Part 15 (1/2)
Both Moi and Wink possessed unpredictable and volatile personalities.
Ben had hoped for several years now that they would meet and kill each other. No such luck.Corrie sighed and removed her headset. ”Moi and Wink have had a major falling-out. Moi wants to attack Wink's position and Wink wants to declare war on all blacks. Hoffman told both of them to maintain peace or he'd send troops in to be sure it was done.”
Ben was reflective for a moment, then he smiled. ”Now that is interesting. When we get out of this hole we're in, we'll just have to see if we can agitate them both a little bit.”
”Rebels coming in!” a lookout pa.s.sed the word. ”About forty of them.”
A half a dozen teams of Rebels and GSG 9 troops, all looking weary and bedraggled entered the camp. Ben stood up and shook hands with Major Dietl.
179.
”It certainly is good to see you alive and well, General,” the major said with a smile. ”It's been a rather dicey couple of days.”
”It has for a fact,” Ben agreed. ”Sit down and rest. Eat. We'll cross over just as soon as I'm sure we're not walking into an ambush.”
Major Dietl sank to the ground with a sigh of relief.
A Scout walked into the encampment. ”Barry's back, General. He said it was an easy swim. He says it's clean on the other side.”
”Easy swim for him,” Ben said with a smile. ”He's Ike-trained. He's got web-feet and gills. All right, Paul. Take your Scouts across and cover the other side for us. We'll be along presently.”
”Right, sir.”
The Scouts secured the east end of the bridge while Ben and the others packed up their meager supplies and began the crossing. They marched for another ten miles and saw no signs of human life. They pa.s.sed only a few deserted farms; most had been destroyed by the retreated Rebels. Ben had left precious little for Hoffman's army.
Ben called a halt and told Corrie to start sending out very short coded messages. ”Let's see what we get in reply.”
They got nearly every team that had bugged out of the old town. The teams were all within a five mile range of each other.
”Tell them to start heading north,” Ben said, pointing to a spot on the map. ”We'll link up there.”
Cecil had Rebel personnel on the Texas-Louisiana border and intercepted the coded messages. He sent word to Ike and planes were waiting on the small strip 180.
when Ben and his group arrived. Two hours later they were back in Ben's CP just north of I-20.
”Where you worried about me, Ike?” Ben asked with a smile, removing his filthy s.h.i.+rt and tossing it aside.”Not a d.a.m.n bit,” Ike said stiffly. ”I'm tired of worryin' about you.”
Ben laughed at him and Ike exploded. He outlined, for the umpteenth time, all the reasons why Ben should stay out of the field and start acting more like a commanding general. Lamar Chase came in and sat down, after pouring himself a cup of coffee. He listened and chuckled occasionally at Ike's antics. He knew that Ike's words were bouncing off Ben like water off a duck.
Finally, Ben, showered and shaved and dressed in clean clothing, looked at Ike. With a bland expression on his face, Ben said, ”I'm sorry. Were you speaking to me, Ike?”
Ike stood sputtering and stammering and flapping his arms like a fat bear. He finally stalked out of the room, muttering about a.s.sociating with crazy people. He slammed the door behind him.
”You going to lecture me, too, Lamar?”
”Nope,” the doctor said. ”It wouldn't do any good, would it?”
”Not a bit.”
”So our little talk of a few weeks ago is right out the window, huh, Ben?”
”Not entirely, Lamar. But if I see that my taking a chance will accomplish something, I think it's worth the risk. You want to argue that?”
”No.” The doctor was strangely quiet.
”Are you sick?”
Lamar smiled and shook his head. ”No. Just glad 181.
you're back, Ben.” He lifted his coffee mug in a salute in Ben's direction, then left the room.
”What the h.e.l.l's wrong with him?” Jersey blurted.
”He's getting mellow in his old age, I suppose. Have our spooks gotten any information out of von Hanstein?”
”Nothing that we didn't already know,” Beth said, her hair still damp from the shower. ”I talked to one of those weirdos from intelligence, and it's like we thought all along: Hoffman doesn't really have much of a plan. The spook thought von Hanstein was telling the truth.”
”Beth, you make d.a.m.n sure the general is not physically harmed. Some of our people are certain to be taken prisoner, and I want to be able to have something to swap ... unharmed.”
”Field Marshal Jesus Hoffman on the horn, General,” Corrie said.
”No kidding?”
”No kidding, sir.”
”I'11 be d.a.m.ned,” Ben said, taking the seat Corrie just vacated for him.He keyed the mic. ”This is Ben Raines.”
”General Raines,” Hoffman's voice sprang into Ben's ears. ”This is Field Marshal Hoffman. I believe you have one of my generals.”
”That I do.”
”He is an old and dear friend of mine, General.”
”General von Hanstein has not been harmed nor will he be, Field Marshal.
I expect the same treatment to be accorded should any of my personnel be taken prisoner.”
”I a.s.sure you that will be the case.”
”Thank you.”
182.
”Now, then, General Raines. Shall we discuss the release of General von Hanstein?”
”Oh, I think not, Field Marshal. Von Hanstein is really quite comfortable here and we have many, many things to discuss.”
”He will tell you absolutely nothing, General.” Hoffman's tone turned a bit cooler, losing some of its geniality. Ben felt all that buddy-buddy c.r.a.p was forced anyway. ”Not even under torture.”
”Field Marshal, I have no intention whatsoever of torturing von Hanstein. He is in comfortable, if not lavish quarters. He is eating the same food we are, and except for some sore feet from all that walking we did bugging out of that little town before you starting sh.e.l.ling it, your general is in fine shape.” Ben chuckled and that seemed to infuriate Hoffman. Ben heard his sharp intake of breath.