Chapter 32. The Beginning of the End
New York – August 15, 1945
Corporal Chatham smiled uneasily at Agent Rogers and Corporal Barnes. One of their guards, Corporal Ellis was with them, but Private Duchesne still hadn't arrived in the lobby to escort the women home. After the previous attempt to kidnap the two women Chatham had been instructed to not let them leave without their full security detail. Today would be the exception.
"Call again, Corporal," offered Agent Rogers. "We really have to get going."
"Yes, ma'am," he replied, picking up the phone and dialling Captain Frankel's office. "Private Knight, have you found Duchesne yet?"
"They're still there?" asked Frankel, with Lieutenant Sousa listening in on another handset.
"Yes, they're still waiting. Find Duchesne and tell him to get a move on, Knight, will you?"
He hung up and looked apologetically at the trio. The clock ticked on, and Ellis coughed.
"Look, Duchesne wasn't feeling well," he stated. "He complained of feeling sick earlier. Perhaps he's in the lavatory, you know. With your combat experience, Agent Rogers, I'm sure you and I can handle anything that comes up."
Peggy looked at Gladdie for approval and turned to Chatham. "We're going. If Duchesne shows up tell him he's on report."
"Yes, ma'am." He unlocked the front door and watched them exit then phoned Frankel's office. "They're on the way, sir. Ellis made the offer."
In Frankel's office, he activated a microphone, voicing a message to multiple teams with handheld walkie-talkies. Those individuals would signal the operatives to go, then follow in a vehicle, keeping communications going between the different teams.
"All units, targets have just left the building. Maintain your covers. Don't let them get more than 5 yards distance away from you." He looked at Sousa. "You ready to take this son of a bitch down?"
With a smile, Sousa put his hat on, and the two men left the building, acknowledging Corporal Chatham on their way out, telling him to lock the building down and search for Private Duchesne. A waiting car took them to their destination, although it was slow going because of the crowds of people headed for the celebration of Japan's surrender.
After the information that a cooperative HYDRA PoW reported a double agent posing as an MP in New York, they brainstormed a strategy to determine first, if he was in their building, and secondly which of their squad of two dozen soldiers was the one. When it came down to it, it was really quite easy. After leaving a fake top-secret document out in the open, then finding it gone, they confirmed the man was one of theirs.
They next began a thorough investigation of the background of the different men who made up the security detail in the headquarters. Some, like Chatham, were from the New York area, with long-standing ties to the community they grew up in, whether it was a working-class neighbourhood or better. They had never changed their lifestyle, having much the same routine, with no unexplained absences. Chatham, as one of the first men cleared, was appalled that one of their own would betray them and insisted on helping. It was he who noticed that Corporal Ellis often complained of forgetting something in his locker, needing to go back to get it. Ellis also didn't socialize much with the other men. He would go out with them, sip his drink for twenty minutes then claim he had to get home to the missus, leaving his beer unfinished, which was quite unthinkable for someone of working-class roots. Once Sousa put his own detail to work tailing the man, they confirmed he was unmarried, and used standard misdirection techniques to shake anyone who might be following him. After Ellis was photographed passing on that missing file to another person, a second detail tracked that individual, leading to the location of the HYDRA cell. A hidden microphone was planted in that location which revealed a treasure trove of intelligence on HYDRA activities in New York and beyond, including the plans for the two expecting mothers.
With a time and date set for the next abduction attempt, a response was put in motion to take all of them in. Private Duchesne was quickly found alive but drugged, given an antidote by Dr. Waslewski, and was soon awake, although a little groggy from the experience. While Sousa's operatives were tailing the women and Ellis down into the subway station then onto the subway car, a special squad of loyal OSS and Army Intelligence hit the HYDRA locations found from the bugging of the New York cell. Sousa's people intercepted the panel truck that had been used in the first attempt to kidnap the women, and took over the operation of it, approaching the rendezvous point where Ellis was meant to deliver his prey, just past the subway stop in Brooklyn they got off at.
As the two women sat in the subway car, chatting about different things, Ellis hung on to the strap above, looking down on them. They were crossing the Brooklyn Bridge and he looked out the window at its structure.
"Impressive, isn't it?" asked Gladdie. "I grew up in the Bronx and had seen it from a distance, but it was something else my first time on it. I think it's one of the most beautiful bridges."
"It's alright, I guess," he said. "I'm partial to the Golden Gate Bridge myself."
"San Francisco," remarked Peggy. "I've never been there. What's it like?"
"Nice," he answered tersely. "Rains too much."
He looked at his watch, then tried to look ahead in the direction of Brooklyn.
"Something wrong, Corporal?" asked Peggy, maintaining her cover.
"No, ma'am," he said. "I just need to let the missus know I'll be late, since we waited so long for Corporal Duchesne. With everyone headed to Times Square it might be even worse on the return trip. Is there a pay phone at your stop? You won't mind if I take a moment to call her?"
"I believe there are several," she answered. "But you could always use the one on our landing for free."
"I wouldn't want to impose," he smiled. "It will only take a moment."
She nodded, playing her part. "I hope they've intercepted the truck," she thought.
The first stop came and went, then the second and both women noticed Ellis was even more nervous. He wasn't the seasoned double agent he was thought to be and both of them wondered if this was his first assignment. When the third stop came, and they disembarked together onto the elevated station platform, Peggy passed a man who was reading a newspaper with the headline: JAPAN SURRENDERS; WAR ENDS. She stopped to make a comment to the man, who smiled at her.
"It's like everything just fell into place, just like that," he said, winking at her.
She smiled back, as the phrase "just like that" was code to let her know that everything had gone well, and the other arrests were already made. Stepping down the stairs towards the street, she stumbled at the bottom, grasping Ellis, who grabbed her then helped her stand upright.
"You okay, ma'am?" he asked. "I'll place that call and just be over here."
Keeping his eye on them he went over to the pay phone and started dialling, just as the panel truck drew up onto the sidewalk beside the women. Two masked men stepped out with guns aimed at them. With a smile, Ellis hung up and put his hand in his pocket for his gun, coming up empty.
"Looking for this, Corporal?" asked Peggy, pointing the gun at him, while the two masked men pulled their masks off, revealing strangers.
He turned to run, but several others came out from where they had been waiting; men, women, even the man with the newspaper, all with guns trained on him. It was overkill but it emphasized that he was finished. A car pulled up then; Lieutenant Sousa and Captain Frankel stepped out. The latter walked right up to Ellis and slapped him hard enough to draw blood from his lip.
"I lost a good man because of you, a better man," he said, his anger barely concealed.
Before Ellis could do anything else two operatives seized him while a third shoved a device into his mouth that prevented him from dislodging the false tooth. He struggled but they got it in there, then placed him in handcuffs behind his back and put a hood over his head.
"Take him," said Sousa. "I'll meet you there shortly for the interrogation. Good work, everyone."
They placed him in the panel van that had been meant for Peggy and Gladdie. Several people accompanied him, while the others got into cars that suddenly appeared.
"May we offer you a ride home?" asked Captain Frankel. "You still do have a security detail."
He tilted his head towards Sousa, making them all laugh. On his eventual return to the office, Frankel picked up his telephone, placing a long-distance call to England, under orders to do so when the operation was complete. Speaking with the person who answered he gave them the phrase "just like that" to pass on to General Phillips. Then he hung up, turned off the light and headed out, nodding at the MP at the door. Outside, there was still the sounds of celebration reaching their location from Times Square. He smiled and headed for the subway, and home.
England / Europe – August to November, 1945
When Grant and Raines arrived back at the PoW camp in Somerset to take custody of Leonid Antonov, Colonel Flynn was surprised to see them. Grant showed him the letter from General Eisenhower himself; for a moment the special agent thought the man would have a stroke. But Flynn stifled any outburst he may have considered, took the letter, read it, and ordered the Sergeant to bring the man out.
"I need his clothes back," he said. "They're property of this prison."
"We have a change of clothing for him," answered Grant. "Will you allow him to have a shower and shave first? We have the toiletries."
Flynn's eye twitched and he sniffed but he nodded to the Sergeant who directed the two men to a room that contained a bathroom, complete with shower. Antonov came in shortly after, escorted by two MPs, still in possession of his cigarettes and chocolate. Grant nodded approvingly at that.
"Thank you," he said to the MPs. "We can take it from here. I'll sign the papers once we're done."
Antonov looked fearfully at both men, still not quite trusting that they were actually following through on their promises to him.
"Relax," said Raines, in Russian. "Have a shower and shave. We've brought you what you need for that, plus new clothes. Until we get outside, we won't say anything more, agreed?"
In exchange for the cigarettes and chocolate, Raine gave him the duffel bag, promising that everything in there was his property now. Antonov almost cried as he took it and entered the bathroom, looking to the two men for permission to close the door. With a wave, Raines gave it, and they soon heard water running. Antonov began singing a Russian folk song, which made both Americans smile. The shower water stopped, followed by the start and stop of a sink tap; Antonov was shaving. Audible expressions of how nice the underwear was amused them.
"I guess the prison didn't expend a lot of money on comfort," noted Grant. "No wonder they were all grumpy."
The door finally opened, and the Russian came out, clean, his hair slicked back, in new clothes, with his bag slung over his shoulder and his dirty prison apparel in his hand.
"Leave them," said Raines. "Let's pack your cigarettes and chocolate in there."
Antonov dropped the prison clothes, opened the duffel, and placed his treasures inside then fastened it up again and looked at both men, expectantly. With a smile, Grant opened the door, seeing Flynn and his Sergeant there with a clipboard. He signed the transfer papers, took his copy, and waited for any parting words from Flynn. There were none, so he gestured to Antonov, putting him in between himself and Raines and walked out the door, striding to their jeep. Eagerly, the Russian got inside, squinting up at the sun.
"I forgot," said Grant, reaching into his chest pocket. "These are for him."
He pulled out a pair of sunglasses and handed them to Antonov, while Raines explained. A torrent of Russian came out of the man's mouth, his face ecstatic. The Corporal laughed then looked at Grant.
"You have a new puppy. He thinks you're as powerful as the President. Wait until he finds out that he's not a PoW anymore."
"Yeah, you better tell him he's on our squad. See how he feels about being a real soldier."
Grant settled behind the wheel so Raines could deal with the Russian. As he told him everything expected of him, Antonov tempered his initial enthusiasm then he placed his hand on Grant's shoulder and said words that the special agent never thought he would hear from someone once connected to HYDRA.
"He says that you have his undying loyalty for the rest of your life," started Raines. "He accepts the responsibility that I have explained to him and will do his best for the Patrol and the Commandos. HYDRA is the enemy and must be defeated so that decent people can live without fear. He will do his part, no matter what. He also wants me to teach him English, so I'll start with a basic." He worked with Antonov for several minutes. "There is no th sound in Russian, just so you know."
Nodding at Antonov, the man proudly cleared his throat. "Tank you, sir."
"You're welcome," answered Grant loudly, as he drove back to the base.
It took some time for the rest of the men to fully trust Antonov, but as he learned more English and they learned more about him, they realized he was a man in the wrong place at the wrong time, caught in an impossible situation. The fact that HYDRA had his family hostage unless he served them affected those who were also fathers. His story of being conscripted into the Russian army, captured, and conscripted again by HYDRA in the final months of the war was believed. Although he tried to escape the authoritarian organization, a picture of his family, along with a threat against them, kept him in his place. When the Research Facility was taken, he surrendered quickly, hoping it would be interpreted as a conciliatory action. Ending up in that Somerset PoW camp was almost worse than being with HYDRA, as the food and conditions were much worse. Now that he was free, he turned out to be good at scrounging all sorts of supplies. When they went out on their first mission with him, he disappeared for a while, coming back with several things for Rumlow and Dernier to add some oomph to the bombs they were making. He even "found" a few chickens, making a stew out of them combined with some vegetable and potato rations that even had Dernier licking his fingers.
With the UIA's help, the Commandos and the Patrol took that other camp on the border between Poland and Russia. It was a munitions factory for HYDRA and after liberating the power source that had originally been adapted from the Tesseract, they blew the place sky high. One by one, they went through the list of targets, while also asking about Antonov's family. Their original location had been evacuated, with the refugees scattered everywhere. Grant registered the names with the Red Cross, on the off chance the family crossed the border into another country that wasn't under Russian control. It was a long shot as they were quite a distance from the border in Germany that now split that country in two. Then he received a communique while they were back in Frankfurt, taking a few days between missions. Heading to their barracks he listened for Antonov's voice, his thick accent making him stand out. Calling to him, the Russian disengaged himself from the others and came over.
"Yes, Special Agent?" he answered.
"How would you like to take a quick flight to Bavaria?"
"Whatever you need me to do, I will do," replied Antonov.
"It's your family, somehow, they made it to a displaced persons camp there," said Grant. "I just received word from the Red Cross." Tears formed in the man's eyes. "We must confirm they are your family but I'm going to get the paperwork started to accept them here, not on the base, but in a place close by. It might take a day or two to get that arranged before we go there."
"Tank you, you are..." Antonov was overcome with emotion, unable to speak.
Grant patted the man on the arm. "The camp is for Jewish DPs. You didn't tell me you were Jewish, Leo. How did HYDRA not know?"
"I hide from dem," he said, after his emotions settled down. "Antonov, my Russian name to hide my religiya. Russia not kind to my people. My real name Leonid Isaac Azimov, but for Russia, Antonov. I fear all de time dat HYDRA find out. Dey send DPs back to country, yes?"
"Normally, yes, but I'll see what I can do. There must be some way we can get you and your family back to the States. You don't have any relatives there, do you?"
"Uncle in New York," he said. "Many years ago. Abram Mirkin. Cook like me."
"We'll see what we can do."
That weekend, Grant, Raines and Antonov flew to Bavaria, borrowed a jeep, and found the displaced person's camp. With Raines interpreting they gave the persons in charge the names of Antonov's family, then were directed to a barracks-type building in the middle of the compound. As they came closer to the location Antonov became increasingly anxious. They walked inside as the residents had private rooms assigned to them with Antonov looking at the people inside the rooms with open doors. It wasn't until they got to the sixth room that he stopped, where a woman and two children were bent over a book, as she helped them read.
"Klara?" His voice was tentative. She looked up, then stood up and came forward. "It's me, Leonid. I'm free." She looked at the two Americans. "They're friends and helped me find you."
"No HYDRA?" He shook his head. A sob burst out of her mouth, and she placed her hands on it before looking back at her children. "It's Papa, come to take us away from here. You are taking us from here, aren't you?"
"Yes." He kneeled. "Daniel, Anna, it's me, Papa. I'm sorry it took so long. But I'm here now."
They approached slowly, then his daughter poked his nose and he laughed, drawing her into his arms, before pulling his son close. Standing up, he kissed his wife, then looked back at Grant and Raines, overcome with emotion.
"Why don't you help them pack and we'll present the transfer papers for them to the office." Grant smiled with what he hoped came across as reassurance. "We'll come back for you."
They were ready when Grant and Raines returned and eagerly crammed into the jeep, with the children on their laps. The trip on the airplane thrilled the children at first but the excitement finally tired them and they fell asleep. Raines spoke with the couple, explaining that a place near the base for Klara and the children was found but Antonov had to stay on base and would need a pass to be with them, which they would arrange.
"What then?" she asked Raines.
Raines looked at Grant, relaying her question, then translating his reply. "Your husband is assigned to our unit, for his knowledge of HYDRA and his language skills. We have missions where we find and destroy their bases. He is obligated to be with us by order of General Eisenhower. We won't lie; it is dangerous, but we've lost only one man in all the time we've been doing this. If, God forbid, anything happens to him, you will be taken care of. We promise and your husband can tell you we are men of honour." Antonov nodded in agreement. "When we have destroyed the last HYDRA base, your husband will be released from our arrangement and free to pursue a new life with you and your children. He spoke of an uncle in America, that we are trying to find. It may be possible to bring you there but we're still looking for the uncle."
She reached for Grant's hands and kissed them. Gently, he patted her hand and returned to his seat on the airplane. Raines answered a few more questions, then joined him.
"Feels good, doesn't it?" he asked. "What happens if we don't find the uncle?"
"They'll have to stay where they are." Grant looked out the window. "It won't be an easy time for them. Post war Germany in my timeline had a lot of problems, reconstruction, the Russian threat, and still pockets of anti-Jewish prejudice. But Germany soon ended up being a reliable ally of the west. Hopefully, that stays the same."
It was late afternoon when they landed and Grant stopped briefly at the MPs gate, requesting a two-day pass for Antonov. At first, the MP on duty refused, as officially the Russian was still a PoW. Leaning closer, Grant explained that the woman and children in the jeep were Antonov's family, a small flat had already been set up for them, and this was a reward of some private time with his family to help them settle in.
"Do you really think he would willingly abandon his family in a strange country?"
The MP put the pass in front of Grant, watched him sign it, then marked it in the record that Antonov had the pass. Grant escorted the Russian into the base to get a change of clothes and his shaving kit then handed him the precious piece of paper.
"You be back before noon, Wednesday," he ordered. "Don't make me a liar, Antonov. I expect you here."
"Tank you, Special Agent, I will be here."
The Russian hurried back to the gate with his bag and showed his pass to the guard. Raines, waiting in the jeep with the man's family, drove them to their small flat, then came back alone, reporting to Grant that they were thrilled with their new home. When Antonov reported for duty before his pass expired, he was welcomed back with gentle ribbing from the others at how relaxed he looked after a few days with his family. Whenever something was needed from off the base, Antonov accompanied the person assigned to the task, with the understanding that he could stop by the flat to see his family briefly. Although no one complained, when he started bringing baking back to the barracks, it was appreciated. He learned how much that gesture meant to the others when Hanukkah began on November 29 and he was given a three day pass to celebrate with his family, along with a box to take with him. Encouraged to open it before he left, he found a wooden menorah, candles and matches, and some handmade gifts for the children. For the longest time he looked at the contents of the box, then closed it and in a shaky voice, blessed them all for being kind to a man who feared he would never experience that again.