Manfred's wrist snapped audibly and the knife dropped to the ground. But the relentless Manfred was on it in an instant. Holding it in his left hand and howling with anger, he surprised Herbert by driving his knee into his gut. Herbert doubled over in his wheelchair and Manfred fell on top of him. Pinning Herbert back with his body, the German leaned over him, raised the knife, and plunged it into the back of the chair. The blade tore audibly through the leather as Jody screamed at the German to stop.

Manfred stabbed again, snarling ferociously. Then again. Then there was a loud pop and he stopped stabbing. He reached for his throat.

There was a hole in his flesh, a hole put there by a bullet fired by Jody from Karin's gun. Blood leaked from the two branches of his common carotid artery, just below the jawline. The knife fell from Manfred's hand and then Manfred fell from the wheelchair. He twitched for a moment and then was still.

Herbert turned and looked at the young woman's dark silhouette against the darker sky.

"Oh, God," she said. "Oh, God."

"Are you all right?" Herbert asked.

"I killed someone," Jody said.

"You had no choice."

She began to whimper. "I killed a man. I killed someone."

"No," Herbert said. He wheeled around and headed toward her. "You saved someone's life. Mine."

"But I… I shot him."

"You had to, just like other people have had to kill in wars."

"A war?"

"That's exactly what this is," Herbert said. "Look, he didn't give you any choice. You hear me, Jody? You didn't do anything wrong. Nothing."

Jody stood there sobbing.

"Jody?"

"I'm sorry," she said to the body. "I'm sorry."

"Jody," Herbert said, "first of all, would you please do me a favor?"

"What?" she said numbly.

"Would you point the gun to the side?"

She did, slowly. Then she opened her hand and dropped it. Then she looked at Herbert as though she were noticing him for the first time. "You're not hurt," she murmured. "How did he miss?"

"I never go anywhere without my Kevlar-lining," he said. "Multi-layered bullet-proofing in the back and seat. I got the idea from the President. The chair in the Oval Office is lined with it too."

Jody didn't seem to hear. She wavered for a moment, then followed the gun to the ground. Herbert rolled to her side. He took her hand and gave it a gentle tug. She looked up at him.

"You've been through a lot, Jody." He helped her to her knees. Then he pulled a little harder and she started to get back on her feet. "But you're almost at the finish line. The home stretch, from here to the Autobahn, is a little over a mile. All we have to do…"

Herbert stopped speaking. He heard footsteps in the distance.

Jody looked at him. "What's wrong?"

Herbert listened a moment longer. "Shit!" he said. "Get up. Now."