Flight of the Valkyrie

by Christopher Vale

  “Orlov lead the way,” Volkov ordered. “The rest of you follow him.”

  The Red Patriots rushed down the long hallway until they came to two large, steel-reinforced double doors. Orlov yanked on the handles demonstrating that they were secured. He then turned back to the others with a boyish shrug

  “Blow them,” Brygida ordered.

  A satchel of explosives was passed forward and Orlov set them against the door. Everyone backed up all of the way to the stairwell as Orlov unwound a long wire connecting the satchel to the trigger. The Red Patriots hid inside the stairwell as the explosives were detonated. When they climbed back down the stairs Brygida smiled to see that the doors had been blown inward. She heard panicked shouts in German emanating from inside.

  “Go! Go!” Volkov shouted to the men and they moved forward, rushing toward the now open passageway. The doors had opened into a large room filled with maps and communication equipment. The Soviets quickly shot down the two German sentries inside. They burst into the room to find three radio operators and a Nazi SS officer, hands held high in surrender.

  Brygida ignored the radio operators and moved to the officer snatching him by the back of his neck and pushing him to his knees. “What is your name?” she asked in German as she drew her pistol and placed the barrel against his forehead.

  “R-Rudolf Schuster,” he stammered.

  “Do you know who I am, Herr Schuster?” she asked.

  The Nazi nodded. “Y-you are the Valkyrie,” he said through dry lips.

  “Then you know what I’ll do to you,” she said and he nodded. “What is this place?” she asked.

  “A coordination office for the Special Evacuation Kommando,” he said.

  “I will ask you this once, do you know the location of the German genetics labs?” Brygida asked him.

  “What?” he asked and she could see in his face, he was genuinely confused.

  “Do you know Colonel Hans Arnulf?” Brygida asked.

  Schuster nodded. “Y-yes,” he stammered.

  Brygida sucked a breath. “Where is he?” she demanded.

  “I-I don’t know,” Schuster stuttered.

  “Then what good are you?” she asked as she pulled back the hammer on her pistol.

  “I-I know where you can f-find his boss,” Schuster said.

  “Who is that?” asked Brygida.

  “Hans Kammler,” Schuster replied. Brygida looked up at Volkov who was smiling.

  “We got him,” she said in Russian. “Let’s get this scum bag back to Command, and by no means should you be gentle with him along the way.”

  ***

  Brygida sat cross-legged on the cold ground in a Soviet encampment on the edge of Breslau, eating a can of old beans with a small wooden spoon. It did not take long before she had devoured the entire can and she wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her shirt. She set the can down upon the ground and stretched her legs out in front of her as she leaned back on her hands. Brygida heard the crunch of boots on the ground and she turned to see Volkov approaching.

  “May I join you, Comrade Valkyrie?” he asked.

  “Of course, Sergeant,” she replied. He stepped in front of her and crouched down to eye level.

  Volkov stared at her for a long moment before speaking. “We all hate the Nazis, Brygida,” he said. “We’ve all lost loved ones to them and there isn’t a man among us who doesn’t want to see them all burn in Hell.”

  “I know that,” Brygida said.

  “Yes, well, my point is, you aren’t the only one seeking vengeance. I know they killed your husband. I know they killed your babies. I know they executed your kind in the streets like dogs.”

  “My kind?” she asked with raised eyebrows.

  “You know, Jews. But Jews and Poles aren’t the only people these bastards have killed. What they did to my people…” His words trailed off.

  “They did not kill my babies, Petra, they took my babies,” she said as she sat up.

  “I know, I’m just assuming that…” he cleared his throat.

  “No, my boys are still alive. I assure you of that. And I will find them and Colonel Arnulf.”

  “Which brings me to my point Brygida,” he said. “If you get yourself killed with your brash actions, who will rescue your boys? Who will kill this Colonel Arnulf?”

  Brygida nodded. “I understand your point, Petra, but my ‘brash actions’ as you call them, have saved your life and others many times.” she said.

  “That’s exactly my point,” he said and then leaned close. “I’m not sure what you are, but I know you are something special. We cannot afford for you to die. I’ve never seen a man, much less a woman, that can do what you do.”

  “Comrade Valkyrie,” Brygida heard a voice from behind her say. She and Volkov stood to see their commanding officer, Polkovnik Utkin approaching.

  “Yes, Polkovnik Utkin?” Valkyrie asked.

  The polkovnik smiled. “Well done,” he said as he reached them and shook each of their hands. “This Schuster you captured has some extremely valuable information, and it did not take much to pry it from him.”

  Brygida nodded. “I am very glad, Polkovnik,” she smiled.

  Utkin’s smile faded and a dour expression replaced it. “Yes, well we needed the information we received from him, but that information is not good.”

  “Oh?”

  “You have no doubt heard of Hans Kammler?” the polkovnik asked.

  Brygida nodded. “Yes, he is the evil bastard who created the death camps where Jews and others are massacred by the millions.”

  Utkin nodded. “He also oversees other projects such as the V rocket programs, the genetics program…” he paused to let that sink in, “and the Nazi’s ‘Wonder Weapon.’ It’s said to be a device so powerful Hitler believes it could still end the war for his side, despite the fact that the Germans are being crushed on both fronts.”

  “What is this Wonder Weapon?” Brygida asked.

  “We don’t know. Schuster wasn’t sure either…and we were very persuasive. Assuming his information is accurate, it is not far from here, buried deep in an underground facility.” Utkin’s eyes leapt from Brygida’s to Volkov’s and back to Brygida’s. “We need you and your team to capture it for us.”

  Brygida narrowed her eyes at him. “Polkovnik, how are we to infiltrate an underground facility with so few men? If this weapon is as important as you say, we should send the entire division.”

  Utkin shook his head. “No, Brygida, they can’t know we are coming. This has to be clandestine. You and your men are the best.”

  “Yeah, well we are down to thirteen, not counting me,” she shot back.

  “We have no choice Brygida. If the Nazis win the war…” he let it trail off.

  “I understand,” she said. “So how will we know when we have found it?”

  “Well, according to Schuster it is shaped like it’s codename would imply.”

  “What’s the codename?”

  “The Nazis call the weapon Die Glocke,” Utkin said.

  “The Bell?” Brygida asked and the polkovnik nodded.

  ***

  The Red Patriots hid in a patch of woods outside of the Nazi weapons facility. It was heavily guarded with SS troops crawling all over the place, machine gun bunkers, and even anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns. It was clear to everyone that whatever was inside was extremely important. From what Brygida could see there was only one way into the facility and that would require fighting their way through a company of heavily armed soldiers.

  “I have no idea how we are going to get in there,” Brygida whispered as she lowered the binoculars from her eyes.

  “We’re going to have to create a diversion,” Volkov said.

  Brygida turned to him. “How?”

  “Me and the boys will assault from the flank, drawing their attention and you slip inside,” he replied.

  “Utkin wants this done quietly,” Brygida reminded him.

  “Well then
he can come down here and do it quietly,” Volkov smiled. “Look, comrade there is no other choice.”

  Brygida shook her head. “It’s suicide,” she said.

  Volkov chuckled. “This entire mission is suicide, Brygida. None of us are getting out of here alive. Well, you maybe…but, if we do not do it, the Nazis might still win this war. That would be suicide for my entire country. Perhaps the entire world.”

  “But there is no way it can work,” Brygida said. “Even with a distraction how am I supposed to slip past all of those troops?”

  “Well you might have to fight past some of them,” he smiled.

  “Weren’t you just telling me not to be brash?”

  “This is different, comrade,” Volkov said.

  Suddenly, they were silenced by the rumble of trucks.

  “What’s going on?” Brygida asked herself as she raised the binoculars back to her eyes. She watched the facility as a guard opened the front gate and two large transport trucks rolled out. They drove straight, right towards the patch of woods in which the Red Patriots were hiding.

  Brygida and her men pushed themselves further back into the woods and laid very still as the trucks rolled to a stop. They watched as scores of men in white lab coats were unloaded by angry SS soldiers. The men were pushed and shoved into place as the soldiers shouted for them to form a line. Brygida saw the shock and confusion on the men’s faces as they realized what was happening to them. Once the men in white lab coats were lined up the SS also formed a line facing them. There was a burst of automatic gunfire and the Red Patriots watched as the SS gunned down everyone in front of them. When the soldiers were convinced that everyone was dead, they climbed back into the trucks and drove away.

  Brygida turned her head toward Volkov. “What the hell?” she asked.

  “They just killed their scientists,” he replied.

  “But why?” she asked, before her eyes went wide with realization. “They are evacuating the facility and they don’t want their scientists captured and able to talk about what was in there,” she said. The words had no sooner left her lips when they saw a long, black car with its top down and two small swastika flags attached to the hood driving out of the facility. The car was followed by two motorcycles and a large flatbed carrying an object covered by a large, black tarp. Jeeps, more trucks, and several motorcycles followed behind.

  “Let’s go,” Brygida shouted as she leapt to her feet and sprinted toward the gate. Her men scrambled to follow her. Two motorcycles with side cars were parked at the gate, as one of the drivers closed it. None of the Germans noticed Brygida until she began to fire her pistol. The first shot took out the driver still on his motorcycle. The second shot took out the Nazi in the side car. The third shot killed the Nazi in the other sidecar. The fourth shot missed the driver who was closing the gates.

  The driver dashed for his motorcycle, but Brygida leapt through the air and slammed her feet into his chest which sent him flying backwards, but also caused her to land on her back. She scrambled to her feet as the Nazi drew his own pistol and was just about to fire when his face exploded. Brygida turned to see Volkov still aiming his rifle at the Nazi.

  Brygida leapt onto the motorcycle. “Get in,” she ordered and Volkov rushed around to the side and pulled the body of the dead Nazi out of the sidecar before climbing inside. Brygida sped away as two more Red Patriots climbed onto the other motorcycle and sidecar and sped after her.

  It did not take long to catch up with the motorcade transporting the Bell. Brygida was gunning the throttle full speed and they came up behind the two motorcycles quickly. Brygida pulled around to their right side. As they passed the motorcycles, the Nazis driving them noticed, but before they could do anything Volkov shot the drivers and the two motorcycles went careening off the side of the road.

  Next were two jeeps. Brygida drove right past the first and as the men inside noticed her she smiled sweetly and blew them a kiss. Not sure of what was happening all four of the jeep’s occupants returned the smile, just before Brygida tossed a grenade into the jeep and sped away. She heard multiple screams before the explosion.

  The sound of the explosion caused the men in the next jeep to turn toward them. They started shouting in German as they raised their weapons. While they were distracted by Brygida and Volkov, they did not notice Orlov and Kosh pulling up to their left. A quick spray of bullets from Kosh’s submachine gun took out all four occupants. The jeep veered to the right and Brygida had to slam the hand brake to avoid it crashing into her.

  Brygida recovered quickly and throttled the motorcycle forward. The men in the truck ahead of them began to fire at the Red Patriots with their rifles. Volkov and Kosh returned fire. Orlov was hit and knocked off of his motorcycle and Kosh went careening off the road.

  Brygida sped past the first truck, but as she began to pass the second, she was splattered with blood. She glanced at Volkov and immediately realized that he was dead, with half of his head missing. She fought back the sadness that was attempting to bubble to the surface. There would be time to mourn later—assuming she survived. She sped past the truck and noticed the flatbed carrying the Bell just ahead.

  Brygida throttled the motorcycle until it was alongside the flatbed. She reached up and grabbed hold of one of the ropes securing the Bell in place and pulled herself up onto the bed of the truck allowing her motorcycle to simply roll away. She stood and made her way along the side of the flat bed until she reached the passenger side of the cab. She reached down and opened the door before reaching inside and yanking the passenger out, tossing him to the side of the road. Brygida grabbed hold of the roof of the truck and swung herself into the cab, slamming her boots into the side of the driver and knocking him out of the door on the other side. Brygida slid over into the driver’s seat, slammed the door closed and took control of the steering wheel.

  The motorcycle drivers in front of her panicked when they turned to see her just as Brygida slammed her foot on the gas smashing into both of them. The truck knocked both motorcycles down and then drove over them, crushing the vehicles and drivers underneath the truck. Brygida kept her foot on the gas as she charged toward the long, black car in front of her.

  A man in a black SS uniform whom she assumed to be Hans Kammler, turned toward her. His mouth dropped open as he noticed the large truck barreling toward him. He pulled his pistol from its holster, aimed it at the truck, and fired twice. Brygida barely ducked the bullets as they punched holes in the windshield. She slammed her foot down and the truck crashed into Kammler’s car causing it to spin sideways and slide off the road before flipping over.

  The cab of the truck jerked to the left and with the weight of the flat bed behind her, Brygida lost control. The truck rocked over onto its side as Brygida was slammed against the window shattering glass. The truck slid for several yards before it finally came to a stop. Brygida pushed herself to her feet and looked up to see the drivers side window was her best escape. She leapt up to the window and pulled herself up and out of the cab.

  Brygida stood atop the cab of the truck and surveyed the situation, noticing that the Bell had broken loose from the flatbed and rolled several yards away. She saw Kammler climbing out of the car and making a mad dash for the Bell. One of the trucks rumbled to a stop behind Brygida and she unclipped a grenade from her belt and threw it like a baseball, shattering through the windshield before exploding.

  Kammler reached the Bell as Brygida raised her pistol firing a round, but missing. The entire side of the Bell seemed to open up and he stepped inside as she leapt from atop the truck and sprinted toward him as quickly as she could. As she reached the Bell, she saw Kammler smile at her. She raised her pistol, but the Bell closed before she had a chance to fire. The Bell began to vibrate and hum and Brygida took a step back unsure of what was happening. Suddenly, the Bell shot up from the earth like a rocket, yet there were no flames or other type of propulsion that she could see. In a matter of seconds it had disappeared into the sky.


  Brygida stood staring into the sky after it for a long time, but when her eyes dropped back down, she noticed a squad of SS troops who had been in the second truck. All of them to a man stood still, watching the sky where the Bell had disappeared. This gave Brygida a chance for surprise. She quickly unclipped her final grenade from her belt, pulled the pin and tossed it on the ground near them.

  “Grenade!” she heard several men shout in German. She was already moving when it exploded. Her pistol was in her hand and she fired several shots dropping soldiers as they recovered from the blast. She dropped the pistol when the magazine ran empty and quickly scooped up a submachine gun near a fallen German soldier as she sprinted around the truck. Brygida squeezed the trigger, releasing a burst of bullets which cut down three soldiers, then turned to her left and shot two more. She leapt up to the hood of the transport truck—which had been destroyed by the grenade—and blasted three more before they had an opportunity to fire.

  Brygida scanned the area and saw only one Nazi soldier remaining. He was young, blond, and very handsome. The perfect Aryan. He dropped his rifle and threw his hands into the air. Brygida leapt from the hood of the truck and marched toward him.

  “Please don’t kill me,” he begged in German as he trembled uncontrollably. “Have mercy.” She stared at the SS lightening bolts on his collar. The Schutzstaffel, Hitler’s own private army. They were the coldblooded killers who carried out the extermination of the Jews and other “undesirables” and her blood began to boil.

  “Did you show mercy to my family and friends when you invaded Poland and drug them off to the camps?” she asked through clenched teeth. She saw the crotch of his pants darken as he wet himself. “Get on your knees,” she growled at him. The young man obeyed and Brygida walked up behind him. “This is how you people executed my husband,” she said as she placed the barrel of the gun to the back of his head. She pulled the trigger, but simply heard the firing pin click in an empty chamber. She was out of rounds.

  The young Nazi breathed a sigh of relief. For some reason this sigh infuriated Brygida. She threw the gun onto the ground and then lifted the Nazi up and spun him to face her. She wrapped her fingers around his throat and squeezed. His eyes began to pop out of their sockets before she felt his throat crush and his neck snap beneath her fingers. Then she allowed his lifeless body to fall to the ground.