Sabbatical

Ben Jefferson, a CIA counterintelligence agent, now on sabbatical, travels to England in 1984 and takes up temporary residence there. Unbeknownst to him at first, a former estranged colleague and lover is in London as well. In 1985 when he finds out the former colleague is there; he begins to investigate her. They are involved in separate secret missions: one laying bare an event of monumental proportions, and one planning an event of betrayal that will shock the United Kingdom to its core. The occasional lover is a double agent who sympathizes with the Soviets and is planning an assassination of Margeret Thatcher. Ben Jefferson has been assigned to try and stop a Soviet infiltration at RAF Molesworth where American nucs are stored. When Ben first arrives, he is befriended by a neighbor, an attractive older woman named Phoebe. Over a brief amount of time, they become extremely friendly. Eventually, he becomes suspicious of her because of her constant pestering but believes she is just a strange individual. He receives a call from his CIA case officer that his former colleague, Renata Livingston, is in London when she is supposed to be in Moscow on a mission. Not sure what to do about it, he receives a call from her to meet her in a park as soon as possible. They meet and she explains she is there on a re-directed mission but cannot tell him what it entails. He is worried about her but accepts her explanation. Several days a later, he learns that Soviet agents are at Molesworth. He goes there several times without any sightings. On a final try while on the base, he realizes two agents are there and he confronts them. A standoff ensues and eventually, the Soviets are killed and Molesworth authorities deem the weapons safe. Several days later, he receives another call from his case officer that they believe Renata is there with Soviet agents attempting to assassinate Margaret Thacther at a rally in Trafalgar Square. Before he leaves , he is confronted by Phoebe who wants to know where he is going but she suggests it is to the rally. He ignores her and proceeds there. When he arrives, he notices Renata walking away from the site and tracks her down. He proceeds to talk her out of what she is about to do when he is confronted by her Soviet handler. They argue and after a short standoff, Ben kills the agent and tells Renata to depart quickly. When he gets back to his flat, he notices the door ajar. Pistol in hand, he goes in and after he turns on the light sees Phoebe siting in the corner. She wants to know if he killed Renata because she was about to betray his country. Within a short minute, he finds out she is a Soviet plant positioned to keep an eye on him. After a brief standoff, pointing guns at one another, Phoebe turns her gun on herself and fires. He stands over the dead body and thinks this is definitely a fitting end to the mission. Six months later, Ben and Renata are relaxing on a courtyard in Saint Luca, drinking wine. They both have resigned from the CIA and are excited to start a new life of intrigue, looking for the highest bidder.