Conflict Sanctions

McCade nodded his agreement then said, “So what are you doing down here Artie?  I can’t believe you just happened to come look me up after all these years.”  The last time he had seen Arthur Bell had been in 1981. 

After Vietnam McCade had been hired by the CIA and gone through the necessary training in codes, languages, weapons, politics and such at The Farm in Langley, Virginia.  Once this was complete, he was posted to West Germany.  He had been tasked with getting operatives out of the Soviet Block nations.  This involved a great deal of behind the lines work which he was well versed in. 

On one of those ops he happened to tasked with bringing out one of Bell’s contacts.  The guy was a relatively low level engineer in the Sukoi R&D program.  Sukoi was one of the primary manufacturers of Soviet frontline fighter aircraft.  The engineer was willing to defect with the specifications of a new frontline fighter. 

This night the crossing of the border between West and East Germany had been hampered by a fierce snow storm.  McCade was as familiar with the section of border that had been selected as he was with his own apartment in Berlin.  However, this evening with the storm they had stumbled into an East German patrol.  McCade had done his best to draw the patrol away, but the engineer had made a stupid mistake and gotten himself caught. 

A week later the engineer had turned up at Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin.  He had been shot in the heart and left to die.  This had made McCade feel even worse about the event.  However, several days later McCade had received a note from Bell.  He had expressed his apologies for his reaction and understood that it was not really McCade’s fault.  He had even gone so far as to remind McCade that they were in a dangerous business and that these kinds of things were to be expected.  McCade had appreciated the sentiment, but it did not diminish his responsibility.

But that was the past and this was the present.  Bell wanted something from him, that much was clear.  What it was he was interested to find out.

 Bell acted shocked at McCade’s question, “What?  Can’t I look up an old protégé?”

 “Come on Artie,” McCade challenged him.  “Do I look stupid?”

There was a strained silence between them for several moments as the two men were stuck for what to say next.  Finally, McCade broke the painful silence.  “So, what do you want to talk to me about Artie?”

“Terry Parks,” Bell said flatly without preamble.  "He's alive."