Right But Wrong

         Right But Wrong

Suzanne Marsh

“Hey Tom, are you sure this the plane we are waiting for? A former FSB agent is flying

in from Moscow?”

“Angus, I told you before he is coming from London, his flight left Moscow yesterday.”

“What does this guy look like? We haven’t got a recent picture of him just this one.”

“He appears to be about twenty in this photograph. Tom, why is this guy so important?”

“Simple, he is defecting, he has a great deal of information regarding our top field agents,

not to mention there is some rogue Russian General who is planning to start a war with

the United States.”

Tom Butterfield, had met some strange people in his job as a CIA agent but Angus MacGregor was the strangest. He was a brilliant MI6 agent but had never worked with the CIA before. Tom, sighed, as he watched a British Airways 767 landed gracefully on the tarmac at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The plane taxied to the disembarkation point. Tom gave Angus a poke in the ribs; motioning him to get out of the Chevy Suburban. Together they walked toward the rendezvous. Suddenly a shadowy figure appeared, an AK47 began to spray a hail of bullets. The former FSB agent fell forward. Tom and Angus, guns drawn began to run after the figure; it was to late for Anatoly Rubinov. The agents now had a huge problem until they noticed a delicate young blond woman, shaking and crying over the body. Tom and Angus approached:

“Do you know this man?”

“Da, he is my father. Whoever killed him will come after me. Father gave me papers, he

would not tell me what they contain, only that they must not fall into the wrong hands.”

Tom and Angus, both showed her their badges:

“We need to get you out of here now. We have a safe house where we will take you

and debrief you. We are sorry for your loss.”

The young woman merely nodded; she was still in the state of shock. Tom notified CIA headquarters of the incident. His supervisor Jack Renny listened quietly:

“Jack, Anatoly Rubinov is dead. He was ambushed as he entered the airport. We did not get

a good look at the shooter. He was dressed completely in black, from the top of his or her

head to the tip of his or her shoes. However, Rubinov brought his daughter, Anna with him.

We have her under wraps here in Manhattan.”

Jack took a deep breath then let it out:

“Anna Rubinov, we had no idea that Anatoly had a daughter. Let me do some checking, I

will get right back with you.”

Jack dialed the CIA director Paul Smock:

“Paul, who the hell is Anna Rubinov? We have no record of her anywhere.”

“Jack, there is no Anna Rubinov, I heard Anatoly bought it today.”

“Paul, he is dead, some clandestine shadowy type figure with an AK47.”

“The woman says she has a packet that Anatoly told her to give to us.”

“All right, get the packet. Make sure those two field agents stay on top of this.”

Jack, knowing that Angus and Tom were both good field agents sent out several more to guard the safe house. They could take no chances with whoever this Anna Rubinov really was. Jack began by contacting a FSB agent he knew:

“Sergei, Jack Renny here. Who in the hell is Anna Rubinov?”

“Jack, I have never head of this person. What is going on? ”Simple, Anatoly Rubinov was murdered today as he disembarked from the British Airways

plane. I wouldn’t ask but we can find nothing here.”

“Jack, let me ask up how you say? The ladder, maybe one of the directorates knows something.

We, you and I have good relationship, I will not mention your name. Give me a few hours.”

Jack hoped he was not placing anyone in danger but something did not feel right.

The New York City Police officers were first on scene, as Tom and Angus proffered their identification and badges. There really was not much to tell other than Anatoly had been shot by someone dressed all in black. Once Tom and Angus were cleared to leave the scene, they drove back to their office in Manhattan. Jack Renny was waiting for them there:

“Tom, where did you stash Anna Rubinov? I spoke to our mutual friend Sergei Karmacov. He

has never head of Anna Rubinov either.”

Tom answered:

“We put in her the safe house here in Manhattan, safest of any of the ten we have.”

Jack sighed it was going to be a long few days until they found who this woman was. Tom had taken pictures of the crime scene, and had even managed to get a photo of the distressed daughter. That could be the first break they caught. Jack was delighted that at least now they had a picture of her, they would begin to match the photo with photos in their own data banks and Interpol's.

Six o’clock, the following morning, Jack received the call he been expecting from Sergei:

“Jack, I think you best how you say? Sit down for this one. Anna Rubinov is not one of ours.

I talked to our directorate; we seem to think she could be who she says she is. Anatoly,

sly dog that he was, actually had a family hidden away in a dacha near Moscow.”

This was beginning to make sense to Jack. The Russians being the Russians would give them false information to protect one of their own. The CIA would go on the assumption that she was NOT Anatoly’s daughter, they would also begin to take the packet apart that she had given them after Anatoly was murdered. Just then a loud bust of fire from an AK47 erupted in the office. Tom and Angus hit the floor firing their weapons at the intruder. Jack joined the melee firing his weapon also. The shadowy figure lay dead, Tom went over and removed the face covering what he saw scared him more than anything he had ever encountered. It was General Ivan Baryshnikov, had he been the General that Anatoly was about to expose? Baryshnikov, certainly fit the suspect in Anatoly’s murder and he was a real maverick in Russia. He had more than once threatened to begin a nuclear war with the United States.

Later that day while speaking to Anna Rubinov, the entire plot unfolded:

“I am Anna Rubinov, my father was Anatoly Rubinov. My mother died when I was child in

Moscow. Father, last year, began to smuggle home papers from the office of General

Baryshnikov. Father believed that Baryshnikov was going to begin a nuclear war with

United States. Father, feared for Russian lives as well as Americans. He contacted CIA field

agent named Dyer. He is the one that made the reservations on British Airways for us. He,

drove us to the airport. I think he might have tipped off Baryshnikov; father thought he was

a double agent. I wish to seek political asylum here in United States, I cannot return to

Russia for my part in this.”

Jack, after hearing this sent Tom and Angus to Russia to find Dyer. Sergei found him first, he was found dead beneath a drainage ditch in Moscow. Tom and Angus returned the following day, their mission completed.