Friday, December 31st, 2010

Time	Event
7:19a	@@@@@"I won't have any more of this It silenced @@@@@"I won't have any more of this It silenced them all, cast a hush through the tent in which even the clacking of the tableware was muted, and then the reaction set in with a chorus of whispers and small exclamations, an uncomfortable self-conscious return to the food before themHearn was furious with himself, disgusted by the relief he had felt when the General intervened Beneath the surface of his thoughts he had known, he realized now, that the General would protect him, and an old confused emotion caught him again, resentment and yet something else, something not so genuine Conn, Dalleson and Hobart were glaring at him, a trio of ferocious marionettesHe brought his spoon up, champed at the remote sweet pulp of the canned peach which mingled so imperfectly with the nervous bile in his throat, the hot sour turmoil of his stomachAfter a moment he clanked the spoon down, and sat staring at the tableConn and Dalleson were talking self-consciously now like people who know they are being listened to by strangers on a bus or trainHe heard a fragment or two, something about their work for the afternoon At least Conn would be having indigestion too The General stood up quietly, and walked out of the tentIt gave permission for the rest of them to leaveConn's eyes met Hearn's for a moment and they both looked away in embarrassmentAfter a minute or so, Hearn slid off the bench, and strolled outsideHis clothing was completely wet, the air caressing against it like cool water He lit a cigarette and strolled irritably through the bivouac, halting when he reached the barbed wire, and then pacing back underneath the coconut trees, staring morosely at the scattered clusters of dark-green pup tentsWhen he had completed the circuit, he clambered down the bluff that led to the beach, and walked along through the sand, kicking abstractedly at pieces of discarded equipment still left from invasion dayA few trucks motored by, and a detail of men shuffled in file through the sand carrying shovels against their shouldersOut in the water a few freighters were anchored, yawing lazily in the midday heatOver to his left a landing craft was approaching a supply dump Hearn finished the cigarette and nodded curtly to an officer passing byThe nod was returned, but after a doubtful pauseHe was going to be in for it now, there was no getting away from thatConn was a bloody fool, but he had been a bigger assIt was the old pattern; when he could take something no longer he flared up, but that was weakness in itsel (Comment on this)
1:06p	@@@@@Not only did Carlos the Jackal kill the weak @@@@@Not only did Carlos the Jackal kill the weak pretender Jason Bourne on Soviet soil, he left a reminder to all Russia that the Komitet made a colossal error in not utilizing my extraordinary talents “Really now,” said Enrique, laughing softly, as if humoring a far less than extraordinary man “More melodramatics, Ramirez? And how will you convey this reminder, this message, this supreme statement of yours?” “Quite simply,” replied the Jackal, turning, a gun in his hand, the silencer intact“We have to change places “What?” “I’m going to burn Novgorod Carlos fired a single shot into the upper throat of EnriqueHe wanted as little blood as possible on the tunic Dressed in combat fatigues with the insignias of an army major on the shoulders of his field jacket, Bourne blended in with the sporadic appearances of military personnel as they crisscrossed the American compound from one sector to another on their night patrolsThere were not many, perhaps thirty men, covering the entire acreage of the eight square miles, according to BenjaminIn the “metropolitan” areas they were generally on foot, in pairs; in the “rural” districts they drove military vehiclesThe young trainer had requisitioned a jeep From the Commissars Suite at Uheadquarters they had been taken to a military warehouse west of the river where Benjamin’s papers gained them entrance and the jeepInside, the astonished interior guards watched as the silent Bourne was outfitted with a field uniform complete with a carbine bayonet, a standard 5 automatic and five clips of live ammunition, this last obtained only after an authorization call was placed to Krupkin’s unknowing subordinates at Capital HQOnce again outside, Jason complained: “What about the flares I wanted and at least three or four grenades? You agreed to get me everything I needed, not half of it!” “They’re coming,” answered Benjamin, speeding out of the warehouse parking lot“The flares are over at Motor Vehicles and grenades aren’t part of normal ordnanceThey’re in steel vaults down at the tunnel—all the tunnels—under Emergency Weapons The young trainer glanced at Bourne, a glimmering of humor seen on his face in the glow of the headlights washing over the roofless jeep“In anticipation of a NATO assault, most likelyWe’d come in from the sky “Not with the air base ninety seconds’ flying time away “Hurry up, I want those grenadesWill we have any trouble getting them?” “Not if Krupkin keeps up the good work Krupkin had; with the flares in hand, the tunnel was their last supply (Comment on this)

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