PARADOX - Chapter 86

Chapter 86

Munich Germany, January 18, 1941





“Please forgive my intrusion,” the Gestapo agent addressed Henri. “I am surprised that you did not recognize me, Herr Oberstleutnant. I was a student in your class on tactics at the Military Academy in Dresden. You were a wonderful instructor and I owe you my humblest thanks for inspiring me to join the Party.”

Henri looked at the man with a puzzled face. “I’m sorry, I do not think I know you sir. Perhaps you have me mistaken for someone else?”

“You are the famous Wilhelm Burgdorf are you not?” The Gestapo agent nodded his head. “The last I heard you were promoted to Oberstleutnant and commanded the 529th Infantry Regiment.”

“Sorry to disappoint you but my name is Oberstleutnant Heinreich von Schwerin and I am on holiday from the Eastern Front.”

“Excuse me Colonel, you do look exactly like Colonel Burgdorf.”

Henri nodded, despite the cold he could feel perspiration trickling down his armpits. “Won’t you join us, Herr…”

“Kriminalrat Dieter Mundel,” the Agent replied. “I apologize for the interruption, but I do have pressing duties. Perhaps another time.”

“Another time Major.” Henri nodded as the Gestapo agent turned and headed for the door. Glancing around he could see the sheen of sweat on the faces around the table. He also noticed Monday shoving something that looked like a pistol back inside his hip pocket.

“I always thought that Criminal Rat was a good title for those guys,” Dom chuckled. “If they knew English I don’t think they would flaunt the title too eagerly.”

“You all look like deer caught in a headlight,” Henri grinned. “If I was Gestapo I’d shoot you on the spot.”

“You weren’t exactly mister cool,” Daria smiled.

They paid their tab and quietly left the café. Monday and Daria picked up some chicken and pretzels from one stand and some Steckerlfisch, which was a local whitefish speared on a wooden stick, grilled and smoked on charcoal, from another stand and took it to the hotel room for the Team to enjoy.

They headed for The Deutsches Museum or German Museum, located on an island in the River Isar, one of the oldest and largest science museums in the world. They were thinking that perhaps Mueller had made contacts there using some of the advanced technology he brought back with him. He had to have made an impression on someone important to be a Lieutenant Colonel already.

Both Monday and Daria had visited the museum in the up-time, and they were shocked to see that the place was only a shadow of its future self. They remembered that it had suffered extensive bombing during WWII, and major funding had been cut by the Nazis.

As they walked through the halls of the museum, numerous items caught their attention and spurred their curiosity. They were conducting themselves like tourists, which they were, on a holiday outing.

After several hours of wandering around, they parked themselves at a sidewalk table and ordered drinks and soft pretzels from a nearby stand.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed,” Monday whispered behind his pretzel. That Gestapo Rat has been keeping an eye on us for some time now.”

“I thought we lost him at the café?” Daria whispered. She was smart enough not to glance around searching for the agent.

“Secret police like him smell fear on a person like stink on a stick,” Henri added.

They were enjoying the cool weather. The early morning drizzle had dissipated and a bright sun was filtering down through the overhanging trees. The temperature had risen into the forties bringing out the geese and ducks and several dozen children with their mothers or nannies. One thing they did notice during their meandering was a large number of soldiers strolling around the museum. They had probably spent their meager wages in the beer tents and had no place else to go until reporting back to their units.

An elderly man they recognized as one of the tour guides ordered something to eat from the stand and sat at a table not far from them. It was nearing lunchtime.

Henri stood and walked over to the man and introduced himself. “I understand that Doctor Raucher and his wife Nini will be here tomorrow?” Henri asked the man. “Do you know what time? I have a friend among their staff I haven’t seen in several years.”

“Ten in the morning,” the man replied with a mouth full of wurst. “They will be at the automobil exhibit at ten in the morning.” He did not offer any further information but took another huge bite of his ripe smelling liverwurst and brochen as if he was in a rush to get back to work.

Henri returned to the others who had overheard the conversation. “With Major Rat cruising around I think it would be wise to split up and rendezvous back at our hotel. You and Daria go in one direction and Dom and I will take the other.”

They nodded their approval.

“Since Dom and I have a legitimate reason for being around the museum, we should take turns canvassing the area in case Mueller shows up.” Monday made it sound more like a question than a statement.

“Don’t forget that Mueller knows what you both look like,” Daria warned. “Despite his despicable nature, he’s not stupid.”

Later that afternoon, Monday was casually strolling through the lower hallways looking at exhibits. He previously noticed several large doors branching off from the main hall; some of them guarded by armed soldiers. Whatever they were guarding had to be something important. He could not afford to linger in one place too long, he might arouse the suspicion of the guards.

Monday was just about to leave the area when a small group of men in lab coats came rushing down the hall pushing something on a portable table between them. As they passed his position, Monday recognized a Mac Computer with monitor, a digital camera, CD player, and Kevlar vest. The items were beyond doubt from the future. The men appeared excited and chattered like a pack of monkeys.

They continued on through a set of double doors guarded by two armed soldiers. As the doors were pushed open to allow the cart through, Monday spotted a long hall with rooms on both sides. The men, or scientists, were most likely in the process of trying to reverse engineer the items to see how they worked and if at all possible, use the technology.

Once again Monday started to leave, but another group of men were filling up the hall space. They were in uniform and appeared to be following in the wake of the scientists. They were all officers and as they neared the double doors, the guards snapped to rigid attention. Among them, Monday spotted Helmut Mueller talking with a general. He had a huge grin on his face and acted as if he and the general were the best of friends.

Monday’s heart leaped into his throat when Mueller glanced in his direction but Mueller acted as if he had not seen or recognized him. As soon as the group was beyond the double doors, Monday turned to leave the area as fast as possible.

“I wouldn’t do that!” a voice behind him yelled.

Monday turned to see Mueller and the two guards pointing their weapons directly at him. As he watched, several of the officers came back through the double doors and stood with curious expressions.

“What is this?” The general officer asked.

“Meet Doctor Monday Stiehl, Herr Gruppenführer,” Mueller replied. “He is from the up-time and was once an American Commando. He is here to see to it that Germany loses the war. No doubt he has accomplices with him.”

“They have already been spotted,” a voice behind Monday spoke. Monday turned to see the smiling face of Kriminalrat Dieter Mundel. “Your German is excellent, Herr Stiehl, but I detected the slightest hint of an American accent.”

“As far as I know, America and Germany are not at war,” Monday replied. “You have no legal cause to detain me?”

The Gestapo man nodded his head. “Don’t be naïve, Herr Stiehl. Obersturmbannführer Meuller has provided us with a set of magnificent encyclopedias from the up-time. We know that within ten months America and Germany will officially be at war against each other, unless things are changed. We also know that Operation Barbarossa was the name given to our invasion of Russia on June 22nd 1941, five months from now. Thanks to Colonel Mueller, that great mistake will never take place. As you can see, the past has already been changed and there’s nothing you can do to prevent it.”

“Operation Sea Lion, the invasion of Britain will be launched this spring,” Mueller added. “There will be no base in England for the Americans to stage their military supplies, and Britain will be occupied by Germany. Once we have secured our western front, we can then concentrate on the communist menace. America will probably remain neutral because we will ask the Japanese not to bomb Pearl Harbor or strike American held territories.”

“You have it all figured out,” Monday stated. “You didn’t even need up-time technology.”

“The technology will help increase Germany’s technological edge over Russia and America,” Mueller grinned. “Germany will have an empire and will be the only super power as America is in the up-time.”

“Aren’t you forgetting your Italian and Japanese allies?”

“The Italians will never have any place but Italy, with Germany’s permission. As for the Japs, they can help us against the communist when the time comes then we will get rid of them.”

“Enough!” the General yelled. “We do not discuss military affairs in public.” He motioned for the guards to escort Monday through the double doors.

“Who was he with at breakfast?” Mueller asked the Gestapo Agent.

“Two other men, one large and Germanic looking, the other with an Italian or Spanish complexion, and a beautiful German female. The Germanic man spoke with four other men at another table dressed as enlisted soldiers.

“They are from the up-time,” Mueller sighed. “The Germanic man is Heinreich von Schwerin, a member of the German Army, the Italian man is Doctor Dominic Prestano, a respected academic, and the woman is Daria Wolff, the granddaughter of our Fuhrer, Adolph Hitler. The four men are probably from Doctor Stiehl’s old military Team.”

“My God!” the Gestapo man swore. “The Fuhrer’s granddaughter? Are you certain?”

“Absolutely! She’s a feisty little bitch too. Hitler would be very proud of her.”

Agent Mundel did not like Mueller’s sarcastic affront to the Fuhrer’s granddaughter. This was news that Reichsführer-SS Himmler must know about immediately.

“Arrest them and bring them here immediately,” Mueller ordered. “They have knowledge that is very valuable to the military.’

“Hidden behind a display case of early electrical devices, a white haired, wrinkled old man listened to the exchange between Mueller and the Gestapo Agent. As soon as her heard Mueller order the agent to arrest the remainder of the Team, he silently walked down the corridor completely unnoticed. As he neared the exit, Dom removed the white wig and pulled his radio set from his pocket.

“They’re on to us,” he told Henri. “Get everyone out of the area. I’ll meet you at the Hofgarten and we’ll decide what to do.”

“Where’s Monday?” Henri asked.

“Mueller has him. He’s in the basement at the museum surrounded by guards.”

“Scheisse!” Henri spat over the radio.

As soon as Henri finished his conversation with Dom, he ran across the hall to where the four Team members were hiding.

“Get your stuff together,’ Henri yelled. “The Gestapo is on to us. We’re meeting Dom at a city park not far from here.” Henri looked around. “Where’s Daria? She said she was going to check on you and be right back.”

“She went to a place she called the Mary plates,” Scout replied. “She’s picking up something.”

“Marienplatz,” Lofton corrected him. “Daria went to the Marienplatz.”

“How long has she been gone?”

“Twenty minutes, maybe less.”

Henri got on the radio to Dom. “We need to meet at the Marienplatz instead of the park. Daria went there to shop and we don’t know how long she will be.”

“Marienplatz it is,” Dom agreed.

As soon as Henri and the Team left the room they were surrounded by SS soldiers. The smiling face of Agent Mundel pushed his way through the line of soldiers.

“We meet again Herr Oberstleutnant. You will please tell me where Doctor Prestano and Daria Wolff is?”

“Scheisse!” Henri rolled his eyes.

Daria entered the hotel lobby humming one of her favorite tunes, The sound of Music, a tune that wouldn’t be written and sung for another eighteen years. As she rounded a corner and headed for the elevator, she saw Henri and the Team coming down the stairs escorted by the Gestapo Agent and half a dozen SS Soldiers.

She quickly darted back around the corner and surveyed the hotel lobby. She could never make it back to the main entrance without being seen by the Gestapo. Daria walked over to a small couch and placed her purchases down, then rummaged inside her purse. When she looked around, the desk clerk was trying not to admire her beauty by glancing over a polishing rag he was using to clean the desk counter with.

Daria heard heavy footsteps nearing the lobby. She had no choice and pushed a small button on the square box in her hand. She noticed immediately that her hand and arm and the remainder of her had disappeared.

The desk clerk was shocked. One moment he was admiring a sweepingly beautiful Fraulein standing in the foyer, the next, she disappeared. He was certain she did not have time to pass him on her way out the main front entrance.

The Gestapo, escorting five of his guest through the main lobby, distracted his mind. The sight did not bother him; the hotel had always been very cooperative with the police. As soon as they exited the building, he glanced around searching for the young lady.

Daria hit the button on the box again. Her arms and body became visible, and her thoughts remembered the warning of Arianna’s father. “If a person uses it too many times, something changes in their personal electromagnetic field. Men have gone mad and others have experienced complete physical breakdown.” Well, she had no choice but to use it, however that did not comfort her. Before this mission was over, she may have to use it again.

The hotel clerk glanced up and saw her standing where he had last seen her. Daria waved at him and headed for the main exit. Undoubtedly the Gestapo agent had someone watching her hotel room. As soon as she was several blocks away, she removed the radio from her handbag and called Monday. Dom answered.

Daria was shocked to learn of Monday’s capture. It was a few minutes before she could even tell Dom that Henri and the Team had also been arrested.

“Meet me at the Hirschgarten,” Dom stated. “We’ll try to figure out our next move. Don’t use your radio, the Gestapo have Henri’s now.”

Daria turned off her radio and glanced around. Two Gestapo agents were walking in her direction. They were either admiring her, or salivating from the expectation of an arrest.

“Had they seen her using the radio?” She thought.