[b]Washington D.C.
March 21st, 2005
07:22 Local Time[/b]

George Smiley had a tail. 

He noticed it as soon as he started out on his walk to work. The thin man wearing jeans, a white shirt, and a jean jacket easily blended in on the streets of Washington simply because of his attire. It was his haircut that keyed Smiley to the fact something was off. The man's blonde hair was perfectly styled in a short crew cut that didn't match with his casual attire. He looked like something straight out of the 80's. This lack of subtly made the man as Russian. Only Ivan would think a typical American dressed in all denim. 

The man followed him from the hotel he was staying at for the time being. SHIELD tried to rope him into getting a car, but he demurred. It was only a few blocks to the Triskelion and he could desperately use the exercise. This shadow that followed him was its own exercise. It'd been so long since Smiley engaged in tradecraft, but one never forgot the tools of the trade. He started simple, going down streets the wrong way, cross to the other side of the street seemingly on whim. Doubling back and ducking into cabs, only to duck out at the last moment. Smiley felt pride in the fact that he shook the tail free after only a half hour of tradecraft.

And then he noticed the second tail. While the Russian tailed from behind, a Chinese man shadowed him from the front. Smiley noticed him earlier, but his focus on Ivan made him not think much of him. Now that Ivan was gone, the tall Chinese man with the olive green coat and black turtleneck was still there, casually smoking a cigarette as he walked just far enough ahead of Smiley to keep track.

"You have a lot of eyes on you, George."

Smiley turned at the sound of the voice. Standing behind him was a ghost from the past. He'd put on weight and his hair had more gray in it than he remembered, but Peter Guilliam looked almost the same as he did when Smiley last saw him fourteen years ago. Smiley stared at the man, adjusting his glasses to make sure he was really seeing him right here in front of him. Guilliam wore a sardonic smile.

"Never mind him up there," Guilliam said, nodding towards his watcher ahead of them. "The spook world hears George Smiley is back in the game, they want to see for themselves."

"What are you doing here, Peter?" Smiley asked.

"I work here in Washington now. I work out of the embassy and liaise with the Cousins on intelligence matters. Walk with me."

It took Smiley a moment to find his feet, but he found them and walked with Guilliam down the sidewalk. Guilliam ended up having to slow his pace, his longer legs outpacing Smiley's short strides. 

"You've sent many a tongue wagging across the pond," said Guilliam. "It's not every day that a former head of the Secret Service goes to Washington to become a Deputy Director of SHIELD."

"Fury roped me into it," said Smiley with a shrug. "Plus he's offering me real work. Which is more than the Circus was offering."

"Vauxhall Cross is worried about what you may tell the Cousins about your time in the Circus."

They came to an intersection and waited for the light to change. Smiley kept one hand in his pocket, the other clung tightly to his briefcase.

"is that why they sent you here, Peter? Who better than my old protegee to pump me for information?"

"Of course," said Guilliam as the light changed and they walked across the street. "But I also feel it was necessary to reach out to you. Anglo-American relations have vastly improved since the Cold War ended. Special Relationship and all that. Six wants to make sure everything stays just as chummy."

"And an Englishman in SHIELD threatens that?"

"No, an Englishman forced into retirement by SIS threatens that," said Guilliam. "M wants to make sure you won't make things tense, your complicated history with the Circus could cloud your perception."

Smiley sighed and rubbed his temple. He was starting to severely regret not having that car pick him up.

"Tell Sir Mallory that I do not dwell on the past like some people can. I'm working for SHIELD to help fight HYDRA, and that's all. I have no intention to air MI6's dirty laundry to the Cousins, especially when I was responsible for parts of that dirty washing. Will that suffice, Peter?"

Guilliam nodded. The two came to a stop in Dupont Circle. Smiley saw the Chinese man was still with them, always an appropriate distance away. 

"Where's your man, Peter? I spotted the Russian and the Chinese watchers, I know you have someone following me. If it's the man walking the terrier, I would suggest not having someone with a dog do tail work. It's too conspicuous."

Guilliam kicked at the ground, putting his hands in his coat pockets and staring down at his feet. 

"My own country spying on me... what a day."

"You would do the same, George," Guilliam said he met Smiley's gaze. "You were sent out into the cold for a reason, George. It was never intended for you to come back. You have us all on edge -- Russians, Chinese, and British. Everyone wants to know what you're going to do."

"All this fuss over little old me," Smiley said with a laugh. "You flatter me. Like I said before, Peter, I have a simple mandate to find HYDRA. Unless you have members of HYDRA in your organization, you'll be fine."

"That's what worries me," Guilliam said with a raised eyebrow. "You pull strings, George. You pull regardless of where they lead, and you send the whole damn thing crashing down."

Smiley adjusted his glasses, pushing them up off the bridge of his nose. He turned and waved at the Chinese man. He saw Smiley's wave and turned around, quickly scurrying down the street. Smiley let out a laugh and turned to Guilliam.

"If the whole damn thing can be destroyed by a few string pulls, Peter, then maybe it deserves to come crashing down. Maybe it wasn't that stable to begin with. Now, if you'll excuse me I need to get to work."

Guilliam nodded and they shook hands. They said their pleasantries and Smiley watched his old friend walk down the street. A few moments later the man with the terrier followed him. Smiley checked his watch and straightened his tie. Welcome back, George, the thought to himself. Welcome back to the game.