The Munsinger Affair (between us) #1

Ilya Rozanov/Shane Hollander（Heated Rivalry烈愛對決TV版）

KGB!Ilya Rozanov, RCMP!Shane Hollander, Cold war, Russian Agent!Ilya, Canada Agent!Shane

Cold War Secret Agents AU

Act 1: 

Ilya第一次遇見他，是在波恩(Bonn)開往倫紐堡(Nuremberg)的火車上。

火車即將開動前，車廂外傳來騷動，手提行李箱的黑髮男子匆忙地走進車廂，這班車次壅擠，身材並不瘦小的男子只能坐在Ilya正前方的空位，他們對迫縮在二等車廂狹窄的對坐座位裡，膝蓋摩擦。

半小時後，Ilya終於忍不住回應黑髮男子不斷投來的視線，然後被他雙頰上的雀斑驚豔。

Hollander是一名貿易商人，他周遊歐洲洽談加拿大木材的合約，他拍了拍自己的行李，裡頭裝著木材樣本。Ilya則聲稱自己的口音來自蘇台德，現居慕尼黑的國際記者，正為了撰寫反納粹的專題報導奔走各地，他也暗指自己的行李裡放著相機與長焦鏡頭，這個藉口讓他躲過無數次檢查。

Hollander在美因河畔法蘭克福提早下車，Ilya強迫彼此交換名片，如果不是因為「工作」，Ilya肯定找藉口跟著Hollander下車，多討教「加拿大木材」的有趣之處。他記下Hollander的名片上的蒙特婁地址，目送Hollander的背影走進月台，然後返回他的車廂。

列車駛過萊茵河，Ilya又變回一個人，但他會在紐倫堡換乘布拉格的火車，返回東柏林，完成工作。 

[Act 1]

Ilya first met him on a train heading from Bonn to Nuremberg.

Right before the train departed, there was a commotion outside the carriage. A dark-haired man carrying a suitcase hurried in. The train was packed, so the rather broad-shouldered man had no choice but to take the empty seat directly across from Ilya. They were crammed into the narrow seating of the second-class compartment, their knees brushing against each other.

Half an hour later, Ilya finally gave in to the dark-haired man's constant staring—and was immediately struck by the freckles on his cheeks.

Hollander was a trade merchant traveling across Europe to negotiate Canadian timber contracts. He patted his luggage, claiming it was full of wood samples. Ilya, on the other hand, claimed his accent was from the Sudetenland. He said he was an international journalist based in Munich, traveling around to write anti-Nazi exposes. He hinted that his bags held a camera and telephoto lenses, an excuse that had helped him bypass countless border checkpoints.

Hollander got off the train early in Frankfurt. Ilya practically forced him to exchange business cards. If it weren't for "work", Ilya definitely would have found an excuse to follow Hollander off the train to learn more about the "fascinating" world of Canadian timber. He memorized Hollander's Montreal address, watched his back disappear down the platform. And then, Ilya returned to his compartment.

He was alone once again. But only until he reached Nuremberg for a train to Prague, then head back to East Berlin to finally finish his job.

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Act 2: 

Shane第三次巧遇Rozanov是在蒙特婁的多佛爾機場。

距離他們第二次在美因河畔法蘭克福車站的偶遇差不到幾週，他幾乎要懷疑這個斯拉夫口音的男子正在跟蹤他。Shane在多佛爾候機室認出Rozanov，本來應該只是簡單的商業問候，但直到登機前，Rozanov一再諷刺著他無趣的木材生意，所以他們聊起了冰球，那是Shane除了加拿大木頭與情報工作之外最熟悉的話題。

他們幸運地搭乘同一班飛機飛往維也納，在九小時的班機上繼續冰球的話題，直到空服員把他們倆的座位換到閒置的鄰座，因為他和Rozanov佔據機上走道聊得太久了。

飛機最終仍遺憾地降落維也納，Shane有他的「木材工作」，而Rozanov要返回慕尼黑。

他們通過海關，在入境大廳道別，Shane在機場外攔下計程車。Rozanov卻從兩人分別的方向返回，喊住Shane，說他突然對拍攝維也納的風景充滿興致。

他們搭了同一台計程車，入住同一家飯店，睡在同一張床上。

隔天，Rozanov不告而別，只在床頭櫃留了便條紙返回慕尼黑。

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※歷史小補帖：多佛爾機場改名後叫作蒙特婁-杜魯道國際機場

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[Act 2]

Shane bumped into Rozanov for the third time at Dorval Airport in Montreal.

It had barely been a few weeks since the second time they met at the train station in Frankfurt. Shane was seriously starting to suspect that this guy with the Slavic accent was tailing him. Shane recognized Rozanov in the waiting lounge. It was supposed to be a simple, polite business greeting, but leading up to boarding, Rozanov kept teasing him about his boring timber business. So, they started talking about ice hockey, the only topic Shane knew better than Canadian wood and espionage.

Luckily, they were on the same flight to Vienna. During the nine-hour flight, they kept the hockey debate going, blocking the aisle for so long that the flight attendants finally had to move them to empty seats next to each other.

Unfortunately, the plane eventually landed in Vienna. Shane had his own "business" to attend to, and Rozanov had to head back to Munich.

They made it through customs, said their goodbyes in the arrivals hall, and Shane flagged down a taxi outside. But Rozanov suddenly turned around, called out to Shane, and claimed he was suddenly overcome with the urge to photograph the Viennese scenery.

They took the same taxi, checked into the same hotel, and slept in the same bed.

The next day, Rozanov headed back to Munich without a word, leaving nothing but a note on the nightstand.

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[Act 3]

Ilya最近一次見Hollander已經是半年前的事，他想念那些雀斑卻無法輕舉妄動。

因為格爾達·蒙辛格(Gerda Munsinger)的身分被RCMP曝光，KGB為了掩蓋她先前的間諜活動，所有可以自由行動的特工都動身前往北美，銷毀證據的所費不貲，但是與她獲得的情報相比，鐵幕付得起這等代價。

Hollander會是RCMP嗎？Ilya懷疑過。

因為Hollander總是帶著沉重行李裝著木材，在歐洲與北美之間飛來飛去，合理又可疑。Ilya甚至曾嘗試在Hollander入睡後，偷窺那些行李的真相，但在動手的前一刻，Ilya住手了。如果Hollander真的是RCMP，他該怎麼辦？如果Hollander接近他的目的是為了反偵，他該怎麼辦？如果最終的結果是Ilya像蒙辛格一樣，終止任務，飛回莫斯科，他該怎麼辦？。

Ilya在那一刻背棄了祖國的忠誠，他沒有揭露Hollander的身分。

他離開維也納，回到東柏林。

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※歷史小補帖(?)：蒙辛格緋聞(Munsinger affair)是加拿大歷史有名的政治醜聞，據傳蘇聯間諜格爾達·蒙辛格(Gerda Munsinger)出身自東德，移民加拿大後，因作為當時國防部副部長皮埃爾·塞維尼(Pierre Sévigny)的情婦而被RCMP(加拿大皇家騎警)懷疑，1961年她曾嘗試兌換空頭支票被捕，隨後返回東德，但是格爾達從未被蘇聯證實其間諜身分。

[Act 3]

The last time Ilya saw Hollander was half a year ago. He missed those freckles, but he couldn't afford to make a move.

After the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) exposed Gerda Munsinger's identity, the Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (KGB) sent all available agents to North America to cover up her past espionage activities. Destroying evidence was incredibly expensive, but compared to the intel she had gathered, the Soviet Union could afford the price.

Could Hollander be RCMP? Ilya had wondered.

Hollander flying back and forth between Europe and North America with heavy luggage full of wood was both a perfectly logical cover and highly suspicious. Once, Ilya even thought about snooping through those bags while Hollander slept to find the truth. But right before he made his move, Ilya stopped himself. 

What if Hollander really was RCMP? What if he only approached Ilya for counter-intelligence? What if this all ended with Ilya getting his mission terminated and being sent back to Moscow, just like Munsinger? What would he do then?

In that moment, Ilya chose personal loyalty over the Motherland. He didn't expose Hollander.

He left Vienna and went back to East Berlin the next day before dawn.

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[Act 4]

Shane在波恩的酒吧裡認出Rozanov，真奇特，擠滿人潮的吧檯前，Shane卻一眼認出Rozanov。

回到渥太華，收拾塞維尼(Sévigny)副部長與蘇聯間諜的醜聞，幾乎讓Shane忘了半年前他們在飯店房間裡的一切。你隔天為什麼走了？說好的一起逛維也納呢？Shane想問的問題還有很多，他卻走上前，問Rozanov手裡的那杯酒是不是伏特加。

經歷塞維尼醜聞後，他懷疑過Rozanov。

事實上，所有RCMP都被迫重新檢視曾接觸過的對象，東德人是清單上第一優先，接續的是有斯拉夫口音的人。

Shane看向躺在他身旁的Rozanov，Shane懷疑他是否真的定居慕尼黑，但跟Shane所知的情報一樣，Rozanov反納粹、對蘇聯長篇大論，卻從不輕易批判；Rozanov手上的厚繭不像攝影師，更像長年持槍的軍人；Rozanov作為一名帶著萊卡相機的記者，卻從不展示他拍攝的照片。

Shane記得RCMP的行動準則：對付蘇聯的KGB，比起立即處決，RCMP更想讓他們成為「鼴鼠」或是叛逃。

Shane已經達成前幾步了：接觸、探風、施恩施惠；他頻繁地與Rozanov碰面，他在談話中測試Rozanov的立場，他幫Rozanov托運有疑慮的行李，替Rozanov向海關解釋入境理由，所以他也只剩最後的階段了。

如果Shane攤牌，Rozanov會投誠嗎？或者，他會因此成為Rozanov假行李裡的槍下魂？在他們倆人之中，誰才能成為「格爾達·蒙辛格」？誰能帶著情報與勝利，從這段假戲真做的豔遇裡，全身而退？

Shane吻了Rozanov熟睡的額頭，他可以等明天睡醒再煩惱，如果Rozanov不再不告而別。

[Act 4]

Shane spotted Rozanov in a bar in Bonn. It was strange how easily Shane could pick Rozanov out in a packed bar.

Back in Ottawa, cleaning up the mess from Associate Minister Sévigny's scandal with a Soviet spy had almost made Shane forget everything that happened in that hotel room six months ago. Why did you leave the next day? Didn't we agree to tour Vienna together? Shane had so many questions, but he just walked up and asked if the drink in Rozanov's hand was vodka.

After the Sévigny scandal broke, he had suspected Rozanov.

In fact, all RCMP agents were forced to re-evaluate every contact they had made. East Germans were at the top of the watchlist, followed closely by anyone with a Slavic accent.

Shane looked at Rozanov lying next to him. Shane doubted Rozanov actually lived in Munich. But just like Shane's intel suggested, Rozanov was anti-Nazi and could rant endlessly about the Soviet Union, yet he never truly criticized them where it hurt. The thick calluses on Rozanov's hands didn't look like a photographer's, they looked like the hands of a soldier who had gripped a gun for years. And for a journalist carrying a Leica camera, Rozanov never actually showed off any photos.

Shane remembered the RCMP's operational guidelines: When dealing with the Soviet KGB, rather than executing them, the RCMP vastly preferred to turn them into "moles" or get them to defect.

Shane had already completed the first few steps: making contact, testing the waters, and doing small favors. He met with Rozanov frequently, tested his political stance in casual conversation, helped him check questionable luggage, and covered for him at customs. 

Now, only the final stage was left.

If Shane laid his cards on the table, would Rozanov defect? Or would Shane end up taking a bullet from a gun hidden in Rozanov's fake luggage? Between the two of them, who was going to become the next "Gerda Munsinger"? Who would walk away from this fake-turned-real affair with the intel and the victory?

Shane kissed Rozanov's sleeping forehead. The worrying could wait until he woke up, assuming Rozanov didn't leave without saying goodbye this time.

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[Act 5]

Ilya在車站月台上給了Hollander一個底片盒，他說那是他在維也納拍下的風景照，他對於上次沒能與Hollander一起觀光感到抱歉。

距離他的車次發車還有五分鐘，他想再次親吻Hollander的雀斑，但是他反而問了Hollander：知不知道高級訂製服的內側都會縫上織造標籤。

織造標籤總是繡著那些衣裙的來歷，從來沒有男士會在意這些，因為那都是些「女人的事務」。

Ilya的母親曾在自己的衣裙內側縫上「織造標籤」，她用標籤上的線索換來國家的庇護，但是那份安逸並沒有持續太久，紅軍最終讓她付出代價，把她嫁給了Ilya的父親，因為鐵幕之下，沒有男士會在乎她這種繡縫織造標籤的技術，她只是一名失去利用價值的「格爾達·蒙辛格」。直到她在Ilya 12歲那年意外吞下藥丸，她終於在夢鄉裡回到故鄉。

Ilya的母親再也回不去她的母國，但是Ilya可以離開背棄他母親的國家。

裝在那小小的遮光盒裡的底片，是Ilya從格爾達·蒙辛格的房間搜來的「織造標籤」，Ilya把一切都賭在這上面了。女人們繡在標籤裡的名字、地址、情書與約會，那些都是──鼴鼠、安全屋、密電與行動代號。

發車鈴聲響起，然後他走進車廂，坐在車窗看著Hollander的身影隨著火車加速逐漸渺小。與他們第一次相見那天不同的是，目送他的是Hollander的雙眼而不是背影。

[Act 5]

On the train platform, Ilya handed Hollander a film canister. He said it held the landscape photos he took in Vienna and apologized for not going sightseeing with him last time.

He had five minutes before his train departed. He wanted to kiss Hollander's freckles again, but instead, he asked Hollander a question: Did you know that high-end custom dresses always have a woven label sewn inside?

Those woven labels always detailed the origins of the dress. No man ever paid attention to them because it was considered "women's business."

Ilya's mother once sewed a "woven label" into her own dress. She used the clues hidden on that label to buy asylum. But her safety didn't last long. The Red Army eventually made her pay the price, marrying her off to Ilya's father. Because behind the Iron Curtain, no man cared about her "embroidery skills". She was just another "Gerda Munsinger" who had outlived her usefulness. It wasn't until she accidentally swallowed those pills that she finally drifted off to sleep, returning to her homeland only in her dreams.

Ilya's mother could never go back to her homeland, but Ilya could leave the country that betrayed her.

The film tucked inside that tiny, light-proof canister was a photo of the "woven label" Ilya had scavenged from Gerda Munsinger's room. Ilya was betting absolutely everything on it. 

Lovers, the dating spots and the love letter. Everything those women had embroidered into their labels were all actually something else. They were the names of spies, the addresses of safe houses, the messages of secret telegrams, and the codenames for operations.

The departure bell rang. Ilya stepped into the train car, sat by the window, and watched Hollander's silhouette shrink as the train accelerated. Unlike the day they first met, it wasn't Hollander's back walking away this time. Instead, Hollander's eyes were fixed on him as the train departed.

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[Act 6]

Shane把Rozanov給他的底片攤在飯店的檯燈下。

那根本不是維也納的風景，也不是慕尼黑的街景，那一小捲的底片印滿密密麻麻的橫紋，Shane根本辯不出分毫細節。直到他把底片靠在狙擊鏡，在光線下透著看。然後他一行一行地抄下那些紋路，每一行密碼都與尚未曝光的塞維尼醜聞吻合，全都是RCMP從未找到的關鍵證據。

Shane想起了Rozanov的話──那些女士服內側的織造標籤。

Rozanov把KGB的秘密毫無代價地送給他。

Shane應該立刻飛回蒙特婁，這會是RCMP的重大發現，將是整個加拿大情報組織幾個月以來的迫切尋覓的線索。然而，與之相反，他駕駛西德總部借來的車，用最快的速度開往紐倫堡，臨走前，他確保RCMP啟動了投誠者撤離計畫。

Rozanov下榻的飯店地址寫在紙條上，捲在底片盒裡。

[Act 6]

Shane unrolled the film Rozanov gave him under the hotel desk lamp.

It wasn't scenery from Vienna, nor was it street photography from Munich. The small strip of film was covered in dense, microscopic horizontal lines. Shane couldn't make out a single detail. Not until he held the film up against a sniper scope, letting the light shine through it. Then, he copied down the patterns line by line. 

Every single line of code perfectly matched the unexposed Sévigny scandal. It was all the crucial evidence the RCMP had never been able to find.

Shane remembered what Rozanov had said, about the woven labels inside women's clothes. Rozanov had just handed him top-secret KGB intel, asking for absolutely nothing in return.

Shane knew he should fly back to Montreal immediately. This was a massive breakthrough for the RCMP, the exact smoking gun the entire Canadian intelligence network had been desperately hunting for over the past few months. Instead, he jumped into the car and raced toward Nuremberg as fast as the engine would allow. Before Shane left, he made sure the RCMP was prepared to grant asylum to a KGB defector.

The address for Rozanov's hotel in Nuremberg was written on a small slip of paper, rolled up tightly inside the film canister. And Shane was going to take Ilya back to Canada with him.

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Historical Notes: 

• The Munsinger affair is a famous political scandal in Canadian history. Rumor had it that Soviet spy Gerda Munsinger, originally from East Germany, immigrated to Canada and was suspected of espionage by the RCMP after becoming the mistress of Pierre Sévigny, the Associate Minister of National Defense. She was arrested in 1961 for attempting to cash a bad check and subsequently returned to East Germany. However, the Soviet Union never officially confirmed her status as a spy.
• KGB (Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti) was the primary intelligence and secret police agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. Their main base of operations for all of East Germany was located in East Berlin.
• RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) was dedicated to monitoring Soviet threats, hunting down spies, and protecting national secrets. They shared intelligence with agencies in the US and their European allies.
• Dorval Airport was later renamed Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport.

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