“You’ve been misinformed,” Carl answered, looking the General in the eye and holding the older man’s gaze until Wingate smiled and looked away.
Wingate took an object out of his pocket and laid it on the table. He pushed it over to Carl. It was Carpenter’s dog tags. Carl felt himself choke up with emotion but his features did not betray his feelings for his fallen comrade.
“You’ve done very well, Carl. Far better than even I anticipated.”
Carl ran his thumb across the raised lettering and remembered Carpenter falling and the red stain that had spread across his neck.
“I’m afraid I…” Carl started, a catch in his voice betraying the lie. Wingate cut him off with a raised hand.
“Your target was a downed navy plane carrying top-secret electronic equipment. The team leader was Paul Molineaux. You had two casualties. Do I have to go on or are you convinced that I know all about your mission?”
Carl didn’t answer.
“I’ve been in the military for a good part of my life and I’ve served with many men. As young as you are, as new as you are, you are among the finest soldiers that I have ever known.”
Carl’s chest swelled with pride.
“I have a proposition for you,” the General went on. “I don’t want you to feel any pressure to accept my offer. However, I do need your promise that you will never repeat what we discuss to anyone, under any circumstances.
“Good,” Wingate said as soon as Carl nodded. “You know that I’m the head of the Agency for Intelligence Data Coordination. My agency has as its documented function the collection and coordination of intelligence data from other intelligence agencies. The AIDC charter does not include a provision for active intelligence gathering. On paper, the AIDC has no operatives.”
Wingate paused to make sure that Carl was following him.
“What I have told you so far is public knowledge, but there are aspects of the agency that neither the public nor the vast majority of the government, including employees of the agency, knows about. Working within the agency under my direction are a small group of highly trained individuals who perform services for this country of highly unusual and, on occasion, officially illegal nature.”
“I’m sorry, sir. What does ‘officially illegal’ mean?”
“Against the laws of the United States,” Wingate answered firmly. “The Unit operates internationally and domestically. No records are kept of our operations and all orders are verbal. The members of the Unit don’t know the identity of the other members, and they usually carry out missions as individuals. If a mission requires support personnel we use Special Forces with the Unit member representing himself to be Special Forces.”
“I’m confused, sir. Are these men CIA or military intelligence or…”
“These men do not exist, Carl.”
Carl cocked his head and stared at Wingate. “Where do their orders come from?”
“You don’t need to know that, but I can assure you that all orders are legitimate and decisions are made at the
“Then how do you get the support of Special Forces?”
“I speak of the CIA and the military as organizations. These organizations are not aware of the existence of the Unit. However, there are a few-a very few-individuals within these organizations who are in positions of command and know that we exist. These individuals are able to supply our needs.”
Wingate waited a beat. Then he looked Carl in the eye. “I want you to join us. Your professional skills are exceptional; you have high intelligence and strength of character. I spotted your potential soon after I met you. I take a certain amount of pride in the fact that you have far exceeded my expectations, a pride that could be no greater if you were my son.”
Carl was stunned. He had always been a loner, and the sense of mystery surrounding this invisible team of elite soldiers appealed to him. He was also overcome by Wingate’s praise. What worried him was that he only had Wingate’s assurance that the actions of the Unit were legitimate, even when its members violated the law.
“What if I decline, sir?”
“The work we perform is too sensitive to entrust to any but volunteers.”
“Can I have some time to think this over?”
“Of course.” Wingate took a business card out of his pocket. “Call me when you’ve reached a decision. If you accept, simply tell me that you’ll be in town soon and would like to have dinner. I’ll arrange for weekend leave.”
The General changed the topic of conversation and called for an after-dinner drink. Carl declined but accepted a cup of coffee. He wanted to be clearheaded. Half an hour later he was in the backseat of the General’s town car on the way to the airport. Carl did not sleep during the flight back to Fort Bragg.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“How long did it take you to decide to join the Unit?” Ami asked.
“About a week. The General had been up-front with me. He told me I would be breaking the law at times. That bothered me.”
“But you went ahead anyway?”
“I was young. I was excited about the Unit’s elite status. And there was Wingate. You have no idea what that man’s approval meant to me. I was thrilled that he’d been watching my progress and had chosen me for this special duty. I couldn’t disappoint him.”
“What happened after you contacted Wingate?”
“Nothing for about a month. Then I was transferred to the Army Language School at Fort Meyer, Virginia. I lived off post in an apartment. Most of the time, I studied Thai and Vietnamese. I needed the flexibility a student has because my orders came at irregular intervals. In my free time I kept in shape, kept up my martial arts training, and lived the type of life most students lead.”
“How did you get your assignments?”
“I would receive a phone call. It would be a wrong number or a solicitation call. I’d drive to a prearranged location, usually very late at night, sometimes after midnight. A lot of times it would be a room at a motel or a parking lot of a crowded mall. We never met at the same place twice.”
“This is Wingate you’re talking about?”
“Oh, no, not the General.” Rice’s features darkened. “There was only one time that I received an order from him.”
“Then who…?”
“The man who acted as my control was General Peter Rivera.”
“Do you know where I can find him? Would he help you?”
Rice looked at Ami. “General Rivera was murdered in 1986. The police think I killed him.”
“Did you?”
“No, but there is a lot of evidence connecting me to the crime.”
Ami felt uneasy. She didn’t completely believe Carl’s protestations of innocence.
“What were your first assignments like?”
“They were mostly in Vietnam. I told you about ambushing the mule trains. I did that a few times. I also infiltrated North Vietnamese villages on several occasions. Twice I was teamed with Special Forces pony teams who thought I was with the Phoenix program. On one mission I was led to my target by a North Vietnamese national who worked for the CIA.”
“What did you do on these missions?”
“I used a sniper rifle to take out a military officer during one mission. In the other two, I terminated Communist Party officials.”
