Free The Doomsday Box by Herbie Brennan Page B

these stations had to be kept secret, so what most of them amounted to was one, maybe two agents in deep cover. Each functioned as our man on the spot in a particular time period. The CIA itself was set up in 1947 with headquarters in Washington. But in 1961, it transferred to Langley, Virginia. It was a hell of a move, lots of confusion, which gave us an opportunity to plant a temporal agent there: we had him safely in place by early sixty-two.”
    â€œYou mean,” Danny said incredulously, “the CIA infiltrated the CIA ?”
    â€œEssentially, yes,” Carradine told him soberly. “We thought it was important to have him in place in the light of subsequent events. Where better than CIA headquarters, where he could pose as an ordinary agent and have access to the intelligence materials of his day? But the important thing is, the setup gives you a point of contact if you’re looking for Cobra in 1962.”
    â€œI don’t understand this, Mr. Carradine,” Opal said.
    â€œIt’s simple enough,” Carradine told them. “I can send you to 1962, somewhere close to Langley. From there—”
    Danny asked, “Why not into Langley itself, since that’s obviously where we’re going?”
    â€œThere’s no way we want you appearing suddenly where you’re likely to be seen—people would start to ask too many questions,” Carradine explained. “Standard procedure is to transport you to a remote spot within reach of your ultimate target. You make your way from there. Once you reach Langley, I want you to go directly to CIA headquarters. When you get there, ask for Jack Stratford. You got that name?”
    â€œJack Stratford,” Michael murmured.
    â€œSince you’ve no valid credentials, he’ll refuse to see you. At that point, you should instruct the receptionist to give him this.” He tossed a folded slip of paper onto the table. Opal picked it up and hesitantly opened it. The others leaned forward to see. On the paper was written the single word Chronos. “Then leave and make your way to Pete’s Pies and Coffee. It’s only a couple of blocks away; anybody will give you directions. Order yourselves coffees and anything else you want. Jack Stratford will join you inside fifteen minutes and pay the bill.”
    â€œJack Stratford is our man in 1962, right?” Danny put in.
    â€œRight,” Carradine confirmed.
    â€œWhat happens then?” Opal asked.
    â€œStratford will set you up to function in 1962, provide you with everything you need for your mission.” He hesitated, then added, “Providing you’re willing to undertake it.”

Chapter 16
Danny, the Meeting Room, Montauk Underground Complex
    O kay,” said Carradine briskly when the rest of the briefing was finished, “get back to your individual quarters and get yourselves ready, then join me in the transportation chamber.” He caught the blank looks and added, “Where you saw the time gate: we called it the transportation chamber. For obvious reasons.” As they pushed their chairs back, he said casually, “Danny, would you hold up a minute?”
    â€œSure.”
    As the door closed behind the others, Carradine said thoughtfully to Danny, “You were brought up in a particularly rough area of London—right?”
    â€œRough enough,” Danny muttered tersely. He disliked talking about his past, even though he was aware Carradine knew all about it from his file. The question was, why was Carradine bringing it up now?
    â€œMust have met some hard men,” Carradine said.
    â€œA few.” Danny watched him suspiciously, wondering where this was going.
    Carradine parked his backside on the edge of the conference table, the picture of relaxed confidence. Except he was neither relaxed, nor particularly confident. If Danny was reading him right, the casual pose was just an act. There was something on