Chapter 31. Two Fronts
August 6, 1945
The knock on the bedroom door was light, but Peggy heard it. She must have slept through the alarm again. Thank goodness for Gladdie. Rising out of the bed, she opened the door, to the soft smile of her flatmate.
"It should get better, according to Eva," said the blonde woman. "She thinks the growth of the baby takes more of our body's resources than a normal pregnancy, leaving us exhausted."
"Well, it's still maddening to sleep through an alarm," replied Peggy. She nodded towards the bathroom. "Are you done in there?"
Gladdie nodded. "I can make something for breakfast here or we can get to the office early and eat in the cafeteria. Since I still get motion sickness, I'm going to wait until the office."
"Sounds good to me," said the brunette.
She hurried back into the bedroom to get her toiletries and towels. As the two women got ready both of them thought how well they got along together, despite their different backgrounds. Peggy, from a well-off British family, and an active British Intelligence, then SSR agent until she became pregnant enjoyed the company of the mechanic from Queens. They had similar temperaments, of women wanting to be more than just wife and mother. Gladdie, called back into service to take advantage of her clearance level was being used in the financial office, tracking down financial records of companies believed to be in business relationships with HYDRA. Her quick mind, and attention to detail, had discovered all sorts of connections, which were turned over to SSR analysts to determine if those companies were providing products and services to bases they hadn't found yet. Since Bucky returned to Europe, her work had led to four bases being discovered and neutralized.
As for Peggy, she had to admit that with her stamina affected by the baby it was better that she was here, instead of being a potential liability in the field. General Phillips likely would have kept her in England, cooling her heels, if she had insisted on staying. Assigned to the analysis division she went over photographs from spy flights over Eastern Europe and Russia, trying to determine if what she was looking at were evidence of HYDRA bases. Combined with on-the-ground intelligence reports from agents in the field, she had already become quite adept at combining the descriptions she read with the images she looked at.
Half an hour after waking, Peggy was ready and joined Gladdie in their shared living room, both of them in uniform. Locking the door behind them, they stepped out of the building, heading for the subway station that would take them to Manhattan, arriving there shortly after 7:45. Both of them checked in then went to the top floor cafeteria, and ordered breakfast. Just before 8:30 they both placed their trays on the trolley and headed down to their respective offices. It was shortly before 11 am when everyone was called to the cafeteria for a special meeting. Even though it was the largest space in the building, it was still crowded, and seating was at a premium. Gladdie, being on the main floor didn't expect to find a seat when she got there but Peggy waved to her, and she threaded her way through the throng of people to sit with her.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"Announcement from the President," answered Peggy. "Perhaps the war against Japan is over."
A large radio had been brought in and was currently playing music then a sombre voice said that the President was ready to address the nation. As soon as they heard the first part of the address, everyone in that room knew that the world had changed.
Sixteen hours ago, an American airplane dropped one bomb on Hiroshima, an important Japanese Army base. That bomb had more power than 20,000 tons of T.N.T. It had more than two thousand times the blast power of the British "Grand Slam" which is the largest bomb ever yet used in the history of warfare.
Gladdie didn't really hear the rest of the announcement, other than Japan was being asked to surrender unconditionally, or risk being subjected to another similar bomb. Her hands covered her abdomen instinctively, as if to protect the baby from the implications of the words. Glancing at Peggy showed her with a similar reaction along with several other women employees who were in various stages of their own pregnancy.
When the president finished, the radio was turned off and the ranking officer in charge stood at the front of the room, and voiced what Gladdie felt about this irreversible change in the world. He was understanding but firm that their work would still go on, as HYDRA was a different threat entirely. Giving them the rest of the morning off, he asked they return to their duties at 1 pm, and diligently work to make the world safer for everyone.
"Come on," said Peggy. "We're getting out of here."
"Where?"
"Anywhere," said the analyst. "I need some fresh air."
When they stepped out of the building there was already a difference in the atmosphere. It wasn't as celebratory as VE Day had been but there was that sense that the world had taken a different path, and there was no going back. They took the subway to Central Park and treated themselves to a hot dog from a vendor, sitting on a bench to eat it. Several crumbs from their food ended up on the sidewalk and they smiled at the birds brave enough to dart in and pick at the small morsels. They kept their conversation light, until Peggy saw something troubling, and looked around in all directions.
"We have to get back," she said.
"It's not even 12:30," replied Gladdie. "It will only take 10 minutes."
"No, we have to go now. Come on."
She stood up, grasping Gladdie's hand and tugging her towards the road. Looking behind them she saw that they were being followed and hurried the pace, looking for a taxi they could hail. When a large panel truck pulled up, blocking them from the road Peggy turned and faced their followers, two men, both masked, and a woman. Reaching inside her handbag she pulled out a pistol and aimed at them.
"Stop, or I will shoot," she said, her voice firm.
"No, you won't risk the life of your baby like that," said the woman, her voice slightly accented. "Now be good girls and come with us. You won't be hurt. You have my promise."
Gladdie noticed a red pin on the jacket of one of the men and leaned towards Peggy.
"HYDRA?" she whispered. Peggy nodded. "Have you experienced any surges in your physical strength, yet? I think we can take them."
A slight smile appeared on Peggy's face, and she nodded. "You take the woman; I'll take the men. Watch your back as that truck is still there."
Without hesitation, Gladdie threw her purse at the woman, distracting her long enough to pick her up and throw her a good twenty feet. Peggy shot one of the other men in the knee, then picked the other one up and tossed him before turning back towards the street and shooting at the two men, also masked, who came out of the panel van. Grabbing their purses, both women ran in another direction, then changed their directions as they saw a taxi driving beside the park. Running out in front of it, Peggy stopped it and they both got in, demanding he take them to the SSR building. Looking back out the rear window, they didn't see anyone following them.
"Dammit," swore Gladdie. "I tore my stocking." She began to laugh. "My goodness, that was exciting. Was it always like that when you were an active agent?"
"No, but it happened enough," answered Peggy. "You did good." She checked her own stockings. "I think I have an extra pair at the office." She became serious. "They know we're pregnant. I think we have a mole."
After paying the taxi driver, the two women entered the SSR building. Corporal Chatham was on duty and noticed Gladdie's torn stocking, as well as their heightened demeanours.
"Corporal Barnes, is everything alright?"
"We were followed, and they tried to abduct us," she said. Immediately, he pressed a button on his desk, and they could hear the doors to the outside lock. "We dealt with them. We're fine."
"You don't understand, ma'am." He looked embarrassed. "You're both under protective guard and shouldn't have been on your own. If these people attempted to take you, it means they took out your guard, first. We have to launch an official investigation."
The door to the first-floor offices opened to the commander of the MPs exiting. Chatham explained the reason for the alarm and the man, Captain Frankel, asked them both to come with him. After instructing Chatham to notify their operatives, he escorted the women into his first-floor office. In his office, he poured them each a glass of water.
"Private Richards was assigned to be your guard today. He must be getting better at not being made as he successfully escorted you from your apartment to here without you noticing. When you left for lunch, he should have kept you in his sights at all times. You didn't see him in Central Park?"
"No, Captain," replied Peggy. "Why was I not informed we had a guard on both of us?"
"Need to know," he murmured, then coughed. "General Phillips didn't want you to feel like you were under surveillance. Corporal Barnes has been observed since Sergeant Barnes left for Europe. You never noticed?"
"Not exactly," replied Gladdie. "You're aware of our pregnancies?" He nodded. "I'm not sure if you have clearance for this." She looked at Peggy, who shrugged then nodded. "We experience surges of abilities, that our husbands have. Strength mostly, but there are times I've been able to hear soft sounds, like a person's heartbeat, or footsteps, especially when it's quiet. There were several times I heard a heartbeat behind me as I walked, and it followed me. I just thought it was someone else going to or returning home from work. Now I wonder if that was my protection detail."
"It likely was but to be sure I'm going to have them meet you openly from now on and double the detail." Peggy started to protest but Frankel put his hand up. "It's not negotiable, Agent Rogers. General Phillips was quite emphatic that the safety of both of you was paramount. Today, you handled it but as your pregnancy advances the risks to you and your children also increases." His phone rang and he answered, listening silently to the caller, before he hung up. "They found Richards, a stab wound to the back of the neck, and his body dumped behind a bush. It was most definitely HYDRA, and they knew you were there. Which means we either have a mole here, or they've been watching you as well. How they knew you were pregnant is beyond me as I believe you have both been seeing a doctor in the building to keep that information secure."
"That's true," replied Gladdie. "Dr. Waslewski has been our doctor. I haven't told anyone, except my mother and Bucky's family but they wouldn't spread it around."
"We'll have to talk to them. Perhaps in their excitement they let it slip accidentally and someone was listening. From now on, neither of you ladies are to be on your own. You will have a two-man 24-hour guard."
"Our husbands, will they be informed?" asked Peggy.
"I will be calling the General as soon as you leave my office and let him handle that," answered Frankel. "I'm not sure I would want to be present when that happens."
The two women returned to Peggy's office, where she offered Gladdie the extra stockings she had. Although they didn't look forward to having a guard, it was obviously necessary if HYDRA took the opportunity to strike.
English headquarters of Howling Commandos and Phantom Patrol
The broken arm of the chair fell to the floor, as Bucky stood up, livid with anger directed at the General. The other two men, Steve Rogers and Steven Grant, tensed, even though they both understood the depth of his feelings.
"You knew this would likely happen?"
"Sit down, Sergeant." The General was unflappable, his expression not changing. "I didn't know for sure, but we've always suspected that HYDRA has a cell in New York. After you left, I put a protective detail on your wife, that was extended to Agent Rogers on her return. The detail stayed in the background and didn't interfere with their daily activities. Until the incident today, there didn't seem to be any issue."
"And now Private Richards is dead, another casualty of HYDRA," muttered Bucky. "What now?"
"Now, we try to find a mole in that building," said Phillips. "Then we look at family or friends who may have let that information slip accidentally. Lieutenant Sousa is flying in from Los Angeles to handle the investigation. In the meantime, the detail has been doubled and it will no longer be in the background. There will be a visible two-man guard detail with your wives and based on Sousa's immediate recommendation a larger, secret guard. We're going to assume they will try again, and Sousa will also be in charge of the response unit. We will stop them, Sergeant. I promise you as one husband to another. You know Lieutenant Sousa will do the job in a thorough manner."
Neither Steve nor Steven Grant said anything as Bucky processed the information. When he nodded and sat back in the damaged chair, they knew the crisis had passed. Both of them knew that Bucky would have risked going AWOL and returning to New York on his own to deal with it.
"Is that all, sir?" Bucky asked.
"No, I want you to know that your wives have provided exemplary service to the SSR while they've been in New York. Their analytical skills have helped find ten targets between them. You've already dealt with six of those targets and I want to get going on a plan for the next four." He pulled four files out of his desk and placed them in front of Steven Grant. "The top file is courtesy of Agent Rogers. Apparently, a soldier returned to your Brooklyn neighbourhood with a souvenir and was showing it around to friends and family. She saw it and recognized it immediately as one of the artifacts that was missing from HYDRA's Research Facility Number 4. She pulled rank on him and had him report to the SSR offices to be debriefed on how he acquired it. Turns out there were several artifacts scooped up by several of his fellow soldiers. They are being visited in turn to have the items confiscated. I think given the nature of some of those artifacts our combined teams should be there to secure the site and inventory whatever is left."
Steven Grant took the pile of folders and stood up. Still in civilian clothes he nodded at the General while the other two saluted him. Dismissed, they returned to their barracks and gathered in Grant's quarters at a large table. Putting the other three folders aside they opened the first one and Grant read it.
"Says they traded cigarettes with some Russian soldiers for the artifacts," he read out loud. "U.S. 69th Infantry Division came into contact with the 58th Guards Rifle Division near Torgau, Germany, on April 25th. That's the dividing line between Allied control and Russian control of Germany and it was well before the attack on the Research Facility in Austria. So how did a Russian infantry division in Germany get their hands on HYDRA artifacts and trade them off, that were supposed to be in Austria weeks later, according to the manifests we found?" Grant flipped to the next page and smiled. "Peggy is thorough. She's provided a list of Russian soldiers and their commanding officers of that division. One of them has the same last name as a prisoner from the Research Facility, might be related. She's suggesting that we talk to him."
"Where are the prisoners being held?" asked Bucky.
Grant grimaced as he read further. "6833rd Guardhouse Overhead Detachment in Somerset, the same prison where Bradley and Rumlow were being held. It's been converted to a PoW camp specifically for HYDRA. That place was terrible for Bradley. Doesn't say who the commanding officer is now. I'll get Rose to find that out, then Raines and I will go and interrogate this prisoner." He pulled the other three files over. "Why don't you two go through these and start developing some strategies to attack them. Bucky, get the men doing standard training starting tomorrow, 08:00. Once we know more about these four targets, I want to be ready to take them down as quickly as possible."
He stepped out into the night. It wasn't too late, but he needed that information on the CO at the prison. That sergeant and Colonel John Flynn were not the easiest people to deal with. The windows on the enlisted men's barracks were lit up and he could hear snippets of conversation between the various soldiers. There was the usual joking and light teasing, that made him smile. Having the Phantom Patrol had been a good idea. Although they started out as a separate unit, he had been pleased at how easily they integrated with the Howling Commandos on joint missions, which were more often than not, now. Together, they were a well-oiled machine. As he stepped into the building both Dum Dum and Bradley stood at attention, but he waved them off. They were beyond the standard discipline of a normal army unit. They were all brothers-in-arms.
"I just need to speak with Rose and Raines," he said to Dum Dum, then noticed something chocolate on the man's cheek. "You have something, icing maybe, on your cheek."
The big man grinned. "Kathleen sent baking. The icing on the cake stuck to the wax paper but it's still good. I'll go get them."
Bradley motioned to a chair and Grant sat in it, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, while the Sergeant took his own chair.
"There's been some talk among the men about how long you think this is going to take," he said, tentatively.
"As long as the SSR keeps sending us files of targets," replied Grant. "We just got four more today. Of course, that's just Europe. When we return, we have to turn our eye to South America."
"Will everyone be expected to stay with the unit?"
Grant smiled slightly. It was obvious that Bradley was fishing.
"It will be up to each man," he replied. "I know that some people have sacrificed more than others, but HYDRA is a danger to everyone. At some point, I guess I'll have to have a meeting with everyone and put the question to them if they want to carry on the fight, or step back. There won't be any attempt to force anyone to stay if they've reached the point where they're done. They'll all get honourable discharges, and the General has already indicated there will be a special citation for everyone."
"That's good," smiled the quiet soldier. "You know, I volunteered. Even with all that my people have suffered, it's still home and I wanted to be a good soldier."
"You are, Isaiah, one of the best men I ever worked with," replied Grant. "You've made a difference in this war and I'm a better man for knowing you."
"Thank you, your words mean a lot," nodded Bradley.
Dum Dum returned with Rose and Raines. Standing up, Grant gestured for them to go outside.
"It looks like we have to make a return trip to the 6833rd Guardhouse Overhead Detachment in Somerset," he said, looking at Rose. "We have to interrogate one of the HYDRA prisoners there. I don't know who the CO is now, and I want a report on whoever it turns out to be, so I know how to approach them. Raines, you'll be my translator."
"What's it about?" asked the Corporal.
"Need to know for a little while longer but I'll read you in, I promise."
"Fair enough. Is that all, sir?"
Grant nodded and the two enlisted men returned to their barracks. He walked back towards his quarters in the dark, stopping to look up at the twilight, where Jupiter was visible low in the sky. It was a beautiful sight, but it filled him with a little bit of melancholy. God, he missed Eva. They only had the one night after they married. She was a good soldier, in her own right, letting him go without complaint, but he realized something at that moment. He was ready to let it go, for good this time. The army, and the fighting, wasn't as important to him, even though he wouldn't give up until they finished HYDRA off. The words he told Bradley rang in his head and he knew that when he had that talk with the men that he would start by telling them he was packing it in. Voicing that decision, at least in his head, felt good and he returned to his quarters with a lighter heart.
The second visit to the military prison went smoother than the first time. The same sergeant still presented them with an attitude of coldness, but he didn't challenge Grant's authority. Colonel John Flynn, still in command, was civil. Although he requested to know the reason for the interrogation of the prisoner, he readily accepted Grant's explanation that it was classified. With that taken care of, Flynn instructed the sergeant to bring the prisoner to an interrogation room then escorted Grant and Raines to the same room.
As they waited, Grant opened a portfolio case he brought, taking out a legal pad of paper, several pencils, two packages of American cigarettes and several chocolate bars, valuable incentives for a man on prison rations. General Phillips had indicated there could be bugs in the room, as the OSS were also interested in HYDRA intelligence, presumably looking for the same artifacts. Even though their translators could be listening, the two soldiers weren't going to make it easy for them. The pair had already discussed what would be asked, as Raines had written the questions in Russian at the top of each sheet. Then he would offer the paper to the prisoner to write down his answers on the paper. It would be a written transcript of a conversation performed entirely by pencil. There was the chance that Flynn could demand the papers, but Raines would also read each answer and communicate that to Grant in a low enough voice that any hidden microphones couldn't decipher.
The man, when he was brought in, looked terrible. His face was pale, his eyes sunken and nervous; the looseness of his prison clothes proof of the poor diet of the rations he was being fed. When he saw the two of them, it was obvious he recognized them, although he said nothing.
"You are Leonid Antonov?" asked Raines, in Russian. The man nodded. "Come, sit. Would you like a cigarette, or some chocolate?"
"Cigarette."
Opening a package, Raines offered the man one, then lit it for him as he put it between his lips. A gap in the teeth of his lower jaw indicated the space where his false tooth had been removed. He had been a true believer if he was willing to die for HYDRA. He inhaled the first drag of the cigarette deeply before blowing it out to the side.
"These two packages are for you, as well as the chocolate if you answer some questions for us."
The man gestured overhead. "They're listening, always listening."
"We know. You don't have to speak. We have this." Raines pointed to the legal pad. "No more words need to be spoken between us. You answer and we give you the cigarettes and the chocolate."
"Why should I help you? I'm here in this hellhole because of you."
"We can get you transferred to a PoW prison farm. There, you will have to work, but you will be outside, will see the sun, and the food is much better. You will have to publicly renounce HYDRA, though. Are you still a believer?"
"Fuck HYDRA." He spat, the phlegm landing on the floor. "Fuck them. Liars and madmen, all of them. I was never a believer and would have left them sooner, but I was too afraid." He leaned forward, glaring at Raines intensely. "They have my family as hostages. Can you get them out?"
The Corporal leaned back in his chair, then gestured to Grant to come close, knowing he could whisper very softly in his ear, low enough that the bugs wouldn't pick it up.
"They have his family as hostages and wants us to rescue them. He says he's not a true believer. He may have had the tooth forced on him, as he had plenty of time to break it when we were at the facility, but he didn't. I remember he surrendered willingly."
Grant said nothing but put his finger to his lips while he nodded his head affirmatively. Immediately, Leonid's face changed as he realized he could trust the pair. Raines slid the pad over to him and the man read the first question, writing down the answer immediately, then offered it to Raines who read it. As he wrote out the answer for the second question Raines whispered in Grant's ear again. For each question that Leonid answered, Raines passed it on to Grant. When he got to the final page of questions, Leonid read what was written there several times before looking up at the two men, puzzled. The question was if he knew where other HYDRA bases were. He wrote down something then passed it to them.
"I only heard rumours after those smaller artifacts were stolen, the officers didn't trust any of us with exact locations."
Raines read it. Earlier the man said he wasn't related to the Russian who traded artifacts with the Americans for cigarettes. Perhaps he knew who did take them.
"Do you know who stole them?"
"The American, Malick. Took them and came back as bold as brass, without them. He should have been shot but was sent to the PoW camp near the facility to redeem himself. He was to get intelligence on your activities, as your attack was expected. We were told to delay you as long as possible. Reinhardt left with several crates and went elsewhere. You attacked the following day."
Raines whispered it in Grant's ear, making the special agent sit up with interest. If the attack was expected it confirmed their suspicion of a leak or a mole.
"Ask him to write down anything he knows about their mole in the SSR, plus the names of the locations that were rumoured."
Raines scratched that onto the pad and showed it to Leonid, who nodded, and began to furiously write. When he finished and pushed the pad back, the Corporal read it and whispered the answer to Grant.
"He says the mole, from what has been discussed is part of the OSS, working for both. He's impersonating an MP in New York, no name. He wrote down eight places, four of them we've already hit, two are in the list of the ones we're training for now, and two are not on any list as far as I know. One of those two is in UIA territory and the other is in the Balkans, but that one is a storage depot, he thinks, as all sorts of things were being shipped to them, stopping at the Research Facility before moving on."
"What type of things?" Grant frowned. "Why would they place a storage depot in the Balkans when nearly all of their facilities were hundreds or thousands of miles away?"
Raines wrote down the question and watched as the man answered. When he read it, he seemed to make his own leap in logic.
"Building materials," he said, in his low voice. "Raw materials to make cement, copper wiring, lumber, tools, even heavy equipment that they stole from the Germans and Italians. They've got to be building a base."
"Is there anything else he wants to add?"
Raines added that and Leonid wrote furiously again then looked at both men with thinly disguised anguish. The Corporal smiled at the man as he read the answer then spoke to him.
"We will do our best." He turned to Grant. "The last known location of his family and their names."
Standing up, Grant nodded his head at the man, then handed him the cigarettes and chocolates. Raines tightly rolled up the papers and placed them inside a cylinder that had been in the portfolio, sliding it down inside his boot, but under his trousers. Everything else was placed back in the portfolio case and they left Leonid there, as Raines knocked on the door. When it opened, Colonel Flynn was waiting, while two MPs went inside.
"So, what did you learn?"
"I already told you that's classified, sir," replied Grant. "We would like to take him with us, if you don't mind. We think he has more to tell in a less intimidating environment."
"Not going to happen, not without orders from Ike himself," replied the Colonel.
The two MPs came out, escorting Leonid, still carrying the cigarettes and chocolate.
"Confiscate those," ordered Flynn. "The others will kill him for them."
"No, he earned them," answered Grant. "If anything happens to him, you'll be responsible, so you make sure he's in good health when I return with the orders from General Eisenhower, transferring him to a different PoW facility."
Returning to the base, Raines took the rolled-up papers and requested the use of a typewriter to translate the transcript so that a written report could be given to the General. As he sat in front of one and expertly slid a paper into it, Grant grinned at him.
"Were you a secretary before the war?"
"No, I studied Eastern European languages, mostly Polish and Russian, plus I already knew German having a German grandparent," said the tall, lanky man. "Got hired as a foreign correspondent and sent to Europe in 1935 to report on Hitler's rise. I soon realized I couldn't stay objective. When he invaded Poland, I was there, and I joined the resistance. Then it got too dangerous for me, and I managed to get to England safely. America was still taking too long to decide so I joined the British Army, trained as a commando, then transferred in 1943 to the American Army. Figured if I was going to die over here, I might as well do it for my flag, as late as it was getting into the game."
"You're a good man," said Grant, watching as Raines quickly typed his translation. "What are you going to do after?"
The other man stopped for a moment, then shrugged a little. "I think we'll be chasing them for a while. I would kind of like to be involved in the South American operation, after what they put Anya through. You?"
"Leaning to finishing it when we're done in Europe, but don't say anything. I'll make myself available if I'm needed and I have a feeling that my future knowledge is going to be needed to guide some things through. I'm at the point where I want to start a family, but I'll have to talk to Eva about that."
Raines nodded then stopped again. "Eva and Anya were both killed by HYDRA in your timeline, didn't they?" Grant nodded. "Thank you for changing their fate. It's probably not a secret that I have feelings for Anya. She's an incredible woman and if I make it home, I plan to ask her to marry me."
"Well, if she accepts then we'll be in-laws, Arthur," said Grant. "We'll probably see each other a lot."
"Probably. Now leave me alone so I can get this done so you can talk to General Phillips and get Leonid Antonov out of that prison. Were Bradley and Rumlow really prisoners there?" Grant nodded. "Damn. We're just as bad as the Germans for some things, aren't we?"
Half an hour later, Raines delivered the translation and Grant reported to General Phillips, requesting a change of location for the Russian prisoner to a prison farm. He also let drop that he promised the man to find his family and rescue them. Phillips read the translation with a stern face.
"You're sure he's telling the truth? It's one thing to curse HYDRA, but it's another to accuse one of our MPs of being an OSS / HYDRA double agent. It would explain how they knew the women were pregnant, and that they left the building."
"I believe Raines noted that he was one of the first to surrender at Research Facility Number 4. He never activated his poison tooth. He was in rough shape and only hesitated to answer the last question, admitting he only knew rumours. If even half of his information pans out, I'll be happy."
"Oh hell, I'll probably regret this, but I'll phone General Eisenhower. I'll also let Lieutenant Sousa know about the intelligence on the mole and see what comes of that. If he turns around and leads HYDRA to our doorstep, it's on you."
"Yes, sir, I understand."
He got out of there before the General changed his mind and returned to his quarters. It had been a long day, and after dinner, he laid out on his bed, reading his last letter from Eva. When he woke up in the morning, it was to General Phillips' clerk knocking on the door to tell him to report. Quickly washing his face and changing, Grant hurried to the General's office, gaining entrance immediately. He was shocked to see General Eisenhower and his aide, sitting there. Even though he was in civilian clothes he stood at attention immediately.
"General Eisenhower, sir. Forgive me for not being in uniform."
"Relax, Major. Stand at ease. This isn't an official visit. I just wanted to hear for myself your take on why this Leonid Antonov, taken prisoner at HYDRA's Research Facility Number 4, should be transferred to a prison farm."
"Not everyone who is in HYDRA is there willingly sir," replied Grant. "It became pretty obvious just watching him and then listening to Corporal Raines' translation that the man wasn't their typical soldier. His job at the facility was a cook, hardly a hardened soldier. Several things he told us coincided with intelligence we already had and the ones that weren't were awfully convincing. He cooperated fully, accepted that he would remain a PoW, but in a different facility and was more concerned about his family. True believers in HYDRA will sacrifice their family to their cause, in our experience."
The General let out a deep breath then looked at General Phillips. "What do you think, Chester? There are going to be some raised eyebrows at transferring a HYDRA prisoner. Colonel Flynn has recommended against it."
"Excuse me, sir, you spoke to Colonel Flynn?" Grant looked from Eisenhower to Phillips.
"Yes, he phoned me yesterday to protest against you coming in and upsetting the apple cart, so to speak. He was very convincing."
"With all due respect, General, Flynn is ... overcompensating for a grievous error he made in allowing a State Department employee to attend the Project Rebirth treatment of Captain Rogers in 1943. That employee was a HYDRA plant and he walked right in with the Colonel's blessing, in an attempt to kill Dr. Erskine, an attempt that was foiled. When I first became involved with the SSR and was recruiting my team, I went to that prison to secure the release of two individuals, Private Bradley and Private Rumlow. He refused, calling them a danger to society. Rumlow broke into a locked filing cabinet to remove a disciplinary report for a fellow soldier, hardly a dangerous criminal. Bradley, well, what was done to him was criminal, in my opinion. Both of those men have been valued members of this unit, have done their duty well, and have risked their lives in many of our missions."
Eisenhower raised his hand, and Grant ceased speaking. A slight smile crossed the face of the Supreme Allied Commander, and he shook his head, standing up. Nodding to his aide, he stopped in front of Grant.
"I'm well aware of the injustice that was done to Sergeant Bradley," he said solemnly. "A man in my position has to delegate a lot to others as it's just too much for a single man to handle. Bradley should never have been court-martialled, so when I received the request for a letter allowing his release, I signed it, as it was the least I could do. You're not wrong about Flynn but he does run a tight ship." He put his hand out and the aide handed him an envelope. "Here is the letter to secure the release of Leonid Antonov. He's not going to a prison farm, Major. He's joining your unit, since the majority of your targets seem to be in Eastern Europe. I say you use the man, soldier or not, but he will be your responsibility. Give him the chance to rescue his family himself. If he comes through at the end of it all, he will have redeemed himself in my eyes and I will make sure he is compensated. Those are my terms."
That was not something Grant was expecting but he wasn't about to refuse the letter. Taking the letter from the aide's hand meant that Antonov's life was in his hands. Then he heard Corporal Rose's voice in his head, saying that maybe he was meant to change this man's life as well. So be it. Leonid Antonov was about to become the first Russian member of the Phantom Patrol.