Chapter Text
"How much longer to the embassy?" A sleek car drove down the street, its shiny black coat illuminated by the sun above.
"About twenty minutes, sir," responded the driver. "Wait huh? The brakes aren't..." The driver looked down at the brake pedals frantically, pushing down at them.
The older man behind him widened his eyes, and he shook the shoulder of the driver. "Hey! You! Watch the road—!"
CRASH!
The car broke through the barrier, falling downwards into the street below in a large explosion.
The footage was turned off with a remote. "As you can see," a voice, not digital as the one in the recocording, spoke through the darkness of the room, "One of our diplomats was killed in an accident in Ostania."
A meeting was being held in a long room, dimly lit by the surrounding firelights. The logo of the Westalian Intelligence Agency was on the big screen in front of the long table, where many grim faces were seated.
"We suspect it was an assassination arranged by the East's far-right-wing political party. They are planning a war against Westalis."
"We must find out what they are planning at all costs." The figure seated at the head of the table said in a stern voice.
A voice spoke up. "Let's leave it to him then. The most skilled of our agents."
"Agent Winter."
"Here are the photos as promised." A mysterious man in an all-black outfit handed the other man a brown envelope. The elderly blonde man pulled photos out of the envelope, showing a stout older man with lopsided black hair. They were in an alleyway, with their deal being obscured from prying eyes by the black car behind them.
"Proof that the Minister of Foreign Affairs wears a wig. The negatives are in there as well."
"Good job. These should be enough to secure the Minister's resignation," the blonde man held up the brown envelope with a grin. "Keep up the good work." He waved back at the darkly dressed man, climbed into his black car, and drove away.
"Hey."
As the mysterious man turned around, the same elderly blonde man appeared, this time with two bodyguards behind him. "Aren't you going to hand over what you promised me?" The man extended his hand to him expectantly.
"Huh?" the man exclaimed with a jolt, "B-But I just..." Confused, the mysterious man looked back and forth between the car zooming away and the blonde man. Realization dawned on him, and his face paled.
"Oh no..." he muttered, plunging a hand into his hair, "That was a setup!"
Inside the car, the man ripped off his fake mask, revealing a handsome young man with messy ash-blonde hair and pale skin. He threw the torn disguise into the backseat and pulled out a pair of glasses before slipping it on his face.
Code name: Winter. The man was a spy.
In an era where the world's nations were waging a discreet yet fierce information war, he survived on the battlefield by employing a hundred different faces. Right now, he was on a mission.
At night in a luxurious restaurant, a blonde woman in a pink dress whined loudly. "Ugh, you wouldn't believe how Daddy was going on and on about how someone stole his pictures of him in his wig and is even blaming me for it! Seriously, he pisses me off! Hey, are you even listening to me, Boris?"
"Hm? Oh, indeed. How unfortunate for him." Winter replied distractedly in a deadpan tone, continuing to chew and cut up his food. His pale hair was slicked black in a professional manner now, giving him a clean look that vastly contrasted his roguish appearance from earlier.
Sudden clapping sounds got the attention of the blonde woman, and she turned around to see that someone was proposing to their girlfriend. "Oh, Boris, look! Do you suppose that'll be us someday—"
"Karen, let's break up."
Karen jerked, "What!?"
"Your conversation suggests a limited intellect." He wiped his mouth with a napkin before picking up his coat. "Well then, I wish you luck in your future affairs." He stood up and walked away, ignoring Karen's cries. ("Boris! You can't just—Boris!")
Sorry, Karen, but I no longer have business with you or your father, he thought as he pulled out the photos from the brown envelope. It's time to say goodbye to this Boris disguise too.
He pulled off his glasses and tossed both it and the brown envelope into a flaming trashbin, walking down the filthy alleyway.
Marriage and ordinary happiness...what a joke. I disposed of such flimsy attachments along with my identity card the day I became a spy.
Agent Winter stepped into the bustling train station with a coffee in hand. With everyone hurrying to get to their designated platforms and onto their desired trains, they didn't spare a second glance when he sat down next to a stout dark-haired man and discreetly exchanged newspapers.
"An arbitrary encryption? I wonder what I've got this time..." His violet eyes scanned the paper.
"The train to Berlint is leaving on track five." An automated voice sounded through the station. Deciding it risky to read it in public, he stood up and made his way to track five.
Once on the train, he let the mechanical noises of the vehicle play as background music while he deciphered the newspaper.
"Hello, or rather, good evening, 'Agent Winter.' Excellent work on your last assignment. Thanks to you, the Minister has survived for another day, to the great benefit of Westalis."
"I'm afraid we have another assignment for you already. Your target is the leader of the National Unity Party, Arthur Kirkland. He is a grave threat to the truce between the East and the West. Your mission is to get close to him and probe into any seditious activities. And to do so.."
Winter took a sip of his coffee.
"....You will marry and have a child."
He spit the coffee out on the paper.
Winter coughed violently before straightening out the (now drenched) paper, "Excuse me?!"
"Kirkland is a recluse and rarely shows his face to the public. His only public appearances are at the events held in his son's prestigious school. It has become a social gathering place for political and business tycoons. You must enroll your child at this school and gain entry to these social events."
Winter set down his coffee on the table--
"Since the deadline for enrollment is approaching, you only have one week."
--and ripped the newspaper in two, "They want me to have a child in just seven days?!"
Noticing the surrounding passengers staring at him, he straightened up and regained his composure.
“We're calling it Operation Strix. This operation is the key to maintaining peace between the East and West-- perhaps the entire world. You and your fellow agents do great deeds that will never see the light of day. You'll earn no medals. Your name will never make it onto the papers. But despite that--"
Winter looked up at the family in the booth next to him. He looked at their smiling faces, how the children beamed as they pointed at something beyond the window. He smiled ruefully, his white scarf concealing it.
"--Never forget that everyone's daily lives are possible because of your blood and sweat."
He put away the paper and looked out at the deceivingly peaceful scene outside his window. Fine then. I abandoned my identity when I became Winter. A father is just another role to play. And I will play it to perfection.
All for a better world.
"This is one of our furnished, single-family apartments." The man said happily, opening the door to a decently-sized apartment. Winter spent no time going around inspecting everything. Checking underneath lamps, behind the tv, beneath the tables, behind picture frames, etc. The man looked a little unnerved, "Um, sir?"
He pulled back the curtains and scanned the streets. Hmm, all good so far. No listening devices and there are plenty of securable escape routes.
He turned around and smiled, "I'll take it."
"I'll need you to sign this document then, Mr. Braginsky." The man smiled, handing him a clipboard.
Ivan Braginsky. A psychiatrist. That's who I am now.
"What a wonderful new start this will be to your family! Do you have a son or daughter?" The man asked, putting away the document.
A happy home life, a family to cherish--
"Hm? Oh, I haven't decided yet." Ivan said. The man blinked, "Huh?
--they're nothing but liabilities to me.
"Eh? You wanna foster a kid?" A groggy voice opened the door. It was a plump, short man who reeked of alcohol. Ivan's eye twitched at the smell. He had a very messy appearance with a half-unbuttoned shirt and basketball shorts.
"Da-- I mean, um, yes. And I understand I can adopt at this orphanage?"
The man just grunted in affirmation.
"You see, my partner and I--"
"Yeah, yeah, just take whichever one you want." The man waved him off and gestured for him to follow. Ivan raised a brow but obeyed.
He observed his surrounding as he walked down the halls. The children, who were gaping at him, were in tattered clothes and sitting on the dirty ground or some cardboard. The walls were moldy and cracked, and wooden planks covered the windows.
What an awful environment. Ivan frowned uneasily at them. But it's better that way, at least for me. The shadier an establishment is, the easier it is to fabricate a new family history for the child.
Ivan's gaze suddenly sharpened, his eyes morphing into dangerous slits. This mission is going to be difficult if I have a child. If it were up to me, I'd really rather do this alone. But even though I'm one of Westalis' best spies, impersonating a child is impossible, especially for someone of my size.
"Oh, I forgot to mention, but I'm looking for a child who can already read and write," said Ivan.
"Yeah? In that case, Natalya! Come over here!" The man called out to a young girl with pale long hair. She had a deadpan expression.
"This one's the smartest one we've got. She don't talk much, but she's a good kid."
The man side-eyed Natalya. This creepy brat weirds me out. This is my chance to get her out of here. "Hey, go on kid, say hello." he barked at her.
"Ah, maybe not.." Ivan raised a brow at the girl, scrutinizing her stature. A crackling tune sounded from the girl's head. The age of entry at Eden Academy is six years old. This girl looks no older than four, five at the oldest.
The girl stared at Ivan with a blank look as white spots danced around her head. "Six!" she declared suddenly.
"Huh?" Ivan blinked.
"I'm six."
"Eh? You're six already?" The man asked groggily.
She looks far too small to be six, though. Ivan frowned , scrutinizing the girl's stature. The crackling tune sounded again, and Natalya stood on her tiptoes as if trying to make herself appear taller.
Then she went over to the table, set down her cat doll, and picked up the newspaper. She held it up, showing the puzzle on the front page.
"Hm? A crossword? That's a little too difficult for you, isn't it?" said Ivan. It's child's play for me, of course. One down is "homeostasis." One across is "casual closure." and below that one is "symplectomorphism."
The crackling tune sounded again, and Natalya quickly started to scribble down the words. Soon she held the newspaper up to show the completed puzzle.
She finished it? Seriously? Ivan looked at the paper in disbelief. Such formidable intelligence. She'll surely pass the entrance exam.
"I'll take her." He straightened up and turned to the other man. "What paperwork do I have to fill out?" The man waved him off, "Don't worry about it, just take her."
Child acquired. Mission accomplished. It's worrying that everything has gone so smoothly, though.
"Is this okay with you, little one?" Ivan asked softly, bending down to be at eye level with her.
A spy mission... Natalya nodded eagerly. How exciting!
The girl was a telepath. Also known as Test subject 001, she had been born through an accident, an unintended consequence of research experiments conducted by an unknown organization. But she escaped from the facility and has been in and out of the foster care system since then.
Natalya and Ivan bid goodbye to the man and the children, who were waving them off. "Alright, listen, little one." They stopped in front of an apartment building.
"Natalya."
"Listen, Natalya. You'll be my daughter from now on. But as far as everyone's concerned, you have always been my daughter. Is that clear?"
"Clear." Natalya nodded.
"You may address me as Father."
"Papa!"
"Close enough." He opened the door and ushered her inside, "Oh, what a cute girl you are! Hello there!" An elderly lady greeted them cheerfully.
"Hello, we're the Braginskys," Ivan bowed his head a bit and smiled amiably, "We just moved in today."
"I'm Natalya. I have always been Papa's child." She said robotically.
"Eh?" The elderly lady blinked, confused. You don't have to say that part. Ivan's brow twitched but he kept his smiling composure.
"Come, let's go inside now." He ushered Natalya into the apartment before she could say anything even more suspicious. "Is this Natalya's home?" She asked, scanning the room. "Yes, that's right."
"Television!" Natalya jogged over to the living room. "You may turn it on if you want." Ivan closed the door behind him and took off his gloves. Natalya took the remote and changed the channels rapidly before finding the one she was looking for.
"Today's animated adventure Spy Wars!" The television voice said.
"I like this show." She pointed at the screen, then plopped down on the ground. Out of all the shows...of course, you do. Ivan sighed deeply and went to sit on the couch as Natalya plopped down on the ground.
"You've got a silenced pistol? Are you a pro or something!?" The voices from the TV shouted. Natalya looked very interested, muttering every so often about how exciting it was.
Ivan sighed again. Well, it's good she's so invested. At least she won't bother me when I step out. I have to go get some essentials along with her fake identification papers.
"I'm going out. Be a good girl and watch your show." Ivan went to the door and took his trench coat from the coatstand. Natalya perked up and scrambled to her feet, latching onto Ivan's leg. "Adventure!"
"It's not an adventure, just shopping." Ivan wiggled his leg, trying to unlatch the girl from his limb. He failed, so he just let Natalya tag along.
As they walked down the bustling streets of Berlint, between the clamor of the citizens and the dinging of the trams, it became apparent that Natalya was incapable of staying still. "I want a pistol with a silencer!" She announced.
"If they have one, then sure," said Ivan.
Blending in and acting normal is the essence of being a spy. We must look like an ordinary family. We can't act conspicuous. Ivan thought firmly.
"Papaaaa! Help meee!" Natalya shrieked as she was caught in the tight crowd trying to get on the trams. Ivan jolted at the sudden shriek. Must she be so loud? He internally groaned as he rushed over.
"Oh dear, you need to hold hands with your father or you'll get lost, little girl. Here," A plump woman lifted Natalya and set her down in front of Ivan. After apologizing profusely to the lady, he resigned to having to hold her hand.
With one hand occupied, I can't prepare for an enemy attack. Oh well, I suppose there's no way around it. Ivan considered.
Natalya's mind emitted a crackling tune again, and she gasped. Enemy!? Panicky, Natalya let go of Ivan's hand and ran ahead, looking around frantically before hiding underneath a sign and protectively bracing herself.
Ivan stood there, confused, and leaned over to look at her. "What are you doing?"
"Hiding!"
Ivan frowned. Have I done something to make her fear me? Perhaps it was too early to hold hands. Does she not like me anymore? This isn't good. I need to maintain a good relationship with her until the mission is over--
Natalya's head chimed again, and he turned to Ivan sharply.
--I need to understand her. Understanding the other side is the first step toward peace.
Understanding me leads to world peace!? She cried internally. Wanting to help, she stood up and approached him. "Um, I like peanuts! But not peas. Oh, a bakenry! I love bacon too." She pointed at a sign behind Ivan.
"It's ba-ke-ry. And they do not sell bacon." Natalya's face flushed in embarrassment.
When Natalya saw a stand full of Spy Wars posters, she tried to buy one with a ten-pent coin. "This one, please."
"That costs one dalc. You can't buy it with a ten-pent coin." Ivan explained, giving the vendor one dalc and taking the poster. Natalya turned to him and reddened in embarrassment again.
Her head chimed when Ivan mused to himself, Is she actually not that smart? Was the crossword just a coincidence? There might still be time to exchange her for a different child...
She jolted at hearing this and started bawling her eyes out, "Nooo! Don't get rid of me!"
Ivan flinched, "W-What's wrong?!" He looked around frantically to see the surrounding people whispering about him. "I can be useful, I swear!" Natalya cried.
The citizens whispered even more. Oh no, this is bad, I'm attracting attention. Ivan panicked and turned to Natalya. "I-I'll buy you peanuts, just please stop crying!" Ivan whispered harshly. Natalya immediately ceased her tears and beamed at the promise of peanuts.
Later on, as he held a sleeping Natalya in his arms and a bag of groceries in the other, he mused grimly. It's not working, I cannot understand this irrational behavior at all. I need a manual for this.
After buying a big stack of books, he dumped them all on the table once he got home. He had already put away his groceries and Natalya in bed. He picked up one book from the pile and flipped through it.
"'Instead of scolding, try to understand them---consider each situation from the child's perspective---children may not be able to convey their feelings verbally, so try to sense what they're experiencing." Ivan read aloud.
He hummed, "Oh, so no interrogations then. Bummer."
To think that all the world's parents are experiencing such difficulty on a daily basis seems almost illegal. Ivan thought. His respect for parents definitely increased after today.
He set down the book and took another one from the pile. "For the sake of the child's future, develop their self-esteem---By helping your children learn to think for themselves, one day..." Ivan narrowed his eyes and tossed the book into the pile.
What a waste of time. She's going back to the orphanage once the mission is over anyway. All she is to me is just another liability I have to deal with. There is no 'future'.
"No! I don't wanna! I hate studying!" A voice shrieked from a certain apartment building.
"I need to know if you have the sufficient intellectual capacity for the entrance exam." Ivan scolded, holding up a textbook, "I don't need to study! I can just read-" the other kids' minds.
Ivan frowned, "Do you plan to cheat your way through? You realize that if you don't pass--" my mission will fail.
They glared at each other. After a moment, Ivan set the textbook on the table and put on his coat, "Forget this. I am going out." Natalya moved to follow him, but Ivan whipped around and pointed at her. "Nyet, you are staying here today. That is final!" He then closed the door.
Natalya blinked, frowning, before going over to open the door. Ivan was already down the hall when he heard a creaking sound. He turned around and saw Natalya peeking out the door, "Nyet, I told you to stay put!" He slammed the door open, causing Natalya to stumble to the ground.
However, she didn't relent and followed Ivan all the way through his descent down the building.
Natalya hid behind a garbage can, "You there! Thought I wouldn't see you?" Ivan pointed.
Natalya hid underneath the stairs, "I see you there!"
Natalya hid inside a vent, "There!" Ivan pointed above him. Wow, Papa's really good at finding me. Natalya grinned, This is fun.
"And... that's why you're late?" A short dark-haired man raised a brow at him skeptically. "Da, in the end, I had to trap her by barricading the front door," Ivan said proudly ("Ha! You're not getting out of there now!") He seemed to be panting hard though. They were in front of a newspaper booth in the city, with the shorter man behind the counter.
"I'm gonna pray your neighbors don't report you for child abuse." The brunette remarked. "I just cannot fathom the way children think. Crying is her solution to everything, it's quite frustrating." Ivan sighed, adjusting his scarf. "They're kids, Winter. Crying is their job." The shorter man then stood up and pulled out a confidential-looking envelope.
"Anyway, I got what you wanted." He placed the envelope on the tabletop, "The application form, an appointment for the entrance exam, and a copy of the test." Ivan picked up the envelope and looked through its contents. "That wasn't easy to get, you know."
"Yes, thank you, Yao. Even if that child is daft, she should be able to memorize her way through it."
"Right, about the child. I did some digging on her past too." Yao held up a paper with Natalya's picture clipped to it and handed it to him, "There are no birth records out there at all, no one knows what her age is or who her parents were. All I could find was from the last year or so. She's been fostered out and returned four times. Got transferred out of two orphanages too."
Ivan read the names on the paper, "Natalya Arlovskaya, Natalya Smiths, Natalya Roche..." Ivan's brows furrowed further. She has been returned so many times by different families. I wonder for what reason. Sure, she is annoying, but it's hardly a reason to return a child.
"A girl with many names. Like father, like daughter, indeed." Yao laughed, his chin resting on his palm. Ivan turned to him with a dirty expression.
"That was a joke. Don't give me that look."
Playing dumb, Ivan asked, "What look?" Yao shook his head, "Just don't get attached, all right? Never ends well."
"Da, thanks for the tip," Ivan said as he walked away. Yao jerked, "Hey wait! My payment! Winter!" He called out, but Ivan ignored him. "Sheesh," Yao scoffed, "I seriously can't fathom the way spies think."
Meanwhile, back at the apartment, Natalya was splayed across the couch looking up at the ceiling.
"I'm soooo bored." She groaned. Natalya looked up at the Spy Wars poster Ivan had bought for her, "I thought living with a spy would be way cooler, like I could disarm bombs and stuff."
She recalled a moment from earlier that day.
'I can't have her mess around with my spy tools, so I'll put a lock on them.' Ivan thought as he washed some dishes. As a mind reader, Natalya picked up on it and looked over the couch with a mischievous grin on her face. 'The combination is 6, 1--'
"--1, 0. Bomb, bomb~" She hummed to herself happily. She was sitting on the floor of Ivan's room, his tools cluttered all over the floor as Natalya rummaged through his boxes, throwing whatever wasn't a bomb behind her and onto the floor. Her black cat doll was perched on top of his bed.
She looked around, and her eyes settled on a black brief-case looking box. She grinned and undid the latches, opening it to find a transmitter. "Whoa!" She exclaimed, "A secret radio!" She started to hum to herself again and pressed all kinds of random buttons on the transmitter.
Somewhere else, in a large building, a beeping sound chimed, quickly followed by a frantic voice. "Boss! Boss! We've intercepted a new transmission!"
The same blonde man from earlier, the one who asked for the Minister's toupee photos, barged into the room at this statement, "Is it the West's encryption?!" He questioned. "Erm, no, it's unencrypted." said the man who got the transmission, he looked confused at why it wasn't in code. "It says, um, 'Winter is here'."
"Winter is here!?" The blonde man exclaimed. "It's the same frequency that the West uses, sir!" Another man exclaimed. The first one spoke up, "Ah, here it comes again, 'Catch me if you can'."
The blonde man's wrinkled face was flushed red and seething, and he was practically shaking in anger. "FIND OUT WHERE IT CAME FROM, NOW!" He bellowed.
Natalya closed the transmitter box and wiped her forehead, "Phew," she sighed. She looked behind her and flinched at the clutter. All of Ivan's spy tools were scattered everywhere. A scenario manifested in her mind: Ivan looked down at her with glowing eyes and a menacing aura, pointing a gun at her. "Now that you've found out I'm a spy, I'll have to remove you."
Natalya shuddered at the thought and quickly started to tidy up the room, picking up the clutter and placing them back in the box. Once she closed the last box, her expression turned somber and her eyes became dull again. There was a double meaning to that scenario. Ivan was good at hiding his career so if he knew that Natalya knew about his job, he'd definitely suspect her and she couldn't let that happen.
She sat on her knees, head hung low as the sunlight filtered in through the bedroom window. "I have to hide my power. If he finds out I can read minds, I'll have to run away again."
"Natalya, do not tell anyone about your power."
"Anyway, it's time to study again." Natalya turned around to see three figures in lab coats. The walls all around her were white, with a singular small window out of reach. The flickering light above them cast an ominous shadow over the figures' smiling faces. "But I want to draw..." she protested weakly.
Their smiles vanished in a second, and their pupils contracted in a way that scared her, and made her retract quickly. "No need to do such childish things. Your power must bring peace to the world." They said sternly, looking down at her with their heads held high and their eyes cold and detached.
Tears started to brim Natalya's eyes, but they hadn't even fallen before the figure reprimanded her once more. "We don't have time for tears. You're not here to play, you're here to study."
Recalling the mere memory, Natalya let herself sob quietly into the empty room.
Ivan sighed as he walked down the hall towards the apartment, "I hope she hasn't made a mess inside.." He grumbled. He approached the door, where the large metal box he had barricaded the door with was.
"Oh right, I have to move this." He looked down at the box but noticed something peculiar at the bottom. The barricade had been moved.
Once the barricade was out of the way, Ivan opened the door with a creak. Groceries in one arm, and his lower face obscured with the scarf. As he stepped past the door, a man swung at him with a pipe. Dodging the blow, Ivan uppercut-punched his chin.
Another man emerged from the couch with a gun in his hand and shot at him repeatedly. He dodged the bullet by running behind the dining table. Ivan ripped open the grocery bag and hurled a can of tuna at the man's face, distracting him for enough seconds to let Ivan to grab a dining chair and smash it on the man's head.
"Who are these people?" Ivan spared no time in throwing the broken chair away and running towards the rooms, "Natalya!" He slammed the doors of each room open, but she was nowhere to be seen.
She's gone! Has she been abducted? Ivan stalked to his room, finding the transmitter open and Natalya's doll on the ground. By whoever sent those thugs? But why? I've got to find her--
Wait. Nyet, I have to think this through. By the looks of it, they know I'm a spy. I need to get myself to safety immediately, or I will be in danger as well. As for Natalya, Ivan looked down at the doll, I...
WHACK!
"Okay so, what's the deal with the kid?" One of the thugs asked. They were in an abandoned storehouse, the elderly blonde man was with them. Natalya was bound in rope, had duct tape over her mouth, and was seated in a shopping cart. She was trembling in fear but was trying hard not to let any tears fall.
"Don't tell me she's Winter's..." The old blonde man raised a brow at her. "We don't know, but she was in the apartment where the transmission came from, so we took her anyway just in case." One of the bald thugs said.
It's because of the secret radio?! Natalya screeched internally, distraught. "There was a barricade outside of the apartment, too." The thug explained. "Outside of it? Why?" The blonde man asked incredulously. "We don't know, sir."
"Well, maybe we can just take her hostage as leverage to force Winter to exchange her for the Minister's wig pictures." The blonde man side-eyed Natalya ominously.
"Boss, I think it's time to move on from the hairpiece thing.." One of the thugs spoke up. The blonde shot him in the head immediately, and his body fell to the ground with a thud. The surrounding thugs shared uneasy looks.
Natalya was horrified and trembled even more. "Transparency is essential in government. Wigs are a no-no." The blonde man said. A silenced pistol? Natalya shuddered. The gun didn't make a sound when it was shot.
"Also, the Minister is a traitor who's been secretly backing the West. Anyone who advocates for a traitor is a traitor themselves." He flicked his lighter open and started to smoke a cigarette. Natalya's head chimed, and all the schemes in the man's head transferred to Natalya. She came to a realization then; these are real-life bad guys.
Suddenly, a man stationed at the door called out, "Boss! Nguyen and the others have come back from the house!"
Nguyen sauntered in with Ivan over his shoulder, his hands bound together and a sack over his head. "We got Winter, boss." Nguyen placed the body down on the floor. "Nice work." The blonde acknowledged, looking down at the squirming body on the floor. "Guy moved like a pro...he really was the real deal." Nguyen rubbed his jaw and groaned, "Dude, go lie down." One of the thugs told him.
Nguyen staggered over to the shopping cart, where Natalya was staring at him with her big blue eyes. The blonde man crouched down over Ivan's body, "Hello there, Mister Winter. I believe you have some photographs that belong to me," He pulled the sack off his head, but to everyone's surprise, he wasn't greeted with pale hair and even paler skin. He was greeted with--
"Nguyen!?" The face underneath the mask was tanned, scarred, and borderline bald. The blonde man seethed, and his face reddened once more. "What the hell!? Then who-" The thugs looked around and saw that the shopping cart Natalya was in was empty. "Hey! The daughter's gone!"
"He got us again!" They screeched as the fake Nguyen burst through the back door with Natalya in his arms. This was a mistake, I can't believe I took the risk and infiltrated the enemy base. I'm a failure as a spy. Ivan grimaced as he bolted through the store. Natalya's head chimed, and her eyes started to water because she knew for sure the one holding her was her father. "Papa.."
Unable to hold back, Natalya full-on bawled, "H-Hey! It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you!" Ivan exclaimed. Natalya shoved her face into his neck and continued to wail. Ivan internally groaned. This is why children are so-- Ivan stopped his train of thought abruptly, his other hand moving to support Natalya's back and hold her protectively. I see. I think I know why I hate the sound of crying so much.
Memories appeared of a little boy covered in soot, all alone in a destroyed town as the snow descended quickly. It drudges up memories of my own childhood. Alone and in despair. There was no one to save me. Feeling so powerless that the only thing I could do was cry. I thought I'd put my past behind me, but on a subconscious level, it's always been there. I have this all backward.
Ivan set Natalya down on the ground and started to write down on a piece of paper, "Listen, little one,"
"It's Natalya!"
"Alright. Listen, Natalya. Do you know the game Tag? My friends and I back there, we're professional tag players. When we see people who look like they're good at Tag, we challenge them to a game." Ivan explained.
Natalya just stared at him. Papa is a liar.
"See there? If you go down this street and turn right, you'll see a police station. Give this to a police officer there, and you win the game." Ivan held up the piece of paper. Natalya's head chimed again.
When they see this paper, they'll put her in a better orphanage. I'll find a way to rework the mission. Figure out a way that doesn't involve a child. Natalya's expression morphed into horror. "Papa..."
Ivan stood up and said in a stern voice, "All right, off you go now! Quick, before my other friends tag you!" Unable to say anything else, Natalya quickly scurried off, stumbling down the sidewalk a bit. As she ran off, Ivan turned on his heel and walked away.
Nyet, I'm not a failure of a spy. The mistake was involving her in all of this in the first place. How did I not see that?
As she was about to turn the corner, Natalya looked back just in time to see Ivan ripping off his disguise. Making a world where children don't need to cry was why I became a spy in the first place.
The thugs burst through the back door, "Don't let him get away!" they bolted through the storehouse.
"We're gonna drag him outta here and expose his face to the whole--" the thug tripped on a wire, causing bags of white powder above them to pour down on the floor. The smoke from the bags obscured their surroundings. "Dammit, it's a trap!"
They coughed violently, "What is this, flour!?' They screeched frantically, their eyes swiveling to every direction. Suddenly, one of them was punched and sent flying across the room. "Who was that!? Winter?!" One of them pulled out a gun and pointed it around. "Idiot, don't shoot or this whole place will blow!"
"As if I'd let peasants like you catch even a glimpse of me," Ivan murmured from behind him. The thug flinched and his gun was smacked out of his hand. One by one, each and every thug was taken down amidst the smoke. "H-Hey.." The elderly blonde man himself was looking uneasy, and once the smoke was cleared he screeched, "You've got to be kidding me!" the bodies of his men were all scattered and unconscious.
Click.
He felt something push against his head from the back, and he slowly put his hands up. "Turn around and I'll kill you." Ivan glared coldly from behind him, his dark aura spilling and making it hard to breathe. "W-Winter...!" The man gritted through clenched teeth. "Good afternoon, Edgar. How's Karen?" Ivan asked, smacking the gun out of Edgar's hand then placing his own gun back to Edgar's head again.
"How do you know my daughter!?"
"It's a spy's job to know about her. Also her height, weight, foot size, favorite food, and the number of moles on her body. And I know that, while it's nothing compared to you, she's involved in plenty of criminal activity."
"You're outta your mind! My daughter would never--!" Ivan pushed the gun harder, effectively silencing him. "Edgar, I know how much you care about your daughter," Ivan's bangs obscured his face, the shadows of the storehouse ominously hiding his expression. His voice rolled into a deeper, more gruff tone, "So if you want her to have any semblance of a normal life,"
Ivan looked up, violet eyes glowing menacingly from beneath the dark shadows, the feel of the cold glare alone enough to traumatize, "Don't you ever get in my way again." He shot the silenced pistol, the abrupt loud sound in the vast storehouse causing Edgar to whimper and brace himself on instinct. "If you understand, then go straight home," Ivan said coldly.
After cleaning up the storehouse and making sure Edgar had ran far away enough, Ivan walked down the street with his coat in one hand. It was when he was a few feet away from the phone booth that he saw it. "Natalya?"
Natalya was sitting on the floor, tracing an ant line with her finger. "Papa!"
"Papaaa!" Natalya scrambled to her feet and tackled Ivan's leg with a hug. "How did you-- I mean, what are you doing outside? As for me, I came here to, um, shop! Turns out they're out of business though, what a shame."
Papa really is a big liar. Natalya thought. She looked up at him, "I was playing tag with some strange men."
Ivan's eyes narrowed somberly, "I see...did you have fun?"
"No, it was scary." Natalya gripped Ivan's leg tighter, but she didn't look away. She kept her eyes fixed, her face showing no trace of fear now. All it had was a somberness that no child should ever have. "I want go home. To our home."
Ivan pursed his lips, "Are you sure about that?" This time, Natalya did look away. She hid her face by looking down, nuzzling her face against Ivan's knee, "If you leave me again, I'll cry."
"She's been fostered out and returned four times."
Ivan crouched down to be eye-level with her. He smiled and patted her head, "Alright, let's go home."
A few hours later, they were on a tram in the city. "That apartment is dangerous though, so we're moving out. I found a venomous snake there yesterday."
"I hate snakes." Natalya turned around to look out the window, then smiled up at Ivan. Papa's a big liar, but he's a cool liar. "I want to live in a castle!"
"If they sell one, then okay. But after we move, you need to study."
"Eh!?"
"You just need to remember the answers. It'll be easy."
"Nooo!"
A few days later, the bells tolled at Eden Academy. A hundred six-year-olds were seated in a large furnished room, pens in one hand and papers in front of them.
"You may begin the test!"
Ivan was sitting on a bench outside the room, Please Natalya, I'm counting on you. You can do this.
Natalya chimed her head, but to her shocked horror, the other children were no better than she was. The only thing their minds contained was them complaining about how hard the exam was, that they don't know of these, some were crying for their parents and some were flat-out eeny-meeny-miny-moeing their way through the exam. Natalya was horrified, how am I going to do this!? Papa is counting on me!
Ah, Papa...Natalya blinked, and an invisible hand pointed at the questions. She recalled Ivan's lessons and began to write on the paper with a fiercely determined expression.
Later, after the exams were scored, all the families were at Eden academy in front of the scoreboards, "K-212...K-212..." Ivan muttered, eyes scanning all around the boards. "Found it!" He pointed at the score then eagerly turned to Natalya, "You passed! Great job!" Ivan picked Natalya up and raised her upwards. Natalya smiled brightly, "I did good?"
"You did very good!" Ivan grinned as well. However, his happiness was short-lived as he had wobbled backwards and fell to the ground. "Eh? Papa!" Natalya landed safely on the grass and shook Ivan violently. "Papa!"
I relaxed for a second and the piled up fatigue suddenly hit me like a train. Natalya was wailing loudly now, but all Ivan could do at the moment was stare up at the bright blue sky beyond the tree's leafy canopy. Wait. Me? Relaxed? What the hell is going on with me...
Later at home, Ivan had completely collapsed on the couch, looking dead and lifeless. Natalya stood in front of the couch, mourning. "Papa has died."
"Special delivery!" A knock came on the door. "Huh?" Natalya sauntered over to the door and opened it to see a mailman. "Hello little girl, is this the Braginsky residence?" The mailman leaned down to be eye -level with her. "I'm Natalya Braginskaya." she said. "Then I need you to give this to your mom or dad, okay?" the mailman took out an envelope and handed it to her. "I don't have a mom." Natalya said simply, taking the envelope. The mailmen winced, "Ah, I'm so sorry!"
"Papa! The mailman came!" Natalya declared, running over to the couch with the letter in her hand. "Papa?" She tilted her head. When he didn't move, she slapped his face with the letter several times. Seeing that he wasn't conscious right now, Natalya had an idea. An idea that made her chest feel very bright and warm. She lifted her arm and inserted herself there, cuddling next to him and reveling in the once-in-a-lifetime physical parental affection. Ironically, this is when Ivan had suddenly woken up.
His eyes shot open, and he sat up immediately. "Wha- What are you doing?' He exclaimed, his face red in embarrassment. He rubbed his face with his hand and groaned, Great, now I'm falling asleep in front of other people. I need to pull myself together. While Ivan was holding his face in his hands, Natalya picked up the envelope and held it out to him. "The mail arrived."
"Mail? Must be from Eden Academy." Ivan took the envelope, ripped the top, and took the out the letter. As he was reading, he froze. "Papa? What is it?"
"The second phase of the admissions process is a mandatory family interview." He read aloud. Both Natalya and Ivan looked at the letter in horror as he read the next part, "Both parents must attend with applicant. Absolutely no exceptions."
"But, I have no other parent." Natalya frowned. Ivan felt his soul leave his body.