The Spy Who Came in from Cold Part 2 is the seventeenth chapter of the Black Lagoon spinoff series Eda Initial Stage. It was originally released on August 19, 2023.
Plot[]
Returning to his home with Eda and her male associate, Maynard Sears sees his distraught wife coming up to him. She tearfully informs him that Lottie has been abducted, shocking him. She asks him who the three men are supposed to be, recalling that they called him "Vasili," his original name. Hearing her repeatedly ask what will happen to Lottie, Vasili grabs her shoulders and pleads with her to calm down. He explains that he knows who the men are, assuring her that their target is him and his money. Asking her to calm down again, Vasili says that the men will not touch the girl until they get their money. Though shocked, the mother stops panting and again wonders where the men are. Vasili asks the two CIA agents if they heard them, but Eda coldly replies that they are no longer in a position to help him, telling him that he is on his own. When her fellow agent tries to explain that the circumstances have changed, Eda tells him that she knows what to say.
Announcing her leave, she requests Vasili to call her when his daughter is returned. As they leave, he agrees, and the male agent is confused, but Eda advises him to just go. The mother is slightly angry and wipes away her tears. She asks her husband if he will tell her everything, which he promises to do. Meanwhile, in the backseat of her abductors' car, Lottie struggles and yells at the men to let her go. Putting his pistol to her forehead, the bearded man warns her to shut up, remarking that he is not very patient. He tells her that she will need to be quiet if she ever wants to see her parents again. Shoving the gun's barrel into her mouth, he glaringly threatens to blow her brains out onto the sheet if she does not comply, joking that he may refrain from doing so to prevent his seats being stained. As she cries, Lottie silently agrees to be quiet.
At the Sears residence, Lottie's mother is surprised to learn about Vasili's history about being a defector from the Soviet Union. She recalls that he told her that he is a second-generation Russian immigrant, to which Vasili confirms that he lied. Taking in the new information, the disheartened mother states that she has been deceived all along, but Vasili rejects the notion of deception. He elaborates that he made the decision to leave his country and past behind to live in the U.S. as Maynard Sears, claiming that Vasili Skachkov is a dead man. Confused and curious, she responds that she did not think it was necessary for him to share the ghosts of his past, but he agrees that it is still unnecessary. Sitting in their car in the neighborhood, Eda and her male associate take a smoke break. He asks her why she backed down so easily, and she nonchalantly answers that they would only be able to watch the two parents cry if they stayed there. Noting the wife's expressions, Eda claims that chaos is inevitable. Asserting that she has no interest in their troubles and wants to ignore the emotional mess as much as possible, she reminds him that their only goal is to capture the fugitive Yevdokiya Skachkova.
Seeing the papers that she has organized, the man asks her if it is the additional FSB information. Confirming, she adds that it came through the embassy since they want Yevdokiya brought back, assessing that the Russians likely do not want to make a bigger mess. Recapping the files, Eda states that Vasili's first wife is the daughter of a former KGB deputy chairman. Noting that Vasili comes from a civilian background, she thinks that his association with the nomenklatura must have been a bone of contention and possibly made him defect. As a result of his exile fiasco, his wife's father was removed from office. Accordingly, the wife and daughter Yevdokiya began to hold a grudge against Vasili, especially the mother. Her co-agent recalls that her revenge guess was right, but he is still baffled as to why Yevdokiya used the CIA because she could have smuggled herself into the country and achieved her goal. Eda posits that time is her primary factor because the Russian woman needs to move fast, even if the CIA knows about and chases her.
Hearing her coworker joke that the "rumor" is not as bad as he thought, she asks him what he means. He professes that he heard she is working with "Drunken Amber," but Eda nonchalantly confirms it as fact and claims that she has been sober as of late. Smiling, he admits he is surprised to hear that about the drunkard, causing Eda to ask if her drunkenness is truly famous. Chuckling, he replies that one cannot count the number of mistakes on both hands that Amber has made. He also recalls to Eda that Amber's worst incident took place when their hard-earned puppet government in Central America was on the verge of being overthrown, and he also remembers the incident that led to Amber being placed on administrative leave. Annoyed by his hearsay, Eda insults him as a gossiper who should not be spreading rumors about coworkers in order to keep his credibility. Soured, the man keeps silent and hears her sternly ask him about any rumors concerning herself.
Elsewhere, Lottie's mother asks Vasili if their daughter's abductors are Russian men from the former Soviet Union. With a discomforted face, he denies it since they are different men, confusing her. Vasili recalls that he received a new name and some money from the U.S. government after his defection. Afterward, he met her and wanted to start a new life, but the payout he received was not enough, so he needed to acquire some money. As the mother expresses shock, they hear their telephone ring. Answering the call, Vasili addresses himself as Sears, but the bearded man greets him as Vasili, stating that he knows of his current alias Maynard Sears. Angered, the father asks him if Lottie is safe. In a motel room with his accomplice and the girl, the man confirms that he has treated her well, joking that she is a valuable princess who is worth a lot of money. The resentful Vasili asks if all they truly want is money, and the bearded man affirms that he wants $100,000 in cash, further joking that it is a cheap price for his daughter's life. Hesitant, the father responds that such a large amount of money would require approximately 3 days to gather. Disagreeing, the criminal orders him to bring the money to Patterson Park at midnight that night, warning him that not following his order will be bad for Lottie.
Wanting proof of his daughter's safety, Vasili asks to hear her voice. Immediately, the man rips the duct tape off of the girl's face, and Lottie yells to her father. Smirking, the man reminds him to bring the money at midnight. As his accomplice holds down the girl, he asks the bearded man if the plan is okay, thinking that waiting until midnight may be reckless. Hanging up the phone, the latter answers that their situation is one where they cannot give the other party time to think. Skeptical, the accomplice asks him if he is really going to follow all of Ives's orders, causing the bearded man to respond that they have no choice since it was Ives's plan all along. He also specifies that Ives is good with his planning due to his occupation. Nevertheless, the accomplice complains that it is long past their appointment time, but the bearded man advises him to relax because they still have an hour before they meet up with Ives. Adding that he is starving, he tosses a wad of dollar bills to his accomplice and tells him to get something from the diner nearby, reminding him to get some food for the "brat" as well. Subsequently, as the man leaves in his car to retrieve some food, Yevdokiya sits in her car and watches him leave.
Thinking to herself, she argues with her conscience about her objective. Though she hears her conscience remind her that she is after her father and should have waited by his house, Yevdokiya retorts that the CIA would have caught up to her if she stayed behind. She tells herself that she does not care about the abducted child. Suddenly, in her mind, a young Yevdokiya is surrounded by tall, thin, pale white apparitions who mock her worry about her father being on a long trip. When the beings ask her if she knows any secret places that he has been to, she jolts up and thinks about how she was scared as a child, crying out for her grieving mother. Elsewhere, putting on his coat, Vasili informs his wife that the abductors are Russian thugs, and in the past, he promised to do "work" for them on the condition that it was a one-time thing. He confesses that he and the men raided drug dealers' hideouts and stole their money, also killing people during the process. The mother expresses shock and disbelief at the story, causing Vasili to shout that it was only one time. He adds that they did not even know his current name and even gave more of the share to him, angrily repeating that it was a one-time relationship. Though unnerved, the mother sternly asks him to promise her one thing, which is to bring Lottie home safe and sound, surprising him.
In the motel room, the bearded man snorts some lines of cocaine and sits back, tripping out. Seeing Lottie kick her legs back and forth, he lazily responds that he cannot understand her. As she rolls side-to-side, he thinks that she has to use the bathroom, so he tells her to be patient. When she continues struggling and attempting to speak, he begrudgingly agrees to untie her hands, but he shows her his pistol and warns her not to try anything sneaky or else. As soon as the man cuts the bind around her hands, Lottie grabs his head, puts her legs around his neck, and pushes him to the side, knocking his head on a chair. Immediately, she rips the duct tape off her face and begins to run away. Dazed but conscious, the bearded man runs out of the room and exclaims that she will not get away. As he goes to the corner of the fence, Yevdokiya suddenly appears and kicks him in the head, knocking him to the ground. Turning around, Lottie is relieved to see the woman, who tells her to get in the car. As soon as the girl gets into the passenger seat, the two drive off. In front of them, having returned from the diner, the other criminal sees the two, infuriating him. He yells that the two women will not escape, intentionally crashing his car into theirs.