Chapter 1

Nick - College 1982

After the long night with the Tankov’s I was ready for bed. Mom was glad that I was home, and Agent Crow could work on his own plans without me.

On Sunday morning, when I woke up, I found that I had no plans, or obligations. It was cold, and snow was on the ground. Previously, I had caught up on all my schoolwork. I also realized that not one of my friends would be stopping by. What that meant was no one would be coming over to use the word processor, to type a report, or to join me in any other activities. I mentioned it to Dad, and he suggested that we try some cross-country skiing. Although I’d never done it before, both he and Mom had done it before.

He also knew that there were skis at the Embassy. When we went to look, I was lucky to find a pair that fit me. With the skis in hand, we drove out-of-town to a park designed for that type of skiing. In the beginning, I moved my feet more than my body. But in short order, I got the rhythm down, and moved well on the flats, and downhill areas. I didn’t do so well on the inclines. At the end, I realized that I had a good workout, and enjoyed the outdoors with my family.

On Christmas day, we had a nice time playing games, and enjoying our time together. I read The Man From St. Petersburg by Ken Follett. One day, I received a phone call from Sophia. She invited me over to spend the day. She’d had a talk with her mom and dad. When I arrived, Emma met me at the door. She invited me to her bedroom. Victor had gone out, but would return home later. For some untold reason, Sophia stayed in the living room, not giving me more than a quick hello.

Emma just wanted a quick fuck, but I made her strip, for me, and put on a show. When I approved, she helped me out of my clothes. Then I gave her the release she craved, as fast as I could. I didn’t orgasm, but left Emma alone in her bedroom. I walked naked to the living room, and spoke to Sophia. “Sophia was there a reason that you invited me over?”

She looked at me, and saw my hard cock still wet with her mother’s juices, so she jumped up, and came to me. I took her in my arms, and then to her room. She was horny, so I spread her ripe peach with my fingers, and used my tongue to make her feel special. We were at it for an hour, before she conked out, and fell asleep.

When I walked out, I saw Victor, but he didn’t look well. I dressed quickly, but Emma and Sophia were both napping. Each time I’d been by before to see Emma, Victor seemed happy, but this time he didn’t.

“Are you alright Victor?”

“No, I just got back from the doctor, and I’m not well.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Is there anything that I can do? We have access to medicine from all over the world.”

“I have cancer, and they tell me that it’s too far along. I’ve less than six months, and I don’t know what my family is going to do.”

I sat next to him, and put my hand on his shoulder. We weren’t best friends, but we both cared for his wife and daughter. I thought about what would be best, for them, and then came up with a plan. I figured that he’d either agree, decline, or want to think about it.

“Victor, I can make sure that the proper people take care of your wife and daughter, for the rest of their lives. But to make that happen, they’d have to leave the Soviet Union.”

“We can’t leave. They won’t let us leave.”

“I’m sure that you love your country like I love my country. I see things that your country does better than mine, and the other way around. You know enough to see those same things. The American approach has flaws in many areas. This is especially true in the areas of training and educating their young. With her knowledge, Sophia could be a top math student at any university. But she can’t do that, because she’s stuck here. America gives people choices, and freedoms. They can live their own lives, and achieve whatever they want. They can become as successful as they want to become, as long as they are willing to put in the effort.”

“But even if they wanted to they couldn’t leave.”

“Victor. The Soviet Union has one of the longest borders in the world. Isn’t there some place where they aren’t watching it? I could move them out, but we’d have to plan it very carefully. The escape would be the easy part. But we must do it in a way that no one would look for them after they were gone.”

“How?”

“I have an idea.”

Suddenly, I became the middleman. I was helping Victor in creating a grand escape plan for his wife and daughter. We decided not to tell Sophia or Emma about any of this. This way, they couldn’t do something to hurt the plan. I continued my focus at school and swimming. But I started to become the broker for the deal that we were creating for Victor’s family. For the next three months, Victor spent his days at work, and his nights and weekends with his family. The girls felt that something was up, but to soothe their concerns, he said that he was just getting old and sentimental.

After swim season, I decided not to play any sports. This way, I’d have time for the big finish. Victor planned a spring trip to St. Petersburg. He had a house, for two weeks, on the Baltic Sea, and a boat to use for fishing. He spent each day on the boat with his family having a great time. I was still in Moscow hoping and praying that the plan worked.

For the three months before the trip, Victor spent each night bringing home files that he’d photographed. He had access to a lot of information. But he didn’t go out of his way to provide copies on something that would create suspicion. Everything that came across his desk he copied. This was his payment to give his family freedom. They’d receive new identities, jobs, education, homes, and monthly payments until they died.

Victor spent those last two weeks loving his family. On the second to last day of the trip, he finally told them that he was sick, and had only a few months left. He wanted them to have a life full of hope and freedom, and that he’d bought them a new life. They didn’t understand, so he told them of the plan. He explained that he wanted them to go to America where they could be free. Just then, a fishing boat pulled alongside. After an emotional goodbye, he forced them inside the other boat, and it pulled away.

The raw emotions he felt were real when he pulled back to port. When later asked, those that saw him would confirm that he looked very upset, and out of sorts.

When he left the boat, he went back to the house. He wrote a note about how he’d found out that his wife and daughter were sleeping around, and he couldn’t take it anymore. To take care of the shame, he’d taken them out to sea, and thrown them overboard. The reason he ended it this way, was so they’d have time to think about their betrayal, as they fought to stay alive in the cold water. He couldn’t live his life any more, with his family’s betrayal, and his sickness. The plan called for him to take sleeping pills. But, at the last minute, he changed the plan, and used a pistol to end his life. There were inquiries, and they even asked me questions. But I didn’t know enough of the plan to have to lie about where they went, or who took them.

The suitcase full of film would make the guys at the CIA remember this day, as one of the largest information dumps of all time. By the end of the decade, it would lead to the end of the cold war. I stayed in Moscow so I could finish my school year. When the CIA couldn’t convince me to go to college in the Soviet Union, they relented. They allowed my parents and me to leave the country.

Because of their service, the government gave them their choice of assignment. They had their choice of any location where they wouldn’t face too many problems. Mom wanted to go back to Paris, but Dad wanted some place with less demands on him. He gave her the choice of Bermuda or the consulate in Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada. She chose the small island in the Atlantic.

Now that I had a high school diploma, I needed to pick a college. Adam was still at MIT, and that would have been a logical choice. I also could join Tess at NYU, and stay at our apartment there. I was actually in New York when there was a knock at the door. That was weird, because the doorman hadn’t called. It could be a neighbor, but the only one I knew was Yoko. With all that had gone on, I hadn’t seen her since we walked in the park after John’s death, and I wasn’t sure if she was still in the building.

Instead, it was Kari, the CIA agent. She had another lady with her named Lisa. I let them in, and she saw the college catalogs on the table. “I guess we came at the right time.”

“Can I offer you something to drink or eat?”

“I think that can wait. We wanted to talk to you about your future. I hope that you understand that you’re still an undercover agent for the CIA. What that means is you can’t apply your craft here in the United States. We’d love to push you to one of the foreign universities. How does Hong Kong or England strike you? If you want to stay here in the US, we’d consider loaning you to the FBI. This way you could do some work against groups that prey on college students.”

“I don’t think that those groups hang out at MIT, Harvard, or Stanford.”

“No, but they do at Berkley. There are other places where they don’t push strong patriotic agendas. Places where it’s cool to push back against our government.”

“Would I have to take Hippie 101?”

“No, you could study what you wanted. I know a girl who’ll be starting there shortly. She’ll be studying mathematics.”

“I could go there, and study business or engineering.”

“Yes you could.”

“You do have another option though. Do you want to know which assignment I think would be best for you? It would be England or the University of Cambridge. It’s about an hour and a half north of London.”

“And what’s there that would make it so special?”

“There’s a boy your age who will be attending school there. He will be starting there in the fall. He’s off to Cambridge to receive an education. In addition, we hope he will spend much of his time sowing his wild oats. I think that while he is there, he might need a friend; a friend who could become an ally in the future.”

“Who is he?”

“He has a really long name, but his friends call him Hakim. He’s the first son of the first son of King Armine of Saudi Arabia. His family has more money, wives, and influence than any other in the Middle East does. They dictate most of the policy to OPEC. Hakim is in line to become king one day. When he graduates, we expect that his family will give him positions in the Kingdom. As he grows, they’ll upgrade him to positions with more responsibilities, and continue to train him. Just think about how this could play out. Let’s say we had good relations with him today. Maybe over time, we could gather some dirt that would help us in the future. If you spend the next four to six years partying together, it could become a very good investment.”

“Is he an ass hole, or a nice guy?”

“He’s a Royal Prince. He has to act a little arrogant, but then again, so are you. His family wants to make sure that he has an excellent education, and to enjoy his youth. This is the same as your parents do. If you had the right openings, I think this could work out very well. To make sure this works, we’ve arranged to have you room across from him if you will accept this assignment. If not, there are some people at the University of Tokyo where we can place you.”

“What do I have to do? Do I need to apply, and pay for college? Am I already in, and is everything paid for, or what?”

“We’re already using your software in many places. So, what I want you to do is talk to Adam about getting a commission off the top. Once you have those funds you should have enough money to pay for the cost of your education and living expenses while at college. We’ll increase the price of the order to cover all the costs. That way there will be no tie from the CIA to you. All your income will come from your company.”

“I don’t live cheap, and I’ll have to fit in with a prince. Do I have a budget? Will I have to use my own funds if I overspend yours?”

“It’s well-known that the Royal Family is worth billions. But, I’m not sure if the prince will have the family fortune at his disposal, so he can party at college. Try not to outspend the prince, and we’ll let you know if you go too far. Just like any good mommy or daddy would do.”

“So I need to start drinking more beer to prepare for college. Let’s make sure I have this right. The first thing you want me to do is attend this prestigious school, where I’ll study, and receive a first-rate education. Second, you’ll pay my way so I can go to this university. Third, while I’m there, I’ll be spying on a member of the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia. And last, while I’m doing all of this, you’ll continue to pay my salary, benefits, and retirement. My options are to go to Berkley and hang out with my favorite Soviet math whiz, or go to a college that probably teaches in a foreign language. Did I correctly understand all that you said?”

“Australia and the University of Hong Kong, both have Universities that teach in English. That’s just to name a couple of other places.”

“You know what I meant. Let’s plan on Cambridge, and if the Prince and I don’t develop a friendship, then we’ll go for plan ‘B’.”

For security reasons, Kari didn’t want anyone to see us in public. So they left me alone to think about my college options. I called Mom and Dad to let them know that I’d received an acceptance to Cambridge. They were so proud of me, and glad that they’d picked Bermuda as their latest assignment.

The next time Adam came to visit for a few days, I touched on the new commission from the sale of software to the government. He said that, because of the work he was doing, he now had top-secret clearance. But, for everyone’s safety, he didn’t want to know the reasons behind the payments. We talked about the various products we were now offering, and the income each was producing. He was happy, and so was I.

Adam went to retrieve a disk to show me some new features on the new spreadsheet program. As he worked the program, I stood there amazed, as his fingers were flying on the keyboard. He really amazed me at how fast he could type. I mentioned it, and he said, “You’re going to college. You can spend your time either typing papers or having fun. I can knock out a ten-page paper in forty minutes if I know what I want it to say. Typewriters are slow, because you don’t want to make mistakes, or fix mistakes. If I type ninety percent correct, then I only need to spend a minute or two fixing the mistakes. You should work on your typing speed before you go to college.”

“I could charge the girls blowjobs to help them out.”

“They’d pay it. They’ve offered me plenty to type papers, and to use my computer. They can quickly fix mistakes after they proofread it for content. I just save the file on my hard drive or on a disk for them.”

“That’s something I’ll work on over the next few weeks.”

It appeared that Adam had hired good people. Our company was running well, and the products were in high demand. We now had many existing contracts. Because of that, almost every new computer that we sold came with our entry-level software pre-installed at the factory. If every user wanted, they could then buy the professional version, as an upgrade. We were printing money.