Chapter 19 Chapter 17 Revival

class.Goodley was convinced that the CIA did not have a proper presence in the region to process the signals intelligence it had received, and although his country had vital interests in the region, it was unable to do anything about it.The public news organizations haven't noticed what's going on, and as usual, the CIA will keep quiet until they have to tell the truth.Therefore, the CIA had to provide a lot of information to convince the public that the news media was as effective as the government in uncovering the truth. This national special intelligence assessment will be very short, without too many official words, but directly point out the key points.Goodley and his area specialists spent half an hour drafting the assessment document; a copy was printed for internal use by the printer, and the document was routed securely via modem to the concerned government agencies.After doing this, Gudre returned to the operation center.

Groveko was sleeping soundly.The Soviet Aeronautical Corporation has just purchased ten new Boeing 777 jets for international routes to New York, Chicago, and Washington.This kind of airliner is much more comfortable and reliable than the Soviet-made airliner they have been flying for many years. Although he doesn't trust aircraft with only two engines, at least the first-class seats on this airliner are comfortable, and the Waiting for the effect of vodka, he slept for a total of five and a half hours.He woke up after passing Greenland, while the bodyguard beside him was still sleeping soundly.Somewhere in the back of the cabin, the stewardesses are probably lying on the fold-down seats trying to get as much sleep as possible.

Saji.Nikolaevich knew that it had never been like this before.He used to fly with the privilege of full communications equipment, and if something happened in the world, he would receive it as soon as it was signaled from the communication tower outside Moscow.Even more frustrating, something is happening right now.It was inevitable, it always was, he thought in the noisy darkness.You run to an important meeting because you want something to happen, but then it happens while you're on the road, and if you know anything about it, at least you don't have to. What to discuss with your senior assistant.Iraq and China But thankfully, there is a huge distance between these two hot countries; at this point, Grofko reminded himself, the distance between Washington and Moscow is even greater, equivalent to flying a twin-engine plane. All night long.With this gratifying realization, he turned around a little and murmured to himself that he needed a good night's sleep.

It is not difficult to get them out of Iraq, the difficulty is how to get them from Iran to Sudan.Flights from Iran have been allowed to fly over the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for a long time, but only during Hajj through Saudi airspace to fly to Mecca.Instead, the commercial jet would have to circle the edge of the Arabian Peninsula, fly over the Red Sea, and then turn west to Khartoum, tripling the time and distance of the trip; Also, after arriving at the first long-distance destination in Africa, people must rush to the place prepared for them, and then use the same secret language to make sure everything is normal before starting the next short-distance flight.It would be much more convenient for all of them to take a one-way flight between Baghdad | Tehran | Khartoum on one flight, but that is impossible.There is also a closer route, direct from Iran to Khartoum via Jordan, but that is also impossible, partly because it would fly very close to Israel, a scenario that would not please the Iraqi generals, On the other hand, due to confidentiality issues, it is not convenient to use this route.

If it was a different person, he would have been furious about this, but Da Yelan just stood alone in front of a closed window of the main airport building, watching the Gulfstream IV parked by another jet. He watched as the hatch opened and the men hurried down the steps and onto another jet.Only a few minutes later, the plane waiting there began taxiing. It would be foolish to come here just to see such a dreary, tedious scene, but this scene represents a full twenty years of hard work, although Mahmoud.Haji.Tajran was a man devoted to God, but he was still very human and wanted to see the fruits of his own efforts.Although he had come to this stage in his life's journey, he was not even halfway through his task.his time is running out

Like everyone else, Tayelan often reminded himself that the time of day, hour, minute, and even second is the same for all; yet somehow, when a person is over seventy, time seems to pass faster.He looked down at his hands, which were full of lines and traces of time, some were natural, some were not.Two of his fingers were broken when he was a guest of the Iranian National Security Intelligence Agency under the auspices of the Shah.He remembered the pain at that time, and even more remembered the fate of the two people who interrogated him.When they were brought to the firing squad, he didn't say a word, just stood there like a statue, but he didn't really get much satisfaction from it, because they were just people who did what they were told.

For his single purpose, he has spent all his time in these years.Khomeini was in exile in France, but Tayelan was not, staying behind to coordinate and direct activities for his leader in secret.He was arrested that time, but since he said nothing and had no contact with him, he was released.It was the Shah's fault, one of his many mistakes; he died of indecision in the end.His policies were too loose to please the Muslim elders, and too conservative to please his Western supporters, and he tried in vain to find a compromise foothold in a corner of the world where , a person can only have two choices no, in fact, there is only one, Tayelan corrected himself as the Gulfstream jet took off.What did Iraq gain by trying to go a different way from the scriptures?Hussein went to war with Iran, thinking Iran was weak and leaderless, and got nothing; then he fought south, and got nothing.All of these are just for the pursuit of worldly power.

Da Yelan is different.Like Khomeini, he never lost sight of his purpose, and although he is no longer alive, his legacy lives on.As he faces north, his target is behind him, too far to be seen but felt, in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina and Jerusalem.He has been to the first two places, but not the third.Since he was a boy, young and pious, he has always wanted to see the Abraham Stone, but because of something, he can't remember what it is, and his business father just never took him. Maybe there will be a chance later.In any case, he has visited the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad and of course made the pilgrimage to Mecca, which he has made on more than one occasion despite political and religious differences between Iran and Saudi Arabia.He hopes to go on a pilgrimage again and pray in front of the holiest Kaaba.Yet there are more important things to do than that.

He wants something higher than the nominal title of head of state.Not mainly for himself, behind his frugal life hides great ambitions.Islam has stretched from the westernmost point of Africa to the easternmost point of Asia, but for more than a thousand years there has been no single leader and single goal.This situation made Da Yelan feel very painful.There is only one God and one holy book, and Allah must feel sad because His holy book has been misinterpreted so sadly.The only possible reason now is that all people have not grasped the true meaning of Islam, if he can change this, then he can change the world and lead all human beings to Allah.but if you do that

The world is the world, an imperfect tool with flawed principles prepared by Allah for imperfect human beings.Worse yet, there were those who opposed everything he did, both believers and unbelievers.Tayalan doesn't hate the Saudis and others across the Persian Gulf; they are not evil people, they are believers, and although their beliefs are different from his and his country's, they never reject Pilgrimage to Mecca.But their way is not the way to Islam and it doesn't help them, they just get fat, rich and depraved; this has to change drastically.Dayelan had to reform Islam by controlling Mecca, and doing so meant he had to gain secular power, which also meant making enemies.But he already knew that, and had just won his first major battle.

As long as it doesn't take too long.Tayelan often talks about patience, but his task is a life's work, and he is seventy-two years old, and he doesn't want to die halfway through his career, like his mentor and friend Khomeini.He wished that when he faced Allah, he could have the face to tell of his accomplishments, of his success in the most glorious mission anyone could ever have done to complete the reunification of orthodox Islam.Dayelan is willing to go all out for this goal. He doesn't even know how many things he is determined to take on, because not all issues have been raised.Also, because his purpose was so perfect and illustrious, and his remaining time so short, he never asked how he would cross the long night to reach the light. call!He turned from the window and walked to the car with his driver.Planning has already begun. People in the intelligence community don't believe in coincidence, they use maps and clocks to make predictions.The unrefueled range of the Gulfstream IV is well known, so the distance it can cover is easy to figure out.The circling airborne early warning and control plane flew south from Tehran, leaving a streak in the sky.The radar transponder told them the type of aircraft, along with speed, heading, and altitude, and the last continuous flight at maximum fuel efficiency was at forty-five thousand feet. Sudan.Major Sabah confirmed.It could have gone somewhere else, and he almost thought Brunei was a possible option, but no, it was too far from Switzerland, where they kept their money. Satellite signals carried the verdict to the United States, to the CIA, and the message woke up a senior Field Service official, who responded in the affirmative to a brief question.As a courtesy to the Kuwaitis, his answer was passed back to the Palm Bowl.The next thing is to wait. The CIA has a small intelligence station in Khartoum, with only a station chief, two field officers, and a secretary, who is also shared with the Signal Section of the National Security Agency.However, the station master is a very capable person, and he recruited a group of local residents to act as operators.This leaves the Sudanese government with nothing to hide at all, and the main thing is that it is too poor to have any interesting intelligence.In the past, the Sudanese government used its geographical location as a bargaining chip between the Eastern and Western blocs to store cash and weapons and conduct behind-the-scenes transactions, but now the Soviet Union has collapsed, and the struggle for power in the third world has lasted for two generations. The game is also over.Sudanese now have to live off their own meager resources and the usual pandemonium of impoverished countries.The heads of this country are all Muslims, and to show this, they are trying to make a big splash. In fact, they are not even as devout as the Western Muslims. Trying to get aid from Libya, Iran and other countries, and trying to oppress the southern part of the country Infidels, and taking greater risks to strengthen the Islamic political climate in the capital in return, but the people know the true extent of the contribution of the heads of state, and they are looking for an opportunity to replace them with someone they really trust.In general, political leaders in poor countries agree that it is better to be pious and rich than pious and poor. All this means great unpredictability for the personnel of the US embassy.Sometimes Khartoum is safe when troublesome fundamentalists are contained, but not safe when those are not. Now it seems to be the first situation in front.Although all officials of the U.S. missions abroad have to worry about changes in the external environment, even without the threat of terrorists, the conditions here are the worst among embassy institutions in the world.The station master had to plan ahead, although his wife and two children remained in Virginia, because most of the American officials who lived there did not feel safe, so they did not put their families here.And almost as bad, their nightlife had to be curtailed by the threat of AIDS, not to mention the problem of getting reliable blood if they were injured. The webmaster is still doing everything in its power to get out of these predicaments.He dramatically increased the overall pay scale for the job, and put in place an operative in the Sudanese foreign ministry who would be in charge of informing the United States of everything the country was doing.For those at Langley's desk, it wasn't important to have the intel that the Sultan wasn't doing anything big, but it was better to know that nothing had happened than not know that anything had happened. The station master took care of the matter himself.After estimating time and distance on his own map, he had an early lunch and drove to the airport.The security there was handled by African soldiers, who found a hidden place outside the airport.It was easier to observe private airports than public ones, especially with the 500mm lens on his camera.The National Security Bureau personnel in the embassy had informed him through his mobile phone that the return flight was about to arrive at the airport, and several official cars that had arrived confirmed this further.He had memorized two photographs faxed to him from Langley.Two top Iraqi generals, huh?he thought.With their leader dead, this isn't a huge surprise, since the problem with dictatorships is that they don't have much of a retirement plan for everyone near the top of the regime. The white commercial jet flew over with its usual frictional mist.He locked his camera on the jet and took several high-speed black-and-white frames to see how the engine power was working.The only concern now was whether that jet would stop on the proper runway so he could get a full view of the exit with his camera.The Gulfstream stopped, and the station master started taking pictures after the hatch was opened and lowered.There's a mid-level official there to greet guests semi-officially, and you can tell who's important by the hugs and kisses they get.Click, click.He definitely recognized one of the faces, and the other might have been photographed as well.The process of changing cars only took a minute or two.The official limousines drove off, but the Station Master didn't really care where they were going, because his operatives at the Foreign Office would replenish them for him.He used the remaining eight negatives to photograph the outline of the jet, which was already refueling, and decided to wait a while to see what the jet's next move would be.Thirty minutes later, the plane took off again, and he returned to the embassy.When he passed the file on to a subordinate for further processing, he made a call to Langley. That's right.As Gudre said, it was approaching the end of his shift. Fifty minutes ago, two Iraqi generals landed in Khartoum.This is AWOL. Looks like it's going to add a lot to that National Special Intelligence Estimate, Ben.The area expert raised his eyebrows and commented, I hope they pay attention to the timing of this. The national intelligence officer smiled reluctantly.Yes, well, the next step has to be figuring out what it means.Analysts who have just started their day work around it. Nothing good will happen.You don't have to be an intelligence officer to figure this out. The photo has arrived.shouted a communications officer. The first call had to be to Tehran.Tayelan has told his ambassador to make things as clear as possible.Iran will bear all costs and provide the best possible hospitality to the highest standard that the country can arrange.While all the activities don't have to cost a fortune, the small sums impress the rough folks in that country, a small sum of $10 million has been wired to get everything done.A phone call from the Iranian embassy confirmed that the first batch had been successfully delivered and the flight was returning. Well, now the Iraqis may have come to trust him.The pigs should have been removed to satisfy a personal desire, and there was no difficulty in doing so, but he had made a promise, and it wasn't about personal gratification either.When he put down the phone, his aviation secretary was mobilizing additional planes to expedite deliveries.The job was done quickly and well. Bedian is trying to make the same point.The order may be issued within a day, at most not more than two days.They keep people who are either too high up to survive the coming upheaval, or too low down to enjoy the care the Iranians are willing to offer.The officers, colonels, and brigadier generals will be made scapegoats if necessary to assuage the awakened anger of the populace, and they will not do so willingly.This fact has gradually become more and more clear, and this inexplicable fear has slowly emerged, so that it supersedes their strong desire to leave.It was as if they were on a burning ship, on a coast that was against them, and neither of them could swim well.But the ship was still burning, and he had to make it clear to them. Now that Ryan had gotten used to many of the routines and taken them for granted, he was even beginning to feel comfortable with the discreet knock on the door; a knock that was even more alarming than the radio alarm clock that had been ringing him for twenty years.A faint knock on the door opened his eyes, and he got up, put on his robes, and walked from the bed to the door for the newspaper and his schedule.Next, he walked into the bathroom and then into the living room, which adjoins the president's bedroom, as his wife, who was up a few minutes later than him, began her wake-up routine. Wren didn't just read the papers, as he normally would, and while the Washington Post wasn't as good as the intelligence files that were laid out on his desk for him, it had coverage that wasn't entirely official, which kept him up to date. trend.He first read a National Special Intelligence Estimate, an official dispatch.Ren rubbed his eyes, then began to read. Damn.It could have been worse, the president told himself, at least this time they didn't wake him up to let him know something he couldn't change.He checked the schedule.ok, scott.Adler is going to discuss that with that Visco guy; well, Visco seems to be pretty good at his specialty.Who else do you want to see today?He scanned the schedule.Saji.Gloverke?Is it today?Fortunately, things have changed.Another announced Tony.The press conference where Brittanon was appointed as the Minister of Defense, and a series of questions that might raise doubts and orders from Van Damme to ignore Kirti's problems as much as possible, let Kirti and his ideas be exhausted. Disappear under people's interest Oh, yeah, that's a good point!Wren coughed as he poured the coffee. He'd given the order straight away, reserved for himself the authority to do those things alone, and he hoped the Marine Caterers wouldn't take it as a personal insult.Under the current arrangement, the orderly had only to set up breakfast in the room, and let the Wrens help themselves to it, while the rest wandered outside in the hallway. Good morning, Jack.Casey appeared in front of him.He kissed her lips, then smiled. Good morning, dear. Is the outside world still there?she asked, picking up her coffee.This move tells the president that the First Lady is not having surgery today; she never dips a drop of coffee on the day of surgery because she can't risk the slightest jitter in her hands as she cuts into someone's eyeball, and the caffeine might presents this danger.It still makes him shudder to think about it, even though she's mostly done surgery with lasers now. It appears that the Iraqi government is about to collapse. She snorted femininely.Wasn't that the case last week? That was the first act, this is the third.Maybe the fourth time.He wondered what the fifth act would be. Is it important?Ren heard the sound of toast being swallowed. possible.What are you going to do today? Clinical teaching and follow-up, and attending budget meetings with Katz. Well.Ryan next started to read "Morning Bird", which is an anthology edited by the government and edited from major newspapers.Casey came into view again, looking at his schedule. Gloverke?Didn't I see him in Moscow?He's the one who joked about shooting you! That was no joke, Lane told his wife, but it happened. Come on! He later said the gun was unloaded.Ryan wondered if that was true.Maybe, he thought. But is he telling the truth?she asked suspiciously. The president looked up and smiled.It was incredible, he thought, and it seemed ridiculous now.He was annoyed with me then; it was when I helped the chairman of the NSC defect. She holds up the morning paper.Ryan, I never know when you're joking and when you're not. Ren thought about it.In principle, the first lady is just a commoner, and Casey is no exception, because she is not a wife who is interested in politics but a doctor who loves her work. She is as uninterested in politics as she is in group sex.Therefore, in principle, she is not a person who can keep secrets, but the president should also trust his wife like ordinary people. Kathy, I think it's time for me to tell you something about what happened many years ago, yes, Golovko put a pistol to my head on one of the runways at the Moscow airport because I Helped two very high ranking Russians escape that country, one of them was his boss at the NSC. Those words made her look up at him and think again of the nightmares that had tormented her husband for months years ago.So where is he now? In Washington, D.C. I can't remember the exact place, but I think it was in the racetrack area of ​​Virginia.Ryan vaguely remembered hearing about his daughter Katrin.Gerasimov was engaged to a fox hunter near Winchester with a large estate. Kathy was used to the jokes her husband told.Like most men, he liked to tell funny little stories, and his humor lay in the exaggeration, but she noticed now that he was revealing this fact as often as covering a baseball game.He didn't see her gaze behind him.Yes, when the children came in, she made up her mind, I'd like to hear the story. Daddy!cried Katie, and she saw Rain first.Mommy!Katie was in her school uniform; like most kids, she woke up in a good mood. Hi.Sally said she followed in, visibly troubled. What's wrong?Kathy asked her eldest daughter. It's full of those people out there!You simply can't get out of their sight.she complained, and took a glass of juice from the saucer.It's like staying in a hotel instead of your own home. What test is there today?Kathy asked, seeing something in her performance. math.Sally admitted. Did you read it? Read it, mother. Ren ignored the question and just lowered his head to prepare breakfast for Katie.Then, Little Jack came in, turned on the TV, and tuned to the cartoon program that was playing, which was a must-see program for him every morning, and it was also Katie's favorite. For everyone else out there, the day's work has begun.Wren's private national intelligence officer was putting the finishing touches on a dreadful morning intelligence briefing.The head waiter has long been overseeing repairs to the White House staircase.In the president's bedroom, the servants are preparing the clothes for the president and first lady.Cars are waiting to take the kids to school.Police in Maryland had already checked the route to Annapolis.The Marines were prepping the helicopter for the trip to Baltimore and that problem was still unresolved and the whole machine was already running. Gus.Lorenz came to the office early in order to answer a call from Africa.He wants to check where is the monkey he ordered?The CDC has paid for it all stupidly, and his buying agent is explaining from eight time zones away that someone else has bought that lot and a new batch of monkeys is going back to the jungle to buy it here, and it takes a week. Lorenz, full of discontent, had hoped to begin his new research this week.He made notes on post-it notes and wondered who had bought so many green monkeys.Was Rousseau starting new studies in Paris again?He's going to give the guy a call later, after the morning staff meeting.The good news he saw was oh shit.A cable from the World Health Organization said a second patient had died in a plane crash.And enough time has passed so far without new cases that the danger of a small outbreak may have passed, Lorenz thought.This is good news.Under the electron microscope, that looks like the Maineca strain of Saibola virus, and maybe its host is still waiting to infect someone else somewhere, and that host could be some rodent that got run over by a truck .He thought and shrugged it was possible after all. Patient No. 2 was semiconscious at Hasenabed as the morphine drip was reduced.She was already aware of the pain, but not yet able to comprehend what was happening.Either way, pain ensues, and to make matters worse, Jane.Baptiste understood what each sharp pain meant.The abdominal pain was the worst because the bacteria had spread throughout the ten-meter-long gastrointestinal tract, which meant that the bacteria were devouring the delicate tissues that convert food into nutrients and pouring infected blood into her rectum . She felt as if her whole body was twisting, breaking and burning, and she needed to move, to do something to change the situation.However, when she tried to move, she found that her limbs were bound by the belt.The insult was more unbearable than the pain, but when she tried to fight back, it only caused more severe nausea and she began to vomit.At this moment, the spaceman in the blue uniform turned the bed. What kind of bed is this?She wanted to make her vomit into the bucket, and all she saw in the bucket was black, dead blood.The sight momentarily distracted her from the pain, but at the same time it made her understand that she was not going to survive, she was terminally ill, her body was dying, so Jane.Sister Baptiste began to pray for death, because this was the only relief, and the pain was so severe that she needed to be released sooner, lest she lose her faith in the faith in the process.The thought popped out of her fading consciousness like a doll popping out of a surprise box.She needs a priest by her side; she needs Maria.Where is Magdalena?Was she doomed to die alone?The dying nurse looked at the spacesuits, hoping to find familiar eyes behind the plastic visor, but while the eyes she saw were sympathetic, they were not familiar.When two of them came up close, she realized that she was not familiar with their language. Military doctors are very careful when drawing blood.He first checked that the arm was completely immobilized, and then had a colleague grab her arm with strong hands while he carefully kept his own away from the needle.When everything was ready, the first doctor found a suitable vein and stably inserted the needle.He was lucky this time, the needle went in the right place the first time.He attached a five-cc vacuum tube to the back of the needle holder, and the blood flowing into the tube was darker than ordinary purple.When it was full of blood, he pulled the tube out and carefully placed it in a plastic case with three more like this one.Then he withdrew the needle and put a piece of gauze on his arm where the needle was made, but that didn't stop the bleeding.The second medic released the nun's arm, noticing that his brief grip had severely discolored the skin on that arm.The first medic walked out of the room with a covered box, while the second went to the corner and rinsed his gloves and arm with diluted iodine.They were aware of the dangers of the task, and they, like most people, hadn't really believed it before, even though they'd seen specimens, films, and slides.As human beings, the military doctors hope and pray that the god of death will come and take this woman away quickly, no matter what fate Allah has arranged for her.Watching her body disintegrate was unnerving, and the thought of her horrific experience made even the strongest of courage daunt.It was unlike anything they had ever seen, the woman was dissolving from the inside out.As the medic cleaned the surface of the gown, he turned, startled by her cries, which sounded as if from the mouth of a baby tormented by demonic hands.Her eyes were wide, her mouth was open, and a shrill, loud cry filled the air and pierced through his hazmat suit. Blood samples are processed rapidly in the pyrovirology laboratory.Moody and the people directing the program were in their offices, they didn't have to be in the lab, and the absence of hazmat suits made it easier for them to observe the tests. How fast, how amazingly fast.The commander shook his head in amazement. Moody nodded.Yes, it's like a tidal wave that overwhelms the immune system.An electron microscope image appeared on a computer screen, swarming with viruses in the shape of a shepherd's staff.A small amount of antibodies can be seen on the screen, but they are like a sheep among lions, no matter how capable they are, they are useless.Blood cells are being attacked and destroyed.If they could take a tissue sample of the major organs, they would find that the patient's spleen was turning into something hard like a rubber ball, filled with tiny crystals, like capsules that deliver Ebola virus particles.In fact, it would have been interesting and even more scientifically interesting to be able to do a laparoscopy of the abdomen to see exactly what the disease was doing to the patient at each period, but they didn't want to take the risk of hastening the death of the patient. A sample of her vomit showed tissue fragments from the upper part of her gastrointestinal tract, and those tissues were interesting because they weren't just loosely split, they were dead.Most of the tissue in the patient's still-living body is dead and loosened from the living remnant.Infected blood will be centrifuged and deep-frozen for later use.Every drop of blood drawn counts, so more is poured into her body through the rubber IV drip.Unlike the index patient, routine heart enzyme tests showed that her heart was still normal and healthy. It's amazing how diverse the disease's attack methods are.The commander read the printed result and said. Moody turned his head away, imagining that he could hear her cries of pain through the multi-story concrete walls of the building.What would have been the most merciful thing for her to do was walk into the room and push twenty cc of potassium, or simply infuse her with massive doses of morphine, to suppress her breathing and kill her. Do you think that African boy was born with a circulatory problem?asked his superior. Maybe, I didn't diagnose him. As expected, the liver was rapidly failing.The commander slowly scanned the blood test data.With the exception of the cardiac index, all data deviate significantly from normal values.Moody, this is literally a textbook case. Indeed. This strain of virus is even more powerful than I thought.He looked up, you did a great job. oh yes. Anthony.Brittanon has two PhDs from MIT and also has an impressive track record in industry and engineering, so I expect him to be a unique and productive Secretary of Defense.Ryan said, ending with this.Is there a problem? sir, vice president kirti Ex-Vice President, Lane interrupted the question, he resigned, please get this straight first. But he said he didn't. "Chicago Tribune" reporter pointed out. Would you believe him if he said he talked to Elvis?雷恩問道，希望自己已經恰當地表達了所準備的言詞。他掃視著每一張臉，看他們的反應如何。雷恩輕蔑的言詞使他們驚訝地眨著眼睛，少數人甚至還笑了。繼續，問完你的問題。 基爾惕先生已經要求司法授權以確定事情的真相。你對這個問題有何看法？ 這個問題已由聯邦調查局負責調查中，它是政府的主要調查機構。不管真相如何，都必須先進行調查，然後才能作出評判，但我想我們都知道結局會是什麼。Ed.基爾惕已經辭職了，而且你們都知道原因。出於對憲法程序的尊重，我已經指示聯邦調查局深入調查此事，而基於法律的保障，基爾惕先生可以盡情地說他想說的話。我這裡還有事情要做。next question?雷恩有信心地問道。 總統先生，雷恩微微點頭，聽《邁阿密前鋒報》的記者說道在你另一個晚上的演說中，你說你不是一個政治人物，但你卻在從事政治人物的工作，美國人民想知道你在諸多議題上的觀點。 Very reasonable.Like what?Ryan asked. 比如墮胎。這位《前鋒報》的記者是一個很開放的女人，她問道，你確切的立場是什麼？ 我不喜歡這種行為。雷恩回答，他沒有經過思考就說出了真實的想法。你們或許知道，我是一個天主教徒，在那個道德問題上，我認為我的宗教所主張的是正確的。然而，墮胎條例是這個國家的法律，除非有一天最高法院重新考慮這一項判決，否則總統也不能無視於聯邦法院的判決。這使我多少有些不快，但是身為總統，我必須盡我的職責與法律保持一致。我發過誓要那樣做。表現不錯，傑克，雷恩想。 那麼你不支持婦女有權力選擇嗎？《前鋒報》記者問道，從中能聞到些許火藥味。 What to choose?雷恩問道，仍覺得很輕鬆。do you know?曾經有一個人想殺死我的妻子，當時她正懷著我們的兒子，而其後不久，我又看到我的大女兒瀕臨死亡地躺在醫院裡。我認為生命是非常寶貴的東西，我曾經以艱難的方法學到了這個經驗，所以我希望人們能在決定墮胎之前先慎重考慮。 你還是沒有回答我的問題，總統先生。 我無法阻止人們那樣做；不管我喜不喜歡，這是法律，總統不能踐踏法律。這還不明顯嗎？ 但在你對最高法院的任命中，你會用墮胎問題來做為一塊試金石嗎？你會讓墮胎條例被廢除嗎？雷恩幾乎沒有注意到相機焦距正在改變，而記者們也正集中精力在潦草地記錄這一切。 正如我所說，我不喜歡墮胎條例，我認為它是一個錯誤。我告訴你們為什麼，因為最高法院插手了本該屬於立法機構的事務。憲法上並沒有這一條法律，而對於憲法上沒有明訂的法律，我們有州和聯邦議會來制定我們的法律。這堂公民課順利地進行著。現在，關於我對最高法院法官的任命，我將盡力尋找最好的法官，這是我們馬上要談的事情。對美國來說，憲法是一部聖經，那麼最高法院的法官們則是我想是神學家。他們應該是根據憲法進行裁決，而不是去制定新的法律。他們應該深刻理解法律的含義。當憲法必須有所改變時，我們要有相應的機構來改變它，這種方法我們已經使用了二十多次。 那麼，你將選擇那些對法律只會做狹義解釋，而且有可能廢除墮胎條例的人囉？ 這好像是撞到了一堵牆。雷恩在回答問題之前明顯地停頓了一下。我希望能盡我所能地找到最好的法官，我不會在單一的問題上為難他們。 《波士頓環球報》的記者迅速站了起來。總統先生，如果孕婦的生命處於危險之中該怎麼辦？天主教會 答案很明顯，會優先考慮孕婦的生命。 但天主教會常說 我不是以天主教會的立場，正如我剛才所說，我不能褻瀆法律。 但你希望法律有所改變。《環球報》記者指出。 是的，我認為如果將這件事歸屬於州議會，對每個人都會更好。那樣人們所選出的代表就能制定出符合選民願望的法律。 但如果那樣，《舊金山審視者雜誌》的記者指出，整個國家將出現一個各式各樣法律的大雜燴，在一些地方墮胎將成為違法行為。 除非選民希望那樣，而那也正是民主的作用。 但那些貧窮的婦女怎麼辦？ 那不是我能說的。雷恩回答，他開始感到惱怒，並奇怪他怎會陷入這個麻煩。 那麼，你支持反墮胎的憲法修正案嗎？《亞特蘭大憲法報》的記者發問。 不，我認為那不是憲法的問題。確切地說，應該是立法的問題。 所以，《紐約時報》的記者總結道，基於道德和宗教的關係，你個人反對墮胎，但你將不會干涉婦女的權利；你計劃任命有可能廢除墮胎條例的保守法官進入新的最高法院，但你不會支持限制選擇自由的憲法修正案。這位記者笑了。長官，在這個問題上，你到底信奉什麼呢？ 雷恩搖了搖頭，打消了他原想回敬這種無禮舉動的想法。我想我剛才講的已經很清楚了。我們能否往下討論別的問題？ 謝謝你的回答，總統先生！一位資深記者大聲喊道。這時亞諾．范達姆拼命地向總統比手勢。雷恩不解地離開講台，從一個角落走到另一個角落以避開人們的視線。這位幕僚長抓住總統的手臂幾乎將他推到牆上，而此時負責保衛總統的密勤局幹員並沒有任何反應。 你做的好事，傑克，你剛惹火了全國人民！ What's the meaning?總統一面琢磨，一面答道。ah? 我的意思是你在汽車裡抽煙，還不把煙排出去，該死！God!你不知道你剛做了什麼嗎？范達姆能看出他並不知道。現在那些主張墮胎合法的人會認為你將剝奪他們的權利，而反墮胎人士則認為你不關心他們的問題。真是太精彩了，傑克。你他媽的在五分鐘之內就讓整個國家四分五裂了！范達姆怒吼著離開，把總統留在內閣會議室外，因為他害怕自己如果再說下去會真的大發脾氣。 What is he saying?雷恩問道，但他周圍的密勤局幹員們則什麼也沒說，因為政治不是他們的職責，而且對於這個問題，他們也跟全國人民一樣存在著眾多紛歧。 野牛六號，這是隊旗六號，完畢。赫伯特，馬斯特曼中校同事們叫他公爵站在他的M一A二艾蘭戰車瘋狂麥克斯二號的頂上，一手拿著麥克風，另一手拿著望遠鏡。在他前面，奈及夫訓練場大約十平方哩的範圍內散佈著以色列陸軍第七裝甲旅的摩卡瓦戰車和步兵輸送車，點點黃燈閃爍並有紫色的煙霧從砲塔升起。這種煙霧是以色列的新發明，當戰車在戰鬥中被擊中時，它們便會燃燒，而且當MILES齒輪感應器記錄一個雷射擊中時，它們便點燃發射記號。這個方法一直是以色列人用來在模擬戰中計算戰車被擊中數量的方法。馬斯特曼手下只有四輛戰車和六輛M｜三布萊德雷戰鬥車被擊中。 隊旗，這是野牛。Sean.馬格魯德上校回應道，他是第十野牛裝甲騎兵團的指揮官。 上校，我認為這次演習差不多該結束了，完畢。袋形火力很完美。 收到，公爵。過來做戰後報告。待會兒我們要見一個真的是抓了狂的以色列人。幸好無線電聯繫是加密的。 這就來，長官。當艾布蘭戰車停下時，馬斯特曼走下砲塔。他的車員開始掉轉車頭，向那邊的中隊車陣駛去。 沒有比這更好的事情了。馬斯特曼感覺就像是一個被允許每天進行比賽的足球運動員，他指揮第十裝甲騎兵團的第一隊旗中隊。該中隊應該被稱為一個營，但不同之處在於他們的肩章上有黃色的鑲邊和紅、白兩色的中隊隊旗。 長官，又痛宰一頓了嗎？他的駕駛在其上司點燃一根古巴雪茄時問道。 一堆待宰的羔羊，珀金斯。馬斯特曼從塑膠瓶裡啜了一些水。在他頭上一百呎的高空，有一些以色列的F｜十六戰鬥機正呼嘯而過，他們對於地面上所發生的事似乎顯得很惱怒；也許他們當中可能有幾架剛好碰上了行政上的防空飛彈發射。 當地的星際戰爭室實際上和艾文堡的一樣，只是這裡有一個比較小的主顯示螢幕和較好的座位，而且可以抽煙。他抖落身上的塵土，像巴頓（編註：Patton，美國陸軍將領）大步邁進巴斯通那樣地進入這棟大樓。以色列人正在等候。 理智上，他們必須明白這次演習對他們的幫助，但在情感上則又是另外一回事。以色列第七裝甲旅和世界上任何部隊一樣都是一支引以自豪的部隊；事實上它曾於一九七三年，獨自在戈蘭高地阻止了一整支敘利亞戰車部隊的進攻。而他們現在的指揮官當時是一個中尉，他曾經極為出色地帶領指揮了一整個群龍無首的連進行戰鬥；不習慣面對失敗的他還曾經眼睜睜地看著他所栽培的旅在三十分鐘內漸漸被殘酷地殲滅。 General.馬斯特曼邊說邊向這位老練的旅長伸出手。這位以色列人猶豫了一下，然後才與他握了手。 這不是個人行為，長官，只是公務上的禮貌。Nick.薩爾托中校說道，他指揮第二大角羊中隊，剛才才與馬斯特曼合力將以色列的第七裝甲旅夾在中間。 各位，可以開始了嗎？高階的軍官叫道。為了安撫以色列人，這裡的指揮官小組是由有經驗的美國軍官和有經驗的以色列軍官所組成，很難確定他們當中誰最窘迫。 首先快速重播了理論上的交戰情況。藍色的以色列部隊行軍進入小山谷，遇到了隊旗中隊的偵察掩護部隊，後者迅速地向後躲避，但不是朝該中隊其餘兵力所部署的防禦位置，而是成一個角度地離開。以色列第七裝甲旅認為這是一個陷阱，因此向西調遣以便迂迴包圍敵人，誰知道這樣只是讓自己陷入埋伏的戰車牆，而此時大角羊中隊從東面以意想不到的速度迅速趕來，快到讓由道格．米爾斯指揮的第三德科塔中隊是一個團預備隊沒機會參與追擊階段的行動。這是一個跟以前一樣的教訓以色列指揮官只是猜測敵軍的位置而不是先派偵察掩護部隊去找。 以色列旅長看著重播的內容，像個洩氣的氣球。那些美國人沒有笑，雖然作為勝利的一方心情要好得多，但他們以前也都有過失敗的經驗。 你的偵察掩護部隊向前走得不夠遠，班尼。以色列高階指揮官圓滑地說。 阿拉伯人不會用那種方式作戰！Benjamin.艾頓回答。 他們會的，長官。馬斯特曼指出，這是典型的蘇聯法則，要記住他們都是蘇聯人訓練出來的。將敵人引進袋形火力區然後再猛然關上後門。對了，將軍，您的那些百夫長戰車在七三年時也是這麼做的，我讀過有關您那次作戰的書。這位美國人補充道。這句話立刻讓氣氛緩和了下來美國軍官們在這裡必須要做的事情之一就是外交。艾頓上將不大相信地側視著並努力擠出一絲笑容。 我是這麼做的嗎？ True.在我的記憶裡，您在四十分鐘內就痛宰了敘利亞的一個團。 你也是啊，是七三年的中東戰爭嗎？艾頓給與回應，他很感激那些恭維，即使他知道這是刻意為了平復他的心情而做的。 馬格魯德、馬斯特曼、薩爾托和米爾斯齊聚於此絕非偶然，他們四個人都曾參加過波斯灣戰爭中的慘烈戰鬥。那時，第二龍騎兵騎兵團的三個騎兵連在不利的氣候條件下陷入伊拉克一個精銳部隊的包圍之中當時的氣候實在太惡劣了，以致使團的飛機無法參戰，甚至對敵人的存在都無法發出警訊結果花了幾個小時的時間才把敵人消滅。以色列人知道這件事，因此無法抱怨美國人是些玩理論遊戲的書本士兵。 這次戰鬥的結果也沒什麼特別的。艾頓是新來的，上任只有一個月，也將像其他以色列軍官已經領教過的那樣，領教到美國人的模擬訓練比實戰更不留情面。對以色列人來說，這是一門艱苦的課程，沒有走訪過奈及夫訓練場的人是不會真正領教到其艱苦程度的。馬格魯德上校知道，如果說以色列人有弱點的話，那就是自負，而在這裡的訓練目的之一就是要磨掉他們的傲氣，因為一個指揮官的自負可能會使他的士兵送命。 好了。這位高階美國指揮官說道，從這裡我們學到了什麼呢？ 不要跟野牛的士兵作對，三個中隊指揮官都這麼想，但沒有說出來。馬里安．迪格斯在調任艾文堡的指揮官之前就恢復了這個團的勇敢堅毅名聲。儘管他們給在奈及夫訓練場受訓的以色列軍隊帶來很多麻煩，但還是非常受歡迎。第十裝甲騎兵團連同兩個F｜十六戰鬥機中隊是美國對以色列人的安全承諾，因此他們便更加嚴格地訓練這個猶太國家的地面部隊，使其達到全新的戰備水準，因為以色列軍隊在黎巴嫩幾乎已經喪失了戰鬥精神。艾頓會學到教訓的，而且會學得很快。 我記得你曾經對我說民主是多麼地令人愉快，總統先生。葛洛佛科進門時快活地說。 你一定是在今天早晨的電視中看到我了。雷恩勉強回答道。 我記得這樣的批評曾為許多人帶來殺身之禍。Andrea.普萊斯跟在俄國人的後面，聽到他的評論，很驚訝這傢伙竟然敢如此大膽地冒犯總統。 在這裡不用那一套。雷恩邊坐下邊回答，沒關係的，安德麗。我和薩吉是老朋友了。這是一次私人會談，甚至沒有祕書在場，但是隱藏的麥克風會錄下每一句話。這個俄國人明白這一點，而這個美國人也知道他明白，至於房間裡為何會沒有任何象徵對來訪者的敬意，美國人知道俄國人也明白其中的含義。 當門在那個幹員身後關上時，葛洛佛科道了聲：謝謝。 哪兒的話，我們是老朋友了，不是嗎？ 葛洛佛科笑了。你曾是多麼傑出的敵手啊。 what about now? 你的家人適應得如何？ 差不多和我一樣。雷恩承認，然後言歸正傳。你有三個小時的時間。 葛洛佛科點點頭；雖然這次會談是祕密的，但還是有人對雷恩做了簡短的說明。俄國大使館位於距此僅幾個街區的第十六街，他是步行來的，在這個有官方人員必須搭乘官方汽車習俗的城市裡，這是個避人耳目的好方法。我沒想到伊拉克的事情會變得這麼快。 我們也是，但這不是你來這裡的原因，薩吉．尼古拉耶維奇，是為了中國吧？ 我相信關於這個問題，你們的衛星照片和我們的一樣清晰。他們的軍隊正處於不尋常的高度戰備狀態。 對於這個問題，我們有不同的看法。雷恩說，他們可能是為了對台灣施加更多壓力。他們已經增強了海軍的力量。 他們的海軍還不準備作戰，而陸軍和火箭部隊也是如此。他們都不打算越過台灣海峽，總統先生。 這句話足以說明他此行的目的。雷恩停頓了一下，看著窗外的華盛頓紀念堂，它被一圈旗杆所環繞，看起來就像一個花環。喬治．華盛頓說過的關於避免捲入外國聯盟的話是怎麼說的？但那時候的世界要單純得多，當時越過大西洋要兩個月，而現在則只需六到七個小時 如果你是在問我對你的想法，是的或者我應該說，不。 你能說得更清楚一點嗎？ 美國不會支持中國進攻俄國，因為這樣的衝突會對世界的穩定產生極為不利的影響，而且會阻礙你們全面民主的過程。美國希望看到俄國變成一個繁榮的民主國家。我們兩國相互敵對的時間也夠久了，我們應該成為朋友，而美國會希望它的朋友安全及和平的。 他們恨我們，他們垂涎我們所擁有的一切。葛洛佛科繼續說道，對於美國的立場甚不滿意。 薩吉，一個國家對於不能得到的東西就去偷的時代已經過去了，那已成為一去不復返的歷史了。 但如果他們無論如何也要對我們採取行動呢？ 必要時我們會採取行動的，薩吉。總統答道，我的意思是阻止那樣的行動。如果他們真的打算動武，我們會勸他們三思。我們會密切關注的。 我認為你不了解他們。雷恩看得出來對方很急迫。 你認為有任何一個人了解他們嗎？你認為他們知道自己想做什麼嗎？這兩個情報軍官他們總是這麼認為正分享著專業調查的樂趣。 This is where the problem lies.葛洛佛科承認，我曾試圖向我們的總統解釋，我們很難去預測一個態度未定的人將來會做什麼。他們有能力，我們也有，當雙方對事情的預測出現了分歧時，個性便成為主導的力量。Ivan.埃米托維奇，那些人都是滿腦子舊觀念的老人，因此在這件事情上，他們的個性就是主要的考慮因素。 還有歷史，還有文化，還有經濟，還有貿易等考量我還沒機會去正視它們。對於那個世界，我的能力有限。雷恩提醒他的客人，我已花了一生中大部分時間試圖去了解你們的事情。 那麼你將與我們站在一起？ Ren shook his head.說這些還太早，也太冒險。不過，我們將在我們的權力範圍內阻止中國和俄國之間可能發生的衝突。一旦發生衝突，你們將會使用核子武器。這點我明白，你明白，我想他們也明白。 他們並不相信這一點。 薩吉，沒有人那麼愚蠢的。雷恩在腦子裡記下這件事以便與史考特．艾德勒討論，對於這一領域，他比自己要清楚得多。這個問題的討論應該結束了，是討論另一個問題的時候了。伊拉克。你們的人怎麼說？ 葛洛佛科苦笑了一下。三個月前我們派了一批人去做調查，結果其中有二十個人在審訊之後被槍殺或吊死，就這樣。剩下的人並沒有提供多少情報，但情報顯示伊拉克的高階將領們正在準備要做些什麼事情。 今天早晨他們當中的兩個人剛在蘇丹露面。Ryan told him.雷恩很少看到葛洛佛科如此吃驚。 So fast? 雷恩點點頭，遞過那些在喀土木機場拍的照片。Yes. 葛洛佛科瀏覽了那些照片，他不認識那些面孔，但也沒這個必要。他把照片遞回去。還有伊朗。我們在那裡有一些人，但最近都沒聽到有任何動靜。不過我們認為達葉蘭與這次的暗殺有關，只是沒有證據。He paused.這件事隱含了極危險的信號。 那麼你是在告訴我，你們對這件事情也無能為力？ 是的，伊凡．埃米托維奇，我們無能為力。我們在那裡沒有影響力，你們也是。