[IC] Operation Third Rock: A Cold War-era Espionage RP

[Lord Coake]

@Oak7ree@Jozarin"Sir, we've just received word that the Soviets are plotting something in France. The reports mention someone plotting to sneak into a nuclear-armed base during an inspection by NATO, and disarm the warheads positioned there." announced a CIA agent to Director Richard Helms. Helms turned to the man and said "Get those two agents I had selected earlier, and have them ready to act at once. Keep them informed of anything we learn, and tell them to try and capture any Soviet agents alive for interrogation." The agent nodded and rushed out of the office, preparing the message in his head for the following phone calls.

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@KaaleeKGB Director Fyodor Mortin was planning out the final steps for the Soviet plot in France. He turned to an agent, and told them "Inform the selected agents in Paris to begin operations within the next 24 hours. Tell them of the meeting location, and that if they make any contact wit agents from the United States and its allies, to kill on sight. We don't need the competition." The agent rushed off to make the necessary telephone calls.

[Kaalee]

Katherine Beauchamp was in Nice, the location of her alias's home, when she got the call. It was early, but she so rarely slept. Her doctors called it insomnia and gave her sleeping pills but they always made her so groggy the next day, it was usually worse. It rang twice, she picked it up before it could ring a third, and to anyone listening it was just random chatter. She hung up after precisely 7 seconds and grabbed her shoes, her purse, and her keys. Katherine Beauchamp wasn't a very good driver, but wasn't going to kill anyone due to her driving habits. She then proceeded to go to her usual cafe, and have a scone. She sat at a table with a newspaper left over and decided to take a look. She finished her scone but took the paper home with her. If questioned, she saw a name she knew in the obituaries, and she wanted to bring it home to remember to go to the visitation. When Katherine Beauchamp re-entered her house, she went down into a basement that no one else would know was there. It was on no building plans, there were no obvious doors in her house to it. As she descended the stairs, Ekaterina Naryshkina pulled the file out of the newspaper and spread it out in front of her on a table. It had all the information about her newest assignment. She would be infiltrating a French Military base to deactivate nuclear warheads. The CIA would also be there, which was annoying. She'd rather not get in an altercation with an American, but it would be two against two, so she should be fine. She would be meeting a Nikolas, which the name in itself irks her. It wasn't Russian, it was close but it was Greek. It didn't matter, but she had deep pride for Russian culture. She memorized the file, took her new identification out, and burned what was just information. No need for extra evidence if she were discovered, and not killed of course. Katherine Beauchamp went back upstairs. She packed a bag for the trip she'd be taking to the military base. She fed her cats, went over to neighbors house to ask them to take care of the cats for the next few days while she went on a work vacation before climbing into her car once more to drive to Paris.

[Oak7ree]

A plane was again taking off at the Orly Airport south of Paris as Major David Logan exited the main terminal with his luggage. It was starting to rain.

He was wearing his officer's uniform, and aching to be at his hotel to rest after a long, straight flight from New York. He reminded himself of the file he had been given by his superior back in the states. It had been quite thin, as there hadn't been much intelligence on the targets. The file had said that his new identity would be Major Harry Lockhart, a recon officer from West Point. It also had stated that his local contact would be another CIA agent stationed at Paris, a graduate from AADA. An expert at masking himself, the file had mentioned.

It was a rush hour in front of the terminal. Many taxis and buses came and left, dozens of people walked to and out of the terminal. David pulled out a Cuban cigar from one of his pockets and lighted it as he glanced around, watching the traffic around him. David started walking, stretching his limbs as he took steps. After a while, he hailed a taxi and enjoyed his cigar for a second longer before putting it out. He wanted to have a hot bath and go to sleep for a few hours.

"Take me to the Grand Plaza hotel, and quickly", David said, using almost all of his French in the process.

[Jozarin]

James Brown left his cab, buttoning up his suit. He carried two light suitcases, one of which he gave to the porter, along with a 100 Franc tip. The CIA had three dedicated rooms at the Grand Plaza, each fit for two agents.

He crossed the foyer. In French, he said

"Room 714, please."

The receptionist disappeared from the desk, and came back with a man. His black double-breasted blazer had a crescent-and-arrow lapel pin in it. This was their operative in the hotel.

"Are you Mr. Ace?"

There was no Mr. Ace. It was a code phrase that the CIA issued only to Brown, and the man in the blazer.

"No. Tell Doctor Black that a Mr. Ike has arrived."

They had established identities. James Brown instructed that he would only need the luggage tomorrow, and for the porter to take his time. He kept his other suitcase on him, as he was escorted up to room 714.

He opened the door, and saw a desk, two beds, and a wardrobe. He set down his suitcase on his half of the wardrobe, took out his orders, and began to review the mission.

[Oak7ree]

David's taxi stopped in front of Grand Plaza. He stepped out of the taxi, thanked the driver, took his luggage and paid for the ride, giving him a generous tip. David took a breath, pulled out another Cuban cigar, lit it and entered the hotel. It was indeed a grand place, styled in Italian fashion. There should be three rooms for the Agency. He walked to the receptionist, a middle-aged and tanned figure, and said: "I'd like to check-in. The reservation's should be on Helms."

"Ah, monsieur Lockhart, wasn't it? We've been expecting you." The receptionist replied in English and with only a whisker of French accent. "You didn't see monsieur Pachinko on your way here?"

It was David cue, his password. "No, but I saw a Montgomery in the plane."

The Frenchman offered David a paper to sign and finished the password."That's so bad, monsieur Lockhart. Could you sign this paper? Here and here, please."

David signed the paper quickly with a signature he had practiced just before leaving the States and handed the paper back to the receptionist. "Do you have any mail for me?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. If you wait for a moment I can get you a suitcase a man left with your name on it."

David nodded, and the Frenchman walked away from the desk, returning in few seconds later with a suitcase. "A piccolo will escort you to room 714" he said and handed both the key and the suit case to David.

"Thank you. Your service has been the most excellent so far" David said, heading towards the elevator.

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In front of room 714, David gave the piccolo a tip and send him away. After the piccolo had gone, David opened the suitcase he had been provided, and there they were: two Single Action Army revolvers with ammunition. He took one, loaded it and closed the suitcase. It wasn't smart to go a hotel room unarmed as a spy. David had learned his lesson the hard way in Hanoi. He had been shot in a Vietnamese hotel and spent three months in a Australian hospital.

He opened the door and with great speed he jumped to the room, quickly spotting a man. Pointing his revolver at him, David said "You don't look like Eisenhower at all, mister."

[Lord Coake]

Nathan sat in the outdoor seating of a cafe in Paris, the Doreen Cafe. He was currently under the guise of Nikolas, his Russian persona. He had been sent to meet with a Russian agent, before embarking on a mission to deactivate nuclear warheads in a military base nearby. He had been given explicit orders to not blow his cover, even to the extent of deactivating the warheads himself. He sat in the cafe, sipping a coffee, and preparing the files necessary for the other agent to go over. He had been given ID cards for the both of them, and a uniform for himself. He ran through the mission objectives in his head one last time, then went back to his coffee, awaiting the agent in question.

[Kaalee]

Katherine Beauchamp made good time to Paris, and ended up in her hotel room for a few minutes before Ekaterina had to make her way down to the cafe they were meeting at. She took a minute to freshen up, since she had been driving all night. After fixing her hair and changing her clothes, she went downstairs to ask for directions to the cafe. It wasn't that far, and it was much easier to lose any sort of tail when walking in Paris compared to driving. She took the long way, doubling back a few times because you can never be too careful, before she finally got to the cafe. She picked up a newspaper forgotten on a table, and bought a scone before finding her contact, Nikolas. She spotted him and went over to his table.
"Do you mind if I sit?" She asked in French, before sitting down with no answer. Ekaterina opened the newspaper and glanced over it before looking up at the sky.
"I hear the moon will be beautiful tonight." She said, waiting to hear the return phrase, reaching into her purse for one of her lipstick guns, just in case.

[Jozarin]

Kenneth looked back.

"No, I don't suppose I do. Kindly, do put down the gun."

Ken's partner was evidently experienced, and had come prepared. A thing he was generally thankful for. Just... not right now.

"I reviewed the mission briefs, and set out some minor surveilance. That should be back by tomorrow morning."

Ken stood up, and looked out the window. Ah, Paris, the jewel of Europe.

"I would prefer it if we were to stop our adversaries before they leave the city. Kidnapping, blackmail, or torture are my preferred methods."

[Oak7ree]

David lowered his gun, but didn't yet put it away. He let himself to relax a bit. This guy evidently could stay calm, or at least hide his nervousness. "I'd prefer a bath first, partner, but whatever suits you."

David took his luggage from the hallway and turned to his partner. He had been briefed about this man. A graduate from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Recruited few years ago to CIA. David had seen some photographs of him in his several disguises, but now he did have none. "Kenneth Miles, wasn't it?" David asked. He still holding the revolver.

[Lord Coake]

Nathan was surprised to see Katherine, or rather, Ekaterina, as the agent he would be working with. He recognized her from files back at the CIA headquarters, although little info was known about her. He did his best to hide the surprise, and reacted normally, as if the he was expecting it to be her the whole time. responded to Katherine with the planned reply of "Yes, and the wolf walks soon." He discretely passed her the coded files that detailed their orders. After giving her a bit of time to look them over, he asked her "When will you be ready for our trip? We should leave as soon as possible, to avoid hassles."

[Jozarin]

"Why, yes! Oh, and a bath would be nice. You should have one. Tonight we just work on surveillance."

He went to the desk, and plugged in a headphone to the radio, which had a panel in the back. He flicked a switch, and began to listen, as he waited for the suitcase. This was possibly his least favorite part of the job, working on live surveillance, but it was necessary. As he listened, he played with a piece of string. He liked pieces of string, and they were good practice platforms for ropework.

[Kaalee]

Ekaterina saw a flicker of emotion, but it was gone before she could identify. She heard him return the coded phrase and took her hand out of her purse, returning to her newspaper. She laughed when he asked about the mission, whether or not she was ready.
"Relax, yes? We Russians, we worry about so many things and often get in the way of our own mission, figuratively speaking there. We spend the night in Paris, drive there tomorrow. No point in rushing there tonight." Ekaterina shrugged it off, finishing the newspaper and looking at her partner.
"The meeting is not until later tomorrow morning, and we do not know each other. How do you work with someone if you don't know them? We can get drinks tonight? Although not to many, we have to go defuse nuclear warheads tomorrow after all." Ekaterina winked at him with another small chuckle.

[Lord Coake]

Nathan nodded to Ekaterina, and replied "Then I guess we're free for a bit." He smiled, and sipped from his coffee, thinking about the pre-planned history of Nikolas given to him by the CIA. He looked to his parter and asked "Do you have anywhere in particular you wish to go? It would be nice to go someplace I don't normally attend." He finished his coffee, and left the payment and tip on the table for the waiter to pick up. He smiled at her again and said "But I should warn you: I have a rather...unique taste in beverages. So choose wisely."