The Seduction of Jonathan D. Bristow
Part 1: Initial Approach
From [I]The Official KGB Guidelines for the Seduction of An Enemy Agent[/I], Section 1: Establishment of Cover and Initial Introduction to Target
[I]Before seeking the target, the agent should take time to familiarize herself with her new environment. Depending on the intended length of the mission, this phase may last anywhere from a few days to several weeks. During this time, the agent should make friends and, if possible, engage in short-term romantic relationships in order to learn about normal behavior for such encounters.
When the time is deemed right to approach the target, the agent should first observe the target for several days. Learn his habits and determine the optimal time for the first approach. The introduction should be carefully planned out in advance: when, where, and how. The agent should confirm the plan with her handler before proceeding. [/I]
Irina Derevko tried not to stare as she walked through the aisles of the grocery store. She had been in America for less than twenty-four hours, and couldn't believe the differences between this country and her homeland. The sheer amount of food alone would have been amazing, but the variety, and the fact that anyone who had the money could buy as much as they wanted, simply left her breathless.
She consulted the shopping list that her handler had made out for her. She found it difficult to believe that she was supposed to buy all of this food just for herself. And she was supposed to come back to the grocery every week!
As she shopped, she thought about this first phase of her assignment. She knew nothing about her target yet, not even his name-only that he was a CIA agent pursuing a graduate degree at Yale. She was to spend six weeks establishing herself as Laura Jameson, a junior English literature major who had just transferred to Yale from Bryn Mawr. During that time, she would learn to fit in with American culture, make friends, and hopefully go on "dates" with a variety of men.
She was down to the last item on her list: ice cream. Ice cream! She had asked her handler whether it was appropriate for her to be buying such luxuries when so many in Russia were starving; he had scolded her, saying that Laura Jameson would never think of such a thing. "Once you are placed, Irina, everything you do, even in the privacy of your apartment, must be something that Laura would do," he had said. Now she stared at the ice cream case, then consulted her list again. It just said "ice cream"; she hadn't known there would be so many flavors. She had eaten ice cream once, at Christmas when she was nine. It had been creamy, cold, and delicious. It had also been white; according to the pictures on the boxes, most of these ice cream flavors were not white.
Finally, she spotted a picture of white ice cream. Vanilla, the label said. She opened the glass door as a young man walked up and opened the adjacent glass door. Their hands touched the carton of ice cream at the same time. Laura looked up in surprise, into the brown eyes of one of the most handsome men she had ever seen. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said, remembering to keep the slight Russian accent out of her voice.
The man laughed. "Go ahead, you were here first," he said. She smiled and took the ice cream; he stuck his head in the freezer and moments later came up triumphantly with another carton of vanilla ice cream. "See? Plenty to go around." He noticed her cart as she put the ice cream in. "Wow, that's a lot of stuff. You have a big family or something?"
"Oh, no," she answered. "I live alone. I just moved here from Pennsylvania today, and I don't have any food at all yet."
He nodded. "So, um, since you just moved here, you probably don't know too many people, right?"
"I don't know anyone at all, actually." Should she introduce herself? Well, Laura would want to make friends, too. "I guess that makes you the first," she said with a bright smile. "I'm Laura Jameson." She held out her hand.
"Jack Bristow," the young man answered, taking her hand and giving it a hearty shake. "Hey, if you're not doing anything tomorrow night, maybe I could show you around. We could catch a movie, maybe?"
"I'd like that." Irina did like that. She liked Jack Bristow, too. She could only hope that her target would be equally likeable. They exchanged phone numbers and parted, and Irina left the store happily, glad to be able to tell her handler that she had made her first American contact ahead of schedule.
1/5
Part 1: Initial Approach
From [I]The Official KGB Guidelines for the Seduction of An Enemy Agent[/I], Section 1: Establishment of Cover and Initial Introduction to Target
[I]Before seeking the target, the agent should take time to familiarize herself with her new environment. Depending on the intended length of the mission, this phase may last anywhere from a few days to several weeks. During this time, the agent should make friends and, if possible, engage in short-term romantic relationships in order to learn about normal behavior for such encounters.
When the time is deemed right to approach the target, the agent should first observe the target for several days. Learn his habits and determine the optimal time for the first approach. The introduction should be carefully planned out in advance: when, where, and how. The agent should confirm the plan with her handler before proceeding. [/I]
Irina Derevko tried not to stare as she walked through the aisles of the grocery store. She had been in America for less than twenty-four hours, and couldn't believe the differences between this country and her homeland. The sheer amount of food alone would have been amazing, but the variety, and the fact that anyone who had the money could buy as much as they wanted, simply left her breathless.
She consulted the shopping list that her handler had made out for her. She found it difficult to believe that she was supposed to buy all of this food just for herself. And she was supposed to come back to the grocery every week!
As she shopped, she thought about this first phase of her assignment. She knew nothing about her target yet, not even his name-only that he was a CIA agent pursuing a graduate degree at Yale. She was to spend six weeks establishing herself as Laura Jameson, a junior English literature major who had just transferred to Yale from Bryn Mawr. During that time, she would learn to fit in with American culture, make friends, and hopefully go on "dates" with a variety of men.
She was down to the last item on her list: ice cream. Ice cream! She had asked her handler whether it was appropriate for her to be buying such luxuries when so many in Russia were starving; he had scolded her, saying that Laura Jameson would never think of such a thing. "Once you are placed, Irina, everything you do, even in the privacy of your apartment, must be something that Laura would do," he had said. Now she stared at the ice cream case, then consulted her list again. It just said "ice cream"; she hadn't known there would be so many flavors. She had eaten ice cream once, at Christmas when she was nine. It had been creamy, cold, and delicious. It had also been white; according to the pictures on the boxes, most of these ice cream flavors were not white.
Finally, she spotted a picture of white ice cream. Vanilla, the label said. She opened the glass door as a young man walked up and opened the adjacent glass door. Their hands touched the carton of ice cream at the same time. Laura looked up in surprise, into the brown eyes of one of the most handsome men she had ever seen. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said, remembering to keep the slight Russian accent out of her voice.
The man laughed. "Go ahead, you were here first," he said. She smiled and took the ice cream; he stuck his head in the freezer and moments later came up triumphantly with another carton of vanilla ice cream. "See? Plenty to go around." He noticed her cart as she put the ice cream in. "Wow, that's a lot of stuff. You have a big family or something?"
"Oh, no," she answered. "I live alone. I just moved here from Pennsylvania today, and I don't have any food at all yet."
He nodded. "So, um, since you just moved here, you probably don't know too many people, right?"
"I don't know anyone at all, actually." Should she introduce herself? Well, Laura would want to make friends, too. "I guess that makes you the first," she said with a bright smile. "I'm Laura Jameson." She held out her hand.
"Jack Bristow," the young man answered, taking her hand and giving it a hearty shake. "Hey, if you're not doing anything tomorrow night, maybe I could show you around. We could catch a movie, maybe?"
"I'd like that." Irina did like that. She liked Jack Bristow, too. She could only hope that her target would be equally likeable. They exchanged phone numbers and parted, and Irina left the store happily, glad to be able to tell her handler that she had made her first American contact ahead of schedule.
1/5