Spies Are Like Daffodils
A Spontoon Island story
© 2023 by Walter Reimer

Thumbnail art by  rockbaker

Five.


The news that a cipher clerk was apparently fleeing the Tsar’s service (well, technically the Grand Duchess’, as she was running the Empire-in-Exile until the various dynastic claims were solved) caused the Ambassador to order a condition of VEV, or Stage Two Uproar. All of Nunevya Bizwacz’ coworkers and her supervisor were being interrogated, and her belongings had been confiscated from her apartment and were being searched.

One of the officers doing the search had to be recalled to the Embassy after he had searched the contents of the minkess’ underwear drawer six times.

Ivan Awfulich and Igor Blymy stood at attention as the head of the Embassy’s security detail sat behind his desk and read through the minkess’ files. Like every Imperial subject, she had three files; personnel, police, and church. The schnauzer pored over all aspects of the files, concentrating on her political reliability and emotional state, as described by the priest who heard her confession every week.

Finally, Major Igor Fedorovich von Fecklessenburg sat back and looked up at the bear and the wolverine. “Ivan Awfulich.”

The wolverine replied, “Sir.”

"Why did you not immediately arrest Nunevya Bizwacz?”

"We had no orders, Sir." His partner nodded.

“Hmm, da, that is so,” the Major said. “Sergeant Blymy?"

Igor Blymy, the bear, straightened a bit further. He was slightly junior to Awfulich. "Sir."

Without looking up from the files, the schnauzer said, "Punch Sergeant Awfulich in the face. Hard." The bear immediately complied, and returned to attention while the wolverine staggered. When Awfulich was back at attention, the Major said, “Ohchen horosha. Sergeant Awfulich?"

"Sir?" the wolverine said thickly.

"Punch Sergeant Blymy in the face, hard.” The wolverine obeyed instantly, and when the bear had recovered von Fecklessenburg said, “I am now ordering both of you to intercept that train before it reaches the American border. When you reach the train, you are to board it and kill Nunevya Bizwacz.” He looked up at them both through his wire-rimmed glasses. “Do you both understand clearly?”

“Yes, Sir!” they chorused, and at a wave of his paw they left the office as fast as they could.

The Volga German (although there were those who sometimes called him – never to his face – the ‘Vulgar’ German, as he had the manners of a kulak and smelled of cheap cologne and pickled fish) sat alone, marshalling his thoughts and arguments before informing his chief and the Ambassador. Nunevya Bizwacz had sufficient knowledge of the Almaz i Shelk, or Diamond and Silk, ciphers to seriously compromise the Imperial Government. Based on the direction she was running, she was either fleeing to the Amerikantsi or to the Ostrovityane dozhdya. Either way, she now posed a danger to the State.

Therefore she had to die.

Awfulich and Blymy might be able to catch up to the train, but he doubted it. Von Fecklessenburg decided that he would take care of the matter personally. It would be to his credit for eliminating a threat to the Empire.

And keeping his paw in was good exercise, particularly if there were also foreign agents to be killed.

The schnauzer’s tail wagged at the thought of the bonus he would receive.

Von Fecklessenburg stood up and stepped out from around the desk, stumbling as his foot caught on the corner of the furniture. He looked down and growled.

The damned knife in the sole of his shoe had come out again. The trigger was always too sensitive. He pulled the point of the blade out of the desk and walked out of the office.

First order of business, change his shoes.


***


“There you are!”

Nunevya flinched as the door of her compartment slid open to frame the grinning face of the Rain Islander fox-tod. Just behind him stood the American stork. Both looked dirty, their clothes were rumpled, and both were still breathing heavily.

“The train left without us,” Henry said.

“We had to run to catch up,” Bernie added. “Sorry about that, Miss.”

“Nunevya thought you two were still on platform, arguing,” the minkess said. At least the two Okhrana officers she’d spotted hadn’t appeared to have boarded the train. Scant comfort, but comfort nonetheless. “You were not followed?” she asked.

The stork shook his head violently, his beak smacking the fox on the back of his neck. “Nosiree, Ma’am! We had some furs cheering us on!”

The minkess facepalmed. “Well, you are here now at least. We will – “ She stopped as a conductor came up behind the stork and the fox.

The conductor was a heavyset, somewhat avuncular-looking bear. He looked over his glasses at the two mels and said, “Tickets, please?”

The fox and the stork looked surprised, looked between the minkess and the bear, and looked at each other before starting to check their pockets. Phlute reached out a paw to check one of Henry’s pockets, only to have the tod bat the offending paw away. Throughout this, the conductor’s professional smile never wavered.

Finally the stork pulled out a piece of paper and offered it to the bear. “There you are, my good fellow,” Phlute said.

The bear’s smile faltered momentarily. “Sir, this is a platform ticket.”

“It’s a ticket.”

“It’s a platform ticket for the Union Pacific. In St. Louis.”

“Yes?”

“In 1930.” The conductor’s smile slowly changed to one of pity. “This is 1938.”

“Is it my fault I’m running late?”

Patafuerte rolled his eyes and offered a ticket. “Here’s mine, Sir.”

The bear looked at it, and his smile fled. “Sir, this is a bus ticket for the Seathl crosstown connection.”

“Oh,” the fox said. “Um, I demand my money back?”

“Come with me, both of you,” the conductor said.


***


The Golden Bear slowed going around a curve, and two figures with their luggage were observed being thrown off the train.


***


An Embassy car pulled to a stop at a heavily-guarded hangar at Tilikum’s central aerodrome, and the Major climbed out, nodded to the driver, and walked over to the nearest guard as the car pulled away.

The guard saluted. “Your office called ahead, Your High Well-born. You are expected.”

Von Fecklessenburg returned the salute curtly. “Are they in there?”

“Yes, Sir. They began as soon as the call was received.” The schnauzer nodded and went inside, the wolf standing guard wrinkling his nose as his superior went past him.

The flight crew, consisting of a pair of corsac foxes, was still conducting a preflight inspection of the aircraft with the help of two mechanics. One of the vulpines was the pilot, and the other was his observer, and both straightened up as von Fecklessenburg came forward.

“Carry on, please,” the schnauzer said. “We must not delay.” The crew resumed their task as the canine walked around the craft, a paw idly smoothing his brown feral leather coat.

The aircraft was a Vostok Island-built Kamonmansky KMN-7R autogyro, painted black with gold roundels bearing the Imperial eagle insignia. There was only room for three furs in the aircraft, with von Fecklessenburg taking the gunner’s position. Satisfied that the crew was making their way through the inspection checklist, he walked across the room to get a flying helmet and goggles.

By the time he was ready, the hangar doors were being pushed open, and he smiled.

Time to begin the hunt.


***


“Igor Nikolaevich?”

“Da, Ivan Lavrentievich?”

“Slow down, please.”

The bear blinked at the wolverine. “But the High Well-born said – “

“I know that,” the wolverine said from the other end of the pawcar. It was good that they were both strong furs; the pawcar’s mechanism took a lot of pumping. Ivan Awfulich was the one facing forward. “We must slow down. There are furs on the tracks.”

Igor Blymy half-twisted and looked, doing a double-take. “We – we saw them with – “

“Da,” and the wolverine and the bear grinned at each other.

Patafuerte and Phlute were trudging along the tracks, now looking considerably more rumpled after being thrown from the train. The stork and the fox turned at the sound of metal wheels on the steel tracks, and stepped aside as the pawcar rolled to a halt.

The bear said, “Hello!” in accented English. “You need lift, yes?”

Bernie smiled as widely as his beak would permit. “Sure thing! We need to get to Longview.”

“Can you give us a ride?” Henry asked.

“Better than that!” the wolverine said. “You help us, make pawcar go faster. We are going to Longview as well.”

“Golly, that’s neighborly of you,” the fox said, and after placing his luggage on the car, Henry climbed up to stand beside Igor as the bear moved over. “Come on, Phlute.”

“Yeah, I’m coming,” the gangly avian said as he took a spot beside Ivan.

“Ready?” Ivan said, “Let us go!”

The pawcar started moving slowly, and gradually increased speed as the quartet worked together.





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