Bob Herbert made his comment about life and then fell silent. Herbert was often gloomy, so his pronouncement was not a surprise. What he said next, however, was very unexpected.
The Mississippi native looked up. “I got shit-canned, Paul.”
“What?”
“The general fired me.”
Hood was stunned. “No notice?”
“None.”
“Why?” Hood asked.
“For helping you guys,” Herbert said.
“I can’t believe that,” Hood said.
“I can,” Rodgers told him.
Hood regarded him.
“There’s a general in charge of Op-Center now,” Rodgers said. “Officers run things very differently than civilians. Bob went outside the chain of command. The general made an example of him.”
Rodgers’s tone was cold. Perhaps it was Hood’s imagination, but there seemed to be implicit criticism of the way he had run the NCMC.
“Do you agree with that?” Hood asked him.
“In theory, yes,” Rodgers said. “In practice, I would have given the individual a warning.”
“Gentlemen, can we not discuss whether my execution was an overreaction?” Herbert asked.
“Sorry,” Rodgers said.
“That’s okay,” Herbert said as he drained his glass. “What happened is not important. What matters is that I’ll know better next time. I won’t answer any ads that say, ‘Results matter less than the process.’ ”
Hood and Rodgers were silent.
The waiter came over. Herbert asked for a refill, and Hood ordered a cola.
“Pope Paul,” Herbert muttered. “Did you know we used to call you that?”
“Yeah,” Hood said.
“We all thought you were righteous and clean, above corruption.” Herbert nodded. “You did a good job setting a moral tone. That’s rare in government.”
Rodgers raised his beer. Hood acknowledged with a nod.
“So. Any thoughts about what is next?” Hood asked.
“Defection? Maybe Prime Minister Le Kwan Po will give me a job.”
“Don’t joke about that,” Rodgers said, looking around.
“Why? Is the military running the bar now?” Herbert asked.
Rodgers did not answer. Hood felt a chill. The drinks arrived, and Herbert sat back in his chair.
“No, Paul. I do not know what is next. I guess I’ll hit my network and try to find a job. Probably in private industry.”
“The regimentation is worse there,” Rodgers said. “Especially if there are stockholders. Why don’t you start your own think tank?”
“Ah, a consultancy,” Herbert said. “The face-saving fallback of the fired.”
“It doesn’t have to be,” Hood told him. “You have an impressive CV. You could attract other independent thinkers. I would be able to bring you in on some of my projects.”
“Face-saving and a mercy fuck,” Herbert said. “Thanks for the offer, but that’s not what I need, guys.”
“What do you need?” Hood asked.
“For that bitch in green to put me back where I belong, where I’ve served hard and well and loyally,” Herbert replied.
The others were silent. They could not disagree with Herbert’s ambition or the sentiment.
“If you want, I’ll talk to the president,” Hood said.
“You couldn’t save your own ass from getting removed,” Rodgers said.
“That was different—”
“Shit, I’m sorry,” Herbert said. “I shouldn’t have asked you here. I’m gonna be pissing fire for a while.”
“That’s nothing new,” Hood said.
Rodgers smiled. Even Herbert chuckled.
For a moment, it was the old days again. Three men in stark disagreement but in concert about one thing: that their unwieldy, cranky, dissimilar, and theoretically unworkable parts somehow produced something unique and important.
The same could be said for Adams, Jefferson, and Franklin, Hood thought in a rare moment of uncritical indulgence. People could not have been much more different than the New England attorney, the Middle Atlantic diplomat, and the Southern farmer who had created a new nation.
The reference to the past got them talking about old times, about people who had come and gone, about missions and challenges, about victories and losses. Differences notwithstanding, they all had a lot to be proud of.
Hood took a long, mental drink of the moment. It would probably never get any better than this. But how many men were fortunate enough to have had this at all?
The hours passed. When it was time to go, there were handshakes all around and a strong sense of camaraderie.
As well as a big, big question mark about when and even if their paths might intercept again.
As he crossed the park, a line from a movie flashed through Hood’s mind. He could not remember which film it was. He had watched it with the kids one rainy afternoon years ago. A young woman was leaving her father to be with her fiancé in some remote place. As the train approached, the woman wept, “God only knows when we will see each other again.”
And her father replied with a catch in his voice, “Then we will leave it in His hands.”
Hood felt the same as he walked toward the White House and the future.
Other titles by Steve Pieczenik
THE MIND PALACE
BLOOD HEAT
MAXIMUM VIGILANCE
PAX PACIFICA
STATE OF EMERGENCY
HIDDEN PASSIONS
MY BELOVED TALLEYRAND
For more information on Steve Pieczenik, please visit www.stevepieczenik.com and www.strategic-intl.com.
Books by Alexander Court
ACTIVE MEASURES ACTIVE PURSUIT
Novels by Tom Clancy
THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER
RED STORM RISING
PATRIOT GAMES
THE CARDINAL OF THE KREMLIN
CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER
THE SUM OF ALL FEARS
WITHOUT REMORSE
DEBT OF HONOR
EXECUTIVE ORDERS
RAINBOW SIX
THE BEAR AND THE DRAGON
RED RABBIT
THE TEETH OF THE TIGER
SSN: STRATEGIES OF SUBMARINE WARFARE
Nonfiction
SUBMARINE: A GUIDED TOUR INSIDE A NUCLEAR WARSHIP
ARMORED CAV: A GUIDED TOUR OF AN ARMORED CAVALRY REGIMENT
FIGHTER WING: A GUIDED TOUR OF AN AIR FORCE COMBAT WING
MARINE: A GUIDED TOUR OF A MARINE EXPEDITIONARY UNIT
AIRBORNE: A GUIDED TOUR OF AN AIRBORNE TASK FORCE
CARRIER: A GUIDED TOUR OF AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER
SPECIAL FORCES: A GUIDED TOUR OF U.S. ARMY SPECIAL FORCES
INTO THE STORM: A STUDY IN COMMAND
(written with General Fred Franks, Jr., Ret.)
EVERY MAN A TIGER
(written with General Charles Horner, Ret.)
SHADOW WARRIORS: INSIDE THE SPECIAL FORCES
(written with General Carl Stiner, Ret., and Tony Koltz)
Created by Tom Clancy
SPLINTER CELL
Created by Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik
TOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER
TOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: MIRROR IMAGE
TOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: GAMES OF STATE
TOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: ACTS OF WAR
TOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: BALANCE OF POWER
TOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: STATE OF SIEGE
TOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: DIVIDE AND CONQUER
TOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: LINE OF CONTROL
TOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: MISSION OF HONOR
TOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: SEA OF FIRE
TOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: CALL TO TREASON
TOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: WAR OF EAGLES
TOM CLANCY’S NET FORCE
TOM CLANCY’S NET FORCE: HIDDEN AGENDAS
TOM CLANCY’S NET FORCE: NIGHT MOVES
TOM CLANCY’S NET FORCE: BREA
KING POINT
TOM CLANCY’S NET FORCE: POINT OF IMPACT
TOM CLANCY’S NET FORCE: CYBERNATION
TOM CLANCY’S NET FORCE: STATE OF WAR
TOM CLANCY’S NET FORCE: CHANGING OF THE GUARD
TOM CLANCY’S NET FORCE: SPRINGBOARD
Created by Tom Clancy and Martin Greenberg
TOM CLANCY’S POWER PLAYS: POLITIKA
TOM CLANCY’S POWER PLAYS: RUTHLESS.COM
TOM CLANCY’S POWER PLAYS: SHADOW WATCH
TOM CLANCY’S POWER PLAYS: BIO-STRIKE
TOM CLANCY’S POWER PLAYS: COLD WAR
TOM CLANCY’S POWER PLAYS: CUTTING EDGE
TOM CLANCY’S POWER PLAYS: ZERO HOUR
TOM CLANCY’S POWER PLAYS: WILD CARD
Tom Clancy - Op Center 12 Page 35
