A dawning look of comprehension crossed Yuri's face. He glanced back at Pamela, obviously torn between his admiration as a fan of hers and the need for military secrecy. "I understand," he said finally. He bowed reluctantly to Pamela. "I'm afraid our little talk will have to wait until later."
"Perhaps so," she murmured. "But you've already given me a good deal to think about, your mere presence on this ship." She glanced over at me, then said, "Any concerns about another bomb, Admiral Wayne?"
I saw Yuri stiffen. I made a small motion, dismissing the incident. "Not at all. Commander Kursk is here at my request."
Pamela took a step toward me. "Oh, really? And just why would that be?"
Fed up, I grabbed her by the shoulder and propelled her toward the office door. She put up a brief struggle, but I was far stronger than she was. Finally, she gave up and went along with it.
"Out," I ordered. I shoved her out into the passageway, being none too careful about it, then slammed the door behind her. I turned back to Yuri. "So much for secrecy ― I'll be surprised if she hasn't wormed the story out of you by the time we get the strike under way."
Tombstone's head popped out of the door to my stateroom. "Is she gone?"
"Yes." I shot Yuri a disgusted look. "No thanks to your friend here."
Tombstone came out with a fresh flight suit on, one that barely reached down to his ankles. He was barefoot, evidently having decided not to put the filthy ground boots back on his feet.
"We'll have to deal with the publicity sooner or later," he said with a sigh. "Get your PAO up here, along with Lab Rat. We'll have them work out the cover story ― then we'll get it down pat. It's gotta be perfect, Batman. At least until we let our people back in the States know what is going on."
"I'll brief Ambassador Wexler," I agreed. "She may have some ideas for us as well."
Tombstone snorted. "Sarah'd probably take lead on the strike herself, if she could."
And that, I reflected, was probably true. Indeed, so would Pamela Drake, for that matter.
"Let's get down to CVIC, if you're up to it," I said finally.
"Lab Rat's probably chewing on his whisper circuits, trying to get his hands on you."
Tombstone nodded. "Got some running shoes I can borrow?"
I sent my Chief of Staff and a Marine guard down to check the corridor between my stateroom and CVIC. It was only a short distance, maybe forty feet, but I wouldn't put it past Pamela to be lurking for us, waiting to pounce along the way.
With the Marine stationed at the only intersecting corridor and the Chief of Staff at the far end, I stepped out into the passageway and motioned Yuri and Tombstone to follow me.
We hurried, almost trotting down the corridor, then slipped into the alcove that was the entrance to CVIC. The watch-stander buzzed the door open immediately. We pushed through the main briefing area and back to SCIF, ignoring the startled and inquiring glances from the rest of the Intelligence Specialists.
Back in Lab Rat's inner sanctum, I finally relaxed. Even Pamela Drake couldn't get past the multiple combination locks and the watch-stander out front, I was pretty sure.
As we stepped into Lab Rat's office, I saw Bird Dog seated in front of him. His head was bowed down, his hands on his knees, and he was speaking in a low tone of voice. He stopped, looked up startled, and quit speaking as soon as we stepped in. "Ready for us?" I asked, although it was obvious that Lab Rat was still debriefing Bird Dog. Still, the matters we had to resolve were far more urgent.
Lab Rat nodded slowly, an uncomfortable look on his face. "Yes, I guess so. Thank you, Lieutenant Commander Robinson."
Bird Dog stood slowly, and scuttled off to the hatch. He kept his eyes fixed on the ground, although he murmured a polite greeting as he slid past us.
I turned to watch him go. Now that puzzled the hell out of me. Just half an hour earlier, that same young man had been standing in my office filthy-dirty and exhausted. I would have thought the first place he would head would be for the shower, maybe to catch some sleep. I'd told him to stop by and let Lab Rat debrief him, but I figured he'd at least shower first.
Evidently, he hadn't. He was still in the filthy, ragged condition he'd been in when he'd inflicted those telltale marks on my couch.
I turned back to Lab Rat. "What was all that about?"
Lab Rat shook his head, and his eyes cut over to Yuri. "Just a debrief, Admiral. That's all."
I nodded, understanding. Lab Rat had something on his mind he didn't want to talk about in front of Yuri.
"Let's get started then," I said, pulling out a chair from around the small briefing table. "Admiral, you want to start?"
Lab Rat stood. "Just a moment, Admiral Wayne," he said, a hard note in his voice. "I'd like to conduct this debriefing with Admiral Magruder alone. And before that, I'd like to speak to you privately."
Lab Rat's face was flushed, but his expression was adamant.
"Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of Tombstone," I pointed out. "Hell, he had command here before I did. You used to work for him, Lab Rat."
"Admiral, I'm afraid I have to insist. Yes, I've worked for Admiral Magruder and I have the utmost respect for him." Lab Rat's expression softened slightly, then hardened again.
"But you're in command now, sir. If you listen to what I have to say and then want me to brief Admiral Magruder about it, I will. But it's for your ears only at first, sir. I really think that's best."
I started to snap at him, then caught myself. Intelligence work was Lab Rat's area of expertise. I knew how he felt about Tombstone, and if he wanted to talk to me privately, then he had good reasons to. Still, I felt markedly uncomfortable at the idea.
Tombstone stood, scraping his chair away from the table. He motioned to Yuri. "Lab Rat's right, Batman," he said quietly. "It's not my ship anymore."
I started to protest, then fell silent. With a nod, Tombstone steered Yuri gently out of the compartment. Lab Rat waited until they were gone, then shut the heavy steel door behind them.
I turned to him. "So what's all this cloak-and-dagger stuff about, Lab Rat?" My voice was a little bit harsher than I'd like, but the guy had inadvertently been the last in a long line of people who'd pissed me off that afternoon. "What's so damn secret you can't say it in front of Tombstone?"
Lab Rat sighed, and I was surprised to hear a quaver in the exhalation of breath. "I don't know, Admiral," he said quietly. He pointed at a chair. "You might like to sit down ― this might take some time."
I planted my old ass in that chair, and sat there and listened to my Intelligence Officer outline his concerns.
"First off, let me say that I believe there's no real cause for concern," Lab Rat began. "But still, until we verify some of this information, I have to treat it as a possible compromise to our national security. Please, Admiral, don't misunderstand me ― this is my duty." There was a pleading quality in Lab Rat's voice that bothered me almost as much as his words.
I nodded slowly. "Go on."
"Admiral, Admiral Magruder was involved in a series of almost inexplicable coincidences while he was on the ground," Lab Rat continued. "In particular, his encounter with the Ukrainian forces seems almost too coincidental to believe. How likely is his travels in the jungle, that a contingent of renegade Vietnamese officers agreed to stage an unprovoked attack on Jefferson as a cover story for something they hoped we would do ― mind you, they had no clear indication that we'd agree to take on that supposed nuclear facility ― and risk taking losses of their own?"
I slumped back in my chair, shocked beyond words.
"Until I know otherwise, I have to view this relationship between Admiral Magruder and Commander Kursk with some concern," Lab Rat continued. "Remember, this is the same man who tried to kill him when he was still on board Jefferson. And now they are working together?" Lab Rat shook his head slowly. "Tell me I have a nasty, paranoid mind, Admiral. Reassure me that there's nothing to this, that I'm not going to get my ass blasted by D.C. for divulging classified information to a senior officer who may be compromised."