Tuesday, June 5th, 1981 - Oxford
"It's open," Ruth calls in response to the knock at her door.
"Have you thought about it?" Maria asks eagerly as she walks into her best friend's room.
"Yes," Ruth replies with a smile, getting up from her bed and walking over to her desk where she rummages through the papers that are scattered across it.
"And?" Maria asks impatiently.
"I can come for four weeks," Ruth smiles, turning to face her.
"Yes!" Maria shrieks and flings herself at Ruth, hugging her tightly. Then she releases her and practically skips about the room waving her arms about and exclaiming, "We're going to have so much fun. I will show you everything. Think of all those ancient temples and statues we're going to see, the beautiful sea we're going to dive into, and the torrid affairs we'll have with hot, Greek men."
Ruth smiles happily at the delight of her friend's joy and can't resist asking, "Affairs? We're having more than one, are we?"
"Oh, yes," Maria turns to her and grins, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. "Greek men are great for short, hot encounters, and what could be better than a different one every night? It's not as if we'll see any of them again. You'll be back in England soon enough, ready to defend your country."
Ruth laughs at the light-hearted remarks of her best friend. It's one of the things that she loves about her and probably what drew them together in the first place. Maria enjoys a good time and Ruth, being a very serious kind of person, has always found that characteristic irresistible in others. Not that Maria isn't capable of being serious. In fact, she's very smart and they spend a lot of their time discussing anything and everything, confiding in each other and sharing a bond as strong as if they were sisters. And that's another thing Ruth loves about her, having someone to share her experiences with, having a confidante. It's something that she'll miss immensely now that they've graduated and are preparing to go their separate ways. Maria's planning to go back home to Greece and hoping to get a position working in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. Ruth is off to GCHQ in August. They both know that life is pulling them apart, and though the bond they have formed will not be severed completely, they will also not remain as close as they are now.
Thursday, July 5th, 1981 - 140 Gower Street
"Harry?" Jack Reynolds calls from his office door. "My office, please."
Harry Pearce looks up from his table where he's writing up his report. His hazel eyes glance at his boss's office and he frowns. Getting up, he pulls a folder over the sheet of paper he's been writing on, and walks briskly to the door, where he knocks once before walking through the open doorway.
"Sir?" he says as he stops in front of Reynold's desk.
The man looks up from the file in front of him and gets straight to the point, "You have contacts in Greece, don't you?"
"Yes, Sir," Harry replies with a puzzled frown.
"Good," Jack Reynolds nods. "Six is getting a little worried about the political situation down there, what with them joining the EEC and their elections coming up in October. They would like to send someone in to keep an eye on things for a little while. The chap's name's Porter, Fredrick Porter. They've requested that you go out there with him for a couple of weeks to help out and pass on your contacts."
Harry frowns, "But surely they have agents already on the ground there that can make the introductions?"
Jack looks at him critically for a few seconds. Then he places his elbows on the table, and leaning forward, he says, "They were very reluctant to let you go, what is it now? Twenty-two months ago? You have much experience, Harry, and are an excellent operative. I've agreed to this brief, shall we say, vacation? So that they stop trying to poach you from Five again." He leans back in his chair and folds his hands behind his head before adding, "Anyhow, it should be a nice break for you, Harry. Might even get to visit the beach, or some ancient ruins while you're out there."
"I'd rather remain here, Sir," Harry replies, but seeing the other man about to protest, he quickly adds, "When am I leaving?"
"Good man," Jack smiles and turns back to his work before adding, "Tomorrow. Malcolm has the details."
Harry's surprised by the short notice, but he says nothing and walks out of the room to find Malcolm.
Monday, July 9th 1981 - Athens
Harry's sitting in a café reading the newspaper. Well, actually, he's pretending to read the newspaper and is instead observing his surroundings. In fact, he muses as he waits patiently, he would not be able to read the newspaper even if he wanted to; it's all Greek to him. Two tables down from him sits Fredrick Porter, whom he's worked with briefly before. Though he's not one of the brightest agents Six has on its payroll, Porter is a steady worker and a pleasant fellow, and Harry's happy to be helping him out. They're waiting for an asset to arrive. It's hot today, probably in the high thirties, and he's grateful for his light cotton clothing. Both he and Fred are dressed to blend in with the locals, and they've even applied some light tanning lotion to their bare arms and faces to disguise their rather white, British skin.
Harry still isn't sure what he's doing here. He understands the concerns regarding the political situation in Greece, and he can sense the excitement running through the local population. There are numerous political rallies going on and discussions between the men at the cafés are heated. There's concern that the communist party is gaining too much support, however, according to his other assets, these reports seem to be mistaken. It's the socialist party that's favourite to win the elections, something that the Cousins won't be happy about, but it's nowhere near as problematic as a communist victory would prove to be.
He spots his asset, Artemis, passing by the café. He waits a beat, and then he calls the waiter in his limited Greek and pays for his coffee. Harry has a good ear for languages and can reproduce accents reasonably well, however, he has never bothered to study any language systematically enough to learn it well. In every country he's been stationed, he's found it possible to get by, by merely pick up some useful words and phrases. As a rule, he understands a lot more than he speaks, and he's always found this invaluable in the field. People will reveal a lot of information to a man who feigns ignorance of the language without even realising it.
He gets up, and leaving the paper on the table, he walks out and wonders down the street at a leisurely pace. A couple of minutes later, Fred leaves too. They follow Artemis for a couple of blocks at a discreet distance from her and each other before they enter a very narrow alley with a green side door about half way down it. Harry waits for Fred outside, and once he arrives, they wordlessly check their guns and then walk in together, scanning their surroundings quickly for any signs of a trap.
"It's safe," Artemis murmurs in lightly accented English from the corner of the room.
The men nod to her, but continue to the two doorways leading out of the room, making sure that they are indeed alone. A kitchen and a bathroom are the only other rooms in the house and both are empty. They walk back into the living room, their gazes rapidly and professionally taking in and analysing their surroundings. The place is covered in a thin film of dust, there are only an old table and two chairs for furniture, and all three windows, two facing the street and one the alley, are boarded up.
"Nice place," Harry murmurs, and then turning to Fred, he says, "Poseidon, this is Artemis. Artemis, this is your new handler, Poseidon. You can still use the regular drop; it remains uncompromised." Fred and the woman look at each other appraisingly for a few moments, and then they both nod. "Good," Harry continues. "Now, Artemis, do you have any news for us?"
"Nothing new," Artemis replies. "The left is getting weaker now that the socialist party is here. It's likely that they'll win the election."
Fred nods and says, "That's our assessment also. Thank you."
They look at each other for a few moments, nod their goodbyes, and then wordlessly, they leave one at a time.
Sunday, July 15th, 1981 - Crete
Ruth looks out across the sea from her bedroom window. The view is spectacular and she has to admit that this trip has been amazing. Part of her is envious of the beauty and history that Maria's country has. Britain has history and beauty too, but not in the same breathtaking way. Over the last three weeks, Maria has taken her to visit all the most famous archaeological sites in Greece. They started in Thessaloniki, then moved down to Meteora, Delphi, Athens, the Peloponnese and now they're on Crete. They visited Knossos yesterday, and today they've decided that they've had enough of ancient sites and are ready to relax on the beach for the remaining three days of Ruth's stay in Greece. Ruth takes deep breaths of the refreshing, salty air and goes back inside to get ready for a swim.
Harry's leaning over the railing of the yacht as it speeds through the surf toward the island. He loves boats. When he was a boy, he used to sail with his father and brother. Happy memories fill his mind, and he takes deeps breaths of the sea air while a smile plays on his lips.
His companion says, "I haven't seen you smile like that since our days at Oxford."
Harry turns to his friend and murmurs, "I haven't had a single day off since our days at Oxford."
John laughs and claps him on the shoulder before saying, "Good job you accepted this assignment then, isn't it?"
Harry turns to him and eyes him critically. "You're the reason I'm here," he states matter of factly as the truth finally dawns.
"You always were as sharp as a razor," he replies, looking out over the water. "We needed an experienced man out here anyway, but I pulled a few strings to make sure it was you."
Harry watches him for a little while and then turns away, saying, "Thanks."
"What are friends for, eh?" John replies and turns back toward the helm where his wife has the wheel.
It's beautiful out here on the sea with no one around. Harry glances to his right and watches as a couple of dolphins appear in the water. They jump clean out of the sea and splash back in, swimming under the boat and coming out on the other side. Harry chuckles as he watches them race the boat and feels a weight suddenly lift from his heart. It's just over a year since his divorce, and it's been weighing on him like a ton of bricks, and in that moment, he realises that John's right – he needs this break. He'll have to find a way to repay his friend for arranging it.
Maria and Ruth set off for the beach on a moped. They've decided to go to a village called Platanas that's not far from their lodgings in Chania. When they get there, they sit down on some beach chairs that belong to the local bar and order some drinks, which they sip contentedly as they lie in the sun, occasionally getting up to go for a swim in the sparkling blue, calm waters. They eat lunch in a taverna, and after some discussion, during which they both realise that they're bored with just lying on a beach, they decide to head up the coast and explore.
They find a dirt road that leads off into some olive groves and follow it down until it stops in a small clearing that is obviously there to turn cars around. They leave the moped behind and go for a walk amongst the olive trees, and after a short nap in the shade, they spot a secluded beach down below. They set off with renewed energy and are delighted to find that it's not very far, though it's rather a steep climb. Soon they're swimming in the clear, blue water of their own private beach.
It's three o'clock by the time they reach Crete. The sun is hot and they drop anchor in a small cove with a sandy beach that John and his wife, Lesley, have been to before.
"It looks like we have company today," John remarks to Lesley, nodding to a couple of people swimming near the beach. "I wonder how they got here. I don't see a boat."
"Pity," Lesley replies with a grin. "I was hoping we could do some skinny dipping."
"I'm sure they can't see you from all the way over there, Darling," John smiles. "Harry will though."
"Don't stop on my account," Harry murmurs with a smirk.
Lesley laughs and John grumbles good naturedly, "Go find your own bird to ogle, Mate."
"There are two to pick from right there, Harry," Lesley observes, and the men turn toward her to see her peering though some binoculars at the two people swimming near the beach. "Oh my, and they're skinny dipping," she adds a moment later as they come out of the water. John and Harry simultaneously make a move toward her to get the binoculars, but Lesley just laughs and holds them out of reach saying, "Now, now, boys, give the ladies some privacy."
Harry gives up and turns toward the beach again. They're too far out to see any detail, but both women have lovely figures. They're putting their swimming costumes on again, probably because they've seen the yacht.
"Lovely," John murmurs shortly and then nudges Harry on the arm with the binoculars before adding, "Take a look."
Harry obliges. One of the women has long dark hair, and her body is tanned and slim. The other is shorter with shoulder-length chestnut hair, but her body has more generous curves than her friend's and her skin looks creamy and soft. The tall girl says something to her companion, and running to the water in a graceful sprint, she dives in. As she surfaces, Harry can see her laughing and spluttering, and for a moment, her naked breasts peak out of the water before she turns her back to him and looks at her companion. Harry focuses the binoculars on the other girl and sees her burst out laughing at the predicament her friend finds herself in. She doubles over with laughter and Harry can't help smiling.
"Let's go and introduce ourselves," Lesley says when she sees the smile on Harry's lips. "Shall we swim out?"
"Yes, let's," John replies and dives in.
Lesley follows and Harry quickly removes his shirt and shorts and joins them as they swim out to shore. The men lag behind Lesley, deliberately making sure that they're not the first to arrive; they don't want to scare the girls. Lesley gets to the shore first and calls out, "Come on, you slow coaches." Then, taking a few steps forward, she speaks to the tall girl. "Hi. I'm Lesley. Do you speak English? I thought I'd introduce myself since we're the only ones on this beach."
"Hi," the tall girl answers in a light voice with a slight accent. "I'm Maria and this is Ruth."
"Hello," Ruth says quietly.
John gets out of the water and approaches the group with a lazy smile. Lesley takes his hand and says, "This is John, my husband, and that's our friend Peter over there."
The girls shake hands with John and look towards Harry who raises a hand in greeting.
"How on earth did you two get here?" John asks suddenly glancing around the beach looking for some means of transport.
"We walked down from up there," Maria informs him, indicating the steep incline to their left.
"We should actually be getting back soon," Ruth adds. "It was quite a long way."
"We could give you a lift," Lesley offers. "We'll be going to Chania later."
"Thanks," Ruth replies, "but we have a moped up there."
"Oh, John'll drive that back for you. Won't you, Darling?" Lesley volunteers her husband immediately.
"Yes," John replies without hesitation. "I could do with a walk to stretch my legs after that long trip. We just got here from Athens."
"We couldn't possibly let you do that!" Ruth exclaims. "It's too much trouble. We'll set off now and we'll be fine." She begins collecting her things.
Lesley and John try to insist, but the girls will not give in and leave shortly afterwards, climbing up through the olive grove. "Damn," Lesley says under her breath as she watches them go. "There goes our chance for company."
"Never mind," John replies, sliding an arm round her waist and pulling her to him. "We'll meet other people tomorrow."
"Yes," she acknowledges, "but I was hoping that Harry would take a fancy to one of them."
"Oh, no," John laughs, "not one of your match making schemes! Poor Harry."
"I'm not match making," Lesley replies indignantly, "but you have to agree that he's looking a little glum. A nice holiday romance is just the thing he needs to cheer him up."
"You might be right," John murmurs as he lowers his lips toward hers, "but believe me, Harry's never needed any help getting women in his bed."
"A nudge in the right direction can't hurt," she replies and leans in to kiss him.
Harry surfaces from a dive and glances around him. He spots his two companions on the beach engaged in what can only be described as a very good snog. Lucky bastards, he thinks, and deciding to leave them to it, he turns round and swims towards the boat. He reaches it, and climbing aboard, he grabs a towel and begins to dry himself. Then sitting comfortably in the afternoon sun, he switches on the radio and scrolls through the channels, listening to each one for a little while before moving on. Eventually he settles on one he likes, and grabbing a beer from the cooler next to him, he takes a sip and closes his eyes in bliss as he relaxes back against the cushions. It's so good to slow down and have nothing to worry about for a few days. It's not something he could get used to, but it's refreshing for a little while, and hopefully, when he gets back, he'll have renewed energy for work. He realises that he's been running on empty for some time now, and this break is probably doing him a world of good.