Moscow Rules Part I

[Silktie]

Warning: Spoilers for season 9

Spoilers for season 10 - the story is based on the information and character changes announced in the season 10 press release. But since I don't own a crystal ball, I highly doubt this will actually happen.

I used the information provided in the season 10 press release and combined it with information in Harry's Diary and the Personnel Files to come up with this. Special heartfelt thanks goes to A Cousin for transcribing the information in the Personnel Files for me.

- * -

Monday, 4 April 2011
London, JIC Headquarters
Inquiry into Sir Harry Pearce

It was the second week of the Inquiry. It was being held in a cheerless, windowless room at JIC Headquarters, a room that turned stuffy within minutes of the start of proceedings each day. Or maybe, Harry reflected sourly, it was only he that experienced it as such. He was the man on the spot, after all, being grilled with the proverbial blinding light shone in his eyes. Although it was all done according to the letter of the law, painfully procedurally correct, he was well aware that there was scant goodwill towards him in that room. Only the Home Secretary spared him the occasional sympathetic smile; the other Intelligence and Foreign Office bigwigs spared him nothing at all. He wondered, in an idle moment, why they despised him so, before deciding that he didn’t care. In the end, all that mattered was that he should be able to live with himself, live with everything that he had done. And of course, although he liked to pretend otherwise, it mattered what she thought of him, after all was said and done. It pained him, as he sat facing his inquisitors calmly, that he was no longer sure of her regard after all they had been through.

The first two days had been spent going over the events surrounding the Albany file, and Harry was reasonably confident that he’d won that round. It soon became evident, though, that this did not really matter in the greater scheme of things; that Albany was merely an excuse to tear apart his career, operation by operation. The rest of the first week was spent analysing every action and decision that he had made during his time in Belfast. At times Harry felt that they were questioning his every thought as well, as though they suspected him of harbouring secret socialist or terrorist tendencies that even he was not aware of. He, in turn, sought refuge in facts, and in answering only to the letter of what was asked. No information would be volunteered, no matter how trivial or how important. It was his one act of defiance against these proceedings.

That Monday morning, the questions finally moved on to his time with MI6, and the events of Operation Omega. They were smelling blood; Harry could practically touch the current of suppressed excitement running through the room. Richard Dolby took it upon himself, as JIC Chairman, to provide all the lurid details of that black operation to the Inquiry. He sketched in detail how Harry had staged terrorist attacks in Cologne and framed the Red Army Faction for it, all in an attempt to force the German authorities to adopt a harder line against far-left organisations. The ultimate aim was to prevent the Stasi from gaining a foothold in West Germany through these groups.
“Unfortunately,” Dolby stated with undisguised satisfaction, “the operation had disastrous consequences.” He enjoyed the moment before continuing, “Why don’t you tell us in your own words what happened on 6 November 1979, Harry?”

6 November 1979
Cologne
12:54

They were parked a safe distance down the street. The front of the hotel was visible from their vantage point, and they watched as the West German Minister for the Interior, Thomas Bergen, came through the door and walked towards his car parked out front.
“Oh Christ,” Price, one of the Army explosives experts Harry had been using exclaimed, “we’ve got to warn him!”
He flung open his car door, but by the time he was on the pavement Harry was in front of him and wrestled him back.
“There’s no time! Get back in the car now!”
He’d barely finished speaking when the Minister’s car exploded behind him, killing Bergen instantly. They froze, and watched in fascinated horror as the fireball reached for the sky.
“Oh no, oh no,” Price repeated over and over. He grabbed at Harry and shook him roughly. “He was supposed to use the car at the back of the hotel, not the decoy out front. You said he would use the other one!” There was a wild look in his eyes as he stared at Harry.
The spook shoved him against the car, hard. “Get back in the car. That’s an order!” Harry’s tone brooked no opposition and the soldier instinctively obeyed.

It was then that Harry looked up and saw the couple standing a few feet away, watching them with wide eyes. The woman was a few months pregnant, he noticed in a haze before getting in the car and driving away calmly. As soon as they turned the corner he pulled to the kerb, and the two soldiers looked at him questioningly.
“Take the car, get away from here,” Harry ordered before getting out. The other explosives expert, Roupell, slid behind the wheel without question, and the car drove off, leaving the young spook standing on the pavement. He waited until the car was out of sight, before walking back towards the hotel. The couple was moving along the other side of the street. Harry followed.

Harry recounted the incident precisely, factually. He did not mention the couple.
“Our information was wrong,” he concluded in the shocked silence that followed. “A source told us that Bergen would use the car at the back of the hotel. Perhaps he intended to and changed his mind at the last moment. I don’t know. But since the explosives were on timers and not remote detonators, there was nothing to be done.”
Dolby gave Harry a long, hard look. “Is there anything else pertaining to this incident we should know?”
Harry met his look squarely. “Nothing,” he said evenly.

He followed the couple to the train station, and onto the train to Berlin. He slipped into the seat behind them unseen and listened to them discussing what they’d seen and heard. The man said to the pregnant woman, “We have to report this, tonight. We can give a good description of the man that stopped the other one from warning the Minister. He sounded like an Englishman.”
When he heard that, he knew that he had no choice.

It was dark when the train pulled into Berlin station. Harry followed the couple out onto the street, staying close. He would have to take the first chance he got; he could not allow them to report what they knew. Luckily they chose to walk towards the Wall, turning towards Oberbaumbrücke. The streets close to the Wall would be deserted that time of night. Harry trailed them, his palms sweating. The gun holster pressed accusingly against the small of his back. The couple entered the Turkish Quarter and turned into a dark side street, and he saw his chance. He picked up his pace and passed them at a brisk walk. Once he was in front of them, he turned suddenly, pulling the gun and pointing it at the man in one smooth motion. His target barely had time to register shock before Harry shot him cleanly through the heart, and he crumpled to the ground without a sound. The woman was opening her mouth to scream when he swung the gun towards her. He wavered for a fraction of a second before he pulled the trigger again. She was dead before she collapsed, her body coming to rest against that of the man.

Harry turned and walked away at a normal pace, tucking the gun back into its holster. He did not look back until he rounded the corner and disappeared into the darkness. Only once he was well away from the scene, did his steps falter and he stumbled, falling onto his knees and throwing up violently. All he could see in his mind’s eye was Jane, expecting their first child.

Dolby watched Harry with narrowed eyes, looking for the slightest indication that the man was concealing something.
“There’s nothing else that happened after Bergen was killed?”
Harry did not flinch. “No. Operation Omega was abandoned and I was recalled to London.”
“No one ever found out?” Dolby pressed.
“No,” Harry responded without hesitation.
Dolby nodded his head, confident that he would have noticed if Harry was lying. The Inquiry adjourned for the day.

Harry went home, feeling exhausted and alone. The first thing he did was pour a stiff drink and down it in one, before refilling the glass and sinking into a chair. He stared at a photograph of his children on the table beside him for long seconds, then dropped his head into his hands and let the shame wash over him.

* * *

Thursday, 7 April 2011
Moscow, FSB Headquarters

Elena Polyakova was slogging through paperwork when her deputy came through the door and sat down in the chair before her desk.
“We’ve had a lucky break. One of our low level UK assets in the Foreign Office managed to get his hands on some of the transcripts of the Inquiry into Harry Pearce.”
Elena looked up. “Harry Pearce… He’s the senior MI5 man accused of giving some or other state secret to the Chinese, right?”
The deputy nodded and Elena leaned back in her chair, lighting a cigarette. “Hmm. Anything interesting in the transcripts?”
“Not much,” the deputy responded with a shrug. “Our man got hold of one day’s transcripts, and that day they only discussed a black op Pearce was running in Germany in the seventies. Old news,” he concluded, not noticing the sudden spark of interest in his superior’s eyes.
“Leave it with me. I’ll read through it when I have time.” She dismissed him with a wave of the cigarette.

Once she was alone she opened the folder and read through it slowly, with complete concentration. She noted the date of the event discussed in most detail, 6 November 1979, and felt a frisson of excitement. Elena turned to her computer and called up the Stasi files for that date. She soon found what she was looking for: the reports on the unexplained deaths of two German citizens, shot dead in Berlin on the same date. One after one, she scrolled through the photographs attached to the reports, until she found the one she was looking for. Next she called up the photos of known British Intelligence officers, finding Harry Pearce’s near the top of the list. She sat, staring at the two photographs, until the cigarette burnt down to her fingers and brought her back to the present. Impatiently she stubbed it out in the overflowing ashtray, before turning her attention to Harry Pearce’s photo again.
“Got you,” she said softly.

* * *

Tuesday, 12 April 2011
London, JIC Headquarters

There was a change in the atmosphere; Harry could sense it as soon as he entered the room. What he couldn’t tell was whether this was good or bad news for him, until he noticed the triumphant expression on William Towers’ face. Harry was barely seated before Dolby addressed him, his face a picture of ill concealed hostility.
“Harry, it has been decided to postpone these proceedings until after the Royal wedding. A number of terrorist threats have been made against the event in the last few days, and it was decided that we can’t afford any distractions at this time. You are to continue in your post until after the wedding, when your suspension will resume.”
Although Dolby refused to state it explicitly, the implication was clear: they needed Harry’s expertise to handle the security for the Royal wedding. Harry looked at the Home Secretary, who smiled with satisfaction.
Dolby continued, “However, in light of the fact that your last choice for Section Chief turned out to be such a disaster, the new one will be appointed from above.”
As he opened his mouth to argue Harry caught the warning look Towers was giving him, and swallowed his objection. He would live to fight another day, so he nodded mutely.

* * *

Same day, afternoon
London, Thames House

Dimitri was the first to notice him coming through the doors.
“Harry!” he exclaimed, coming over to shake his boss’ hand enthusiastically.
“It’s great to have you back. You’ve been cleared, I take it?”
Over his shoulder, Harry watched as Ruth approached with a folder clutched in her arms, eager to hear Harry’s answer.
“No. A temporary reprieve. Apparently many terrorists are now also anti-royalists.” His eyes remained on Ruth, and he saw a smile flicker briefly across her face.
By this time Beth and Tariq had also gathered around him. He looked at his depleted team, feeling an uncharacteristic desire to tell them how glad he was to see them again. In the end, though, decorum won out.
“Why don’t we go to the meeting room and you can bring me up to date on the threats against the wedding?”

After Ruth’s briefing, Harry frowned to himself. In his opinion there was only one credible threat. With a slight smile, he said nothing, glancing sideways at Ruth. She held his gaze for a moment before continuing, “There is also another issue. The Home Office has decreed that we must develop closer relations with the FSB. Apparently they are going to help us solve the problems in the Middle East. In aid of this, an FSB delegation will be arriving tomorrow. These are the delegates.”
She went through the list methodically, listing which persons were most likely to be of interest or a particular threat to them. When she got to Elena Polyakova she sensed Harry’s attention sharpen immediately, although he hid it well. He didn’t add anything to her briefing, and she resolved to ask him about it later. By the time she finished he was deep in thought.
“That’s it,” she concluded.
Harry nodded. “Thank you all. Ruth, a word in my office?”

He closed the door behind her before taking himself behind the desk.
“You made up most of those threats,” he stated without preamble.
Ruth considered. “’Made up’ is putting it a bit strong. I may have exaggerated them somewhat…”
They smiled at each other knowingly before Harry sobered. “I appreciate it, but you should not be under any illusions that this is anything other than a temporary reprieve.”
He thought back over the last few weeks and added, “They want me out, Ruth. Nothing will change that.”
The note of defeat in his voice was indisguisable, and it broke Ruth’s heart. “Harry-“
“You should know that they’re forcing a new Section Chief on me,” he changed the subject, unwilling to discuss his uncertain future any further. “I’m sure she’ll be tasked with reporting back on my every move. Be careful around her, yes?”
Ruth’s response was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Beth poked her head around it. “Harry, can I talk to you?” The shadows behind her eyes were quite evident, and Harry had an inkling what this was about. Wordlessly he acquiesced, before turning back to Ruth. “Thank you, Ruth. You’ll let me know when the new Section Chief arrives?”

Once they were alone, his eyes settled on Beth. Despite the understanding she saw there, she fidgeted uncomfortably before gathering the courage to speak.
“I want to leave the Service.”
Harry let the silence stretch for a few seconds before responding, “I’m truly sorry to hear that. This is about Lucas, I take it?”
She nodded. “I don’t think I’m cut out for this work, Harry.”
He studied her sympathetically. “I think you’re wrong, for what it’s worth. But you can’t be here if you’re not sure whether you want to do this job. It asks too much of us to allow for such uncertainty.”
He placed both his hands on the desk and folded them, giving her a chance to process what he’d said. Hoping that perhaps she would change her mind. But when she spoke again, her voice was steady, certain. “I know, and I can’t do it. I’m not prepared to lose myself to it.”
He closed his eyes for a brief moment, before nodding and smiling at her. “Fair enough. I’ll see that the necessary paperwork gets done. Consider yourself decommissioned with immediate effect.”
“Thank you, Harry. Not only for this. For giving me a chance in the first place.” She got up to leave.
“Beth.”
She turned back.
“Good luck.”
With a final smile, she was gone.

Harry sat quietly for a moment before sighing deeply and dragging the file on the Russian delegation towards him. He opened it to the particulars of Elena Polyakova and studied the information intently. Once he was done he got up and paced his office, deep in thought. The Russians knew what he had done in 1979. That could be the only explanation for her inclusion in the delegation. His eyes drifted to Ruth’s station and he observed her working for a few moments, before coming to a decision. Picking up the phone, he called a very private number.
“I have to see you. Alone.”

* * *

Same day, midnight
Undisclosed location

The two men walked along the deserted beach, their torches the only specks of light visible. They walked for more than an hour, talking intensely in low voices. The other man left first, the sound of his car dying away, leaving only the hiss of the waves behind. Harry stood alone in the dark, hunching his shoulders against the bite in the air, thinking about what he had just set in motion, and what he was likely to lose because of it. He wiped a hand over his face, before turning and trudging back to his own car.

tbc

[DogSoSmall]

Oh great! A much needed distraction!

[Aria]

An intriguing start to another, no doubt, wonderful fic. Felt very torn at Harry's shooting of the unarmed couple.

[A Cousin]

Another great start, Silktie. I'm hooked. Again!

He wondered, in an idle moment, why they despised him so, before deciding that he didn’t care. Love. it!

I'm not sure I'd stand by Harry knowing what he did to that couple! My eyes almost popped out of their sockets when I read that. You may not have a crystal ball, but it would have to be something that horrible.

The meeting room and subsequent office scene were great too. You really capture the subtlety of their connection very nicely.

[Tea Lady]

Wow. Super start Silktie. Didn't like to read about Harry killing that family though but nothing he was doing at that time was particularly ethical. Loved Ruth exaggerating the threat also.

[pookster]

Lots of intrigue and tension. The Berlin killings. The FSB connection. Ruth's exaggerations. The Beach. All well done. Looking forward to more.

[Sparky]

I'm intrigued already. I hope Ruth stands by him when she learns what he did, but it's a pretty tough ask.

This us up to the very high standard of all your previous stories and I'm looking forward to the next update.