Berlin, Das Brauhaus
November 2, 1943, 1800 hours

Hans Teppel and Kurt Wagner sat at their usual table, isolated in the corner of the tavern. They had found that they usually would be left alone, and could talk softly without being overheard.

"The woman coming to meet us is my sister," Wagner said.

Teppel nodded knowingly. He knew that the woman that would meet them was the Russian agent known as Marya.

"She has changed," Wagner continued. "You will not recognize her."

Teppel took a drink of his beer. So Marya will be in a disguise, he thought. "Is it safe for her to be in Berlin so soon?" he asked.

Wagner nodded. "Ja," he replied. "She is about to start her journey, and since I will not hear from her in a while, she wanted to talk to me before she left." After a sip of his beer, Wagner continued, "And she wanted to finally meet you, my friend." Wagner smiled.

"I look forward to it," Teppel replied. He took a drink of his beer, emptying the stein. He motioned to Heidi for refills for them both. "I read a report today from our contacts in England," he said softly. "It seems the Allies are starting to gather troops in the north and south of the country."

Wagner nodded, and waited to reply as Heidi set the full steins in front of them. They both smiled at the barmaid as she took the empties away.

"Our superiors will be very glad to hear that bit of news," Wagner replied. "It seems that the promised invasion is being readied."

Teppel nodded, looking around the smoke filled room. The place was moderately full, with many officers from the various headquarters that still were in place in the city. While it was not out of place for the two Abwehr officers to talk about the information that they encountered during the course of their jobs, it would not be acceptable if it were overheard by the wrong people.

Wagner glanced towards the door. "Ah, here's my sister now," he said loudly, waving at the woman who had just walked in the door. The woman noticed the wave and headed in their direction.

Teppel looked at the woman. Wagner was right. He didn't recognize her at all. This did not look like the Marya he had seen around before. When he had seen Marya before, she always wore the typical Russian fur coat and hat, had long red hair and had a personality that you could not help but notice. The woman walking towards them had short, blonde curly hair and seemed to be somewhat subdued.

As Marya reached the table, both men stood. "Hans, this is my sister Greta," Wagner said. "Greta, this is Hans Teppel, the man I told you about."

Marya, playing the role of a blind date, held her hands out to Teppel and said, "It's very nice to meet you, Hans. Kurt has told me so much about you."

Teppel took Marya's hand and gave it a little kiss. "The pleasure is all mine," he said.

"I hope not!" Marya said with a twinkle in her eye. Marya was playing a role, and Teppel could tell that she enjoyed the part.

The three sat at the table, and Heidi arrived to see if the new arrival wanted a drink. Marya ordered a glass of wine.

"We shall not talk here," Marya whispered after Heidi left. "We will make small talk and then return to Kurt's flat and talk." Then she laughed as if someone had made a joke.

Heidi returned with Marya's wine. As she was setting it down, Max called over to her for another pickup. Heidi had looked Marya over with a small frown, but gave Teppel a warm smile as she left.

"It looks like you have an admirer, Hans!" Marya said laughing. "Since I am your date for the evening, I should be jealous."

Teppel made a dismissive gesture, but he could feel himself flush with embarrassment. He picked up his stein and took a drink from it. He noticed that Marya was glancing covertly around the room as the three sat talking. He noticed that her eyes narrowed slightly, and had to resist the urge to turn around to see what she had noticed.

"There's a man sitting at the bar watching us," she whispered almost inaudibly. Wagner, who was sitting so that he faced the bar, glanced over.

"He's been there since we got here," Wagner said, and then laughed. Marya and Teppel joined in the laughter.

"Look out, he's coming over here," Wagner said, lifting his stein and taking a sip of his beer.

The three sat at the table, seemingly unaware of the man's approach. They all looked at him as he stopped at the table and gave a slight bow.

"Pardon my intrusion, Fräulein, Majors," the man said. "I am Count von Waffenschmidt." The three at the table offered greetings. "I couldn't help noticing the beautiful lady in your company," von Waffenschmidt continued. "She looked familiar to me, so I had to come by to say hello." He looked at Marya, "Your name wouldn't by chance be Marya, would it?" he asked.

Marya laughed. "Nein, my name is Greta," she said. "This is my brother Kurt," she nodded towards Wagner, "and this is my date Hans." Marya smiled at von Waffenschmidt. "My brother thinks I need a husband and likes to arrange for me to meet his friends."

Count von Waffenschmidt smiled politely. "I'm sure you do not need your brother's help to attract men," he said. The smile was friendly, but Marya could tell that it was not genuine.

"Would you care to join us, Count?" she asked.

Von Waffenschmidt shook his head. "Thank you, but no," he said. "As I said, I thought you were someone that I was acquainted with. I'm sorry to bother you."

The three at the table watched as von Waffenschmidt walked towards the door and left the Brauhaus.

"That was interesting," Wagner said.

"Why did you want him to stay?" Teppel asked Marya. "The longer he stayed, the more likely he would be to recognize you."

Marya shrugged. "No matter," she said. "He wouldn't have stayed, and if I hadn't have asked, he might have been more suspicious. Besides, I don't think he believed the story anyway. He's still not sure."

"How do you know?" Teppel asked.

Marya laughed, and the twinkle reappeared in her eyes. "Hansie, I know men," she said.

"This one may be a challenge to you," Wagner said. "From what I have heard, you feminine types are not exactly to his tastes."

"Ja," she said laughing. "I could tell that too."

"So what now?" asked Teppel.

"Nothing has changed," she replied. "We will stay here for a little while longer and then go to Kurt's flat and talk." She picked up her glass of wine and offered a toast.

---------------

As Marya left the Brauhaus with Wagner and Teppel, she spotted von Waffenschmidt sitting in a car parked across the street. "He's waiting for us," she said to the men. "Hans, give me your arm."

Teppel held out his arm to her and she grasped it tightly, leaning against him and placing her head against his shoulder. "He will follow us until he is sure that I am Kurt's sister."

They were walking down the street now, Marya leaning closely to Teppel as though they were lovers to be. Wagner walked along side, looking like the big brother looking after his sister.

"Do we still go to my flat?" Wagner asked.

"Yes," she replied. "We will go there and talk, and then Hans and I will go to his flat for the night."

Teppel almost stopped dead in his tracks. His hesitation made him stumble. "My flat?" he asked.

"But of course, Hansie darling," she cooed. "We must complete the act of two lovers out for an evening.

"But ..." Teppel sputtered. He wasn't displeased by the notion of spending the night with Marya, but the suddenness of the situation was a shock to him.

Marya stopped and turned Teppel towards her. She leaned close and said, "Do not worry. If the thought of it is repulsive to you ..." She had a devious smile on her face.

"It's not that," he sputtered in reply. "Quite the contrary. It just surprised me."

Marya laughed and reached up to give him a small kiss on the cheek. He leaned down to accommodate her shorter height. She whispered in his ear, "You play the part well, Hans. Since we have so much to accomplish tonight, we will not have a chance to do the things that you were thinking of when I made the suggestion."

Marya leaned back and smiled warmly at Teppel. He could feel his face redden with embarrassment. Even on the darkened street, Marya could sense it and began to laugh heartily. She took his arm again, and the resumed walking towards Wagner's flat.

---------------

When they reached the building where Kurt Wagner lived, Wagner held the door open for Marya and Teppel. As he did, he glanced down the street.

"He's still back there," he said.

"I told you, he's still suspicious," Marya replied. "That is why Hans and I have to go to his flat tonight." She paused, throwing Teppel a mischievous grin. "At least that is one of the reasons."

Teppel laughed nervously. He hadn't quite figured out if Marya was playing a game with him or not. "I have a question," he said. "If you are supposed to be Kurt's sister and my date, why wouldn't we go to my flat first and then have you accompany your brother back home?"

Marya laughed. "Hansie darling, my brother is trying to find me a husband," she replied. "That is very difficult to do with a chaperon around all the time."

They entered the building and walked up the stairs to Kurt's flat. When they entered, the three were silent for a few moments while they checked for listening devices. Kurt knew it was probably a useless exercise, but he had always made it a habit to check.

Finding nothing, the three sat down and let Marya go over her plans. Teppel noticed that there was no hint of the playfulness in her demeanor now. Marya seemed to know when it was time for business and when it was all right to play.

"Once I leave here, I will not be able to make contact without risking our agents," Marya said to Wagner. "So I will be on my own."

Wagner nodded his understanding. "I will contact The Center when you begin," he said.

"What are you planning to do?" Teppel asked.

"You are aware of what von Waffenschmidt's mission is?" she asked. Teppel nodded. "I am to be a decoy to lead him away from the real source of our information."

"That way he will suspect you and hope that you will lead him to the rest of your contacts." Teppel stated.

Marya nodded. "Yes, which is why I must not contact anyone," she said.

"What do you need from me?" Teppel asked her.

"Just keep Kurt apprised of anything you may hear about von Waffenschmidt's investigation into the leak," she replied.

"That shouldn't be a problem," Wagner replied. "Hans and I have been doing that already."

Teppel nodded his agreement. "If von Waffenschmidt is reporting anything back to his superiors, I should hear about it," he said. "But once you get von Waffenschmidt to suspect you, how do you get rid of him?"

Marya laughed grimly. "I'll figure something out," she replied.

Teppel stared at her and said nothing. She is putting herself out as bait to draw a Gestapo investigator away from their source in the General Staff, and she doesn't even have a planned end game strategy? I would be shaking in my boots if my life was that much on the line. She's sitting here discussing it as calmly as one would discuss the quality of a meal at a restaurant. Teppel was pulled from his thoughts as Marya rose from her chair and said that it was time for them to go.

---------------

Teppel and Marya had noticed von Waffenschmidt still waiting for them as they came out of the building, so they walked arm in arm down the street like two lovers. Their walk was slow, as if they wanted the experience to last as long as possible. When they reached the apartment building, Marya pulled Teppel aside and put her arms around him.

"Kiss me," she said, and pushed herself against him.

Teppel was surprised, but put his arms around Marya and kissed her back. After a moment, they broke, and Marya put her head on Teppel's chest.

"That should help convince von Waffenschmidt," she said. "We can go inside now."

Teppel took a deep breath. "You are going to give me a heart attack if you keep doing that," he said hoarsely.

Marya laughed. "I do like to keep people off guard," she replied. "Let's go inside now."

He opened the door for Marya and they ascended the steps to his flat. After a quick check for listening devices, they removed their coats and settled down.

"I see that your flat is visible from the street," Marya stated. "That is good. We should turn the lights of in a couple of minutes. Von Waffenschmidt's dirty mind will think that we will be busy until morning."

"Do you think he will stay outside that long?" Teppel asked.

"It's possible, but I doubt it," she replied. "He would be stupid to stay out there if the Allies bomb Berlin tonight."

Teppel nodded. "That is a distinct possibility too," he said.

They talked for a few more minutes, and then Teppel went to turn out the lights. He joined Marya by the window to look out at the street.

"There he is," she said. "Parked by the corner."

"I see," he replied. "He's not very subtle when he follows people, is he."

"That's what I am counting on," she said.

"So what exactly is your plan?" he asked her. "Do you just plan to lead von Waffenschmidt around for the rest of the war?"

Marya laughed at the thought. "That could be fun," she replied. "But I have something else in mind. I would like to discredit him somehow. " She paused. "Or take him out."

Teppel was a bit surprised. "You mean kill him?" he asked.

"I'd rather have someone else do it," she said. "Killing a Gestapo man is a sure way to shorten your life span, especially one that is known to be following you."

Teppel nodded in the dark. "If you need something from me, get in touch with Kurt," he said.

"If I have to get in touch with anybody," she said, "then either I am ready to make my move on von Waffenschmidt or I am in real trouble."

After a few moments standing by the window, they moved across the darkened room to the sofa. "And now there is nothing to do but wait," he said.

"There are other things that can be done, Hansie," Marya cooed.

"Marya, you are doing everything you can to make it hard for me," Teppel said.

As soon as he finished his sentence, he realized what he just said. Beside him, Marya broke out in laughter. Teppel could feel the warmth spread over his face, and he was glad that the lights were out so she wouldn't see his embarrassment. Marya's laughter was contagious though, and soon Teppel himself was chuckling.

"As I was saying, you are doing everything you can to make it difficult for me to resist," he said, choking back the last of his laugh. "But tonight is not the right time."

"You do not find it a pleasant thought?" she asked.

Though her voice never wavered, Teppel thought he could sense some insecurity in it. "Actually, quite the opposite," he admitted. "But you are here because you do not want someone to know who you really are, and I don't want to take advantage of that situation."

Marya was silent for several moments. "I spend a lot of time not wanting people to know who I really am," she said softly.

"Come back when you want me to know," he replied. "I would find that very pleasant."

They were silent for a while, sitting beside each other. Then Marya leaned against Teppel's shoulder.

They spent the rest of the night on the sofa, listening to the distant anti-aircraft fire and the Allied bombs dropping on the German cities and talking until they both fell asleep.