'Why was that? What's a girl of your sort doing as an agent of the Red Army? Surely it would have been more natural for you to come directly under the orders of the KGB.
'Maybe it would, sir. It was just that... well, the man who originally signed me up to work for Russia was the Number Two of the GRU in Athens.'
'Yes.' Arenski still stared out of the window. 'He was your lover, this man?'
'Please, General, is this important?'
'He was your lover, this man?' It might have been a tape-recording of the previous query.
'Yes. He was.'
'And it was he who... converted you, I think would be the right word here - converted you to Marxist Socialism?'
'Yes.'
'Have you done much counterespionage work?'
'Not a great deal. Chiefly on jobs that called for a girl like me.'
'A seductive temptress,' sneered Arenski. 'Really, some of us behave as if we're still in the pre- Revolutionary era. Now, your father' - he glanced at the file - 'your father is an official of Pallas Airlines. A comfortable bourgeois.'
When this drew no reply, the general swivelled his chair round again and studied her impersonally. Eventually he drew in his breath and said in what he meant to be a kindly tone, 'You know, Miss Alexandrou, you're not the sort of person one expects to find working for peace in a primitive country like this one. What can be your experience of the class struggle? Where are your roots in the workers' movement? You know what you are? You're a romantic. Drawn to Communism by sentimental pity for the oppressed and to Intelligence work by false notions of glamour. And this means- '
The girl cut in sharply. 'General Arenski, I came here to discuss something much more important than why I became a Communist. There's a terrible threat against your country and against what we both believe in. I'm awaiting your instructions.'
Arenski wrinkled his nose and sniffed. 'Romantics like you are peculiarly apt to lose their sense of proportion. Let us look calmly at what you've told me. This episode in which Major Gordienko and two of his assistants are killed. Were any of the assailants identified?'
'I forgot to tell you that. Mr Bond recognized the man he shot as one of the group who kidnapped his chief in England.'
'Just so. I must say that kidnapping appeals to me. It has such an air of fantasy about it. But of course we know that fantastic things do happen. It's a pity that we have no way of obtaining confirmation of this one. And then the episode of the fight in the boats. You yourself recognized the man called Theodorou. A traitor to the working class, clearly. A criminal, you said. There you are likely to be right. That episode carries conviction of a sort. It would be interesting to interview the man who survived it.'
'There was a survivor?' asked the girl, sitting up sharply.
'Oh yes. He's in the hospital here. I will institute inquiries.' Arenski's tone carried no sense of purpose. One of the minor irritations of this intrusion was the way it had compelled him to change his mind about the significance of the fire at sea. He forced himself to continue his analysis.
'There are other elements of fantasy in your story. Consider this idea - put forward by Bond, naturally - that the Chinese People's Government is conspiring against us. Now I know it's fashionable to take the view that China has replaced the capitalist West as the chief threat to world peace. And it's true that our leaders have been properly severe on the ideological mistakes of the Chinese. But it would be disastrously unMarxist to jump to the conclusion that their pride, their ambition and their envy of the USSR could ever drive them to the attempted use of violence against our conference tomorrow night. That would be gangsterism; gangsterism of the same kind as you have twice been involved in, though of an infinitely greater degree. And gangsterism is the typical resort of Western warmongers.
'My dear young lady,' - Arenski tried another smile - 'the key to this whole affair is the character of the man Bond. I know him well by repute. He has conducted terrorist activities in Turkey, France, and the Caribbean. Quite recently he committed two assassinations in Japan for motives of pure personal revenge. He is a dangerous international criminal. He has very cleverly involved you in his schemes with tales of kidnapping and wicked Chinamen - the very thing to appeal to your romantic nature. Who his opponents really are is scarcely worth conjecturing about. Some rival gangster group, probably American. Our concern lies elsewhere.'
'May I ask a question, Comrade General?' For the first time, the girl spoke with proper respect.
'Certainly, Comrade.'
'How does this theory square with the murder of Mr Gordienko and his two assistants, and with Mr Gordienko thinking for sure that there is a traitor in our organization in Athens?'
'That is two questions, but we will examine them. Gordienko and his men were killed because the rival gang wanted Bond and they were in the way. Very regrettable, but not mysterious. Gordienko's notion of a traitor... well...' The general turned over a small, well-manicured hand. 'I respected old Piotr in a way, but he was never the most efficient of men. And he's been out here too long. By your own account a breach of security had clearly taken place. There'd been a leak. Gordienko had slipped up, but he didn't know just how or where. What more natural than to create an unknown traitor who takes the blame for all your mistakes?'
'I quite understand that, sir. You make it very clear. But I would like you to explain why, if there is no traitor, my message to you via the Embassy in Athens has never arrived.'
Arenski sighed. 'You said you don't know who you spoke to there. Some junior clerk, no doubt, probably a Greek, who was too stupid to understand your no doubt guarded phrases, went out to lunch and forgot the whole thing. And your zeal was commendable, but before very long I shall be reading all about the affair in the newspapers when they're fetched from the port. It'll be interesting to see how they treat it.
'There, then, is your explanation. There are half a dozen other such explanations. Whereas your explanation, of course, involves the mysterious traitor.'
'Well... yes, sir.'
