“We still don’t know why the prime minister is suddenly worried about the launch,” McCaskey said.
“Or even
“Well, I suggest we talk again when you get to Beijing,” Carrie said. “We’ll have a better idea then about how the various scenarios might play out. Bob, do you want to be point man on that?”
“Sure,” he said.
“Very good.” Carrie looked at Hood. “Was there anything else?”
“At some point I’d like to get my photographs and mementos back,” he replied, gesturing toward the desk and wall.
“I’ve asked Bugs to see to that,” she said. “Would you like the items sent to your apartment or office?”
“Office, please,” Hood replied. It was another small thing, but he wanted her to know he intended to be there for a while.
Carrie rose. McCaskey did as well. The general shook Hood’s hand across the desk. “Have a safe and productive trip,” she said.
“Thank you.”
“Ditto,” McCaskey said, offering his hand.
“Yeah, good luck,” Herbert added. “I’ll see you out.”
The men left together, followed by McCaskey, who shut the door behind him. The three moved along the narrow corridor toward the elevator.
“What the hell was all that about?” Herbert asked.
“Which part?” Hood replied.
“For starters, the stuff about the Joint Chiefs. Are we worried about a military coup?”
“Not per se,” Hood replied.
“What does that mean?” Herbert asked.
“I’m not sure.”
“For ‘not sure’ there was a lot of thrust and parry going on back there,” Herbert said, cocking his head toward Carrie’s office.
“I think the general is more ‘sure’ than I am,” Hood said.
“Paul, she was appointed by the president,” McCaskey noted.
“Who was yielding to pressure from the Joint Chiefs,” Hood said, his voice low. “I get the sense there is a realignment taking place,” Hood went on. “Administration changes affect the top levels of the executive branch, but the military is unchanged.”
“Except for the figurehead positions like the secretaries of the different forces,” Herbert said.
“Right. This is a realignment that may have been going on for a while. Debenport probably saw it coming as senator. Now he’s making his own moves to ensure the White House isn’t entirely dependent on the military for intelligence.”
“Which could be self-serving,” Herbert said. “Report instability somewhere, predict a war, get a budget increase.”
“Right again.”
“But the president still has the CIA, the FBI, and the NSA,” Herbert said.
“For now,” McCaskey said. “I didn’t think anything of it before, but over the past two or three years, the Bureau has been recruiting heavily from the ranks of the mustered-out. The HR people say they value the fitness and discipline of the modern American soldier.”
“Why wouldn’t they?” Herbert asked. “I think you’re both being a little paranoid. When I was in Beirut for the Company, I had military advisers and contacts.”
“You were reporting to a civilian then,” Hood said. “You’re reporting to a three-star general now.”
“Mike was a general.”
“And President Lawrence made a point of not putting him in charge,” Hood said. “The president kept the Op-Center command with a civilian.”
“Well, maybe the balance was off in favor of civilians,” Herbert said. “Maybe this is a necessary correction.”
“If this is as far as it goes, I might agree with you,” Hood said. “Obviously, the president has concerns.”
“Well, I think we all need to take a few steps back,” McCaskey said.
“My grandad used to say if you step away from the bear, you may step in the bear trap,” Herbert said.
“We haven’t defined anyone as a bear yet,” McCaskey pointed out. “All I’m saying is, let’s see how it plays out over the next few days.”
“I agree,” Hood said. The men had reached the elevator. Hood swiped his temporary card to open the doors. He entered.
“Paul? You know I’ll do what I can to get those marines if you need them,” Herbert said.
“I know you will,” Hood replied. “That’s why I want you to watch your ass.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think the general knows it, too,” Hood said as the doors slid shut.
TWENTY-ONE
When he was a boy, Tam Li was self-conscious about the ruddy mole on his left temple. His mother told him it meant he was special, that he had been kissed by the sun. She said this little gift from the sky would watch over him, help him to find his way. She added that she was counting on her “little flame” to lead the way for all of them. His mother meant the family, of course. Tam Li took it to mean something bigger than that. After all, where the sun moved the earth followed.
General Tam Li was gratified when he left the prime minister’s office. Le Kwan Po was not a hard-liner. He was a pragmatist. He was effective at keeping a balance between the old guard and the new without disturbing or affecting either.
That was why the struggle between himself and Chou would continue a little longer. Just long enough to give the general what he really wanted. It had nothing to do with the small profit he made from the slave trade. That was a laboratory. That was how he learned who he could trust and who he could not. The real profit was in doing what men like Tam Li did best: fighting.
The general went from the prime minister’s office to his car, which was parked in the underground garage. He was on the topmost of three levels. During the day, Tam Li had an aide drive him to meetings or airfields. There had not been time to arrange for that now.
The garage was empty at this hour, and the general could see out into the street and watched as a farmer stopped his truck on a street corner and delivered produce to restaurants. His son, who could not have been more than seven or eight, was there to help him. When they were done, they would drive home, and the boy would go to school while the father went into the fields.
Tam Li came from a world like that. His family grew corn on a small farm thirty-five miles from Beijing. They made long drives every day during the seven-month growing season. Their clients were military installations, which was where the young Tam Li became fascinated by the crisp uniforms, the smart salutes, and the imposing weapons. He also learned how officers demanded kickback for allowing vendors onto government property. It was an accepted way of doing business.
