[b]Triskelion
Washington D.C.[/b]


Smiley surveyed the SHIELD operation center with a bit of bemusement. The whole thing was bright and shiny, lots of graphic displays to show technicians and staff rapid-fire information. It was like something out of science fiction, Smiley thought to himself. It was a far cry from his operations center at the Circus. Back then it was a card table, a radio, a teletype machine (later fax machine) and a faded map of Europe with pins in it. Now Smiley could watch from above as a geosynchronous spy satellite floated 36,000 kilometers above the Indian Ocean. Smiley saw two ships and some sort of ruckus going on. There seemed to be muzzle flashes. The sheer fact that he could see that much should have been mind-blowing in and of itself.

"Are they on radio?" Smiley asked a technician.

"Patching in via satellite now, sir. The chief of station on site has callsign Contessa."

Smiley picked up a headset and slid it onto his head. He heard a slight crackle before the line cleared up 

"Contessa? This is SHIELD callsign Beggar Man."

He heard a bit of confusion from the woman on the other end of the line. Then there was the shuffling of something as she scanned the code list. Smiley knew she found his name when the papers stopped ruffling and she cursed in Italian.

"Yes, Beggar Man. I copy."

"Situation report on Operation Fish Fry."

"The fish was hooked, but was picked clean by sharks during reeling in."

Smiley swore. Tiger Shark was dead, either by his own hand or from one of his men. That was a possibility he was prepared for, but not one he wanted. Still, one of HYDRA's men was dead. That was a win for their side at least. Now came the other part of the operation, the only one Smiley himself was aware was taking place.

"What about our man on the ground?" Smiley asked, looking through callsigns until he found Barnes'. "Sisyphus. What's his status?"

"Heading back to land shortly."

"Contessa, Patch me through to him."

"I copy, Beggar Man. Stand by."