"Zugzwang"


"Kara seems to be in a foul mood as of late," Triela noted as she applied gun oil to the barrel of her shotgun on a Sunday in May.

"I think Michele and Caterina are getting pretty serious in their relationship and Kara is afraid she will no longer be the most important woman in Michele's life," Claes suggested.

"Maybe they bonded again on that race…Have you met her?" Triela asked, referring to Caterina.

"Yes. The last time Michele and Kara went to Vallelunga they dragged me along and I met her there. She's quite beautiful, I must admit. Didn't think Michele was into blondes, however…"

"What's wrong with being a blonde?" Triela asked, a hint of offense in her voice.

"Nothing at all," Claes said, quickly. "It suits her quite well. She even has blue eyes like you. Quite the beauty. She's also a bit on the tall side."

"Does she live in Rome?"

"Michele said she's from Milan, originally. She evidently owns a winery in Frascati, so that must make it easier to see each other."

Triela suddenly stopped her work.

"Triela?"

"Shh," Triela hissed, and Claes could tell she was concentrating on trying to remember something. "I'll be right back," she suddenly said, placing the shotgun on the table. She rose and rushed out of the room.

Ten minutes later, she returned with a color photograph.

"Is that her?" Triela asked. The picture was of a blonde woman wearing a leather jacket, jeans and boots getting behind the wheel of a red convertible.

"The hair style is a bit different and the sunglasses are hiding the eyes, but the facial features and such look the same. Where did you get this picture?"

"That's not possible," Triela said, ignoring Claes' question as she returned to her seat. "Angelica killed her."

"Triela, what are you talking about?"

"Remember that mission last July in Milan? Where I killed Pinocchio?"

"Yes. You went to capture Cristiano Savonarola. But those people showed up and helped him escape."

"One of 'those people' was this woman. Nobody knows her real name, but her codename was Franca and she and her partner Franco were bomb makers. They were the ones who tried to stop construction on the Straight of Messina Bridge.

"During the escape they ran into a roadblock setup by Angelica, Marco and Priscilla. Angelica shot up the car and it crashed into a river. We found the vehicle, but the doors and windows were open so the assumption was made their bodies had floated out in the current."

"Triela, it could just be coincidence," Claes noted. "Michele wouldn't date a known terrorist."

"That's the trick, Claes. Michele didn't know about them. He and Kara were still acclimating as a fratello. They were never brought in on any of the mission details. If he knows Franca at all, it's just as a code name. He would not have been made privy to the data we gathered on her—including what she looked like."

Triela jumped out of her chair and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Claes asked.

"To get Hillshire."


Michele and Kara returned to Rome Monday morning. While Kara had enjoyed driving the Alfa 6C in the Mille Miglia, it felt good to be back behind the wheel of the Gallardo. She approached the entry gate for the Administration Building and the guard came out.

"Colonello? The Director would like to see you immediately, sir," he said.

"Very well," Michele replied. Kara dropped him off under the arch and proceeded to the Handler's Dorm to park.

Michele entered the Administration Building and made his way to Section 2's area.

"Welcome back, Michele," Ferro greeted. "How was the tour?"

"Great. Kara had a blast. I hear Il direttore wishes to see me?"

"Yes. Let me tell him you're here."

She knocked on the door to Director Lorenzo's office and entered. A moment later she stepped out and motioned for Michele to enter.

"Have a seat," Lorenzo said, his tone gruff. "I've asked Jean Croce to join us."

Michele sat down in one of two chairs across the desk from Lorenzo and a young girl dressed as a maid entered with a tray and tea set. Michele accepted a cup, as did Lorenzo, who dismissed her as Jean stepped in, carrying a manila file folder.

Without preamble, Jean opened the folder and dropped it on the desk in front of Michele. "Do you know her?" he demanded.

"That's Caterina Marinov," Michele said.

"Marinov?" Jean said. He looked to Lorenzo, who nodded. Jean lifted the phone and dialed a number. "Priscilla, this is Jean. Pull the file on Angelo Marinov and bring it to Director Lorenzo's office."

"And you're seeing her?" Lorenzo asked, as Jean was on the phone.

"Yes. We met in Sicily in January," Michele replied, guardedly. "What's this about?" he added.

"Are you familiar with the bombers Franco and Franca?" Jean asked.

"I've heard of the code names in Public Safety, but that was all we had on them."

"Last March the Hillshire-Triela fratello encountered them in

Montalcino while investigating the disappearance of an operative from Section One. That woman—" Jean stabbed the picture with his finger "—is Franca."

Too stunned to do anything else, Michele merely looked to Jean and then to Lorenzo.

"We thought she died last August along with Franco and Cristiano Savonarola when their car crashed while trying to escape our attempt to arrest Savonarola," Lorenzo noted.

There was a knock on the door and Priscilla entered, carrying another manila file folder.

"Did she ever speak about Angelo Marinov?" Jean asked as he took the folder from Priscilla.

"Who?" Michele asked.

Jean handed over the file and Michele looked at the picture of an older man with dark hair and a pencil moustache.

"I can see a resemblance to pictures of her father I've seen, but no, I don't know this man."

"He's Angelo Marinov, stock broker. Perhaps he's an uncle. He's also a senior member of the Rome faction of the Five Republics. Franca was seen exiting his office and a team from Section One captured her and took her to a safe house in Trigoria for interrogation. However, someone came to rescue her and took out the entire team. They then left a little…gift…behind that almost took out our people, if not for some fast action by Henrietta."

Michele's mind couldn't absorb what as being presented to him.

Caterina…a terrorist?

"How did you find out we were seeing each other? Did Kara come to you?" Michele asked.

"Actually Triela brought it to the attention of her handler, and he brought it to our attention," Lorenzo stated.

Claes, Michele thought. She'd met Caterina at Vallelunga during a Track Day in April.

"Michele, we need to know where she is so we can bring her in. She might be supporting Dante."

"Don't be ridiculous," Michele spat. "If you want to bring her in, fine. But I'll handle it."

"Unacceptable," Jean said.

"I'm not going to let you have Rico shoot anyone unlucky enough to be in the same building she is and then beat her to within an inch of her life to get her to tell you something she might very well not know."

Jean looked livid, but Lorenzo raised his hand. "Very well, Michele. However, Jean and Rico will come. And you will bring Kara and Claes with you. We cannot afford to let her escape."


Michele knew all the phones in the compound were tapped and he was sure they monitored both his personal and his work phones – landline and cellular. And he was sure his e-mail was traced, as well. Which is why he'd bought a disposable cell phone to stay in touch with Caterina and others. He valued his privacy.

He therefore decided to take Kara out to an early dinner and instructed her to "practice her evasive driving techniques" she'd learned to shake off a tail. Kara did so, and if the SWA had sent someone to follow them, they were soon shaken off. As he didn't put it past Jean to stakeout every ristorante with a Michelin star in the city, he had Kara head to a sushi restaurant on the Via Degli Scipioni northeast of Vatican City.

While Kara ordered for them both, he stepped outside and contacted Franca, leaving a message asking her to meet him tomorrow afternoon at the Piazza Venezia at the intersection of the Via di San Marco and the Via del Teatro Marcello. He then walked down to the restaurant to join Kara.


Michele awoke with the sun in his room in the Handler's Dormitory. It had rained heavily during the evening and cloud cover hung low and leaden. Rome in late May usually was warm, with temperatures in the low to mid 20's. However as he watched the weather report after exiting the shower, the forecast trended cool and probably wet.

Michele therefore chose a cotton shirt and pants with a white sport jacket.


After breakfast, Michele gathered Kara and Claes and drove to his apartment in Rome.

"I want you two to know that I love her," Michele said. "But I also understand that she's a wanted terrorist and we need to apprehend her alive. However, you are to treat her kindly. No roughing her up, understand? My goal is to get her to surrender peacefully and the four of us will take the Aston back to the SWA compound, with her in the back with Kara, behind Claes in the front passenger seat.

"I don't want either of you to listen to anyone, but myself. Understand? Especially the Croce brothers."

Both girls nodded their understanding.


By noon, Jean, Jose, Hillshire and their cyborgs had arrived, parking in the adjacent Palazzo Venzia and walking over. Jean and Rico would take to the roof of the complex, which allowed them to cover the entire Piazza as well as the Monument to Victor Emanuele II.

Michele and Kara would meet Caterina in the small park between his apartment and the Monument. To prevent any escape on foot, Claes would stand next to the fountain at the base of the Monument, whilst Hillshire and Triela stationed themselves at the church of Santa Maria di Loreto on the opposite end of the Monument and Jose and Henrietta placed themselves at the foot of the cordonata of the Piazza del Campidoglio. Unknown to any of them, at the top of the cordonata in the Piazza itself stood Franco, watching the action through a pair of binoculars. He'd followed Caterina into Rome and to this area.

Caterina approached from the other side of the monument, making her way to the park. She wore a black wool dropped lapel jacket over a paisley-print wool-blend long-sleeved dress, black sheer leggings and teal leather knee-high boots with 11cm heels.

When she saw Michele and Kara, she gave a wane smile and started for them, her right hand in her pocket.

She knows, Michele thought.

"Hello, Michele," Caterina said, her soft voice difficult to hear over the sound of the buses and other traffic moving by the island as they came to face to face in the center.

"Caterina—" Michele began, but her look stopped him cold.

"This is what happens when people are not honest with each other. A bomber and a government agent meet and fall in love, both keeping the realities of their lives a secret from the other, hoping that maybe, this time, things will work out okay. But of course, such an outcome is only in the movies or romance novels."

"I've worked a deal, Caterina. Surrender peacefully and you'll be treated fairly. No 'enhanced interrogation techniques' in a dark cell in a nameless building. No secret military tribunals. You'll get a fair trial in front of a real judge."

"I know you believe that, Michele," Caterina said with a sad smile. "And I thank you for trying. I knew this was a trap, but I also knew that I had to come. I thought maybe I could outrun my past, but I see its legs were too quick and I'm too tired to keep running. I've done too much evil to ever be forgiven, so at best I can look forward to spending the rest of my life in San Vittore. However, I fully expect your colleagues will drain me of everything of use and bury the husk that is left in a landfill.

"I also came to warn you that Franco's alive, Michele. He visited me in Frascati. He told me about the Agency and about Kara and Claes and the others. He wants revenge on you all. On the Agency. He's been bankrolling Dante using money Cristiano had hidden. He asked me to join him, to go back to our lives together. I told him I would, that I would see him tomorrow, but that too was a lie."

"Does he know of this meeting?" Michele asked.

Caterina shook her head. "And no, I won't tell you where I said I'd meet him. I know I'm being contrary, but I'm a woman and I'm entitled." She suddenly looked up into the trees and by reflex, Michele's and Kara's eyes followed. It took only a moment for them both to bring their gaze back down, but when they did, Caterina had a Beretta 3032 Tomcat aimed directly at Michele's head.

In a flash, Kara's P2000SK was out and trained on Caterina's heart, but she didn't pull the trigger. The few people walking along the park scattered when they saw the drawn guns.

"God damn it, Michele, take her down!" Jean barked into the radio.

Slowly, Michele reached up with his left hand and pulled the earpiece out.

"Asshole!" Jean cursed. "Kara. Claes. I order you to shoot her right now. Aim to wound," he ordered. To his disgust, Kara also disconnected her radio.

"Do you have a shot?" he asked Rico.

"No, Jean," she replied. Michele had positioned himself to block Rico's view to the point she didn't feel confident she could hit Franca – or miss Michele.

"Caterina, please just come quietly," Michele pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Michele. Thank you for the past few months. The memories will comfort me in hell."

Caterina tensed her finger on the trigger.

The sound of the pistol going off caused everyone to involuntarily jump. Michele didn't feel an impact, but he'd heard that sometimes the shock didn't transmit the pain for a few moments. Still, he'd been shot before and he'd immediately felt it those times so with a sick feeling he realized he hadn't been the one hit.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Kara's P2000SK did not appear to have been fired. He returned his focus to Caterina and while her face remained unchanged, he noticed the light in her eyes go dim. Her arm started to sink and like a building with an eroded foundation, she slowly toppled over onto her side, landing like a bag of sugar tossed on the ground.

Michele's eyes followed her down, than rose back up to where she stood. Claes stood there, next to a tree, the barrel of her gun smoking slightly as she lifted it up and away. She'd been hidden from his view by Caterina and the tree. Michele lowered his own weapon and Kara did the same beside him. Michele's shoulders slumped and he made his weapon safe before returning it to his holster. Kara started to move towards him, but an almost imperceptible shake of his head stopped her.

"Return to the compound," he ordered, his voice almost lost in the cacophony of the city. He started walking towards the Via di San Marco and disappeared around the corner.

Kara opened her mouth to call after him, but no words would come. She turned towards Claes and marched towards her, the soles of her boots echoing like their own gunshots, her face a mask of unrestrained fury. She closed and swung her arm back.

Claes squeezed her eyes shut and tensed for the hit, but it never came. She peeked and saw Kara standing before her, her chest heaving even though she wouldn't normally breathe hard even under great physical exertion. Kara lowered her arm and turned away. "Come on," she growled in a voice that sounded like two tectonic plates grinding past each other. They walked back to Michele's apartment and into the garage.

Claes dutifully followed and slipped into the passenger seat of the Aston Martin, belting herself in. Kara did the same and turned the key to the "Accessory" position. The HVAC system started blowing cool air and the sound system re-started where it left off, Rufus Wainwright's reverent cover of Leonard Cohen's most famous song:

Maybe there's a God above

And all I ever learned from love

Was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you

It's not a cry you can hear at night

It's not somebody who's seen the light

It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah

Kara's hand froze over the Start button and she slowly pulled it away. She crossed her arms on the top of the steering wheel, leaned her forehead on them, and started sobbing.

In the passenger seat, Claes willed the tears to not come, but they did anyway.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah