But that was less than complete comfort. It is inborn in a man that he
needs to feel superior. No man can feel pride before the woman of his
choice while there is something stronger than himself. And Coburn
especially wanted to feel that pride just now.
There were very probably discussions of the important part of what
Coburn had reported, of course, during the rest of the morning. But
there was much more discussion of purely military measures. And of
course there were attempts to get military intelligence. Things were
reported in the sky near South Africa, and from Honolulu--where nobody
would ignore what a radar said again, especially the juiced-up equipment
just modified on orders--and from other places. Not all the reports were
authentic, of course. If there were any observations inside the Iron
Curtain, the Iron Curtain countries kept them to themselves. Politics
was much more important than anything else, in that part of the world.
But Coburn need not have felt as futile as he did. There was just one
really spectacular occurrence in connection with the Invaders that day,
and it happened where Coburn was. Almost certainly, it happened because
Coburn was there. Though there is reason to believe that the newspaper
campaign on shore, declaring that the American fleet risked the lives of
all Naples by its mere presence, had something to do with it too.
It was very spectacular.
* * * * *
It happened just after midday when the city and its harbor were at their
most glamorous. Coburn and Janice were above when it began. There was an
ensign assigned to escort Coburn about and keep an eye on him, and he
took them on a carefully edited tour of the carrier. He took them to the
radar room which was not secret any longer. He explained reservedly that
there was a new tricked-up arrangement of radar which it was believed
would detect turtle-shaped metal ships if they appeared.
The radar room was manned, of course. It always was, with a cold war in
being. Overhead, the bowl cages of the radars moved restlessly and
rhythmically. Outside, on deck, the huge elevator that brought planes up
from below rose at the most deliberate of peace-time rates.
The ensign said negligently, pointing to the radar-screen: "That little
speck is a plane making for the landing field on shore. This other one
is a plane coming down from Genoa. You'd need a good pair of binoculars
to see it. It's a good thirty-five miles away."
Just then, one of the two radar-men on duty pushed a button and snapped
into a microphone: "Sir! Radar-pip directly overhead! Does not show on
normal radar. Elevation three hundred thousand feet, descending
rapidly." His voice cut off suddenly.