Lies and Legends

Chapter 6

"So, Ali, as a cover for what is going to take place, you are to tell any civillian that asks that you are going to a private school in Maryland. You can never, ever tell anyone the truth about what you are doing. Is that clear?" he asked from the front seat of Nana's car. He was driving, Nana was in the passenger seat, and I was sitting in the back. Mindy had taken Walter's car, so we had to take Nana's.

"Of course," I assured.

"So, do you like high school?" he asked.

"No, not at all," I said. "People aren't as mature as they should be. I expected them to be a little more grown up. Freshman year was bad for immature-ness, but this year is just... awful," I explained.

Walter smiled. "I always wanted to go to public school. But it seems as if I wasn't missing anything," he said with a light laugh.

"Where did you go to private school?" I asked.

"In Maryland. Where you are pretending to go. It was a little school called Parson's. It was exactly what you described public school as, except you live in a dorm on campus," he said. "Rule number one: always know your cover, or as we call them, legend, as well as you know yourself."

"I haven't even checked in at Langley yet and you are giving me advice?" I asked.

"We believe that you will be extremely helpful, especially since we head what you said about the dissapearence of your father. YOu lived with both your parents, you know them, and we're sure you can predict what they do or, more importantly, what they've DONE," he said with emphasis on the done.

"With all do respect, they were CIA operatives who lied to me about their place of employment until a few days ago," I said. But he just smiled.

Nana pipped up. "So, am I supposed to be a mole?" she asked. My eyebrows knitted together in confusion. A mole?

Nana, seeing me in one of the mirrors, smiled. "Vocabulary lesson one; Mole: a person who infiltrates an enemy agency to pass information to those who employ him/her."

I smiled. "How do you know so much about this stuff? I mean, you didn't ever work for the CIA, did you?"

Through the rearview mirror I saw her face go dark. Her expression changed to one of regret, of sadness. She sighed. "I guess it's time you know."

"Know what?" I asked, a bit annoyed. People were telling me all sorts of secrets lately.

Nana seemed unfazed by my question. She stared straight ahead, as if seeing something that wasn't there. "Walter is wrong about something. When I was your age, the Black Death recruited me. Well, my parents forced me into it really. Anyway, Once I turned 18, they shipped me to London, the headquarters of the Black Death. I spent the summer after my senior year there. I hated it. I had left a boyfriend behind, and that killed me."

"My first and last mission of the Black Death was to accompany five others; three men, and two woman, to Russia to assasinate the Premiere. I flew there with the others, who were seasoned and well trained, and we stayed in Moscow for six weeks plotting. As it turned out, Nikolai Bulganin, who was the Premiere at the time, was looking for a few new maids on his staff. We played our parts well; they gave us a background check and we successfully passed. I was assigned to the cleaning crew, but I once made a pot of soup, filling in for one of the other maids, and they immediately placed me in the kitchen."

"The others decided that the best way to assassinate Nikolai Bulganin was to poison him, especially since I had such good access to his food. One night, he was at a meeting, and I didn't know that he would be dining with anyone else, so I slipped cyanide into the pot of soup I was making. He showed up with a few friends and their childeren. I tried to take the pot away, but I didn't get there in time. They died almost instantly. I couldn't live with myself. I ran away from the others. I flew home, living in Seattle. I met your grandfather there. The Black Death assumes I'm dead. For a while... I thought I should be. I had killed innocent childeren," she said, shuddering. "The last time I told someone this, it was your father while he was waiting for his CIA acceptance. I wanted him to know that if they found out, they would not accept him," she explained.

"You were the one who killed those eight people?" Walter demanded.

Nana shook her head. "You cannot tell this to anyone, Walter. I don't want anything to happen to anyone in my family anymore than has already happened, just because my parents made a decision for me. A bad one. Just remember, I am going to be the best cook at Langley, so..." she trailed off, threatening. But there was an ounce of playfullness in her voice.

"Alright. I don't assume the car is bugged. Besides, the case was settled years ago, so I think I can let this one go," he said.

"Wait," I said. "You are coming to Langley with us, Nana?" I asked. I saw her smile in the mirror.

"You don't think that I would let you be in the CIA, do you? Besides, Walter here is growing on me," Nana joked. At least I hoped so. Nana was at least 30 years older than him. And he looked 40. "Actually, I am going to visit you every Monday, Wednessday, and Friday, and I can visit you whenever on the weekends. Walter told me while you were up packing your bags. By the way, if you thiink of something you need while you are there, let me know where it is in your room and I'll bring it to you."

"Alright Nana," I said. I sat in silence for a moment, thinking. "Nana? Walter?" I asked. They looked at me with concern. "How did you know that I was going to go work for the CIA? I mean, how did you know that I was qualified. I just made the theory up this morning."

Walter smiled. "We have been looking into recruiting teens for sometime now. You are the daughter of two operatives, and your father's dissapearance allowed us to do just that. Besides, I here you already have some great skills," Walter said.

"What do you mean, skills? I don't know anything about being a spy," I said.

"But you have some good qualities. Like how you can watch a TV show or movie and immediately know who did it and why. Like how you know who is walking across the floor in another room just by their footsteps. Like how you can sneak past your spy mother's room trying to sneak out and not have you hear her. Like how every grading period since freshman year you have had a 4.0 GPA. You are one smart cookie, dear. You need to utilize that. This is the perfect job for you," Nana said.

"We are here," Walter said.

I sighed,trying to mentally prepare myself for the afternoon ahead.