The Sum of All Fears.pdf - Delta Force

'Like, I think we're getting skewed data. Like, I think a senior Agency official
is having an affair with a person of foreign birth, and there may be a child
involved.'
'Ryan?'
The National Security Advisor shook her head. 'Can't confirm or deny. Remember
the rules.'
'I won't forget,' Holtzman replied, hiding his annoyance. Did she think she was
dealing with Jimmy Olsen?
'The problem is, it looks like he knows we don't like what he's telling us, and
as a result he's trying to put a spin on the data to please us. This is a time
when we really need good stuff from Langley, but we're not getting it.'
Holtzman nodded thoughtfully. That was not exactly a new problem at Langley, but
Ryan wasn't that sort, was he? The reporter set that aside. 'And Narmonov?'
'If what we're getting is in any way correct, he may be on the way out, whether
from the right or the left, we can't say. It may be that he's losing it.'
'That's solid?'
'It appears so. The part about blackmail from his security forces is very
disturbing. But with our problems at Langley . . .' Liz held up her hands.
'Just when things were going so well, too. I guess you're having problems with
Cabot?'
'He's learning his job pretty well. If he had better support, he'd be okay.'
'How worried are you?' Holtzman asked.
'Very much so. This is a time when we need good intel, but we're not getting it.
How the hell can we figure out what to do about Narmonov unless we get good
information? So, what do we get?' Liz asked in exasperation. 'Our hero is
running around doing stuff that really doesn't concern his agency – he's gone
over people's heads to The Hill on some things – doing a Chicken Little act on
one thing while at the same time he's not getting Cabot good analysis on what
appears to be a major issue. Of course, he has his distractions . . .'
Our hero, Holtzman thought. What an interesting choice of words. She really
hates the guy, doesn't she? Holtzman knew the fact, but not the reason. There
was no reason for her to be jealous of him. Ryan had never shown great ambition,
at least not in a political sense. He was a pretty good man, by all accounts.
The reporter remembered his one public faux pas, a confrontation with Al Trent
which, Holtzman was certain, must have been staged. Ryan and Trent got along
very well now by all accounts. What could possibly have been important enough to
stage something like that? Ryan had two intelligence stars – what for, Holtzman
had never been able to find out. Just rumors, five different versions of four
different stories, probably all of them false. Ryan wasn't all that popular with
the press. The reason was that he had never really leaked anything. He took
secrecy a little too seriously. On the other hand, he didn't try to curry favor
either, and Holtzman respected anyone who avoided that. Of one thing he was
sure: he had gravely underestimated the antipathy for Ryan in the Fowler
Administration.
I'm being manipulated. That was as obvious as a peacock in a barnyard. Very
cleverly, of course. The bit about the Russians was probably genuine. The
Central Intelligence Agency's inability to get vital information to the White