Ok, bear with me and my slightly ropy to say the least plot. The ending's quite good. In my humble opinion. Which really doesn't mean a lot, because my latest source of amusement is that the spellchecker keeps trying to change Malkovich' to melodic'. Anything's funny on this much sugar.



Part One Chapter Four: Driftwood

Everything is open/ Nothing is set in stone/ . . . / Drifting over bridges/ Never to return / Watching bridges burn/ ~Travis









Kawagoe! Come in Kawagoe. This is Agent Malkovich in Fengtian airbase.'

Malkovich, I hope you have made significant progress by now-'

Look ,Kawashima, it's getting kinda complicated. Um . . .' She didn't quite know how to put the next part. Dehuai had this kinda. . . demon dog, which he was controlling. It sounds really stupid, but-'

It doesn't surprise me. I'd been expecting something of the kind from Dehuai
soon. I have to say, though, a demon dog is really scraping the bottom of the barrel.'

Kawashima managed to direct this last statement as if it was Margarete's fault Dehuai hadn't produced a monster of a higher standard.

Anyway, Kawashima,' says Margarete, hurridly moving on, still wondering why Kawashima's remark had hurt so much. She wouldn't normally be bothered, it was normal for Kawashima to make these sort of comments. I can't be long. I told them I'd find a plane.'

What about the plane you'd been assigned?' Kawashima's voice is dripping with scorn.

The dog blew it up,' Margarete says, unable to resist laughing to herself at how ridiculous that sounds. As always, Kawashima fails to see the funny side.

Take this mission more seriously, Malkovich. Listen carefully. As you know, most of our privates are unaware of this mission. As we cannot inform them of the details-'

- cos then you'd have to shoot ALL your troops.' Margarete has a pretty good idea of what happened to the soldiers that did have to be told. And she doesn't like it.

Malkovich.' Kawashima takes on an angry warning tone As I was trying to say, I will inform the troops we are pursuing you but will not allow them to engage in armed combat with you or the other two. I will contact you once you reach Shanghai. Over.'

See ya!' Margarete says cheerily, for the sole purpose of annoying Kawashima. This time the fun is increased by her secret: Yuri's name. Still smiling slightly, she runs off to find her plane.



Margarete found her plane, if you can call it that, rotting behind a deserted hangar. She looks it up and down critically. It is about 10 years old, nearly as old as a plane could possibly be at that time. Even still, it manages to look about fifty. It had been painted red once, but now most of the paint had peeled away. It was tiny, and had hardly any passenger space. The controls looked a bit dodgy, too.


Huh,' she mutters to herself. Guess it'll have to do.' She jumps into the front seat, it has nothing near anything that could be called a cockpit, and begins gearing up the rusty old engine. It splutters. Come ON!' she says through gritted teeth. It chokes. She growls in frustration, and gives some mysterious part of its decrepit machinery a sharp kick. Surprisingly, it moves off quickly, albeit shakily, and she steers it towards where Yuri and Alice stand talking. They both stare in a mixture of wonder the damn thing works, and fear that it might not break down before they actually have to get IN it.

Hey you guys, look what I found!' she cries enthusiastically. What do you think? It was abandoned, I think, but it started when I gave it a swift kick!'

Yuri is the first of the pair to speak. '. . . Oh yeah, that's a hand-me down all right.'

Alice is still trying to come to terms with the fact such a modern invention can look so prehistoric. Y-you want us to RIDE in it?' she finally stutters.

Bingo! Stop your chattering, kids, and jump in!'

The pair, still slightly taken aback, move forwards towards the plane. Yuri jumps in first. Margarete turns toward the dashboard, and stares at the antique controls, trying to figure out what they will do.

Goddamn it,' she mutters to herself, thumping an unidentified set of buttons.

Damn, is this thing made for midgets or what? And what's with the squeaking? Will this thing really fly?' Yuri regales her with a blast of complaints and questions. Margarete, ignoring him, yanks down on a creaking lever. The engine slides up a gear. Alice, worried about being left behind, jumps into the plane and sits down in the nearest space available. Which just happens to be on top of Yuri, who cries out in surprise.

Oh! I'm so sorry, Yuri!!'

N-no problem! You're plenty light, Alice?!' replies Yuri, who can't believe his luck.

Don't you two get all cuddly on me now!' calls Margarete, grinning. This is it now! Hold on tight!' She pulls back on the gearstick and the plane begins to roll along the ground, shaking alarmingly.

Y-yo Margarete!' Yuri yells, fearing for his safety. Maybe this plane wasn't such a hot idea. . . !'

It's really s-s-shaking!' Alice agrees, and screams at a particularly large jolt.

There's no turning back now!' she informs them to their horror. Come on Yuri, you're a BOY, for God's sake! Show a little gumption!! Here goes! Full throttle!'

The plane pulls back and begins to rise into the sky, still shuddering violently. After a while of horrific dipping and rising, throughout which Yuri and Alice both shout in protest, the plane levels itself and begins to move more smoothly. Margarete leans back in the pilots seat and taps her fingers on the dashboard, inviting praise from the still nervous couple behind her.

Look where you're going for God's sake! Are you trying to kill us?!!' Yuri explodes in return. Margarete sighs and shifts so she's sitting up straight, staring out of the front window. This seems to relax them a little. The ground below hem gradually changes from grassy plains into rocks and crags, and coastline, until there are only the foam-topped waves of the Yellow Sea.





Margarete is full of curiosity about what actually happened on the train. She increasingly doesn't trust Kawashima's story. It doesn't fit this pair at all. There has to be something more to it. But still, she is unusually shy abut asking them. Maybe it would look suspicious. But, she tells herself, it's best to ask them now, before it's well ,before it's too late. If they are innocent, what will happen when she delivers Alice to Kawashima doesn't bear thinking about. She twists round in her seat, abandoning the steering.

Hey-' she begins.

Ssh,' says Alice, indicating Yuri. He's asleep!'

"Aww, sweet,' remarks Margarete. He's cute when he's sleeping.'

Mmm,' agrees Alice, studying Yuri's face in a way that suggested she thought he was cute the rest of the time too. She draws her eyes away after a while. Margarete notices she looks almost sad. She can't bear to think of Kawashima killing her, which would almost certainly happen if she went through with the mission. These thoughts surprise her. She's never let her personal feelings get involved with a job before.

What were you going to say?' Alice asks, drawing her attention back from her thoughts.

' she is unsure of how to start the question. ' . . . how did you get mixed up with Dehuai in the first place?'

Alice looks slightly surprised at the question but begins to answer quickly.

Well, when I was travelling with my father. . .'




Margarete swallows as Alice finishes her tale. She wasn't lying, many years of experience in the spy trade tell her that. She realises that she has no idea what to do. That comes as something of a shock to her. She stares sullenly at the dashboard, thinking. Now she knows she has to betray someone,. Kawashima, or Yuri and Alice?

Her morose train of thoughts is broken by Yuri's voice shattering the awkward silence.

Dad, dad, they're coming to kill Mum! Help!!'

His voice trembles like a scared child's. She whirls around. Alice is staring at Yuri's face, uneasy.

Should we-' she begins. Her question is cut short by a strangled sound omitting from the plane's worn-out engine. Two short clunks follow. Margarete yells expletives and Alice pales, fearing the worst. Then the engine splutters loudly and the plane begins to lose height, straying from its course, diving and jerking dramatically. Yuri begins to mutter in his sleep but does not awake. Alice starts to shake him, gently at first.

Yuri. . . wake up! Please wake up!'


' . . . man. . . huh. . . What?' He reaches consciousness. Did something happen?'

Did something HAPPEN?!' Margarete yells in disbelief. I'll say it did! How can you possibly sleep at a time like this, sonny boy?!'

Time like what?' Then it dawns on him. The engine's busted!'

Yuri,' Alice says, looking into his eyes with sadness in her own. I heard what you said in your sleep. You were saying "Dad, dad, they're coming to kill mom! Help!!". . . You seemed to be in so much pain. . .'

Yuri falters for a minute, not knowing how to react.

Look here, missy!' Margarete shouts. This is no time for a casual discourse on somniloquy! We're going to crash! CRASH, I tell you!'

The plane's engine finally gives up any pretence at staying airborne and they drop quickly. Margarete yells. Alice shrieks. Yuri stays silent, staring ahead, terrified and transfixed on the ocean approaching fast. He also wonders how much else he said in his sleep. They land in the water with a deafening splash. Fortunately, the wooden plane is light and floats, gliding through the water. And by some miraculous lucky coincidence, they have landed beside a small fishing port, belonging to the City of Dalian. The plane sails through the ocean more smoothly than it ever did through the air, fittingly serene and peaceful at it's last journey's end, into the harbour.







Author note: Has it come to this? (points gun at Roger Bacon's head) Right, review or hatboy gets it! ^_^ No, really, I will welcome any reviews, if you think it's rubbish, tell me, I just wanna know someone's reading this. But if you're too nasty I might argue back, so only flame if you think you can put up with me going on about it for hours. And don't you bother to review, Tattered Wings, cos I still ain't talking to you. You damn well know why!