The Tent Conspiracy

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Chapter 1

Chapter 1.

A diplomat's life can hardly be termed happy. Agent Echo was neither free to pursue his own happiness, nor free to grouse about it.

“We don't get paid to be happy,” his Chief of Station had chided him. “We get paid to serve the President's agenda.”

“No need to snipe at me,” he had mentally retorted. Verbally, he had given the diplomatic equivalent of “three bags full, sir.”

Now, here he sat, a prisoner of the tropical heat with nothing to break the monotony of the air conditioner but a Reader's Digest.

It fell open to the story of the now aging Blackbird program. As he glanced across the printed page, he felt disgruntled and angry. Usually he would have been contented with water fountain scuttlebutt, but now his mind turned upon the hue and cry that the recent spy Philby had generated. A perverse pride reared its head, and he reflected, “I could do better.”

As he continued to read, a natural fear of prison deterred practical application of his talents until he recalled that the Readers' Digest was a Catholic publication. “Hmm,” he pondered, “Does the Vatican actually know about the SR-71 Blackbird?” The story presented itself as a good way to test the temperature of the waters. He selected an unofficial letterhead, and put it in the typewriter.

“His Holiness the Pope,” it began. He felt a kind of catharsis at this avenue of release. His diplomatic juices flowed, as he finally found himself free to choose his own words. God always came before “Country” in the phrase “For God and Country,” and his Catholic soul had never felt so free.

(Part one of sequel at World Wide Tent.)

Chapter 2

Two weeks later, a boy was surprised to see his schoolmate's father peering under a rock. He did not know Gary’s father's name, but he was almost certain that the man with the golf bag was the same man who picked up Roger, Gary and Sarah at school every day. The man glanced around, and then exchanged a similar stone from his pocket, although this one appeared to be hollow. The man placed a film capsule in it before glancing around again, and placing it on the ground. Unseen near a trash burn barrel, Etienne hesitated to call out, and the man left without noticing him. “He must not have seen me,” the youth thought. He finished replacing his derailed bicycle chain, and continued his grocery store run. Although he was Canadian on his father's passport, he felt a conspiratorial protectiveness for the secrecy of his American friend's father. “I'll never ask him about it,” he thought.

Chapter 3

The incident forgotten, young Etienne thought no more of it for several weeks. The matter only resurfaced as a result of an unusual circumstance.

Toward the end of the summer semester, in P.E. Class, Etienne found himself anchoring the final leg of a relay race, competing directly against Gary Arberton. The teams were evenly matched, and Etienne began his leg with a slight lead. In the final 50 meters, Gary laboriously reeled in his lead, and in the last 10 feet, he arrogantly put his free hand on Etienne's chest and pushed past, winning by a counterfeit nose.

As the teacher inevitably approached, Etienne was so angry he was in tears. By contrast, Gary belligerently launched into a verbal tirade, insisting that Etienne had treacherously attempted to trip him, which (he averred) left him no choice but to steady himself, with observable results.

The teacher had a miniature quandary on his hands. Etienne' father was but a chauffeur at the Canadian Embassy, whereas Gary's father was a full fledged diplomat. Following the path of least resistance makes men and rivers crooked, and in two minutes the teacher loudly pronounced Gary the victor, proclaiming for all to hear that Etienne had cheated by attempting to trip him.

Denied justice, Etienne launched forth with the sternest accusation of which he could conceive. “Gary, you're a liar and a cheat, and your daddy is a SPY!”

Flush with his successful dissimulation, Gary retaliated at the top of his lungs, “You'll pay for that Etienne! Just see if you DON'T!”

Hall monitors had to drag the two apart as fisticuffs ensued.

None could imagine the conflagration of hatred that would result from rash words, lightly spoken in unguarded anger. It was a Catholic school!

Chapter 4

Gary's rage boiled over during the summer break. Over dinner, he took occasion to complain loudly to his brother and sister that Etienne was a snitch. To put an end to malingering, the family patriarch finally inquired as to what the offense might be. Heedless as ever, Gary unhesitatingly ratted his classmate out. “Etienne says you're a spy!” he told his father.

To a diplomat, loose talk about espionage is no small matter but to Agent Echo, a paradoxically innocent and guilty conscience took particular offense. How dare the young Canadian pup accuse his religious latitude of lax patriotism? His ire slumbered wakefully.

A forgiving soul, Etienne again pushed aside memories of injustice, and threw himself into his chores at his father's direction. An only child, his American mother spent more time with Etienne than his father, and that very summer she persuaded him to claim American citizenship as his birthright.

Imagine Agent Echo's surprise at the office nine days later, to see Etienne's passport application cross his desk. “Etienne DuBois” was claiming American birth. Trained in diplomacy, Agent Echo knew from experience not to waste even the smallest diplomatic chip, but under “OC” (official cover,) he was also trained in espionage. Together, these two competencies set his mind alight with more than one scenario in which his office exploited such a windfall. He could gain leverage by using this identity for a NOC (non-official cover.) This left only to decide if the cover in question should be represented as an American or a Canadian. But really, was this currency worth more to his country or was this a plum for his new contacts at the Vatican?

He spent a full three days thinking it over, before issuing instructions that Etienne's first passport number be annotated by the US Secret Service's witness protection database under sealed indictment for espionage, as an un-indicted co-conspirator. Etienne was to begin life all unsuspecting, a spy before he knew it, his only defense his utter unpreparedness for any accusations that might come his way.

Agent Echo then proceeded to prepare a packet for the Vatican explaining that the House of Cardinals could exploit this identity internationally as an American spy under cover as a Canadian. No one was likely to put a child in supermax, but the resulting diplomatic pile-up would teach this impertinent Canadian AND his country NOT to meddle with American diplomacy.

Agent Echo was pleased with himself as he greeted his Chief of Station in the hall. Etienne was sworn in privately, and the passport was issued.

With an outlet for his various diplomatic injuries, real and imagined, Agent Echo's attitude outwardly improved, and soon enough he was able to inform the Vatican that he was applying for a promotion to the United Kingdom. His Holiness the Pope would soon not only enjoy inside information, but exert influence in the steerage of a Superpower.

The Ship of State had unofficially slipped her moorings, set adrift in a sea of doubt.

Chapter 5

It was public knowledge at the school. Roger, Gary and Sarah's Dad was getting posted to London, and they would be leaving at the end of the semester. Etienne was in the Physics lab, lining up pins to demonstrate the refractive index of glass. He had muffed his first pass, and while he re-tested his experiment, the rest of his class had migrated to the homeroom, to read comic books and get a head start on homework.

He was surprised by a light touch at his arm. Sarah had entered so silently that he had not even heard her. She spoke no word, but handed him a note. He opened it to read:

P.O. Box 993

London, England

“I've never said anything before, because I was afraid you wouldn't like me back,” Sarah said breathlessly, her face pink with embarrassment. “Will you write me?”

She spoke no more, but stood on one foot, her eyes silently entreating him to love her. Etienne was not the kind of youth to manipulate others, and he was much affected by her simple plea. He went from clueless to puppy love in a moment, and he earnestly returned her gaze. “I promise,” he said.

She left in innocent transports. She had never been disappointed in love, and so, if Etienne said he would write, the universe affirmed it. She could not doubt it for a moment. Her secret joy was complete.

Neither of them could anticipate the reverses to love the fates might have in store. It was the address for secret communications to the Embassy. Sarah reasoned straightforwardly that she intended her letters to Etienne to be secret, and since this was the secret address, that was the correct address to use.

It was not six weeks later that Etienne's first missive arrived. He dutifully wrote about his frog dissection, and the price of petrol, and closed with his best “Yours Truly.” Sarah was devastated. How could he not tell her of poetry class, and his puppy, and how could he possibly close without “Love, Etienne?”

At that age, love must conquer all. She sat down immediately and answered with her best improvement. Not two weeks more had flown, before his answer returned, dutifully signed “Love, Etienne,” but this time no personal information; he more or less reviewed the movie “Love Story.”

All this was innocent enough, but these communications could not long endure without drawing the inspection of the diplomatic personnel. Soon, Agent Echo was steaming open these envelopes, and subjecting them to prying eyes, the star crossed minors all unsuspecting.

Nor would this passive interference long survive, before the arrogance of command led Agent Echo to take a hand in them. Soon, he was answering Etienne with all the art that a man of letters, and schooled in the ways of the world, could muster, while simultaneously assassinating Sarah's tender affections, sacrificing her microcosm of joy on the cruel altar of malignant mischief.

First crushed, then scorned, Sarah was gently goaded not to simple indifference, but a consuming fire of miniature hatred.

Karma was dealing Etienne a debt of woe that equal remuneration could never erase.

Chapter 6

In a grander arena, Agent Echo was experiencing the heady liqueur of power on a World Stage. America investigated hopes for England's assistance in the Vietnam War? The Papal offices counseled foot dragging. No reason the Americans shouldn't bear the full penalty of their impetuosity, not merely the brunt of it. The tune was different when it came to the SALT treaties... these the Pope encouraged.

As a liqueur, it was not a smooth intoxication. It had a nasty kick and the hangover was that Agent Echo was smarter than his handlers. And bolder. His exultation over telling the Pope such things as he deemed fit, was tempered by hollow nagging doubts that such a fallible Pope could be his only intermediary to the Almighty. He repressed an anger that had a bitterness all its own.

As a result, Etienne's Sarah broke up with him. Characteristically, it was not a clean break. His fictitious Juliette began testing his affections, asking him to prove his love in an escalating variety of ways. Echo took no time at all to conclude, “I'm using this kid anyway... why not develop an asset?”

“Sarah” asked Etienne to smuggle him an itinerary. At this, Etienne drew the line. How could his pure and unspoiled icon contemplate so low an agenda? His maiden feigned insult, then anger. She drew out the time between letters, by inventing scheduled duties and commitments. Then she stopped explaining. Two months passed between love's refueling, then three. Etienne was dying inside. He was not in danger himself of any treason, but his partner's very soul seemed endangered by mutilated patriotism. Didn't she know that he could not betray his Canadian father, merely because he had aligned his fortunes with their concurrent commitment to the United States? How could she? What could he do to retrieve her tarnished affections?

Like a cartoon character, he was out in mid-air above a precipice. The only thing preventing his inevitable fall was innocence. A Papal spy in Germany was detained. His “name?” Etienne DuBois!

Chapter 7

Detective Hubble had just finished lunch, when he arrived at his desk to find a cable requesting all info regarding a certain “Etienne DuBois.” The man in question claimed Canadian allegiance, but Canada had no record. Mr. DuBois had been detained leaving the Swedish Embassy in Berlin, with the memory card from a digital camera, containing pictures of two Embassy employees. It was the work of 7 minutes to ascertain that one of the employees was the signals officer, and the other his boss on the clandestine side of Embassy operations.

Interpol would definitely be interested, but Hubble would need picture identification of Mr. DuBois, before he would open Interpol files to the German policeman. His message was met with an odd response. Mr. DuBois had been cleared of all charges, and the matter was closed. The German officer went on to add, on a personal note, that Mr. DuBois had merely been drunk and disorderly, and the cable request for information had been the work of an overzealous orderly – kindly disregard.

Detective Hubble thanked him, and dismissed the matter from his mind. His son's seventh birthday would arrive before the weekend, and he had to find a clown for the birthday party.