The Spy Who Came in from Cold Part 4 is the nineteenth chapter of the Black Lagoon spinoff series Eda Initial Stage. It was originally released on October 19, 2023.
Plot[]
Around midnight in Patterson Park, Maryland, Maynard Sears walks on a lone path carrying a duffel bag of ransom money. Walking further on the path, he soon sees Ives and his two accomplices with his daughter Lottie. Elsewhere in the adjacent Baltimore area, Eda's partner drives through the streets to find the abductors' car per her advice. Recalling that the abductors' vehicle is a 1972 Chevrolet, he soon spots the car and exits his own vehicle to investigate the scene. He comments on the extravagance of using such a car for a kidnapping when he suddenly hears some thumping from the trunk, grabbing his attention. Back in Patterson Park, Lottie calls out for her father, who in turn asks her if she is okay. Greeting Maynard as "Vasili," Ives jokes that he returned to retrieve the things taken from him. Maynard reminds him that their partnership was a one-time thing and took the money because Ives did not split it evenly between them in the first place. Leaning toward Lottie and glaring at her father, Ives emphasizes that he needs to give back the money and then his daughter will be returned. When he intimidates Lottie by whispering the threat near her ear, Maynard curses him and shows the duffel bag, claiming he has the money and wants his daughter back.
Waving his hand to come forth, Ives orders him to put the bag of $100,000 down and take ten steps back. Although Maynard says that he wants to exchange at the same time, the gangster warns him that he is in no position to bargain and orders him to do as he commands. Observing the encounter nearby in some bushes, Eda keeps her pistol's sights on them and remembers that Maynard requested that she act as a sniper. Beforehand, when they arrived at the park, Eda responds that using the CIA as a hit squad is not only out of line but brazenly ignorant. Maynard clarifies that he is fine if she only acts as a distraction to intimidate the gangsters. Rhetorically asking if she wants to lure "Duša" out, he claims that it is probably easier for her to come out if a big fuss is made. Eda asks in confusion if he thinks she will come out now, causing him to state that he already pondered on that question. Smiling, he assures her not to worry about Yevdokiya being a no-show because she is his ex-wife's daughter. Speaking about their history, Maynard elaborates that his ex-wife Tatiana is a proud woman who takes great pride as a member of the Novikov family, which produced many party officials in the Soviet Union. Assessing that his ex-wife's pride was shattered when he defected, he likewise admits it is easy to imagine how Yevdokiya was raised to hate him after he left, joking that he is surprised his wife was not the one who came to hunt him down.
In the present, Eda wonders how precise she can be with her pistol at her current distance, believing that she could get closer if there were more hiding places in the park. She additionally tells herself that she would have an easier time shooting them if time had not hindered her from getting better weapons. Despite thinking she lacks the confidence to avoid hitting Lottie, Eda decides that it may be ideal to aim when the delivery occurs but complains that she lacks a scope. On the street, her partner finally opens Ives's car trunk with a crowbar. Wolf whistling upon seeing the tied up Yevdokiya, he confesses that he thought he would find the kidnapped daughter but is glad to see her again. Stating that he does not want any trouble, he expresses his lack of interest in her story and opines that the CIA is results-oriented. Taking off the duct tape across her mouth, he requests that she come with him. Yevdokiya agrees to accompany him but points out that she cannot walk well with her legs bound and asks for the leg restraints to be removed. She suggests that he do so since there is adjacent traffic, and it would be a hassle to carry her.
Hesitantly agreeing, the agent cuts off the binds around her ankles, but as soon as he does so, Yevdokiya immediately wraps her legs around his neck and thrusts his head onto the car, knocking him unconscious. At that point, she uses the knife to remove her arm restraints and puts the man into the trunk, but not before pilfering his pistol and ammunition. Up ahead, she sees the Patterson Park Observatory and assumes that the captors are in the park, so she runs there. While she runs, Yevdokiya remembers her mother telling her younger self not to kill her father right away since he must be made to suffer. Blaming Vasili for plunging the Novikov family into ruin, Tatiana becomes an apparition in Yevdokiya's mind and urges her to, if he has them, kill Vasili's wife and child in front of his eyes to make him suffer. Tatiana repeats that she wants Vasili to pay for his crime in blood and pleads with her "sweet Duša" to finish the task before her life is gone. On the park path, one of Ives's men crouches down to examine the money and tells his boss that it seems real. He asks if he should count it, but Ives orders him to bring over the duffel bag before counting it. As the gangster walks to them, Eda shoots him above the right knee, shocking him. As Ives frantically wonders if the shot was from an accomplice of Maynard's, Lottie quickly acts and kicks the other man behind her in the groin.
Running toward the injured man, Maynard elbows him in the back of his neck. When he grabs the duffel bag, Ives also grabs onto the bag handle and struggles for it. Maynard kicks him away and turns to Lottie, who he yells at to get down. He and the other gangster exchange gunfire, and the latter is hit in the right arm, disarming him. Extending his arms out, Maynard calls for his daughter when Ives suddenly shoots him in the right shoulder, knocking him down and frightening Lottie. Pointing his pistol at both of them, Ives declares that he will send both the parent and child to the afterlife. Before he can kill them, Yevdokiya runs toward them and shouts at Ives to leave her "prey" alone and shoots at him. Though she hits him in the right arm, nothing pierces his suit because it is bulletproof, surprising her. The two briefly exchange gunfire until Yevdokiya moves faster and shoots him in the abdomen, knocking him back. Crying, Lottie advises her father to get to a hospital as soon as possible. Hearing someone else, the girl grabs a gun on the ground and turns around to point it at Yevdokiya, and the two of them stand off.