by Phil Wheeler
There had to be a either a disc copy, or Fuller had to have sent the information to someone in an Email. A clandestine check of Dylan Teague's messages confirmed that he had received an Email from Robert Fuller. The Email had been encrypted and he did not have the password to open the file, so he would have to be patient. Everything depended on stopping that file from getting to the wrong people, but he wasn't worried. His people had kept careful surveillance on both Teague and Fuller, no disk was found at Fullers home and he had refused to explain what he'd done with his work, so the man behind the desk was confident that the only copy was in that Email. He would have no problem reeling in Teague when the time was right, and he didn't think that obtaining the password would be very difficult.
The man closed the file and sat back in his chair.
Chapter 22
It was time to go, so Dylan got up and walked to the loading gate. He had a first class ticket and would board before general seating. The attendant greeted him at the door, and he was quickly shown to his seat. Opening the overhead compartment he stuffed his carry-on bag in and took his seat. There would be plenty of time later for reading his books. For now, he was content to just sit and relax. Fortunately, he'd requested a window seat and he gazed out of the window at the tarmac. He was soon lost in mindless sightseeing, and before he quite realized it, the plan was ready to take off.
He ignored the flight attendant as she went through the safety talk, referencing the seat cushions as a flotation devise in case the plane had to ditch in deep water - if the plane went down in water he was going to die from fright, not from drowning. The attendant finished her recital, everyone buckled in, and the plan was moved back from the loading tunnel. Out on the tarmac, the plane engines started coming up to speed, the plane started down the runway and lifted into the air.
He was on his way to Japan.
Chapter 23
1945 Excerpts from a Top Secret report, Allied command, WWII - Interrogation of a high-ranking SS general named Jacob Sporrenberg who was captured by the British and handed over to the Poles. During his interrogation he revealed the Nazi plans for a mysterious high-tech machine called "Die Glocke" [ meaning 'the Bell' in German]
1st Interview
Interrogation Agent: “General, let us begin. You were in charge of all of the security at Waldenburg. Is that not correct?”
General Sporrenberg: “Yes, that is correct. My responsibilities covered all areas of the site, the laboratories and the prison camps.”
Interrogation Agent: “How many man did you have under your command?”
General Sporrenberg: “I had a half battalion, approximately 450, including officers.”
Interrogation Agent: “A half battalion would not normally rate a general. Why were you assigned to this place?”
General Sporrenberg: “Because of the sensitive nature of the work being done there.”
Interrogation Agent: “Earlier, General, you talked about a secret test chamber built in Poland under the northern Sudenten Mountains near the Silesian coal mining center of Waldenburg. What exactly went on at this test site?”
General Sporrenberg: “SS General Hans Kammler had a secret laboratory located there. It was where he tested his super-secret weapons.
Interrogation Agent: “ Just exactly what were these weapons that you talk about?”
General Sporrenberg: “The war was going badly for us and many, even in the high command, had begun to believe that it was lost. Kammler did not and was sure that he could create a weapon which would change the direction, the vary outcome, of the war. The most important of these projects was die Glocke.
Interrogation Agent: “And what was this die Glocke?
General Sporrenberg: “I don't know the exact scientific nature of everything that they did, but I know that it had something to do with vortex compression and magnetic fields separation. We had many scientists working there, among them was Dr. Evgeny Podkletnov, a pioneer in the field of anti-gravity devices.”
Interrogation Agent: Tell be about die Glocke. What did it look like? What was it supposed to do?”
General Sporrenberg: “It was a metallic object, approximately 9 ft. in diameter and 12-15 ft. tall; it looked like a Bell, that is why we called it die Glocke. It was comprised of two counter-rotating cylinders. Inside these cylinders was a purplish liquid-metallic substance code-named Xerum 525. The whole device was housed in cylinders with lead lining 12 inches thick. The Bell chamber was lined with ceramic bricks and rubber mats. The rubber matting was removed and burned after each test, and it was subsequently washed down with brine by inmates from nearby concentration camps. Many of the inmates died.”
Interrogation Agent: “You acknowledge that a number of inmates died due to exposure to this die Glocke. Are you telling me that the Nazi's used prisoners of war in their experiments? Did you not think that this was somehow wrong, General?”
General Sporrenberg: “No, they were from concentration camps, they were undesirables – they were retards, gypsies, and Jews. Nothing to speak of, we considered it the fortunes of war, and the end result was more important than the means used.”
Interrogation Agent: “No, General, it was murder.”
General Sporrenberg: “You don't understand. We were fighting for more than our lives; we were fighting for our very way of life. What were the lives of a few sub-human prisoners to us? We knew that the fate of Germany and the survival of the Aryan nation was worth any price.”
Interrogation Agent: “What I understand, is that you committed inhuman crimes in the name of humanity. We will continue this tomorrow.”
2nd Interview
Interrogation Agent: “Yesterday, we talked about a number of deaths of prisoners used to service this device of yours. What was the cause of these deaths?”
General Sporrenberg: “It was highly radioactive, and of several of the scientist working on the project died, as well.”
Interrogation Agent: “So, they died of radiation sickness?”
General Sporrenberg: “No, I don't believe that it was just radiation.”
Interrogation Agent: “Why do you say that?”
General Sporrenberg: “Subsequent tests were conducted on prisoners, but also included various plants and animals. They all died, decomposing into a blackish goo without normal putrefaction, within a matter of a few minutes or hours after exposure to the die Glocke effects. When in operation Liquids, including blood, gelled and separated into clearly distilled parts of the whole. People involved in the development of the program also suffered from sleep problems, loss of memory and balance, muscle spasms and many other symptoms, even death. I don't believe that it was simply radiation.”
Interrogation Agent: “If it wasn't radiation then what do you believe caused the deaths?”
General Sporrenberg: “I don't believe that I am qualified to answer that question.”
Interrogation Agent: “All right, General, let's move on. What was this Xerum-525 that you mentioned?”
General Sporrenberg: I don't know for certain, but it was also referred to as nebulium. Kammler told me once that in the early 20th century a physicist named Russell proposed that a new element had been found in a star nebula that did not correspond with a line of any known element. It was hypothesized that the line must be an unknown element, which was named nebulium—a similar idea in 1868 had led to the discovery of helium through analysis of the Sun's spectrum.
Interrogation Agent: “And where did they get this unknown element?”
General Sporrenberg: “That, I do not know.”
Interrogation Agent: “Can you tell me, what was the purpose of die Glocke? What was it meant to do?”
General Sporrenberg: “I was not told what is was for, but judging by the deaths of the inmates from the concentration camp and the deaths of our own scientists I would say that it was some sort of weapon to be used against the allies.”<
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3rd Interview
Interrogation Agent: “During our last discussion, you indicated the possibility of this die Glocke device as a weapon. Was it ever tested as such?”
General Sporrenberg: “No, the war ended before our scientist could complete their work.”
Interrogation Agent: “And, what happened to this device?”
General Sporrenberg: The equipment and Kammler were evacuated by a special Evacuation Kommando unit before the allied forces arrived.”
Interrogation Agent: “You say that it and Kammler were evacuated, where were they taken?”
General Sporrenberg: “I cannot tell you that, I do not know.”
Interrogation Agent: “What happened to the rest of the people working on the project?”
General Sporrenberg: All the scientists and witnesses who saw or worked on die Glocke were eliminated by the SS.
Interrogation Agent: “You mean they were killed?”
4th Interview [with a new interrogator]
New Agent: “General, I have reviewed the information that you have provided us so far. Let me see if I understand what went on at this secret lab. The Nazi's under Kammler were developing a secret weapon of some sort, and testing it on prisoners. Is that correct?”
General Sporrenberg: “Yes, there were tests done involving prisoners, but some of our own people died, as well.”
New Agent: What else can you tell me about this project?”
General Sporrenberg: “The project code name was Chronos..."
New Agent: “Chronos, General?”
General Sporrenberg: “Yes, Chronos, it means time.”
New Agent: “I know what it means, but what was the significance of this name?”
General Sporrenberg: “I believe that Kammler thought that the vortex created by die Glocke could somehow twist time, making it possible to travel into the past.”
New Agent: “Time Travel? Are you serious?”
General Sporrenberg: “I only know what I was told.”
Chapter 24
The captain of the submarine had waited patiently until his guest had arrived, not knowing the identity of his passenger or the mission. His orders simply stated that the passenger and a large amount of equipment were to be taken on board the U-2501. The submarine was an XXI class vessel of the latest design, and she was capable of out-running and staying submerged far longer than any previous class of submarine built. Supposedly, she had been scuttled in Hamburg earlier in that year, but in reality she had been kept safe as an escape mechanism for this man should the need arise, and that need had arisen. When the identity of the passenger had become known the captain had immediately given up his quarters, then turned out his second in command, who in turn turned out the next person and so on, until the junior sub-lieutenant had to take up temporary residence in the ward room. The big man seated at a table in the small cabin tried to stretch out his cramped legs, but found it difficult to do so because, for someone as tall as he, even the captain’s quarters on the submarine were not a comfortable place to be. He wore the gray service uniform of an SS General with the old narrow silver-braided shoulder boards that denoted Flag rank, and his name was Hans Friedrich Karl Franz Kammler.
The allies had threatened to overrun his laboratory in the northern Sudenten Mountains at Waldenburg and he, along with his precious cargo, had barely made it out ahead of the allied forces. Now, the submarine was headed down the coast of western Africa on a secret mission to an unknown location. The captain had been ordered to take any risk to get this man to his destination, nothing else mattered, for General Kammler was a very important person. Following the Warsaw Ghetto uprisings Himmler himself had assigned the General the task of overseeing the demolition of the ghetto in retaliation. Later, he had been head of the staff that constructed the concentration camps and had overseen the installation of the cremation facilities at Auschwitz as it became an extermination camp. Finally, he'd been charged with constructing facilities for various secret weapons projects, including the V-2 rockets. It was a pity that he'd had to leave Waldenberg, because he had been very close to the answer.
A knock on the cabin door was followed by the entrance of the first watch officer, the captain's second in command, with a message. “The captain has instructed me to inform you that we have reached the coordinates that you gave him, Herr General. He awaits your orders.”
“Very well. Please tell him that I will be to the bridge, shortly.”
The First watch officer left him, and Kammler returned to the papers he'd been reviewing. He replaced them in their folders, and put the folders in his locked valise. He hand-cuffed the valise to his wrist, where ever he went the valise accompanied him. Standing up, and keeping his shoulders bent to prevent his head hitting the overhead, he proceeded out of his cabin and walked to the bridge.
The Captain was standing by the periscope tower, speaking to the Chief of the boat, but immediately gave his full attention to the man in the gray uniform. Snapping to attention he said, “What are your orders, General?”
The general barely looked at him, instead, he gazed at the instrument board as he spoke “Bring the boat to the surface.”
“Yes sir. May I ask the reason, sir?”
“Because I have ordered you to.”
Taken aback, the captain stammered an apology, but continued, “Of course sir, I just meant that I need to know what I am to do next.”
You are going to meet another submarine and transfer me to it.”
“Yes sir. Very good sir.” The captain would be glad to be rid of his passenger, he didn't like army generals and he especially didn't like this one. The journey to the south Atlantic had taken them some weeks, and the general was not the easiest person to accommodate. Demanding and rude, he constantly issued orders and perpetually complained about the cramped space. The captain did not say any more, it didn't due to have a general as an enemy, but he would be glad to have him off his boat.
Once on the surface the watch was set and the captain approached his guest. “General, what is your command?”.
“Send this radio message on the wavelength that I have written down for you.”, said Kammler.
“Aye aye, sir.”, he said, and walked away. He was far from any shipping lanes, near the southwest coast of Africa, and the short-wave frequency he'd been given would not travel very far. Whoever was waiting out there could not be a long way off, so it was not a surprise that within two hours they had received a return message. Another hour passed, and another U-boat was sighted as it surfaced off the starboard bow. Signals were transmitted, and arrangements were made. Within the hour, Kammler and all his belongings were transferred to the second boat. This U-boat flew an ensign of white with a red circle set in the middle, 16 rays of red radiated from that red circle. It was the symbol of a raising sun, the flag of the Japanese navy.
Equipment and personal belongings were carried over to the second submarine under Kammler's watchful eye. Finally, he stepped onto the deck of the Japanese U-boat and approached the Captain who bowed deeply to him, the bow was not returned. “General, I have been ordered to give you all possible assistance.”, said the captain. He spoke perfect English learned at the Ivy league school he'd attended before the war, and Kammler responded in the same language, for he had been stationed in England in the late 1930's before being recalled to Germany prior to the start of the war.
“Once my equipment is stowed properly below you may get underway.”
The captain turned to give the order, but a giant explosion drowned out his command, the German U-boat had exploded. The force of the blast was felt on the Japanese submarine, causing the captain to step back, but Kammler never moved, it was obvious that he'd been expecting the explosion. Within seconds the German U-boat was gone, sinking quickly beneath the waves.
Kammler waited until the Japanese captain turned back to face him, then said. “Get my things
below and show me to my quarters, then get under way. You will not look for survivors.”
Setting in his quarters on the Japanese submarine, Kammler reflected on the events of the last few months. His experiments with die Glocke had been very promising, but there was still the problem of the power supply. He believed that the technology of the day was not advanced enough to give him a source that was powerful enough, yet carried none of the deadly side effects of his original. At present, the problem seemed to be unsolvable. He would bide his time, though, for he was confident that the answer would be found. Until then, he would go to Japan. The allies would never be foolish enough to invade Japanese soil. He would be safe there.
***
On July 9, 1945 Kammler's wife petitioned to have him declared legally dead. A sworn statement by Kammler's driver, Kurt Preuk, stated that he had personally seen the corpse of Kammler and was present at his burial on May 9th of that year. The District Court of Berlin ruled on September 7, 1948 that his death was official. The cause of death was attributed to cyanide poisoning.