The two years in Canada passed uneventfully. They purchased a used Toyota, rented a nice home in the countryside, and looked to the neighbors as an immigrant couple that was fitting into the working-class life. Unfortunately, from the inside they were struggling. Marie grew increasingly resentful of their immigrant status in Canada. She missed Poland, the privileges granted to her family as members of the Communist Party, and most of all she resented her subservient role in the planning and carrying out of the mission. Georgi tried to get her to share his sense of adventure, but it was not enough and some strains began to replace what had been passion and enthusiasm.

Marie began to drink more than she should, and it caused many unpleasant arguments between them. The drinking gradually affected her ability to focus on their mission.

Marie was afraid KGB watchers would find out if she sought help for her drinking problem. She never told anyone about their illegal status and Georgi was sure she never would, but he hadn’t mentioned her drinking problem to the local KGB handler.

Georgi had known for years that if he ever got a chance to get out of the Soviet Union, he would never go back. His Nana, Katrina, despised the cruelty and arrogance of the Communist Party members and had instilled Georgi with the same feelings. She was certain that one day the Russian people would rise up against the regimes that one after the other had brought them hardship without hope. The threat of the camps and the omnipotence of the KGB sapped the courage of even the bravest and wrung the light and gaiety out of people wherever the Hammer and Sickle flew on its field of red.

Alex, their KGB handler, knew nothing of Georgi’s true feelings, and neither did Marie. Georgi was afraid to give Marie even a hint of his dream. He believed her dedication to her family and Poland wouldn’t allow her to take such a risk.

Georgi’s problem was how to get them into the United States and, once there, break away from KGB control, with or without Marie’s help. Once she saw that she could never return to Poland because of her role in his traitorous act, he hoped Marie would recognize that she had no real choice but to go along with his plan. He knew they could not stay in Canada. There were not enough places to hide or cities large enough to absorb a family on the run from the KGB.

At the next meeting, Alex said, “Get ready to move. The Center has decided to push up your timetable. Once in the U.S. your contact will be limited to infrequent clandestine radio contact. So if you’re unclear about anything, now is the time to ask.”

“No. I understand the mission and am ready to leave Canada.”

“Good. Now pay attention. No notes are allowed. Be ready to move within the next few weeks. I’ll give you new identity documents and infiltration information. You will find a rental place in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Both of you are expected to attend college and acquire a BA or BS to further your cover and improve your social mobility in America.

“You will cross the border into the U.S. with $200,000 in cash, nothing larger than a hundred-dollar bill. If the project works out, more KGB officers trained in the American and Canadian language, culture and history will be infiltrated into the United States. Perhaps even more importantly, several KGB careers will benefit from project ‘FALCON,’ including mine. Now you have to listen to my version of the mission in the United States.”

Georgi grinned and poured a fresh cup of strong black coffee as Alex began his required briefing. “The counter-intelligence forces in the U.S. are rapidly improving. Personal contacts between KGB controllers assigned to Soviet embassies and consulates, and illegals or deep-cover agents are becoming more and more dangerous. This old method of contact has to be changed.

“Many promising KGB cases have been compromised by Western counter-intelligence forces following suspect KGB officers from their Embassies or homes to meetings with illegals and foreign agents. KGB officers who will live as illegals must be the network controllers of the future. Communications between the illegal controllers like you and the Moscow Center will primarily be through short-and long-range clandestine radio links. Georgi, you are the first to be selected to test this concept. You have had all the training required.

“You will be given all the financial resources you need to keep your network viable. You will have ample funds to improve the social status of key members of your network, recruit American agents, and acquire real estate and other material assets required for the mission.”

While he was listening to Alex, Georgi thought about the capabilities and procedures of the KGB. They would never give up hunting for a turncoat who had brought disgrace upon the whole organization. Marie and I will be on the run for a year or more, until we find a place that could provide us with both sanctuary and an opportunity to live normal lives. We need money, a lot of it. The money will come from the ample funds Alex is talking about that is stored in safety deposit boxes in banks across America.

We can’t go to the Americans for help. Once we walk in as defectors or volunteers to any counter-intelligence organization, we wouldn’t be able to walk out. For the rest of our life we would be in their hands. They would never fully trust us nor allow us to live our lives by following our own choices. I don’t trust the Americans to keep us safe from a vengeful KGB.

While some people will keep their word, all governments break their word as soon as it is expedient to do so. From now on, I want to be in control of my life and to give my future children the opportunity to live their own lives.

He swore then and there that once he achieved security, he would try to protect the Americans from the KGB cancer that was growing within their wonderful but naïve country.

All of Barry Kelly’s novels are available in print and digital formats from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or your local bookstore. Visit www.factsandfictions.com for more by the author.