Chapter 5

“Would you believe that I would never have been on that ferry unless an American colleague hadn’t suggested a walking holiday on Palma. I was planning a trip to the Black Forest, not the Black Sea!”

We both smiled and I reached out to hold her hand. For three days, we met in the mess and spent some time in the small gym, getting our strength back. Around us, life in the submarine carried on, with drills breaking the monotony. On the fourth day, everything changed.

We were in the mess when the klaxon sounded, and the captain informed us that we were preparing to surface. An officer told us to go and fetch our personal papers and meet him back at the table in ten minutes. He then led us to a hatch, open to the sky and with a ladder leading up to freedom. I followed Kat up the ladder to find myself on the main deck, with the conning tower some way forward.

Above us was a Navy helicopter and a harness was lowered. A rating helped Kat into the harness, and she was hoisted up. Ten minutes later, I had joined her, strapped into a seat, with a set of headphones thrust into my hands. The submarine was already submerging as we were flown to an aircraft carrier, surrounded by support ships.

I would have loved to have explored an aircraft carrier, but we were taken from the helicopter to an Osprey that was sitting with the propellors idling. It didn’t take long for us to be put aboard and strapped in before the pilot called out that the ride was about to start. Some seconds later, we lifted off vertically, the pilot taking us higher and then going to forward flight and climbing to a cruising altitude. Once we were level, the co-pilot came back and showed us where the drinks and nibbles were.

“We’re taking you to Malta, where there will be a Grumman Greyhound which will take you further on. Take it easy and enjoy the trip.”

The Grumman was one of the US Navy workhorses, and our feet hardly touched ground on the airfield in Malta. The Grumman took us to a NATO base in Germany, where we were allowed some time to relieve ourselves and have a meal. We were joined by a woman who introduced herself as Commander Hallett of the US Navy, who would be our guide and would take us through a debrief on the way to America. We were allowed some sleep time before we were driven out to a Gulfstream Five. It was luxurious and we were settled in to prepare for take-off.

Once we had levelled out Commander Hallet turned on her laptop and started by taking Kat through her time with the Russians. We landed in Britain, at a military airfield, and the plane was refuelled. Back in the air, it was my turn to be debriefed. When we had told all, she plugged the laptop into a USB slot and sent our reports by secure encrypted email. Then, we all relaxed to have some sleep before we arrived at our final destination.

I couldn’t help but ponder about our trip west. To start with, we had a nuclear boomer waiting for us to turn up, then a chopper ride to an aircraft carrier task force, an Osprey ride to Malta, a Greyhound to Europe, and now a Gulfstream to America, all without papers being shown or pilots asking us who we were. This looked like something organised by the US Government and co-ordinated by the CIA. What it did do, however, was to clear us away to a secure site without any civilians seeing our passing by.

I knew that whatever was in my future was as impossible to buck as Yuri’s plans were. I was, according to Yuri, a dead man walking. If the Americans had set it up so that I would be on the ferry, then they were probably not letting on. That made me think that one of the other lads that Gregor had been messing around with must have been shown who it was to be sent overboard. The complexity of the intrigue made my head hurt.

When I woke, Kat had her head on my shoulder and I gazed at her, wondering if we would remain together. I looked out of the window and saw that we were over land again. Hallett told me to wake Kat and get buckled up as we would be landing again.

“We’re just north of Boston, at Hanscom Air Force Base. You’ll be changing planes and going further, but there’ll be plenty of time for you to have a walk around and get a proper meal. I apologise for the speed at which you had been extricated from Europe, but it was imperative for you to disappear. As far as the Russians are concerned, everyone on the yacht died when it was sunk. My people told me that it was targeted by no less than three ship to ship missiles.”

“What about the girls who disembarked in Istanbul?”

“They’re being watched. They’re waiting for a message that will never come, but Alyona is KGB, so she’ll get them taken back to the motherland to live in a remote dacha. You will both be told more when you get to your destination.”

I woke Kat and kissed her gently as we started our approach. After we had landed, we taxied close to a building, and the stairs went down when we stopped. Hallett led us into the building and to a typical military canteen. It was good to be moving on our own two feet. We were shown where the toilets were, and I noted the armed guards at every doorway. I just hoped that they were there to stop others coming in, and not us getting out.

We had our first meal on American soil, with Kat happy about that, and me eating, in spite of it being too high in fats for my likes. When we had finished, Hallett led us out once more, where the Gulfstream had gone, with a Marine Osprey in its place. She shook our hands and passed us to a Marine Sergeant, who made sure we were comfortable before we took off again.

“Folks, we’re taking you to a secure site, where you will be properly debriefed. It’s a Marine Base just out of Lexington. This bird is one that often lands there, so won’t seem out of the ordinary. I’m sorry, but I’ve been told to tell you that you will be confined to the base for some while. I’ve no doubt that there will be officers, way over my pay grade, who will look after you. I’ve been instructed to say that you aren’t prisoners but need to be kept well out of the public eye.”

The flight to Kentucky was almost leisurely, with us cruising along at about ten thousand. I held Kat’s hand and looked out the window at the green fields passing by. We did a vertical landing at the Marine Base and there were soldiers waiting to escort us into the building. There, we were greeted by a well-built man in a check shirt and jeans.

“Welcome to Lexington, folks. I’m Derek Ward and I’ll be your main man while you’re here. I expect that you’re tired of all the travel, so I’ll keep this brief. You have the run of the base, but we would like you to stay inside, or, at least, away from the side that is flanked by public roads. We have a suite for you, as well as access to the stores for clothing and personal items. There is a gym, and there will be soldiers available to go with you for a run, if you want, but only if you’re in the proper kit. Tomorrow, I’ll show you the room where I’ll tell you what went on after you made your escape, and some of the reasons for it. Any questions, then I’m the guy to ask.”

He led us to the stores, where we were given a couple of changes of civilian wear, as well as the full kit of US Marine wear, without any weapons. In this, we would be indistinguishable from the others on the base. We were then shown where the canteen was and then our room. It was roomy, with a big bed and a bathroom. I expect that it was usually set aside for visiting three-star generals. When the door was closed, we didn’t take long to get undressed and into bed. It was wonderful to be able to roll around after the confines of the mini sub.

The morning started with a loudspeaker telling us how long we had before morning parade. Being both military, it was natural for us to shower and dress in fatigues, following others out to the open area where the flagpole was. I followed Kat as we saluted the raising of the flag, and then joined the marines for breakfast. Ward was in the canteen and took us to a table set away from the others.

“You can take the boy out of the uniform, but you can’t take the uniform out of the boy. This will be your normal start to the day for a while. Eat up and then we’ll go somewhere private for your first lesson.”

After we had eaten, he led the way into the centre of the building, and into what looked like a security room with screens.

“Get comfortable, folks. Firstly, I’m going to show you what those pesky missiles did.”

The first picture showed a very large breach in the wall of the Kremlin, with several wrecked buildings. Then there was another picture of a very large building, which had been hit and then burned.

“Michael. You were told that the warheads were nuclear. I guess that you figured out that they came from the Bermuda wreck. We have had the entire arsenal from that wreck for a while, now. Enough time to rework them to be low-yield tactical warheads, what the old war guys would call bunker busters. They both reached the targets that Yuri had set. I have to applaud him; he knew where to smack the President on the nose. One, as you can see, hit the Kremlin and did quite a lot of damage. The other was where he thought that the President would hide in case of reprisals to that barrage. With the Ukrainians in Kursk, they had missiles that can get to Moscow.”

“That’s the famous dacha?”

“Correct. It was a direct hit, and it looks as if the weapons that were stored there went up. It’s been a few weeks, now, and the only sight we’ve had of the ‘Great Leader’ is obviously with stand-ins. Either he died or is very badly injured.”

“This must have been a long operation, and the logistics were amazing. I find it hard to believe that you found other Russians to lead Yuri on, and to make him think that he would be safe after the launch. I had the binoculars on the helicopter when a pom-pom blew it out of the sky. I felt sorry for Dimitri, he was a career navy man who had a dream put in his head. Svetlana had killed. She was ready to kill me if I hadn’t agreed to join them. You can tell when someone has no feelings either way when they have a gun at your back.”

“Yes, she had been trained by the KGB in wet work, as had Alyona. You’re right. Dimitri was just a good Russian sailor with some diving experience. We have dossiers on all of them. Alyona and Natasha are now in Saint Petersburgh, in a good apartment, curtesy of a grateful Admiral, who is now running the country. He, of course, is also grateful to us, for creating the scenario of a dissident billionaire out for revenge.”

“Which he was, I think.”

“Yes, his wife died in a ‘re-orientation camp’ some years ago. He never forgave after that, and it hardened him.”

“I know, I saw him murder his own son for being foolish.”

“His son was more than foolish. He had taken money to be a thorn in his father’s side. The lads that he messed around with were all part of a group that was trying to take over Yuri’s business, and he thought that he would be put in charge. The one who tried to get an appointment with Yuri was one of ours.”

“What about the rocket fuel and the missile bodies? They were definitely Russian.”

“That was down to our friendly Admiral and some of his pals. Yuri thought that he was buying their aid, but he was really filling their war chest for after the launch.”

“What about all the other missiles that were launched? The sky was white with the trails.”

“When you know the time and place of the launches, it’s not hard to set up an anti-missile shield. Only a couple got through, with minimal damage.”

“So, we helped a coup in Russia, with the new leader friendlier than the last. What about us? As far as I know, I’ve already been declared dead. Kat will be able to continue her career, but I’m a loose end.”

“I hate to tell you, but you’re both loose ends. Kat had been seen with the others for months, and you were known to be aboard. No. You are both considered dead as far as the world is concerned. Only we know that you are both heroes, and we’re grateful for your work and dedication. I’m authorised to offer you both a way forward, but it will need plastic surgery and some fundamental changes. We have a long-term project under way to make a difference in Cuba. It will take a couple of sisters who are running a diving and fishing business down on the Keys.”

“Did you say ‘sisters’?”

“I did. That’s the back story that’s already been put in motion. Unfortunately, the agents we had slated for the job have been sent elsewhere. They didn’t know that their names had been pencilled in, so have no idea of what was planned. We have placed an offer on a business that never recovered from a hurricane. It will take about as long to repair and re-equip as it will to have you both looking, and acting, the part. There will be a good bankroll for you, and everything you earn in the business will be yours. We supply the equipment and a couple of good boats. What do you think?”

I looked at Kat and she was smiling.

“Will Michael have to lose his tackle?”

“Not if you don’t want that, but it will be prudent to look the part. There will be first-class surgery, and she will be able to enjoy sex as much as you. We can throw in a loyalty card with one of the sex shops.”

“What about my baby?”

“No problem. It will be happy with two mothers who are both its parents. It’ll be up to you when you tell it that one mother is also the father.”

I looked at her.

“Baby?”

“Well, we did spend nearly two weeks in the mini sub without me having access to my pills. We had to leave the yacht without them. How long do you think this job will take?”

“It’s very long-range. You’ll hopefully get in touch with the Cuban ex-pats, and we hope that you get to be meeting their friends between the Keys and Cuba, taking some that are leaving, while leaving some who we are putting in place. With your skills, you’ll be able to teach them to use the scuba, so that they can swim underwater between the boats. You won’t actually get near each other. They’ll have those coming back with enough skill to make the trip to your boat. It will look totally normal. Look. Don’t say anything now. We’ll let you rest for a couple of weeks to regain your health and talk again then.”

We left the secure room and went back to our room, where I held her close.

“Surely it’s too early to know if you’re pregnant.”

“Michael, as soon as I saw you, I wanted you to be the father of my child. I stopped taking the pills before we went to bed for the first time. That’s close to a month ago, and I still haven’t had a period. I thought that it wouldn’t matter if I’d died that night, having had a lot of time in bed with you and knowing that I was ready to be a mother, even if it was to be short-lived. That we got out and are here is a bonus.”

“What about the plan to make me female?”

“There are things called ‘double-ended dildos’ you know. Don’t worry, I won’t love you any less.”

“Surely you jest!”

“No. Just think about it for a while. There’s no way we can go back to our old lives. The Firm is willing to fund a whole new look and a whole new life. This plan of theirs is going to be years. It will give us time to create the best cover ever, and I think that our child will be into junior school before anything happens. What would you have done when you retire? A diving and fishing charter business dropped in our laps will be wonderful.”

“It’s all right for you. You don’t get your gender changed!”

“What’s wrong with being a woman? Half the people in the world are female. You’re the right height, you’re slim enough already. Just a bit of reorganising some body fat and you’ll make a reasonable girl.”

“I’ll just look like a freak!”

“Let them do a photoshop of you to see what you’ll look like and make the decision then. For me?”

“All right. I’ll let them show me what a freak looks like and then I’ll say no.”

“You mean that you’ll leave me to do the job alone?”

“No, no! They can rearrange it for a husband-and-wife business.”

“You heard the man. He said that it was for two sisters, and that the groundwork has already been laid. Changing it now would make it easy for it to fall over at the first examination. If you’re worried about more children, we can save some of your seed for later. If you’re a woman, you can look after our child and do the housework while I laze around with a big belly.”

“I don’t know how I get sucked into these situations. I was happily living as a navy diver on holiday before someone pushed me overboard and – all of a sudden, I was supposed to be dead, waking up with a Russian passport and convinced to join a plot to assassinate the Russian leader. Now, I’m going to spend my days as a female diving coach and running agents back and forth to Cuba.”

“Oh! Good, you’ve agreed to do it. It’ll be fantastic, you and me with a business and a baby. Fun in the sun, lazing around on our boat with a couple of fit fishermen who only pretend to be wanting to catch fish.”

“What’s this about fit fishermen?”

“Wait and see. When you’re a woman, you’ll be able to wrap men around your finger. You’ll learn about that secret power we have that attracts guys like a moth to a flame. The better you look, the hotter you burn.”

She put her arms around my neck and kissed me. I could feel the heat. For the next few days, we talked it over as we worked out in the gym, ran the circuit of the base with the other marines, and finally started to relax from the last month or so.

I asked Ward if we could do the photoshop for both of us and he set it up with an expert on facial reworking. When I saw the pictures of the two of us looking like twins, I could hardly believe it. I had, though, followed his workings as he told us what surgery was needed to create the new looks, so the final result was not so ridiculous.

One day, Ward showed us a picture of the house, and one of what it had looked like before the storm. The restoration would look like the original but would be storm-proofed when rebuilt. The house was a significant one that looked good, with plenty of space around it. Another day, he gave us the folders of our back story to look at. I was to be the serious sister, with Kat as the one who had gone off the rails and got herself pregnant. The business had been purchased before her little fling.

We were both trained divers, with all the proper paperwork. I would lose my specialist ticket, and Kat would lose her submersible drivers ticket. We would get to choose all the diving gear and Uncle Sam would pay for it through a ‘black ops’ fund. The more I looked, the better it sounded. The only sticking point for me was the change of gender.

One evening, Ward took me into Lexington to a place called ‘The Bar Complex’. There, we sat at a table while a group of girls sang and danced on stage. I didn’t twig until one of them joined us at our table and I heard her say hello to Derek in a sotto voice. It was then that I realised that the whole show was men in dresses. The person who had joined us was a veteran, who had known Derek from a tour of Afghanistan. I was left out of their conversation, just there to take notes. I had to say that when he reverted to female mode, he was truly believable.

After that, I was asked to try the clothes to see how I got on, with Kat helping me out. We started with me getting kitted out in a female marine outfit and Kat making me up. With the cap on I looked almost female. After a few days, she added a bra with fillers. I found out what it was like to run with a weight on your chest. I still wasn’t convinced but was told that I was coming along.

After about a week, I allowed myself to be waxed, so that we could take a little trip. By this time, my hair had grown quite long, and Kat and I were sent to the base salon, where we both had the treatment. That was a turning point. With longer fingernails, ear studs, shaped eyebrows and a smooth body, I was halfway along the track. The next day, Kat and I were given make-up that made us look alike, and, in skinny jeans, two-inch heeled boots, and loose tops, we were driven to the nearby airport, with Derek, and flown to the Naval Air Station at Key West in a chartered jet.

There, there was a car supplied, and Derek drove us the short distance north to Geiger Key where the house was located. We made a good show of looking at the place and commenting on the state of the restorations. I say we, but I just stayed to one side while Kat did the talking. When we had looked at it, Derek took us to the El Siboney, in Key West where he bought the Cuban style lunch. I was waiting to be laughed at, but nobody noticed that I wasn’t what I seemed to be. I was amazed when I was told that we were less than two hundred kilometres from Havana.

That evening, back in Lexington, I finally agreed that they had been right, and that I was going to go along with the whole plan. That night, Kat and I made glorious love. The next day, Derek laid out the timeline. We would both be taken to a military hospital, where the plastic surgery would take place, and where my major surgery would be done. After that, we would get our new identities, with me now an American citizen and a back story to memorise.

Then we would be taken to a safe house, where I would get voice training and instruction about womanhood, with Kat being one of my trainers. I suppose that it was going to be better than being dead.

Marianne Gregory © 2024