17 comments/ 17951 views/ 21 favorites Fighting Terrorism - Finding Love By: GatorRick There are no explicit descriptions of sex in this story. The computer devices and technology described are purely a product of my imagination. Although, to paraphrase what someone once said . . . . . "Yesterday's science fiction is today's reality". So who can really say that they don't already exist . . . somewhere. 'The Agency' is fictional but perhaps it isn't. Who really knows what goes on hidden away from the eyes of the American public. Hopefully, the gremlins that attacked my last submission have found something else better to do this time. Chapter One - The Beginning Just what in the Hell am I doing getting shot in a bank lobby in Berlin, Germany? I'm just a computer geek sent to Germany because no one else has the ability or expertise to carry out this particular mission. Maybe I should go back to the very beginning so you will have some understanding of my present predicament. A long, long time ago God created a man and a woman . . . . . Wait a minute I don't need to go back quite that far. When I was born my mom and dad named me after a great-great-grandfather, Frederick Karl Wilhelm. Now that's quite a mouthful so I preferred that folks call me by my nickname, Rick. Dad operated his own business in our small town. He ran a home center type store. It was the only one around for miles so he did quite a good business. One afternoon, when I was about twelve years old, I was playing in the front of our driveway when I saw our neighbor hauling some computer equipment out to the curb. "Hey Mr. Williams what are you doing?" I called out to him. "Oh. Hi Ricky. I'm putting this old computer out for the recyclers to haul off. It stopped working so I bought myself a new one." I've always been a curious about how things work so I asked him if I could have it. He said sure but I had to ask my mom first. I went inside and asked her. She came out and told Mr. Williams it was okay with her. I hauled all three pieces (monitor, keyboard and the actual computer or CPU as it is called) into the garage where dad had a small workshop. I didn't have any of the techie type equipment like meters and such but I did have a magnifying glass. Taking that sucker apart I was amazed by all the little tiny pieces of electronic stuff that made it work. After forty-five minutes or so I noticed a faint smudge of something on one of the circuit boards. I went inside the house and got a cotton swab and some denatured alcohol. Cleaning the the mark off I saw what appeared to be a faint crack in the solder. Getting my dad's soldering iron and a strip of wire solder I filled in the crack. Examining the other circuit boards I found two more hairline cracks and repaired those as well. Two hours later I replaced the case on the CPU and hooked up the monitor and keyboard. I plugged it into the electrical outlet and pressed the start-up button. With some buzzing and clicking it came to life. I turned the monitor on and it worked, too. I was so surprised that I immediately shut it all down and tried it again. The same thing happened. It worked. Going back next door I rang the bell and when Mr. Williams answered I told him I fixed it and for him to come look. We walked back to the garage and he hit the start-up button and the computer sprang to life. "Do you want it back now that it is working?" I asked him. "No, Ricky, you can keep it. You fixed it, you can have it. Let's go back to my house and I'll find the manuals for you." Wonderful. Now that I had a computer I needed to learn how to use it. I read everything I could lay my hands on about computers and programming. Over the next few years I discovered I had a real flair for writing code. As I said before, my father had a very successful business. Each evening after supper he would go into his little home office and work on reconciling his daily sales with his inventory. He would spend hours in there with his daily receipts tapping away on his adding machine and then writing it all down in his ledger. One day I had an idea. Maybe I could write a program that would enable him to reconcile his receipts with his inventory. Without going into a lot of detail I did exactly that. When certain parameters were reached for each item in his store the program would automatically produce an order form to replace it in his inventory. When I showed him how it worked the two of us spent a whole week each night doing his paper work. He did his old-fashioned way and I entered the numbers in my computer program. What took him two to three hours I was able to accomplish in less than thirty minutes. He was impressed to say the least. Then I had another idea. If I could link up the electronic cash registers at the check-out counter with the computer server in his store all the sales and inventory reconciliation would be automatically completed on a real time basis. If it worked it would mean no more paperwork for him to do at home. After a few trial and errors I got it to work. Like all proud fathers he told all of his friends at the Chamber of Commerce what a smart son he had. One of his friends approached him asking if I could develop a similar program for him. Building on the one I did for dad I was able to complete one for him in short order. I gave him a computer disk with the program on it along with a written set of instructions on how to install and implement it. The next day he showed up my house after supper and gave me a check for five hundred dollars. He told my dad it was worth every penny for all the time and headaches it saved him. The next thing I knew I had businessmen from all over town and neighboring communities wanting me to do the same for them. By the time I was seventeen I had a bank account balance of over twenty thousand dollars. The only money I ever spent was to up grade my own computer equipment. I then started fooling around with building my own computer. Securing an old Apple MacBook I tore it apart and essentially rebuilt it entirely making it not only faster but more powerful. The only problem I had was with battery life. The increased capabilities drained them pretty quickly. Then I came up with an idea about how to eliminate the battery altogether. Building on the eco-drive concept, Citizen watches use, I was able to construct a device that ran on light. It made no difference, sunlight or artificial light my device functioned flawlessly. Dad made sure that I got a lawyer and he patented it for me and then went about marketing it to the leading computer manufacturers. By now I was taking advanced computer science classes at the local university. My professors were amazed with my ideas and innovative creations. While working in the lab one day I discovered an attempt to 'hack' into one of the lab's servers. The attempt made it through the first firewall but was stopped by the second. After some investigation I managed to learn the identity of the computer responsible for the attack. It was part of a computer network located in China that was tasked with committing industrial, as well as political, espionage. This pissed me off that someone would try and steal our technological research. I decided to develop a program that would deliver a nasty surprise to that particular computer if they ever tried again. I wrote and installed it, along with an anti-hacking program, into all our university's servers and then forgot about it as I was busy finishing my Ph.D. dissertation. One afternoon at the end of one of my classes my professor Dr. Phillips asked me to stay. He had some people that wanted to meet with me. They were from the U.S. Government. Now it gets a little hairy because the organization they represented doesn't exist, at least not on paper. This particular organization is far more secret than the National Security Agency that you have read about in the news recently. I cannot divulge its name or even the initials of this group other than to refer to it as 'The Agency'. I was asked if I knew anything about what had caused widespread computer crashes that were affecting the entire Chinese networks. Seems that there had been another attempt on my university's servers and my little surprise not only took out the offending Chinese computer but also the entire network with which it was linked. Then the crashes cascaded throughout the entire nation's computer systems. I was told that the Chinese economy was on the verge of total collapse because of this. It was so widespread that even air traffic in and out of China was restricted to one flight in and one flight out a day and only by using VFR (visual flight rules). It would take decades for them to repair the damages. "Am I in trouble?" I asked. Their reply was an emphatic, "NO"! In fact, I was told, the Chinese government had come hat-in-hand to the United States asking for help in restoring their entire computer network. Our country now had a huge political and economic advantage in any negotiations between the two countries. How did you find me was my next question. They explained to me that it was extremely hard but wouldn't divulge any details. Other than to say that they just got lucky. Then they recruited me to work for them. After looking at what they offered I accepted. It wasn't just the salary, although the money and benefits were substantial, it was the challenges the job presented. I was to be involved in 'hacking' into the computers of terrorist organizations for information our government could use combatting them. It was fun and I had a great time doing it. In my spare time I began to work on developing a computer that was completely impervious to being 'hacked' and totally secure from anyone, other than me from using. I wrote a program that allowed my little computer to intercept and clone or 'capture' the signals of someone else's computer or smart phone enabling me to read any information being received, sent or stored its memory. To protect my computer from anyone, other than myself, using it, I came up with a revolutionary idea. Without going into a long drawn out technical explanation, which would just put you to sleep, let's just say it was built around the concept that every living organism produces their own minute electronic signals. Like fingerprints or the iris of your eye, no two individuals have the same pattern. Unlike fingerprints or even the iris of the eye, which can be duplicated, the electronic impulses cannot be replicated. When I booted up my computer's cloning/hacking programs it recognized my electrical impulse. Anyone else's and it would immediately shut down and display some innocuous computer applications like Facebook. It took me over two and half years to perfect my creation before I was ready to share the capabilities of it with the head of 'The Agency'. Realizing the significance of my invention he authorized me to conduct field trials. My little computer passed them all with flying colors. When I reported the results back to him he sat me down to discuss building more for each of our field agents. I explained that it would take months to construct each new device and then adapt it to each individual agent. He gave the okay to start. Before I was even half way through with the construction of the first one I was summoned to his office. We had a big problem. Our intelligence community discovered a plot to build and detonate a dirty nuclear device in an American city. However, I am not at liberty to tell you just how this plot was uncovered. All I will say is that a known Iranian terrorist was going to Europe to secure the technical instructions necessary to build the device and return to begin the implementation of the plot. "Can you adapt your computer for another agent to use for an operation to thwart their plan? He inquired of me. "No sir. It would take almost as long to do that as it would take to build one from scratch." "Well then," he replied, "I guess I have no choice but to assign you to this operation." Looks like I was going to Europe. Chapter Two - The German Agent is introduced Perhaps I should take this opportunity tell you a little about myself. My name is Erika Marie von Sturm and I'm twenty-six years of age. I was born in a small village on the Rhine River some twenty kilometers south of Mannheim. My vater (father) was a high level administrator with the Deutshe Staat Polizei (German State Police). My mutter (mother), Marie, was a typical hausfrau (housewife). Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to be like my father and work for the Staat Polizei. When I was ten years old I had a bicycle accident. Even though I was wearing a helmet I was knocked unconscious. I spent some time in hospital in a medically induced coma. When I was brought out of the medically induced coma and regained consciousness the first thing I saw was my mother. Seeing they look on her face I said to her, "Mutter, don't worry I'm not going to die." Looking back at me she asked. "Mein schatz, (my sweetheart) how did you know what I was thinking just now?" It was at that time that I began to realize that I had a unique gift to discern what people were thinking by their facial expressions and body language. It was overwhelming until I figured out how to turn it on and off at will. This gift would serve me well in my career. At age twenty-two, after finishing university, I applied and was accepted by the Staat Polizei. Since I could not work in the same division as my father I was assigned to a newly formed counter-terrorism unit. By my twenty-sixth birthday, after having completed several successful operations, I was given command of my own team. Early one morning I was summoned to the office of the Direktor of the counter-terrorism unit of the Deutsche Staat Polizei. He invited me to have a seat before continuing with his instructions. "Fraulein von Sturm, I have a new assignment for you. Our organization will be working hand-in-hand with our American counter-parts on a special operation. Your team will have access to unlimited resources and manpower to be certain that this task will be completed successfully." For the rest of the day and most of the next I was briefed on the role I was to play in this collaboration between the two countries. After my two days of briefing I was handed a dossier of the agent with which I would be collaborating. Upon reading it I discovered he was some sort of a computer technical genius. But I was dismayed to learn he had absolutely no field experience. Great! Not only would I have to babysit him for the duration of the operation I probably wouldn't understand a word he would be saying. A second dossier was provided to me of the terrorist we would dealing with. His name was Ashkan Haji-Resa. The dossier contained his photograph and all the information American intelligence had discovered. A week later my colleagues and I found ourselves waiting in the arrival hall of Stuttgart International Airport for Delta Flight 116 from Atlanta, Georgia. Chapter Three - Rick's trip to Germany Things moved quickly for me after the head of 'The Agency' ordered me to undertake an operation to shadow the terrorist Haji-Resa. I was to 'capture' his computer with mine and transmit any data collected back to our office for analysis. I would be working closely with the German Counter-Terrorism Organization. My boss told me I would be contacted by one of their agents when I arrived. He wasn't able to provide me with any information about the agent but he had been told by the Germans that it was one of their very best. We had Haji-Resa's travel plans, from intelligence, so I was booked on the very same flight to Stuttgart, Germany. My seat, in first class, was two rows behind his. 'The Agency' made sure the seats around me were vacant to insure my complete privacy. Sitting in the departure lounge, awaiting to board my flight, I observed my target sitting by himself on the other side of the lounge. He was talking on his cell phone and I took the opportunity to 'capture' it. He never turned his laptop on while we were waiting to begin boarding. Once we boarded I put my carry-on in the overhead compartment and slid my laptop, in its case, under my seat for take-off. Retrieving my computer, once we were in the air, I waited. Two hours later, after dinner was finished and the cabin darkened, Haji-Resa turned his computer on for several minutes and I was able to 'capture' it. The rest of the flight was uneventful and I was even able to catch a short nap in the comfortable first class seat. Upon arriving I was inadvertently forced to wait in line right behind Haji-Resa at passport control. He looked at me with a somewhat worried and concerned look on his face but did not attempt to talk with me. After clearing passport control I made my way to the arrival hall following my target. He glanced over his shoulder several times at me with a look I couldn't quite decipher. Suddenly he turned back toward me and it appeared a confrontation would take place. Just then a woman, with blond hair, pushed past him and leaped into my arms. I was so startled and reacting instinctively I grabbed her. She gave me a soul-searing kiss on my lips even forcing her tongue inside my mouth before whispering in my ear. "Do not look at that man again. Focus all your attention on me. My colleagues will take over the surveillance of him. They are very good at what they do and he will never be aware of them." Chapter Four - Erika's spin on their first meeting. I had my team placed throughout the arrival hall. Each had detailed instructions and responsibilities pertaining to the terrorist Haji-Resa. I was to make contact with the American and escort him away from the proximity of the terrorist. I spotted both of them at the same time. Haji-Resa was walking ahead of the American, but kept turning back looking at the American, who was following several meters behind. Suddenly his face gave away his intentions. He was poised to confront the American agent. This I could not allow. Pushing passed him I leaped at the American agent shouting, "mein schatz, mein schatz." (my sweetheart, my sweetheart) He was totally surprised by my actions but his reflexes allowed him to catch me as I wrapped my arms and legs around him. After kissing him once I whispered to him to ignore Haji-Resa and focus on me alone. Kissing him a second time I managed to lead him away from any possible confrontation. Glancing back only once I was happy to see that the terrorist's facial expression and body language had relaxed and returned to normal. After witnessing my display he must have concluded that his initial thoughts regarding the American were in error. Walking out, with my arm around the American, I said. "Hello. My name is Erika von Sturm. I'm with the unit you were told to expect to welcome you." He replied, with a twinkle in his eye. "Wow! I knew some one would be here. Although I didn't expect quite such a warm welcome." Looking at him once more I thought to myself that his photograph did not do him justice. I guessed he was somewhere around one point eight meters in height (six feet) and no more than eighty-six kilograms in weight. (one-hundred and ninety pounds) He had dark brown hair, brown eyes and a fair complexion. I thought to myself, Erika, this might just prove to be an interesting assignment in more ways than one. Chapter Five Erika led me to where she had parked her car, a Porsche 911. After placing my carry-on bag behind the passenger seat I got in and buckled my seat belt. As we exited the parking garage she explained that her team would follow Haji-Resa and report his movements. If he rented a car they would follow him. If he elected to take the U-Bahn (subway) into the city he would be shadowed on it as well. He elected to use the U-Bahn. Some forty minutes later Erika was notified that our target had arrived at Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof (main railway station) and had purchased a ticket to Ulm, a city located on the Danube River, some fifty miles southeast of Stuttgart. Fighting Terrorism - Finding Love: Sequel In response to several readers who wanted me to provide more details regarding the romance between Rick and Erika I've written this sequel. While it could be a stand alone story I strongly recommend that you read "Fighting Terrorism - Finding Love" first. I hope you enjoy reading the sequel as much I did in writing it. I, also, wish to thank Blunajana for her help in correcting some of my German terms and translations. I hope they have all been addressed in this sequel. Thanks for reading my work as it does take a lot of time and research to create a story. ***** Ten days later I found myself sitting in the lobby of Deutsch Bank waiting for the gang members to arrive and implement their plot. I had my little computer primed and ready to stop their attempt to electronically transfer tens of millions of euros to a secret account somewhere in the Caribbean. Erika sat with me. Members of her Counter-Terrorism Unit were stationed in and around the bank along with teams from the Bundespolizei. Four men entered the bank and one had a laptop computer with him. They walked over to a desk, a few steps away from me. While the one with the computer was setting up, the other three turned away and were watching the crowds of customers. Suddenly, one of the three spotted a bank guard. He panicked, drew his weapon and began firing. The other three followed suit. Erika stood and immediately began to fire back. She hit one and then she was struck twice in the upper chest and fell to the floor. I fell on top of her to prevent her from being shot again. I was then hit in my left shoulder. I could feel Erika's gun beneath me, grabbing it, I rolled over and shot the remaining terrorist. I kept firing at him until the slide of her automatic locked open. The other three men lay on the floor having been killed by Erika's colleagues. We both were rushed to a hospital. My wound was a through and through. No real damage other than it hurt like Hell. I was stitched up and put in a room for observation overnight. I kept asking but no one would tell me anything about Erika's condition other than she was still in surgery. I was becoming more and more agitated and a doctor finally gave me a shot that knocked me out. The next morning after seeing a doctor I was allowed to leave after they put my arm in a sling. I went in search of Erika. After some minutes of searching and asking for help I was directed to a waiting room and told to stay there and someone would be along shortly to speak with me. After some time two men, that I recognized as colleagues from Erika's team, approached me. One of them had my computer with him. I was told that in all the excitement it had been kicked under the sofa I was sitting upon and had only been discovered when scene was investigated. With sadness in their eyes what they told me was not encouraging news. Erika was in extremely critical condition in an Intensive Care Unit two floors above us. They escorted me to the elevators and I rode up to the Intensive Care Unit. Walking down the corridor I came to a room with two armed guards at the door. I was told her mother and father were with her and I would not be permitted inside. Just down the hallway was a small chapel so I went there to wait and pray. I don't know how long I sat there all alone with my eyes closed in thought and prayer. It seemed like hours but I realized it could only have been fifteen or twenty minutes. Feeling a hand on my right shoulder and opening my eyes I saw a man standing beside me. "Are you Rick?" Nodding my head yes he continued speaking in a low voice. "I am Peter von Sturm, Erika's father. Come with me. She asked for you." As we walked the few steps down to her room I asked how she was. Shaking his head and with tears in his eyes he simply said. "It is not good." Stepping past the two guards he said. "Let him pass." Entering the room I saw what must be Erika's mother sitting in a chair by her bedside softly crying. The only other sound in the room was the beeping of her heart monitor. Approaching the other side of Erika's bed I leaned over and kissed her forehead then whispered in her ear how much I loved her. As I held her hand her eyelids fluttered and I could feel her gently squeezing my hand. Beep . . . Beep . . . Beep . . . . . BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP One of the nurses in the room quickly ushered the three of us out into the hallway while another began CPR. As we stood in the corridor two doctors rushed in pushing a crash cart. "Herz Stillstand", (cardiac arrest) we heard someone yell. We heard the sound of a defibrillator charging and then a loud voice. "Ein . . zwei . . drei . . freirer Raum." (one . . two . . three . . clear) WHUMP! Erika's parents and I listened to the same instructions several more times over the next ten minutes and then all activity ceased and it was quiet. The two doctors walked slowly out of the room and one looked at us and just shook his head telling her parents in German that she was gone. I didn't need a translation. I knew by just looking at their faces. The three of us walked back into Erika's room and watched as the nurses began shutting down the I.V.s and removing the cannula that had been providing oxygen to her. Erika's mother began crying and her father gathered his wife into his arms and wept as well. I walked to her bedside and whispered once more how much I loved her and then kissed her lips in a final good-bye. . . . . . Beep . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beep . . . . . . Beep . . . . . . Beep . . Beep. Chapter Two - Erika Fights for Her Life At first I didn't recognize the beeping sound for what it was . . . . her heart monitor was functioning again. One of the two remaining nurses rushed from the room while the other frantically began re-starting Erika's I.V.s and replacing her oxygen cannula. Her parents and I watched as the blue cast to her lips returned to pink. Marie von Sturm looked first from Erika's face to my face and then back again to her daughter. It was as if a light went on in her eyes. Just then the doctor, who had just left moments ago, rushed back into the room. Taking his stethoscope he listened to Erika's heart and began checking her other vital signs. Erika's mother and father moved close to me and as the doctor spoke to one nurse in German Erika's father translated his words for me. "Heart rate sixty-eight, respiration shallow but improving, blood pressure 105/60 and increasing, both pupils equal and reactive." As the nurse was writing this all down on Erika's chart I couldn't help but notice the big smile on her face as she kept mouthing, "wunderbar, wunderbar." (wonderful, wonderful) When the doctor stepped back from examining Erika he told her parents that he didn't know what had happened but that for now everything appeared normal. "I will run some more tests tomorrow when she is stronger. For now she needs rest in ordered to build her strength." He said before leaving the room. I stepped back away from Erika as both of her parents went to her bedside. They both kissed her and whispered something in her ear that I didn't hear. Erika's mother, Marie, stepped up to me and grasped both of my hands in hers saying. "I know why she came back to us. It was when you kissed her. That is when she decided to come back and be with us." Stepping back to Erika's bedside I, once again, took her hand in mine. After kissing her once more I told her to rest and that I would be back in the morning. As I tried to release her hand she held on tight to me and opening her eyes she whispered. "Stay. Please stay." Peter looked at Marie and simply pushed a chair over to the bed saying, "Please sit for a while. We will wait outside for you." For thirty minutes I held her hand, not saying anything. When she fell back asleep I was able to leave after her kissing good-night. As I left her room, I was aware that the two armed guards had reappeared outside her door. Herr von Sturm walked over to me and, placing his hand on my right shoulder, instructed the guards that other than the medical staff only him, his wife and I were to be granted admission. There was to be no other visitors until he notified them otherwise. Marie joined us and we embraced. The tears of sadness and grief, that we shed just a few minutes ago, were now replaced with tears of relief and joy. Chapter Three - Erika's Recovery The following morning found the three of us walking down the hall to Erika's room. Her parents had secured a room in the same hotel as Erika and I had been staying so we rode to the hospital together. The guards were not there and her room was empty. Panic stricken we were about to rush out when a nurse came in and told us that Erika had been taken from the room earlier to have some tests her doctor had ordered. It wasn't fifteen minutes later when Erika was brought back to her bed. She looked a little tired but was in otherwise in good spirits. Evidently, the night of rest had worked wonders. She was able to talk with us and wanted to know what had happened to her. I filled her in on what had occurred at the bank three days ago. "The last thing I recall was firing my weapon at one of them. After that I don't remember a thing," she said. Noticing my bandaged left arm, still in its sling, she asked me how I got hurt. "After you were shot I jumped over you to cover your body when I caught a round in my shoulder. Don't worry. It's nothing serious. I'll be as good as new in a few days." I continued saying, "Erika, stop worrying about me. You need to concentrate on getting better." For the rest of the morning she and her mother and father talked about the happy times in their lives. Then they started telling funny stories about her teenage years. She started giggling and I could see the stress slipping away from her face. Soon after she had a light lunch, of what appeared to be jello, she fell asleep. That was our cue to leave and have some lunch ourselves. When we returned later in the afternoon we were met by Erika's doctor. He wished to speak in private with her parents. Her mother insisted that I be allowed to hear what he had to say. "He is," she said nodding toward me, "more instrumental in Erika's return to us than you realize. Peter, I want him to know everything." We stepped into a small office just down the hall from Erika's room. He told us that he was concerned about her heart and brain functions so he had arranged for an EKG as well as an EEG. The two tests were administered that morning and he had received the results. The EKG showed normal heart functions, but he said they would do a stress EKG after she regained her strength. Since she was clinically dead, for at as much as twenty minutes, without blood and oxygen flowing to the brain he was quite worried about brain damage. He was happy to report to us that this test came back indicating normal brain functions. "Thank God," the three of us said in unison. For the next forty-five minutes he outlined his treatment plans for Erika. She would stay in the hospital for some time to facilitate her recovery. He encouraged us to spend as much time with her as possible. Upon returning to Erika's room we found her awake and sitting up in bed. The rest of the afternoon was spent in pleasant conversation. Her parents wanted to know more about me. So I gave them a brief description of my boyhood and how I came to be collaborating with their daughter. That evening when we returned to the hotel I turned my cell phone back on and saw I had several voicemails from my parents. They had been given a complete update on what had happened to me and 'The Agency' had booked them on US Airways flight 6924 out of JFK non-stop arriving early the next morning. Looking at the time I calculated that with the six hour difference I might be able to catch them before they boarded the flight to Berlin. Making the call I was relieved when my dad answered. After assuring him that I was fine he put my mom on the phone. I repeated to her what I had told dad and, after she stopped sniffling, we were able to talk for a few minutes before they were called to board the jet. I should tell you now about how 'The Agency' had reacted to this near tragedy and my being wounded. After being informed of the event they had immediately dispatched two of our high ranking field agents to access the situation. There was some concern that remnants of Red Army Faction might seek to assassinate me in retribution for destroying their leadership. So these agents had orders to insure that my safety was their number one priority. Certain precautions were put in place. The hotel I was staying at was now occupied by both members of 'The Agency' and Bundespolizei. The entire hotel staff had been thoroughly vetted. I would no longer have to depend on public transportation or a taxi in my travels to and from the hospital. A car with a driver and armed escort was placed at my disposal. I requested an indefinite leave of absence from 'The Agency'. I knew what a valuable asset I was to them and they knew that I knew it as well. There was no argument on their part to my request. So at 7:25 am the next morning I found myself in the arrival hall of Berlin's Tegel airport waiting for my mom and dad. Our brief reunion was interrupted by my driver and escort who wanted us to leave this public area quickly for security reasons. I took them back to my hotel where I had arranged an adjoining room for them. They could change clothes and freshen up a bit before we headed over to the hospital. I had to keep reassuring mom I was okay and there would be no lasting effects from being shot. While my mother was in the shower and getting changed my father sat me down and asked. "Rick just how well are you, actually? I hear what you are saying to your mother and me. Is it the truth?" "Pop, I've never lied to you or mom. I'm fine. I really have no need for the sling anymore. I've been told that in a few days I'll be able to resume all normal activities with this arm." My father gave me a big hug and told me how much he and mom were worried about me. "Thank God you are okay." "Now tell me about this girl you are involved with." When I told him that I had fallen in love with her he stopped me by saying. "Rick, you have been always so slow and methodical your entire life in reaching any decision. Tell me how is it that in less than three weeks you have fallen in love." "Pop, I hear what you're saying. But it's true. I have fallen in love with her. We are alike in so many ways but there are some differences. However, they are minor in the grand scope of things. All I know is that I want to be with her for the rest of my life." "Does she have the same feelings for you?" He asked me. "I think so, dad. She and I will go forward and discover together if she does." Just then mom emerged and told my father it was his turn to shower and change. Mom pretty much hit me up with the same questions as dad had. When I told her how much I'd fallen in love with Erika she wrapped me up in her arms and said in my ear. "Don't get hurt if she doesn't feel the same as you do." It was after twelve in the afternoon when we finally arrived in Erika's room. After introducing my parents to Erika and her parents I asked her how she was feeling. Her mother and father, as well as she, had huge smiles on their faces. "Daddy, you tell him," she said. Her father told me that the doctor had been by that morning and was amazed at how much progress Erika had made over the past four days. The doctor told them that if she continued to improve at this rate he saw no problem discharging her perhaps in as early as three days. "There is only one small problem," Erika interjected. "There must be someone to look after me for a few weeks. I could stay with my parents except for the fact they live in a third floor apartment. There is no elevator and the doctor has forbidden be to climb stairs during my recuperation. Also, my mother is not physically strong enough to help me if the need arises. I don't know how to resolve this problem." "Let's think about it. We have a few days to come up with an answer." I said. The rest of the day was spent with Erika and her parents getting to know my mom and dad. It seemed to me that they hit it off well. As we were leaving my mother walked over to Erika and bending over whispered something in her ear as she kissed her the cheek good-night. After everyone had left the room I moved beside Erika sitting on the bed and kissed her good-night. "Tell your mother, the answer to her question, is yes. Very much so." Somewhat confused I asked, "what did mom say to you.?" "She asked me if I loved you as much as you loved me." All I could do was wrap my arms around her and kiss her over and over again. As the five of us rode down in the elevator I said to my mom. "She said yes, mom, she said yes." Peter and my father looked puzzled by my remark but the two moms looked at each other with twinkling eyes and huge smiles. Chapter Four - The Engagement and Marriage The next day after we visited with Erika in the morning, Marie suggested that she and Peter show my parents around Berlin. "It will give the children some alone time," she said. Looking at her my mother smiled and nodded her head in agreement. For the rest of the afternoon and early evening Erika and I spent our time making plans for our future. When I arrived back at the hotel that night Peter asked to meet with me in the bar down stairs. He had some news he wanted to share with me. We walked toward the back of the room to a secluded booth. Peter told me that he had been briefed by the higher ups in the Counter-Terrorism division that all of the last members of the Red Army Faction had been taken into custody earlier that day. "The threat to you and my daughter is over. Now we must discuss your intentions toward Erika. From what my wife tells me . . . . . . ." I didn't let him finish. "Herr von Sturm, I love Erika and she loves me. I plan on asking her to marry me. May I have your permission to do that?" He leaned back in his seat, and with a look on his face that did not betray what he was thinking, answered me after a few moments. "Erika is a very headstrong young woman as by now you know quite well. She would marry you with or without my permission. You and I both know what her answer will be. I'm not so antiquated as to believe that my daughter must do as I say. You do not need my permission to ask her, but I do my give you my whole-hearted blessing." "Thank you,sir. I promise you I will love and cherish her for the rest of my life." "I could not ask anything more of you," he said smiling at me. "This calls for a drink." Signaling to a waiter he ordered two schnapps. When the shot glasses of schnapps arrived we held them aloft in a salute to the occasion. "Prosit!" Downing the contents of the small glass in a single gulp. I thought my eyes would pop out of my head as the liquid burned its way down my throat. Choking, I tried to regain my breath. Looking at Peter it seemed it had no effect on him "It is an acquired taste. The second one will go down much better." Peter said as he ordered a second round. He was right. The second one went down a lot easier but I declined as he attempted to order a third round. Before going back to my room I stopped by mom and dad's room to tell them the news and my plans. "If you are asking Erika to marry you do you have a ring?" My mother asked. I hadn't even begun to think about rings and it showed on my face. "I thought as much." Mom said to me. Taking a ring from her finger on her right hand she explained. Fighting Terrorism - Finding Love: Sequel "Your grandmother gave this to me when you were still a little boy. It was her mother's ring and your grandmother wanted you to have it, if and when, you decided to marry." "Oh. The von Sturms are taking us for more sightseeing tomorrow morning so we will meet you later in the afternoon. You two should be alone when you ask her to marry you." Mom said to me. The next day, when I arrived at Erika's hospital room, I was surprised to find her out of bed and dressed. She told me the doctor was so impressed with her recovery he was discharging that morning. "Erika, I have something I want to ask . . ." Before I could pop the question a nurse's aide entered the room pushing an empty wheelchair. "Frau von Sturm. I'm here to give you a ride downstairs to collect your discharge paperwork. Are you here to escort her home?" She asked me with a smile on her face. "Ahh, yes I am. I have a car waiting outside." As Erika was completing the paperwork for her discharge from the hospital I quickly used my cell phone to summon my driver to pick us up. Once we were seated in the back of the Mercedes Erika asked if we could just ride around for while. So I asked Hans, my driver for the past several days, if he knew someplace, anyplace away from the traffic and congestion of the city. He assured me he did and we left the hospital behind. We soon found ourselves being driven through the Grunewald Forest. Seeing a spot overlooking a crystal clear lake I asked him to stop and park. He gave me a look that said he understood I needed some privacy so he left us and went for a walk. I turned to Erika and tried to remember the words I had rehearsed all last night. I was so nervous that I promptly forgot everything I wanted to say. "Erika, over the past several weeks I haves fallen hopelessly and totally in love with you. I cannot imagine living my life without you in it." "Will you marry me?" I asked producing my great-grandmother's ring. It seemed like hours, as I held my breath, waiting for her answer. In reality it was only a few short seconds before she replied. "Oh, mein Gott, YES! Yes, of course, I'll marry you." Slipping the ring on her finger I was amazed it fit perfectly. We spent the next half an hour crying, laughing and kissing one another. Hans soon reappeared and we continued our drive through the forest around the lake. I truly don't remember much of what passed by as I was too busy looking at my beautiful fiancée. Late that afternoon my cell phone rang. It was my father. "We are at the hospital and there is no sign of either of you. Where are you?" "Oh my gosh, dad. Erika was discharged this morning and I forgot entirely to call and tell you. I'm so sorry. We have been riding around ever since. Can we meet you back at the hotel in about an hour?" Arriving back we were met by my father and Peter in the lobby. It was decided we would go to a small, intimate restaurant just down the street for supper. Erika couldn't wait to show her father her ring and tell him the happy news. A few minutes later my mother and Marie joined us. Erika showed her mother the ring and repeated her story about my marriage proposal. The news was met with hugs, tears and kissing amongst the ladies. The three of us men made do with handshakes and a hug. Then we walked to the restaurant and the real celebration began. I cannot believe how much champagne was consumed that night. When I pointed this out to my mother. She replied, with Marie echoing. "One can never have enough champagne to celebrate an engagement." We did manage to get safely back to the hotel several hours later. Over breakfast the following morning the two moms and Erika started planning for the wedding. My dad and Peter said it would be in my best interest to not become involved and led me away. They laughingly told me my role in all of this will be limited to showing up at the ceremony and saying 'I do'. Three months later the big day rolled around. In Germany there is only one official wedding ceremony, a civil one. It was conducted at the town hall or Rathaus of the small village where Erika's family lived. Following the ceremony we went to a small restaurant for a wedding lunch and, you guessed it, more champagne. The next day we said our wedding vows in the church that Erika and her family had attended for many years. Some of my family and a few friends managed to make the trip over but the majority of the guests were family, friends and colleagues of Erika and her father. Standing at the altar I watched as Erika made her way down the aisle holding on to her father's arm. I was struck by just how beautiful she was in her wedding gown. Her dad placed her hand in mine and we both turned toward the pastor. The ceremony was conducted in German but I had been well briefed as to when it was my turn to say 'I do'. We kissed and turning toward the assembled guests were introduced as husband and wife. As we walked back down the aisle I turned toward Erika. She was bawling her eyes out. "What's wrong sweetheart?" "Nothing, mein schatz, nothing. I'm just so very happy." The wedding reception was held in the ballroom of a local hotel. Dinner, dancing and, yes, there was champagne. Lots and lots of it. We left the next afternoon on our honeymoon. I had managed to keep it a secret from Erika. Boy, was that difficult, but I managed. We flew to Hawaii for a ten day cruise through the islands and we loved every minute of it. (no pun intended) As a side note one of my guests was the attorney who patented my eco-drive power system for laptops some years earlier. He had been in negotiations with, not only the leading computer companies, but also with the major manufacturers of batteries such as Duracell and Energizer to name just two. He finally was able to reach agreements with all of them. As a wedding present he handed me a number contracts for my signature. After some hard negotiations he had forced all of them to accept his conditions. I was not selling away my invention to them. I was just granting them a license to manufacture my device and that license was subjected to renewal every five years. "Rick," he told me. "You'll never have to worry about money ever again." I'm not going to tell you how much money these contracts provided to me. However, I will say that his percentage earned him over five million dollars. Upon returning home I set about fulfilling my contract to build the additional laptops with the same capabilities as my original one for 'The Agency'. When I finished my commitment I wanted to resign but was talked out of it. They offered me the opportunity to work on a consultant basis, with the solemn promise of ABSOLUTELY NO FIELD WORK. Erika insisted that clause be inserted into the new contract with them. I was in total agreement with her. Erika resigned from her position with the Counter-Terrorism Unit. She told me that all she wanted to do now was to be my wife and become a mother. We worked really hard to fulfill that latter desire. With our new found wealth we set about building two homes. One in Germany on a hillside overlooking the Rhine River and the other in Florida on the Saint Johns River. My dad had retired, sold his business and he and mom moved to Florida. Now we would be able to spend time with them as well as Erika's parents in Germany. Epilogue - Some years later at the home of Erika's parents "Come my darlings it's time for bed." "Oh, Oma Marie can't we stay up just a little longer. Opa Peter is letting us play with our dolls on his lap. You don't mind, do you Opa?" My two four year old granddaughters implored. "Nein mein schatz." (no, my sweetheart) "Your mommy would be very upset with me if you stayed up any longer. Give Opa a kiss good night and run along upstairs, brush your teeth and put on your nightgowns. I'll be up in a few minutes to tuck you both in bed and read you a story." Both girls scampered upstairs after kissing my husband good night. He got up from his chair and hugged me saying. "We are so very, very fortunate to have them. Aren't we?" All I could do was nod my head yes before saying, "I better go check on them." When I got to their bedroom they were both already in bed. "We brushed our teeth." Elke said. Heidi chimed in saying. "And I made sure she even used toothpaste." "Very good girls. Now what story would you like to hear tonight?" "Sleeping Beauty", they both answered. "Oh. That's my all time favorite story." I retrieved the book of fairy tales from the bookcase and began reading. When I reached the part about the handsome prince kissing the sleeping beauty and waking her from her deep, deep slumber Heidi asked me. "Oma do you think that is really true? Could a handsome prince really do that?" "Oh my, yes! I know it's true! I saw it happen once a long time ago." "Now go to sleep. Mommy and daddy will be home when you wake up tomorrow morning." Turning out the light I left the room and thought to myself that one day soon Erika and I would tell them the real story of 'Sleeping Beauty'. My daughter and her handsome prince returned home late that night from an evening out together. When I told her of my desire for the two us to tell her daughters the real story of 'Sleeping Beauty' she just giggled and said, "Why Not? Just as long as my Prince Charming is there to demonstrate the kiss." All I could do was shrug my shoulders and say, "let's go practice." Fighting Terrorism - Finding Love Erika took the A-8 autobahn and we arrived in the city in less than thirty minutes. Remember there are no speed limits on the autobahn and watching the speedometer I never saw her drop below 160 KPH (100 mph). Driving into the city she went directly to the Hotel am Rathaus where she had reserved a two bedroom suite. I showered, shaved and changed clothes before we went out for lunch at a nearby bier stuben or small beer room which also served as a restaurant. Haji-Resa arrived by train later in the early afternoon and checked into the InterCity Hotel adjacent to the Ulm Hauptbahnhof and less than a kilometer from our hotel. It was a perfect location for me to observe any communication he might have with his unknown contact. It was well past seven in the evening when we learned he was on the move. He went to a small cafe just down the fussganger (pedestrian walkway) from his hotel. Erika was notified by one of her team that Haji-Resa had taken a seat in the back and was joined by another man shortly afterward. I saw Haji-Resa's computer come on-line and then another one opened up right next to him. I quickly 'captured' that one. I was able to discern that a flash-drive was being plugged into Haji-Resa's laptop and an encrypted file was downloaded. With that being accomplished another flash-drive with information from Haji-Resa was downloaded onto the contact's computer. The entire exchange took less than five minutes. When the contact left he was followed by another of Erika's team and he would be taken into custody later that evening. Chapter Six - Erika gets to know Rick better. I watched Rick as he manipulated his little computer. He told me that the files he had gotten from Haji-Resa and his first contact's computers were heavily encrypted. I asked him if that would present a problem and he answered me, with a grin on his face, 'no'. He said he would be able to decrypt them without any problem. It would take some time, probably a half hour or so depending on the sophistication of the original encryption. He then went on to describe the process in terms I could understand. His explanation was in plain everyday language and not computer/speak. He did not make me feel uncomfortable in any way with my lack of technical expertise. When speaking to me he only looked at my face and no where else. He excused himself saying he wanted to shower once more and went into his room. I remained in the lounge of our suite and turned on the television. Germany was playing Argentina in the World Cup Final and the scoreless match had gone into extra-time. In the 112th minute Germany scored taking a 1-0 lead. They held on to the lead and won. The TV then showed people celebrating in the streets all over Germany. I went to the window, opened it and saw hundreds of people in the street below celebrating. They were yelling, dancing and waving flags as they made their way to the Münster Platz (church square) for a huge party. I was enjoying the scene when Rick reappeared and asked what was all the commotion. Chapter Seven - After finishing my shower I dressed and walked back into the lounge. I heard a lot of shouting and cheering from the street below. Erika was standing by an opened window and I couldn't help but notice her shapely figure as she leaned over the window sill. "What's all the commotion about?" I asked her. "Germany has just won the World Cup Fußbol (soccer) Tournament and the nation is celebrating. If it too noisy I will close the window." She responded. "No, no. Let's watch for a while." I said as I joined her at the window. For the next half an hour we watched as the celebration streamed by in the street below. Finally all that was left were a few stragglers running by to join the crowds assembled in the church square a few blocks from our hotel. A few minutes later after she closed the window my computer chimed the alert telling me it had finished the decrypting of Haji-Resa files. As I read Haji-Resa's flies I realized that he was not here to gather the technical information to build a bomb. He was here to coordinate and implement a plan to explode several devices simultaneously one in Tel Aviv, one in Berlin and one in London as well as the one in Washington D.C. Included in the files, downloaded from his first contact, were the names of those terrorists who were to carry out the plot in Tel Aviv. I shared this information with Erika who immediately notified her superiors advising them of the new development. Meanwhile, I re-encrypted everything I had and transmitted it, via a secure satellite link, to 'The Agency'. It was even more imperative now that we uncover Haji-Resa's other contacts in order to obtain everything we could to stop these attacks. Neither of us slept well that night knowing what the price of failure would be if we were unsuccessful. The next day Erika was notified, by one of her team, that Haji-Resa had gone to the train station and purchased a round trip ticket from Ulm to Munich leaving at eight o'clock the following morning. We would take an earlier train and be there to follow him when he arrived. At six o'clock that morning we were at the station and boarded the ICE (Intercity Express) for Munich. I was nervous that once we got there we might lose him in the crowds of people visiting this popular tourist city. Erika assured me that this would not happen. Placing her hand on mine she said. "Let me worry about that, you worry about getting the information from his contact when they meet." Chapter Eight - Munich Haji-Resa arrived in Munich at 10am and went to the U-bahn station (subway) and boarded a train headed in the direction of the Marienplatz. We got on the same train but several cars back from the one he was in. Two stops later he got off at the Marienplatz (Mary's Square located in the center of the city). He was followed closely by Erika's colleagues and we trailed behind out of sight. He entered a cafe on the Marienplatz directly across from the clock tower that housed the Glockenspiel, a mechanical device featuring medieval knights holding a jousting tournament with the townspeople dancing afterward holding the city's banner aloft. It was a big tourist attraction. We found seats at another cafe and I set about powering up my computer. At eleven o'clock, as the Glockenspiel began its morning performance, his computer booted up and another one right next to him did as well. I 'captured' this one immediately as information was passed between the two terrorists. Thirty minutes later at the conclusion of the Glockenspiel's performance the two terrorists left and mingled with the departing crowds. Both were followed and contact number two would be taken into custody later in the day. Erika was informed that Haji-Resa had headed back to the train station and was waiting to board a train for the return journey to Ulm. Since we did not want to take the same train as him and risk him spotting us we elected to visit one of Munich's most famous beer halls, the Hofbräuhaus. Erika told me that it made no difference what time of day or night the place would be jamb packed with tourists and locals. Finding two seats at a long table filled with locals, we ordered. Beer is served in one size only, one liter glass steins so that's what we had along with a plate of bratwurst and sauerkraut. It was fun being with her and listening to the brass band playing as we ate and drank. Leaving there we caught the afternoon train that left at three and arrived back in Ulm just after five that evening. As soon as we got back to our hotel room I set about decrypting the files that had been 'captured' earlier in the day from contact number two. It contained the details for the attack on Berlin. This was quickly passed on to Erika's superiors. One other bit of information I garnered from today's work was that Haji-Resa was meeting his final contact in Frankfurt in two days and then would fly back to the States. The planned date for the attack was for ten days after his return. If all went as we hoped, it would never take place. Chapter Nine - The end of Haji-Resa Two days later found Erika and I safely checked into the Hilton Garden Inn Frankfurt Airport Hotel. Haji-Resa was staying at the Sheraton Frankfort Airport Hotel just a hundred meters or so from ours. At seven-thirty that evening he met with his third and final contact to exchange details on the up coming attack on London. As before, I was able to 'capture' contact three's computer and learned everything regarding that planned attack. After sending this information back to 'The Agency' I was informed later that evening that all the data I had collected had been shared with Israel's Mossad and Britain's MI-5 counter terrorism divisions. The next morning Haji-Resa was on Delta Flight 15 leaving at 10:15am CET(Central European Time) back to the United States. He was scheduled to arrive at 2:24pm EST (Eastern Standard Time) after a ten hour flight. He would be met by my colleagues from 'The Agency' as soon as he stepped from the plane and placed under arrest. At eight o'clock that evening I was notified, via the secure satellite link, that Haji-Resa and his computer laptop were in custody. Additionally, I was told that I was being sent new orders to be completed before I would be able to return home. Chapter Ten - A new assignment for Rick and Erika The Deutsche Staat Polizei Counter-Terrorism Unit, of which Erika was a member, had received some recent intelligence regarding the Red Army Faction. It is more widely known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang, a home grown terrorist organization. I was instructed to assist Erika's agency using my computer expertise in any way I could. It would seem that Erika and I would be working together again for quite some time. Truth be told I was not unhappy with this turn of events. Over the past two weeks I had developed more than just a passing fancy toward her. Hopefully, the time we would be spending together now would allow these feelings to grow for both of us. Just as I about to share these new orders with Erika her cell phone rang. Answering it and listening for some moments I heard her reply. "Yes, I understand . . . . . Tomorrow at 0930 hours. . . . . We will be there. Gute nacht (good night) sir." Turning to me with a big smile she said. "We have to be in Berlin tomorrow morning at the headquarters of my Counter-Terrorist Unit for a briefing on a new assignment. It would seem we will be working together again." "I'm too tired to drive all night, Rick. If we hurry we can catch the next flight to Berlin Tegel airport." Looking at her cell phone display she continued. "Lufthansa has a flight leaving at 2230 hours and it arrives at 2345 hours." We managed to catch that flight and arrived at the gate in Berlin at five minutes to midnight. While walking through the terminal, Erika made a phone call to secure a hotel for us to spend the night before our briefing the next morning. We then boarded the shuttle for the short trip to the hotel. Using her agency's credit card she checked us in and we made our way to the room. Once we were in the room I immediately noticed a problem. There was only one queen size bed. When I pointed this out to Erika she simply replied to me. "So this is a problem? The bed is large enough for the two of us. Is it not?" I was too tired to answer and stripping down to my boxers fell into bed. Erika went into the bathroom and after some minutes returned, turned out the light and climbed in next to me. Waking up somewhere around 5am I found Erika spooned up next to me with her soft derriere right up against my growing erection. My left hand was fondling her breast. As I tried to remove my hand away she grasped it and murmured softly. "No leave it there. I like it." She promptly fell back asleep but not before wiggling her butt even closer to me. So I did. In the taxi the next morning, on the ride to our appointment, I tried to explain and apologize for what had happened. She turned to me and placing her fingers on my lips she said. "Not now we will talk later." Chapter Eleven - Moving our relationship forward Erika walked me into the headquarters of the Counter-Terrorist Unit and after showing our credentials we were allowed to proceed. Taking the elevator to the sixth floor we exited down a corridor toward the reception desk. There we were instructed to proceed to a conference room several steps away. Walking into the room an older man introduced himself to me as Thomas Mueller, the head of Erika's unit. Two other men came in, were introduced and sat at the table with us. Herr Mueller then began speaking. "To begin with I would like to bring you up to date regarding your previous mission. As you may, or may not, know all of the terrorists involved in the plot to detonate a dirty nuclear bomb in Tel Aviv, Berlin, London and Washington, D.C. have been apprehended. The bombs have been found and are in the process of being made safe." Nodding toward me he continued. "On behalf of the German government I congratulate and thank you for the difficult task you have accomplished." Turning to Erika he said. "Fraulein von Sturm, I also, extend my congratulations and thanks for a job well done. It goes without saying that this commendation will be reflected in your personnel record." "Now for the business at hand." Herr Mueller explained that the Red Army Faction, or as it was also known the Baader-Meinhof Gang, had resurrected itself after its leaders had been either killed or jailed in the late 1990's. "Right now they are in the process of reorganization and gathering money to resume their terrorist activities. It will be your task, Herr Wilhelm, to gather as much information as possible using your unique skills. Fraulein von Sturm you are being assigned to give all the support and help he may need." At that point the other two men took over the briefing and gave me all the intelligence they had gathered to date. It was quite extensive and would take me some time to fully digest it all. Leaving the offices I was surprised to see that it was already past four in the afternoon. Neither of us had anything to eat since a hurried breakfast almost nine hours ago. We found a small, quiet restaurant on a street just off the Kurfürstendamm (one of the main boulevards of Berlin). After being seated and reading the menu we ordered dinner. After finishing our meal I, once again, attempted to apologize for what had occurred the previous evening. "Rick," she replied. "Nothing happened last night that I did not want to happen. Do you remember when I told you of the unique ability I had to discern anyone's feelings and intentions from just their facial expressions and body language? What I did not tell you was I have the ability to switch that ability on or off at will." "After the first day we met at the airport in Stuttgart I elected to turn off this ability where it concerned you. I wanted to accept you at face value. Over the the past weeks that we have been working together I discovered something. You have always treated me with the greatest respect and as your equal, willing to listen and accept my decisions on what we should or should not do while in the field." "The night we watched the World Cup celebrations in the street I saw your reflection in the window as you came into the room. You were looking at my derriere. Don't deny it. I know what I saw." "I became concerned and switched my ability back on. I had to know what you really thought of me. Every man I have ever gone out with has just looked at me in the same way. Only with lust and a selfish desire to satisfy only themselves." "What I see in you is entirely different. I have discovered several things. There is respect and admiration for me. But even those feelings pale in comparison to the love and affection for me that I see in your face." "I have looked deeply into my own heart," she continued, "and have discovered I have the same feelings for you as you have for me." As we walked back to the hotel, in the growing chill of the evening, I felt her shiver so I put my arm around her and pulled her closer to me. She, in turn, wrapped her arm around my waist and snuggled closer. As we entered the lobby the desk clerk, who was on duty the evening before, called to us. "You inquired about a separate room last evening and one has become available. Would you like it?" We looked at each other and I replied. "No, thank you. We like our room just as it is. Chapter Twelve - The beginning of the end It took Erika and me the better part of three days to read and digest the nearly eight thousand pages of surveillance data provided by her organization. We broke it down by individual reports. I would read one, making notes, while she read another. Then we would swap and read each other's looking for something one of us may have missed. It worked well. We worked hard each day and when we returned to our hotel room we did manage to even get a little sleep each night. Finally I was ready to 'hack' into the terrorist group's computer network. I had been warned that they were using a very sophisticated anti-hacking software package with multiple firewalls. The Germans had not been able to penetrate past the first firewall. Once I established contact with the terrorist network server I looked at it for some minutes and then turned to Erika and chuckled. "Erika, no problem. I'll have us inside in just a minute or two." "How can you be so confident?" She asked of me. "Simple." I replied. "I wrote the program that they're using a few years ago while I was finishing my Ph.D. I left a backdoor, buried in the code, so I would always be able to break-in if I ever needed to." With a few keystrokes I was inside. "Now lets see what they are up to." I transferred every last scrap of information from their server to my little computer and then backed out of their system erasing any trace of my intrusion. There were over two thousand files, each password protected. It didn't make any difference. I was easily able to work around their passwords and access their data. It took some time to weed out all the crap but when I finished we had everything needed to destroy their organization. One of their last files detailed plans for infiltrating the largest bank in Germany. They had an almost fool proof plan for stealing tens of millions of euros. (I'm not providing any details, as it was so ridiculously simple I don't want you to try it yourself.) So ten days later I found myself sitting in the lobby of Deutsch Bank waiting for the gang members to arrive and implement their plot. I had my little computer ready to stop their attempt to electronically transfer tens of millions of euros to a secret Swiss account. Erika sat with me. Members of her counter-terrorism unit were stationed in and around the bank along with teams from the Staat Polizei. Four men entered the bank and one had a laptop computer with him. They walked over to a desk, a few steps away from me. While the one with the computer was setting up, the other three turned away and were watching the crowds of customers. Suddenly, one of the three spotted a bank guard. He panicked, drew his weapon and began firing. The other three followed suit. Erika stood and immediately began to fire back. She hit one and then she was struck twice in the upper chest and fell to the floor. I fell on top of her to prevent her from being shot again. I was then hit in my left shoulder. I could feel Erika's gun beneath me, grabbing it, I rolled over and shot the remaining terrorist. I kept firing at him until the slide of her automatic locked open. The other three men lay on the floor having been killed by Erika's colleagues. Fighting Terrorism - Finding Love We both were rushed to a hospital. My wound was a through and through. No real damage other than it hurt like Hell. I was stitched up and put in a room for observation overnight. I kept asking but no one would tell me anything about Erika's condition other than she was still in surgery. I was becoming more and more agitated and a doctor finally gave me a shot that knocked me out. The next morning after seeing a doctor I was allowed to leave after they put my arm in a sling. I went in search of Erika. After some minutes of searching and asking for help I was directed to a waiting room and told to stay there and someone would be along shortly to speak with me. After some time two men, that I recognized as colleagues from Erika's team, approached me. With sadness in their eyes what they told me was not encouraging news. Erika was in extremely critical condition in an Intensive Care Unit two floors above us. They escorted me to the elevators and we rode up together in silence. Walking down the corridor I came to a room with two armed guards at the door. I was told her mother and father were with her and I would not be permitted inside. Just down the hallway was a small chapel so I went there to wait and pray. I don't know how long I sat there all alone with my eyes closed in thought and prayer. It seemed like hours but I realized it could only have been fifteen or twenty minutes. Feeling a hand on my right shoulder and opening my eyes I saw a man standing beside me. "Are you Rick?" Nodding my head yes he continued speaking in a low voice. "I am Peter von Sturm, Erika's father. Come with me. She asked for you." As we walked the few steps down to her room I asked how she was. Shaking his head and with tears in his eyes he simply said. "It is not good." Stepping past the two guards he said. "Let him pass." Entering the room I saw what must be Erika's mother sitting in a chair by her bedside softly crying. The only other sound in the room was the beeping of her heart monitor. Approaching the other side of Erika's bed I leaned over and kissed her forehead then whispered in her ear how much I loved her. As I held her hand her eyelids fluttered and I could feel her gently squeezing my hand. Beep . . . . . . Beep . . . . . . Beep . . . . . BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP One of the nurses in the room quickly ushered the three of us out into the hallway while another began CPR. As we stood in the corridor two doctors rushed in pushing a crash cart. "Herz festnahme", (cardiac arrest) we heard someone yell. We heard the sound of a defibrillator charging and then a loud voice. "Ein . . zwei . . drei . . freirer Raum." (one . . two . . three . . clear) WHUMP! Erika's parents and I listened to the same instructions several more times over the next ten minutes and then all activity ceased and it was quiet. The two doctors walked slowly out of the room and one looked at us and just shook his head telling her parents in German that she was gone. I didn't need a translation. I knew by just looking at their faces. The three of us walked back into Erika's room and watched as the nurses began shutting down the I.V.s and removed the cannula that had been providing oxygen to her. Erika's mother began crying and her father gathered his wife into his arms and wept as well. I walked to her bedside and whispered once more how much I loved her and then kissed her lips in a final good-bye. . . . . . Beep . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beep . . . . . . Beep . . . . . . Beep . . Beep. ++++++++++++++++++ Epilogue - Some years later at the home of Erika's parents "Come my darlings it's time for bed." "Oh, Oma Marie can't we stay up just a little longer. Opa Peter is letting us play with our dolls on his lap. You don't mind, do you Opa?" My two four year old granddaughters implored. "Nein mein schatz." (no, my sweetheart) "Your mommy would be very upset with me if you stayed up any longer. Give Opa a kiss good night and run along upstairs, brush your teeth and put on your nightgowns. I'll be up in a few minutes to tuck you both in bed and read you a story." Both girls scampered upstairs after kissing my husband good night. He got up from his chair and hugged me saying. "We are so very, very fortunate to have them. Aren't we?" All I could do was nod my head yes before saying, "I better go check on them." When I got to their bedroom they were both already in bed. "We brushed our teeth." Elke said. Heidi chimed in saying. "And I made sure she even used toothpaste." "Very good girls. Now what story would you like to hear tonight?" "Sleeping Beauty", they both answered. "Oh. That's my all time favorite story." I retrieved the book of fairy tales from the bookcase and began reading. When I reached the part about the handsome prince kissing the sleeping beauty waking her from her deep, deep slumber Heidi asked me. "Oma do you think that is really true? Could a handsome prince really do that?" "Oh my, yes! I know it's true! I saw it happen once a long time ago." "Now go to sleep. Mommy and daddy will be home when you wake up tomorrow morning." Turning out the light I left the room and thought to myself that one day soon Erika and I would tell them the real story of 'Sleeping Beauty'.