Chapter Twenty-Five
Washington DC
April 1962
The Boss walked through the hallowed halls of The Pentagon. It has been fifteen years since she had last been last summoned to The Pentagon and it appeared nothing much has changed. The building wasn't as new as it was in those days, but it still had that brand new luster about. Everything was polished to a mirrored shine and military types still rushed through the building scurrying from one place to a next. The Boss watched everyone going through their daily hustle and her mind was nostalgic for the old days during the war.
It was hard to believe that the war ended seventeen years before and it was even harder to believe that everything was so different now. All those years ago both the United States and Russia were fighting against a common enemy and now they were both common enemies; fighting a nasty bitter, but silent war against each other. It was such a paradox from the unity and camaraderie they had shared back in those insouciant days.
As she walked down the hall The Boss passed the conference room where she met with the three Generals for the last time back in 1947 and the memories of The Cobra Units last debriefing came flooding back. She remembered that they were delighted that the unit could finish their last mission and recover the entire portion of the stolen Philosopher's Legacy without difficulty. The Generals were always the most generous when the Cobra Unit pleased them. They were so satisfied with their work they were all given a substantial bonus for all their diligent effort and all the suffering they had endured during their time together as a unit during the war.
The Boss doubted very much if she would actually be meeting the Generals. They all retired a year or two after the Cobra Unit disbanded and were living quite civilian lives away from Washington now. Whoever she was meeting with must be in an urgent dire situation, because The Boss was living in seclusion when the stern knock came at her door. She still can't believe that they actually found her.
The Boss had been living alone in a very treacherous part of the Appalachian Mountains. There was no viable road that led to her small house. Only the one hidden footpath that wasn't very safe. Which was exactly the way The Boss wanted it; she longed for peace and quite. Her sanctity would be short lived. A few months into the solitude a small army brigade came to her door ordering her to come with them. She wasn't going to go at first, but then came the news that this was a direct order from the Philosophers, she knew she had no choice but to go with them.
The Boss came to the door of the conference room she was told to wait. She hated this entire ordeal. She no longer wanted anything to do with the government. After what she had gone through in Cuba; after allowing those poor defenseless people to get decimated the way they did? That was completely inexcusable and she knew she would never forget that tragic moment nor forgive their cowardice.
The Boss informed them after the debriefing to consider her retired from that point on, but her wishes did not matter. Sitting at the long table, The Boss waited quietly for whomever, to come in a brief her on the current situation and what this new mission would be. This was not like the old days at all. Something felt very wrong, she couldn't put her finger on it, but something was amiss.
After about five minutes of waiting a man walked in and sat down at the table in front of The Boss.
"Good morning Boss." The man said kindly. "I am General Barksdale Wheeler."
"Hello." The Boss said kindly.
"We're just waiting for General Paul Hamlett and General Robert Harkins to arrive and then we'll be able to brief you in this troubling situation."
"Yes."
A short while later the other two Generals walked into the room and introduced themselves to The Boss and the briefing finally got underway.
"Let us be blunt here Boss." General Hamlett said sternly. "We know you requested retirement…"
"Yes." The Boss interrupted. "I do not wish to go back into action."
"We understand that Boss." General Harkins said. "But this is a situation that we feel only you can deal with."
"Me?" The Boss questioned. "What possibly could I have to offer?"
"Well." General Wheeler said. "About three days ago a man who was supposed to act as a sort of currier for us was murdered near the Kremlin. Shot executions style through the head."
"This man was one of our most dedicated spies and was on a very sensitive mission for the US government when he was killed." General Hamlett added.
"Yes," General Wheeler continued. "He was on his way to drop off a very important item for us when he was killed by an operative in the Ministry."
"What was this item?" The Boss asked.
"It was a microfilm." General Harkins said. "This microfilm contained the whereabouts the Philosopher's Legacy which disappeared a few years after the war."
"I thought that money was recovered?" The Boss questioned.
"Yes," General Wheeler said. "The part you recovered from France back in 1947 as well as half of the Legacy; that all remains in US custody. However we recently discovered that there is another few trillion dollars missing, which accounts for half of the Legacy."
"After making many inquiries we discovered that somehow, that half of the Legacy ended up in Russia." General Harkins added.
"We were informed by this spy he knows where the remainder of the Legacy is located." General Hamlett said. "The information is contained on a secret coded microfilm which was in this man's possession."
"We have a feeling this is why he was murdered." General Harkins finished. "It is believed that someone in the Ministry knew that our man was a spy, so he was killed and the microfilm has been taken."
"Do you know who is supposed to have killed this spy and taken the microfilm?" The Boss asked.
"We obtained his name only yesterday which is why we sent for you." General Hamlett said. "His name is Sashenka Yerik Trofimoff."
"What?!" The Boss exclaimed. "No!"
"He is the director of security at the KGB, currently working in their intelligence ministry." General Wheeler said sternly. "And a former member of your Cobra Unit."
"No!" The Boss exclaimed again. "This is a mistake. I know that man, he would never…"
"Times have changed Boss." General Harkins interrupted. "I'm sure the man you think you know has changed as well."
"He's right Boss." General Wheeler said. "If this Trofimoff fellow is the director of security at the intelligence ministry then there's no doubt in my mind he would kill a spy without hesitation."
The Boss shook her head in disbelief; this had to be a mistake.
"We understand that this is a shock for you Boss." General Harkins said. "But this is why we needed you to come."
"What?" She said. "You want me to kidnap him and bring him back to the US to face justice?"
"That would be impossibility." General Hamlett said. "There is no way anyone from the Kremlin would let one of their own mysteriously disappear; especially when the missing person is the head of security. It would look very suspicious."
"No Boss your mission is to find and kill Trofimoff." General Wheeler said.
"I refuse!" The Boss said sternly preparing to leave the room.
"Boss you can't refuse." General Harkins said sitting her back down.
"The hell I can't!" She hissed angrily.
"Now listen Boss." General Harkins continued. "We know that because of your previous close relationship with Mr. Trofimoff you could easily get into the Soviet Union and find where Trofimoff is hiding and dispose of him quickly."
"Where he's hiding?" The Boss asked.
"According to another one of our moles, Trofimoff left Moscow thirty-six hours ago." General Wheeler said. "We were informed that he may be hiding in an abandon factory five hundred miles west of Moscow."
"In an area known as the Virgin Cliffs in a place called Tselinoyarsk." General Hamlett added. "But we're not sure of this exact location. Our boys in intelligence are still working on it."
"I don't want to do this." She said angrily.
"You have no choice Boss." General Wheeler said sternly. "You do this or we will be forced to have you arrested immediately."
"I don't care." She retorted.
"There will be no trial for you Boss." General Wheeler continued. "You will be executed within days of your arrest."
"I still don't care." The Boss said sternly.
"Well let me put it to you another way Boss." General Wheeler said. "I know exactly where your son Adam is."
The Boss said nothing to that; she just sat in her chair ridged at the mention of her son's name.
"If you corporate with us I will make sure you are reunited with him." He said in a deep conniving tone. "Or I could send him on a highly dangerous mission; one where he wouldn't stand a chance of surviving. After all he's still very young and inexperienced… How old is he again? Nearly 18 in a couple of months, isn't that right Boss?"
Damn this bastard for using Adam against her. She didn't think anyone knew of him, but apparently the Philosopher's knew she would refuse to take this mission and decided to use Adam as leverage against her. This whole mission rubbed her the wrong way, it felt like a set up. There was no way that Sashenka would just murder an operative without justification. Even if the man killed was a spy for the US, Sashenka would have done everything in his power to ship the man back to the US, not just kill him indiscriminately. Also what of the microfilm? Why would he kill the man and abscond with important government information? He would have immediately turned that into his superiors rather then face a worldwide manhunt. These were not the actions of the man who was once her beloved comrade; this had to be a set up.
"I…" The Boss stammered and looked down at the table. She didn't want to accept this mission; she didn't want to murder her friend and lover. "I don't want to do this."
"You have few choices here Boss." General Wheeler said. "One of you must live and one of you must die."
"An eye for an eye huh?" She questioned bitterly.
"It seems only fair to us Boss." General Wheeler said in a cruel tone. "After all it was the Soviets that stole the Legacy and killed one of our best operatives."
The Boss looked up from the table, into General Wheeler's fridge brown eyes and asked, "And those are my only two choices?"
"Yes." He answered.
The Boss sat silently for a second. She felt a pain in her stomach that she had not felt in eons. She didn't want to take this mission, but she had no other recourse. With a heavy sigh she finally answered, "When do I leave?"
"You leave right now." General Wheeler said. "Your plane is being fuelled up at Langley and you leave from there."
General Wheeler continued with his briefing, but The Boss was not listening anymore. She couldn't believe she just agree to end the life of a man who was her dearest friend; the father of her child. Why was this happening? What would be gained by killing Sashenka? As she sat there trying to think of answers, the knot in her stomach grew tighter and tighter. This wasn't how she wanted to end their friendship, but it would appear she had no choice. Soon she would depart for the Soviet Union to kill the man she loved.