Lost Friends
Yuri gasped for breath, but his arms were still stuck at his sides, the bag clinging tight even out of the water. He choked, rolled himself to his side, and only then became aware of a cry from above. A splash.
He was pulled to his feet, torn out of the bag, and he felt the burn of a blade at his neck. Despite his shivering, he stayed very, very still.
“Another step and he dies,” said a voice at his ear. One of the guards. Trembling. “One step, and I swear—”
The burning stopped suddenly, and Yuri heard a blade hitting the ground, and he was free, stumbling forward as a something heavy landed behind him. He pulled at the sack on his head, and when it came off, he nearly dropped to his knees.
“Yuri?” asked Rache. “I was afraid it was you.”
He stumbled back, landing on the guard behind him. A knife was embedded in his forehead, his eyes rolled up like he was trying to see.
“We have to move,” Rache said. “Can you walk?”
He nodded, but didn’t move. She held a hand out to him, winked.
“Get up. Come on. I’m not supposed to be out here.”
He took her hand and got up, running with her to the steps up to the street. They walked in silence, but he couldn’t help but stare. It was the same Rache as ever, but she was confident, composed, precise. She wore a black biker jacket, barely covering a belt holding six thin knives and a pistol at her back.
They ducked into an all-night café, went straight for the back, and slid into a booth with a good view of the door. Rache put a menu up in front of her, leaned forward.
“We have to be careful,” she said. “No names. You understand, Redux?”
He blinked, stunned, said nothing.
“We’ve been wiretapping Duplessis’ house for a few months,” she said. “We suspected he was using his contacts to run a moonshine operation. Moonshine doesn’t mean what you think it does. Ask later.”
He nodded.
“We heard you talking to him, and my bosses thought you were turning on us, going to turn us in. They wanted me to make sure you didn’t get out of the river, Redux. You have to know what kind of trouble you’re in over that.”
“Yes,” he said, scolded.
“When I saw the size of the bag, I knew it had to be you. You’re pretty distinctive. How’ve you been?”
“I… I am confused, I think.”
She smiled, accepted a coffee and dumped several seconds of sugar into it.
“I can imagine. I’ll cover everything eventually, but right now I want to talk about you. Your daughter. She’s in bad shape?”
“Yes… she… last mission, it failed, and is bad for her.”
“I understand,” she said. “I’d help you with that, but I don’t have the resources right now. I give all my money to sustain our operations here.”
“Operations…?”
“Doing good,” she smiled. “Saving the world.”
“I do not understand… what are you?”
“I’m on your side,” she said. “I’m part of the team that makes sure everyone else plays nice.”
He squinted at her, leaned close.
“Since… since when?”
“Two years ago? Maybe less. I hadn’t seen you in person, if that’s what you’re asking. They didn’t promote me until after that.”
“Wait… you were… were out there when we… when you…”
“Since I was twenty-one,” she said. “I would have told you, Redux, if I’d known who you were.”
“Who are you? I still do not—”
“Chenne,” she said, and all he could do was nod. “I found my purpose after all, I guess.”
“You are very good,” he said.
“I try,” she smiled. “But now listen. I know you need some money, and I think I’ve picked up a solution on the wire. There’s a shipment coming through in about four hours, and so far nobody seems to want it.”
“There is typhoon, yes? Elvis told me.”
“If we do it together, I think we can make it work,” she said. “Three freighters, the two of us, and as a thanks for kicking my ass, I’ll give you the whole take.”
He gasped, shook his head.
“No,” he said. “No, I cannot do that. Is not right.”
“Redux, listen. If you hadn’t treated me the way you did, I never would have got my ship, I never would have done what I’ve been able to do, and I can promise you, the world would be a worse-off place as a result. You’re taking the money. There’s no debating it.”
He smiled, nodded, trying to remain calm.
“We must go then, yes? Time is short.”
“Yeah, we should head out,” she said. “I’ll have the co-ordinates sent to your phone—”
“My phone is dead,” he said. “In water.”
She nodded, reached into a pocket and pulled out a tiny black one. She passed it across.
“That’ll do for now. You should be good with that.”
They stood, and while she walked to the door, he didn’t move, eyes searching left and right, like he was trying to piece together a puzzle.
“I must make little stop,” he said. “One stop first.”