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The Doomsday Conspiracy :: Sheldon Sidney
Страница: 15 из 213Admiral Whittaker was his surrogate father.
The Admiral sat down. “Good morning, Robert. Well, did they transfer you to NSA?”
Robert nodded. “Temporarily.”
The waitress arrived and the two men studied the menu.
“I had forgotten how bad the food here was.” Admiral Whittaker smiled. He looked around the room, his face filled with an unspoken nostalgia.
He wishes he were back here, Robert thought. Amen.
They ordered. When the waitress was out of earshot, Robert said, “Admiral, General Hilliard is sending me on an urgent three-thousand-mile trip to locate some witnesses who saw a weather balloon crash. I find that strange. And there’s something else that’s even stranger. ‘Time is of the essence,’ to quote the General, but I’ve been ordered not to use any of my intelligence contacts abroad to help me.”
Admiral Whittaker looked puzzled. “I suppose the General must have his reasons.”
Robert said, “I can’t imagine what they are.”
Admiral Whittaker studied Robert. Commander Bellamy had served under him in Vietnam and had been the best pilot in the squadron. The Admiral’s son, Edward, had been Robert’s bombardier, and on the terrible day their plane had been shot down, Edward had been killed. Robert had barely survived. The Admiral had gone to the hospital to visit him.
“He’s not going to make it,” the doctors had told him. Robert, lying there in agonizing pain, had whispered, “I’m sorry about Edward … I’m so sorry.”
Admiral Whittaker had squeezed Robert’s hand. “I know you did everything you could. You’ve got to get well, now. You’re going to be fine.” He wanted desperately for Robert to live. In the Admiral’s mind, Robert was his son now, the son who would take Edward’s place.
And Robert had pulled through.
“Robert …”
“Yes, Admiral?”
“I hope your mission to Switzerland is successful.”
“So do I. It’s my last one.”
“You’re still determined to quit?”
The Admiral was the only one Robert had confided in. “I’ve had enough.”
“Thornton?”
“It’s not just him. It’s me. I’m tired of interfering with other people’s lives.” I’m tired of the lies and the cheating, and the broken promises that were never meant to be kept. I’m tired of manipulating people, and of being manipulated. I’m tired of the games and the danger and the betrayals. It’s cost me everything I ever gave a damn about.
The Admiral sat down. “Good morning, Robert. Well, did they transfer you to NSA?”
Robert nodded. “Temporarily.”
The waitress arrived and the two men studied the menu.
“I had forgotten how bad the food here was.” Admiral Whittaker smiled. He looked around the room, his face filled with an unspoken nostalgia.
He wishes he were back here, Robert thought. Amen.
They ordered. When the waitress was out of earshot, Robert said, “Admiral, General Hilliard is sending me on an urgent three-thousand-mile trip to locate some witnesses who saw a weather balloon crash. I find that strange. And there’s something else that’s even stranger. ‘Time is of the essence,’ to quote the General, but I’ve been ordered not to use any of my intelligence contacts abroad to help me.”
Admiral Whittaker looked puzzled. “I suppose the General must have his reasons.”
Robert said, “I can’t imagine what they are.”
Admiral Whittaker studied Robert. Commander Bellamy had served under him in Vietnam and had been the best pilot in the squadron. The Admiral’s son, Edward, had been Robert’s bombardier, and on the terrible day their plane had been shot down, Edward had been killed. Robert had barely survived. The Admiral had gone to the hospital to visit him.
“He’s not going to make it,” the doctors had told him. Robert, lying there in agonizing pain, had whispered, “I’m sorry about Edward … I’m so sorry.”
Admiral Whittaker had squeezed Robert’s hand. “I know you did everything you could. You’ve got to get well, now. You’re going to be fine.” He wanted desperately for Robert to live. In the Admiral’s mind, Robert was his son now, the son who would take Edward’s place.
And Robert had pulled through.
“Robert …”
“Yes, Admiral?”
“I hope your mission to Switzerland is successful.”
“So do I. It’s my last one.”
“You’re still determined to quit?”
The Admiral was the only one Robert had confided in. “I’ve had enough.”
“Thornton?”
“It’s not just him. It’s me. I’m tired of interfering with other people’s lives.” I’m tired of the lies and the cheating, and the broken promises that were never meant to be kept. I’m tired of manipulating people, and of being manipulated. I’m tired of the games and the danger and the betrayals. It’s cost me everything I ever gave a damn about.