Call to Treason (2004) by Clancy Tom - Op Center 11

Author:Clancy, Tom - Op Center 11 [11, Clancy, Tom - Op Center]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2011-03-17T20:23:43+00:00

"No," Link said. "Hood is going to do what he wants. Let him. Why fight a battle we're going to win anyway?"

"Because I've got rockets in the launcher, and I've flipped open the safety cover," Rodgers said.

Link smiled. "Save them for the campaign, General. This is a sideshow. That's all it is."

Rodgers reluctantly agreed. There were times when he simply wanted to engage the enemy, and this was one of those times. Link thanked him for his support and went to see Kendra. Rodgers walked out to Delaware Avenue, sat on a bench, and let the sunshine wash over him. It was amazing how different the same sun felt in different parts of the world. It was searing in the deserts of the Southwest where he had once trained a mechanized brigade, impotent in the Himalayas, slimy in the humid Diamond Mountains of North Korea. It was full of warmth and vitamins in the South American plains, an outright enemy in the Middle East, and comforting here, like freshly brewed tea. Individuals and institutions had almost as many colors as the sun. Everything depended on the place, the day, and the circumstances.

There was a time when Op-Center had nourished Rodgers, too.

While the general sat there, he checked his cell phone for messages. There was one call from psychologist Liz Gordon, checking to see how he was, and one from Paul Hood asking him to call as soon as it was convenient. Hood sounded annoyed. Rodgers smiled. He could guess why. He speed-dialed Hood's direct line. Apparently, he was going to get his confrontation after all.

" 'Loyalty is missing in action, along with honor and integrity,'" Hood said angrily, without preliminaries. "Mike, did you give that quote to a reporter named Lucy O'Connor?"

"I did," Rodgers replied.

"Why?"

"Because it is true. And don't take it too personally, Paul. I told her it was missing everywhere, not just at Op-Center."

"How I take it doesn't matter," Hood said. "It's how the rest of the team takes it. Mike, I thought we had discussed the circumstances surrounding the budget cut, that you understood--"

"Paul, this is not just about me getting shit-canned," Rodgers said. "It's about this whole stinking investigation of Admiral Link."

"Stinking in what way?" Hood asked.

"It's harassment for gain," Rodgers told him.

"You know us better than that, dammit."

"I know Darrell better than that," Rodgers said. "I'm not so sure about you anymore, and I can't believe he did that without your okay."

"Yeah, I approved it," Hood told him. "Hell, I encouraged it, and with good reason. I didn't suggest the ramping-up, though. I shouldn't be telling you this, but that was Bob Herbert's idea."

"Bob?"

"Bob," Hood said.

That took Rodgers by surprise. It also stripped him naked. He looked around with slow, probing eyes. His gaze moved along the avenue, across the street, peered into parked cars and the windows of office buildings. Rodgers knew all the tails Op-Center used. He half-expected to see one of them watching him from behind a hamburger or a paperback book. The thought was also a disturbing reminder of how quickly an ally could become an adversary.

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