you've got a generator, that would be helpful. But all I really need is some help to string my antenna. I can be on the air in a couple of min-utes."
"You're a radio operator, Sergeant?"
"Yes, Sir. That's why General Pickering sent me."
Fertig looked at the Filipino.
"Ask Lieutenant Ball and Sergeant LaMadrid to report to me, would you, please?" he said. He turned back to Koffler. "Lieutenant Ball is my signal officer," he said. "They'll string your antenna for you."
"Yes, Sir. Thank you."
"This is interesting," Fertig said, fingering the sword. "What is it?"
"Lieutenant McCoy told me that when the war just started, some Army asshole-"
He stopped, horrified at what he had just said.
"It's all right, Sergeant. I am perfectly willing to agree that there are a number of assholes in the United States Army."
"Some Army guy sent twenty thousand of them to Australia. They're Cavalry sabers. An Ordnance officer-an Army Ordnance officer-cut them down and sharpened them. They make pretty good machetes. Good steel in them."
"I see. And that weapon of yours?"
Koffler handed it to him.
"It's what they call a carbine, General. Sort of halfway between a pistol and a rifle. Fifteen shots. They're good out to about a hundred yards. We brought you a hundred of them. If they got them all off the submarine. They were going to try to unload some more stuff, maybe all we brought, if the Japs didn't show up."
"Interesting weapon," Fertig said, turning it over in his hands.
"Colonel Stecker and McCoy decided it would be smarter to bring car-bines than rifles. They're smaller, the ammo doesn't weigh as much, and the Colonel thought that your Filipinos could probably handle them better than rifles."
"Colonel Stecker? Who is he, Sergeant?"
"Marine Colonel, Sir. He won the Medal of Honor in the First World War. He was supposed to come in with us, but they're going to make him a general and send him to Washington, so he couldn't."
So at least two people more senior than a lieutenant are involved in this. Thank God!
And then another question occurred to him.
"Did you meet Captain Weston?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Presumably, he is with your lieutenant-McCoy, I believe you said?- on the beach?"
"Yes, Sir. Lieutenant McCoy. No, Sir. Mr. McCoy sent him to Australia on the submarine."
"He did what?" Fertig asked, at first greatly surprised, and then suddenly annoyed. "On whose authority?" he wondered angrily, aloud.
"Mr. McCoy sent him to Australia, Sir," Koffler said. "I guess he figured he had the authority to do that, otherwise he wouldn't have done it."
"I can't wait to meet Lieutenant McCoy," Fertig said.
Lieutenant Robert Ball appeared, sleepy-eyed. He looked at Koffler with undisguised curiosity.
"You sent for me, General?"
"This is Staff Sergeant Koffler of the United States Marines," Fertig said. "He needs some assistance to erect an antenna. He intends to communicate with Australia with it. Would you and Sergeant LaMadrid assist him, please?"
"Yes, Sir," Ball said. He offered his hand to Koffler. "I hope you've got some wire?"
"Yes, Sir. I've cut a straight wire for the twenty-meter band, insulators and everything. It's in one of the parcels."
"And you have a radio?"
"A radio, a key, and enough batteries for two hours. Have you got a gener-ator?"
"It'll take an hour to get it running; it's in pieces."
"Then I guess we better go with the batteries for now," Koffler said. "It won't take long. But I am going to need a generator pretty soon."
With Lieutenant Ball and Sergeant LaMadrid-and halfway through the pro-cess, General Fertig-as a fascinated audience, Sergeant Koffler carefully removed the plastic coating from several packages. There were four identical packages, each containing a battery. Others held a neatly coiled roll of copper wire to which were attached ceramic insulators; a receiver; a transmitter; a high-speed telegraphic key; and a small set of headphones.
The receiving and transmitting antennae were quickly erected. Koffler pulled his shirt from his trousers again and untied the second plastic belt.
With all the care of a surgeon, he used his machete to slit open the square package.
"Gotta be careful as hell with this," he explained. "Not only is it printed on what looks like toilet paper, but it's soaked in some chemical that makes it practically explode if you get a match near it."
Inside the package was an oilskin envelope. Koffler opened it, removed a pad of paper, tore the first sheet from it, and carefully tucked it in his pocket. Then he put the pad of paper back in the oilskin envelope, carefully closed it, and looked at Lieutenant Ball.
"This is your new SOI," he said. "You got someplace to keep it where it won't get fucked up, or would you rather I keep it?"
"I'll keep it
safe," Ball said, and Koffler handed it to him.
"Lieutenant McCoy's got another copy," he said. "But if we lose both, we're all back up shit's creek."
He took the flimsy sheet of paper from his pocket and read it carefully.
Taking note of the interest of his audience, he then handed it to General Fertig. "I thought it was 'K' and 'P,' but it always pays to check," Koffler said.
MESSAGE 001
PART A - TO BE TRANSMITTED IN THE CLEAR, REPEATED TWICE
OPERATIONAL IMMEDIATE
FROM MXX FOR IMMEDIATE PERSONAL ATTENTION CINCPAC
ALL STATIONS COPY FOR RELAY TO KFS
PART B - ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING AS APPROPRIATE TO BE TRANSMITTED IN THE CLEAR REPEATED FOUR (4) TIMES
AAA-LANDING PARTY ABORTING MISSION ATTEMPTING RETURN SUNFISH
BBB-LANDING PARTY ASHORE LOST CONTACT WITH SUNFISH
CCC-SUNFISH DETECTED BY ENEMY ASHORE
DDD-SUNFISH DETECTED BY ENEMY SURFACE CRAFT
EEE-SUNFISH DETECTED BY ENEMY AIRCRAFT
FFF-SUNFISH UNDER ATTACK BY ENEMY ARTILLERY
GGG-SUNFISH UNDER ATTACK BY ENEMY SURFACE CRAFT
HHH-SUNFISH UNDER ATTACK BY ENEMY AIRCRAFT
III-SUNFISH BELIEVED DAMAGED
JJJ-SUNFISH BELIEVED SUNK BY ENEMY ACTION
KKK-SUNFISH SAFELY DEPARTED UNDAMAGED
LLL-LANDING PARTY ASHORE SUSPECT DETECTION MOVING INLAND
MMM-LANDING PARTY DETECTED SITUATION IN DOUBT
NNN-LANDING PARTY SAFELY ASHORE NO CONTACT WITH FRIENDLIES
OOO-LANDING PARTY SAFELY ASHORE IN CONTACT WITH FRIENDLIES
PPP-LANDING PARTY SAFELY ASHORE IN CONTACT WITH FERTIG
PART C-TO BE TRANSMITTED IN THE CLEAR, REPEATED TWICE
END
MXX CLEAR
" 'K' and 'P' does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it, Sergeant?" General Fertig said.
"Yes, Sir, it does," Sergeant Koffler said. "Put a match to that, General. We don't need it anymore."
Fertig shrugged, took out his lighter, and applied the flame to the small sheet of paper. There was a flash, a small cloud of smoke, and the paper disap-peared.
"I'll be damned," the Commanding General, USFIP, said.
"Now let's see if we can get this sonofabitch on the air," Sergeant Koffler said, and put the earphones on his head.
[SEVEN]
Rocky Fields Farm
Bernardsville, New Jersey
2315 Hours 25 December 1942
When the telephone rang, Miss Ernestine Sage had been standing for ten min-utes, in her bathrobe, before the fireplace in the living room, leaning on the mantelpiece, toying with a poker at the vestiges of the fire that had blazed all day. She and her parents had gone to bed over an hour before.
In a transparent effort to cheer her up, her father had kept the house filled with friends on Christmas Eve, and with a dinner for twelve on Christmas Day.
"It's been a long day for everybody," her father had announced, "and getting to bed early won't do anyone any harm."
Unable to sleep, she'd tossed around for a long time, then left the bed, wrapped herself in a bathrobe, and went downstairs. There she'd fixed herself a stiff drink and swallowed deep, then set the glass on the mantelpiece of the fireplace.
She walked quickly to the telephone, feeling sick.
That has to be bad news. Why the hell else would anyone call at this hour on Christmas?
"Ernie?" She recognized the voice of Captain Ed Sessions.
"Oh, no!"
"Oh no, what?"
"Oh no, what the hell do you think? Tell me, Ed. Oh, Christ, don't tell me. I don't want this goddamned call."
"Ken's been heard from," Sessions said.
"And?"
"He reached where he was going safely. They all did. An Operational Im-mediate to Knox, info us, came in just a few minutes ago from CINCPAC. I'm the duty officer here. I got it."
There was no reply.
"I thought you'd like to know," Sessions said, somewhat lamely.
"I'd like to know that you're surprised he got safely where he's supposed to go? Exactly where he got safely to being another of your goddamn secrets. And from which you'll be surprised again if he makes it safely out?"
Captain Ed Sessions, who could think of nothing to say, said nothing.
"Ed, I'm sorry. I had a premonition all day..."
"Ken can take care of himself. He'll be all right."
"He said, comforting the near-hysterical female, and knowing goddamned well he doesn't know any more than she does whether or not he'll be all right."
"If I didn't mean that, I wouldn't say it. And you don't sound hysterical."
"The only reason I'm not screaming and pulling out my hair is that it would embarrass my parents," Ernie said. "My father is big on bad form."
"Ernie, Ken's going to be all right."
" 'So how's the baby?' she said, to change the subject."
"Baby's fine. Come down and have a look for yourself."
"I can't do that. I get overwhelmed with jealousy. Ken wouldn't give me one, in case you didn't notice."
"Control your jealousy and come down," Sessions said. "Jeanne would love to have you."
There was a long pause.
"Ed, I'm sorry. I've been a bitch. I very much appreciate the call, and I have no right to jump all over you."
"You can get a little excited, Ernie, but you'll never be a bitch."
"Have you a number for Pick?" she asked.
"He's living in the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, isn't he?"
"I tried there before. No answer."
"I've got his squadron number here someplace. Hold on." She heard the phone being laid down, and then he came back on the line and gave her a num-ber. "Maybe they can help," he said.
She heard another telephone ringing, so she knew he was not trying to get rid of her when he said, "Ernie, I have to go."
"Good night, Ed. Merry Christmas. Thank you. Happy New Year."
"Why don't you come down for New Year's? Think about it," he said, and then the line went dead.
"Newton 4-6761, Newton 4-6761," she repeated over and over until she searched for and found a pencil and could write it down. Then she dialed the operator, said, "Long distance, please. In Memphis, Tennessee, Newton 4-6761"
"Is this call necessary?" the operator asked, in compliance with the gov-ernment policy to lower the incidence of long-distance calls in order to keep lines free for essential war-connected business.
"No. I'm a Nazi spy trying to tie up the lines so that we'll lose the war," Ernie said.
"Is this call necessary?" the operator repeated.
"Yes, it is."
The phone was answered on the second ring.
"VMF-262, Sergeant Cadman, charge of quarters speaking, SIR!"
"I'm trying to locate Lieutenant Pickering."
"Hold on, Ma' am," Sergeant Cadman said, and she heard the phone being laid down, and then, faintly, "For you, Sir. A lady."
"Lieutenant Pickering."
"Relax, you don't have to marry me, at least right now."
"Well, God, that's a relief. I'm much too young for that sort of responsi-bility. What's up?"
"What are you doing in-what is that, your office?-at this time of night?"
"Well, before I was summoned to the telephone, I was trying to sleep. I've got the duty."
"You can sleep on duty?"
"There's a cot. What's up, Ernie?"
"Ed Sessions just called. Ken got wherever he went safely. Just where that is being another goddamned secret."
"If they won't tell you where he is, he's probably in the Philippines," Pick Pickering said.
"The Philippines? My God, the Japanese have captured the Philippines!"
"On reflection, I don't think I should have said what I just said."
"Well, you can't leave me hanging, damn you!"
"If you insist on swearing at me, I'll never marry you, Ernie."