As a Minister Without Portfolio,Whimpole wasn't senior enough to be in the War Cabinet,but the American's disdain for Whimpole's alleged indiscreetness,though Whimpole could joke about it,was matched by Whimpole's disdain for the American's desire to portray himself as ever-informed.Anw while outwardly Whimpole brushed off the query with "I can't say I'm familiar with it",inside he thought he had overheard that phrase,and that it was certainly not something that this American should know about.
A minute or less after Whimpole had wandered off,Turbridge felt a hand on his shoulder."Brigadier."
Turbridge turned to see the new arrival,then looked startled."Sorry,when over here I fall into local usage...I meant General",the newcomer continued,but his implication had been deliberate.In Britain the rank Americans call Brigadier-General had been simply "Brigadier" for decades.The newcomer,Sharon saw as they both moved to salute,was a "General" plain and simple...General Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold,the Commanding General of the United States Army Air Forces himself.And when they create five-star rank this December,he'll be one of the men promoted,Sharon thought.
"How is it,General Turbridge,that the words `Manhattan Project' mean anything to you?",Arnold asked penetratingly."Because they shouldn't."
Turbridge mumbled,blushing,realizing the extent of his indiscretion,then decided the best thing to do was to disavow blame."It was Captain McCormack who mentioned it to me",he said,gesturing desperately."She was saying she's from sixty years in the future,knows what day the war will end and all sorts of stuff...she had to be joking,I thought,if she wasn't it's not my fault..."
General Arnold turned to look at Sharon's busty naked form."Hard to believe",he said to no one in particular,"but given how unusual she is in other ways..." He reached into his pocket for a notepad."Write down some names of people involved in the Manhattan Project",he said to her,clearly preferring that Turbridge be told not one thing more than he had heard already.
Sharon took the pad and started putting down the names of prominent physicists she had heard were part of the bomb plan.Oppenheimer,Fermi,Szilard,Teller,a few other names came to mind.Arnold looked at her sheet,tore it off the pad,and threw it into the restaurant fireplace where it was consumed in flame.
"Brigadier General Turbridge,you're relieved here pending reassignment.Captain McCormack,come with me."
As an armed MP emerged seemingly from nowhere to keep Turbridge company,Sharon got to her feet and followed General Arnold to the table where he had been sitting with Anthony Eden,the Foreign Secretary and Leader of the House of Commons.Seeing Whimpole hovering around,he looked at Whimpole meaningfully until the latter retreated out of earshot,then told Eden,"She DOES know...and supposedly she's from the future..."
Fri Jan 07 15:53:14 2005