Chapter Twenty-Four
Outskirts of Paris, France
September, 1947
The Boss was up staring intently at the campfire as the other members of the unit slept peacefully around her. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't close her eyes and fall asleep. Her mind kept spinning a mile a minute; it was hard to believe that this would be the Cobra unit's final mission together. The war had ended two years earlier and they were now relegated to doing clean up missions for the US government.
All of Europe, since the fall of the Nazi party, had been in absolute chaos. There were rebellions, skirmishes, and constant threats posed by lingering Nazi sympathizers who tried to rebuild the Nazi party. Europe was spiraling out of control and the climate was far more dangerous now then it was during the war.
No matter how dangerous it was in Europe currently, this last mission was very bittersweet for The Boss. They began their first mission and France and they would finish their final mission in France. Ironically enough, they were sent to find the same man, Chapin Beaumont, a Nazi sympathizer and traitor to the French resistance in the early days of the war.
According to the three generals Beaumont was trying to rebuild the Nazi party in and around Paris and his deranged plan to resurrect the party was beginning to gain a small following. He had about ten to fifteen people in his group and they were causing problems of various sorts. Beaumont and his gang had taken to killing Allied soldiers as well as kidnapping officials around Paris, and holding them for astronomical ransoms. This illicit activity has been going on with Beaumont and his group for nearly a year now. In addition to these crimes, he and his gang had gained a reputation for robbing banks and other financial institutions in and around the area. No doubt the money from these ill-gotten ventures was being used to fund the restoration of the new Nazi party.
Beaumont, however, made a critical lapse in judgment when he preformed his last heist. The bank that he had chosen in a recent caper was owned and operated by The Philosophers and was one of their most important financial institutions. Moreover, the money he had absconded with was a small percentage of the now divided Philosophers Legacy. But it did not matter how large or small the amount taken; no one would ever dare steal money from The Philosophers and expect to get away with the crime. When news that a percentage of the legacy had been stolen, the US, Russia, and China all demanded all persons involved be found and executed quickly.
The Boss groaned in disgust as she thought about this mission. A mission like this could have easily been taken care of by any of the Philosophers assassin squads or mercenary groups that remained in the area. Why send the Cobras in for an execution? A mission such as this was so beneath the Cobra units' talents and abilities. The only reason possible reason why they were sent on this mission was to continually punish her for hiding her pregnancy. Three years later and they were still harboring deep seeded resentment about Adam; when would they ever let it rest?
Turning her gaze away from the campfire, The Boss sighed sorrowfully. Her child was now three years old and more then likely knew nothing of his parents. God only knows what nonsense The Philosopher's have been filling his mind with. Knowing how cruel they were, they more than likely told him that his parents were dead or that they did not love and abandoned him. If only there were some way to see him, just once; to let him know that his parents were still alive and loved him dearly, but it was no use. The likelihood of them ever seeing Adam was non-existent. It was three years later, but the pain of loosing him to the Philosopher's was still fresh as the day it happened.
The Boss sighed again and tried to settle down for a good nights sleep. Finally a wave of exhaustion swept over her. Her eyelids began to feel heavy and her body practically fainted with fatigue. After tossing and turning in her sleeping bag for a few moments longer, The Boss finally closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
It was a dreary grey morning as The Cobra Unit woke up from their sleep and made preparations for the mission. Once everything was prepared they all sat by the fire and partook in this morning's meal which consisted of fresh eggs, sausage, bacon, potatoes, toast and more importantly fresh coffee. Everything was so thoughtfully prepared by The Sorrow, who had recently become the unit's resident chef. This bountiful breakfast was such a much welcomed treat for the weary unit who normally dined on leftover wild animals from the night before and drank water; however their good fortune came from a nearby farmer who was kind enough to give them food and supplies they would need for this mission. According to The End and The Fury, the farmer was a benevolent man who was key member in the French Resistance during the days of the war. He understood the sacrifices The Cobras were undertaking currently and was more then happy to help in anyway he could.
As they all sat around the fire partaking in this wonderful feast, The Boss looked at the unit and she smiled. This would be the last time they would all be together like this. She knew when she created The Cobras that it would not last forever, but after going into the fray so many times and surviving the most brutal battles and dangerous missions it was hard to say good-bye to them. They all had been through so much together in the five years, to see it end was rather heartbreaking.
"It seems that this will be our last meal together gentlemen." The Boss said putting down her empty plate. "You must tell me, what will you all do with yourselves after our mission is over?"
The Fury, who was always the least talkative of the Cobra unit, spoke up immediately, "I intend to return to Russia and work in the development of weapons."
"What kind of weapons." The Boss asked.
"I've heard Russia is making strides in missile development." He answered. "I would love to help with their development."
"What about you The End?" The Fury asked. "What do you intend to do?"
"I'm not sure." The End said softly. "I'm never really certain about what to do with myself when I'm not in battle. Perhaps I'll just retreat back into the woods and live my remaining days as a hunter and trapper."
"But that's my profession." The Fear chimed in.
Everyone laughed.
"What about you Fear?" The Fury asked. "What will you do?"
"I may join back with my old mercenary group." He said. "I hear the region where I grew up is in turmoil again; I must fight to defend my countryside."
"And you Pain?" The Boss asked.
"Thanks to you and our successful unit, I will be fully employed by the US army research division." The Pain said with pride. "My work with hornets has caught the eye of a few generals and they are thinking of implementing bees, hornets, and other insects as defense tactics."
"What about you Sorrow?" The Boss asked. "What are you going to do?"
The Sorrow hesitated for a moment; this was a question he didn't want to answer. Not because he had nothing to do, but because this was a realization that the unit was breaking up and they would never be together again.
"I." The Sorrow still hesitated. "I don't think I want to answer this question right now."
"That's fair." The Boss said touching his shoulder gently.
"So what about you Boss?" The End asked. "What do you intent to do?"
"Well." She thought for a moment. "I'm not exactly sure what I'll be doing. I'm still employed by the US government and I'm sure I'll be sent on various missions, but I was thinking about maybe taking students."
"Training the new generation eh Boss?" The End asked.
"Yes." She answered with a smile on her face. "I would love to educate someone about all the techniques I have learned over the years. As well as implement a few new things I've learned."
"I think you would make an excellent teacher Boss." The End said kindly. "You're so knowledgeable about battle techniques."
About two hours later, the Cobra Unit made their way to the little cottage where Beaumont and his gang were holding up. The Cobra's were all in place and ready to take down Beaumont and his posse, there would be no place he or his gang members could run if they tried to leave the cottage. The Cobra's were waiting like wild beasts stalking their prey. The Boss and The Sorrow took the front position and crept up slowly to the front door. The Boss gave a stern knock on the door.
"I bring news from the city." The Boss said speaking perfect French in an attempt to lure Beaumont or one of his comrades out.
The door slowly opened and The Boss instantly grabbed the man who had the unfortunate task of being the point man. Instantly placing her combat knife to the man's throat, The Boss walked into the room with her hostage, with The Sorrow following closely behind with his handgun drawn and ready to fire. Thankfully Beaumont was not heavily guarded. Besides the hostage The Boss had, there were only about six unarmed men in the room with Beaumont. For someone who was supposed to be the leader of a major uprising, he didn't have a lot of followers around giving him support. Perhaps all the stories about Beaumont weren't true after all.
"So we meet again my dear." Beaumont said cheerfully as if they were old friends whom have not seen each other in ages.
"It would seem so." The Boss said keeping a tight reign on her hostage.
"And I see you brought your friend Le Attrister." He said. "Long time no see eh friend?"
The Sorrow did not say a word nor move a muscle. He just continued to keep his hand steady on the trigger of his pistol.
"Where's the money Beaumont?" The Boss asked.
"What is this money you speak of?" He reversed the question.
The Boss was not in the mood to play games with Beaumont. Her duty was to get the stolen Legacy back into Philosopher hands and kill all those involved. Showing Beaumont just how serious she was, The Boss slit the throat of the man whom she held hostage. Once his lifeless body fell to the floor, The Boss immediately pulled out her M1911 and pointed it at Beaumont.
"I'll ask you again." The Boss said coldly. "Where is the money?"
Beaumont was shocked, but not at all afraid.
"My, my." Beaumont said shaking his head. "This war has changed you moi cheri."
The Boss was now very fed up with Beaumont's antics; picking a quick target, she shot one of Beaumont's henchmen, killing him with unspeakable accuracy.
"I'll keep going until you tell me where the money is."
Beaumont was again shocked, but unlike the first henchmen whom she had slaughtered, seeing her shoot a man in the head was a little more unnerving. She had to be very serious about finding the money he had stolen.
"Listen moi cheri..."
But before he could continue with his sentence, The Boss shot another man in the forehead killing him instantly.
"Keep going Beaumont." She said coldly. "I have three more targets and five more bullets, and as you can see, I'm a very accurate shot."
"Killing me won't help you find where I've hidden the money." He said wickedly.
"True." The Boss replied in the same cold tone. "But it will help me feel better."
Beaumont looked at how frightened the other men in the room were and he knew that if he didn't tell her where the money was she would kill them all and be damned. However he could not bear the thought of his gang being decimated by a woman. Perhaps if he brought some time there would be a way to contact the others, so they could take this bitch and her creepy friend down, but there was no time nor anyway to contact the others. He would just have to play along and hope to get his money back later.
"You want to know where I've hidden the money."
The Boss did not flinch as she put a fresh bullet into another one of Beaumont's gang members. The Sorrow was appalled to see The Boss killing unarmed men as she had been. She never before acted with such cruelty so why was she doing this now? Just seeing her cut down these men's lives practically tore him in half. This was not The Boss that he knew and loved.
"Stop stalling and tell me where the money is Beaumont?!" The Boss demanded.
"Please tell her Beaumont!" One of the men pleaded.
"All right!" Beaumont screamed as he got up from the chair he had been sitting on to go over to where he hid the money.
The Boss walked over to him and made sure he wasn't doing anything sneaky like trying to pull out a weapon. Beaumont slowly lifted up a small piece of rug and removed a piece of floorboard. Inside the floorboard was a small metal box which was locked.
"May I get the key?" Beaumont asked.
"Just do it slowly." The Boss said.
Beaumont reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a small key. His hand was trembling as he put the key inside the locked box and twisted it open. The Boss didn't take her eyes off of Beaumont for a second as he reached into the metal box and pulled out what appeared to be fifteen thousand American dollars; most of the money was in five hundred dollar bills. The Boss was astounded that Beaumont pulled off a heist with such a hefty bounty, but he wasn't a stupid man, just arrogant. And this arrogance would now be his undoing.
"Is there anything else?" The Boss asked suspiciously.
"No my dear," Beaumont answered.
The Boss was furious with Beaumont at this point. His cocky manor was going to end right here and now. Readying her M1911, she pulled the trigger and callously watched at the bullet penetrated Beaumont's skull, splattering blood and small fragments of brains all over her. The only remaining member of Beaumont's now decimated gang stood there in absolute fear as The Boss turned her gaze from Beaumont's dead body to him. She had just killed everyone and he knew it was his turn to die. The Boss walked over to the man who was trembling with fear.
"Is there anything else he was hiding?" The Boss asked the man sternly.
The man didn't answer her. He was paralyzed with fear as he looked at The Boss who was soaked with blood and brain.
"I'll ask again!" She said holding her handgun to the man's temple. "Is there anything else he was hiding?"
"N-no." The man said shaking wildly.
"How old are you?" The Boss asked the man.
"Twenty?" The man answered.
The Boss removed her gun from the man's temple.
"My orders are to let none survive." She said coldly.
The young man didn't answer her. His head dropped from her gaze and he instantly knew he was going to die and prepared himself for the inevitable.
"However, I'm quite disgusted by today's events." She continued. "I am going to let you go."
"Madame?" He questioned.
"You are never to speak of this day." She said sternly. "You are never to mention anything about Beaumont, this gang, my partner, or myself do you understand?"
"Yes madame." The young man said sounding both shocked and elated at the same time.
"If you say anything to anyone, I will find the person you told and I will kill them." She said. "I will kill the people they know. And when it is all said and done, I will find you and I will kill you."
The young man began to cower again.
"And your death will not be as swift as Beaumont's either. Do I make myself clear?!" The Boss said. "You will die with this secret."
The young man stood there flabbergasted by The Boss's actions, but did not question her.
"Let's go." The Boss said.
The trio all walked outside and were all greeted by the rest of the Cobra Unit. The Boss then let the young man who was the only survivor of Beaumont's group go, the Cobra Unit all celebrated the success of the unit's final mission, all except for The Sorrow. He still couldn't believe how cruel The Boss was back there. Could it have been true about being ordered to kill everyone?
"Boss." The Sorrow said pulling her back from the rest of the group as they walked along back to the meeting point. "What the hell was that back there?"
"You heard what I said to that boy." The Boss said. "I was under orders to kill everyone."
"From who?" The Sorrow demanded.
"Does it even matter?" The Boss answered.
"Who sent us on that mission Boss?!" The Sorrow questioned angrily.
"The Philosophers!" She said. "Are you happy now?"
The Boss ran up to the rest of the group while The Sorrow walked behind them.
It had been two days since the Cobra Unit disbanded. The Boss had some extra free time on her hands and decided to take some time to travel for a while. It had been quite sometime since she had been able to travel and relax without having to worry about being called back to Washington on business. The Boss was in her bedroom packing her suitcase when suddenly there came a knock at her front door. Rushing down the stairs The Boss answered the door to find Sashenka standing there.
"Oh Sashenka." She said cheerfully. "What a pleasant surprise, won't you come in?"
"Thank you Boss." He said stepping inside the front hall. "I won't stay long."
"Don't be silly." The Boss said. "You can stay for as long as you want."
"No I have to finish packing." He said.
"Packing?" The Boss questioned.
"Yes." He stuttered. "I am returning to Russia. Premiere Stalin offered me a position in his ministry. I couldn't say no."
"Congratulations Sashenka." The Boss said happily. "I am proud of you."
"Thank you Boss." He said kindly. "I was hoping to convince you to come with me."
"Oh Sashenka." The Boss said sounding completely shocked.
"I know you want to teach others your skills, but I want you to come with me to Russia. I still want to marry you."
"Oh Sashenka." The Boss said sweetly. "I don't know what to say."
"Say you'll come with me." He answered.
"Sashenka." The Boss said. "I would love to be your wife, but can't just leave my country behind and start a new life in Russia."
"I would make you so happy Boss." Sashenka pleaded with her. "Please just give it a chance."
The Boss looked at Sashenka who looked so earnest and sweet. She hated to break his heart, but there was just no way she could abandon the US to become a housewife in Russia. There would be no way the US or the Philosophers would allow her to live out that romantic fantasy either. As much as she loved Sashenka and wanted to spend her life with her, she knew there would be no way they could ever be happy together.
"Sashenka listen." She said softly. "I think it's really sweet of you to want to turn this old war horse into a housewife, but I can't leave my country."
"But Boss…" Sashenka started.
"I love you Sashenka, but we'll never be happy together." She said. "We'll always be on the run. We'll never have a moment's peace."
"It doesn't matter as long as I have you." He pleaded.
"Please Sashenka." She said softly. "Go back to Russia. Enjoy your position in the Ministry, but forget about you and me."
Sashenka swallowed his pride and realized that she was not going to accept his offer of marriage. With a sigh he hugged The Boss tightly then walked to the front door.
"You know I'll never stop loving you Boss." He said.
"I know." She said with tears rolling out of her blue eyes. "I'll always love you too Sashenka."
Sashenka wiped the tears from her eyes before opened the door and walked outside. The Boss was trying to fight back more tears, but she couldn't hold back.
"Don't be sad Boss." He said tenderly. "I will always be with you."
The Sorrow walked down the bright sunlit street as The Boss watched him disappear from her life.