Seven-Sided Spy

by Hannah Carmack

  Da Vinci dropped his voice low. “So the man on your right has a limp. We both got him pretty good. So, when they get close, get him down, and we’ll bolt for the door.”

  “And go where?” Rigan shot back. “I can’t navigate us off a moving ship.”

  “We’ll jump.”

  “And ruin all of our mission materials?” Rigan snapped.

  “And save our lives!” Da Vinci wailed back, his voice rising above the gathered crowd and army of grunts.

  “Okay.”

  Before the grunts could take another step closer, the two of them charged like wild banshees, plowing right over the goon and storming out of the side banquet doors. The ship’s deck was packed, but their adversaries were quick to find them in the crowd.

  “Kid, we gotta jump now if we wanna make it out of here.” Da Vinci had one hand firmly holding on to the ship’s guardrail and another out in front of him.

  “How about we just wait for Dresden to get here?” Rigan looked over the deck and could see the third member of their team coming closer, a small boat with an incredible engine gaining on the distance between them.

  “What?” Da Vinci spun around like his prayers had been answered. Tim came over on the horizon. “He must’ve seen the liner take off.” He sighed with obvious relief. “All right. Let’s buy us some time.”

  Da Vinci and Rigan both turned and punched the nearest random bystanders. Those bystanders swung wildly, hitting yet more bystanders, and before anyone could get even remotely close to Rigan and Da Vinci, the deck broke out into a frenzy. Fists were flying, pins were torn from hats and jabbed in shoulders, lifesavers were thrown like lassos, swords still swung wildly in the air, diplomats were punching mob bosses, and mob bosses were punching CEOs. The only calm, collected people on the boat were Rigan, Da Vinci, and a closing-in Demeter, harpoon gun in hand.

  She approached them, slow and sultry amongst the chaos. “Not everyone is so quickly distracted.” She was beautiful and very much ready to strike.

  “Do you really want to give the CIA another reason to blacklist you?” Da Vinci had his fists out again, ready to fight.

  Demeter rolled her eyes. Rather than answer, she charged.

  “We gotta jump now,” Da Vinci screamed, pushed Rigan over the edge, and jumped of his own accord. They hit the water with a loud smack. The screams from the liner were still audible even under the water. Da Vinci and Rigan recovered. They broke the water’s surface, gasping for air. Tim was standing over them in the boat, his expression still, his hair controlled, and his skin pale.

  “Did we get the file?” He offered his hand.

  Da Vinci took it and pulled himself into the boat, and then Tim and Da Vinci turned to help Rigan over the lip of the boat. “We’re fine. It was a rough mission, but we’re fine.” Da Vinci gasped for air as he collapsed onto the floor of the boat.

  Rigan looked up to see Demeter’s peaceful eyes staring back at them. “We’ve got to get going, though, or we’ll be fa—” Rigan was cut off by the sound of the engine starting up and a harpoon whizzing just over their heads and scraping the front of their ship. Tim revved the engine, and they pulled away as Demeter reloaded. They narrowly escaped a second harpoon. Like that, in the gentle winds of the sea, in the light of the setting sun, they were off, as The Albatross got smaller in the distance.

  *

  “Okay, now, that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard.” Da Vinci cackled. He, Diana, and Tim had joined Rigan and Ruby in the fort shortly toward the beginning of their story, but rather than interrupt or correct, they’d listened. It was only once Rigan was done that Da Vinci broke out in laughter.

  “I don’t know. That seemed right up Demeter’s alley,” Diana joked.

  “What, again? Rigan!” Ruby was snorting from laughing so hard. “Goddammit! Stop lying. Do you understand how boring my real life is? I live for these stories.”

  “I was there for the whole thing,” Tim muttered under his breath.

  “What really happened did not make for a good story,” Rigan whispered to Ruby. The agents were still laughing when Ruby took a glance down at her watch.

  “You got a shift coming up?” Rigan asked.

  She shrugged. “I do, but it’s not the end of the world if I miss it. It’s rare I get to see the whole posse in the same space.”

  “No worries. Tim’ll do something offensive in a hot minute and we’ll disperse,” Rigan assured her.

  Diana lost it at that. A smile blossomed on her perfect and cracked face. “Go on, sweetheart. We will still be here when you get back.”

  “I’ll be right back. I’m going to go walk her down.” Rigan brushed off his torn shorts and stood but was stopped.

  “Wait, wait.” Da Vinci’s words bubbled with laughter. “The entire reason I came in here was to get you to help with some lumber. Do that and then you can come back and take a walk.”

  “All right, all right.” Rigan stood and helped Da Vinci up off the damp grass. They exited the fort and headed for the woods.

  Ruby wrapped herself up: jacket, scarf, gloves, scarf, hat, scarf. When she was appropriately bundled, she, Tim, and Diana sat in comfortable silence. Diana had regained her stone-cold composure. Tim had the same blank stare he always did. When she had first met them, Ruby felt compelled to fill the silence between the two, but now she knew. Silence was just their nature. And besides, if she waited long enough, she knew they’d fill it for her.

  “We ask because we care,” Diana cooed, her attention shifting from the flames of the fire to Ruby and her cocoon of misprinted fabrics.

  “Ask what?” Ruby replied curiously.

  “About your work. We ask because we worry what will happen to you when we’re gone. When we escape, you need a life to go back to.”

  “After this?” Tim cut in. “Her life has already changed forever.” He dismissed even the slight possibility that Ruby would return to waiting in a diner.

  Ruby looked around uncomfortably, not wanting to watch their eruption of passive-aggressive remarks and dirty looks. Lucky for her, Rigan was quick to pop back in.

  “Let’s get going,” Rigan said. Ruby fled, leaving Tim and Diana to bicker amongst themselves.

  “So how long did Tim make it before doing something to upset Diana?” Rigan teased.

  “I’d say maybe five minutes, possibly six if I was distracted by something else.” She let her head roll back and the sun hit her face. It was cold out, but the sky was bright. “They tried to tell me you ask so much about work because you care, or something like that.” She winked as they left camp and entered the barren, white woods.

  “Pfffft,” Rigan scoffed and redirected the conversation. “Maybe they’re going back in the business, but if Adams ever comes and we ever get out of here, I’m out for good. Those junkies can’t get enough of the danger, but I’ve have. I never thought I’d miss going to the grocery store so much. I crave the mundanity of weekly sales. If I live, we can hang out every goddamn weekend if you want.”

  “If you live?” Ruby was surprised by the concept that there was a chance he wouldn’t survive. “You’re so dramatic. You’ll be fine. And trust me, it’s not all that great. I usually just end up in the canned goods aisle going ‘If I get this, will Rigan find some way to give me grief about it?’ I’ve never felt so awful about bringing someone canned pears before.”

  “You know I’m just teasing you.”

  “I don’t know. You were vicious about bringing books for Tim.”

  “That’s because it’s Tim,” he grumbled, shoving his webbed hands into his pockets.

  Ruby shrugged. “Tim’s got some redeeming qualities. Hopefully one day, he’ll confide in me how he gets his hair so perfect.”

  “Apathy and complete disregard for others.” Rigan clicked his tongue. “It’s all you need for the perfect hair.”

  “Now, that’s not true.” Ruby nudged his arm with hers. “Tim doesn’t have complete disregard for Da Vinci.”

&nb
sp; Rigan slowed to a stop, which worried Ruby. He seemed deep in thought all of a sudden. That’s when he said it.

  “I think I could have loved you.”

  Ruby reeled from the sudden declaration. She slipped on the partially muddy, partially icy path they were walking on. She stopped herself just short of falling by grabbing onto a thin tree trunk. “What?”

  He seemed hesitant for a moment, anxious, but after letting it sit for a moment, he shrugged. “You see the best in people. Even people like Tim. I love that about you.”

  Things were never going to be the same, right? Ruby was still processing the words when the faint sound of screaming came in the background. “What was that?”

  Rigan was silent. His face grew tense as he focused. And then all of a sudden, the expression on his face terrified her and she didn’t know what to expect next.

  “It’s Da Vinci.” Rigan seemed to be holding his breath.

  In that moment, she found herself more scared than she’d ever been. Rigan had her arm before she could ask what to do next. “Come on.” He pulled her off their makeshift path and into the woods. “Stay down and stay close.”

  Da Vinci’s voice was still too far off to be heard correctly, but there was obvious distress. As Ruby grabbed onto Rigan’s hand and squeezed tightly, there was an absolute shift in how she viewed the woods. Comfort and familiarity were now null and void, instead, providing her more reasons to fear since she knew exactly how many different places someone could be hiding. She pulled her mace from her coat pocket and brought her breathing down as low as it could get. Her words were caught in her throat, and her desperation to talk to Rigan was outweighed by her desperation not to be found.

  Da Vinci’s voice was becoming clearer now. “Run! Rigan, run! Nikola’s here!” His voice was hoarse from screaming as loud as he could. Rigan could just barely make out his shouts from down the mountain.

  “Nikola?” Ruby couldn’t bring herself to move. “Who is that?”

  “She’s a KGB agent. She’s dangerous.” Rigan scanned the wasteland around them. “You’ve got to make sure she doesn’t see you.” Rigan began the trek back toward the camp. “Come with me. We’ll meet with the others and regroup.”

  “Rigan! Rigan?” Da Vinci’s voice was still echoing through the maze of trees.

  Ruby froze. “Rigan.” She felt out of breath, yet they had barely moved since Da Vinci’s first cry to them.

  “Ruby.” Rigan spun around and took her face in his webbed hands for a moment. “We need to—” Rigan’s voice dropped the second Nikola came into view. She was dressed in red and walking up to them casually, as though there was no urgency to the situation.

  “Run.” Rigan grabbed Ruby’s arms and shifted her behind him. “Go. Now, Ruby.”

  Her heart seemed to have stopped beating. Ruby was fixated on Nikola.

  “You’ve got to go, now!” Rigan shouted.

  The Soviet moved like film, one shutter she was close, the next, closer. It didn’t take a genius to figure out she’d been enhanced just like the rest of them.

  Rigan must’ve figured it out too. His tone was grave. “Shit. Ruby, run.”

  “Run with me.” Ruby took Rigan’s hand and tugged back toward camp.

  “There’s no time.” He twisted back around and shoved Ruby, pushing her as far back as he could before Nikola collided with him. He and the Soviet fell and crashed into the hardened, icy ground.

  “Kids!” Da Vinci cried out. His voice echoed in the mountains. He’d be there any minute.

  Nikola scratched at Rigan, her claw bearing down on his scaly and now-scarred face. He threw his elbow up. It smacked into her cheek. She took it like it was nothing, then pinned him. He bore down on her hand with his teeth and blood squirted out from the impact. She yanked her arm back, sprinkling the snow with blood.

  Ruby panicked and charged at her. “Get away from him!” She jumped at Nikola, only to be deflected.

  RUBY FLEW BACK yards and crashed against a tree trunk, then ricocheted to the ground, where her head slammed into a rock, making her forehead bleed.

  In the time Nikola spent handling the girl, Rigan threw a punch and it landed. She fell off him and he hopped back to his feet. She was ready to retaliate when he started speaking.

  “Let me go, Nikola. You know that as soon as you get rid of us, the KGB will kill you, too. Escape with us rather than fight against us,” he pleaded with her. The boy was desperate, even if he was trying to keep some sliver of dignity about him.

  “Please, I am a Soviet sweetheart.” She gave a soft, closemouthed laugh, tilting her head gently to the left. “This could have been you, Marco…Or should I say Rigan? That’s your real name, right? It took some digging, but we found out everything. About you, the old man, Ruby.” She pushed her hair back, a smile still on her face.

  “And this could have been you,” Rigan spat back, his body full of green scales and his jagged teeth hanging over his bottom lip, stained with drying blood, his nails overgrown and dangerously sharp. He seemed to want to display his deformity. “I was a freelancer, by the way. I had no allegiance to break. Just a contact.”

  Nikola gave a halfhearted hmph. “Funny how that works, but I’ve grown bored with our little scrap.” Her heart raced, not with nerves but excitement. She was going in for the kill. She could hear footsteps now, coming closer, closer. Soon, the whole team would be there.

  Rigan looked ready to strike, so when she charged at him, she didn’t let them collide. Instead, she used her running start to jump. She leapt over him, gliding through the air, her spine contorting and allowing her to land feet-first behind him.

  He spun around, swinging. But it was too late. Nikola’s reflexes were faster. She struck and landed, her claws digging into the damp, scaly flesh of Rigan’s chest. He froze. She squeezed tighter and dug her nails deep into the soft tissue underneath his tough exterior. She stayed silent as his body folded in. His arms twitched and his eyes welled with tears. A quiet whimper escaped his lips before he went limp.

  Nikola withdrew her bloody fingernails and turned to Ruby’s battered and unconscious body. Ruby bled from her temple and her body heaved with each slow labored breath. Nikola gently ran her hand along Ruby’s face, Rigan’s blood smearing across her forehead. Nikola loosened the girl’s scarves. Da Vinci’s screams grew louder. There was no time.

  Nikola gripped the girl’s shoulder and drew her hand back, preparing to slice open Ruby Starr’s throat. “They shouldn’t have dragged you into this.” She swiped down with the intent to kill, only to be thrown away from her at the last moment.

  Nikola felt like she’d been hit by a goddamn freight train. It was Diana. She didn’t need to see her to know it was her. They both ricocheted through the snow and over a small bluff.

  “Get away from her,” Diana growled, her body shaking and hands balled into fists.

  Nikola raised a single brow. She watched Diana carefully. “Surprising.”

  “You have five seconds,” Diana whispered, although there was no chance of anyone hearing over Da Vinci’s screaming. “Don’t give me the pleasure of ripping your spine out of your back.”

  “Five Seconds? Guess that’s more than last time.”

  Diana loosened her fists and reached out to grab Nikola, but the Soviet jumped from the bluff.

  “NO!” DA VINCI screamed as Rigan’s body came into view. He couldn’t catch his breath. They’d been barreling down the side of the mountain, and now they were there, too late. “No.” He fell to the ground before he could even make it to Rigan’s body. “No! No! No!” He grabbed at his hair, noticing for the first time that his bandana had gotten lost on the run.

  “Da Vinci.” Diana’s honeyed voice sounded by his ear, but he didn’t look for her. He fumbled over to Rigan’s body, crawling most of the way and letting out a weak cry when he arrived.

  “Rigan, no.” After the steroid, Rigan had been cold. His body temperature never reaching much above sixty, but as Da Vinci
held him now, Rigan felt even colder than he had before. His face was torn open and his heart long stopped. Da Vinci took the boy’s webbed hands. “No, no, no,” Da Vinci cried, tears running down his dirt-stained face. His words were choked out in between heavy sobs. “No. I was supposed to stop this. I was going to stop this.”

  Da Vinci closed his eyes; the tears kept coming. He reopened them only to find that Rigan was still dead. He held him closer. “I should have known sooner. I should have known sooner.”

  “Dammit.” Tim was there now. Somewhere behind him.

  As he sat there, Rigan in his arms, Diana wrapped an arm around Da Vinci and kneeled next to him.

  “My boy,” Da Vinci whispered. “Oh, Rigan.” He placed his palm to Rigan’s ship tattoo, feeling the lack of heartbeat beneath it.

  Ruby began to stir, not speaking words but letting out a low, pained groan. Da Vinci wasn’t equipped to handle it. He’d been ready to ask for help when Diana took the lead and signaled for Tim to take care of her.

  “She’s going to need us,” Diana whispered. She brushed the back of Da Vinci’s hair down.

  Tim crouched beside her, giving her space so he’d not spook her when she came to and had to face that Rigan was gone forever.

  Lost River

  DECEMBER 12, 1963

  Deep in the mountains, surrounded by pine and the skeletons of dying oak trees, Da Vinci kneeled in the snow and the mud, clinging to the body of his boy. Diana had her arms wrapped around him, encasing him in a hug, her chin resting on his shoulder. Ruby was still crying somewhere in the background of Da Vinci’s white-noise world. The moment felt suspended in time, always existing and never moving forward or back. After what felt like an eternity, Da Vinci moved his chapped lips and said, “We need to bury him.”

  “What?” Diana let go of him, a sense of concern in her voice.

  “We need to bury him,” Da Vinci repeated. “We can’t just leave his body out here like this. They could find him again. A forest ranger could find him. We’ve got to get rid of his body.”