Loose Ends, Part 4
Athanatoi field office, West Berlin - April 3, 1963, 3:00 PM
Anne, Tatiana, and Erica stepped inside a holding room, where Section Chief Jonson had finished questioning Fyodor. Fyodor took a watch off his wrist and handed it to Jonson.
“That watch contains every piece of information I gathered with the Stasi,” he said, “You can verify it with your sources. I hope it helps you.”
“Thank you, Colonel,” Jonson said, “I can’t imagine how hard it was to make the decision.”
“Oh, it was actually very easy to make,” Fyodor said.
“Sir, I’d like to debrief the Colonel now,” Anne said, “Before we fly him out of here.”
Jonson nodded and left the room.
“Now, Colonel Tukhachevsky, I want to know,” Erica said, “Was it really you at Warsaw?”
Anne looked at Erica, confused.
“What?” she said.
“Did you drop the bomb?” Erica said. “Did you destroy that city?”
“Are you trying to say this Tukhachevsky is—” Anne said.
“Yes,” Tatiana said.
Anne looked at Tatiana now, even more shocked.
“You knew?” she said.
“I didn’t have a choice,” Tatiana said, “She told me a couple hours ago. I was going to tell you.”
“Fair enough,” Anne said.
“Yes, I did it,” Fyodor said, “I was the pilot who dropped the bomb.”
“So you admit it,” Erica said.
“I am ashamed of what I did,” Fyodor said, “They did not tell me what it was. They said it was an experimental bomb with double the destructive power. But when I saw that mushroom cloud over Warsaw, I knew something far worse had happened.”
“Because of you, two hundred thousand Romans, most of them civilians, died that day,” Erica said, “You killed them.”
“I was just following orders,” Fyodor said, “I did not know what kind of weapon I had.”
“You could’ve asked them for details,” Erica said, “That’s how I found out about you.”
“I did not live in the Reich!” Fyodor said. “Just questioning orders could get me sent to a gulag or shot! I had no choice!”
“Wrong,” Erica said, “You had a choice. If you made a mistake and did not correct it, you just made another mistake!”
“Erica, enough,” Anne said.
“No, you are just as bad as the rest of the equalists,” Erica said, “Maybe even worse. Because you were the one who pushed that button. You dropped the bomb. You killed those people. You killed my sister. Why should you get a second chance?”
“Because I realized what I did was wrong,” Fyodor said, “I knew I committed a terrible crime. I knew innocent lives were lost because of what I did. And nothing will change that. I have made my peace with that. You do not have to forgive me for killing your sister. I don’t expect it. But I truly regret what I have done. I wanted to defect to the Reich because of it, to prevent more cities from suffering Warsaw’s fate,. To prevent more people like you from losing loved ones. To prevent more men like me from having to push the same button.”
“You know you could’ve defected sooner,” Erica said.
“It’s never that simple!” Fyodor said. “Why can’t you understand this?!”
“Erica, enough!” Anne said.
She and Tatiana pushed Erica outside and slammed the door.
“What has gotten into you?!” Anne demanded.
“I wanted the truth,” Erica said, “I wanted to know who he really is.”
“No, it looked you just wanted to pursue a vendetta,” Tatiana said.
“What do you expect?” Erica said. “He killed two hundred thousand of our people! Resistance fighters too! What would you do it was your sister who died there?”
“This man isn’t a monster,” Tatiana said, “I mean, he wants to defect. He genuinely shows remorse for what he did. He wants to redeem himself.”
“How can he redeem himself?” Erica said. “He’s not going to bring the two hundred thousand back to life.”
“Nobody can!” Anne said.
“But he can stop more people from suffering their fate,” Tatiana said, “That’s why he’s giving us this information.”
“And for that, we just give him a new life?” Erica said. “Let him go like that?”
“He deserves that, at least,” Tatiana said, “After what he’s gone through.”
“You don’t know anything about what he’s gone through,” Erica said, “Or what I’ve gone through either.”
“Erica, please,” Anne said, “What’s done is done. Let him go. He’s no harm to us now.”
Erica sighed. Then she stormed away.
“I’m sorry, Tatiana,” Anne said, “She’s not usually like this.”
“I understand,” Tatiana said.
They walked to one of the break rooms. Anne poured two cups of coffee.
“Coffee?” she said.
“Sure,” Tatiana said, taking one.
“She’s always been troubled since Warsaw,” Anne said, “Her sister’s entire cell was wiped out by the bomb. There wasn’t even a body left to bury. It took a toll on Erica. But it drove her to work harder at the Athanatoi, to avenge her death. I’ve known her for twenty years. She’ll eventually get over this.”
“How did you put up with her for the last twenty years?” Tatiana said.
“I was patient,” Anne said, “And I forgave her when I needed to. She’s a good agent. The Athanatoi needs her at her best.”
“No,” Tatiana said, “It’s because she’s one of your few friends.”
“That’s another reason,” Anne said.
“You can’t let go of her,” Tatiana said, “Because then you’d be alone.”
“I’ve always been alone,” Anne said, “Ever since my parents were killed. Until this year, when Diana came along, all I had were my old friends and my sister. Being alone for that long…it takes a toll on you.”
“You have a family now,” Tatiana said, “You’re not alone. Not anymore.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Anne said. “It’s terrifying. This is a dangerous job. Every day is a struggle to get home to my daughter. I don’t want her to grow up without her parents, the way I did. I don’t want her to be alone, like I was.”
“You also have me,” Tatiana said, “I’m here for you. That’s why we work here, right? To ensure our children live in peace, free from suffering. We’ll make sure they don’t have to fight each other in the future we build.”
Section Chief Jonson rushed into the room.
“It’s an emergency,” he said, “Get a medic!”
“What happened?” Anne said.
“No time!” Jonson said.
They followed Jonson to the holding cell, where Fyodor lay motionlessly on the floor, his skin pale and foam frothing at his mouth. Anne felt for a pulse but found none.
“He’s dead,” she said, “Cyanide tablet. Standard issue among Stasi agents. Seen this plenty of times before.”
“We checked him,” Jonson said, “The debriefing turned up nothing. How did he get his hands on cyanide?”
“He must’ve snuck it through the debriefing,” Anne said, pointing at his uniform, “Probably in that cracked button there.”
“Why would he do such a thing?” Jonson said. “Didn’t he want to defect?”
“Maybe he couldn’t live with the knowledge he caused untold suffering on countless innocents,” Tatiana said, “That many men, women, and children suffered because of what he did. So after he gave us everything he knew, he ended his life.”
“Are we sure about that?” Anne said.
Agents had begun crowding outside the holding cell, watching them. Anne looked up and saw Erica among them. They locked eyes. Anne knew what she had done, and she knew Erica knew how she would react. And she hated that she couldn’t change that. She didn’t want to be alone.
One of Olga’s safe houses - March 12, 2015, 6:30 PM
Diana, Angela, and Anders entered the house, finding Olga had tied the killer to a chair.
“Oh, about time,” Olga said, “This is Emily Erstein.”
“Daughter of Erica Erstein,” Diana said, “One of Mom’s friends. Killed at Prague.”
“Why didn’t you show up sooner, Di?” Olga said.
“I…I don’t know,” Diana said.
“I was getting bored,” Olga said.
“As was I,” Emily said.
“Come on,” Olga said, “Everything you said was predictable. Not original. A little like what Di’s been saying lately.”
“But it’s the truth,” Emily said, “Equalists like you shouldn’t be given a second chance.”
“Who are you to judge?” Diana said.
Emily looked at her.
“Ah, Diana Frank,” she said, “The princess. Never had to try hard. Always destined for greatness because of her mother. She was friends with mine, of course.”
“Tell that to my face again,” Diana said, “I know about 1963.”
“And yet she couldn’t bring herself to cast my mom out,” Emily said, “That was always her flaw. She couldn’t let go of her friends. Even when she had to.”
“What your mother did was wrong,” Angela said.
“Wrong?” Emily said. “You weren’t there. You don’t get to decide what is wrong. That makes you just as bad as the equalists. They consider everything they disagree with wrong.”
“That’s not true,” Olga said, “Fyodor Tukhachevsky may have dropped the bomb on Warsaw, but he wasn’t told how powerful that bomb was. He wasn’t given a choice to disobey. And most importantly he tried to make up for it in the only way he could…by defecting and giving the Reich everything he knew. He wanted redemption. And your mother denied him that.”
“She avenged her sister,” Emily said.
“Vengeance,” Olga said, “I remembered when I wanted to avenge my parents. I was driven by my rage. I was easily shaped, directed at a target. It clouded my judgment. I didn’t think about right or wrong. I just wanted to avenge them.”
“But you failed,” Emily said, “I read your file. I know why you wanted to kill the late Director. Wasn’t that your life’s goal? Why give that up?”
“Because I started thinking for myself,” Olga said, “I expanded my horizons. I learned more about what happened. And then I chose my destiny. I chose not to be limited or defined by that. You should be open to the same thing.”
“No,” Emily said, “It was simple. Equalism almost destroyed the Reich. Your people wanted to kill us and destroy our way of life, to impose a corrupt and tyrannical society on us. We shouldn’t be giving you and your KGB friends a new life here. Look at what Schröder tried. The leaks said as much. That’s why I decided to finish what my mother started.”
“Agent Erstein, the war ended three decades ago,” Anders said, “Russia is no longer our enemy. The KGB is long gone. Its agents surrendered. Like Tukhachevsky, they want to adopt our way of life. They want to help us avoid future chaos and suffering, to make sure we don’t repeat the mistakes they did. And you’re repeating the mistake your mother made: not letting them atone for their sins.”
Emily sighed.
“You don’t understand,” she said, “There are some sins you can’t be forgiven for. Would you forgive Gandhi for the Holocaust? Angelos?”
“Those are different cases—” Angela said.
“You’re dodging the question,” Emily said, “It’s a simple yes or no. Agent Kirova, you and your fellow agents are war criminals. And if they haven’t committed as many war crimes as the others, they still committed war crimes and aided and abetted the others. Vijayangara showed we should’ve put them all in court and brought them to justice, instead of whatever this is or the travesty that was Operation Paperclip. If you don’t fix the mistakes you made, you’re just going to make more mistakes. Something my mother always told me.”
Two police officers entered the house and took out handcuffs.
“You’re going to put me in jail now, huh?” Emily said.
“That’s right,” Olga said, “Unless you got anything else to say.”
“Unlike the CSSR, this is a free country, and I have the right to remain silent,” Emily said, “I intend to use it.”
After Olga untied Emily, the officers handcuffed her and led her away.
“So what happens now?” Angela said.
Olga watched Emily get into a waiting police car.
“Justice, I hope,” she said.
Adenauer Center - March 13, 2015, 3:00 PM
A black violin case in her arm, hidden under her long jacket, Jessica headed up the steps to the main entrance. A voice called out behind her, and she stopped. She turned and saw Olga running up to her.
“Olga,” she said, “How are you?”
“Just wanted to let you know we caught the killer,” Olga said, “You’re safe now.”
“And the resettlement?” Jessica said.
“You don’t have to do it anymore, if you don’t want to,” Olga said, “I mean, Jessica’s a great name for you.”
“I agree,” Jessica said, “Was that why you showed up here? To tell me I’m safe?”
“Not all,” Olga said, “If you need to stay in the city any longer, just call me. I’ve got plenty more houses to spare.”
“That’s nice to know,” Jessica said.
“Also, good luck,” Olga said, “I hope they like you. I’ll be rooting for you.”
Jessica smiled.
“Thanks,” she said.
She turned and continued up the stairs.
“Oh, by the way, I have one more question,” Jessica said.
“Go ahead,” Olga said.
“Are you and Anders really married?” Jessica said.
Olga thought for a moment.
“Uh…yeah, you could say that,” she replied.
Frankfurt - April 7, 1963, 10:00 AM
Tatiana waited on a bench outside the gate to her flight. Her uniform had been recently cleaned and ironed out. The belongings she brought with her from Scandinavia were all packed in an old brown suitcase with her name tag on it. Her Tsarist passport lay in her lap.
She heard somebody approaching her, accompanied by the fussing of a baby. She looked to her side and saw Anne walking over, carrying a baby girl in her arms.
“Hey,” she said, “Just wanted to drop by before you went home.”
“Uh, that’s nice to know,” Tatiana said, “And this is?”
“Her name’s Diana,” Anne said, “Say hi, Anna!”
Diana only waved her hands around and started crying.
“Sorry,” Anne said, “She’s always so fussy.”
“How old is she?” Tatiana said.
“A few months,” Anne said, “She was born a few days before Beck was shot.”
Tatiana looked at Diana, who stared back at her.
“She’s cute,” Tatiana said, “Looks just like you.”
“So I’m told,” Anne said, “I’m not seeing it. At least not yet.”
“Say, uh, thanks for visiting,” Tatiana said, “After what happened in Berlin.”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Anne said, “The paperwork was annoying, but I think we can move past it.”
“Agent Erstein wasn’t charged,” Tatiana said, “You protected her.”
“There’s no way I can prove Erica did it, anyways,” Anne said, “I know, it’s tough, especially on one of your first missions, but we got other things to worry about now.”
On cue, Diana wailed again. Anne took out a bottle of milk and gave it to Diana, who happily drank it up. The intercom announced a flight was boarding now.
“That’s my flight,” Tatiana said, “Thanks for coming to visit. I understand, Berlin was rough, but I guess that’s our job, isn’t it?”
“Right,” Anne said.
Tatiana got up and headed for the gate.
“If you ever visit Stockholm, just ask for me,” Tatiana said, “Boris and I can always make room for you and Diana. We’re building a nursery anyways for the future, which would be perfect for little Diana here.”
“Same if you ever come back to Frankfurt,” Anne said, “I have a feeling you will.”
“So do I,” Tatiana said.
Anne shifted Diana to one arm and shook Tatiana’s hand with the other.
“I’ll see you next time, then,” she said.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Tatiana said.