Ukraine, Kiev

Twelve Years ago

Avery Jennings looked out the window of the office on the sixth floor of the United States Embassy as the Covert station head. He oversaw their intelligence operations activities here. He loved the city and the atmosphere itself here. There was nothing like walking down old, worn, gray cobblestone sidewalks; covered with snow while passing by some trees and benches. His training through decades of his fieldwork; had taught him not to miss anything. Question everything. His moniker was the Shadow because one never knew he was behind or remained invisible.

He pivoted, walking back to his desk as his glance slept over the photograph of his daughter Maize. She moved here after he got assigned to the United States Embassy. Sitting down in his chair behind his desk, he opened the fourth drawer on his desk as his encrypted burner vibrated, and snatched it up before he clicked the accept button on it.

"Avery",    he answered in a low, soft tone.

"Avery, we need to meet. I have someone who you should meet," Alexsandr told him over the phone.

"Where should we meet? At our dead drop site? Avery asked.

"At my mansion, why don't you bring Maizie with you? She'll love looking out over my balcony at the  beautiful winter scene here," Alexander  stated in his native Ukraine accent

Avery ended the conversation as he placed it on his desk. They had never met at his mansion before, always at their dead drop site, he wondered why the change of location was right away. Whatever it was, it had to be vital. Plus, it thrilled to bring her along. He knew she loved going to Alexsandr's mansion and standing outside on his balcony. She often told him she just loved the view from there. He rose from where he was sitting, made his way over to his safe on the wall that was behind the painting, and removed it. 

 Placed it on his desk. He entered the passcode as the door clicked open, snatched some spare mags just in case he needed it and slid a fresh mag into a silenced tip Glock 21. He slipped it into his hip holster, closed the door on the safe and picked up the painting. He hung the painting back over the safe as he headed out of his office, walked over to the elevator and rode down to the main floor. He strode out and made his way out the automatic revolving doors of the United States embassy, where a marine stood alert and on guard outside.

Walking over to his White Toyota Camry grabbed the door handle and opened it as he slid into the driver-side, closing the door as he sped out of the embassy parking lot, and threaded through the congested traffic. He passed by 18-century baroque buildings. He glanced sideways into his rearview mirror to see if he was tailed by the FBI surveillance team. Knowing the phones were bugged in the embassy, Avery knew it was best to use their burners if they needed to meet about something classified.

A few minutes later, he arrived at his house, parked in the driveway as he waited for her to come out. The front door swung open. Maize sprinted down the sidewalk in her jean jacket wearing cap and made her way over to the driveway. She grabbed the door handle as she climbed, closing the door behind her. She glanced over at her father in the driver-seat and smiled at him. 

"Are we going to see Alexsander dad? I haven't been there a long time," Mazie asked.

Yes, we are, he knows that you love looking at the view from his balcony," Avery told her.

As they drove through the snow-covered streets of the city on their way to Alexander mansion, Avery glanced over at her and hoped one day that she would follow his footsteps wherever the path took her. He was sure whatever it was she would be great at, there was no doubt about that in his mind.  As they drove down the hilly streets, they pulled up to the five-story Georgian mansion outside, overlooking the upper town. Stepping out of the vehicle, they closed their doors behind them as they made up the pathway to the front entrance.

Armed men patrolled the massive property, MP5 submachine guns clutched in their grip with their finger on the trigger and hardened faces. Avery figured with The Kremlin trying to retake Crimea and maybe even attempts   made on Alexander life by assassins. Ordered by the Russian President. That he was being extremely cautious. The door swung open as Alexsander grabbed the door and stood in the entrance wearing his European tailored made suit. With a gesture of his hand he waved for them to come in quickly.

The inside, interior was elegantly designed with Ukrainian baroque style and, of course, expensive paintings hung on the wall from every artist you could imagine. There was a winding carpeted staircase leading upstairs down the corridor, was a massive dining room with leather sofa and some fancy chairs near a shinny marble glass table.

"Come in quickly," He told them, as he closed the door behind them as they stepped inside.

"I see you are very cautious Alexsander you have your security agents out patrolling the property," Avery stated.

"Maize Why don't you go check out the view from your favorite balcony. While me and your father discuss business," Alexsander told her.

She glanced over to her father as he nodded at her that it was OK. After that, she strolled down the corridor and made her way over to the doors of the balcony. Grabbing the doorknob, she glanced around the family room and was amazed at how fancy it looked. But she guessed  Alexander did quite well for himself whatever he did for a living. She stepped out onto the balcony, closing the door behind her. She breathes in the fresh air, feeling the cool breeze of the night.

They walked down the fancy corridor heading to his den where his office was located. He grabbed the door handle as they entered his office, closing the door behind them. Avery froze a second seeing an agent with a worn, weather face in a sports jacket. His eyes narrowed on the 50 caliber pistol in the hip holster. He knew right that it was Desert Eagle.

Without hesitation Avery whipped out his Glock 21, and trained at the agent as he says. " Goddammit Alexander, he's a foreign agent for The KGB and the GRU we can't trust him you know that."

"Avery, lower your pistol  down please. I assure you that we can trust him. He's an old friend, an old colleague of mine who's risking his life to come here with something vital."

" My name is Roald Ivanovich Popov," the foreign agent said in his native Russian accent as he pressed on. " I'm  an agent for the KGB. And  what I  have to tell is vital."

"Since when do you foreign agents for the KGB or the FSB carry a Desert Eagle 50 caliber ?" Avery inquired with a skeptical tone.

"I'm not just any KGB agent, I'm a black operator and If I wanted to kill you. I would do it from an extreme distance with a 338. Lapua or 50 caliber. But I didn't so I guess you're  going to have to trust me," Popov stated.

Avery nodded as he lowered his pistol and slipped it back into his hip holster sitting down on the chair across from the desk and asked." So what is  so vital?"

"Crimea, the Kremlin wants it back and  what they are planning is  bigger  and more dangerous, that's all I can tell you," Popov tells Avery.

"What you do mean that's  all  you can tell us Popov, There has to be more to it? Because my agents haven't heard  any chatter or intel suggesting anything like it ," Avery inquired in a mock tone.

Popov reached into his pocket in his jacket and removed an encrypted disc as he placed it on Alexsanders desk and says. "Calina Ekatrina  Bychkov, does that name mean anything to you?" 

"No, it doesn't," Avery replied in a curious tone.

"She's  a foreign agent for the GRU, a very efficient and lethal one too," Popov stated as he paced back and forth...Listen, the Kremlin considers her their top spy master for a reason,  because she stays in the shadows and lets her agents do the dirty work."

Avery rubbed his chin. Interesting, he thought to himself. But he could trust this black ops operator. That was the question on his mind right now. He'd known a lot of black operators when he was an agent. If what Popov said was true about Calina Ekaterina Bychkov, then he knew this would be bigger than Rick Hansen and Aldrich Ames that were two of the biggest traitors in the CIA who had sold the CIA network to the Russians. But if this intel was accurate, he needed to know where she would be operating from. 

"If this Calina Ekaterina Bychkov is the Kremlin top  spymaster  where she is running her spy network?" Avery inquired.

Popov chose his next words carefully before he spoke again. " Everything you need to know about Bychkov is on the disc I placed on Alexandr desk."

—----

From Maize peripheral, she immediately  spotted  movement on the ground below  her. She remembered her dad had taught her how to spot a weapon from a distance. Her eyes narrowed on the white van that had roared to a stop in front of the mansion. The doors swung open as the Russian Spetsnaz operatives sprinted out of clutching their Skorpion machine pistols in their grip. Gunfire erupted as they opened fire. The security agents fired rapid shots at the Russian assassins.

None of this was making sense to her right now, although she was the daughter of the CIA covert station head, and she wasn't sure how the Spetsnaz operatives had tailed them here? The right one she knew was that her dad took precautions when he went to see Alexander She had to warn him and Alexandr about the Russian assassins before it was too late. She pivoted as she raced for the door,grabbing the doorknob and swung it open as she darted in with all her might.

She  sprinted  down the corridor as her eyes darted back and forth searching for Alexander den. She wondered if there could be a mole inside the CIA Station that maybe even her father didn't know about and that could explain everything. She rounded the corner and found the den. The door to the office was closed, so she banged on it with her fist and shouted. "Alexsander!!"

Alexander opened the door and saw Maize standing there as he says. " what's wrong?"

Maize Fidgeted as she twisted her ring on finger. "Somehow the GRU has tracked us to your mansion? They're here now outside."

Avery furrowed his brow while he pressed  his fingers into a steeple. 

" That's impossible, there's no way they could have followed us here. I doubled back several times when I did my Surveillance Detection Route and I didn't see any FSB surveillance vehicle behind me at all."

Popov rubbed his chin as he thought about everything before he spoke again. His eyes narrowed on Alexsander. "I think we have to assume the Russians have a mole inside your station Avery."

"Popov, I want you to get my daughter out of here, get her on military aircraft out of Ukraine with the encrypted disc. Do whatever you have to do," Avery stated.

Popov nodded in agreement with the covert station head of the CIA, he knew in the future that she would make a great operator when the time came. Right now his only main concern was to get the daughter of the CIA station head out of Kiev. Yes, in a way he was trained to kill and he would do so protect Maize from the Russians. His Land Rover was parked behind the mansion, it would be no use going through the front entrance and it would be risky. 

The lead GRU assassin placed the charge on the door and  quickly moved away with the rest of his wet job team. The door blew open as they made their way in discreetly and methodically, their Skorpion machine pistols raised  and fingers on the trigger for any sudden movement. Their orders were clear: they were to kill anyone who got in the way of Bychkov.

Popov whipped out his Desert Eagle. A sudden drop in his stomach told him something was off. A shuffling of footsteps rushing grew close,  crashing through the rampant thudding in his heart. At the same he knew Avery was doing the right thing, because he too had a daughter he had never seen and he didn't  want jeopardize her life.

The GRU assassin sprinted toward the den, Popov darted over as he dived in the line of fire as he pulled the trigger and fired a round into the assassin. He jumped back on his feet as he says. "We have to move now Maize if I'm going to get out of here alive."

They raced out of the door heading to the back secret door of the mansion which he had used to enter the mansion secretly. He pivoted and fired rapid shots at the assassins. He could see the door straight ahead. It was now or never, he thought to himself. He swung the door open hard. Maize sprinted out feeling her own heart beat while Popov continued firing shots at the assassins.

"Get to the Land Rover now I'll be there as fast as I can," Popov told her in a cool, demanding tone.

Maize dashed over to the Land Rover,  the door and slid into the passenger-side closing the door behind her. Popov made his way over to the Land Rover,sliding into the driver-side as he placed his pistol back into his hip holster and closed the door behind him. They sped out of the parking behind as they headed down the narrow streets. He glanced back into his rearview mirror as his eyes narrowed on the two motorbikes roaring straight at them.s

Protruding out the window, he fired a shot at the biker. The biker body jerked at the same time as the round sparked the metal as the motorbike slid into  the  vehicle and crashed. The biker  wasn't getting up which was good for him. The GRU operative opens fire with his AK-47. Popov fired a shot, hitting the agent right in his head. A few minutes later, they roared through the gate, pulling up to the hangar at the abandoned airfield. 

"They will be ok trust me, it's you they are worried about and now that you have the disc. You're no longer safe here," Popov told her, as his eyes narrowed on a man in  a camouflage suit strode up to him.

"Is this package," asked the CIA paramilitary officer.

"Yes, she is," Popov told him as he made his way to his Land Rover and slid in closing the door behind him.

The CIA paramilitary officer gestured to board the aircraft as she made her way up the massive ramp and headed over to one of the free seats. She sat down as the large ramp closed as the aircraft roared down the runway and lifted into the sky over the city. The paramilitary officer could tell that she was nervous by the way she was playing with her ring.