dk.nightchills-第13节

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　〃I　only　had　to　falsify　them　for　a　few　days。　As　soon　as　I　saw
　what　I　had　e　upon；　I　stopped　working　on　it　at　once　and　changed　the　entire　direction　of　my　research。〃
　〃And　your　assistant　didn't　figure　the　switch？〃
　〃He　thought　I'd　given　up　on　that　avenue　of　research　and　was　ready　to　try　another。　I　told　you；　he's　not　terribly　clever。〃
　Dawson　said；　〃Ogden　hasn't　perfected　this　drug　of　his；　Ernst。　There's　still　a　great　deal　of　work　to　be　done。〃
　〃How　much　work？〃　the　general　asked。
　Turning　from　the　window；　Salsbury　said；　〃I'm　not　absolutely　certain。　Perhaps　as　little　as　six　months…or　as　much　as　a　year　and　a　half。〃
　〃He　can't　work　on　it　at　Brockert；〃　Dawson　said。　〃He　couldn't　possibly　get　away　with　falsifying　his　records　for　such　a　length　of　time。　Therefore；　I'm　putting　together　a　pletely　equipped　laboratory　for　him　in　my　house　in　Greenwich；　forty　minutes　from　the　Brockert　Institute。〃
　Raising　his　eyebrows；　Klinger　said；　〃You've　got　a　house　so　big　you　can　turn　it　into　a　lab？〃
　〃Ogden　doesn't　need　a　great　deal　of　room；　really。　A　thousand　square　feet。　Eleven　hundred　at　the　outside。　And　most　of　that　will　be　taken　up　with　puters。　Hideously　expensive　puters；　I　might　add。　I'm　backing　Ogden　with　nearly　two　million　of　my　own　money；　Ernst。　That's　an　indication　of　the　tremendous　faith　I　have　in　him。〃
　〃You　really　think　he　can　develop；　test；　and　perfect　this　drug　in　a　jerry…built　lab？〃
　〃Two　million　is　hardly　jerry…built；〃　Dawson　said。　〃And　don't　forget　that　billions　of　dollars'　worth　of　preliminary　research　has　already　been　paid　for　by　the　government。　I'm　financing　just　the　final　stage。〃
　〃How　can　you　possibly　maintain　secrecy？〃
　〃There　are　thousands　of　uses　for　the　puter　system。　We　won't　be　incriminating　ourselves　just　by　purchasing　it。　Furthermore；　we'll　arrange　for　it　through　one　of　Futurex's　subsidiaries。　There　won't　be　any　record　that　it　was　sold　to　us。　There　won't　be　any　questions　asked；〃　Dawson　said。
　〃You'll　need　lab　technicians；　assistants；　clerks…〃
　〃No；〃　Dawson　said。　〃So　long　as　Ogden　has　the　puter…　and　a　plete　data　file　of　his　past　research…he　can　handle　everything　himself。　For　ten　years　he's　had　a　full　lab　staff　to　do　the　drudgery；　but　most　of　that　kind　of　work　is　behind　him　now。；'
　〃If　he　quits　at　Brockert；〃　Klinger　said；　〃there　will　be　an　exhaustive　security　investigation。　They'll　want　to　know　why　he　quit…and　they'll　find　out。〃
　They　were　talking　about　Salsbury　as　if　he　were　somewhere　else　and　unable　to　hear　them；　and　he　didn't　like　that。　He　moved　away　from　the　window；　took　two　steps　toward　the　general　and　said；　〃I'm　not　leaving　my　position　at　Brockert。　I'll　report　for　work　as　usual；　five　days　a　week；　from　nine　to　four。　While　I'm　there　I'll　labor　diligently　on　a　useless　research　project。〃
　〃When　will　you　find　time　to　work　at　this　lab　Leonard's　setting　up　for　you？〃
　〃In　the　evenings；〃　Salsbury　said。　〃And　on　weekends。　Besides　that；　I've　accumulated　a　lot　of　sick　leave　and　vacation　time。　I'll　take　most　of　it…but　I'll　spread　it　out　evenly　over　the　next　year　or　so。〃
　Klinger　stood　up　and　went　to　the　elegant　copper　and　glass　bar　cart　that　a　servant　had　left　a　few　feet　from　the　easy　chairs。　His　thick　and　hairy　arms　made　the　crystal　decanters　look　more　delicate　than　they　actually　were。　As　he　poured　another　double　shot　of　brandy　for　himself；　he　said；　〃And　what　role　do　you　see　me　playing　in　all　of　this？〃
　Salsbury　said；　〃Leonard　can　get　the　puter　system　I　need。　But　he　can't　provide　me　with　a　magnetic　tape　file　of　all　the　research　I've　done　for　CDA　or　a　set　of　master　program　tapes　designed　for　my　research。　I'll　need　both　of　those　before　Leonard's　puters　are　worth　a　penny　to　me。　Now；　given　three　or　four　weeks；　I　could　make　duplicates　of　those　tapes　at　Brockert　without　much　risk　of　being　caught。　But　once　I've　got　eighty　or　ninety　cumbersome　mag　tapes　and　five…hundred…yard　print…outs；　how　do　I　get　them　out　of　Brockert？　There's　just　no　way。　Security　procedures；　entering　and　leaving；　are　tight；　too　tight　for　my　purpose。　Unless　。　。
　〃I　see；〃　Klinger　said。　He　returned　to　his　chair　and　sipped　at　his　brandy。
　Sliding　forward　to　the　edge　of　his　seat；　Dawson　said；　〃Ernst；　you're　the　ultimate　authority　for　security　at　Brockert。　You　know　more　about　that　system　than　anyone　else。　If　there's　a　weak　spot　in　their　security；　you're　the　man　to　find　it…or　make　it。〃
　Studying　Salsbury　as　if　he　were　assessing　the　danger　and　questioning　the　wisdom　of　being　associated　with　someone　of　such　obviously　inferior　character；　Klinger　said；　〃I'm　supposed　to　let　you　smuggle　out　nearly　one　hundred　magnetic　tapes　full　of　top…secret　data　and　sophisticated　puter　programs？〃
　Ogden　nodded　slowly。
　〃Can　you　do　it？〃　Dawson　asked。
　〃Probably。〃
　〃That's　all　you　can　say？〃
　〃There's　a　better　than　even　chance　it　can　be　done。〃
　〃That's　not　sufficient；　Ernst。〃
　〃All　right；〃　Klinger　said；　slightly　exasperated。　〃I　can　do　it。　I　can　find　a　way。〃
　Smiling；　Dawson　said；　〃I　knew　you　could。〃
　〃But　if　I　did　find　a　way　and　was　caught　either　during　or　after　the　operation…I'd　be　dumped　into　Leavenworth　and　left　to　rot。　Earlier；　when　I　used　the　word　'treason；'　I　wasn't　tossing　it　around　lightly。〃
　〃I　didn't　suppose　you　were；〃　Dawson　said。　〃But　you　wouldn't　be　required　ever　to　see　these　mag　tapes；　let　alone　touch　them。　That　would　be　a　risk　that　only　Ogden　would　have　to　take。　They　could　convict　you　of　nothing　more　serious　than　negligence　for　permitting　or　overlooking　the　gap　in　security。〃
　〃Even　so；　I'd　be　forced　into　early　retirement　or　drummed　out　of　the　service　with　only　a　partial　pension。〃
　Amazed；　Dawson　shook　his　head　and　said；　〃I'm　offering　him　one…third　of　a　partnership　that　will　earn　millions；　and　Ernst　is　worrying　about　a　government　pension。〃
　Salsbury　was　perspiring　heavily。　The　back　of　his　shirt　was　soaked　and　felt　like　a　cold　press　against　his　skin。　To　Klinger
　he　said；　〃You've　told　us　that　you　can　do　it。　But　the　big　question　is　whether　you　will　do　it。〃
　Klinger　stared　into　his　brandy　glass　for　a　while；　then　finally　looked　up　at　Salsbury　and　said；　〃Once　you've　perfected　the　drug…what's　our　first　step？〃
　Getting　to　his　feet；　Dawson　said；　〃We'll　establish　a　front　corporation　in　Liechtenstein。〃
　〃Why　there？〃
　Liechtenstein　did　not　require　that　a　corporation　list　its　true　owners。　Dawson　could　hire　lawyers　in　Vaduz　and　appoint　them　as　corporate　officers…and　they　could　not　be　forced　by　law　to　reveal　the　identities　of　their　clients。
　〃Furthermore；〃　Dawson　said；　〃I　will　acquire　for　each　of　us　a　set　of　forged　papers；　plete　with　passports；　so　that　we　can　travel　and　do　business　under　assumed　names。　If　the　lawyers　in　Vadnz　are　forced　by　extralegal　means　to　reveal　the　names　of　their　clients；　they　still　won't　endanger　us　because　they　won't　know　our　real　names。〃
　Dawson's　caution　was　not　excessive。　The　corporation　would　quite　rapidly　bee　an　incredibly　successful　venture；　so　successful　that　a　great　many　powerful　people　in　both　business　and　government　would　eventually　be　prying　at　it　quietly；　trying　to　find　out　who　lay　behind　the　phony　officers　in　Vaduz。　With　Salsbury's　drug　and　extensive　programs　of　carefully　structured　subliminals；　the　three　of　them　could　establish　a　hundred　different　businesses　and　literally　demand　that　customers；　associates；　and　even　rivals　produce　a　substantial　profit　for　them。　Every　dollar　they　earned　would　seem　to　be　spotlessly　clean；　produced　by　a　legitimate　form　of　merce。　But；　of　course；　a　great　many　people　would　feel　that　it　was　not　at　all　legitimate　to　manipulate　the　petition　and　the　buying　public　by　means　of　a　powerful　new　drug。　In　the　event　that　the　corporation　got　caught　using　the　drug…stolen；　as　it　was；　from　a　U。S。　weapons　research　project…what　had　once　appeared　to　be　excessive　caution　might　well　prove　no　more　than　adequate。
　〃And　once　we've　got　the　corporation？〃　Klinger　asked。
　Money　and　business　arrangements　were　Dawson's　vocation
　and　his　avocation。　He　began　to　declaim　almost　in　the　manner　of　a　Baptist　preacher；　full　of　vigor　and　fierce　intent；　thoroughly　enjoying　himself。　〃The　corporation　will　purchase　a　walled　estate　somewhere　in　Germany　or　France。　At　least　one　hundred　acres。　On　the　surface　it　will　appear　to　be　an　executive　retreat。　But　in　reality　it　will　be　used　for　the　indoctrination　of　mercenary　soldiers。〃
　〃Mercenaries？〃　Klinger's　hard；　broad　face　expressed　the　institutional　soldier's　disdain　for　the　free…lancer。
　The　corporation；　Dawson　explained；　would　hire　perhaps　a　dozen　of　the　very　best　mercenaries　available；　men　who　had　fought　in　Asia　and　Africa。　They　would　be　brought　to　the　pany　estate；　ostensibly　to　be　briefed　on　their　assignments　and　to　meet　their　superiors。　The　water　supply　and　all　bottled　beverages　on　the　estate　would　be　used　as　media　for　the　drug。　Twenty…four　hours　after　the　mercenaries　had　taken　their　first　few　drinks；　when　they　were　primed　for　total　subliminal　brainwashing；　they　would　be　shown　four　hours　of　films　on　each　of　three　successive　days…travelogues；　industrial　studies；　and　technical　documentaries　detailing　the　use　of　a　variety　of　weapons　and　electronic　devices…which　would　be　presented　as　essential　background　material　for　their　assignments。　Unknowingly；　of　course；　they　would　be　watching　twelve　hours　of　sophisticated　subliminals　telling　them　to　obey　without　q