tc.thebearandthedragon-第180部分

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　〃Ed；　how　is　the　SORGE　data　ing　out？〃
　〃Over　the　'Net；　Jack。　So？〃
　〃How　many　Chinese　citizens　own　puters？〃
　〃Millions　of　them…the　number's　really　jumped　in　the　past　couple　of　years。　That's　why　they're　ripping　that　patent　off　Dell　puter　that　we　made　a　stink　about　in　the　trade　talks　and…oh；　yeah　。。。〃　Foley　looked　up　with　a　smile。　〃I　like　it。〃
　〃That　could　be　dangerous；〃　Weaver　warned。
　〃Dr。　Weaver；　there's　no　safe　way　to　fight　a　war；〃　Ryan　said　in　reply。　〃This　isn't　a　negotiation　between　friends。　General　Moore？〃
　〃Yes；　sir。〃　〃Get　the　orders　out。〃
　〃Yes；　sir。〃　〃The　only　question　is；　will　it　work？〃
　〃Jack；〃　Robby　Jackson　said；　〃It's　like　with　baseball。　You　play　the　games　to　find　out　who　the　best　is。〃
　
　The　first　reinforcing　division　to　arrive　at　Chita　was　the　201st。　The　trains　pulled　into　the　built…for…the…purpose　offloading　sidings。　The　flatcars　had　been　designed　（and　built　in　large　numbers）　to　transport　tracked　military　vehicles。　To　that　end；　flip…down　bridging　ramps　were　located　at　each　end　of　every　single　car；　and　when　those　were　tossed　down　in　place；　the　tanks　could　drive　straight　off　to　the　concrete　ramps　to　where　every　train　had　backed　up。　It　was　a　little　demanding…the　width　of　the　cars　was　at　best　marginal　for　the　tank　tracks…but　the　drivers　of　each　vehicle　kept　their　path　straight；　breathing　a　small　sigh　of　relief　when　they　got　to　the　concrete。　Once　on　the　ground；　military　police　troops；　acting　as　traffic　cops；　directed　the　armored　vehicles　to　assembly　areas。　The　201st　Motor　Rifle　Division's　mander　and　his　staff　were　there　already；　of　course；　and　the　regimental　officers　got　their　marching　orders；　telling　them　what　roads　to　take　northeast　to　join　Bondarenko's　Fifth　Army；　and　by　joining　it；　to　make　it　a　real　field　army　rather　than　a　theoretical　expression　on　paper。
　The　201st；　like　the　follow…on　divisions；　the　80th；　34th；　and　94th；　were　equipped　with　the　newest　Russian　hardware；　and　were　at　their　full　TO&E。　Their　immediate　mission　was　to　race　north　and　east　to　get　in　front　of　the　advancing　Chinese。　It　would　be　quite　a　race。　There　weren't　many　roads　in　this　part　of　Russia；　and　what　roads　there　were　here　were　unpaved　gravel；　which　suited　the　tracked　vehicles。　The　problem　would　be　diesel　fuel；　because　there　were　few　gas　stations　for　the　trucks　which　ran　the　roads　in　peacetime　pursuits；　and　so　the　201st　had　requisitioned　every　tanker　truck　its　officers　could　locate；　and　even　that　might　not　be　enough；　the　logisticians　all　worried；　not　that　they　had　much　choice　in　the　matter。　If　they　could　get　their　tanks　there；　then　they'd　fight　them　as　pillboxes　if　it　came　to　that。
　About　the　only　thing　they　had　going　for　them　was　the　network　of　telephone　lines；　which　enabled　them　to　municate　without　using　radios。　The　entire　area　was　under　the　strictest　possible　orders　for　radio　silence；　to　deny　all　conceivable　knowledge　to　the　enemy；　and　the　air　forces　in　the　area；　American　and　Russian；　were　tasked　to　eliminate　all　tactical　reconnaissance　aircraft　that　Chinese　would　be　sending　about。　So　far；　they'd　been　successful。　A　total　of　seventeen　J…6　and　…7　aircraft；　thought　to　be　the　reconnaissance　variants　of　their　classes；　had　been　〃splashed〃　short　of　Chita。
　
　The　Chinese　problem　with　reconnaissance　was　confirmed　in　Paris；　of　all　places。　SPOT；　the　French　corporation　which　operated　mercial　photosatellites；　had　received　numerous　requests　for　photos　of　Siberia；　and　while　many　of　them　came　from　seemingly　legitimate　western　businesses；　mainly　news　agencies；　all　had　been　summarily　denied。　Though　not　as　good　as　American　reconnaissance　satellites；　the　SPOT　birds　were　good　enough　to　identify　all　the　trains　assembled　at　Chita。
　And　since　the　People's　Republic　of　China　still　had　a　functioning　embassy　in　Moscow；　the　other　concern　was　that　their　Ministry　of　State　Security　had　Russian　nationals　acting　as　paid　spies；　feeding　data　to　Russia's　new　enemy。　Those　individuals　about　whom　the　Russian　Federal　Security　Service　had　suspicions　were　picked　up　and　questioned；　and　those　in　custody　were　interrogated　vigorously。
　This　number　included　Klementi　Ivanovich　Suvorov。
　〃You　were　in　the　service　of　an　enemy　country；〃　Pavel　Yefremov　observed。　〃You　killed　for　a　foreign　power；　and　you　conspired　to　kill　our　country's　president。　We　know　all　this。　We've　had　you　under　surveillance　for　some　time　now。　We　have　this。〃　He　held　up　a　photocopy　of　the　onetime　pad　recovered　from　the　dead…drop　on　the　park　bench。　〃You　may　talk　now；　or　you　may　be　shot。　It　is　your　life　at　risk；　not　mine。〃
　In　the　movies；　this　was　the　part　where　the　suspect　was　supposed　to　say　defiantly；　〃You're　going　to　kill　me　anyway；〃　except　that　Suvorov　had　no　more　wish　to　die　than　anyone　else。　He　loved　life　as　much　as　any　man；　and　he'd　never　expected　to　be　caught　any　more　than　the　most　foolish　of　street　criminals　did。　If　anything；　he'd　expected　arrest　even　less　than　one　of　those　criminals；　because　he　knew　how　intelligent　and　clever　he　was；　though　this　feeling　had　understandably　deflated　over　the　last　few　days。
　The　outlook　of　Klementi　Ivan'ch　Suvorov　was　rather　bleak　at　the　moment。　He　was　KGB…trained；　and　he　knew　what　to　expect…a　bullet　in　the　head…unless　he　could　give　his　interrogators　something　sufficiently　valuable　for　them　to　spare　his　life；　and　at　the　moment　even　life　in　a　labor　camp　of　strict　regime　was　preferable　to　the　alternative。
　〃Have　you　truly　arrested　Kong？〃
　〃We　told　you　that　before；　but；　no；　we　have　not。　Why　tip　them　off　that　we've　penetrated　their　operation？〃　Yefremov　said　honestly。
　〃Then　you　can　use　me　against　them。〃
　〃How　might　we　do　that？〃　the　FSS　officer　asked。
　〃I　can　tell　them　that　the　operation　they　propose　is　going　forward；　but　that　the　situation　in　Siberia　wrecked　my　chance　to　execute　it　in　a　timely　fashion。〃
　〃And　if　Kong　cannot　leave　their　embassy…we　have　it　guarded　and　isolated　now；　of　course…how　would　you　get　that　information　to　him？〃
　〃By　electronic　mail。　Yes；　you　can　monitor　their　landlines；　but　to　monitor　their　cellular　phones　is　more　difficult。　There's　a　backup　method　for　me　to　municate　with　him　electronically。〃
　〃And　the　fact　that　you　haven't　made　use　of　it　so　far　will　not　alert　them？〃
　〃The　explanation　is　simple。　My　Spetsnaz　contact　was　frightened　off　by　the　outbreak　of　hostilities；　and　so　was　I。〃
　〃But　we've　already　checked　your　electronic　accounts。〃
　〃Do　you　think　they　are　all　written　down？〃　He　tapped　the　side　of　his　head。　〃Do　you　think　I　am　totally　foolish？〃
　〃Go　on；　make　your　proposal。〃
　〃I　will　propose　that　I　can　go　forward　with　the　mission。　I　require　them　to　authorize　it　by　a　signal…the　way　they　set　the　shades　in　their　windows；　for　example。〃
　〃And　for　this？〃
　〃And　for　this　I　will　not　be　executed；〃　the　traitor　suggested。
　〃I　see；〃　Yefremov　said　quietly。　He　would　have　been　perfectly　content　to　shoot　the　traitor　right　here　and　now；　but　it　might　be　politically　useful　to　go　forward　with　his　proposal。　He'd　kick　that　one　upstairs。
　
　The　bad　part　about　watching　them　was　that　you　had　to　anticipate　everything　they　did；　and　that　meant　that　they　got　to　have　more　sleep；　about　an　hour's　worth；　Aleksandrov　figured；　and　no　more　than　that　only　because　they　were　predictable。　He'd　had　his　morning　tea。　Sergeant　Buikov　had　enjoyed　two　morning　cigarettes　with　his；　and　now　they　lay　prone　on　wet　dew…dampened　ground；　with　their　binoculars　to　their　eyes。　The　Chinese　had　also　had　soldiers　out　of　their　tracks　all　night；　set　about　a　hundred　meters　away　from　them；　so　it　seemed。　They　weren't　very　adventurous；　the　captain　thought。　He　would　have　spread　his　sentries　much　farther　out；　at　least　half　a　kilometer；　in　pairs　with　radios　to　go　with　their　weapons。　For　that　matter；　he　would　have　set　up　a　mortar　in　the　event　that　they　spotted　something　dangerous。　But　the　fox　and　the　gardener　seemed　to　be　both　conservative　and　confident；　which　was　an　odd　bination　of　characteristics。
　But　their　morning　drill　was　precise。　The　petrol　heaters　came　out　for　tea…probably　tea；　they　all　figured…and　whatever　it　was　that　they　had　for　breakfast。　Then　the　camouflage　nets　came　down。　The　outlying　sentries　came　in　and　reported　in　person　to　their　officers；　and　everyone　mounted　up。　The　first　hop　on　their　tracks　was　a　short　one；　not　even　half　a　kilometer；　and　again　the　foot…scouts　dismounted　and　moved　forward；　then　quickly　reported　back　for　the　second；　much　longer　morning　frog　leap　forward。
　〃Let's　move；　Sergeant；〃　Aleksandrov　ordered；　and　together　they　ran　to　their　BRM　for　their　first　trek　into　the　woods　for　their　own　third　installment　of　frog　leap　backwards。
　
　〃There　they　go　again；〃　Major　Tucker　said；　after　getting　three　whole　hours　of　sleep　on　a　thin　mattress　four　feet　from　the　Dark　Star　terminal。　It　was　Ingrid　Bergman　up　again；　positioned　so　that　she　could　see　both　the　reconnaissance　element　and　main　body　of　the　Chinese　army。　〃You　know；　they　really　stick　to　the　book；　don't　they？〃
　〃So　it　would　seem；〃　Colonel　Tolkunov　agreed。
　〃So；　going　by　that；　tonight　they'll　go　to　about　here。〃　Tucker　made　a　green　mark　on　the　acetate…covered　map。　〃That　puts　them　at　the　gold　mine　day　after　tomorrow。　Where　do　you　plan　to　make　your　stand？〃　the　major　asked。
　〃That　depends　on　how　quickly　the　Two　Zero　One　can　get　forward。〃
　〃Gas？〃　Tucker　asked。
　〃Diesel　fuel；　but；　yes；　that　is　the　main　problem　with　moving　so　large　a　force。〃
　〃Yeah；　with　us　it's　bombs。〃
　〃When　will　you　begin　to　attack　Chinese　targets？〃　Tolkunov　asked。
　〃Not　my　department；　Colonel；　but　when　it　happens；　you'll　see　it　here；　live　and　in　color。〃
　
　Ryan　had　gotten　two　hours　of　nap　in　the　afternoon；　while　Arnie　van　Damm　covered　his　appointments　（the　Chief　of　Staff　needed　his　sleep；　too；　but　like　most　people　in　the　White　House；　he　put　the　President's　needs　before　his　own）；　and　now　he　was　watching　TV；　the　feed　from　Ingrid　Bergman。
　〃This　is　amazing；〃　he　observed。　〃You　could　almost　get　on　the　phone　and　tell　a　guy　where　to　go　with　his　tank。〃
　〃We　try　to　avoid　that；　sir；〃　Mickey　Moore　said　at　once。　In　Vietnam　it　had　been　called　the　〃squad　leader　in　the　sky〃　when　battalion　manders　had　directed　sergeants　on　their　patrols；　not　always　to　the　enlisted　men's　benefit。　The　miracle　of　modern　munications　could　also　be　a　curse；　with　the　expected　effect　that　the　people　in　harm's　way　would　ignore　their　radios　or　just　turn　the