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"They're to remain aboard the aircraft, Sir," Ellis said.

"I'm to see to that."

"Be careful, Ellis," Canidy said softly.

"One of them has a Thompson submachine gun and high hopes that he can shoot it at somebody."

"Oh, Christ!" Ellis said, chuckling.

"What are a pair of old sailors like us doing in this fucked-up outfit?"

When Canidy walked into base ops, he was directed to an office on the second floor. Captain Doug lass and Stanley Fine were inside, sipping on coffee in heavy china mugs. "Everything go all right?"

"Young Martin has a submachine gun," Canidy said, "that scares me a little. "When you get to Deal, take it away from him," Doug lass said.

"Was all that priority in-flight advisory business necessary?"

Canidy asked.

"And the secret message ordering me here? Didn't Miss Spyrnaster of 1942 get a little excited?"

"So far as you're concerned, she does nothing right, does she?"

Captain Doug lass said coldly.

"But

just to keep the record straight, she did what she did because I told her to. And I was really doing you a favor, or so I thought. If we hadn't managed to divert you, you would have found yourself flying back here for Captain Fine from Deal tonight, and flying to North Carolina to get young Martin tomorrow."

"Why?" Canidy asked.

"There's no more trains or planes? Or we don't get a priority?"

"Christ, you don't give up, do you? The colonel said you were to pick Martin up at Bragg. He didn't tell me why. If you like, the next time you see him, you ask him. And I ordered you here. Can you get all that straight? " Canidy touched his forehead in sort of a salute.

"How's Whittaker?" Doug lass asked. "He landed the plane just now," Canidy said.

"He's all right."

"Baker is very impressed with him," Doug lass said. Canidy laughed.

"Why is that amusing?"

"Did Baker tell you Whittaker demonstrated how easily he could have cut his throat?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, he did," Doug lass said, which surprised Canidy.

"He thinks we should put Whittaker in charge of training in that sort of thing at the school."

"What school?"

"We're starting a school for agents, new people in C01," Doug lass said.

"When we can find the time, we're going to run you through it."

"I'm not sure I'd like that," Canidy said. "No one asked you," Doug lass said.

"Baker also told me Whittaker has some good ideas about how to deal with Fulmar."