Conclusion
Tara faltered for a moment before turning to face her adversary. She had discovered that he was a good aim, so there was no doubt he could kill her at that very instant. However, he had had the opportunity yesterday, yet had not taken it. She collectively limped across the gravel to the villain, her eyes interlocked with his.
She saw Conrad's face turn pale as she drew nearer, but he did not pull the trigger. Instead, he gripped it tighter if it were humanly possible, his knuckles turning as blanche as his countenance.
Tara's distressed, black leather jacket crinkled with each movement as did her black turtleneck and culottes. She couldn't step any closer to Siegfried, or her large bosom would collide with his chest. Slowly she laid a hand on his pistol in the same manner as with Starker a few minutes ago. She felt a wave of dizziness wash over her as she put the gun to her heart. Her free hand caressed Siegfried's free one and she placed it on the weapon.
She was challenging Siegfried in her irritating way. She was giving him permission to murder her in cold blood, taking for granted that he wouldn't, but he would show her! He would not let her live this time; he would not give in to his emotional and pitying side. Conrad pursed his lips together, intent on pulling the trigger, but something checked him.
Tara King was standing complacently with her full lips formed in a half smile and her light blue eyes challenging him. How dare she have the nerve to bewitch him with those large, beautiful eyes!
"There isn't anybody to stop you from shooting me, not even Steed with his gun," Tara whispered in her intoxicating voice. She stared at him, he at her, and for a moment no one dared breathe.
Steed, Emma, 99 and Max gazed at Miss King in horrified fascination. "I can't hear what she is saying," whined Maxwell to his wife. 99 hushed him then laid a soothing arm on his shoulder to show she was not annoyed with him.
Tara's heart must have been palpitating at twice the normal speed, but if she had been omniscient she would have realised that so was Siegfried's. For the fist time in his life, he faced an urgent dilemma, one that couldn't be easily solved by murder. As he stared at Tara's beguiling face, the sweat began to pour from his.
Suddenly, in a convulsed voice Conrad Siegfried muttered, "Curse you, Tara King, curse you again!" The pistol fell from his clasp, clattering onto the ground. "I don't know vy, but I can't kill you-I never could. You are a very frustrating voman!"
"Am I aggravating because I trust in you so much?" Tara asked coolly. She bent over to pick up the pistol, and Siegfried took this opportune moment to flee into the night.
"Don't just stand there gaping; shoot him before he gets away!" Max commanded desperately.
Steed pointed his gun at Siegfried, but Tara shouted, "DON'T YOU DARE HURT HIM!" Confusedly, Mr. Steed lowered the gun, exchanging glances between the other spies.
Tara held his automatic pistol in her hand, gazing at the receding figure of Ludwig von Siegfried. Once or twice, the tall German glanced back, but then he trekked on into the darkness. Miss King sighed deeply before walking over to her stupefied companions.
"You could've killed him, and you did nothing!" screeched Mr. Smart. "I've never had such an advantage, but you had it and wasted it and also prevented Steed from using his weapon!"
"Max, your complaining is not going to accomplish anything either," Mrs. Smart reminded him.
"Why did you let him escape, Tara?" Emma Steed questioned her gently.
"I couldn't harm him, not after he spared my life three times. Don't ask me why, but I couldn't pull the trigger." Miss King let the arm that was holding the pistol drop to her side.
"Your job as a spy is to kill those enemies who attempt to get away!" protested Steed.
"If I'd shot Siegfried I'd be no better then he. We are supposed to be the lawful citizens, the people everyone looks up to. How can a child have us for role models if we go around shooting people all the time?"
"So are you now going to condone criminals and murderers?" Smart asked vehemently.
"No, that's not what I'm saying. What I'm trying to tell you is that I couldn't slay Conra-Siegfried. He wasn't just another villain like the millions I met before with no feelings and conscience. He wasn't on our side by any means, but there was a part of him that was good, albeit a small percentage."
"But he kidnapped and tortured you, Tara!" John Steed cried. He wondered what madness had possessed his former pupil.
"I know, but for some inexplicable reason I managed to forgive him. It wasn't the treacherous, murderous Siegfried that I saw running away just now, but the gentle Siegfried who fed me, laughed with me, and confided in me." The phrase, "and kiss me," was on her tongue, but she managed to hold it back. Tara King turned a crimsoned face away from her flabbergasted peers as she concluded, "You couldn't possibly understand me."
There was a moment of discomfiting silence, and then Mrs. Emma Steed spoke. "I always felt that you were the most compassionate of us Avengers, and now I know for certain I was right. Most people preach about loving their enemies, but few practice it in real life. You are one of those few who have learned how to love anyone no matter what grave felony he or she has committed against you." Emma stepped up to the young woman in order to give her trembling hand a reassuring squeeze. "I am proud to have you as my friend and partner in crime fighting."
Tara felt a lump rise in her throat as she listened to Mrs. Steed's discourse. She had finally won respect and regard from the woman whom Steed loved the most. It was an overwhelming experience, one that would not be forgotten.
To add to Tara King's ecstasy, Steed came to stand on her other side. He still did fully comprehend what had happened to his little girl. True, he now knew she was a mature young woman, but he was still confused as to what had happened to the spy who had worshipped the ground he walked on. Nevertheless he and his two female companions trotted lithely back to the two cars.
Not grasping what had just occurred between Emma and Tara, the bewildered Smarts quickly followed with Starker in their custody.
Steed started his auto, his headlights glaring brightly on the distant figure of Siegfried. Tara gazed one last time at the German's silhouette before entering Emma's Lotus with a reluctant Starker.
"Funny, I wonder why I couldn't stop him," she murmured to herself. "I wonder . . ." She shook her head, as if awakening herself from a reverie.
Far up on a steep hill, Conrad Siegfried, agent extraordinaire, stared fondly one last time at Miss King. Then he disappeared over the mound, his shadow mingling with the heavy darkness.
Tag
"I give you a toast to the future Mr. and Mrs. Martin King!" Steed announced in his debonair voice as he lifted a champagne glass high in the air. "May they live long and healthy in Africa, and may they help many people!"
"Cheers!" Emma, Tara, Cathy, Martin, Max and 99 chorused in unison. The merry group clinked their glasses before sipping their liquids. Emma and 99, both breastfeeding their babies, were the only two who didn't drink alcohol. They had alcohol-free spumante, which served as an adequate substitute.
The seven secret agents were congregated in Miss King's flat to have the long awaited fete for Cathy and Martin. It was decided they should celebrate at Tara's apartment after the Smarts arrived, making the party larger. The Steeds home was not spacious enough to hold that many people.
"When are you leaving for Africa?" Mrs. Smart queried the bubbling pair of lovebirds.
"Most of our clothing is already at our new house, but we and our furniture don't move until the fifteenth of the month," Mrs. Gale responded.
"I've always wanted to go on an African Safari," Maxwell Smart said dreamily.
"You must come and visit us some time, Mr. Smart," Martin King graciously offered.
"It will have to be after the twins are a little older, though," 99 remarked sagaciously.
"I'm glad we could finally have this party." Tara exhaled slowly as she slumped onto her sofa.
"Speaking of which, I think this celebration is officially over!" Steed finished off his third glass of champers with a satisfactory sigh.
"Yes, the last couple hours have been wonderful, but it's time we returned to the hotel," Agent 99 said. "We have an early plane to catch tomorrow morning."
"Why do we have to leave when I just got accustomed to all this rain?" Max asked despondently.
"If you happen to come to England again, we'll be more than pleased to visit with you," Emma Peel told them earnestly. Katie giggled her agreement much to the amusement of all.
Emma's husband gave her a withering look that clearly indicated he never wanted to see Maxwell Smart again. Steed set his glass down on the table and noticed an anonymous letter addressed to Tara. "Do you have a secret admirer, you sly creature?"
"It's probably from my single neighbour," Tara replied flippantly. "He's been extremely persistent about asking me on a date ever since he discovered you were married, Steed." After this remark, the three couples found it best to bid their adieus to Miss King.
Once certain she was alone, Tara King ripped opened the envelope from her "secret admirer." To her relative surprise, she found it was from Conrad von Siegfried and went as follows:
Dear Fraulein King--Tara,
I don't usually write letters, especially personal, friendly ones, so bear with me. I am reluctant to say that I met my match in the form of you. Can you believe that a woman-a twenty-three-year-old-beat me at my game? Well, I hope you are pleased with yourself, cutie, because it took me a whole lot of gumption to write that last sentence.
I just wanted to tell you that I will be out of the country until this whole case cools off. By the time you get this letter I will be on some tropical island, basking in the sunlight.
The two hideouts where I kept you as my captive have been burned to the ground, eliminating all the evidence. You might think you have the upper hand on me since Starker is in prison and you have my weapons in your possession, but remember this: Starker can only talk, not prove anything, and those guns have so many fingerprints on it, I highly doubt you can find mine.
Am I cheeky? Definitely. Do I care? No.
So I leave you with this thought: You are one stubborn woman! I still think you have some German blood in you.
Conrad Siegfried
Underneath was a postscript that made Tara smile as she read it. In her joviality, the letter fluttered from her hands onto the floor. Her antique lamp caught the last sentence, which went as follows:
P.S. You haven't seen the last of me--Girly.
Tara faltered for a moment before turning to face her adversary. She had discovered that he was a good aim, so there was no doubt he could kill her at that very instant. However, he had had the opportunity yesterday, yet had not taken it. She collectively limped across the gravel to the villain, her eyes interlocked with his.
She saw Conrad's face turn pale as she drew nearer, but he did not pull the trigger. Instead, he gripped it tighter if it were humanly possible, his knuckles turning as blanche as his countenance.
Tara's distressed, black leather jacket crinkled with each movement as did her black turtleneck and culottes. She couldn't step any closer to Siegfried, or her large bosom would collide with his chest. Slowly she laid a hand on his pistol in the same manner as with Starker a few minutes ago. She felt a wave of dizziness wash over her as she put the gun to her heart. Her free hand caressed Siegfried's free one and she placed it on the weapon.
She was challenging Siegfried in her irritating way. She was giving him permission to murder her in cold blood, taking for granted that he wouldn't, but he would show her! He would not let her live this time; he would not give in to his emotional and pitying side. Conrad pursed his lips together, intent on pulling the trigger, but something checked him.
Tara King was standing complacently with her full lips formed in a half smile and her light blue eyes challenging him. How dare she have the nerve to bewitch him with those large, beautiful eyes!
"There isn't anybody to stop you from shooting me, not even Steed with his gun," Tara whispered in her intoxicating voice. She stared at him, he at her, and for a moment no one dared breathe.
Steed, Emma, 99 and Max gazed at Miss King in horrified fascination. "I can't hear what she is saying," whined Maxwell to his wife. 99 hushed him then laid a soothing arm on his shoulder to show she was not annoyed with him.
Tara's heart must have been palpitating at twice the normal speed, but if she had been omniscient she would have realised that so was Siegfried's. For the fist time in his life, he faced an urgent dilemma, one that couldn't be easily solved by murder. As he stared at Tara's beguiling face, the sweat began to pour from his.
Suddenly, in a convulsed voice Conrad Siegfried muttered, "Curse you, Tara King, curse you again!" The pistol fell from his clasp, clattering onto the ground. "I don't know vy, but I can't kill you-I never could. You are a very frustrating voman!"
"Am I aggravating because I trust in you so much?" Tara asked coolly. She bent over to pick up the pistol, and Siegfried took this opportune moment to flee into the night.
"Don't just stand there gaping; shoot him before he gets away!" Max commanded desperately.
Steed pointed his gun at Siegfried, but Tara shouted, "DON'T YOU DARE HURT HIM!" Confusedly, Mr. Steed lowered the gun, exchanging glances between the other spies.
Tara held his automatic pistol in her hand, gazing at the receding figure of Ludwig von Siegfried. Once or twice, the tall German glanced back, but then he trekked on into the darkness. Miss King sighed deeply before walking over to her stupefied companions.
"You could've killed him, and you did nothing!" screeched Mr. Smart. "I've never had such an advantage, but you had it and wasted it and also prevented Steed from using his weapon!"
"Max, your complaining is not going to accomplish anything either," Mrs. Smart reminded him.
"Why did you let him escape, Tara?" Emma Steed questioned her gently.
"I couldn't harm him, not after he spared my life three times. Don't ask me why, but I couldn't pull the trigger." Miss King let the arm that was holding the pistol drop to her side.
"Your job as a spy is to kill those enemies who attempt to get away!" protested Steed.
"If I'd shot Siegfried I'd be no better then he. We are supposed to be the lawful citizens, the people everyone looks up to. How can a child have us for role models if we go around shooting people all the time?"
"So are you now going to condone criminals and murderers?" Smart asked vehemently.
"No, that's not what I'm saying. What I'm trying to tell you is that I couldn't slay Conra-Siegfried. He wasn't just another villain like the millions I met before with no feelings and conscience. He wasn't on our side by any means, but there was a part of him that was good, albeit a small percentage."
"But he kidnapped and tortured you, Tara!" John Steed cried. He wondered what madness had possessed his former pupil.
"I know, but for some inexplicable reason I managed to forgive him. It wasn't the treacherous, murderous Siegfried that I saw running away just now, but the gentle Siegfried who fed me, laughed with me, and confided in me." The phrase, "and kiss me," was on her tongue, but she managed to hold it back. Tara King turned a crimsoned face away from her flabbergasted peers as she concluded, "You couldn't possibly understand me."
There was a moment of discomfiting silence, and then Mrs. Emma Steed spoke. "I always felt that you were the most compassionate of us Avengers, and now I know for certain I was right. Most people preach about loving their enemies, but few practice it in real life. You are one of those few who have learned how to love anyone no matter what grave felony he or she has committed against you." Emma stepped up to the young woman in order to give her trembling hand a reassuring squeeze. "I am proud to have you as my friend and partner in crime fighting."
Tara felt a lump rise in her throat as she listened to Mrs. Steed's discourse. She had finally won respect and regard from the woman whom Steed loved the most. It was an overwhelming experience, one that would not be forgotten.
To add to Tara King's ecstasy, Steed came to stand on her other side. He still did fully comprehend what had happened to his little girl. True, he now knew she was a mature young woman, but he was still confused as to what had happened to the spy who had worshipped the ground he walked on. Nevertheless he and his two female companions trotted lithely back to the two cars.
Not grasping what had just occurred between Emma and Tara, the bewildered Smarts quickly followed with Starker in their custody.
Steed started his auto, his headlights glaring brightly on the distant figure of Siegfried. Tara gazed one last time at the German's silhouette before entering Emma's Lotus with a reluctant Starker.
"Funny, I wonder why I couldn't stop him," she murmured to herself. "I wonder . . ." She shook her head, as if awakening herself from a reverie.
Far up on a steep hill, Conrad Siegfried, agent extraordinaire, stared fondly one last time at Miss King. Then he disappeared over the mound, his shadow mingling with the heavy darkness.
Tag
"I give you a toast to the future Mr. and Mrs. Martin King!" Steed announced in his debonair voice as he lifted a champagne glass high in the air. "May they live long and healthy in Africa, and may they help many people!"
"Cheers!" Emma, Tara, Cathy, Martin, Max and 99 chorused in unison. The merry group clinked their glasses before sipping their liquids. Emma and 99, both breastfeeding their babies, were the only two who didn't drink alcohol. They had alcohol-free spumante, which served as an adequate substitute.
The seven secret agents were congregated in Miss King's flat to have the long awaited fete for Cathy and Martin. It was decided they should celebrate at Tara's apartment after the Smarts arrived, making the party larger. The Steeds home was not spacious enough to hold that many people.
"When are you leaving for Africa?" Mrs. Smart queried the bubbling pair of lovebirds.
"Most of our clothing is already at our new house, but we and our furniture don't move until the fifteenth of the month," Mrs. Gale responded.
"I've always wanted to go on an African Safari," Maxwell Smart said dreamily.
"You must come and visit us some time, Mr. Smart," Martin King graciously offered.
"It will have to be after the twins are a little older, though," 99 remarked sagaciously.
"I'm glad we could finally have this party." Tara exhaled slowly as she slumped onto her sofa.
"Speaking of which, I think this celebration is officially over!" Steed finished off his third glass of champers with a satisfactory sigh.
"Yes, the last couple hours have been wonderful, but it's time we returned to the hotel," Agent 99 said. "We have an early plane to catch tomorrow morning."
"Why do we have to leave when I just got accustomed to all this rain?" Max asked despondently.
"If you happen to come to England again, we'll be more than pleased to visit with you," Emma Peel told them earnestly. Katie giggled her agreement much to the amusement of all.
Emma's husband gave her a withering look that clearly indicated he never wanted to see Maxwell Smart again. Steed set his glass down on the table and noticed an anonymous letter addressed to Tara. "Do you have a secret admirer, you sly creature?"
"It's probably from my single neighbour," Tara replied flippantly. "He's been extremely persistent about asking me on a date ever since he discovered you were married, Steed." After this remark, the three couples found it best to bid their adieus to Miss King.
Once certain she was alone, Tara King ripped opened the envelope from her "secret admirer." To her relative surprise, she found it was from Conrad von Siegfried and went as follows:
Dear Fraulein King--Tara,
I don't usually write letters, especially personal, friendly ones, so bear with me. I am reluctant to say that I met my match in the form of you. Can you believe that a woman-a twenty-three-year-old-beat me at my game? Well, I hope you are pleased with yourself, cutie, because it took me a whole lot of gumption to write that last sentence.
I just wanted to tell you that I will be out of the country until this whole case cools off. By the time you get this letter I will be on some tropical island, basking in the sunlight.
The two hideouts where I kept you as my captive have been burned to the ground, eliminating all the evidence. You might think you have the upper hand on me since Starker is in prison and you have my weapons in your possession, but remember this: Starker can only talk, not prove anything, and those guns have so many fingerprints on it, I highly doubt you can find mine.
Am I cheeky? Definitely. Do I care? No.
So I leave you with this thought: You are one stubborn woman! I still think you have some German blood in you.
Conrad Siegfried
Underneath was a postscript that made Tara smile as she read it. In her joviality, the letter fluttered from her hands onto the floor. Her antique lamp caught the last sentence, which went as follows:
P.S. You haven't seen the last of me--Girly.
