Safe House
Moscow, Russia
Mid-June, 1918
After not hearing from Reilly for two months, Morrison received instructions for a meeting to be held at one of the many safe houses that they maintained in Moscow. There Reilly revealed the plans for the coup that would be launched that summer. After briefing him on the specifics of the planned coup, Reilly gave Morrison his assignment. “This is coming straight from the top of both our governments, Double Eagle. I know you’ve already met with Major Slaughter, and I know he’s given you a preview of the mission. Simply put, it is this. You are to proceed to Ekaterinburg and formulate a plan to rescue the former Tsar and his family. Major Slaughter will be your primary local contact for the mission as well as your logistics source. How you accomplish the mission is up to you. Obviously, until you can get on the scene and assess the situation, specific details can’t be worked out. We want the rescue attempt to occur simultaneously with the coup. That will divert enough attention away from the Urals so that Moscow will not have the capacity to respond to your actions.”
“You realize that the rescue attempt is going to have to take place in the next several weeks; a month or so at the outside,” responded Morrison. “The White Army is making steady advances against the Reds in Siberia. The Czech Legion is also driving them back. At the rate the campaign is progressing, Ekaterinburg could fall to the Whites within four to six weeks.”
“We realize that. That is why time is of the essence. Can you manage to get to Ekaterinburg without arousing undue suspicion? Is this even a possibility, or will you simply have to vanish from Moscow?”
“Vanishing is probably not an option, not when you’re a famous hero like ‘Moryak’!” said Morrison ruefully. “I do believe there is a way though. Moscow still doesn’t have total control over the many soviets in Russia. Probably the most independent-minded ones are in Siberia, especially the Urals. They are a real pain in the ass to Lenin and company. Unfortunately, the Urals Soviet is the one that has custody of the Imperial family. They are constantly threatening to execute them, partially to show their independence from Moscow. Lenin is deathly afraid they may actually do it. He talks constantly of his frustrations with them.”
“What are you suggesting, Double Eagle?”
“I can try and convince Lenin to send me to assert Moscow’s dominance over the Urals Soviet. At the very least, that would give me control over the Imperial family. What I would do at that point I’m not certain, but it’s a starting point.”
Reilly nodded his head in agreement. “Well, we certainly don’t have much else. It is a starting point. I concur. Let’s begin in the manner you described. I’ll contact Slaughter and let him know what we’re thinking.”
* * *
The next day at the Kremlin, Morrison observed Lenin moping around in a depressed mood. After chairing a meeting concerning the Red Terror and internal security, he announced that he had just been briefed on the setbacks of the Red Army. He seemed to be talking to himself as he mentioned his repeated frustration and anger over the Urals Soviet. “How can I get control over those bastards?” he blurted as if talking aloud to himself.
Morrison knew he had his chance to act. “Comrade Lenin, I have a suggestion to make.”
“What is it, Moryak? Please tell me something to brighten my day.”
“Of course, allow me to continue. It is in regard to the Urals Soviet. I think I can improve the situation.”
“Go on, Moryak,” Lenin invited. Among those around the table sat Stalin, who leaned forward on his elbows to listen closely to Moryak.
“It’s a simple question of power politics. The Urals Soviet needs to be shown who is in charge of Russia. They need to be taught a lesson in power. I propose to do it for you.”
“Just what do you propose?” asked Stalin. All of the others at the table also leaned forward on their elbows.
“Send me to Ekaterinburg to meet with the leaders. I will tell them I am on a mission authorized by Comrade Lenin with the total endorsement of the Politburo. My mission is to assert Moscow’s dominance over their Soviet and to liquidate all who oppose it. One of my first acts to accomplish this would be to take over control of the former Tsar and his family until you decide what you want to do with them. Those blowhards are always threatening to kill the Romanovs, and I believe it is just to spite you, to thumb their noses at us in Moscow. They need to be taught a lesson, Comrade Lenin. I believe you know that I am just the man to do it.”
Lenin and Stalin stared at each other for a moment, briefly astonished by Moryak’s audacity. Then, they both erupted in laughter. The sheer simplicity of the plan, coupled with the fact that they had nothing to lose, made it even more amusing. Soon everyone at the table sat back, convulsing with laughter. The plan even impressed Stalin. This Moryak has the stuff that legends are made of, he thought. He had heard how Moryak had handled the vors while in prison. This is the same man who also ordered all of the officers aboard the Potemkin to be liquidated. Yes, if there is any man who could establish Moscow’s dominance over the Urals Soviet, it would be Comrade Moryak.
Stalin looked at Lenin and asked, “What do you think?”
Lenin smiled and said, “Thank you, Moryak, for brightening my day. I will have the official paperwork drafted for you immediately and also notify Comrade Goloshchekin that you will be arriving. Plan on leaving early tomorrow morning.”
The meeting being concluded, they all stood when Lenin announced, “My next meeting should at least be humorous. Do you have any idea who has returned and has requested a meeting with me? None other than Comrade Roman Malinovsky!”
“Malinovsky!” blurted out Stalin. “He’s still alive? I heard that the bastard had joined the Russian army after we kicked his ass out of the Duma.”
“That is correct. In fact, he spent most of the war in a German prison camp. And now he returns, eager to work for the party. I knew he was a drunkard, but I never believed he was a traitor. Well, Comrade Dzerzhinsky has had the all of the Okhrana’s files sent to Moscow from Petrograd, and his Cheka agents have been going through them with a fine-tooth comb. He showed me the irrefutable truths that the files contain.” After pausing a second, an angry look swept across his face. “Mozger was right; I should have listened to him. The files show that Malinovsky was an Okhrana agent all along. And I trusted that bastard! He doesn’t know I have this knowledge of his past. I think I’ll have Comrade Mozger handle this matter for us in Petrograd. That would be poetic justice!” He had his secretary send Malinovsky in.
“Comrade Lenin, it is a pleasure, no, an honor, to see you again. Thank you so much for agreeing to see me.”
“Welcome back, comrade. Do you remember Comrade Stalin?” Malinovsky enthusiastically shook Stalin's hand. “And this is the famous Moryak!” Malinovsky pumped Morrison’s hand and exclaimed, “It’s truly an honor, Moryak.” Then it hit Malinovsky like a thunderbolt: I’ve met this man before! he thought to himself.
After the introductions, Stalin and Moryak left the room, and both Lenin and his guest sat down. They had a short conversation, and Lenin expressed his forgiveness for Malinovsky’s past drunkenness. At no time did Lenin allude to the fact that he now knew that Malinovsky had been an agent of the Okhrana.
Malinovsky expressed his delight when Lenin informed him that he would be working for the Bolsheviks again. He proposed that Malinovsky return to Petrograd where he would work directly for Comrade Mozger. Malinovsky could barely control his gratitude as he thanked Lenin profusely.
That evening, Lenin cabled Mozger, informing him that Malinovsky would be arriving that week. He also revealed what he had learned from the Okhrana files. He ended the message by saying, “You were right. Dispose of the problem immediately.” Lenin didn’t like to be made a fool, and he wanted the matter handled outside of Moscow, where no one but Mozger would know that he had been duped all along.
For his part, Malinovsky was thrilled to be accepted back in the party. On the train to Petrograd, he was filled with hope that maybe now he could pull his life back together. He had been so foolish in the past, but now it appeared that he would be getting his second chance. Still, he couldn’t get the thoughts of Moryak out of his mind. Sure, he had heard of the man; everyone had. But he was certain that he had never previously met the man. The word was that Moryak was in the Tsar’s prison until 1916. Malinovsky had been in a German prisoner of war camp since 1915. He couldn’t possibly have met the man. Yet, he was certain that they had met. Somewhere in the past, they had met.
Malinovsky slept soundly, lulled to sleep by the rhythm of the train, when suddenly he sat bolt upright, drenched in sweat. He now remembered where he had met the man called Moryak! It was back in St. Petersburg in 1905. Of course, how could he not remember those eyes! He was a British agent then, working with Sidney Reilly. He was called Double Eagle back then. Malinovsky himself was known as Olovyanniy, the Tinman, at that time. But how could it possibly be? That operation had been aborted, and the agent called Double Eagle was caught. He knew for a fact that they hanged him shortly after his trial. But most baffling of all, how could a man who was a British intelligence agent over a dozen years ago now be a legendary hero of the Russian Revolution, a man whom they say led the Potemkin mutiny? How could this possibly be true?
Malinovsky pulled out his handkerchief and dabbed the sweat off his forehead. It is not possible, he thought to himself. Yet he was certain. It was the man’s eyes. He had met the man called Moryak years before, when Moryak was acting as a British secret agent. He had no doubt in his mind that Moryak, whom he just met, was that same man.