tc.patriotgames-第81节

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ed　on　the　ones　in　Libya。　They　did　have　that　report　from　an　Italian　agent　that　Sean　Miller　had　been　seen　leaving　a　freighter　in　Benghazi　harbor。　The　freighter　had　been　of　Cypriot　registry；　owned　by　a　network　of　corporations　sufficiently　plex　that　it　didn't　really　matter；　since　the　ship　was　under　charter　to　yet　another　such　network。　An　American　destroyer　had　photographed　the　ship　in　what　certainly　seemed　a　chance　encounter　in　the　Straits　of　Sicily。　The　ship　was　old　but　surprisingly　well　maintained；　with　modern　radar　and　radio　gear。　She　was　regularly　employed　on　runs　from　Eastern　European　ports　to　Libya　and　Syria；　and　was　known　to　carry　arms　and　military　equipment　from　the　East　Bloc　to　client　states　on　the　Mediterranean。　This　data　had　already　been　set　aside　for　further　use。
　　　　Ryan　found　that　the　CIA　and　National　Reconnaissance　Office　were　looking　at　a　number　of　camps　in　the　North　African　desert。　A　simple　graph　acpanied　the　dated　photos　of　each；　and　Ryan　was　looking　for　a　camp　whose　apparent　activity　had　changed　the　day　that　Miller's　ship　had　docked　at　Benghazi。　He　was　disappointed　to　find　that　four　had　done　so。　One　was　known　to　be　used　by　the　Provisional　Wing　of　the　IRA　　this　datum　had　e　from　the　interrogation　of　a　convicted　bomber。　The　other　three　were　unknowns。　The　people　there　　aside　from　the　maintenance　staff　provided　by　the　Libyan　armed　forces　　could　be　identified　from　the　photos　as　Europeans　from　their　fair　skin；　but　that　was　all。　Jack　was　disappointed　to　see　that　you　couldn't　recognize　a　face　from　these　shots；　just　color　of　skin；　and　if　the　sun　was　right；　color　of　hair。　You　could　also　determine　the　make　of　a　car　or　truck；　but　not　its　identifying　tag　numbers。　Strangely；　the　clarity　of　the　photos　was　better　at　night。　The　cooler　night　air　was　less　roiled　and　did　not　interfere　with　imaging　as　much　as　in　the　shimmering　heat　of　the　day。
　　　　The　pictures　in　the　heavy　binder　that　occupied　his　attention　were　of　camps　11…5…04；　11…5…18；　and　11…5…20。　Jack　didn't　know　how　the　number　designators　had　been　arrived　at　and　didn't　really　care。　The　camps　were　all　pretty　much　the　same；　only　the　spacing　of　the　huts　distinguished　one　from　another。
　　　　Jack　spent　the　best　part　of　an　hour　looking　over　the　photos；　and　concluded　that　this　miracle　of　modern　technology　told　him　all　sorts　of　technical　things；　none　of　which　were　pertinent　to　his　purpose。　Whoever　ran　those　camps　knew　enough　to　keep　people　out　of　sight　when　a　reconsat　was　overhead　　except　for　one　which　was　not　known　to　have　photographic　capability。　Even　then；　the　number　of　people　visible　was　almost　never　the　same；　and　the　actual　occupancy　of　the　camps　was　therefore　a　matter　for　uncertain　estimation。　It　was　singularly　frustrating。
　　　　Ryan　leaned　back　and　lit　another　low…tar　cigarette　bought　from　the　kiosk　on　the　next　floor　down。　It　went　well　with　the　coffee　that　was　serving　to　keep　him　awake。　He　was　up　against　another　blank　wall。　It　made　him　think　of　the　puter　games　he　occasionally　played　at　home　when　he　was　tired　of　writing　　Zork　and　Ultima。　The　business　of　intelligence　analysis　was　so　often　like　those　puter　〃head　games。〃　You　had　to　figure　things　out；　but　you　never　quite　knew　what　it　was　that　you　were　figuring　out。　The　patterns　you　had　to　deduce　could　be　very　different　from　anything　one　normally　dealt　with；　and　the　difference　could　be　significant　or　mere　happenstance。
　　　　Two　of　the　suspected　ULA　camps　were　within　forty　miles　of　the　known　IRA　outpost。　Less　than　an　hour's　drive；　Jack　thought。　If　they　only　knew。　He　would　have　settled　for　having　the　Proves　clean　out　the　ULA；　as　they　evidently　wanted　to　do。　There　were　indications　that　the　Brits　were　thinking　along　similar　lines。　Jack　wondered　what　Mr。　Owens　thought　of　that　one　and　concluded　that　he　probably　didn't　know。　It　was　a　surprising　thought　that　he　now　had　information　that　some　experienced　players　did　not。　He　went　back　to　the　pictures。
　　　　One；　taken　a　week　after　Miller　had　been　seen　in　Benghazi；　showed　a　car　　it　looked　like　a　Toyota　Land　Cruiser　　about　a　mile　from　11…5…18；　heading　away。　Ryan　wondered　where　it　was　going。　He　wrote　down　the　date　and　time　on　the　bottom　of　the　photo　and　checked　the　cross…reference　table　in　the　front。　Ten　minutes　later　he　found　the　same　car；　the　next　day；　at　Camp　11…5…09；　a　PIRA　camp　forty　miles　from　11…5…18。
　　　　Jack　told　himself　not　to　get　overly　excited：　11…5…18　could　belong　to　the　Red　Army　Faction　of　West　Germany；　Italy's　resurgent　Red　Brigade；　or　any　number　of　other　organizations　with　which　the　PIRA　cross…pollinated。　He　still　made　some　notes。　It　was　a　〃datum；〃　a　bit　of　information　that　was　worth　checking　out。
　　　　Next　he　checked　the　occupancy　graph　for　the　camp。　This　showed　the　number　of　camp　buildings　occupied　at　night；　and　went　back　for　over　two　years。　He　pared　it　with　a　list　of　known　ULA　operations；　and　discovered　。　。　。　nothing；　at　first。　The　instances　where　the　number　of　occupied　buildings　blipped　up　did　not　correlate　with　the　organization's　known　activities　。　。　。　but　there　was　some　sort　of　pattern；　he　saw。
　　　　What　kind　of　pattern？　Jack　asked　himself。　Every　three　months　or　so　the　occupancy　went　up　by　one。　Regardless　of　the　number　of　the　people　at　the　camp；　the　number　of　huts　being　used　went　up　by　one；　for　a　period　of　three　days。　Ryan　swore　when　he　saw　that　the　pattern　didn't　quite　hold。　Twice　in　two　years　the　number　didn't　change。　And　what　does　that　mean？
　　　　〃You　are　in　a　maze　of　twisty　passages；　all　alike；〃　Jack　murmured　to　himself。　It　was　a　line　from　one　of　his　puter　games。　Pattern…recognition　was　not　one　of　his　strong　points。　Jack　left　the　room　to　get　a　can　of　Coke；　but　more　to　clear　his　head。　He　was　back　in　five　minutes。
　　　　He　pulled　the　occupancy　graphs　from　the　three　〃unknown〃　camps　to　pare　the　respective　levels　of　activity。　What　he　really　needed　to　do　was　to　make　Xerox　copies　of　the　graphs；　but　CIA　had　strict　rules　on　the　use　of　copying　machines。　Doing　it　would　take　time　that　he　didn't　want　to　lose　at　the　moment。　The　other　two　camps　showed　no　recognizable　pattern　at　all；　while　Camp　…18　did　seem　to　lean　in　that　direction。　He　spent　an　hour　doing　this。　By　the　end　of　it　he　had　all　three　graphs　memorized。　He　had　to　get　away　from　it。　Ryan　tucked　the　graphs　back　where　they　belonged　and　returned　to　examining　the　photographs　themselves。
　　　　Camp　11…5…20；　he　saw；　showed　a　girl　in　one　photo。　At　least　there　was　someone　there　wearing　a　two…piece　bathing　suit。　Jack　stared　at　the　image　for　a　few　seconds；　then　turned　away　in　disgust。　He　was　playing　voyeur；　trying　to　discern　the　figure　of　someone　who　was　probably　a　terrorist。　There　were　no　such　attractions　at　camps　…04　and　…18；　and　he　wondered　at　the　significance　of　this　until　he　remembered　that　only　one　satellite　was　giving　daylight　photos　with　people　in　them。　Ryan　made　a　note　to　himself　to　check　at　the　Academy's　library　for　a　book　on　orbital　mechanics。　He　decided　that　he　needed　to　know　how　often　a　single　satellite　passed　over　a　given　spot　in　a　day。
　　　　〃You're　not　getting　anywhere；〃　he　told　himself　aloud。
　　　　〃Neither　is　anybody　else；〃　Marty　Cantor　said。　Ryan　spun　around。
　　　　〃How　did　you　get　in　here？〃　Jack　demanded。
　　　　〃I'll　say　one　thing　for　you；　Jack；　when　you　concentrate　you　really　concentrate。　I've　been　standing　here　for　five　minutes。〃　Cantor　grinned。　〃I　like　your　intensity；　but　if　you　want　an　opinion；　you're　pushing　a　little　hard；　fella。〃　
　　　　〃I'll　survive。〃
　　　　〃You　say　so；〃　Cantor　said　dubiously。　〃How　do　you　like　our　photo　album？〃　
　　　　〃The　people　who　do　this　full…time　must　go　nuts。〃　
　　　　〃Some　do；〃　Cantor　agreed。
　　　　〃I　might　have　something　worth　checking　out；〃　Jack　said；　explaining　his　suspicions　on　Camp　…18。
　　　　〃Not　bad。　By　the　way；　number　…20　may　be　Action…Directe；　the　French　group　that's　picked　up　lately。　DGSE　　the　French　foreign　intelligence　service　　thinks　they　have　a　line　on　it。〃　
　　　　〃Oh。　That　may　explain　one　of　the　photos。〃　Ryan　flipped　to　the　proper　page。
　　　　〃Thank　God　Ivan　doesn't　know　what　that　bird　does；〃　Cantor　nodded。　〃Hmm。　We　may　be　able　to　ID　from　this。〃　
　　　　〃How？〃　Jack　asked。　〃You　can't　make　out　her　face。〃　
　　　　〃You　can　tell　her　hair　length；　roughly。　You　can　also　tell　the　size　of　her　tits。〃　Cantor　grinned　ear　to　ear。　
　　　　〃What？〃
　　　　〃The　guys　in　photointerpretation　are　　well；　they're　very　technical。　For　cleavage　to　show　up　in　these　photos；　a　girl　has　to　have　C…cup　breasts　　at　least　that's　what　they　told　me　once。　I'm　not　kidding；　Jack。　Somebody　actually　worked　the　math　out；　because　you　can　identify　people　from　a　bination　of　factors　like　hair　color；　length；　and　bust　size。　Action…Directe　has　lots　of　female　operatives。　Our　French　colleagues　might　find　this　interesting。〃　If　they're　willing　to　deal；　he　didn't　say。　
　　　　〃What　about　…18？〃
　　　　〃I　don't　know。　We've　never　really　tried　to　identify　that　one。　The　thing　about　the　car　may　count　against　it；　though。〃　
　　　　〃Remember　that　our　ULA　friends　have　the　Proves　infiltrated；〃　Jack　said。
　　　　〃You're　still　on　that；　eh？　Okay；　it's　something　to　be　considered；〃　Cantor　conceded。　〃What　about　this　pattern　thing　you　talked　about？〃　
　　　　〃I　haven't　got　anything　to　point　to　yet；〃　Jack　admitted。　
　　　　〃Let's　see　the　graph。〃
　　　　Jack　unfolded　it　from　the　back　of　the　binder。　〃Every　three　months；　mostly；　the　occupancy　rate　picks　up。〃
　　　　Cantor　frowned　at　the　graph　for　a　m