tc.redrabbit-第151章

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　　　〃Sparrow　in　place　on　the　colonnade；〃　a　voice　answered　immediately。
　　　〃King；　in　place。〃
　　　〃Ray　Stones；　in　place。〃
　　　〃Parker；　in　place；〃　Phil　Parker；　the　last　of　the　arrivals　from　London；　reported　from　his　spot　on　the　side　street。
　　　〃Tom　Sharp　here　with　Ryan。　We'll　do　a　radio　check　every　fifteen　minutes。　Report　immediately　if　you　see　the　least　thing　of　interest。　Out。〃　He　turned　to　Ryan。　〃So；　that's　done。〃
　　　〃Yeah。〃　He　checked　his　watch。　They　had　hours　to　go　before　the　Pope　appeared。　What　would　he　be　doing　now？　He　was　supposed　to　be　a　very　early　riser。　Doubtless　the　first　important　thing　he　did　every　day　was　to　say　Mass；　like　every　Catholic　priest　in　the　world；　and　it　was　probably　the　most　important　part　of　his　morning　routine；　something　to　remind　himself　exactly　what　he　was…a　priest　sworn　to　God's　service…a　reality　he'd　known　and　probably　celebrated　within　his　own　mind　through　Nazi　and　munist　oppression　for　forty…odd　years；　serving　his　flock。　But　now　his　flock；　his　parish；　straddled　the　entire　world；　as　did　his　responsibility　to　them；　didn't　it？
　　　Jack　reminded　himself　of　his　time　in　the　Marine　Corps。　Crossing　the　Atlantic　on　his　helicopter…landing　ship…unknowingly　on　his　way　to　a　life…threatening　helicopter　crash…on　Sunday　they'd　held　church　services；　and　at　that　moment　the　church　pennant　had　been　run　up　to　the　truck。　It　flew　over　the　national　ensign。　It　was　the　U。S。　Navy's　way　of　acknowledging　that　there　was　one　higher　loyalty　than　the　one　a　man　had　for　his　country。　That　loyalty　was　to　God　Himself…the　one　power　higher　than　that　of　the　United　States　of　America；　and　his　country　acknowledged　that。　Jack　could　feel　it；　here　and　now；　carrying　a　gun。　He　could　feel　that　fact　like　a　physical　weight　on　his　shoulders。　There　were　people　who　wanted　the　Pope…the　Vicar　of　Christ　on　earth…dead。　And　that；　suddenly；　was　massively　offensive　to　him。　The　worst　street　criminal　gave　a　priest；　minister；　or　rabbi　a　free　pass；　because　there　might　really　be　a　god　up　there；　and　it　wouldn't　do　to　harm　His　personal　representative　among　the　people。　How　much　more　would　God　be　annoyed　by　the　murder　of　His　#1　Representative　on　Planet　Earth。　The　Pope　was　a　man　who'd　probably　never　hurt　a　single　human　being　in　his　life。　The　Catholic　Church　was　not　a　perfect　institution…nothing　with　mere　people　in　it　was　or　ever　could　be。　But　it　was　founded　on　faith　in　Almighty　God；　and　its　policies　rarely；　if　ever；　strayed　from　love　and　charity。
　　　But　those　doctrines　were　seen　as　a　threat　by　the　Soviet　Union。　What　better　proof　of　who　the　Bad　Guys　were　in　the　world？　Ryan　had　sworn　as　a　Marine　to　fight　his　country's　enemies。　But　here　and　now　he　swore　to　himself　to　fight　against　God's　own　enemies。　The　KGB　recognized　no　power　higher　than　the　Party　it　served。　And；　in　proclaiming　that；　they　defined　themselves　as　the　enemy　of　all　mankind…for　wasn't　mankind　made　in　God's　own　image？　Not　Lenin's。　Not　Stalin's。　God's。
　　　Well；　he　had　a　pistol　designed　by　John　Moses　Browning；　an　American；　perhaps　a　Mormon…Browning　had　e　from　Utah；　but　Jack　didn't　know　what　faith　he'd　adhered　to…to　help　him　see　about　that。
　　　Time　passed　slowly　for　Ryan。　Constant　reference　to　his　watch　didn't　help。　People　were　arriving　steadily。　Not　in　large　numbers；　but　rather　like　a　baseball　crowd；　arriving　single；　or　in　pairs；　or　in　small　family　groups。　Lots　of　children；　infants　carried　by　their　mothers；　some　escorted　by　nuns…school　trips；　almost　certainly…to　see　the　Pontifex　Maximus。　That　term；　too；　came　from　the　Romans；　who　with　remarkably　clarity　likened　a　priest　to　a　pontifex…bridge　builder…between　men　and　what　was　greater　than　men。
　　　Vicar　of　Christ　on　earth　was　what　kept　repeating　in　Jack's　mind。　This　Strokov　bastard…hell；　he　would　have　killed　Jesus　Himself。　A　new　Pontius　Pilate…if　not　an　oppressor　himself；　then　certainly　the　representative　of　the　oppressors；　here　to　spit　in　God's　face。　It　wasn't　that　he　could　harm　God；　of　course。　Nobody　was　that　big；　but　in　attacking　one　of　God's　institutions　and　God's　personal　representative…well；　that　was　plenty　bad　enough。　God　was　supposed　to　punish　such　people　in　His　own　good　time。。。　and　maybe　the　Lord　chose　His　instruments　to　handle　that　for　Him。。。　maybe　even　ex…Marines　from　the　United　States　of　America。。。
　　　Noon。　It　would　be　a　warm　day。　What　had　it　been　like　to　live　here　in　Roman　times　without　air…conditioning？　Well；　they　hadn't　known　the　difference；　and　the　body　adapted　itself　to　the　environment…something　in　the　medulla；　Cathy　had　told　him　once。　It　would　have　been　more　fortable　to　take　his　jacket　off；　but　not　with　a　pistol　stuck　in　his　belt。。。　There　were　street　vendors　about；　selling　cold　drinks　and　ice　cream。　Like　money　changers　in　the　Temple？　Jack　wondered。　Probably　not。　The　priests　in　evidence　didn't　chase　them　away。　Hmm；　a　good　way　for　the　bad　guy　to　get　close　with　his　weapon？　he　suddenly　wondered。　But　they　were　a　good　way　off；　and　it　was　too　late　to　worry　about　that；　and　none　of　them　matched　the　photos　he　had。　Jack　had　a　small　print　of　Strokov's　face　in　his　left　hand；　and　looked　down　at　it　every　minute　or　so。　The　bastard　might　be　wearing　a　disguise；　of　course。　He'd　be　stupid　not　to；　and　Strokov　probably　wasn't　stupid。　Not　in　his　business。　Disguises　didn't　cover　everything。　Hair　length　and　color；　sure。　But　not　height。　It　took　major　surgery　to　do　that。　You　could　make　a　guy　look　heavier；　but　not　lighter。　Facial　hair？　Okay；　look　for　a　guy　with　a　beard　or　mustache。　Ryan　turned　and　scanned　the　area。　Nope。　Nothing　obvious；　anyway。
　　　Half　an　hour　to　go。　The　crowd　was　buzzing　now；　people　speaking　a　dozen　or　more　languages。　He　could　see　tourists　and　the　faithful　from　many　lands。　Blond　heads　from　Scandinavia；　African　blacks；　Asians。　Some　obvious　Americans。。。　but　no　obvious　Bulgarians。　What　did　Bulgarians　look　like？　This　new　problem　was　that　the　Catholic　Church　was　supposed　to　be　universal；　and　that　meant　people　of　every　physical　description。　Lots　of　possible　disguises。
　　　〃Sparrow；　Ryan。　See　anything　likely？〃　Jack　asked　his　lapel。
　　　〃Negative；〃　the　voice　in　his　ear　answered。　〃I'm　scanning　the　crowd　around　you。　Nothing　to　report。〃
　　　〃Roger；〃　Jack　acknowledged。
　　　〃If　he's　here；　he's　bloody　invisible；〃　Sharp　said；　standing　next　to　Ryan。　They　were　eight　or　ten　yards　from　the　interlocking　steel　barriers　brought　in　for　the　Pope's　weekly　appearance。　They　looked　heavy。　Two　men　to　put　them　on　the　truck；　or　four？　Jack　wondered。　He　discovered　that　the　mind　liked　to　wander　at　times　like　this；　and　he　had　to　guard　against　that。　Keep　scanning　the　crowd；　he　told　himself。
　　　There's　too　many　goddamned　faces！　the　self　responded　angrily。　And　as　soon　as　the　fucker　gets　into　place；　he'll　be　looking　away。
　　　〃Tom；　how　about　we　edge　forward　and　sweep　along　the　railing？〃
　　　〃Good　idea；〃　Sharp　agreed　at　once。
　　　The　crowd　was　difficult；　but　not　impossible；　to　slip　through。　Ryan　checked　his　watch。　Fifteen　minutes。　People　were　now　edging　against　the　barriers；　wanting　to　get　close。　There　was　a　belief　from　medieval　times　that　the　mere　touch　of　a　king　could　cure　the　ill　or　bring　good　fortune；　and　evidently　that　belief　lingered…and　how　much　more　true　if　the　man　in　question　was　the　Pontifex　Maximus？　Some　of　the　people　here　would　be　cancer　victims；　entreating　God　for　a　miracle。　Maybe　some　miracles　actually　happened。　Docs　called　that　spontaneous　remission　and　wrote　it　off　to　biological　processes　they　didn't　yet　understand。　But　maybe　they　really　were　miracles…to　the　recipients　they　certainly　were　exactly　that。　It　was　just　one　more　thing　Ryan　didn't　understand。
　　　People　were　leaning　forward　more；　heads　were　turning　to　the　face　of　the　church。
　　　〃Sharp/Ryan；　Sparrow。　Possible　target；　twenty　feet　to　your　left；　standing　three　ranks　back　of　the　barrier。　Blue　coat；〃　Jack's　earpiece　crackled。　He　headed　that　way　without　waiting　for　Sharp。　It　was　hard　pressing　through　the　crowd；　but　it　wasn't　a　New　York　subway　crush。　Nobody　turned　to　curse　at　him。　Ryan　looked　forward。。。
　　　Yes。。。　right　there。　He　turned　to　look　at　Sharp　and　tapped　his　nose　twice。
　　　〃Ryan　is　on　the　target；〃　he　said　into　his　lapel。　〃Steer　me　in；　John。〃
　　　〃Forward　ten　feet；　Jack；　immediately　left　of　the　Italian…looking　woman　in　the　brown　dress。　Our　friend　has　light　brown　hair。　He　is　looking　to　his　left。〃
　　　Bingo；　Jack　thoug