it Six lager th h
“Twelve, if you like.”
“Da wird es im Pissoir sine t~berschwemmung
geben!”
He knew the rate of exchange, and once inside
the raucous cafe actually a run-down bar favored
by the university crowd he counted the money he
had taken from the two Germans. It was roughly
five hundred dollars, over three from the man on
the hill. The seedy clerk at the registration desk
explained in convoluted English that, indeed, the
switchboard could place a call to America, but it
might take several minutes. Joel left fifty dollars in
deutsche marks for his youthful Good Samaritans,
excused himself and headed for his room such as
it was. An hour later the call came through
“Larry?”
“Joel?”
“Thank God you’re there!” cried Converse in relief.
THE AQUITAINE PROGRESSION 339
“You ll never know how I kept hoping you weren’t
out of town. Getting a call through from here is a
bitch!’
‘ I m here, said Talbot, his voice suddenly calm
and in control. ‘Where are you. Joel?” he asked
quietly.
‘Some poor excuse for a hotel in Boml. I just
got here. I didn t get the name. ‘
You re in a hotel in Bonn but you don t know
which one?
‘it doesn’t matter, Larry! Get Simon on the line
I want to talk to you both. Quickly.’
‘Nathan s in court He should be back here by
four o clock our time. That’s about an hour from
now.
“Coddamn it!”
“Take it easy, Joel. Don’t upset yourself.”
“Don’t upset. . . ? For Christ s sake, I ve been
locked up in a stone cabin with bars in the windows
for five days! I broke out a couple of hours ago, and
ran like hell through the woods with a pack of dogs
and lunatics carrying guns chasing me. I spent an
hour in the water damn near drowning before I
cohuldd reach land without getting my head shot off
and the
‘ You had to what, Joel?” asked Talbot, a
strange passivity in his voice ‘What did you have to
do?’
‘Goddamn it, Larry, I may have killed a man to
get out of there!’
‘You had to kill someone, Joel? Why did you
think you had to do that?”
“He was waiting for me! They were searching for
me! On the land, in the woods along the
riverbanks he was a scout separated from his
patrol. Scouts, patrols! I had to get out, get away!
And you tell me not to be upset!”
‘ Calm down, Joel, try to get hold of yourself….
You escaped before, didn’t you? A long time ago ”
‘What s that got to do with anything? Converse
broke in.
“You had to kill people then, didn t you? Those
memories must always be with you
Larry, that s bullshit! Listen to me and take
down everything I say the names I give you, the
facts get it all down.
“Perhaps I should bring Janet on the line. Her
shorthand
‘No! Only you, no one else! They can trace people,
any
340 ROBERT LUDLUM
one who knows anything. It’s not that complicated.
Are you ready?”
“Of course.”
Joel sat down on the narrow bed and took a
deep breath. “The best way to put it as it was put
to me, but you don’t have to write this down, just
understand is that they’ve come back.”
“Who?”
“The generals field marshals, admirals,
colonels allies and enemies, all field and fleet
commanders and above. They’ve come together
from everywhere to change things, change
governments and laws and foreign policies, every-
thing to be based on military priorities and
decisions. It’s crazy, but they could do it. We’d live
out their fantasies because they’d be in control,
believing they’re right and selfless and
dedicated as they’ve always believed.’
“Who are these people, Joel?”
“Yes, write this down. The organisation is called
Aquitaine. It’s based on a historical theory that the
region in France once known as Aquitaine might
have become all of Europe and by extension as
colonies the North American continent as well.”
“Whose theory?”
“It doesn’t matter, it’s just a theory. The
organizahon was conceived by General George
Delavane he was known as Mad Marcus in
Vietnam and I saw only a fraction of the damage
that son of a bitch did! He’s pulled in military
personnel from all over the place, all commanders,
and they’re fanning out recruiting their own kind,
fanatics who believe as they do, that theirs is the
only way. For the past year or so they’ve been
shipping illegal weapons and armaments to terrorist
groups, encouraging destabilisation wherever they
can, the ultimate purpose being that they’ll be
called in to restore order, and when they do, they’ll
take over…. Five days ago I met with Delavane’s
key men from France and Germany Israel and
South Africa and, I think, possibly England.”
“You met with these people, Joel? Did they
invite you to a meeting?”
“They thought I was one of them, that I believed
in everything they stood for. You see, Larry, they
didn’t know how much I hated them. They hadn’t
been where I’d been, hadn’t seen what I saw as
you said, years ago.”
“When you had to escape,” added Talbot
sympathetical
THE AQUITAINE PROGRESSION 341
ly. “When you had to kill people times you’ll never
forget. They must have been terrible for you.”
“Yes, they were. Goddamn it, yes! Sorry, let’s stay
on course. I’m so bred still frightened, too, I think.”
“Relax, Joel.”
“Sure. Where was I?” Converse rubbed his eyes.
“Oh, yes, I remember. They got information on me,
information from my service record, my status as a
POW, which wasn’t actually part of the record, but
they got it and they found out what and who I was.
They heard the words that told them how much I
hated them, hated what Delavane had done what
they all had done. They drugged me, got whatever
they could and threw me into a Godforsaken stone
house set in the middle of the woods above the
Rhine. While under the chemicals I must have told
them everything I knew ”
“Chemicals?” asked Talbot, obviously never
having heard the term.
Amytols, Pentothals, scopolamine. I’ve been the
route, Larry. I’ve been there and back.”
‘You have? Where?”
In the camps. It’s immaterial.”
“I’m not sure it is.”
“It is! The point is they found out what I know.
That means they’ll move up their schedule.”
“Schedule?”
“We’re in the countdown. Now! Two weeks, three
weeks, four at the outside! No one knows how or
where or what the targets are, but there’ll be
eruptions of violence and terrorism all over the
place, giving them the excuse to move in and take
over. ‘Accumulation,’ ‘rapid acceleration,’ those were
the words they used! Right now in Northern
Ireland everything’s blown apart, nothing but
chaos whole armored divisions are moving in. They
did it, Larry! It’s a test, a trial run for them! I’m
going to give you the names.” Converse did so both
surprised and annoyed that Talbot did not react to
any of the men of Aquitaine. “Have you got them?”
“Yes, I have.”
“Those are the salient facts and the names I can
vouch for. There’s a lot more people in the State
Department and the Pentagon, but the lists are in
my briefcase and it’s been stolen, or hidden
somewhere. I’ll get some rest and start writing out
everything I know, then call you in the morning. I
have to get out of here. I’m going to need help.”
342 ROBERT LUDIUM
“I agree, so may I talk now?” said the lawyer in
New York in that odd flat voice. “First, where are
you, Joel? Look on the phone or read the print on
an ashtray or check the desk; there must be
stationery.”
“There’s no desk and the ashtrays are chipped
glass. . . . Wait a minute, I picked up some matches
from the bar when I bought cigarettes.” Converse
reached into the pocket of the leather jacket and
pulled out the book of matches. “Here it is.
Riesendrinks. ‘
Look below that. My German is limited, but I
think it means big drinks’ or something.’
“Oh? Then it must be this. ‘Rosencafe.'”
“That sounds more like it. Spell it for me, Joel.”
Converse did, an undefined feeling disturbing
him. “Have you got it?” he asked. “Here’s a
telephone number.” Joel read off the numbers
printed on the cover.
“Good, that’s splendid,” said Talbot. “But before
you get off the line and I know you need rest
badly I have a couple of questions.”
“I would hope to hell you do!”
“When we spoke after that man was hurt in
Paris, after that fight you saw in the alley, you told
me you were in Amsterdam. You said you were
going to Hy back to Paris and see Rene, straighten
everything out. Why didn’t you, Joel?”