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them to me. It had nothing to do with what I did."
"What exactly did you do?" Baker asked. "I blew a lot of things up," Whittaker
said. "Sometimes after the Japs had captured them. I'm awfully good at
explosions. "Really?"
"That meant we had to take out sentries," Whittaker said conversationally.
"Indeed?" Baker said impatiently. The next thing Baker knew, he was on the
floor. Whittaker's knee against his back held him immobile. Whittaker's left
hand was on his chin, twisting his neck so that it was exposed. Whittaker drew
the index finger of his right hand across Baker's Adam's apple. "I don't
think," Whittaker said, still conversationally, "that I would have to cut that
kid's throat to get his gun. All I would have to do is say "Boo! "' "Let him
up, Jimmy," Canidy said, laughing.
"I think you've made your point." Baker rose awkwardly to his feet and
straightened his clothing. Then he surprised Canidy. "You're very good," Baker
said.
"I don't think I've ever seen anyone that fast." That surprised Whittaker,
too, and seemed to embarrass him. "You figured out how to handle Fulmar?"
Whittaker asked.
"Or are you open to suggestion?"
"Let's hear it," Canidy said quickly. "If you go in there and give him the
business about volunteering, he's going to tell you to go fuck yourselves.
"What do you suggest?"
"Take him someplace now, without conditions. Maybe the house on Q Street, or
better, Summer Place. Dangle the carrot in front of his nose.
Sugar catches more flies than vinegar. Right now you've got him trapped in a
corner. Even Pekingese dogs will fight when you get them in a corner, "I'm not
sure I'm authorized to do that, give him his freedom without conditions,"
Baker said uncomfortably. But Canidy saw that he had not rejected Whittaker's
reasoning out of hand. "And you stay the hell out of sight," Whittaker said.
"He really hates you. Let Canidy go in there and tell him he's been sent to
get us out of here."
"Would he believe that?" Baker asked. "Why not? The last time he saw Canidy
was after they'd both been left behind in Morocco. And he would probably take
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his cue from me."
"And what if he tries to escape?"
"Canidy and I can handle him until we get where we're going," Whittaker said.
"I'll have to have permission," Baker said. "No," Canidy said.
"If you ask for permission, Doug lass is going to say no. You get on the
telephone after we're airborne and call Washington, and tell them we're on the
way Whittaker's right, and you know he is. Your coming here was stupid." Baker
thought that over for a moment, then walked to the door and knocked. When the
MP opened it, he asked him to fetch the provost marshal. When the provost
marshal came, Baker told him that he was serving the court order which
directed that Whittaker and Fulmar be placed in his custody. He handed a copy
of the court order to the provost marshal. "You have been served, Sir," Baker
said, formally.
"Before two witnesses." The provost marshal read the court order and then put
it in a pocket of his tunic. "Would you have Captain Whittaker's uniforms
brought here, please?" Canidy said.
"I won't be going with them," Baker said.
"Can you provide transportation for me to post headquarters? And Major Canidy
and the two gentlemen will require transportation to God man Field."
"Yes, Sir," the provost marshal said.
"I'll telephone for another car." Baker turned and spoke to Canidy.
"Unless you hear to the contrary while you're en route," he said, "go to
Lakehurst. I'll have someone meet your plane.
"Jesus Christ!" Eric Fulmar said when Dick Canidy and Jim Whittaker walked
into his room.
"What the hell is all this?"
"Mr. Fulmar, Major Canidy," Whittaker said.
"Otherwise known as the knight in shining armor riding up on his white horse
to rescue Prince Charming-the Princes, plural, Charming-from the evil king's
dungeon."
"No shit? "Let's go, Eric," Canidy said.
"We're getting out of here."
" Where are we going?"
"Do you really care?"
"I don't know where my clothes are," Fulmar said. Before going for Fulmar,
Whittaker had suggested that keeping Fulmar in his pajamas and bathrobe-people
in bathrobes are less prone to try something foolish, like running away-might
be a very good idea.
"We don't have time for that now," Canidy said. "Jimmy's got his clothes,"
Fulmar challenged.
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"His uniform." Then he realized that Canidy was in uniform, too.
"You're an Air Corps major, Dick?"
"He's an Air Corps major, complete to airplane," Whittaker said. "On which
he's going to fly us both out of here, presuming we can get you out of here
before somebody around here changes his mind, and all three of us are locked
up again. Let's go, Eric."
"What the hell are they?" Whittaker asked as a Military Police start car drove
them onto the ramp at God man Field. "P-38s," Canidy said.
"New fighter. Fast as bell. High altitude. Long range. Eight 50-caliber
machine guns."
"That's what I want for Christmas, Daddy," Whittaker said. "Me too,' Canidy
said.
"But I don't think there's much chance of that. We're both on Santa Claus's
shithst."
"Could you guys fly something like that?" Fulmar asked. "We're fighter
pilots," Whittaker said.
"Of course we could."
"And if you're a very good fighter pilot,' Canidy said as the MP staff car
stopped beside the Beech C-45, 'you get promoted and they let you fly
something like this."
"That's a Navy airplane?" Fulmar said. "My God, it can read, too.
The next thing you know, it'll be able to tie its own shoes," Canidy said.
Fifteen minutes later, with Jimmy Whittaker in the right seat, Canidy lifted
the C-45 off from God man Field.
THREE I Pope Army Air Corps Field Fort Bragg, North Carolina 2005 Hours June
LIS, 1942
The D18S was an hour out of God man Field at Fort Knox when, very faintly,
Canidy heard Cincinnati calling him. "This is Navy Six-one-one.
Go ahead, Cincinnati."
"Navy Six-one-one,' Cincinnati replied so faintly that they had to re THE
SECRET WARRIORS 0 IST peat it four times before Canidy could understand, "this
is a Navy Department priority in-flight advisory.
You are directed to divert to Pope Field, North Carolina.
Acknowledge."
Canidy acknowledged the message. But it took him several minutes to find the
place on his aerial navigation chart. It was on the Fort Bragg reservation,
just about as far on another heading as Washington.
He turned the plane in the general direction of North Carolina, gave the
controls over to Jim Whittaker with an admonition to keep it as straight and
level as his limited ability would permit, and went back in the cabin to plot
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the course. Eric Fulmar, in hospital pajamas, robe, and slippers, was sitting
in the leather-upholstered chair intended for the admiral whose plane the
Beech was to have been.
There's something about Fulmar, Canidy thought, that makes the purple U.S.
Army hospital robe look like a Silk dressing gown. "Change of plans," Canidy
announced.
"We're going to North Carolina." Why?" Fulmar asked, concern in his voice. "I
really don't know, Eric," Canidy said.
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Dobre pomysły nie mają przeszłości, mają tylko przyszłość. Robert Mallet
De minimis - o najmniejszych rzeczach.
Dobroć jest ważniejsza niż mądrość, a uznanie tej prawdy to pierwszy krok do mądrości. Theodore Isaac Rubin
Dobro to tylko to, co szlachetne, zło to tylko to, co haniebne.
Dla człowieka nie tylko świat otaczający jest zagadką; jest on nią sam dla siebie. I z obu tajemnic bardziej dręczącą wydaje się ta druga. Antoni Kępiński (1918-1972)
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