Broken | Lucas North - Spooks/MI5 Story [Featured]

Chapter 31

But as he read the words tattooed on her back, he knew.  

“Tell me about Nephthys, Harry,”  Ros asked again and this time Harry looked up at her, placing the photograph on the desk in front of him.  He took a deep breath, wondering where he would begin.  

Well, something inside Harry said, begin at the beginning.

“Eleven years ago, there was a rumor going on within MI6 that Michael Smith, one of Six’s top deep cover agents, had turned traitor.”

“Mikhael Lubienko,” Ros said.  

Harry nodded.  “That was his legend.  He’d been sent there two years previously by Jools’ predecessor to relay information back to England.  He’d entrenched himself quite well into Russian life, got married and right before we heard the news of his betrayal, even had a son.  The perfect cover.”

Harry sighed.  He got up and walked towards the bar to pour himself a scotch.  He lifted a glass for Ross but she shook her head.  “When Jools started running the show, things seemed to go downhill from there.  There were too many botched operations, misinformation, and most importantly, there were some illegal dealings involving nuclear arm sales that went on right under Mikhael’s nose.”

“That must have ticked Mikhael off,” Ros said.  “I hear he was at the top of his field.”

“Yes, he was. Much like you, Ros," Harry said with a small smile, remembering the few operations that Ros herself had set up without his knowledge in the past.  "And so he set up his operation, independent of his handler, and worse, without Jools’ knowledge.  Mikahel was so used to the way the old boss ran the show that he just went on as if Jools had never taken over.”  Harry took a sip, allowing the scotch to smoothly flow down his throat.  He sat back down.  

“Six months later, Jools denounced him as a traitor, and revealed proof that Mikhael worked for the KGB.  According to Jools, Mikhael had killed three MI6 agents and his own family before going into hiding.  The next time we heard about Mikhael, he was already working with the FSB.”

"I doubt he had much of a choice," Ros said wryly.  "But do continue, Harry."

“Nine years ago, I brought Alexa back from Russia and all she had in her possession was a book, a nesting doll and a Russian pop music CD.  I left her in my office for about twenty minutes and during that time, I believe now that she was the one who uploaded a file report by Mikhael Lubienko called Nephthys.  At that time, we’d thought that someone had hacked the systems, since we’d had had a few attempts that week alone, and we were still getting used to the new equipment,” Harry began.  “The report detailed an operation that Mikhael had set up at a dacha just outside of Moscow after receiving a tip that it would be the site of nuclear arms negotiations - the under the table kind, if you know what I mean.”’

Ros did not say anything.  She watched as Harry appeared to choose his words carefully.

“The file contained highly detailed surveillance transcripts of conversations between people we have long suspected of illegal arms dealing - and one of our own.”

There was silence between them as Ros mulled Harry’s words over, though she didn’t need too much time to do so.  She’d already known it the moment she’d seen the smarmy man walk through the pods a few nights ago.

“Jools Siviter,” Ros said.  “That’s why he’s back in the picture all of a sudden, isn’t he?  So what did you do with the report, Harry?”

“There was nothing I could do without ruining my own reputation, Ros,” Harry said.  “The report was detailed, yes.  It had photographs, yes.  But I needed actual recordings.  If Mikhael was able to transcribe the meetings and write it all down, then I needed the real thing.”