Tom Smith - Agent 6

Like a nervous child, Leo hastily listed the points of interest:

– I know specifics, details regarding the equipment being used, tanks, helicopters, anything that is being used or about to be brought in. I know the deployment patterns of the 40th Army. I can tell you the projected mortality rate before the invasion and how that number has been revised since the invasion. I can do the same with the financial costs. I know the names of most of the senior officers and I know their sentiments on the war. I know our limits, how many soldiers we can afford to lose, how much money we’re prepared to spend. I can provide information so that you could accurately estimate the point at which the Soviet Union would have no choice but to retreat.

Greene flicked his cigarette on the carpet, watching to see it burn, before stubbing it out under his shoe.

– Let me explain the situation from our point of view. We’re not supposed to be involved in this war.

Salaam interjected:

– Pakistan is also not supposed to be involved in this war. The remark caused Greene to raise an eyebrow, as if the sentiment could only have been uttered ironically. He continued:

– In the United States there is no public appetite for becoming embroiled in this conflict. If we grant you asylum we risk opening a major rift with the Soviets, sparking a political fight the outcome of which we might not be able to control. They would demand your return. We would say no. And so on: who knows where it would end up?

Leo was quick to correct the assumption.

– I agree. It is essential the Soviets don’t find out about my defection. And there is no reason for them to know. They surely believe I was killed in bombing raids. The chances of me making it to Pakistan are slight, and I would never have managed it without Fahad’s help. The Soviets would never have imagined that the mujahedin would’ve aided me. Fahad could even claim tt they have me hostage and after a certain period of time announce that they’ve executed me.

Leo had not mentioned his daughters in Moscow, not wishing to complicate the issue further. Greene inhaled again, appearing to appreciate the degree of consideration that Leo had given the plan.

– Your suggestion is smart. Of course we wouldn’t announce your defection but there is a chance that they will find out all the same.

Leo waited, sensing that Greene was about to make his position clear.

– I’m sure you have much information that would interest us. I have a different proposition. We could debrief you here, pay you a sum of money – That’s no good. We need a new home, a new country. We would be found here, we would be hunted down and we would be killed.

Abdur Salaam glanced at Marcus Greene. The men were working in concert to obtain the information while giving nothing in return. Greene shrugged.

– If the United States were committed to involvement in the conflict, even through covert means, then yes, you would be an asset. The United States is not committed. The United States is undecided. And for that reason I am afraid to say we cannot accept you.

Same Day

Greene and Salaam descended the stairway at a brisk pace, keen to terminate the meeting since no deal could be struck on their terms. Leo followed behind, pleading, the negotiations on the brink of collapse:

– There must be something I can say to persuade you. Some intelligence I could give you now, to prove my worth.

Greene answered without turning around:

– You should tell me as much as possible.

– I’m not going to tell you everything only to be left behind.

– Then we’re at a dead end. I’m going to discuss you with my superiors. It is possible they’ll take a different view. You should wait here. It will only take a few days.

– You’re going to recommend that they refuse my request for asylum? You’re going to claim the information I offer is not worth the risk?

– In the end, this is not my decision.

Leo could no longer hide his desperation.

– They’ll listen to you! They’ll accept whatever recommendation you make. You’re the only person who has met me!

Greene was about to reply when he stopped so abruptly that Leo almost bumped into him. Standing at the bottom of the stairs was Captain Vashchenko.

The captain was positioned between two Afghan men, special operatives and his guides to this region since he spoke neither Dari nor Urdu. Vashchenko was dressed as a traveller and wearing Western clothes. His disguise fitted him poorly: he looked awkward in casual clothes. Despite the humid night he was wearing a baggy jacket, no doubt concealing a weapon. Fahad, on the step behind Leo, reahed for his gun. Greene indicated that they should remain calm, keen to avoid an exchange of fire in the stairway. An uneasy standoff remained until, speaking in Russian, the captain called up:

– We can’t let you take him.

Vashchenko presumed that the CIA would accept Leo gladly. Greene could have corrected him, declaring that he had no interest in Leo, which would have ended the standoff immediately. Instead, he gestured towards the restaurant.

– Why don’t we discuss this?

The Pakistani intelligence officer was less polite. Unable to speak Russian, he addressed Greene in Urdu. Leo couldn’t understand what was said, watching their body language. Greene nodded, trying to hold his colleague back, fearing a descent into violence. He replied to Salaam in Urdu, before adding in Russian:

– Let’s talk.

Leo was impressed rather than surprised that Vashchenko had found him. The military presence over the Khyber Pass suggested that he’d guessed Leo’s intentions. After all, he had attempted to reach America before. Even if he didn’t know how Leo would try to defect, he’d staked out Peshawar confident that they would travel through the city. The captain’s unauthorized presence in Pakistan was audacious. Discovery and capture would create a major diplomatic incident. Leo thought it unlikely the Kremlin would have directly cleared him to cross the border. The Afghan operatives could be disowned but there could be no mistaking a Soviet military officer. It was possible that he was acting alone, out of personal zeal, determined to put right the mistake he’d made in the village of Sokh Rot.

They sat at one of the garish tables, still cluttered with dirty plates that hadn’t been cleared. Leo, Greene and Salaam on one side, the captain on the other. Fahad and the two Afghan soldiers remained standing, hands on their weapons, like warrior guards at a meeting of kings. Greene addressed the remaining customers in English. Leo guessed that he was telling them to leave, an order they obeyed without question. Only the mercenaries didn’t hurry, wondering if there was a market for their services. As the room emptied, Greene lit a new cigarette, striking the pose of a genial professor ready to listen to a student’s presentation. Vashchenko spoke directly to Leo.

– No one thought you survived. Except for me. I’ve read your file. You have embarked on some perilous journeys. I knew you’d try to reach Pakistan. I’m here to talk you out of it. Leo, you’re a war hero, you have served your country for many years. We cannot allow you to defect. More importantly, I do not believe you want to defect.

Leo did not reply, waiting for Vashchenko to finish. The gentle persuasion would surely be followed by a threat.

– Leo, we made a mistake with the young girl. I made a mistake. You were only trying to protect her. I understand why you behaved as you did. I am a father too.

The sentiment was laughable but Leo was careful not to show any reaction.

– I honestly believed her death would save thousands of lives otherwise I would never have acted in the way that I did. Maybe I was right, maybe I was wrong. It is irrelevant. The myth of a miracle child has spread and the myth isn’t dependent on her. Killing her would have no effect. The story has a life of its own. That is whatI failed to understand. Let me bring you back. There will be no charges. The three of you can live in the Soviet Union if you wish. Wouldn’t Nara and the girl like that? You have been in Afghanistan long enough. You have accrued a considerable salary. You would live in comfort, in your own land, close to your own daughters. You should think of your daughters. What are their names? Vashchenko was perfectly aware of their names.