PARADOX - Chapter 83

Chapter 83

May 22, 2012 – New Berlin Base– Antarctica



Hans smiled at the young officer standing at rigid attention before him. Their mission had been both a victory and a failure. They learned that mobile and stationary ground targets were easy kills for their laser weapons, but when it came to fighting against supersonic aircraft, they left much to be desired. Hans was not in the least upset. The entire reason for the assault was to assess the capabilities of the enemy, information that proved to be very useful.

“Twenty-three fighters lost. That is a heavy price to pay to learn a lesson, is it not?” Hans asked the nervous young officer.

“Yes my Fuhrer!’

“Did you successfully deploy Wing Commander Keitel among the wreckage so he could carry out the rest of his mission?”

“Yes my Fuhrer!”

Hans smiled and dismissed the officer, who quickly left with a look of profound relief on his face. He already knew that Keitel had been successfully planted aboard the American carrier because he had been listening to their signal broadcasts. Hans was not concerned about Keitel, he knew the man had the ability to fulfill his obligations.

What disturbed Hans more was the American military assault on Kirtland Air Force Base. The Base had sustained no damage and was protected by some kind of shield. Undoubtedly, the rogue General Jones had gotten his hands on some Arianni technology. Hans knew that if this technology was exploited, it could become a serious threat to his own military forces.

Hans learned that the Americans under Dr. Stiehl had thwarted the Brotherhood mission to the past. He was also informed that the team he sent back into the past was presumed lost and the time ship either destroyed or stolen by Stiehl’s Team. No doubt Dr. Stiehl and possibly General Jones was now working with the Arianni.

He walked over to a table where several men were sitting. General Gunter von Kuchler, Doctor Ernst Bock, General Freiedrich von Weichs and Bruno Schäfer looked up from their plush seats. Hans wasn’t certain why he kept Schäfer around, he was of little value in the overall scheme of things. Perhaps because the man reminded him of a sad looking bird dog that he once owned. He eventually shot the dog for sport when it failed to retrieve a nice pheasant Hans had bagged.

“Well general.” Hans addressed General von Weichs. “Do you think our men have had enough morale boosting?”

The General did not answer but his glare told Hans that he did not appreciate the manner in which he was being addressed. Everyone knew the assault on the American Carrier Group was a disaster.

“We learned something from them,” Hans continued. “Never underestimate the enemy. That is why I am proposing three new missions.”

The men at the table sat up straight curious as to what their new leader had come up with.

“First, I have a list of twenty new targets I want our fighters to destroy. They are not military targets so little danger is involved for our fighter pilots.”

“Of what value are they if they are not military targets?” General von Kuchler asked. “I thought our objective was to give our pilots combat experience.”

“I alone decide their significance,” Hans smartly retorted. “Combat experience is beneficial but they also need to see and feel their enemy dying as a result of their actions. They must become hunters and masters. A great hunter does not always go after the greatest prize, but hunts for the taste of blood, for the satisfaction of the kill.”

Hans scanned the faces around the table. The only one with a gleam of lust in his eyes was Bruno Schäfer. Perhaps Schäfer has more warrior spirit than I give him credit for, Hans thought.

“Second, I am now canceling Operation Hydra effective immediately. General von Kuchler you will see to it that all members of the Brotherhood are advised and evacuated before we launch the next assault.”

“Are you certain you want to do that?” General von Weichs asked. “They have done a good job of disrupting military responses and creating scapegoats for our actions. If we pull them out too soon organized resistance may develop.”

“The sabotage they will conduct before they are extracted will be sufficient,” Hans replied. “Besides, I need a few intelligent tinkers around me, men with vision and spirit, men not afraid to take risks and make sacrifices.”

The men at the table knew he was referring to them. The new Fuhrer was becoming more and more distant from those in positions beneath him.

In Hans’ distorted view, his New Germans were not like the old breed. Under the original Adolph Hitler, there were men of courage, men of honor, great warriors, and visionaries. The New Germans were not warriors. The new Hitler had turned them into milksops. He would change that.

“Third, I want to accelerate the Earth Crust Displacement. It’s moving too slowly for my plans. Can this be done Doctor Bock?”

In his late sixties, Doctor Ernst Bock was well over six feet tall, pencil slim with gnarly white hair and a fine trimmed goatee. He was the senior Nazi scientist and one of the original developers of the Bell Project. Bock was a close associate of Hans. He was also a member of the inner circle responsible for Hitler’s assassination.

“The force of the Bell Project is steadily wearing away at the underpinnings that link the crust to the inner mantle.” Bock stated. “This generates a plastic zone that allows the crust to rotate with respect to the lower layers. If we increase the power of the Bell, the shift will accelerate but there may be undesired consequences.”

“What kind of consequences?” Hans grinned.

“We may inadvertently disrupt the magnetic field of the Earth. It will not vanish, but it will get more complicated. Magnetic lines of force near Earth’s surface may become twisted and tangled, and magnetic poles may pop up in unusual places. For example, a south magnetic pole might emerge over Europe or a North Pole over Australia. But it’s still a planetary magnetic field, and it will continue to protect the Earth from space radiation and solar storms.

“What about volcanic eruptions, tidal waves, and other natural disasters?” Schäfer asked. “Will they increase in size and destructive capability?”

“By no means.” Bock smiled, showing a bottom row of yellowing teeth like weathered tombstones. “We are displacing the entire crust, not plate by plate. The Bell should have little effect on tectonic pressures and slippage’s’ should be at a minimum. In effect, there will be no volcanic eruptions and very few tidal waves.”

“What about these magnetic poles?” General von Kuchler asked. “The entire reason for moving the crust is so that Antarctica will be in a longitude and latitude equivalent to our old homeland of Germany. Will these polar shifts stay in place?”

“They are temporary anomalies,” Doctor Bock answered. “Once we have completed our shift, the poles will remain precisely where they are now, placing Antarctica exactly where we want it to be.”

“The old schedule had the shift completion by the latter part of December,” Hans stated. “At the fastest and safest speed you can increase it to, when will the shift be completed?”

Doctor Bock glanced to his left and stared at a book lying on the table. His concentration was so intense his body became stiff and unyielding. For almost a minute he remained that way, then, he suddenly jerked his head as if something had bitten him.

“The best we can do is eighty-two days,” he finally replied. “Anything sooner than that will create massive tectonic disruptions.”

“By August 12, 2012, the shift could be finished,” Hans mused. “Allowing for the old poles to thaw and new ones to freeze, when could we start moving our people back to New Berlin?”

Doctor Bock thought for a few moments. “We could do it as early as six months after the shift, but I would recommend at least nine or more.”

“You will make the change immediately,” Hans glanced at General von Weichs. “You will triple security around the Bell Project. Every event in history either failed or succeeded because of security or lack thereof. The enemy knows of the Bell Project and they will try their best to stop it. You will see to it that this does not happen.”

“They do not have the technology to reach the Bell Project,” General von Weichs sounded convinced of his logic. “Their submarines cannot possibly descend thirty miles beneath the surface.”

Hans was furious. The old man was living up to his lack of vision and insight.

“Wake up old man!” Hans screamed. “Where did we get our technology? The Arianni. Who are they working with now? The Arianni. Has your brain died or have you simply lived beyond your usefulness?”

General von Weichs jumped to his feet, knocking the chair over behind him. His face was red with fury, his eyes bulging with anger.

“The Fuhrer’s granddaughter did not kill him!” he yelled back at Hans. “You did. We have proof. When our people learn of this, you will be removed from power. You’re insane!”

For once Hans had his temper under control and did not launch himself at the old man. “We? He casually asked.

Aware that he had made a mistake, General von Weichs turned to General von Kuchler for help. Kuchler’s smile told him all he needed to know. Von Weichs reached for the pistol at his hip. Before he pulled it, he noticed that Hans was shaking his head, a reptilian grin on his handsome face. Within seconds, four SS guards entered the room and surrounded the old General.

“I am very interested in finding out who we are.” Hans nodded to the guards to take the General away. “See to it that the old fool does not harm himself.”

“On another note,” Hans continued, “how is my pet project coming along Doctor?”

Doctor Bock’s face lit up with a radiant shine. “Just wonderful my Fuhrer. Both fetuses are steadily growing and in excellent health. With the accelerated growth hormones we have been using I estimate they will be fully developed specimens in four months time.”

Hans nodded his head in satisfaction. The project he was referring too was the cloning of two very special humans. One was himself; the second was Daria Wolff. “If he couldn’t have the original,” Hans thought, “the duplicate would do just fine. Besides, he had no need for female companionship at this time; they were too complicated and distracting. His passion was not sex, but power. Absolute power!”

Hans turned to General von Kuchler. “As the new Field Marshall, you will see to it that my orders are carried out. Promote whomever you need, use whatever resource required, but failure is not an option.”