rl.thebourneultimatum-第156章

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ned　the　chief　doctor。
　〃I　presume　you　mean　bullets　when　you　speak　so　reverently　of　'foreign　objects；'　〃　said　Krupkin　in　high　dudgeon。
　〃He　means　bullets；〃　confirmed　Alex　hoarsely　in　Russian。　The　retired　CIA　station　chief　was　unable　to　move　his　head　because　of　his　bandaged　throat。　Wide　adhesive　straps　extended　down　across　his　collarbone　and　upper　right　shoulder。
　〃Thank　you；〃　said　the　surgeon。　〃You　were　both　fortunate；　especially　you；　our　American　patient　for　whom　we　must　pile　confidential　medical　records。　Incidentally；　give　our　people　the　name　and　address　of　your　physician　in　the　United　States。　You'll　need　attention　for　some　weeks　ahead。〃
　〃Right　now　he's　in　a　hospital　in　Paris。〃
　〃I　beg　your　pardon？〃
　〃Well；　whenever　something's　wrong　with　me；　I　tell　him　and　he　sends　me　to　the　doctor　he　thinks　I　should　see。〃
　〃That's　not　exactly　socialized　medicine。〃
　〃For　me　it　is。　I'll　give　his　name　and　address　to　a　nurse。　With　luck　he'll　be　back　soon。〃
　〃I　repeat；　you　were　very　fortunate。〃
　〃I　was　very　fast；　Doctor；　and　so　was　your　rade。　We　saw　that　son　of　a　bitch　running　out　toward　us；　so　we　locked　the　doors　and　kept　moving　in　the　seats　and　firing　at　him　as　he　tried　to　get　close　enough　to　put　us　away；　which　he　damn　near　did。　。。。　I'm　sorry　about　the　driver；　he　was　a　brave　young　man。〃
　〃He　was　an　angry　young　man　as　well；　Aleksei；〃　broke　in　Krupkin　from　the　other　table。　〃Those　first　shots　from　the　doorway　sent　him　into　that　bus。〃
　The　door　of　the　infirmary　burst　open；　which　was　to　say　it　was　not　opened　so　much　as　it　was　invaded；　submitting　to　the　august　presence　of　the　KGB　missar　from　the　flat　in　Slavyansky。　The　blunt…featured；　blunt…spoken　Komitet　officer　in　the　disheveled　uniform　lived　up　to　his　appearance。　〃You；〃　he　said　to　the　doctor；　〃I've　spoken　to　your　associates　outside。　You　are　finished　here；　they　say。〃
　〃Not　entirely；　rade。　There　are　minor　items　to　attend　to；　such　as　therapeutical…〃
　〃Later；〃　interrupted　the　missar。　〃We　talk　privately。　Alone。〃
　〃The　Komitet　speaks？〃　asked　the　surgeon；　his　contempt　minor　but　evident。
　〃It　speaks。〃
　〃Sometimes　too　often。〃
　〃What？〃
　〃You　heard　me；〃　replied　the　doctor；　heading　for　the　door。　The　KGB　man　shrugged　and　waited　for　the　infirmary　door　to　close。　He　then　walked　to　the　foot　of　both　examining　tables；　his　squinting　flesh…encased　eyes　darting　between　the　two　wounded　men；　and　spat　out　one　word。　〃Novgorod！〃　he　said。
　〃What？〃
　〃What　。。。　？〃
　The　responses　were　simultaneous；　even　Bourne　snapped　himself　away　from　the　wall。
　〃You；〃　he　added；　switching　to　his　limited　English。　〃Understand　I　say？〃
　〃If　you　said　what　I　think　you　said；　I　think　I　do；　but　only　the　name。〃
　〃I　explain　good　enough。　We　question　the　nine　men　women　he　locked　in　weapons　storage。　He　kill　two　guards　who　do　not　stop　him；　okay？　He　take　automobile　keys　from　four　men　but　uses　no　automobiles；　okay？〃
　〃I　saw　him　head　for　the　cars！〃
　〃Which？　Three　other　people　at　Kubinka　shot　dead；　automobile　papers　taken。　Which？〃
　〃For　Christ's　sake；　check　with　your　vehicle　bureau；　or　whatever　you　call　it！〃
　〃Take　time。　Also　in　Moskva；　automobiles　under　different　names；　different　tag　plates…Leningrad；　Smolensk；　who　knows…all　to　not　look　for　automobile　laws　broken。〃
　〃What　the　hell　is　he　talking　about？〃　shouted　Jason。
　〃Automobile　ownership　is　regulated　by　the　state；〃　explained　Krupkin　weakly　from　the　table。　〃Each　major　center　has　its　own　registration　and　is　frequently　reluctant　to　cooperate　with　another　center。〃
　〃Why？〃
　〃Individual　ownership　under　different　family　names…even　nonfamily　names。　It's　forbidden。　There　are　only　so　many　vehicles　available　for　purchase。〃
　〃So？〃
　〃Local　bribery　is　a　fact　of　life。　No　one　in　Leningrad　wants　a　finger　pointed　at　him　from　a　bureaucrat　in　Moscow。　He's　telling　you　that　it　could　take　several　days　to　learn　what　automobile　the　Jackal's　driving。〃
　〃That's　crazy！〃
　〃You　said　it；　Mr。　Bourne；　I　didn't。　I'm　an　upstanding　citizen　of　the　Soviet　Union；　please　remember　that。〃
　〃But　what's　it　all　got　to　do　with　Novgorod…that　is　what　he　said；　isn't　it？〃
　〃Novgorod。　Shto　eto　znachit？〃　said　Krupkin　to　the　KGB　official。　In　rapid；　clipped　Russian；　the　peasant　missar　gave　the　pertinent　details　to　his　colleague　from　Paris。　Krupkin　turned　his　head　on　the　table　and　translated　in　English。　〃Try　to　follow　this；　Jason；〃　he　said；　his　voice　intermittently　fading；　his　breathing　being　increasingly　more　labored。　〃Apparently　there　is　a　walk…around　gallery　above　the　armory's　arena。　He　used　it　and　saw　you　through　a　window　on　the　road　by　the　hedges　and　came　back　to　the　weapons　room　screaming　like　the　maniac　he　is。　He　shouted　to　his　bound　hostages　that　you　were　his　and　you　were　dead。　。。。　And　there　was　only　one　last　thing　he　had　to　acplish。〃
　〃Novgorod；〃　interrupted　Conklin；　whispering；　his　head　rigid；　staring　at　the　ceiling。
　〃Precisely；〃　said　Krupkin；　his　eyes　focused　on　Alex's　profile　beside　him。　〃He's　going　back　to　the　place　of　his　birth　。。。　where　Ilich　Ramirez　Sanchez　became　Carlos　the　Jackal　because　he　was　disinherited；　marked　for　execution　as　a　madman。　He　held　his　gun　against　everyone's　throat；　quietly　demanding　to　know　the　best　roads　to　Novgorod；　threatening　to　kill　whoever　gave　him　the　wrong　answer。　None　did；　of　course；　and　all　who　knew　told　him　it　was　five　to　six　hundred　kilometers　away；　a　full　day's　drive。〃
　〃Drive？〃　interjected　Bourne。
　〃He　knows　he　cannot　use　any　other　means　of　transportation。　The　railroads；　the　airports…even　the　small　airfields…all　will　be　watched；　he　understands　that。〃
　〃What　will　he　do　in　Novgorod？〃　asked　Jason　quickly。
　〃Dear　God　in　heaven；　which；　of　course；　there　is　neither；　who　knows？　He　intends　to　leave　his　mark；　a　highly　destructive　memorial　to　himself；　no　doubt；　in　answer　to　those　he　believes　betrayed　him　thirty…odd　years　ago；　as　well　as　the　poor　souls　who　fell　under　his　gun　this　morning　in　the　Vavilova。　。。。　He　took　the　papers　from　our　agent　trained　at　Novgorod；　he　thinks　they'll　get　him　inside。　They　won't…we'll　stop　him。〃
　〃Don't　even　try；〃　said　Bourne。　〃He　may　or　may　not　use　them；　depending　upon　what　he　sees；　what　he　senses。　He　doesn't　need　papers　to　get　in　there　any　more　than　I　do；　but　if　he　senses　something　wrong；　and　he　will；　he'll　kill　a　number　of　good　men　and　still　get　inside。〃
　〃What　are　you　driving　at？〃　asked　Krupkin　warily；　eyeing　Bourne；　the　American　with　alternate　identities　and　apparently　conflicting　life…styles。
　〃Get　me　inside　ahead　of　him　with　a　detailed　map　of　the　whole　plex　and　some　kind　of　document　that　gives　me　free　access　to　go　wherever　I　want　to　go。〃
　〃You've　lost　your　senses！〃　cried　Dimitri。　〃A　nondefecting　American；　an　assassin　hunted　by　every　NATO　country　in　Europe；　inside　Novgorod？〃
　〃Nyet；　nyet；　nyet！〃　roared　the　Komitet　missar。　〃I　understand　good；　okay？　You　are　lunatic；　okay？〃
　〃Do　you　want　the　Jackal？〃
　〃Naturally；　but　there　are　limits　to　the　cost。〃
　〃I　haven't　the　slightest　interest　in　Novgorod　or　in　any　of　the　pounds…you　should　know　that　by　now。　Your　little　infiltrating　operations　and　our　little　infiltrating　operations　can　go　on　and　on　and　it　doesn't　matter　because　none　of　it　means　a　goddamned　thing　in　the　long　run。　It's　all　adolescent　game　playing。　We　either　live　together　on　this　planet　or　there　is　no　planet。　。。。　My　only　concern　is　Carlos。　I　want　him　dead　so　I　can　go　on　living。〃
　〃Of　course；　I　personally　agree　with　much　of　what　you　say；　although　the　adolescent　games　do　keep　some　of　us　rather　gracefully　employed。　However；　there's　no　way　I　could　convince　my　more　rigid　superiors；　starting　with　the　one　standing　above　me。〃
　〃All　right；〃　said　Conklin　from　his　table；　his　eyes　still　on　the　ceiling。　〃Down　and　dirty…we　deal。　You　get　him　into　Novgorod　and　you　keep　Ogilvie。〃
　〃We've　already　got　him；　Aleksei。〃
　〃Not　clean；　you　haven't。　Washington　knows　he's　here。〃
　〃So？〃
　〃So　I　can　say　you　lost　him　and　they'll　believe　me。　They'll　take　my　word　for　it　that　he　flew　out　of　your　nest　and　you're　mad　as　hell；　but　you　can't　get　him　back。　He's　operating　from　points　unknown　or　unreachable；　but　obviously　under　the　sovereign　protection　of　a　United　Nations　country。　As　a　matter　of　conjecture；　I　suspect　that's　how　you　got　him　over　here　in　the　first　place。〃
　〃You're　cryptic；　my　fine　old　enemy。　To　what　purpose