Alicia McBride - Revision history

Starkllr at 18:48, 24 May 2011

2011-05-24T18:48:58Z

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			'''Age 31 - February, 1962 - Paris, France'''

			She had needed time to think, and what better place to do that than in the City of Lights? ALicia had been there for three weeks now, renting a flat, spending time as a tourist, taking in the sites that she never had the time to appreciate when she'd been here on business.

			It would be back to business soon. She was going to take Tom's "promotion"; there had never really been any question. She knew of, or at least had heard rumors of, such "midnight operations" as they were referred to; teams more invisible than the "black ops" that were an open secret in the Agency. Alicia had her suspicions that the midnight teams reported - if they reported to anyone at all - directly to the DCI, bypassingh all the tedious bureaucratic oversight and requirements to adhere to even the barest modicums of law or morality. Which, considering the things that she'd done as a regular member of the Agency, was somewhat alarming.

			But there wasn't any choice. And whomever had recruited her - the DCI himself, she assumed - knew her well enough to know that. That was, ultimately, what hurt the most. It wasn't getting deliberately burned by her superiors, galling as that was. It was the fact that she'd let her guard down, and allowed herself to be played so completely. She would not make that mistake again...


	'''Age 31 - February, 1962, Trenton, New Jersey'''		'''Age 31 - February, 1962, Trenton, New Jersey'''

Starkllr at 14:28, 24 May 2011

2011-05-24T14:28:12Z

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Starkllr at 14:50, 19 May 2011

2011-05-19T14:50:05Z

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	“I can’t even count how many hours I spent going through records in that hospital in Ann Arbor. You’d be amazed what you can learn, if you’re just patient and persistent enough. I’m really hoping it was all worth it, little brother.”		“I can’t even count how many hours I spent going through records in that hospital in Ann Arbor. You’d be amazed what you can learn, if you’re just patient and persistent enough. I’m really hoping it was all worth it, little brother.”


			'''Age 31 - January, 1962, Trenton, New Jersey'''
			Alicia had been watching the house for two days, waiting for some sign of Leo’s return, when the boy showed up. He was 12 or 13, healthy-looking, wearing a scowl. He threw down his schoolbag, took off his jacked and threw that too on the ground, and then started attacking the weeds in Leo’s garden.

			He tore them out of the ground roots and all, and from the expression on his face it was clear he would rather have been attacking someone, probably a classmate, than the defenseless weeds. She watched for half an hour, as the anger gradually drained away, before she approached the boy.

			Alicia knew who he had to be; he knew her brother had taken an interest in the cleaning woman and her son, though she wasn’t yet sure if Leo himself knew what his intentions were.

			“Hello,” Alicia said, smiling brightly. “I was looking for my friend, but I guess he isn’t back from his trip yet?”

			“Don’t think so,” the boy mumbled.

			“I’m Alicia,” she offered, extending a hand. He regarded her warily but finally shook it.

			“I’m Billy. Mister Leonard has me take care of his garden,”

			“Well, any friend of Mister Leonard is a friend of mine,” Alicia answered, sitting down on the steps in front of the house. “Looks like you had a little mix-up today,” she gestured to the bruise on Billy’s hand. “Trouble with somebody at school?”

			“Just Johnny Morton and his gang,” Billy replied, talking almost without realizing it about things with this stranger that he didn’t tell his mother or Mister Leonard. He quickly went through the whole miserable story of the fights over the last three years.

			Alicia listened to the sad tale, letting Billy get it all out. Even knowing that it was a well-known facet of human behavior that people will sometimes open up to complete strangers before they say a word to their loved ones, she still marveled at it.

			“You know, I know a thing or two that could help,” Alicia finally said. “You can keep out of a lot of trouble if you know about human nature. The first thing you have to know is…let me try it this way. Do you know how to play chess?”

			Billy was puzzled, but answered, hesitantly. “Kind of.”

			“Me, too,” Alicia laughed. “But here’s what I do know. Most people only know ‘kind of’. When they play, they see what’s right there in front of them. You know, they see if they move their Queen, they can take the other player’s horse. Right?”



			“It’s called a Knight,” Billy corrected.

			“So it is,” Alicia agreed. “But you understand my point?” The boy nodded. “OK. Well, some people see a little further than that. They see, if they move their Queen, the other player will move their Knight out of the way, and if that happens, then they can do something else. They see one or two moves ahead. Still with me?”

			“Sure.”

			“Well, the best players, the grand masters, they see twenty moves ahead. So when they move their Queen, it’s not just to capture the other guy’s horse. Nope. When they move their Queen, they’re setting up the next twenty moves, so that an hour later the other player’s king will be right where they want it, and they’ll win. And the other player probably won’t have the slightest idea what hit them. That’s chess. But it’s true for all of life. Most people only see what’s right in front of them, and they only think about what they’re going to do in the next five minutes. And I can just about guarantee you that idiots like this Johnny Morton are like that. You see what I’m saying?”

			Billy was processing it. “Uh…”

			“Johnny doesn’t plan ahead. Or if he does, it’s only as far as the next period at school, or maybe, on a good day, what he’s going to do after school lets out. The way that you beat people like him is, you figure out what he’s going to do, which isn’t very hard, and you think a move ahead. Or five moves ahead.”

			“But how does that stop him coming at me?”

			Alicia had had to learn all this on her own; she was glad to be able to pass it on. “It takes time, and patience, but I promise you it works. If you can outsmart him, if you think ahead of him, you’ll find that he won’t be able to come at you anymore. Think about it. If you knew he was going to find you right after school to fight you, what could you do to avoid it?”

			“Sneak out the side door and get home before he sees me?”

			“That’s one way, sure. But how about this? What if you made it your job to learn the Principal’s schedule, so you know what time he goes out to his car to drive home at the end of the day? Let’s say you do that. And let’s just say for the sake of argument it’s 4 o’clock, and let’s say you go the extra mile and you go to see where he parks his car every day, let’s just say it’s right at the end of the parking lot, by the baseball field.” Billy nodded, following along. “So instead of waiting for Johnny to find you and hit you, you challenge him to a fight instead. And you pick the time and name the place. 4 o’clock, right by the ball field. You see where I’m going with this?”

			“Yeah!”

			“Great,” Alicia went on, “So Johnny shows up, with all his little friends. And you’re there. And they’re all looking at you, but what you’re looking for is the the Principal coming out to his car. There he is. And you say, ‘I don’t want to fight, Johnny! I’m sick of you beating me up!’ And being an idiot, Johnny takes that for you being weak, and he takes a swing at you. And what happens then?”

			“I get punched in the face.”

			Alicia sighed. “Maybe. Unless you learn to duck, too. But fine, he hits you. What else happens, though?”

			Hesitantly, Billy said, “The Principal sees him?”

			“Right,” Alicia smiled. “The Principal sees him hit you, and he sees you not hitting back, and remember he just heard you saying you didn’t want to fight. Right?” Comprehension dawned in Billy’s eyes. “So what happens then?”

			“Johnny gets punished!”

			Alicia nodded. “Johnny gets punished. And his friends rat him out, too, because they don’t want to get punished. So now he looks like an idiot to his friends, and he doesn’t trust them anymore because they ratted him out. Maybe he gets suspended, if you’re lucky, but even if not, he’s got bigger problems than you now, because he’s mad at his friends, and the Principal’s going to be watching him more closely from now on.”

			“How’d you figure all that out?”

			“It’s not that hard. It just takes time. You watch people, and pretty quick you’ll start to figure out what they’ll probably do in different situations. Then you’ll start to see how you can use that to your advantage. It’s not totally foolproof, because some people out there are like us, looking ahead, using their brains. But mostly they’re not. You understand?”

			“I understand.”

			They chatted for a few minutes more. “I guess Mister Leonard isn’t going to show up today,” Alicia said finally. “If you do see him, I’d rather it be a surprise, so please don’t tell him I was here, OK?”

			“Sure thing, Miss! Thanks!”

			Turning to leave, Alicia wondered if Billy would really take her lesson to heart. She hoped so; the boy could certainly use it.

Starkllr at 14:17, 19 May 2011

2011-05-19T14:17:16Z

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	'''Age 31 - December, 1961, Annapolis, MD'''		'''Age 31 - December, 1961, Annapolis, Maryland'''

	Alicia saw him there through the window. Same table as always, near the back, against the wall, good view of the door. Exactly like they taught at Langley – never sit with your back to a door or a window.		Alicia saw him there through the window. Same table as always, near the back, against the wall, good view of the door. Exactly like they taught at Langley – never sit with your back to a door or a window.

Starkllr at 14:12, 19 May 2011

2011-05-19T14:12:00Z

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	Age 29 - January 1960, New York, New York		'''Age 29 - January 1960, New York, New York'''

	Sergei, her prized defector, was still applauding. After sive hours of Wagner and eight curtain calls, Alicia was amazed he still had the energy. He finally, mercifully, sat down as they waited for the crowd to thin out. "What did you think? Was it worth it?" he asked her.		Sergei, her prized defector, was still applauding. After sive hours of Wagner and eight curtain calls, Alicia was amazed he still had the energy. He finally, mercifully, sat down as they waited for the crowd to thin out. "What did you think? Was it worth it?" he asked her.

Starkllr at 17:40, 13 May 2011

2011-05-13T17:40:48Z

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	Alicia gave him a grin. "It's a date."		Alicia gave him a grin. "It's a date."


			Age 29 - January 1960, New York, New York

			Sergei, her prized defector, was still applauding. After sive hours of Wagner and eight curtain calls, Alicia was amazed he still had the energy. He finally, mercifully, sat down as they waited for the crowd to thin out. "What did you think? Was it worth it?" he asked her.

			She considered it. It had taken quite a bit of string-pulling to arrange this outing; she'd had to go to Director Dulles himself in the end, and she was fairly certain that it was only the fact that he was a devotee of the opera himself that swayed his opinion on the matter. "It was quite something," she said at last. "It did stir up the emotions," Alicia admitted, "but it ''was'' a bit heavy for my first time."

			Sergei nodded in agreement. "Da. 'Tristan and Isolde' will, as you say, stir the emotions. And It is not for the faint of heart. But sometimes it is better to be thrown into the pool than to put a toe in, no? It is just as true of art as it is of our profession, you agree?"

			He was right, Alicia had to admit. Her own career was proof of that...


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	She had a month leave, and it had taken her until the 28th day to make the breakthrough. But she finally had. She had a name, an identity, and, thanks to yet another favor called in, she had a stack of files sixteen inches high.		She had a month leave, and it had taken her until the 28th day to make the breakthrough. But she finally had. She had a name, an identity, and, thanks to yet another favor called in, she had a stack of files sixteen inches high.

	She was on her fifth pot of coffee, and her 30th hour without sleep. But it was worth it. How often did you get to learn about the twin you were separated from at birth, after all?"		She was on her fifth pot of coffee, and her 30th hour without sleep. But it was worth it. How often did you get to learn about the twin you were separated from at birth, after all?


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	But then again, maybe it was his way of inviting her to meet. There was hardly a protocol for this kind of thing, after all. And she did want so badly to meet him, to know all the things he could tell her.		But then again, maybe it was his way of inviting her to meet. There was hardly a protocol for this kind of thing, after all. And she did want so badly to meet him, to know all the things he could tell her.

	Clearly that was it. She’d studied his file ~~– what she could find of it, anyway~~. And she knew his reputation. He’d never be so sloppy, it had to be intentional. All these weeks, he’d been waiting for her to make the next move.		Clearly that was it. She’d studied his file. And she knew his reputation. He’d never be so sloppy, it had to be intentional. All these weeks, he’d been waiting for her to make the next move.

			She watched for a few minutes more, shivering as the cold wind blew in from the sea. It was that, more than anything else, that pushed her to do it.

	~~She watched for a few minutes more, shivering as the cold wind blew in from the sea. It was that, more than anything else, that pushed her to do it.~~ In the end, the thing itself was so much easier than all the waiting and planning and wondering how it would go. She went straight in, passed the hostess with barely a nod of her head, and sat herself down at his table.		In the end, the thing itself was so much easier than all the waiting and planning and wondering how it would go. She went straight in, passed the hostess with barely a nod of her head, and sat herself down at his table.

	“I can’t even count how many hours I spent going through records in that hospital in Ann Arbor. You’d be amazed what you can learn, if you’re just patient and persistent enough. I’m really hoping it was all worth it, little brother.”		“I can’t even count how many hours I spent going through records in that hospital in Ann Arbor. You’d be amazed what you can learn, if you’re just patient and persistent enough. I’m really hoping it was all worth it, little brother.”

Starkllr at 17:25, 13 May 2011

2011-05-13T17:25:46Z

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Starkllr at 20:43, 11 May 2011

2011-05-11T20:43:37Z

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	'''Age 26 - October, 1956 - Ann Arbor, Michigan'''		'''Age 26 - October, 1956 - Ann Arbor, Michigan'''

	She'd reached a dead end. It was not something that Alicia was used to; in her experience there was always a way, always a Plan B or an alternate route to get what you needed.		She'd reached a dead end. It was not something that Alicia was used to; in her experience there was always a way, always a Plan B or an alternate route to get what you needed.

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	"Go tell Alexandra to prepare herself!" the director called out. "And fetch a doctor!" He disappeared then in front of the curtain, to announce to the packed house that there would be a delay in the opening of the performance, an unavoidable change in the cast, and that the great American soprano Jenny Linden would be unable to perform. ALicia could hear the disappointed murmurs of the audience, and the shuffling as the crowd took advantage of the delay to use the bathroom, have another drink or a smoke or otherwise stretch their legs.		"Go tell Alexandra to prepare herself!" the director called out. "And fetch a doctor!" He disappeared then in front of the curtain, to announce to the packed house that there would be a delay in the opening of the performance, an unavoidable change in the cast, and that the great American soprano Jenny Linden would be unable to perform. ALicia could hear the disappointed murmurs of the audience, and the shuffling as the crowd took advantage of the delay to use the bathroom, have another drink or a smoke or otherwise stretch their legs.

	In "Jenny's" dressing room, where Alicia waited once the stagehand and the conductor had carried her there, she waited precisely seven minutes for a knock. "Enter," she called out in Russian, and her stagehand, and her target, the man from the third row, also the man who'd designed the security systems for more than 30 Soviet embassy buildings across the world. She gestured to a small bag on the floor, and the target opened it, dressed himself, and took up the small medical satchel. The stagehand took the target's clothes and put them on; Alicia had chosen well, at a cursory glance, they could be taken for each other. He left, hurrying back out to the front of the house to take "his" seat in the orchestra. The newly minted "doctor", meanwhile put an arm around Alicia as she stood up using a pair of crutches, favoring her bandaged and "broken" ankle as they headed out back to the waiting car, and then to the airport...		In "Jenny's" dressing room, where Alicia waited once the stagehand and the conductor had carried her there, she waited precisely seven minutes for a knock. "Enter," she called out in Russian, and her stagehand, and her target, the man from the third row, also the man who'd designed the security systems for more than 30 Soviet embassy buildings across the world. She gestured to a small bag on the floor, and the target opened it, dressed himself, and took up the small medical satchel. The stagehand took the target's clothes and put them on; Alicia had chosen well, at a cursory glance, they could be taken for each other. He left, hurrying back out to the front of the house to take "his" seat in the orchestra. The newly minted "doctor", meanwhile, put an arm around Alicia as she stood up using a pair of crutches, favoring her bandaged and "broken" ankle as they headed out back to the waiting car, and then to the airport.

			Two hours later, once the plane had crossed the border and she could relax, Alicia turned to her defector and sighed. "You know, there is one thing I regret. I really would've liked to have seen the performance."

			The defector nodded in agreement. "They say that your Metropolitan Opera is almost as good as the Bolshoi, though. Perhaps once I've been debriefed, they'll let me go to New York to see it?"

			Alicia gave him a grin. "It's a date."

Starkllr at 19:53, 11 May 2011

2011-05-11T19:53:35Z

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	Age 26 - October, 1956 - Ann Arbor, Michigan		'''Age 26 - October, 1956 - Ann Arbor, Michigan'''

	She'd reached a dead end. It was not something that Alicia was used to; in her experience there was always a way, always a Plan B or an alternate route to get what you needed.		She'd reached a dead end. It was not something that Alicia was used to; in her experience there was always a way, always a Plan B or an alternate route to get what you needed.

Starkllr at 19:51, 11 May 2011

2011-05-11T19:51:52Z

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	'''Age 31 - December, 1961, Annapolis, MD'''		'''Age 31 - December, 1961, Annapolis, MD'''

	Alicia saw him there through the window. Same table as always, near the back, against the wall, good view of the door. Exactly like they taught at Langley – never sit with your back to a door or a window.		Alicia saw him there through the window. Same table as always, near the back, against the wall, good view of the door. Exactly like they taught at Langley – never sit with your back to a door or a window.