First Late Night
Tara must have been sleeping, for she jolted from a terrifying dream to hear Conrad Siegfried ordering her to get up. She agonizingly rose to her feet, not ready to face the German barbarian.
"Ve are going to Germany now, Fraulein King."
Miss King started at this information, frightened that if she left the country she might never be found. She had to try to escape! She quickly thought up an excuse to go to her flat and asked beseechingly, "May we go to my apartment to pick up some more clothes? If I'm stuck in this attire, you may grow tired of my stench." She smiled bitterly at the hardened criminal in front of her.
"Very vell," he conceded, "but I vill come into the flat vith you."
"And risk being caught by my friends, who might be waiting there for me?"
"If any of your colleagues are in ze vay, I vill shoot zem down." Ludwig von Siegfried grabbed her wrist with one of his cold hands.
"I told you never to touch me again." Tara wriggled out of his harsh grasp.
The two exited the hideout, not speaking nor looking at each other. They traveled to Tara King's flat in a stony silence that effected Miss King's attitude toward Siegfried immensely. Several minutes ago, she had been petrified of the KAOS agent, but now she was just furious with him for his ill treatment.
They went into her flat by the bottom entrance in case any neighbor found it suspicious that a stranger was escorting Tara around. Knowing this might be her last time, Miss King bravely entered her bedroom. She packed a small but tidy suitcase before replacing her damaged wig for a new short curled one. Then she stepped over to her bedroom window to see how far it was to the ground. Her flat was built into a hill, so the bottom entrance was at ground level, but the rest of her apartment sprang several stories above the ground. This was not the time or place to make her getaway.
She swiftly shut the bedroom door before making her exit with Conrad, his revolver never leaving her head for a moment. The two drove to an abandoned airport outside of London where his plane was waiting. They boarded it, and Siegfried took the controls while Tara sat in the co-pilot seat. Even though she had been trained to fly a plane during drastic circumstances, Tara refused to help her captor.
Miss King realised she needed her rest if she was to ever outwit the crafty villain, so she closed her eyes and went to sleep again. She was in Germany when she awoke-alone, but not frightened. A new emotion had replaced the fear she had once felt for the tyrant: unadulterated hatred. She despised him more than any other abominable crook she had ever met.
It's only a matter of time before you conquer this monster, Tara thought to herself as she stepped out of the airplane with her luggage. She was jarred from her musings when Siegfried shoved her into an old Volkswagen. Another KAOS agent was chauffeuring the car, so Siegfried sat in the back with her.
Tara went over the methods she had learned at the Non-violent Way to Subdue Your Enemies seminar. She could befriend Siegfried, talk him out of whatever he was doing, drive him out of his mind, or make him fall in love with her. Tara King chose the first option, and immediately went to work. "So where is your lovely wife, Herr Siegfried?"
"Vhat do you care about my vife?"
"I just thought that since we're going to be spending all this time together we ought to be sociable." Tara shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly as she stared vapidly at him.
"My vife is at home, and I von't tell you vere my home is, all right girly?"
"I wonder what she saw in you," Tara lashed out.
"Even if you find zis hard to believe, I don't act zis vay in front of her, Fraulein. She isn't impertinent, meddlesome, nor vorking for ze enemy." Siegfried slouched in his corner of the car seat, his forehead creased with fury.
"It must be interesting to see you when you're gazing lovingly at your wife, instead of scowling out the window." Tara felt the rage that had settled over the easily incensed German. She suddenly wished Herr Siegfried was sitting in the front with his minion.
Much to her relief, the chauffer switched on the radio, and an upbeat English tune blared out the speakers. Miss King began tapping her toe to the rhythm before singing along. She soon was so immersed in the music she almost forgot about the stalwart man seated next to her. As the song ended and another one began, she glanced over at Siegfried, who was glaring petulantly at her.
"Vat on earth are you doing, Fraulein?"
"This is called singing, Mr. Siegfried," was the caustic retort. Tara resumed her singing, reciting the lyrics by memory. "There she was just a walking down the street, singing 'Do Wah Diddy, Diddy Dum, Diddy Do.'"
It appeared Conrad was trying urgently to control his temper, for he pursed his lips together and said, "Uh Tara, zis is KAOS; we don't 'Do Wah Diddy' here."
"I think you just added that rule," Miss King replied, not the least bit offended. She commenced her singing, "'She looked good, she looked fine, and I nearly lost my mind!'"
"You are going to lose your life if you don't shtop zat infernal racket!" screeched Ludwig.
"Haven't you ever tried singing to lift your spirits, or does nothing make you happy?"
"I don't have time to be cheerful, and neizer do you."
"Don't decide what I can and cannot do!" Tara snapped in a fit of righteous anger.
"Don't contradict me, girly!"
It was at this moment that Tara decided to change her tactics in subduing her enemy. Evidently he was not in the mood to become friendly with her, so she would have to resort to driving him insane. Since Siegfried was already partly demented, she knew it would take her only several attempts to push him over the edge. Putting her new escape method into effect, she exclaimed, "I like being referred to as 'girly'; it sounds so warm and feminine, two things that I am."
"I was trying to insult you, ignorant girl."
"Your attempts to insult are all futile, Herr Siegfried, so you might as well save your voice for yelling out instructions and threats." Tara's comment seemed to sober the German, for he fell into another one of his sullen stupors. The undaunted Miss King began singing a love ballad that was now playing on the radio. As she crooned, she glanced out the window at the sky.
The moon peeped out from behind a rain cloud, shining its resplendent rays onto the ground and into the automobile. Tara gasped as she breathed, "It's a full moon, and it's so bright, it's lighting up the inside of our car! Have you ever seen anything so beautiful in your life?" With a jolt she remembered to whom she was speaking, but to her shock Siegfried answered her.
"It's never looked so big and dazzling before."
"Do you suppose it's a good or a bad omen?" Tara King turned to look at Conrad, but he had lapsed into his silence. She cast her eyes to the carpeted floor and suddenly felt his penetrating gaze upon her. For some unfathomable reason, Tara felt her face flush red and burn. Was she embarrassed at her juvenile behaviour? Did it really matter what this beast thought of her?
Fortunately, another rock and roll tune resonated out of the speakers, causing Tara to forget her strange demeanor. She began to sing and jig in her seat, not heeding the bemused look she was receiving from Conrad. She snapped her fingers, twisted, bobbed her head, and did the arm movements from the Monkey. Then, before she comprehended what she was doing, she shimmied with all of her strength.
Once more the blood rushed to her face as she realised what she had done. Siegfried's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets, his countenance also as red as a tomato. Acting as if nothing was wrong, Miss King spoke dryly, "I know, 'this is KAOS; we don't shimmy here.'"
"Is zat vat you call zat-zat . . . dance move?"
"Considering the fact that your married, you certainly don't know a lot about women and dance moves that accentuate certain parts of their anatomy."
"It is my conclusion zat I am incredibly lucky."
"I'm sorry, but some types of rhythm put me in giddy moods. Being music illiterate, you wouldn't understand." Another romantic ballad began playing, once more mesmerising Tara into song. When the refrain came along, Tara belted out, "Sha La La La La La La La La means I love you!"
At the same instant the two blurted, "Zis is KAOS; we don't 'Sha La La' here!"
Despite his threat, Siegfried found himself singing the refrain very quietly with Tara the next round. Miss King pretended she didn't see him, but every so often, she would turn to glance at him. The moon would shine on his face, making him almost attractive, especially with a half smile playing on his lips. It also helped that she couldn't see his hideously long scar on his left cheek, which made him appear twice as wicked and sinister, and his eyes weren't agleam with terrorizing fire. In fact, his light eyes were practically dreamy, as if he was remembering a happier time in his life.
He's probably thinking of his wife, Tara thought. It was then that she perceived that Siegfried was not wearing a wedding band! "Do you not wear a wedding ring?" she abruptly enquired.
"Vat-oh, it's here somevere I'm sure." Siegfried patted his pockets absentmindedly.
"I zought it was a suicide ring," shouted the chauffer.
"What on earth do you mean by that?" Tara wondered aloud.
"It means zat if he ever takes his ring off, his vife vill kill him," the goon chuckled.
In spite of her fruitless attempts to remain composed, Tara burst into a fit of giggles. "So do you get all your bad manners and diabolical intentions from your wife, Siegfried?"
"You vill be sorry you laughed at me, Fraulein King!" Conrad snarled as his face turned purple with wrath.
"What are you going to do: give me your suicide ring and threaten to murder me if I take it off? I'm afraid it would have quite the same effect on me as it does on you. So the high and mighty Ludwig von Siegfried is afraid of his wife? Wonders never seem to cease, do they?"
Siegfried used several imprecations, but fortunately he spoke in his native tongue. He pounded on the seat with his clenched fists, stomped his feet like an impertinent child, and began to sulk once more.
Tara realised just how ludicrous it was to be fearful of the German. She had met amateur enemy agents who posed more danger than he! Siegfried was still a child, fighting to free himself and searching in all the wrong places. She didn't know why, but her hatred for him dissolved in that second and was replaced with absolute pity. Tara, you need to rest! She thought to herself. You can't pity any criminal, or one day you just might let all of the villains in the world escape! Just because Siegfried is a pathetic man, it doesn't give you the permission to turn into a soft spy! They don't need your type in any ministry just remember that!
The vehicle pulled up to a decrepit building, which had No Trespassing signs nailed all over it. Tara was ordered out of the car and was commanded to enter the establishment through a small crevice that was barely large enough for her let alone the massive figure of Siegfried. It took a short time for her eyes to grow accustomed to the darkness in room. However as soon as she was able to see in the dark, the chauffeur switched on a lamp.
Remembering the Miss King's threat in the previous warehouse, Siegfried warily nodded for Tara to walk ahead of him down a narrow chamber. He did not want to take the chance that if he happened to goad her, she would lash out in some violent way. He was not in the mood to eschew any onslaught, even if a simple and weak woman performed it.
Miss King was forced to enter a cubicle that was approximately ten by eleven feet wide and long. It was rudimentary quarters with few pieces of furniture and shaggy, brown carpet. There was a dingy cot on one side, a transistor radio opposite the bed, and two chairs and a wooden table all with uneven legs plopped in the middle. There were three windows in the room, two of which were boarded up. The third had quite a steep drop to the ground and faced an open field of brown grass and mud.
"It's very comfortable lodgings," Tara remarked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"I'm glad you like zem so much, cutie," retorted the German in the same tone, "because ziz is vere you vill be shtaying until further arrangements can be made." With a pistol pointed at the young woman's back, Conrad motioned for Tara to sit. "Vhat is ze phone number of Herr Shteed?"
Tara eyed the gun cagily as she gave the required information. Siegfried picked up a phone and dialed the number with a self-satisfied look on his face. Since he was at his ease, Tara was able to creep up next to him and listen to the conversation.
In merry, old England, Steed hurriedly dashed to his telephone. "Hello, John Steed here."
"Allo Mr. Shteed, zis is Ludvig von Siegfried."
"What have you done with Tara, you monster?" Steed demanded tersely. Five pairs of eyes turned to stare at him as he spoke.
"She is safe right now, but zat may not always be ze case unless you comply vith my request," Siegfried handed the phone to Tara so she could speak to her friend.
"Steed, whatever he asks you to do, refuse. My life is not worth saving; I'm prepared to die for the cause." Tara King was about to continue when she felt a heavy hand clamp over her mouth. She got out of Siegfried's grasp to shout, "I told you never to touch me again, you deaf man!"
Conrad ignored her comment to tell Steed, "All I vant are ze secret dossiers and my faithful goon, Shtarker. If you give me zese items, I vill release your friend unharmed, but if you try to trick me, she vill die instantly!"
"How can we possibly give you the papers if we don't know where you are?" Steed asked.
"If you promise to give ze items I vant, zen I vill tell you vhere I am hiding."
John Steed glanced at his tense companions before conceding. "All right, Siegfried we will do whatever you say."
"Good, I like to talk to people who are cooperative." Conrad was about to give them the appropriate information, when Tara tore the phone from him.
"No Steed, the safety of the whole world is more important than I!" Miss King screeched in the phone before it was taken away from her. Once more, Siegfried slapped his hand over her mouth.
"I am in Germany, but you vill have to discover vhere!"
"I don't have time to play games with you, Siegfried!" Steed declared furiously.
"Zen you really don't care zat much about your friend."
"This is Emma Steed and we agree to your terms." Mrs. Peel handed the phone back to her husband. "We really have no choice."
"I'm glad I vas able to change your minds," Ludwig simpered as he spoke. "By ze vay, if you ever find out vhere I am and decide to pay me a visit, bring along Shmart! I vill only release Miss King if I can kill him!"
"You said nothing about that when we agreed to your terms!" protested Steed. "That's not at all fair!"
"ZIS IS KAOS; VE DON"T PLAY FAIR HERE!" Siegfried slammed the phone back onto its cradle. He smiled maliciously at his prisoner as he kept his hand over her lips.
Enraged at his cruel behaviour towards her colleagues and his disregard to her threat, Tara sunk her teeth into his flesh. She clamped harder as she heard her nemesis scream in pain. She didn't stop until she tasted the salty blood in her mouth.
Siegfried's eyes sparked with such powerful anger that Tara was sure she was as good as dead. In a flash, he whipped his hand free from her teeth. In another second his hands were around her slender neck as he squeezed ever so gently. "I could end your life right now if zat's vhat you vant."
"Actually, I would prefer being kept alive," Tara responded tartly. Her pale eyes stared into his, daring him to strangle her.
Realising for the first time just how brave his captive was, Siegfried released his death grip. "I have some business to attend to, so I vill send vone of my men to guard you."
Tara knew that her only possible means of escape was if she worked on the leader, Siegfried. Even if she did manage to convince whatever stooge was watching her to let her go, Tara would still have Conrad to negotiate with. And she was fairly certain he would not let her leave the premises unless she drove him insane, or performed some other devious method on him.
In her most affectionate voice she began, "Ah yes, your men always treated me with such admiration. When Starker was at my flat, he couldn't stop staring at me or my-er-chest. He has such a one-track mind, but that is what makes him so endearing. Did you know he tried to kiss me?"
Siegfried, to say the least, was perplexed. He did not want to leave his captive in the charge of some lonely, love-starved hooligan. Suddenly he wished he hadn't kept his workers away from their wives for such a long time. "All right, I vill shtay here to make sure nozing bad happens to you."
"Why Siegfried," Tara began in mock surprise, "I didn't know you cared."
"I care about my goons, for if zey get into any type of mischief vith a girl, zey von't be able to concentrate on zeir main objective, which is to help me take over ze world."
"I can understand your concern," Miss King remarked dryly.
Conrad pressed a black button on the special KAOS issued walkie-talkie. In a matter of seconds, a burly thug marched into the quarters. He stopped abruptly and asked in a methodical voice, "You sent for me, Sir?"
"I vant you to get me a few blankets and pillows and bring in our dinners also. I vill be vatching Fraulein King vhile she is in our company." Siegfried rolled his eyes as he noticed his goon drooling over Miss King's curvy body. He yelled commands in German, and the brute marched in military style out the door.
"Were you ever in the army by any chance?" Tara asked.
"Yes, I vas a colonel, and I trained each of my men to behave in a military fashion."
"Don't tell me you were in the Third Reich way back in the forties?" Tara began to laugh as she noted Herr Conrad's crimsoned face. "You certainly just dated yourself!"
"Zat may be so, but remember, your friend Shteed vas also in Vorld Var II, so I just date him as vell." Siegfried beamed superiorly at the daunted girl as he added, "It appears zis Shteed fellow and I have more in common zen I realised! Ve vere boz in ze army, ve are boz six foot two, and ve are boz secret agents."
"Yes, but where Steed is debonair and friendly, you are evil and heartless. Steed is handsome, while you are ugly, not only in your appearance but in your soul." Tara clamped her mouth shut as she grasped what she had just said to her archenemy.
Siegfried flashed his angered eyes at her before taking hold of her chin. "I could squish your head, but it would make quite a mess on ze floor." He dropped his hands to his side as he ordered, "Sit down zis instant, girly!"
Tara rubbed her sore chin but did not move. She glared contemptuously at the middle-aged man before her, wondering how long they would tolerate each other before one of them killed the other. She was about to express this idea aloud when Siegfried roared, "I told you vonce and I vill tell you again: SIT DOWN!"
Before she could even stop herself, Tara fell into one of the folding chairs in the centre of the room. Her eyes were riveted on Siegfried and his weapon, a gun that could destroy her life with one pull of the trigger. As the full impact of her hopeless predicament dawned upon her, she heaved a despondent sigh.
To Be Continued!
Tara must have been sleeping, for she jolted from a terrifying dream to hear Conrad Siegfried ordering her to get up. She agonizingly rose to her feet, not ready to face the German barbarian.
"Ve are going to Germany now, Fraulein King."
Miss King started at this information, frightened that if she left the country she might never be found. She had to try to escape! She quickly thought up an excuse to go to her flat and asked beseechingly, "May we go to my apartment to pick up some more clothes? If I'm stuck in this attire, you may grow tired of my stench." She smiled bitterly at the hardened criminal in front of her.
"Very vell," he conceded, "but I vill come into the flat vith you."
"And risk being caught by my friends, who might be waiting there for me?"
"If any of your colleagues are in ze vay, I vill shoot zem down." Ludwig von Siegfried grabbed her wrist with one of his cold hands.
"I told you never to touch me again." Tara wriggled out of his harsh grasp.
The two exited the hideout, not speaking nor looking at each other. They traveled to Tara King's flat in a stony silence that effected Miss King's attitude toward Siegfried immensely. Several minutes ago, she had been petrified of the KAOS agent, but now she was just furious with him for his ill treatment.
They went into her flat by the bottom entrance in case any neighbor found it suspicious that a stranger was escorting Tara around. Knowing this might be her last time, Miss King bravely entered her bedroom. She packed a small but tidy suitcase before replacing her damaged wig for a new short curled one. Then she stepped over to her bedroom window to see how far it was to the ground. Her flat was built into a hill, so the bottom entrance was at ground level, but the rest of her apartment sprang several stories above the ground. This was not the time or place to make her getaway.
She swiftly shut the bedroom door before making her exit with Conrad, his revolver never leaving her head for a moment. The two drove to an abandoned airport outside of London where his plane was waiting. They boarded it, and Siegfried took the controls while Tara sat in the co-pilot seat. Even though she had been trained to fly a plane during drastic circumstances, Tara refused to help her captor.
Miss King realised she needed her rest if she was to ever outwit the crafty villain, so she closed her eyes and went to sleep again. She was in Germany when she awoke-alone, but not frightened. A new emotion had replaced the fear she had once felt for the tyrant: unadulterated hatred. She despised him more than any other abominable crook she had ever met.
It's only a matter of time before you conquer this monster, Tara thought to herself as she stepped out of the airplane with her luggage. She was jarred from her musings when Siegfried shoved her into an old Volkswagen. Another KAOS agent was chauffeuring the car, so Siegfried sat in the back with her.
Tara went over the methods she had learned at the Non-violent Way to Subdue Your Enemies seminar. She could befriend Siegfried, talk him out of whatever he was doing, drive him out of his mind, or make him fall in love with her. Tara King chose the first option, and immediately went to work. "So where is your lovely wife, Herr Siegfried?"
"Vhat do you care about my vife?"
"I just thought that since we're going to be spending all this time together we ought to be sociable." Tara shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly as she stared vapidly at him.
"My vife is at home, and I von't tell you vere my home is, all right girly?"
"I wonder what she saw in you," Tara lashed out.
"Even if you find zis hard to believe, I don't act zis vay in front of her, Fraulein. She isn't impertinent, meddlesome, nor vorking for ze enemy." Siegfried slouched in his corner of the car seat, his forehead creased with fury.
"It must be interesting to see you when you're gazing lovingly at your wife, instead of scowling out the window." Tara felt the rage that had settled over the easily incensed German. She suddenly wished Herr Siegfried was sitting in the front with his minion.
Much to her relief, the chauffer switched on the radio, and an upbeat English tune blared out the speakers. Miss King began tapping her toe to the rhythm before singing along. She soon was so immersed in the music she almost forgot about the stalwart man seated next to her. As the song ended and another one began, she glanced over at Siegfried, who was glaring petulantly at her.
"Vat on earth are you doing, Fraulein?"
"This is called singing, Mr. Siegfried," was the caustic retort. Tara resumed her singing, reciting the lyrics by memory. "There she was just a walking down the street, singing 'Do Wah Diddy, Diddy Dum, Diddy Do.'"
It appeared Conrad was trying urgently to control his temper, for he pursed his lips together and said, "Uh Tara, zis is KAOS; we don't 'Do Wah Diddy' here."
"I think you just added that rule," Miss King replied, not the least bit offended. She commenced her singing, "'She looked good, she looked fine, and I nearly lost my mind!'"
"You are going to lose your life if you don't shtop zat infernal racket!" screeched Ludwig.
"Haven't you ever tried singing to lift your spirits, or does nothing make you happy?"
"I don't have time to be cheerful, and neizer do you."
"Don't decide what I can and cannot do!" Tara snapped in a fit of righteous anger.
"Don't contradict me, girly!"
It was at this moment that Tara decided to change her tactics in subduing her enemy. Evidently he was not in the mood to become friendly with her, so she would have to resort to driving him insane. Since Siegfried was already partly demented, she knew it would take her only several attempts to push him over the edge. Putting her new escape method into effect, she exclaimed, "I like being referred to as 'girly'; it sounds so warm and feminine, two things that I am."
"I was trying to insult you, ignorant girl."
"Your attempts to insult are all futile, Herr Siegfried, so you might as well save your voice for yelling out instructions and threats." Tara's comment seemed to sober the German, for he fell into another one of his sullen stupors. The undaunted Miss King began singing a love ballad that was now playing on the radio. As she crooned, she glanced out the window at the sky.
The moon peeped out from behind a rain cloud, shining its resplendent rays onto the ground and into the automobile. Tara gasped as she breathed, "It's a full moon, and it's so bright, it's lighting up the inside of our car! Have you ever seen anything so beautiful in your life?" With a jolt she remembered to whom she was speaking, but to her shock Siegfried answered her.
"It's never looked so big and dazzling before."
"Do you suppose it's a good or a bad omen?" Tara King turned to look at Conrad, but he had lapsed into his silence. She cast her eyes to the carpeted floor and suddenly felt his penetrating gaze upon her. For some unfathomable reason, Tara felt her face flush red and burn. Was she embarrassed at her juvenile behaviour? Did it really matter what this beast thought of her?
Fortunately, another rock and roll tune resonated out of the speakers, causing Tara to forget her strange demeanor. She began to sing and jig in her seat, not heeding the bemused look she was receiving from Conrad. She snapped her fingers, twisted, bobbed her head, and did the arm movements from the Monkey. Then, before she comprehended what she was doing, she shimmied with all of her strength.
Once more the blood rushed to her face as she realised what she had done. Siegfried's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets, his countenance also as red as a tomato. Acting as if nothing was wrong, Miss King spoke dryly, "I know, 'this is KAOS; we don't shimmy here.'"
"Is zat vat you call zat-zat . . . dance move?"
"Considering the fact that your married, you certainly don't know a lot about women and dance moves that accentuate certain parts of their anatomy."
"It is my conclusion zat I am incredibly lucky."
"I'm sorry, but some types of rhythm put me in giddy moods. Being music illiterate, you wouldn't understand." Another romantic ballad began playing, once more mesmerising Tara into song. When the refrain came along, Tara belted out, "Sha La La La La La La La La means I love you!"
At the same instant the two blurted, "Zis is KAOS; we don't 'Sha La La' here!"
Despite his threat, Siegfried found himself singing the refrain very quietly with Tara the next round. Miss King pretended she didn't see him, but every so often, she would turn to glance at him. The moon would shine on his face, making him almost attractive, especially with a half smile playing on his lips. It also helped that she couldn't see his hideously long scar on his left cheek, which made him appear twice as wicked and sinister, and his eyes weren't agleam with terrorizing fire. In fact, his light eyes were practically dreamy, as if he was remembering a happier time in his life.
He's probably thinking of his wife, Tara thought. It was then that she perceived that Siegfried was not wearing a wedding band! "Do you not wear a wedding ring?" she abruptly enquired.
"Vat-oh, it's here somevere I'm sure." Siegfried patted his pockets absentmindedly.
"I zought it was a suicide ring," shouted the chauffer.
"What on earth do you mean by that?" Tara wondered aloud.
"It means zat if he ever takes his ring off, his vife vill kill him," the goon chuckled.
In spite of her fruitless attempts to remain composed, Tara burst into a fit of giggles. "So do you get all your bad manners and diabolical intentions from your wife, Siegfried?"
"You vill be sorry you laughed at me, Fraulein King!" Conrad snarled as his face turned purple with wrath.
"What are you going to do: give me your suicide ring and threaten to murder me if I take it off? I'm afraid it would have quite the same effect on me as it does on you. So the high and mighty Ludwig von Siegfried is afraid of his wife? Wonders never seem to cease, do they?"
Siegfried used several imprecations, but fortunately he spoke in his native tongue. He pounded on the seat with his clenched fists, stomped his feet like an impertinent child, and began to sulk once more.
Tara realised just how ludicrous it was to be fearful of the German. She had met amateur enemy agents who posed more danger than he! Siegfried was still a child, fighting to free himself and searching in all the wrong places. She didn't know why, but her hatred for him dissolved in that second and was replaced with absolute pity. Tara, you need to rest! She thought to herself. You can't pity any criminal, or one day you just might let all of the villains in the world escape! Just because Siegfried is a pathetic man, it doesn't give you the permission to turn into a soft spy! They don't need your type in any ministry just remember that!
The vehicle pulled up to a decrepit building, which had No Trespassing signs nailed all over it. Tara was ordered out of the car and was commanded to enter the establishment through a small crevice that was barely large enough for her let alone the massive figure of Siegfried. It took a short time for her eyes to grow accustomed to the darkness in room. However as soon as she was able to see in the dark, the chauffeur switched on a lamp.
Remembering the Miss King's threat in the previous warehouse, Siegfried warily nodded for Tara to walk ahead of him down a narrow chamber. He did not want to take the chance that if he happened to goad her, she would lash out in some violent way. He was not in the mood to eschew any onslaught, even if a simple and weak woman performed it.
Miss King was forced to enter a cubicle that was approximately ten by eleven feet wide and long. It was rudimentary quarters with few pieces of furniture and shaggy, brown carpet. There was a dingy cot on one side, a transistor radio opposite the bed, and two chairs and a wooden table all with uneven legs plopped in the middle. There were three windows in the room, two of which were boarded up. The third had quite a steep drop to the ground and faced an open field of brown grass and mud.
"It's very comfortable lodgings," Tara remarked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"I'm glad you like zem so much, cutie," retorted the German in the same tone, "because ziz is vere you vill be shtaying until further arrangements can be made." With a pistol pointed at the young woman's back, Conrad motioned for Tara to sit. "Vhat is ze phone number of Herr Shteed?"
Tara eyed the gun cagily as she gave the required information. Siegfried picked up a phone and dialed the number with a self-satisfied look on his face. Since he was at his ease, Tara was able to creep up next to him and listen to the conversation.
In merry, old England, Steed hurriedly dashed to his telephone. "Hello, John Steed here."
"Allo Mr. Shteed, zis is Ludvig von Siegfried."
"What have you done with Tara, you monster?" Steed demanded tersely. Five pairs of eyes turned to stare at him as he spoke.
"She is safe right now, but zat may not always be ze case unless you comply vith my request," Siegfried handed the phone to Tara so she could speak to her friend.
"Steed, whatever he asks you to do, refuse. My life is not worth saving; I'm prepared to die for the cause." Tara King was about to continue when she felt a heavy hand clamp over her mouth. She got out of Siegfried's grasp to shout, "I told you never to touch me again, you deaf man!"
Conrad ignored her comment to tell Steed, "All I vant are ze secret dossiers and my faithful goon, Shtarker. If you give me zese items, I vill release your friend unharmed, but if you try to trick me, she vill die instantly!"
"How can we possibly give you the papers if we don't know where you are?" Steed asked.
"If you promise to give ze items I vant, zen I vill tell you vhere I am hiding."
John Steed glanced at his tense companions before conceding. "All right, Siegfried we will do whatever you say."
"Good, I like to talk to people who are cooperative." Conrad was about to give them the appropriate information, when Tara tore the phone from him.
"No Steed, the safety of the whole world is more important than I!" Miss King screeched in the phone before it was taken away from her. Once more, Siegfried slapped his hand over her mouth.
"I am in Germany, but you vill have to discover vhere!"
"I don't have time to play games with you, Siegfried!" Steed declared furiously.
"Zen you really don't care zat much about your friend."
"This is Emma Steed and we agree to your terms." Mrs. Peel handed the phone back to her husband. "We really have no choice."
"I'm glad I vas able to change your minds," Ludwig simpered as he spoke. "By ze vay, if you ever find out vhere I am and decide to pay me a visit, bring along Shmart! I vill only release Miss King if I can kill him!"
"You said nothing about that when we agreed to your terms!" protested Steed. "That's not at all fair!"
"ZIS IS KAOS; VE DON"T PLAY FAIR HERE!" Siegfried slammed the phone back onto its cradle. He smiled maliciously at his prisoner as he kept his hand over her lips.
Enraged at his cruel behaviour towards her colleagues and his disregard to her threat, Tara sunk her teeth into his flesh. She clamped harder as she heard her nemesis scream in pain. She didn't stop until she tasted the salty blood in her mouth.
Siegfried's eyes sparked with such powerful anger that Tara was sure she was as good as dead. In a flash, he whipped his hand free from her teeth. In another second his hands were around her slender neck as he squeezed ever so gently. "I could end your life right now if zat's vhat you vant."
"Actually, I would prefer being kept alive," Tara responded tartly. Her pale eyes stared into his, daring him to strangle her.
Realising for the first time just how brave his captive was, Siegfried released his death grip. "I have some business to attend to, so I vill send vone of my men to guard you."
Tara knew that her only possible means of escape was if she worked on the leader, Siegfried. Even if she did manage to convince whatever stooge was watching her to let her go, Tara would still have Conrad to negotiate with. And she was fairly certain he would not let her leave the premises unless she drove him insane, or performed some other devious method on him.
In her most affectionate voice she began, "Ah yes, your men always treated me with such admiration. When Starker was at my flat, he couldn't stop staring at me or my-er-chest. He has such a one-track mind, but that is what makes him so endearing. Did you know he tried to kiss me?"
Siegfried, to say the least, was perplexed. He did not want to leave his captive in the charge of some lonely, love-starved hooligan. Suddenly he wished he hadn't kept his workers away from their wives for such a long time. "All right, I vill shtay here to make sure nozing bad happens to you."
"Why Siegfried," Tara began in mock surprise, "I didn't know you cared."
"I care about my goons, for if zey get into any type of mischief vith a girl, zey von't be able to concentrate on zeir main objective, which is to help me take over ze world."
"I can understand your concern," Miss King remarked dryly.
Conrad pressed a black button on the special KAOS issued walkie-talkie. In a matter of seconds, a burly thug marched into the quarters. He stopped abruptly and asked in a methodical voice, "You sent for me, Sir?"
"I vant you to get me a few blankets and pillows and bring in our dinners also. I vill be vatching Fraulein King vhile she is in our company." Siegfried rolled his eyes as he noticed his goon drooling over Miss King's curvy body. He yelled commands in German, and the brute marched in military style out the door.
"Were you ever in the army by any chance?" Tara asked.
"Yes, I vas a colonel, and I trained each of my men to behave in a military fashion."
"Don't tell me you were in the Third Reich way back in the forties?" Tara began to laugh as she noted Herr Conrad's crimsoned face. "You certainly just dated yourself!"
"Zat may be so, but remember, your friend Shteed vas also in Vorld Var II, so I just date him as vell." Siegfried beamed superiorly at the daunted girl as he added, "It appears zis Shteed fellow and I have more in common zen I realised! Ve vere boz in ze army, ve are boz six foot two, and ve are boz secret agents."
"Yes, but where Steed is debonair and friendly, you are evil and heartless. Steed is handsome, while you are ugly, not only in your appearance but in your soul." Tara clamped her mouth shut as she grasped what she had just said to her archenemy.
Siegfried flashed his angered eyes at her before taking hold of her chin. "I could squish your head, but it would make quite a mess on ze floor." He dropped his hands to his side as he ordered, "Sit down zis instant, girly!"
Tara rubbed her sore chin but did not move. She glared contemptuously at the middle-aged man before her, wondering how long they would tolerate each other before one of them killed the other. She was about to express this idea aloud when Siegfried roared, "I told you vonce and I vill tell you again: SIT DOWN!"
Before she could even stop herself, Tara fell into one of the folding chairs in the centre of the room. Her eyes were riveted on Siegfried and his weapon, a gun that could destroy her life with one pull of the trigger. As the full impact of her hopeless predicament dawned upon her, she heaved a despondent sigh.
To Be Continued!