Chapter Three

London, England

The Next Day

The Boss and the others had made their way to England as a rest stop before departing to France to meet up with the French Resistance group. Once they had landed, she ordered everyone to get some rest and relax before tomorrow's risky nighttime flight into Nazi territory. It was already early evening, and she figured she too should get some rest before attempting to pilot out, but first she just had to meet an old friend.

Walking though the dark corridors of the base, The Boss knocked on an office door and heard a familiar voice beckon her inside.

"Ah Boss." The man said cheerfully. "What a surprise to see you here. How are you?"

"I'm fine Zero." She said shaking his hand. "How have you been?"

"I've been well." He said. "A little overworked, but otherwise fine. I thought you in St. Petersburg."

"I just came back a not to long ago." She said sitting down in a nearby chair.

"So what brings you back to the SAS?" Zero questioned as he sat down behind his desk.

"I came by for a visit." She said. "I just had to stop in and say hello to one of the best pilots in the SAS."

"Ever since I became a Brigadier I haven't been in the air much." He said softly. "But every once in awhile they'll let me still fly."

"If you get the chance try to get inside a B17." She said with a grin. "I know you would love it. But, I thought you were giving the rank of Major."

"Not yet." He answered. "The government has been pleased with my performance so far, and they said if I continue on this path I should make Major in about two months or so."

"Well congratulations on your promotion." The Boss said kindly.

"Thank you." He said kindly. "Tell you what Boss, why don't I take you to dinner. My treat, what do you say?"

"I would love to Zero." She said kindly. "But I am a little exhausted and should really take a rest tonight. But I will take a raincheck."

"Very well then." He said kindly. "When you're feeling better we'll go to dinner."

The Boss got up from the chair and shook Zero's hand one more time before leaving his office. As The Boss walked down the hallway, her mind went back to all the happy times she had spent in the SAS. These men were a very talented group who fought with grace and precision, and Zero was no exception. He was a very tough pilot with an unnatural gift for accurate bombing and he was possibly the greatest tactician she had ever known. It was no wonder that he was already a Brigadier, surely he would be a Major soon enough.

Finally The Boss had come to her private room. She was positively worn out from everything that had happened over the last week or so. But it a little loss of sleep was a small sacrifice for defending the world from madmen bent on world domination. If she could keep the world safe for all future generations, all her efforts would be worth it.

With a yawn, The Boss began to remove her uniform and prepared to take a nice nap. Normally knowing how pressed for time she would be, she would leave it on, but right now sleep was a little more important then time. Besides, if she was going to fly into enemy territory she needed to be rested, because who knows what may happen. According to the Generals, the information about the Nazi's refueling for a half hour was dependable, but nothing could be taken for granted these days. The Nazi's were slowly loosing their strangle hold on Europe and the fighting has been particularly horrible of late. Maybe with this war would be over in a year or two.

Lying down upon the small cot, The Boss's eyes focused on the ceiling and she listed all the things she would have to take care of before tonight's departure. While she was thinking her mind drifted briefly to thoughts of her new unit and a smile curved about her lips. They were all brilliant warriors and she knew she was lucky to have found them, especially someone like Sashenka. His reconnaissance skills would really be needed for this mission. There was so much she didn't know about her contact or the insider. He would have to be the one to find out information on them. Slowly but surely The Boss's mind began to wind down and her blue eyes began to feel heavy. Finally The Boss fell into a deep sleep.

"Daddy!" She screamed with tears streaming from her eyes.

"It's alright Lil." Her father reassured her. "Don't worry about me."

"Daddy…"

"Always remember what I told you Lilith. You are the last remaining child of the Philosophers; you must continue to uphold the ways of the Philosophers no matter what."

One of the assailants held her tightly, while the other assailant pushed her father to the floor. Her father didn't say anything further to her or to the man sent to kill him; he just closed his blue eyes and waited for the inevitable, while his eleven year old daughter looked on. Finally the assailant pulled the trigger of the handgun and a loud bang echoed all around her…

The Boss gasped and opened up her eyes. Tiny beads of sweat graced her brow and she panted slightly. It had been a long time since she had had a nightmare about the death of her father. She hadn't thought about his violent demise in a few years now, why all of a sudden would that horrible memory plague her dreams? With a sigh, The Boss pulled herself up off the pillows and sat against the wall and tried to calm down.

Looking around her room trying desperately to get her mind off the nightmare, she looked at the clock and saw that it was only four in the morning. In a few hours she would have to get up and begin preparations for the mission later. If she could slide in a few hours more of sleep, the day would go much smoother. Putting her feet onto the floor, she decided to go to the cafeteria for a little sack. Maybe that would help settle her nerves so she could return to sleep.

The Boss put on her uniform pants and some socks, but she just remained in her undershirt as she left the room. The corridors of base were silent as she walked. Normally there was someone around to stand guard or at the very least just walking around, so it was strange not to have anyone around. The Boss shrugged off the silence and continued into the dimly lit cafeteria. Inside, she saw The Sorrow sitting at one of the tables looking in a cup.

"Hello." She said walking over to the table and sitting down in front of him.

"Oh hello Boss." He said softly.

"What are you doing up at this hour?" She asked. "Having problems sleeping? Or are you having problems adjusting to the time difference?"

"I had a bit of a nightmare." He answered. "And you?"

"I couldn't sleep either." She answered. "I was having a nightmare of my own."

The Sorrow said nothing he just took a sip of his drink and continued to stare at the table. The Boss looked at him and smiled. The Sorrow noticed that she was smiling at him and he couldn't help but blush, which caused her to giggle.

"Interesting." She said.

"What?" He said trying not to look directly at her.

"Well, you really don't act like a solider." She started. "You're kinda shy and silent."

He didn't say anything to her comment.

"Even during the plane ride here, you hardly said anything to anyone."

"That's not true." He defended. "I spoke with The Fury and The End."

"Yes," She said kindly. "You did."

The Boss got up from the table and went over to the coffee counter. Grabbing the nearby coffee pot, she poured the coffee into a little glass saucer and sat back down in front of Sashenka.

"Boss?" Sashenka asked.

"Yes Sorrow."

"Can I ask you why did you choose me to be in your unit?" He said timidly. "I'm not as great a fighter as the others."

"Nonsense." She said reassuringly. "According to your file you are a superior warrior."

"What's in my file is embellished." He said sorrowfully. "My marksmanship scores are poor. The only reason why it says I'm a good fighter is because I can use my abilities to coax dead soldiers into my body and gain their abilities."

"I see." She said sounding unfazed by his confession.

"I have probably disappointed you."

"On the contrary." She said. "You have me more intrigued now."

"Really?"

"Yes." The Boss said. "Listen, I would be lying if I told you that I understood the nature of your abilities. In fact I was skeptical of them, that is until you said my name. I've never ever told anyone my name before, but you knew it and said my mother had told you… Your talents are invaluable."

"Thank you Boss."

"Listen," She said gently. "According to everyone I've talked to and everything I've read about you they all say that you are the world's best reconnaissance man. No one can ever take that away from you. And don't worry about fighting; I'll do the fighting for the both of us."

The Boss reached out and grabbed The Sorrow's hand. Instantly, his mind began to flash and started having visions. He could see glimmers of things to come with The Boss, but none of visions were clear. They were all just muddled and kinda hazy like a dream. While in this state, his pale hazel eyes started to roll back into his head and his breathing stopped all together. The Boss saw what was happening to him, but she didn't understand what it was or how his condition could deteriorate so rapidly. Letting go of his hand, The Boss stood up and went to the side of The Sorrow to see what she could do for him. Once she had let go of his hand, his breathing started again and his eyes rolled forward.

"Sorrow." She said gently shaking him. "Sorrow are you all right?"

"Yes." He said feebly. "That hasn't happened to me since I was a child."

"What was wrong with you?" She questioned.

"I…" He hesitated to answer. "It was nothing."

"Hm…" She murmured. "Well, are you okay? Should I take you to the infirmary?"

"No." The Sorrow said getting up from the table. "I think I'll just go and lay down for awhile."

"At least let me help you walk." She insisted.

"No please." He stopped her. "I can manage on my own. Goodnight Boss."

"Good… Goodnight." She said.

The Sorrow left the cafeteria. He felt so drained as if that touch sucked the very life from his body. But why would he start having powerful visions like that one again. He hadn't experience such powerful visions since his mother passed away, so why would they all of a sudden reoccur with The Boss? With a sigh, The Sorrow went back into the barracks with the other members of the unit and tried to get a go back to sleep before tomorrow's briefing.