Ain't War Hell?
By: Maximillian von Fischgeist 

Chapter Sixteen
Maneuver

    "I trusst thiss iss important," hissed the Cobra Commander. "I don't have time to wasste."

    He stood leaning over the table in his conference room, two of his personal guards lurking behind him, watching every move that Wildcat made (though she was careful not to make any move). She stood at attention at the opposite side of the round table, keeping a steady stare and focusing on nothing in particular (as was proper when standing at attention) except the all-important STRAIGHT AHEAD.

    "Very important, sir," she said evenly. "It concerns your plans with Dr. Odem."

    "You are on Major Bludd's payroll," the Commander said after a moment of consideration. The moment could have been spent in analyzation of the small brown and green V-shaped patch she wore on her uniform, signifying her allegiance to Bludd, but she assumed that the Commander had done some research about her after she requested this meeting. "Why should you know anything of that?"

    Wildcat was committed now. It wasn't every day she betrayed her only sponsor and willingly danced to the edge of a precarious limb whose security was beyond unknown. But, then again, it wasn't every day that her only sponsor trapped her in a bag with several hungry beasts and tossed her to the fickle currents of the nearest deep, wide river. "Because he does. More than you may think."

    Cobra Commander straightened and clasped his hands behind his back. "Oh? Exssplain."

    Wildcat took in a quick breath and didn't give herself time to question her gameplan. "Major Bludd and Destro have been working together on the Odem project, never intending for you to be part of it." After a second (which seemed more like a minute), she remembered to add, "Sir."

    "I ssee." The Commander unclasped his hands and brought one of them to the tabletop, where its fingers proceeded to tap out an unrhythmic pattern. Then the tapping stopped and he once again straightened, assuming an imperial stance. "I wass not aware, but it'ss not ssurprissing. You have ssomething elsse to ssay that might ssurprisse me?"

    "They are still working together," she said, suddenly careful not to lisp her every "S". She had never really lisped in her life, but Cobra Commander's odd snakelike hiss caused her to analyze her own speech patterns. "But now their goal has changed. They work to undermine the project. They combine their efforts to sabotage your plans."

    He turned to look at one of his guards, who did not move, did not break his concentration on STRAIGHT AHEAD. The Commander turned back to face Wildcat, who felt a bit empowered by her display of attention that matched the Commander's own personal guards. "How?" he asked in a strange bark that was somewhere between anxiety and rage.

    Wildcat had prepared a speech to answer this inevitable question, but the words abruptly abandoned her. A spurt of panic raced through her body, starting in her stomach and shooting out in all directions. She couldn't remember her practiced explanation, but she at least had the sense to present the next best thing (though she had hoped to keep it as her trump card in case things didn't go as hastily planned). She moved her hand toward her belt.

    The Commander all but jumped backward, and his guards immediately had their rifles zeroed in on Wildcat. "Hold!" one of them called out. She froze and wished her heart would follow suit. Being a thing that had never been all that quick to agree with her mind, it lurched and bounced in the small space allotted to it within her chest.

    There was a moment of indecision all around. Wildcat realized in a frenzy of fear that they thought that she might be reaching for a weapon. She had been searched for weapons before being allowed in the same room with the Commander, but his guards trusted nobody, which was their job. Her life was now in danger and she grasped for the first words she could think of to save herself.

    "I'm not armed," she said, hoping she didn't sound too desperate. "I won't move."

    The Commander had recovered his composure and motioned for his guards to lower their guns. They complied, but Wildcat noticed that the rifles were kept in a position ready for action. "What are you reaching for?" Cobra Commander asked.

    "I have a flower in a pouch on my belt," Wildcat answered honestly. She had no weapons at her disposal, physical or political. She was now obligated to follow through with the necessity that had brought her here.

    "Hass the world become sso backward that women now offer flowerss to men?" A joke from the Cobra Commander to alleviate the moment's stress? Or a slip to prove just how out of touch he was with reality? The scene was now sufficiently surreal enough for Wildcat to accept either circumstance. "You may prossseed."

    She retrieved the plastic bag that contained the flower and placed it on the tabletop. "This is from the greenhouse. Major Bludd has ordered me to turn it over to the enemy so they can produce the antidote."

    The Commander moved around the table and picked up the bag, holding it up to inspect it. Though having been cut from the plant over twenty-four hours before, the flower looked surprisingly fresh. "And you are to take the blame for thiss deceit?"

    "Yes, sir," she answered.

    "You are to be the traitor," he mused, "leaving Desstro and Bludd to continue their treachery behind my back." He gently closed his gloved hand around the bag and pointed his hooded gaze back to Wildcat. The dark eyes were squinted slightly, apparently in distrust. "You, of coursse, will not object if I have thiss flower tessted sso that I might be ssatissfied of your honessty to me."

    "No, sir."

    "And what do you now exsspect of me for having done me thiss sservice?"

    Wildcat felt the first strain of hope flutter in her body. Had it really gone this well? Don't screw it up now! her mind shouted. "I wish only to continue to serve Cobra Command, under your sponsorship." Surely that wasn't too much to ask.

    He turned and walked back into a position framed by his guards. After a moment, he spoke. "You shall have asssylum for now. If I am convinced of your honessty, you shall work for me."

    "Thankyou, sir." She continued to stand as a statue, refused to allow her relief to show.

    "But know thiss: If you ever crosss me the way you have crosssed Major Bludd, your lasst agonized hourss will be sspent in the vain wish that you'd died by hiss merciful handss insstead of the horrorss you would endure by mine."

    "I understand, sir," she said, her composure now fully under her command. The threat was reassuring. Surely he wouldn't threaten her if she was already doomed. A threat meant he wanted her to stay in line and do as she was told. She had no problem with that. She had overturned Fate's decision and found new life! She boldly added, "You will be satisfied."

    "Disssmisssed."

    One of the guards escorted her out of the room and began to lead her to her new living quarters. If not for the heat it would cause for Bludd, she imagined he would be quite proud of her gamble. After all, hadn't it been his advice that there was always room to maneuver? That life was what she made of it? Well, she had chosen survival. At any cost.

    Reminded of cost, she almost smiled at the thought of the last bargaining chip in her possession: A small clipping of the flower's stem. What she meant to do with it escaped even her. It could prove to be useful. It could prove to be her undoing. She was morbidly curious just what horrors the Commander could devise for a traitor. And then she abandoned the idea in an effort to keep curiosity from killing the Wildcat.

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Continued in Part Seventeen!
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