Tosh

Tosh dropped a pile of blue and green cardboard folders onto his meticulously neat desk. Tosh did not believe in relying on computer backup, since electronic files could be so easily hacked, stolen or destroyed. He didn’t trust who in the Kremlin had access to his computerized data. His paper files even contained information that he would not commit to online.

Tosh sat down in front of the folders and rapidly sorted them into Team A (green) and backup team B (blue). Although he had every folder memorized, he briefly glanced at each one, speed reading the contents to ensure he had all of the details fresh in his mind.

Tosh was active as a field agent for the Soviet Union during the Cold War. He was legendary in the spy profession for being a ghost who slipped into a location, successfully accomplished his mission, and disappeared without a trace. His mission in 2018 against the United States operative, Elda Ainsworth, was the first time he had ever come close to failing. Although he and Elda had worked on a joint mission last year, he welcomed a chance for a rematch as adversaries. He tapped his fingers on his desk and mused out loud, “This is a mission against the United States. And Adrik was rather khitryy when he mentioned letting go of operation Bittman. I have to watch out for that deviousness of his.” He pulled a red file labeled Bittman, and quickly reviewed it. He muttered, “Something’s missing. I need to get Stas gathering more information.”