Her Last Bow

This story is part of an ongoing series.

The chronological order of my stories is now listed in WifeWatchman's biography.

Feedback and

constructive

criticism is very much appreciated, and I encourage feedback for ideas.

This story contains graphic scenes, language and actions that might be extremely offensive to some people. These scenes, words and actions are used only for the literary purposes of this story. The author does not condone murder, racial language, violence, rape or violence against women, and any depictions of any of these in this story should not be construed as acceptance of the above.

Dedicated to the memory of all spies and agents of the USA and her Allies who have given their lives in the service and cause of Freedom.

Part 8 - Winter's Silence

Laura just looked forward as Molotov's gun slowly arced down, almost feeling the intense silence of the black and white woods. This was it, she thought to herself, and she steeled herself to show no fear and to die with honor.

Molotov was chuckling to himself as the gun sights came to the top of Laura's head. The years of being the butt of jokes at being the reason for the Iron Crowbar's nickname was about to be avenged---

*WHOOSH!*

Molotov blinked as the blade of the

katana

flashed downwards in front of his eyes. Next he was seeing the stump of his wrist. His hand with the pistol in it were now on the ground. As the excruciating pain shot up his arm, Molotov looked up at the man who was standing beside them, and the last thing he saw was...

... the gray eyes of the Iron Crowbar.

I'd taken off my mask, then reached over my shoulder and brought the

katana

flying over my head and then straight down, easily slicing through Molotov's wrist. As he looked up, I was already swinging the

katana

again as hard as I could, this time sideways.

*SWOOSH!*

The blade caught Molotov right in the left side of his neck and sliced through with surprising ease. As Molotov's head toppled down to the earth, a huge fountain of blood sprayed straight up.

So forceful was my blow that the sword continued on and caught Molotov's shoulder. It again sliced through, severing his right arm from the rest of his body. At the same time, Molotov's loyal men were being carved up by some of the eight men with swords or long knives, their bodies joining their boss's on the snow-covered forest floor.

Melina tore off her mask and came up to Laura. "Laura!" she gasped as she removed her sister's manacles. "Are you okay?"

"I... I will be." Laura managed to gasp, barely comprehending what had happened. Melina hugged her, then tried to help her up. "Get the memory sticks!" Laura gasped. Melina went and extracted them from Sergei's coat pocket as others rushed up and wrapped a coat around Laura's shivering body.

"Misaki-sama!" I called out as I wiped down my

katana

with the special oiled cloth before sheathing it, "may I invite your men with swords to test their blades. It will be a good omen for them."

This was the first kill with the Crowbar Katana; I had now blooded my sword. Ergo, my calling for this tradition. Misaki fully understood.

"

Hai,

Crowbar-san." said Masaki. He gave the instructions in Japanese.

"You okay?" I asked as I sheathed the Crowbar Katana and went over to Laura. She nodded that she was. I was going to pick up my wife, but four men came up.

"Please, Sire, allow us." one of them said. "We are trained in the four-man carry." They interlocked their arms and I helped get Laura seated on them. We formed a line and began to move out.

As we left, all the men with swords tested their blades by slicing into Sergei Molotov's body. By the time they were done, he was cut to ribbons. As we left that place, the black and white landscape was finally splotched with patches of color... the crimson of blood.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

We hurried along through the woods. Melina was behind Laura's group; I was right in front of it. Melina was still in shock, not only at everything that had happened, but at Misaki's men calling the Iron Crowbar 'Sire'. That bespoke incredible influence, Melina realized. Has Don really gone that far up the ladder?

When Melina had come out of the building, she thought she was captured. Then I took off my mask, as did Todd and Teddy Franklin, and she realized she was among friends here to rescue Laura. I whispered to her the plan for her to put on a mask and hide, then Todd fired a couple of shots down the road as if we were shooting at Melina. The 'small black mass' was the body of one of Sergei's eight men, whom we had intercepted and exterminated with extreme prejudice. The ruse worked. And as we had left the compound, eight people had turned into nine people... Melina had fallen in back without being noticed.

Back in the present, we were trudging along until we came to a road. Going left (and west) along it for about 200 yards, we came upon several concealed cars. Everyone got into them. I was in the backseat of the next-to-last car with Laura. Melina got in the front seat. The driver was Teddy Franklin, Todd Burke's associate.

Todd was in the car behind us. I wasn't sure who any of the others were, besides Misaki and his eldest son.

"You okay?" I asked Laura. She nodded.

"Everything is so sharp, so clear..." she said. She was in that trance like I had been in after the helicopter crash. I knew her senses were on a higher plane right now; she had expected to die and had prepared her mind and soul for it, then been given the last-second reprieve.

"Tell me what you see." I said, to get her to focus on this moment, even to enjoy it if that were possible.

"I see the snowflakes." Laura whispered. "Their patterns... There's a bird in that tree up ahead." I could barely see the bird she was pointing out, and would've missed it. She then took my hand. "Your hand is warm. I feel your pulse in your fingers. Thank you for saving me."

"My honor and pleasure." I said, taking her hand in both of mine.

"We're not out of the woods yet." said Teddy Franklin, pun not intended, I'm sure. "We have a fence and a checkpoint up ahead."

We didn't need to worry. When we got there, we were waved through. Then the 'guards' got into the last car after closing the gate. They were Misaki's men.

We drove for several miles along the road, hoping to not see any police vehicles of the country we were in. We were fortunate, and arrived at an obscure gate on side road. Going through it, we drove though a thick line of trees and came out on the back side of an airport.

It was not just any airport. It was a NATO military base, I realized. Military planes were taking off in the distance as our convoy drove up to a hanger, where four military transport planes were parked.

As we all got out, Melina pointed and said "There's our plane." She began going towards it.

"No, I'd rather take this one." I said, pointing to the one on the far left. The back cargo ramp of this plane was opening up...

... and out popped the Deputy Director of the FBI. Someone had to be providing us adult supervision, I silently joked to myself.

As we approached, two medics came out of the plane with a gurney. Misaki's men put Laura on the gurney and the medics took her into the plane. As they did, one of Misaki's black-clad, masked people came up to me. It was obvious from her hips, ass, and the large breasts straining against the fabric of her black pullover sweater that she was a woman. She reached out and handed me something: the two memory sticks.

Melina saw the sticks and was stunned. Her pocket had been picked by that person! But she was not the most stunned person at the moment. I was looking into the eyes of the masked woman, who I originally thought was Misaki's daughter. But she was not... and I knew who she was.

I was looking at Teresa Croyle.

Needless to say, my face was a mask of stunned surprise, and something nearing anger. Why Teresa was here so soon after her being wounded and having had surgery, I did not understand. Teresa looked right back into my eyes, underscoring her will power to be here and part of this team.

"Great job, Don!" said the DepDirector. "Misaki-san, I am very grateful to you and your men."

"It was our pleasure to be of service to the Iron Crowbar." said Misaki. "And to defeat the plans of those who sent Dr. Fredricson to be so ignominiously killed."

"Yes." said the DepDirector. "Okay, everyone aboard. Let's get out of here." Even Melina got on our plane, leaving the CIA's plane behind.

*BOOM!*

"What was that?" asked Melina as the sound echoed through the air.

"Oh," I said, "that would be an errant round from one of the NATO jet fighters on a live-fire exercise. It's possible I activated the homing signal device in Laura's backpack just as we left. I suspect that facility looks more like a hole in the ground now."

"That was another good thought you had." said the DepDirector.

The ramp closed up and the plane began to taxi out. Laura was being examined by an onboard doctor; this C-141 was actually a medical transport aircraft.

"Doctor," I said, pointing at Teresa, "give this person a thorough examination, also. She had surgery less than three weeks ago, and I am not amused that she thinks she can go running around halfway around the world, even if it is a rescue mission of

her

doctor."

Teresa had taken off her mask, and Laura gasped when she saw her. "You didn't think I'd just stay behind and let you die here, did you Doctor?" Teresa asked Laura. My wife just smiled.

"You are a brave woman." Laura said. "But your boss is right: Doctor, please check her out."

Part 9 - The Flight Home

We landed at Rammstein Air Base near Wiesbaden, Germany to pick up some wounded Marines that were being sent home. The front of the plane was curtained off so that they could not see Laura or the rest of our group, but after we had taken off again, I went aft to speak with them.

"Sir," said one of them, "aren't you the Iron Crowbar guy who gave that speech we saw on Youtube?"

"Yeah, you're the guy who didn't let them get away with murdering Gunny Guernica!" said another Marine. "I knew him. Thank you for what you did for him, sir."

"It was my honor to do so." I said. "And I'm proud of all of you Marines, and I thank you for your service." I talked with them for a few more moments, hearing of their being wounded in Afghanistan, then the nurses told me I needed to let them get some sleep. I wished them all well, then returned to the front section of the plane.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"So you don't trust me?" Melina asked as she watched me give the DepDirector the memory sticks. He was already transferring the data to FBI Headquarters by satellite linkup, and they'd be sharing the data with the CIA... after making arrests of double agents.

"I trust you fine." I said. "But I trust the FBI Deputy Director a lot more. Also, it's some of the people you're working for that I don't trust. Sending my wife on this suicide mission is just one example. And there was no way in hell I would've let my wife or myself step onto that plane the CIA sent for us. We'd all be dead by now... 'accidentally' shot right out of the sky over the Atlantic."

Melina was still pissed that her pocket had been picked of those sticks. She'd watched me carefully, but I'd never gotten near her. She'd failed to notice Teresa.

"How did you even know about any of this?" Melina asked as we watched the DepDirector at work at the console. "I know Laura would not have told you."

"She didn't." I said. "But I cannot allow the CIA to think they are dealing with an Agency of the Weak Minded, now can I?" The DepDirector had overheard us, and was chuckling at that one.

"Your sister." Melina said, with sudden understanding. "Your sister Elizabeth. It had to start with her." I could see she was beginning to put the threads together.

"Oh, what a tangled web we weave..." I said in the form of a quotation. "I just hope you aren't being caught up in it."

"How would that be?" Melina asked.

"I think that's a conversation for me to have with my sister." said a voice. I looked up to see Laura standing there.

"Honey, are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine." Laura said. "Come along, Melina. We have some things to talk about." Melina got up and went with Laura into the other compartment of the plane. The words 'come-to-Jesus meeting' flashed in my head...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I stood before Takaki Misaki and all his men and women, and bowed formally to them.

"I am grateful to all of you." I said. "I cannot thank you enough for the service and the assistance you have given me."

Misaki stood up and bowed back. "It has been our honor, Crowbar-san. You have shown yourself to be a man of the highest integrity, a man who understands the meaning of honor. This is the least we can do to repay past favors, as well as honor the alliance and friendship that we have forged." With that, he invited me to sit down next to him. This would be considered an honor, especially as I was armed with the Crowbar Katana in his presence.

"So, just how did you come to understand what was happening?" said Misaki.

"You and your people got a lot of it out of the assassin JACKAL." I said. "He was hired to kill me as insurance, very expensive insurance, so that I would not interfere in their plans that my wife's last mission for the CIA would be a terminal one. They also don't want me figuring out what their plans are to cause racial tensions to boil over into open warfare. On that, they are too late; I have long past seen through that plan."

"Good." said the DepDirector, who had come in. "So you're ready to help us destroy Superior Bloodlines once and for all?"

"Yes sir," I said, "as I promised I would. But Mr. Director, Superior Bloodlines is not our only problem, and may not even be our biggest problem."

"I understand." said the DepDirector. I peered at him; I did not think he truly did understand...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"She's fine, Commander." said the Army doctor, a female Lieutenant Colonel. She had just examined Teresa. "Your wife also checked on her. Captain Croyle did not do any damage to her wounded areas, but she's tired out and I'm giving her an IV for dehydration. We'll check again before we land to make sure there is no internal bleeding."

"Thank you, Doctor." I said. I went up to Teresa, who was lying on a gurney that was locked in place. "Wow, the things you do to get out of desk duty, huh?"

Teresa smiled wanly. "Did you know I was part of Misaki-sama's group, sir? You act like you're not surprised."

"I wasn't totally sure." I said. "But I was not surprised, either. You've been training with Todd for years now, and your Aikido skills are probably better than mine. I realized it for sure when you met us at the airport and asked to see the Crowbar Katana... which no one had mentioned yet. So you had to have known about it before I flew to Japan to receive it, and that means you had to be part of their clan to know that was going to happen."

"I guess we'll find out about the Aikido during the Police Boxing Matches." Teresa said, her eyes glinting.

"Yes, we shall see." I said. "Why do I feel lucky right now that I have input into the brackets?"

"Set those brackets up right, sir!" Teresa said. "And make sure my path crosses Cindy's."

"I will do that." I said. "You just prepare yourself for your chemo..."

Part 10 - The Final Journey Home

We landed at Andrews AFB (now called Joint Base Andrews). We were transported to a hospital facility near Langley that is not known to the Public. There, Laura was and better treated for her injuries. She also talked with fellow psychiatrists about what she had gone through.

I noticed a few people go into and out of a room a couple of doors down, and I'd recognized them. I went down and took a look, and then came back and got Laura.

"Laura, are you able to get dressed and come with me?" I asked.

"Why?" she asked.

"Just... do, please." I said. Laura got dressed and I led her to the other room. She went inside and I followed.

Lying on the bed, with monitor hookups to the side, was an old woman. We were just in time. The woman was dying, and it did not take my mother's powers of observation to see that she did not have long left. Laura gasped when she saw the woman... whom she'd named our daughter after.

Laura stepped up to the bed. The old woman opened her eyes, and when she saw who was there, she smiled a radiant smile of pure joy that let me know that this once was a very beautiful woman.

Laura!" she said, the happiness in her whispery voice filling the room. "You made it! You survived!"

"I told you I'd come see you again." Laura said, trying to smile herself.

"I know... but I thought the next time I saw you, you'd be greeting me in whatever place we go to after this one." the old woman said. "Oh, Laura, I'm so happy to see you! You made it! But... how?"

"The Iron Crowbar, of course." Laura said. "He came after me. And he won. He always wins."

"Mmm, he's a good man." said the old woman. "You make sure to care for that man, and treat him right... and raise his children right... I once had a husband... he was also a good, good man... he was an Agent, like us. He was out of fieldwork, we were going to settle down, have children... then he went on a very routine mission to one of our Eastern European embassies."

"What we did not know," the old woman continued, her voice weak but resolute, "was that the traitor Aldrich Ames had given his name with so many others to the KGB. They kidnapped him off the street... and they executed him. One of those stars in the wall is for him." She was referring to the wall in CIA Headquarters where a star was embedded for every Agent that had died in the service of the CIA.

"I'm sorry." Laura said sympathetically.

"It's okay, dear." the old woman said. "I'll be seeing him shortly. Oh, Laura, I am

so

happy you survived... this is no longer our Agency, what we loved for all those years."

"It will be again." Laura said. "We're cleaning it up."

The old woman nodded. "That doesn't matter now. Just let me... look into your eyes, my dear girl..."

Laura nodded, matching the woman's gaze into her eyes, seeing the happiness there. Then, after a long moment, Laura realized that the old woman's eyes were no longer seeing. The light behind them was dimming, then it finally flickered out.

An American Patriot, whose love of her country was such that she gave up her life, her family, and indeed her very name in its service, was now in a place where spies were not needed, and there were no secrets to be kept.

Laura closed the old woman's eyes as nurses came into the room in response to the flatline tone of the heart monitor. I took Laura into my arms and eased her towards the small sofa against the wall on the other side of the room, and sat her down with me. My wife collapsed into me and began crying as I held her to me,. She was crying for the loss of the woman who was the only mother she'd ever known, and for a lot more as well. We stayed there for a long time as she let it all out...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Monday, January 16th. I was in the office of the Deputy Director of the FBI at 6:00am. Laura was at CIA Headquarters. Today was her retirement ceremony.

"The amount of information she brought us is staggering." said the DepDirector. "We've already made 33 arrests of double agents here in this country, and seven overseas. In addition, we'll be expelling 12 Russian agents, and monitoring a few others."

"Good." I said. "I'm just glad she's getting out. The Company has some deep, deep problems, and with Laura retiring and the 'old mother' having passed on, it's not going to get any better."