I went on my way. A stormy wind rattled the scrap-iron in the ruins, whistling and howling through the charred cavities of the windows. Twilight came on. Snow fell from the darkening, leaden sky. Pulling up the collar of my jacket, I made my way back to Steph, it was the least I could do, but I knew we would not be together much longer.
13 months earlier
Gibbs had been called to the Director's office. The Director looked at the Agent, Gibbs the maverick, three times married, twice divorced. This was going to be hard, but the man was good, he hoped it wasn't going to lead to a third divorce. His new bride Stephanie, but he arranged a job for her in the Embassy, but it was Gibbs who had the credentials.
"Gibbs, I have an assignment for you. You are the best we have. You are fluent in Russian, and I know you and another NCIS agent, by the name of Callen, have worked together."
"Sir, we didn't work together, I saved his butt in Serbia, when Agent Shepard and I were there."
"OK, but the CIA have asked, if you and Callen could possibly be included in an undercover operation."
"Sir, I just got married, you think my wife is gonna take kindly to this?"
"I really have no-one else who is capable, but I have a job lined up for your wife."
"How long we talking about?" Gibbs ventured.
"6months to a year," the Director replied.
"No way, Director."
"Agent Gibbs, you have the credentials, as well as the poker face….and may I remind you of Paris. She's still at large. You know who I mean, Svetlana."
Gibbs thought back to Paris and how he had been arrested. Jen, she just wasn't capable or upto finishing the job.
-oOo-
"Gibbs, it's Moscow, it's cold and Red," Stephanie had shouted.
"Steph, you knew when you married me it was like this, you knew my last assignment…"
"France, bloody France, Paris, and you got arrested, Ducky told me," she had shouted, "And who were you with, oh yes Junior Agent Jennifer Shepard…." she continued to shout but pointing an accusing finger at Gibbs.
"Steph, I can back and married you, it was purely professional between us. Steph, I need to go and finish the job, Jenny…" seeing the look in his new wife's eye, "Jennifer didn't."
"And you think you can?"
"No I don't, but the CIA and the Director think I can. And before you ask, there is a job with the Embassy for you."
"Great, and my boss is just going to let me have time off?"
"Yes Steph, a year to be precise."
Gibbs looked at the shock look on his wife's face; this was not going to be an easy assignment.
Moscow sometime 1999
The Agencies had got together and given them an apartment in the Embassy; it was convenient for Steph and gave Gibbs time to acclimatise, so to speak.
"And this is what is called sleeping on the job?" as Steph looked about the apartment, "Bedsit springs to mind."
"It's a studio, just appreciate its better than I will get."
The 1st month was mostly briefings for Gibbs. Get Svetlana. Oh, and there was a slight subject of Russian Numbers Stations.
"Just one?" Gibbs had said.
"No, actually two or three, but the main one is, UVB-76," a big wig replied.
"It is known as the Buzzer. Have you heard of it?" big wig two asked.
"I'm NCIS, Marines, not some Military Spy, expand."
"Quite, UVB-76, a shortwave military transmitter sends or should I say transmits a "Buzz" 25 pulses a day 24/7, on 4625 kHz, hence the name "Buzzer," big wig one answered.
"The location and call sign were unknown to us until the first known voice broadcast in December 24th 1997, it read "УЗБ-76 180 08 БРОМАЛ 74 27 99 14," big wig two continued. Gibbs eyed them suspiciously.
"This is UVB-76, 18008 BROMAL 74 27 99 14," Gibbs translated.
"Quite, but BROMAL was spelt out phonetically, Boris, Roman, Olga, Mikhail, Anna, Larisa, it has the same international meaning, that being a chemical."
"Could be a randomly selected codeword," Gibbs offered.
"Quite," big wig one replied again. As Gibbs wished he would stop saying "quite".
"I have to ask you do know where it is?" he ventured this time.
"Oh yes, at 56°5′0″N 37°6′37″E which is about halfway between Zelenograd and Solnechnogorsk and about 40miles northwest of here somewhere near the village of Lozhki," big wig two responded, looking at his notes.
"Accommodation Sir? And what was it with Callen?"
"Callen, the other NCIS guy, he's somewhere around, either here or there or they shipped him out yesterday."