Agent 6 ld-3

by Tom Rob Smith

  Leo paused beside tins of pea soup stacked in a pyramid formation. He’d never seen food arranged this way and wondered why a person would be impressed by such a display. Austin passed the pyramid, looking at it with disdain, while surrounded by a clump of officials keenly pointing towards exotic fruits that Leo couldn’t name. In an attempt to integrate this excess with the ideology of Communism, the shoppers, all MGB agents, had been selected from across the age spectrum, dressed in plain clothes and scuffed shoes, as though Grocery Store No. 1 were for everyone – the elderly grandmother and the young working woman alike. The staff meanwhile – men for the meat counter, women for the fruit aisle – had been instructed to smile as Austin passed them by, their faces following him as if he were the sun and they were flowers turning into his light. There were more shoppers outside, offstage, shivering in the snow, entering at apparently random intervals in order to maintain the impression of people coming and going.

  Austin’s expression grew increasingly sour. He was no longer speaking. His hands were deep in his pockets, his shoulders slumped, while all around him customers behaved like a flock of magpies, swooping from aisle to aisle, picking up anything that caught the light. Leo glanced in one shopping basket to see three red apples, a single beetroot and a tin of processed ham, an unlikely set of requirements for any shopping excursion.

  Austin broke free from the clump of officials, once again approaching Leo. He’d evidently decided Leo represented the ordinary man. Perhaps it was his coarse uniform and gruff reticence – during the car ride here Leo had said almost nothing, in contrast to the incessant pitter-patter flattery of the official. Austin put a hand on Leo’s shoulder.

  – I feel I can talk with you, Comrade Demidov.

  – Of course, Mr Austinto maint

  – Everyone wants to show me the best. But I just want to see the ordinary stores, where ordinary folks shop. Is there something more ordinary around here? You can’t seriously be telling me every store is like this one? Is that what you guys are telling me?

  Leo felt the pressure of his question like a hand tight around his heart. He answered:

  – Not all are the same. We are in the centre of town. This store might have a better range than a village store.

  – I’m not talking about a village store. I’m talking about an everyday store. You know? This can’t be the only place in town?

  – There are other shops.

  – Within walking distance?

  Before Leo could answer the officials hurried over, keen to divert their guest back towards their displays. They still had things to show him – fresh bread, the finest cuts of ham. Austin raised his hand, as if to keep them at bay. His mind was made up.

  – My friend is going to take me on a walk. He’s going to take me to a smaller store, you know, one that’s a little more… ordinary.

  The officials glared at Leo as if the suggestion had been his. Their survival instincts were acute. Suddenly the two other teams of agents pushed forward, addressing Leo.

  – That is out of the question. We must stick to our itinerary, for security reasons.

  Austin raised an eyebrow and shook his head.

  – Security? Are you serious? I’m not in any danger here, am I?

  They were trapped. They could hardly claim that they couldn’t protect him on the streets of their capital. Austin smiled.

  – I know you got rules and regulations. I know you got things you want to show me. But I want to be able to explore, OK? I insist. You hear that? I’m insisting.

  He laughed to soften the order but it was an order nonetheless. They were under instructions to do as their guest requested. From the way the others were looking at Leo it was clear that he was going to be blamed.

  Leo led the group out of the store, appointed head of this expedition in search of the ordinary. Austin was by his side, his mood already improving as they trampled through the thick snow. Leo glanced back to see the officials in animated conference by the store’s grand doors as a new influx of carefully down-dressed, scraggy shoppers in cheap coats arrived to find the show was over. The party officials didn’t understand what Austin wanted to see but they knew it wasn’t long queues and poorly stocked stores. Since they were under strict orders to accommodate Austin’s every whim they could hardly intervene.

  Austin put a friendly hand on Leo’s back.

  – Tell me a little about yourself.

  Leo had no desire to talk about himself.

  – What would you like to know?

  Appearing out of nowhere, one of the officials joined them, having evidently overheard their conversation.

  – Leo Demidov is one of our bravest officers. He fought heroically during the war and was awarded numerous commendations. Please, Mr Austin, where is it you would like to be taken? Perhaps you could take some tea while we make preparations?

  Austin was annoyed at the interruption, ignoring the notion of tea, a crude attempt to stall for time, and addressed Leo.

  – What do you do now, Comrade Demidov?

  Leo believed in his work as an agent. Communism faced dangers from many sides. It needed to be protected. However, it was much too complex an issue to go into now. He simply said:

  – I’m a police officer.

  Leo hoped the questions were at an end. But Austin continued:

  – Is there a lot of crime in the city?

  – Not crime as there is in America. There are no murders or theft. I deal with political criminals, conspiracies against the State.

  Austin was quiet for a moment.

  – Fairness has many enemies, am I right?

  – Yes, you are.

  – I’ll wager your job can be difficult.

  – Sometimes.

  – It’s worth it, my friend. It is worth it.

  They’d danced around the edge of this dark subject. Leo was thankful for Austin’s discretion. The conclusion of the conversation seemed to require a long silence, a pause. Jesse Austin eventually broke the silence, opting for a lighter topic.

  – No more serious questions. What do you like to do for fun? A handsome man like you, you must be married?

  Embarrassed at being called handsome, and at being single, Leo blushed.

  – No.

  – But why not?

  – I don’t know…

  – But there’s someone you love, isn’t there? Surely there’s someone? There’s always a love story, right?

  The question implied it was simply unthinkable that a person could be without love. Leo was desperate to move the conversation on. A lie was the easiest way to do it.

  – There is someone. We met recently.

  – What does she do?

  Leo hesitated, thinking back on Lena’s pile of schoolbooks:

  – She’s a teacher.

  – Bring her to the concert tonight!

  Leo gave a small nod of his head.

  – I will ask her. She is often very busy. But I will ask her.

  – Please, bring her.

  – I will try.

  They’d walked for inutes, down side streets, off the main road. An official tugged Leo’s arm, smiling broadly to conceal his agitation.

  – Are we walking anywhere in particular?

  Before Leo could reply, Austin saw the queue. He raised his hand, pointing to a line of customers snaking outside a small grocery store. Grigori ran ahead, assessing the store. There were at least thirty men and women. Many of them were elderly, their ragged coats dusted with snow. Grigori looked at Leo with alarm. The crowd turned and stared at the unlikely visitors, an MGB agent and a well-dressed American celebrity – perhaps the most famous American singer in the USSR, one of the few that the media was allowed to promote.

  Leo turned to Austin.

  – Wait here. Let me see what the problem is.

  Leo hurried to Grigori’s side to hear him whisper:

  – They haven’t opened yet!

  Leo banged on the store window. The manager scuttled ou
t of the back room, unlocking the door. Before Leo could utter a warning, Austin was by his side.

  – They open a little later here?

  Despite the cold, Leo’s shirt had become damp with perspiration.

  – It would seem so.

  As the door opened, Austin addressed the store manager:

  – Good morning. How you doing today? My name is Jesse Austin. Don’t mind us, we’re just here to look around. Please go about your business as usual and I promise we won’t get in the way!

  The manager turned to Leo, eyes wide and mouth open.

  – Should I close the store for you?

  Austin replied, taking control of the situation:

  – Those people are waiting in the snow! Let everyone in. Don’t do anything different!

  Cautiously, the shoppers trundled in, perplexed at the circumstances, forming a second line at the counter. Leo explained:

  – In the other store you saw customers browsing. Here things are more disciplined. The customers tell the staff what they want. They pay and then collect the items.

  Austin clapped his hands, pleased.

  – I get it. It’s all about necessity! They shop for what they need, nothing more.

  Leo mumbled his agreement.

  – Exactly.

  Reading the transcripts of Jesse Austin’s speeches and American interviews last night, Leo had encountered several heated exchanges where Austin had been accused of believing a falsified vision of Russia manufactured for gullible Westerners. The accusations had stung. He’d refuted the claims. But Leo was left with no doubt that Austin would be sensitive to his tour being overly managed. For this reason Leo and Grigori had spent the evening preparing several smaller stores close to the route of their itinerary. Leo had pre-empted the possibility of an impromptu visit. They’d alerted the managers and where possible they’d directed additional suphere Ato fill their shelves. He calculated that a polished version of reality might be more effective than an artificial model of perfection. Without the time to personally check every store their fate was in the hands of the store managers. Glancing from side to side, checking on the shelves, the state of the floors, he was relieved to see that the store was clean and reasonably well stocked. There was fresh bread and cartons of eggs. The customers were real, not hand-selected, and their good mood was entirely genuine as they marvelled at their luck, shopping on a day when there was so much choice.

  The old woman at the front of the queue gleefully collected a carton of eggs. With the excitement of the purchase and the confusion of having MGB agents watch her, she lost concentration. The carton slipped from her grip, falling to the floor. Austin was the first to step up to help. Leo caught the store manager’s glance – there was fear in his eyes. Something was wrong. Reacting quickly, Leo ran past Austin, picking up the carton and checking inside. Instead of eggs, there were six small rocks.

  Leo shut the carton, handing it back to the manager.

  – They broke.

  The manager’s hands were shaking as he took the carton. Austin called out:

  – Hold on!

  The manager stood, trembling. Leo imagined the six small rocks shaking inside the carton. Austin gestured at the elderly woman.

  – She’s going to get another carton, isn’t she? Without charge?

  Leo put his hand on the woman’s shoulder, imagining her disappointment when she arrived home to find herself the proud owner of six small rocks.

  – Of course.

  Most of the officials were outside, pressed up against the window, too scared to move, trying to keep some distance between themselves and what they presumed was the ongoing debacle. Gradually they plucked up the courage to step into the store, wearing brittle smiles. Austin was pleased.

  – This is great, really great.

  The shop visit had been a success. The official who’d suggested tea before did so again.

  Austin shook his head.

  – What is it with you and tea?

  The officials laughed. Austin declared:

  – I’m eager to see more. What’s next?

  Next on the itinerary was a visit to Moscow University. Before an official could even begin to sell the idea, Austin had turned to Leo.

  – Your girl is a teacher, you said?

  Confused, Leo hesitantly replied:

  – My girl?

  – Your girlfriend? The one we were talking about. The teacher. Wouldn’t it be something to go see a school?

  Moscow Secondary School 7 Avtozavodskaya

  Same Day

  Leo sat with his hands tight arund the steering wheel, furious at Austin for not understanding the danger that he’d placed him in. The man’s actions were naive – entirely foreign. Keen to prove his detractors at home wrong, he’d embarked on a programme of calculated sabotage, brushing aside their plans with the playfulness of a man who had no comprehension of the regime he flattered. It did not tolerate mistakes. Grave risks existed for the people organizing his trip, including Leo. Yet it hadn’t occurred to Austin that there would be consequences if he saw anything that didn’t chime with the idealized vision that the Kremlin wanted him to export to the United States. These attempts to duck the official preparations were little more than a game, evidenced by the way he’d whistled all the way to the Secondary School 7, where Lena worked.

  Leo stared in dumb terror at Secondary School 7: a newly built box of classrooms supported on concrete legs. Fortunately there was no risk that the school building itself wouldn’t pass inspection. The officials were greatly relieved that their guest had chosen an institution they would have gladly picked themselves. The risk was solely on Leo’s shoulders. He’d lied. When he’d claimed Lena was the woman he loved, he’d presumed the lie would fold into the conversation, an irrelevance immediately forgotten. It had been intended to save him from the minor embarrassment of admitting that there was no one he loved and no one who loved him. Now he bitterly regretted his foolishness. Why couldn’t he simply have admitted that he lived alone? There was no way to wriggle out from the trap. Austin was intent upon visiting a school and he wanted to see one that couldn’t have been prepared in advance. Leo had set him up perfectly.

  Stepping out of the car, he tried to think calmly, rationally, something he’d been unable to do for the past forty-five minutes. He knew that her name was Lena. He didn’t know her full name. He knew that she taught politics. Most important of all, he knew that she didn’t like him. His legs felt weak, like a condemned man walking to his execution. He weighed up the option of admitting the lie: he could stop the group and declare that he didn’t know Lena. He’d invented a relationship because he didn’t want to appear lonely. It would be a pitiful, humiliating confession. Austin would laugh it off, perhaps offering him some reassuring words about love. They could tour the school without visiting Lena. The officials would say nothing. Yet there was no question that Leo’s career would come to an end. At best he’d be demoted. More likely he’d be accused of deliberately undermining the opinion of a key ally of the Soviet Union. Since there was nothing to gain by admitting the lie it was better to play along with it for as long as possible.

  It was lunchtime. Children were outside playing in the snow. Leo could use them to buy him some time, encouraging Austin to talk to the students while he slipped off and found Lena. He only needed a couple of seconds to prepare her. She didn’t have to do anything other than smile, answer questions and play along with his lie. She was smart, he was sure of that. She would understand. She would improvise.

  As they entered the gates, Grigori hurried to his side, their first opportunity to speak in private since Austin’s request to visit the school.

  – Leo, what is going on? Who is this woman?

  Leo checked that no one else was in earshot.

  – Grigori, I lied.

  – You lied?

  He sounded amazed, as if he considered Leo an automaton, incapable of anything as human as a lie.

  – About the wom
an – Lena, she doesn’t love me. She barely even knows me.

  – Does she work here?

  – She works here. That much is true. I think, at least, I can’t be sure.

  – Why did you lie?

  – I don’t know. It just happened.

  – What are we going to do?

  Grigori had not removed himself from Leo’s predicament. He did not have the instincts of a typical MGB agent. They were a team. Leo felt a flush of gratitude.

  – I’m going to try and persuade Lena to play along with the lie. Stay with Austin, slow him down, try to buy me as much time as possible.

  The children ran forward, forming a circle as Austin entered the school. The playground had fallen silent. No doubt fearing that one of the children might say something out of turn, it was entirely possible that none of them had ever seen a black man before, an official spoke up, smiling broadly to cover the implicit threat.

  – Children, you have a very important guest today. This is Jesse Austin, the famous singer. You must show our guest how well you can behave.

  Even the youngest children understood the danger these men represented. Austin crouched down to ask a question. Leo couldn’t hear what he was saying. He was already on his way to the entrance.

  Once inside, out of sight, he broke into a run, his shoes heavy on the smooth stone floor. He stopped a teacher, grabbing her arms, startling her with his intensity.

  – Where’s the director’s office?

  The teacher remained dumbstruck, staring at Leo’s uniform. Leo shook her.

  – Where?

  She pointed to the end of the corridor.

  Leo burst into the room, causing the school director to stand up, paling with each second. Leo realized that the poor man believed he was being arrested. He was frail, in his late fifties. His lips were squeezed thin with anxiety. There wasn’t much time.

  – I’m Officer Demidov. I need to know everything about a teacher working here. She’s called Lena.

  The director sounded like a frightened child.