A Time To Every Purpose
Page 40
As they watched his shallow breaths there was a volley of shots that shattered the opaque glass doors behind them.
They stood transfixed. Yeshua raised his head and opened his eyes. In their peripheral senses they could hear the manual lock being disengaged and voices ordering them to turn around. In the midst of the noise and violence the clearest and most distinct sound was Yeshua’s voice, ringing out to them from across the centuries, “It is finished.”
Leigh and Heinrich watched his head bow forward and the rise and fall of his chest slow and then stop.
They turned slowly to see two soldiers standing just inside the shattered doors. Both had rifles up in the aim but both were not sighting along their barrels. Instead they were staring up at the image on the Projection behind Leigh and Heinrich.
Heinrich considered trying to reach for his own weapons but knew it was unlikely that he could bring them to bear before the soldiers reacted. Instead he slipped his left hand into Leigh’s right. He looked down at her and she looked up at him but then she looked past him and smiled. He turned and followed her gaze.
In the middle of the Ringroom a silver translucent effect was shimmering around the Time Observation Window. They watched as it collapsed into a magnificent, radiant point of light. A heartbeat later it expanded to fill their world with hope.
Epilogue
Tuesday 20th July 1995 – Foz do Arelho, Portugal
“Seriously, we really should think about why we come here.”
“Because we like it.”
“Don’t be daft. You don’t like it. You’re going to go pink, then red then back to white with the added bonus of most of the former red peeling off in great chunks of skin dandruff.”
“Why thank you. You paint such an attractive picture. Anyway, I’m not the one that goes insane trying to get miniscule bits of sand out from between my toes, belly button, ears and other orifices. That last time you had sand in your bikini top you nearly caused that old fella in the hotel to have a coronary.”
“Aye but what a way for him to go,” she turned and winked, “and anyway, at least I look good after a day down here. You, on the other hand, Scottish boy, take a week on this beach just to go from blue to white.”
“Yeah well, I still can’t understand how you don’t do the same. Why is it that you go all swarthy and beautifully tanned?”
“Don’t you know anything? I’m a direct descendant of a swarthy and beautifully tanned Spanish aristocratic sailor.”
“Aye, right. Your Ma’s idea of an exotic holiday was getting out of Belfast for a run down the shore in your Da’s wee car. She never set foot on a plane, so how’d she manage to meet the Prince of Benidorm?”
“Tsk Tsk, you Philistine. Do you know nothing of the history of the Spanish Armada?” she feigned the voice of a movie trailer announcer and said, “When the wild, wicked wind blew them all away and they shipwrecked on the West of Ireland.” She dropped back to her normal accent, “Then they couldn’t get their travel insurance to pay out as it was considered an ‘Act of God’ and wasn’t covered. So they all had to stay and make merry with the local wenches.”
“War’s hell, obviously. Although, if they looked anything like you, well, who could blame them.” He rolled over on the double lounger and kissed her.
When they broke apart they stayed facing one another and listening to the rhythmic lapping of the waves.
“Um, I am sorry to disturb you.” They both looked up into the sun to see a woman, not much older than themselves standing almost at the foot of their lounger. She had on a light summer dress in a simple, yet attractive, floral pattern. Her hair was long and blonde and she had a round and cheerful looking face.
“It’s okay, you’re not disturbing us. What can we do for you?”
“You are English, yes?”
“Ha! Well he’s Scottish and I’m Northern Irish but we’ll forgive you. We do speak English, yes.”
“Oh I am so sorry. I mean not to offend you.”
“No, no, don’t be silly, I’m only joking. Where are you from?”
“Germany.”
“Oh I do love Germany. Whereabouts?”
“The Harz mountains. Do you know them?”
“No, I don’t think so. Where are they near?”
“Well, a little south-west of Berlin.”
“How beautiful. Oh lucky you.”
“Thank you. You have been to Germany?”
“Yes, many times. I go there for work. So does this one,” she pointed her thumb at her husband and smiled up at the woman. “But your English is much better than our German. Wie geht es Ihnen?”
“Es geht mir gut, und Ihnen?”
“Mmm yeah, that’s about the limit.” She smiled broadly and said, “So what can we help you with?”
“Ah yes. I am so sorry to impose but I noticed that you have some cream, eh, for the sun?”
“Sun lotion? To protect from burning?”
“Ja, I mean yes, that is what I meant.”
“No, we don’t,” she said and the German woman looked perplexed as she could see it sitting next to the lounger. “We don’t have some lotion, we have a bucket of lotion. Protection factor fifty. Honestly, you’d get more of a tan wearing a wet suit and a motorcycle helmet.” She laughed a clear and carefree laugh that caused both her husband and the visitor to laugh with her.
“We need this much as my darling husband will boil and frizzle like an egg on a griddle if we don’t. So please, if you would like to borrow some, feel free.”
“Oh no, it is not for me. It is for my boy,” she turned and pointed to a tall, athletic looking boy of about fifteen who was standing holding a windsurfing board.
“He so loves the water but he goes to burn so easily. I have forgotten and send my husband back to the room to get it but you know how the children are like. They will not wait.”
“Yes, of course. Please borrow away. In fact it’s about time we got our wee one back for another coating. She’s got her father’s skin type so we have to cover her in the stuff.”
“Oh, and where is your daughter?”
“She’s just over there.” She indicated a young girl of about ten who was swinging upside down from a set of climbing ropes strung across the frames of a children’s play area set a little way up on the beach. Both women called to their children to come back to them.
“Heinrich.”
“Leigh.”
Glossary
Organisations
Greater Germanic Reich (GGR): The official state name of the political entity that Nazi Germany established.
Schutzstaffel (SS): Protection Squadron. The preeminent paramilitary organisation of the Nazi state.
Waffen-SS: The armed wing of the SS.
Allgemeine-SS: The non-combat branch of the SS incorporating the Gestapo and the Kriminalpolizei.
SS-Totenkopfverbände (SS-TV): Death's-Head Units. The SS organization responsible for administering the concentration camps within the GGR.
Reichssicherheitshauptamt (RHSA): Reich Main Security Office, an organization subordinate to the Chef der Deutscher Polizei (Chief of German Police) and Reichsführer-SS.
Gestapo: Abbreviation of Geheime Staatspolizei, Secret State Police. The official secret police of the GGR.
Kriminalpolizei (Kripo): Criminal Police. The Kripo became the Criminal Police Department for the entire GGR.
Schutzpolizei der Gemeinden: Municipal protection police. Municipal uniformed police in smaller towns.
Ahnenerbe: Inheritance of the Forefathers. The scientific institute established to research the archaeological and cultural history of the Aryan race.
Kriegsmarine: The GGR’s naval forces.
Luftwaffe: The GGR’s air forces.
Wehrmacht: The Army of the GGR.
1st SS-Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (1st SS-Pz.Div. LSSAH): Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard. Initially the size of a regiment the LSSAH eventually grew into an elite division-sized unit.
Their motto Meine Ehre heißt Treue translated as My Honour is Loyalty. Their symbol was a skeleton key, in honour of its first commander, Josef "Sepp" Dietrich. Dietrich is German for skeleton key.
Bund Deutscher Mädel: The League of German Girls was the girls' wing of the Hitler Youth movement.
Places
Bad Tölz: A town in Bavaria, Germany and the home of the Officers' Training School for the Waffen-SS.
Dahlem: A borough of south-western Berlin, home to the headquarters of the Ahnenerbe.
Leopold Palace: Situated on Wilhelm Straße and housing the headquarters of the Reich Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda.
Oranienburger Straße: Location of the GGR Archives.
Prinz-Albrecht-Straße: Location of the headquarters of the Reich Main Security Office, Gestapo and the SS.
Tegel Airport: Berlin’s main airport.
Wedel Straße: Street address of the Signal Magazine Publishing House. Named after the original promoter of the magazine, Chief of Wehrmacht Propaganda, Colonel Hasso von Wedel.
Wilhelm Straße: A general term referring to the GGR’s overall government administration, housing in particular the Reich Chancellery and the Foreign Office.
Military Hardware
* Denotes fictional device based on modern or historic equivalents.
Glock-17: 9mm pistol with a seventeen-round magazine.
Glock-46: * New generation sub-compact 9mm pistol with a seventeen-round magazine. Replaced the Glock-26 in 2015.
HK-MP5: 9mm submachine gun with thirty-round magazine.
HK-MP19: * 9mm, new generation submachine gun and personal protection weapon with thirty-round magazine. Combines the MP5 and HK UMP capabilities and strengths. Laser sighted.
HK-P8: 9mm side arm pistol with fifteen-round magazine.
Karibiner: * Semi-automatic with a twelve-round magazine. 2015 variant of the original K98 bolt action rifle.
MG-42 Mk6: * Latest variant, designed in 2005, of the MG-42. A 7.92 Mauser general purpose machine gun. Enhanced with laser sighting and an established 1500-rounds per minute rate of fire.
S-98: * Development of the MP-40/41 developed by the Schmeisser factory in 1998. 9mm with a thirty-two-round magazine.
Leichen-IV: * A multirole VIP transport, jet aircraft with a maximum capacity of ten passengers although normally rolled for six plus a steward/crew member. Used exclusively by Reichministry personnel and senior SS officers within the GGR.
NH92: * Latest variant, medium sized, twin-engine, multirole military helicopter used for transport / utility operations.
SS-Panther: SS utility transport helicopter.
Geländewagen: A four-wheel drive SUV.
Horch: * SS staff car.
Miscellaneous
Casualty Categories: Cat 1-deceased, Cat 6-incapacitating illness or injury (part of a 7 category system).
CCTV: Closed Circuit Television.
CP: Command Post.
Det Cord: Detonation cord. A high-speed fuse which explodes, rather than burns, and is suitable for detonating high explosives.
Dr-Ing: Doktor der Ingenieurwissenschaften, denotes holder of a German Engineering Doctorate Degree.
elektronische Bürgerdatei (eBü): * National identity database within the GGR.
ForeFone: * Mobile, smart phone with curved glass display panel, worn on the forearm and connected to a wireless earpiece and in-built mic.
J2: Intelligence Staff Function.
LZ: Landing Zone.
Konzentrationslager (KZ): Concentration Camp.
OPs: Observation Posts.
NCO: Non-Commissioned Officer.
Siegrune: The ‘double lightning strike’ runic insignia of the Schutzstaffel.
SigInt: Signals Intelligence.
SitRep: A situation report. An update of current status.
Tango: Designated as a target of interest.
Tempest Cage: A metal enclosure of conducting material formed into a mesh. The reception or transmission of radio waves or other electromagnetic radiation is heavily attenuated or blocked in total.
About the Author
Ian was born in Northern Ireland in 1966. At 18 he joined the Royal Air Force; originally training as an aircraft technician he was later Commissioned as an Officer and served during a time that encompassed the last years of the Cold War through to the beginnings of the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts. Throughout his Service he had the pleasure of working alongside some “right eejits” that he still feels lucky to call friends. On leaving the Service he relocated to the south-west of Western Australia and is now surrounded by a resident mob of Kangaroos who bounce past his house each day. They remind him of his previous colleagues.
Extras
Find extra information and background at:
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Copyright
Copyright © 2014 by Ian Andrew
Published: 26 February 2014 by JohnHooper
ISBN: 978-0-9924641-0-3
Kindle Format
The right of Ian Andrew to be identified as author of this Work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, copied in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise transmitted without written permission from the publisher. You must not circulate this book in any format.
Cover Illustrator: Ryan Maton