scoonts.theminotaur-第74章

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　〃Yessir。　I　kept　them　fully　informed　about　my　activities　and　my　opinions　as　I　reached　them。〃
　〃Did　they　suggest　changes　to　the　draft　document。〃
　〃Yessir。　That　is　normal　practice。　We　were　under　a　time　crunch；　and　I　circulated　a　summary　of　the　report　and　they　mented　upon　it　and　I　made　certain　changes　to　the　report　that　I　felt　were　necessary　based　on　their　ments。　But　this　is　my　report。　I　could　have　refused　to　make　a　suggested　change　and　they　could　have　mented　on　the　matter　in　their　endorsement。　That；　too；　would　be　normal　practice。〃
　〃Did　you　refuse　to　make　any　changes？〃
　〃No；　sir。〃
　〃So　this　report　is　now　the　way　your　superiors　in　the　chain　of　mand　want　it　to　be？〃
　〃I　believe　the　endorsements　speak　for　themselves；　sir。〃
　〃You　remended　the　navy　purchase　the　TRX　plane　in　spite　of　the　fact　that　the　prototype　crashed　during　evaluation　and　you　failed　to　plete　all　the　tests　you　had　planned？〃
　〃That　is　correct。〃
　〃Why？〃
　〃Senator；　I　think　the　report　addresses　that　point　much　better　than　I　could　orally。　I　felt　that　the　TRX　plane　had　fewer　technical　problems　than　the　Consolidated　prototype　and　was　a　better　promise　of　mission　capability　and　stealthiness。　I　also　felt　it　was　better　suited　to　carrier　operations。　I　thought　that　it　would　require　less　preproduction　modifications　to　achieve　the　performance　goals。　All　this　is　in　the　report。　In　short；　I　thought　this　plane　gave　the　navy　the　most　bang　for　its　bucks。〃
　〃Did　you　personally　fly　either　plane？〃
　〃No；　sir。　A　test　pilot　did。〃
　〃How　much　experience　did　this　test　pilot　have？〃
　〃I　believe　she　has　about　sixteen　hundred　hours　total　flight　time。〃
　〃That　isn't　much；　is　it？〃
　〃Everything　is　relative。〃
　〃How　much　flight　time　do　you　have；　Captain？〃
　〃About　forty…five　hundred　hours。〃
　〃Do　you　have　any　previous　experience　testing　prototypes？〃
　〃No；　sir。〃
　〃Did　your　test　pilot　have　any　previous　prototype　testing　experience？〃
　〃No；　sir。〃
　〃Yet　you　used　her　anyway。　Why　is　that？〃
　〃She　had　an　outstanding　record　at　the　Test　Pilot　School　at　Patuxent　River。　She　finished　first　in　her　class。　My　predecessor　was　on　the　staff　at　TPS　and　picked　her　for　this　project。　I　saw　no　reason　to　fire　her　and　get　someone　else。〃
　〃Yet　she　crashed　the　TRX　prototype？〃
　〃It　crashed　while　she　was　flying　it。　The　E…PROM　chips　in　the　fly…by…wire　system　were　defective。〃
　〃Would　the　plane　have　crashed　with　a　more　experienced　pilot　at　the　controls？〃
　〃Well；　that's　impossible　to　say；　really。〃
　〃You；　for　instance？〃
　〃Senator；　any　answer　I　gave　to　that　question　would　be　pure　speculation。　I　feel　Lieutenant　Moravia　did　a　fine　job　handling　that　plane　before　and　after　it　went　out　of　control。　There　may　be　a　pilot　somewhere　on　this　planet　who　could　have　saved　it；　but　I　don't　know。〃
　Duquesne　led　him　into　the　buy…rate　and　cost　projections　for　the　A…12。　〃I　see　here　that　you　remend　a　total　buy　of　three　hundred　sixty　planes：　a　dozen　the　first　year；　twenty…four　the　second；　then　forty…eight　each　year　subsequently。〃
　〃That's　correct。〃　Jake　went　into　the　cost　equations。　Before　he　could　get　very　deep　into　the　subject；　Duquesne　moved　on。
　Finally　Duquesne　got　down　to　it。
　〃Captain；　you　have　also　been　in　charge　of　the　Athena　program；　have　you　not？〃
　〃Yes；　sir。〃
　〃This　morning　Dr。　Dodgers　testified　that　this　device　would　be　cheap　to　build〃…he　gave　the　figures…〃could　be　in　production　in　a　year　or　fifteen　months　and　could　protect　any　object　it　was　placed　upon。　In　view　of　that；　why　does　the　navy　want　a　stealth　attack　plane？〃
　〃Athena　can　be　made　to　work；　with　enough　research；　time　and　money。　But　it's　not　going　to　be　easy。　Right　now　the　only　way　to　determine　the　radar…reflective　characteristics　of　an　object　is　to　test　the　entire　object　on　a　specially　constructed　range。　And　these　characteristics　change　based　on　the　frequency　of　the　radar　doing　the　looking。　So　every　frequency　must　be　tested。　Consequently　the　data　base　that　the　Athena　puter　must　use　is　very；　very　large。　That's　why　we　need　a　superconductive　puter　to　perform　all　the　calculations　required　in　a　minimum　amount　of　time。　Still；　it　is　impossible　to　build　a　system　that　could　effectively　counter　every　conceivable　frequency。　Athena　will　counter　every　frequency　the　Soviets　are　known　to　use。　Yet　if　they　shift　frequencies　quickly　enough；　with　a　semi…stealthy　aircraft　design　we　would　not　lose　all　our　airplanes　before　Athena　could　be　modified。
　〃Secondly；　Athena　will　not　be　ready　for　the　fleet　in　a　year。　More　like　three　or　four。　Third；　new　technology　may　be　developed　to　counter　Athena。　Ws　believe；　based　on　what　we　know　now；　that　we　need　an　attack　plane　with　at　least　A…6　performance　and　payload　capabilities；　state…of…the…art　avionics；　and　stealthy　characteristics。　That's　the　A…12。　The　TRX　plane　is　the　best　that　American　industry　can　give　us　now；　and　now　is　the　time　when　we　need　to　put　this　airplane　into　production。〃
　〃Why　not　kill　the　A…12　program　and　build　a　conventional　attack　plane　that　uses　Athena　to　hide？〃
　〃As　I　mentioned；　Athena　is　added　protection　for　our　aircraft。　but　not　the　sole　source；　due　to　the　limitations　inherent　in　the　technology。　Quick　change　is　the　rule　in　electronic　warfare；　not　the　exception。　The　Israelis　almost　lost　their　1973　war　with　Egypt　due　to　advances　in　electronic　warfare　made　by　the　Soviets　and　supplied　to　Egypt　of　which　the　West　was　not　aware。　The　United　States　cannot　afford　to　lose　a　war　with　the　Soviets；　Senator。〃
　Jake　reached　for　his　briefcase。　Knight　had　it　ready。　〃My　staff　has　done　some　calculations。　To　kill　this　program　now　and　start　all　over　again　on　another　one；　writing　off　all　the　development　money　spent　to　date　and　adding　the　inevitable　inflationary　factor；　I　figure　it　will　cost　just　about　the　same　per　plane。　Assuming　Athena　works　well　enough　to　bee　operational。　If　it　doesn't；　we'll　have　a　brand…new；　obsolete　airplane。　Regardless；　in　the　interim　we'll　have　to　make　do　with　the　A…6；　which　is　not　aging　gracefully。　We　may　even　need　to　fund　the　A…6G　program；　just　to　keep　the　A…6s　in　the　air　until　the　follow…on　airplane　arrives。〃
　An　aide　passed　a　copy　of　Jake's　figures　to　every　member。　Jake　spent　the　next　hour　defending　the　methodology　and　the　numbers。
　Duquesne　opened　the　floor　to　questions　from　other　members；　who　had　a　variety　of　concerns。　One　of　them　asked；　〃I　understand　you　were　awarded　the　Medal　of　Honor　by　this　Congress；　Captain？〃
　〃That's　correct；　sir。〃
　〃Why　aren't　you　wearing　it　now？〃
　〃It's　a　little　gaudy；　don't　you　think？〃
　Another　congressman　asked；　〃Why　is　the　navy　going　to　name　the　A…12　the　Avenger？〃　The　propeller…driven　Grumman　TBF　Avenger　was　the　plane　the　President　flew　during　World　War　II。
　〃In　a　survey　of　A…6　flight　crews　conducted　navy…wide；　that　was　the　most　popular　suggestion。　The　people　in　the　navy　are　very　proud　of　the　navy's　tradition　and　history。〃
　〃The　choice　of　that　name　looks　a　little　like　bootlicking；　don't　you　think？〃
　〃Sir；　I　happen　to　like　that　name。　The　Avenger　torpedo…bomber　was　a　fine　airplane　in　its　day；　with　a　proud　name　and　a　great　bat　record。　We've　named　other　jets　after　prop　planes…Phantom　and　Corsair　are　two…so　it's　a　choice　popular　with　the　people　in　naval　aviation。　Should　Avenger　get　derailed　somewhere　along　the　way；　my　personal　second　choice　would　be　Hellcat；　another　good　old　navy　name。〃
　〃That　choice　wouldn't　be　popular　with　Dr。　Dodgers；〃　the　congressman　said　dryly。
　〃I　doubt　if　it　would；〃　Jake　agreed。
　And　then　it　was　over。　He　was　excused。　It　was　4　P。M。　Out　on　the　steps　Knight　said；　〃One　down；　two　to　go。〃
　That　was　right。　Assuming　the　Armed　Services　mittees　authorized　some　airplanes　and　the　full　House　and　Senate　agreed；　then　the　battle　would　begin　to　convince　the　appropriations　mittees　to　provide　the　dollars　to　pay　for　them。
　Jake　groaned。
　〃Relax。　You　did　very　well。〃
　〃C'mon。　Let's　go　get　a　beer　somewhere。　I'm　dying　of　thirst。〃
　On　Sunday　morning　as　they　walked　on　the　beach　and　Amy　played　in　the　surf；　Jake　and　Callie　talked　again　about　the　Minotaur。　〃As　I　understand　it；〃　Jake　said；　〃he's　not　a　mole　in　the　usual　sense　of　the　word。　He's　not　a　Russian　who　slipped　in　years　ago　and　worked　his　way　into　a　position　of　trust。　He's　an　American。　A　traitor。〃
　〃This　world　of　espionage　and　counterespionage；〃　Callie　said；　〃it　reminds　me　of　Alice　in　Wonderland。　Nothing　is　ever　as　it　seems。〃
　〃What　made　you　think　of　that？〃
　〃If　you　lose　something　and　look　for　it　in　all　the　usual　places　and　you　don't　find　it；　what　conclusion　do　you　reach？〃
　〃It　isn't　in　a　usual　place。〃
　〃Precisely。　And　if　the　FBI　has　been　looking　for　a　mole　for　three　years；　then　the　mole　is　not　in　the　usual　place。〃
　〃But　the　usual　places　are　positions　where　a　person　would　have　access　to　the　information　being　passed。〃
　〃Perhaps　the　mole　was　never　there　at　all。〃
　Jake　stared　at　her。
　〃How　do　you　know　the　FBI　has　been　looking？〃　she　asked。
　〃Henry　said　so。　Camacho　said　so。〃
　〃Henry　merely　repeated　what　he　was　told。　Camacho　told　you　what　he　wanted　you　to　hear。　What　if　there　is　no　mole　at　all？　What　if　the　Minotaur　is　merely　a　character；　an　actor　assigned　to　play　a　part？〃
　Amy　called　her　to　look　at　something　that　had　washed　up　on　the　beach　during　the　night；　and　she　went。　Jake　stood　and　watched　them。　The　surf　broke　and　swirled　around　their　ankles　as　the　seabirds　circled　and　called。
　〃You　are　a　very　smart　woman；〃　he　told　her　when　she　rejoined　him；
　〃Oh；　I'm　glad　you　noticed。　What　did　I　say　that　was　smart？〃
　
　On　Monday　morning　at　the　office　Jake　stopped　by　the　copy　machine　and　helped　himself　to　twenty　or　so　sheets　of　paper。　In　his　office　he　closed　the　door　and　pulled　on　a　pair　of　gloves　he　had　brought　from　home。　Spreading　the　pile　of　paper　gingerly；　he　selected　a　sheet　from　the　middle　of　the　pile　and　slid　it　away　from　the　others。　It　should　be　free　of　fingerprints。　From　his　pocket　he　took　a　black　government　pen。　He　clicked　the　point　in　and　out　a　few　times　as　he　stared　thoughtfully　at　the　paper。
　In　block　letters　in　the　center　of　the　page　he　wrote：　〃I　KNOW　WHO　YOU　ARE。〃　He　put　the　words　all　on　one　line。
　He　inspected　it　carefully；　then　folded　the　sheet　and　placed　it　in　a　blank　letter…sized　envelope　he　had　removed　from　a　box　at　home　this　morning。
　There　was　a　pair　of　tweezers　in　his　desk；　in　that　vanity　case　Callie　got　him　for　Christmas　a　year　or　so　ago。　He　found　them　and　dropped　them　in　his　pocket。
　He　took　the　gloves　off。　With　the　envelope　inside　his　shirt；　he　went　to　the　men's　head。　There　he　used　the　tweezers　to　put　the　envelope　on　the　counter。　Holding　his　shin　pocket　open；　he　used　the　tweezers　again　to　fish　a　stamp　from　the　interior。　He　moistened　it　on　a　damp　place　on　the　sink；　then　affixed　it　to　the　envelope。
　Back　in　the　office；　trying　very　hard　not　to　touch　the　envelope　at　all；　he　dug　through　the　classified　Department　of　Defense　directory　until　he　found　the　address　he　wanted。　This　he　copied　onto　the　face　of　the　envelope　in　block　letters。
　He　put　the　envelope　back　into　his　shirt；　put　on　his　hat　and　told　the　secretary　in　the　outer　office　he　would　be　back　in　ten　minutes。
　He　dropped　the　envelope　in　a　mailbox　on　the　plaza　near　the　entrance　to　his　building；　then　retraced　his　steps　back　to　the　office。
　
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　Vice　Admiral　Henry's　funeral　was　on　Wednesday　in　Arlington　National　Cemetery；　held　outdoors　on　the　grass　at　the　request　of　his　eldest　dau