K7/D1 had wanted to visit Rome since she was a child. She had, however, hoped that visit would be for a holiday, not work. To her had been delegated the task of interrogating the aforementioned (alleged) double agent Ms. Katrina Anna Meyer (‘the KGB’s answer to Lady Macbeth’, as one later critic so memorably described her). For security reasons, we shall call her ‘Amanda’. She could not argue with the wisdom of this delegation. It was a good and logical choice, given that Katrina was a former colleague – and friend, for that matter (sending a friend had seemed to work with Philby, after all). Amanda and Katrina had worked together on the internal counter-espionage operation assigned the codename ‘Game Theory’ between December 1992 and January 1993, the intention of which was to expose and root out an extensive Mossad infiltration network. Katrina had made this public at the time. Given that Mossad’s actions demonstrably went beyond the level of a mere diplomatic incident and could be deemed to constitute an act of war, this puts America – that’s to say the newly elected President Clinton – into an extremely difficult position. The terms of the NATO treaty were quite explicit in stating that an attack on one is considered an attack on all. America, therefore, would be forced to choose between its alliance with Israel, and its alliance with Britain (and therefore NATO). Clinton would choose Britain. This had the further consequence of hardening diplomatic attitudes towards Israel specifically with regards to the ongoing peace negotiations with Palestine. In this particular parallel, but entangled version of your world, what became the Oslo Accord formally recognised the two-state solution, acknowledging the sovereign state of Palestine stretching to 1967 borders, as per certain UN resolutions.
Katrina had, in effect, brought peace to the Holy Land.
The irony of the fact that she had enlisted the help of the KGB to do it, however, did not serve to shield her from the serious charge of breaking His Majesty’s Official Secrets Act (1911, 12 charges).
Naturally, the British Government, a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, pursued extradition proceedings, whilst hoping that Katrina might agree to come quietly. She had, after all, stated that running away and defecting was not her intention. She had claimed sanctuary in the Vatican specifically because of the threat of torture.
This was not, as it happens, without sufficient reason. There were a number of unfortunate pieces of information falling into the enemy’s hands which led to Katrina’s unmasking as a Soviet agent, not the least of which being provided by a certain defector (always the double-agent’s greatest fear), but the final confirmation came from her girlfriend, the socialist journalist Anna Marten, who was forced into making a confession, allegedly through the threat of torture. The government denied this, but then again they would, wouldn’t they? Katrina knew better. Anna, like herself, having been through IRT (interrogation resistance training), would not confess anything without the threat of torture. IRT specifically instructed the subject to resist up until the moment when ‘enhanced interrogation’ turns into outright torture. It’s a fine line, of course, and a dangerous game to play – the trick is in convincing your interrogators that you are telling the truth. If they don’t believe you, they will only make it worse. And they, of course, are generally conditioned to assume the subject is trying to hide something.
And so Anna resisted enhanced interrogation for nine days before they brought out the electric shock machine, at which point she confessed that she had indeed been a Soviet spy, with the cryptonym MACMILLAN, since early 1984, and in that capacity she had talent-spotted Katrina Meyer, cryptonym OSYA, for recruitment into the KGB, by informing her Control, Alexander Mikhailovitch Voronin, who made the formal approach during Katrina’s visit to Moscow in June 1990.
Fortunately for Anna, they believed her.
She was duly charged with two specific counts of breaking the Official Secrets Act (1911, one charge; 1920 amendments, one charge) and placed on remand in Holloway women’s prison.
There was no way Katrina would desert Anna. She truly believed, after all, that betrayal was the worst of all possible sins. There was no disagreeing with Dante on that one. Therefore, in exchange for providing evidence of Anna’s wellbeing, together with a guarantee that she herself would not be subjected to torture of any kind, Katrina agreed to being interviewed by MI5 in the Vatican. She even gave her word that she would be forthcoming with her confessions.
Amanda believed her. Whatever Katrina may have done, whichever side she may be on, she was an honourable woman. She would talk.
The first interview took place the morning after Amanda’s plane touched down at Fiumicino in the hot September sun. She did not need to spend any more time in preparation. She had read the file six times already. So she treated herself to a fine Roman trattoria. Somewhere discreet, somewhere unfrequented by tourists.
A cosy little affair in the Termini district.
The interviews took place in a rarely used, typically ornate chamber within the Apostolic Palace. The two former colleagues faced each other across a modest polished mahogany table, something from the eighteenth century perhaps. Another beautiful relic that no longer exists. Following polite yet uneasy pleasantries, Amanda opened the file in front of her, placed the little tape recorder to one side, and pressed record.
“For the benefit of the tape, present in the room are myself, K7/D1, my colleague K7/D5, Katrina Anna Meyer, and her lawyer, Sabine Fielding. The time is [checks watch] 09:11 local time, 20 September 1994.
“First question. Katrina, are you satisfied with the assurances regarding the wellbeing of Anna Marten?”
“I don’t think ‘satisfied’ is an appropriate choice of word under the circumstances, do you?”
“If I’d have known I would’ve stopped it, Katrina. You know I feel the same as you about torture. Besides, it was Six who were responsible, not Five.”
“I apologise. Let’s not get off on the wrong foot, eh.”
“So to rephrase the question -”
“Yes, I am ‘satisfied’ that Anna is ok.”
“Thank you. Now, you’ve already been provided with a copy of Anna’s confession through your lawyer. Can you confirm that you have read it and you concur with its content?”
One can clearly hear a sense of sadness in Katrina’s soft, southern English voice at this point. Her voice is similar to Kay’s, actually, now that I hear it for the first time.
“I confirm the veracity of Anna’s confession.” A sense of, what was that, regret? No, that’s not it. Not regret. Mourning and nostalgia for something forever lost.
“But not all of it.”
Amanda is clearly surprised and confused by this answer. “Sorry? What do you mean? Which parts?”
“I confirm that my KGB cryptonym is OSYA, but I deny that Anna Marten is, or has ever been a Soviet spy. As such she was not responsible for my recruitment.”
“So who was? And how do you explain Anna’s confession?”
“I told Anna what to say if they threatened her with torture. I expected it to happen at some point. The truth is, Anna was only made to look like a spy. I was recruited during my first trip to Russia at the end of June 1990, by Sasha Voronin, who, as you know, works in First Chief Directorate, Section 3, line PR. He was responsible for Operation Hexadecadent, which is how Anna came to be mixed up in all this. You’re aware of the Hex file of course, so I don’t need to explain that.”
“Yes.”
At this point K7/D5 interjects. “Some might conclude you’re just trying to cover for her.” Male voice, public-school educated, clearly attempting to play the bad cop role. It’s not going to work with this girl.
“I’m sure they would. But then again, I’m the real target of all this aren’t I, not her. This prosecution is more political than anything else, isn’t it? So given that the only evidence you have against Anna is a false confession obtained through the threat of torture – which, as you should know, is tantamount to torture itself – I am going to continue denying that Anna is a spy, and any lawyer would advise Anna accordingly, to plead not guilty. I, however, as per the terms of this agreement, will give you a confession. One that will hold up in court.”
Now it was Amanda’s turn to sound sad. Regretful and disappointed. At the same time, she was hoping to throw Katrina off a little with a change in both tone and subject. “Why did you do it?”
“You’re asking for the sake of our former friendship, aren’t you?”
“Yes. Even if it sounds like a cliché, don’t you think you owe me that much?”
“Yes. I do. I never did it to betray anyone. That was not my intention. As far as I am concerned, I agree with Dante that betrayal of those who love and trust you is the worst of all sins.”
“Does this mean you really are a Catholic? Or is this another cover story?” K7/D5 again, sceptical.
“Yes, I really am a Catholic. Although strictly speaking I’m a Celtic Pagan Pelagian Catholic. Which I believe to be the originally intended version of Jesus’ philosophy, and therefore the true version of Christianity.”
“What’s Pelagian?”
“We refute the doctrine of original sin. That idea is just a method of social control. It’s incompatible with the idea of a loving God. Or even a neutral God, which is closer to the truth. Human beings are not born sinful, they’re born good and have to be corrupted into sinfulness. Without that corruption they remain good. Which is just another word for emotionally mature. That’s why they’re naturally communist, by the way.”
“Is the Pope aware of this?”
“He’s perfectly aware of it, yes.”
“And what does he think of it?”
“I believe I’m succeeding in convincing him. However, the contents of my private conversations with His Holiness are, as I say, private, confidential.”
“Not relevant, then, for our purposes?”
There is a short pause in the recording at this point.
Amanda. “For the purposes of the tape, please just say ‘no’ rather than shaking your head.”
“Sorry. No. Not relevant.” Another pause. “Well, actually it’s kind of relevant to your question about my motivations but not in any legal sense.”
“In what way? What are your motivations?”
“I have a greater purpose.”
“What purpose?”
“I’ve been trying to prevent a catastrophe from engulfing your world.”
“So you think you have some kind of, what, divinely inspired mission from God?” K7/D5 did not make any attempt to conceal his sarcasm.
Katrina ignored the jibe. “I wouldn’t necessarily put it that way. I’m sure God would approve, but I have been acting entirely on my own free will. Having said that, not acting on what I know isn’t really possible for someone with my character. So in that sense, my decision was already made for me. Inevitable.”
“What a Greek Tragedy.” K7/D5 still trying to be cynical.
“Don’t even bother trying to rile me up. It’s not going to work.”
Amanda intervenes. “I understand what you’re saying. What catastrophe? What do you know?”
“The future. At least, one possible future. A catastrophe the likes of which you couldn’t possibly imagine.”
“So you’re a prophet now too?” K7/D5.
“Shut up.” Amanda to K7/D5. “Sorry again about that. We’re not going to play good cop bad cop. I know it won’t work on you. What catastrophe? Katrina? What catastrophe?”
“Call it World War Three, if you like. And it’s prophetess, not prophet. I’m female, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
“I do apologise.”
“Good.”
“Stop it. Katrina, what about World War Three?”
“The future of humanity depends on whether you become a utopia or a dystopia. If America and its ideologies, or those who control it, continues to be the dominant faction on this planet, then you will have a dystopia. The most important diplomatic player on the world stage is our country, Britain. Simply by choosing which side it’s on, Britain can determine the direction of travel for the human species in the next century and beyond. Since at least 1914, the Anglo-American alliance has been responsible for permanent conflict and division in Europe, and by extension the rest of the world. Including two world wars. Although to be accurate about it the world’s been in permanent war throughout this century, hasn’t it?”
“I’m not going to argue politics with you, Katrina. I know you’re a communist, aren’t you?”
“Of course. Communism is just common sense. Until recently in the grand scheme of things, it’s how human beings have always lived. Small, close-knit communities, no money, communal ownership. If they even had a concept of ‘ownership’ in prehistoric times. No hierarchy. No patriarchy. Humans are social animals, therefore they are social-ist. So yes, of course I’m a communist. But that’s not why I joined the KGB. Obviously it helped to get me in, but my motivations are not ideological.”
“So what are they?”
“As I was saying, Britain is the most important diplomatic power in the world. If Britain chose to renounce its association with America, as well as NATO, instead allying with Russia, and hopefully bringing other European countries into this New Eurasian Alliance, then not only would Europe no longer be divided, but America would be diplomatically isolated. The hypocrisy of America telling everyone it’s the home of democracy and liberty whilst creating and perpetuating war, conflict, exploitation and suffering throughout the rest of the world would be obvious. Even to the stupid American public. My point being, they would never be able to start another war in Europe. Therefore, no World War Three. The fate of the world, therefore, depends on the kind of government Britain has when the time comes in I’d say about thirty years from now. 2024. If Britain is a liberal socialist country, it will create a domino effect throughout Europe, leading to utopia. Capitalism will be dead. But if Britain is still controlled by fascists, then you should count yourself lucky if you die before the war. Because it’s not going to be pretty. I can assure you of that.”
K7/D5 sighed. “That sounds like a classic conspiracy theory. For which the KGB are well-known.”
“I’m not surprised you say that. Calling an inconvenient truth a conspiracy theory is the most effective way of discrediting it in the eyes of the public. Or MI5 counter-espionage officers for that matter. I’ve seen enough KGB files in Moscow to know that many of the things you call ‘theories’ are actually facts.”
“As opposed to, say, KGB disinformation?”
“That’s Fourth Chief Directorate stuff. I’m talking First here. Besides, you think so-called democracies are somehow immune to conspiracies because they’re – what? – democracies? Give me a break and stop being so naive.”
Amanda. “Please stop arguing. Both of you. Katrina, you really believe America will start World War Three in thirty years’ time? Why?”
“Because they have to prevent peace, prosperity and progress at all costs. For them, it’s a matter of survival. As technology progresses it will become more obvious to everyone that work isn’t sacred, that these technologies will solve all your problems and make capitalism obsolete. Fusion power, for example. Why do you think it’s been deliberately underfunded all these years? There would be no need for oil, therefore no commodities market with which to control the world’s economy. They wouldn’t be able to justify withholding that technology from developing nations. So no more exploitation. No more American advantage. No justification for inequity. Then there’s advances in medicine through genetics and nanotechnology – how would they justify denying all of that to poor people? Or even for allowing poverty’s continued existence at all? The point being, advanced technology must always result in socialism. You understand? And the bad guys know this. The only way to stop it is with totalitarian dystopia.”
“So that’s what they’ll do?”
“That’s what they’ll do. Yes. It’s why they funded the Bolsheviks and made two world wars. It’s why America continues to fund terrorists and conflict. America has never been the good guy. Britain needs to realise that. Remember the conspiracy to put Thatcher into power and keep her there? That’s one conspiracy I did manage to convince you about, wasn’t it?”
“Granted. But this wouldn’t hold up in a court of law, you know? The prosecution will call you a paranoid fantasist. Wouldn’t you agree?”
She was clearly addressing Katrina’s lawyer, Ms. Fielding, since she was heard to answer, “Agreed. Katrina your beliefs are important for your defence, at least in terms of mitigating circumstances, but Amanda is correct – this kind of talk would only make it worse.”
“I don’t think it can really get much worse, can it? How many charges, by the way? Each with a maximum fourteen-year sentence. They’ll want to make an example out of me too, won’t they? I’ll end up like poor George Blake, forty-two years he got. But unlike him, I won’t be able to escape. Then there’s the ongoing threat of torture once I’m safely locked away in some high security military installation not officially declared and certainly not cited on any map. Maybe they’ll even call Mossad in to get me to talk. They don’t exactly like me, do they, Amanda? And you know what they’re like, don’t you?”
“You don’t accept the guarantees of your safety, then?”
“Only in the short term. Once I’m locked away, they’ll create other crises to distract the public’s attention. Eventually, no one will even remember me anymore. They’ll forget I ever even existed.”
“Are you still going to make a confession?”
“I don’t exactly have a choice, do I? They have Anna. They can torture her again anytime they like. And they will, if I don’t confess. That’s what they do. You know it, and I know it.”
“Then you’d best make use of this time in the Holy City to make your peace with God.”
“I already did that.”
“Perhaps we should take a break.”
Tape ends.
“Perhaps you should also take a break, Mistress Anja?”
Anja sighed. “Yes. I think you’re right, Kay. Thanks.”
World War Three never happened. She knew that much. Event Day happened first…
##