The Fighting Agents (Men at War 4)

"That was an opinion," Canidy said icily.

"You get one, only, of those, too.

The next time I want to see your mouth open is when I ask you a question."

The parachutist glared at him but said nothing.

"Get going!" Canidy said.

"I want the snow to cover the boughs."

"There's an auxiliary fuel system," Darmstadter said.

"A fifty-five-gallon barrel connected to the main tanks. You want me to try to get it out?"

"That and anything else heavy we don't absolutely need."

"You're not talking about Commander Dolan?" Darmstadter flared.

"No," Canidy said.

"We'll take Dolan with us."

The Countess's housekeeper appeared in the main room of the lodge when Canidy, Alois, and Freddy Janos, white-faced, his arms around their shoulders, walked into it.

She put a balled fist to her mouth. Canidy could not tell whether she was manifesting sympathy or fear.

"Major," Janos said, embarrassed, "I think I'm going to pass out."

"I'm going to give you something for pain just as soon as I get you in bed."

Canidy said.

"Tell him to tell her to keep her mouth shut."

They half carried Janos to the bed in which Canidy had slept and laid him flat on it. Canidy, as gently as he could, cut the boot from his leg, then pulled a coarsely woven cotton sock--Hungarian, rather than GI wool-cushion-soled-from it. Somewhere in Janos's gear was a pair of Hungarian shoes that the plan called for him to put on once he was on the ground. The notion that jump boots might protect his ankle hadn't worked.

The ankle was blue and swollen, but there didn't seem to be any bones threatening to break through the skin.

Canidy opened a flat metal can, sealed with tape, and took a morphine syringe from it. He pushed Janos's trouser leg up as far as he could and shoved the needle into his calf. It would take a little longer for the morphine to take effect that way, but it would be less painful for Janos than moving his body around to get at his upper arm or buttock.

"That'll take a minute or two," Canidy said.

"I'll be back."

"I'm getting sick to my stomach,"Janos said.

"Tell him," Canidy said, nodding at Alois.

"He'll get you something to throw up in."

Then he went looking for the Countess and von HeurtenMitnitz.

It was not necessary under the circumstances, he decided, to bother knocking on doors and politely "waiting for permission to enter.

He found them behind the third door he opened, nearly hidden under a goose-down comforter.

"Good morning," he said.