Watson Turned to Hunsaker. ‘Yes it did, it’s a shame my sister and her entire family were on the receiving end of one.’
Hunsaker took a deep breath looking at the floor. ‘I’m sorry; I sometimes forget what their original use was for.’
Two men approached.
‘Professor Watson may I present our lead contractor Sanford Moss, and our lead scientist on our long range rocket program Doctor Hermann Jodi.’
‘Contractor?’ Watson said.
‘General Electrics.’ Moss replied shaking Watson’s hand.
‘We have invited a number of civilian companies to invest money in military projects saving the American tax payer.’ Hunsaker explained.
Watson nodded. ‘Something we need to do back home.’ He glanced back at the V2.
‘We have moved on a few generations since this design. We have three new rockets the Atlas one and the Jupiter one. And the Phoenix Four which will carry mankind into outer space and beyond.’ Hermann Jodi looked up at the V2 smiling. ‘Such a marvellous feet of engineering don’t you agree Professor Watson?’
‘It depends from which point of view you are coming from.’
Jodi looked at him. ‘Come now Professor we are all allies now, fighting against a common enemy.’
Watson stared at him. ‘Funny how quickly you Nazis changed sides when you knew the game was up.’
Hanger 18 – Laboratory 1A – 2:45pm
‘The craft recovered at Roswell was remarkably intact, what you see here Frederick are fragments of the fuselage which we believe broke off on impact. The bulk of the craft is now at our new facility in Nevada which you will be visiting.’
‘And the bodies?’ Frederick asked Bush.
‘Stored at Wright Patterson, we have them on ice at the moment. A new facility is being set up at Dugway Proving Grounds in Utah.’
‘You’re spreading yourselves around a bit.’
Bush nodded. ‘We feel it’s necessary, since the Rosenbergs a few years ago and in case of a soviet surprise attack.’
Frederick picked up a wafer thin piece of wreckage noting it had almost no weight.
‘We believe that it’s a similar material to the device I demonstrated in London last year.’ Bush held out his hand. ‘May I.’
Frederick handed over the fragment and watched as Bush was easily able to scrunch it up like tin foil. ‘Watch this.’ He said putting the fragment back on the table.
‘Good lord!’ Frederick gasped as he watched the fragment unfold and return to its original shape. He picked it up and examined it for signs of creases.
‘It’s self repairing as you can see.’ Bush said. ‘How this is happening we don’t know, but we have theorised that the technology these creatures use operates on a sub atomic level, too small for our current microscopes to see.’
‘An aircraft with this type of metal would be a giant leap in aviation.’ Frederick said.
‘We were thinking more on the lines of space travel.’
Frederick looked at Bush who smiled back at him before catching sight of two military police guards approaching from behind the doctor.
Chapter 94
Paperclip
Frederick shook his head looking down at Professor Watson who was sat with his arms forward on the table, with handcuffs around his wrists. ‘You hit him, what an earth for?’
‘He was boasting about the V2. I told him about Jane and her family.’ Watson paused. ‘Then he had the nerve to go on about collateral damage, arrogant bastard tried to act as if the bloody Nazis did nothing wrong.’
Frederick nodded. ‘So you took a swing at him.’
Watson nodded back.
Vannevar Bush appeared at the doorway looking less than amused. ‘I see you’ve managed to make quite an impact Professor Watson.’
‘Yes, right on that bastard’s nose.’ Watson replied smugly.
‘Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t ship you back to the United Kingdom right now.’
‘Hang on.’ Frederick interrupted. ‘Let’s not resort to drastic measures.’
‘Professor Jodi is one of our leading scientists.’
‘One of your leading scientists.’ Watson seethed. ‘Less than ten years ago he was one of Hitler’s leading scientists.’
Frederick looked at Bush. ‘Exactly how many scientists did you bring over from Germany after the war Doctor Bush?’
Bush seemed reluctant to respond. ‘A few.’ He eventually said.
‘How many is a few?’ Watson glared at the American.
Bush took a deep breath. ‘Look if you gentlemen have a problem then I suggest you get on the next plane back to England.’
‘The Angel Committee will not be happy with what’s going on here Doctor Bush. You are employing leading Nazi scientists, most of who should have been tried at Nuremberg. And as for you sending us back to England, you may well do that, but it will cost you. The air force bases you need to test out the Bell X2 will be the first to go. Not to mention we will expose the fact that you are harbouring wanted war criminals to the rest of Europe. And what about the American people, especially those who survived the horrors of the death camps and came over here looking for a new start. To give these men new lives goes against everything we fought for in the war.’
‘Take a good look around you Professor.’ Bush cut Frederick off. ‘We are in the midst of a new war here. Right now the Russians have massive armies camped on the borders of Eastern Europe ready to pour in and overwhelm us, we are not ready for another war Professor. Since 1945 the Soviets have spent massive amounts of money on military projects, building up their armies and arsenals. They have long range bombers that could obliterate any city in the US and the United Kingdom I might add.’ Bush glared at Watson. ‘I fully understand the implications of bringing these men back from Germany Professor Watson, and I understand any ill feeling you have towards them, but you have to look at the bigger picture.’
‘Which is?’ Watson stated.
Bush took a deep breath. ‘If we would have let the Soviets have the spoils of the Nazi war machine then we would not be having this conversation. They would have pushed us back over the English Channel and fortified their position. There are those of us who aren’t proud of what we did nine years ago but we would do it all again if it means keeping the Soviets at bay. What we are about to reveal to you goes way beyond the V1 or the V2 rockets.’ He looked at Watson. ‘The man you hit Professor Hermann Jodi, approached us in March 1945 giving us information concerning Von Braun and his team of engineers working out of Peenemünde. And also an ultra secret program the Nazis had operating in Antarctica.’
‘Antarctica, don’t be absurd.’ Watson could barely stop himself from laughing. ‘The temperatures in that part of the world are far too cold for any sustainable operation.’
‘Yet the Third Reich had a fully operational base there as early as 1934.’
Both Frederick and Watson remained silent.
‘Right now gentlemen you have a choice, either you can end our partnership right here, pack your bags and go home tomorrow.’ Bush paused. ‘Or you can follow us down the rabbit hole into a world where anything is possible.’
Chapter 95
The Next Frontier
Hanger 14 – 3:32pm
Professor Hermann Jodi glanced nervously at Professor Watson who rubbed his sore wrists which had just been released from the handcuffs. Frederick stared at the sight in front of him. A massive rocket lay on its side, in four parts, dozens of technicians scurried about like ants over a captive insect. Parts of the outer shell had been removed to reveal its inner parts. One panel was propped up against a large examination table, still baring the mark of the German Iron Cross.
Jodi began his lecture. ‘What you are looking at gentlemen is the Phoenix Four Rocket, designed by me in 1938. We built eight in all, four of which are still intact and are still in Antarctica. We are also working on a further five which will be completed within two years. The rocket stands at appr
oximately two hundred and twenty feet in height with an extended height of two hundred and ninety feet with the lunar explorer.’
‘Lunar explorer?’ Frederick stated feeling a little sceptical.
Jodi nodded. ‘This rocket was designed to reach the moon, three of which have been successful in reaching their goals.
Watson stepped forward watched by two military police officers. ‘Are you saying that you’ve sent men to the moon?’
‘No landing has been attempted yet but we have achieved orbit, the next step is to attempt a decent to the surface.’
‘Are we advanced enough to take on such a venture?’ Frederick asked.
Vannevar Bush nodded. ‘You’ll be surprised what the Germans achieved in such a short space of time Professor and what we’ve managed to develop thanks to men like Von Braun and Professor Jodi. If you step this way gentlemen we’ve more to show you.’
A few minutes later Frederick and Watson found themselves seated in front of a projector screen. Two guards stood outside while Jodi organised the projector. Dr Hunsaker and Bush sat next to the two British scientists.
‘What you are about to see.’ Jodi began. ‘Is footage taken from an earlier mission to breach the outer atmosphere of our planet. In 1935 the German government began Project Constellation which focused on the manned exploration of space.’
Watson leaned across and whispered in Frederick’s ear. ‘German government, more like Nazi thugs.’
Frederick did his best to conceal a smile.
The projector started and displayed a picture of a rocket on a launch pad. ‘This is the Phoenix One which was an early attempt to launch a rocket into space. This vehicle was launched in December 1939.’
Everyone looked on as the rocket lifted off the launch pad, the camera followed as it lifted into the sky. The picture then changed. ‘We believe this footage was taken at approximately one hundred miles up, Our rocket was fitted with a television camera and antenna which was able to broadcast a signal to our team on the ground. As you can see the earth is a perfect sphere in what looks like a protective bubble we all know as our atmosphere.’
‘Unbelievable!’ ‘Frederick stated.
The film stopped and Jodi turned on the lights. ‘Unfortunately our broadcasting equipment failed due to the conditions of space.’ He then picked up another film reel and loaded it on to the projector. ‘After some modifications we were able to successfully launch another space vehicle, six months later.’ Once again the screen came to life. An image of the moon appeared at the centre of the screen. ‘This footage was taken at over two thousand miles outside our atmosphere, as with our earlier attempt we eventually lost contact with the craft.’
‘Incredible!’ Watson stated.
Jodi returned to the projector and loaded a third reel of film. ‘This was taken on our first lunar mission. Project Lunar was initiated at the end of 1941. Production of the Phoenix Launch Vehicle had already begun and was ready to launch by August of 1942. Although the crew made it back safely they died a few days after. My theory is that it was cosmic radiation or different atmospheric pressures that killed them.’
Watson glared at Jodi noting his lack of empathy for the dead pilots.
The screen once again came to life. ‘What you are looking at here gentlemen is the lunar surface from approximately one hundred miles up.’
Frederick shook his head, the images on the screen took his breath away. ‘I never thought I would see the moon so close up in my lifetime, it’s startling to say the least.’
‘Preparations are being made for a manned mission led by the USA.’
‘When do you plan to launch this mission?’ Watson asked.
‘We have a scheduled launch for May of next year.’ Dr Hunsaker replied.
‘Plans are also being drawn up for an orbiting space platform which would be permanently manned of course.’ Jodi added. ‘Werner Von Braun one of our lead scientists at White Sands is currently designing such a platform.’
Frederick looked at the projector taking a deep breath. ‘I must admit I am overwhelmed by what you have shown us. When do you plan to announce to the public that you have rockets capable of reaching the moon?’
‘At this moment there is no plan to reveal what we are doing. The base we have in Antarctica is concealed and is far from any commercial shipping lanes so any launch will not be visible with the naked eye. We also monitor all newspaper and TV broadcasts just to ensure no pictures reach the public domain.’
‘What about the Russians? It’s only a matter of time before they stumble on to your little operation.’ Watson commented. ‘British intelligence has sighted Russian ships in the south Atlantic.’
‘Yes we are aware there are Soviet Naval vessels in the area. We make sure they don’t get close enough to get a look.’
‘Nevertheless.’ Frederick added. ‘There are countries that have shown interest in setting up scientific research stations in Antarctica.’
‘Any country who wishes to conduct research has to go through the United Nations which is immediately brought to us to evaluate whether it will interfere with operations.’
‘You can’t keep this secret space program hidden forever, sooner or later someone will see something.’ Frederick said. ‘Talk of missions to the moon and orbiting space stations will leak out sooner or later. ‘You have thousands of personnel alone who work on this base. Something is bound to slip sooner or later.’
‘We have a number of counter measures in place to ensure no one talks.’ Jodi said.
‘Such as?’ Watson asked.
Bush clapped his hands together loudly. ‘I suggest we break for lunch, after which Frederick and Watson can take a closer look at the Phoenix Four rocket. Since you will be here for the next three days some quarters have been prepared for you.’
Chapter 96
10:49pm
‘I don’t know about you Archie but I’m bloody knackered.’ Frederick let out a loud yawn, stretching his arms as far as they would reach.
Watson sat on his bunk mulling over the day’s events. ‘As much as it’s been an interesting day, there’s a lot that doesn’t add up.’
Frederick yawned again. ‘How do you mean?’
‘How is it possible the Americans have advanced so far in such a short space of time. Rockets to the moon, orbiting space stations. I feel as if I’m in a weird science fiction film. What do the yanks call them? B Movies?’
‘I think we can assume that the Germans had much to do with advancements made by the Americans.’
‘Exactly my point.’ Watson said. ‘I was with T Force during the closing stages of the war. Our job was to hunt down and capture advanced German weaponry and technology but we never heard anything about this Professor Hermann Jodi or any base in Antarctica let alone a Nazi space program. Von Braun was widely known as the scientist behind the V1 and V2 but this Jodi fellow wasn’t on the most wanted list.’
‘Some of the V2 rockets achieved an altitude which many would consider as space.’ Frederick said.
Watson nodded. ‘I’m not saying that the Germans didn’t breach the upper atmosphere, what I’m saying is that the Nazis didn’t acquire the technology all on their own. Even by our standards today it would take decades of research to do what the Nazis seemed to do in less than a decade.’
‘They did spend the better part of five years rampaging through Europe stealing everything. Perhaps they came across information which aided them in their quest for dominance.’
‘That’s exactly what I was thinking, but it doesn’t explain why the Americans have only now just opened up to us. We gained the spoils of war but not as much as what the Americans captured.’
Frederick thought for a moment. ‘Are you suggesting the Americans made some sort of deal with the Nazis?’
Watson nodded. ‘Take a look around at this place, it’s crawling with Krauts. I’ve lost count of how many I’ve spoken to. There are literally hundreds of them running around on this base and I su
spect that is just the tip of the iceberg. Thousands of wanted Nazis slipped through allied fingers during the war, buying their way out of Germany with stolen wealth from holocaust victims. If you ask me Nuremberg was nothing but a show trial.’
‘It’s an interesting theory Archie, but I’m afraid you’ve already rocked the boat today. If we were to start accusing the Americans of siding with the Nazis during the closing stages of the war then we will be shipped back home. I suggest we gather all the intelligence we can and report our finding to the committee.’
Watson took a deep breath. ‘I don’t know about you Ralph but I’m finding myself very homesick.’
Frederick nodded then lay down on his bunk, his thoughts turning to Elizabeth and Susan.
Chapter 97
The contactee
Route 66 - five miles east of Winslow – Arizona – 11:53pm
Sunday 24th January (1950)
Brandon Fisher kicked the side of his Dodge Coronet. ‘God damn piece of shit!’ He cursed, before walking around to the passenger side and opening the door. Switching on a torch he had just got from the glove compartment the 43 year old took a deep breath and started to march towards Winslow. In the distance he could make out the dim street lights of the small desert town. All of a sudden his torch blinked out and Fisher stopped dead in his tracks. ‘God damn it!’ He cursed again at the top of his voice. Looking directly in front of him Fisher noticed the town lights were no longer visible. The only lights now were the stars in the crystal clear sky. He looked back at the black silhouette of his car and started to walk. Better spend the night there than get lost in the desert and get bitten by a rattlesnake. As he approached his car Fisher looked across the flat landscape spotting a blue light moving rapidly towards his position. ‘What the hell?’ He muttered to himself. The light skimmed across the landscape and joined the road. Fisher started to panic as the light approached. He started to walk quickly back towards the blacked out town. The blue light kept coming and Fisher knew it would be on him in moments. He looked around squinting into the darkness looking for anything that might offer cover. Spotting the outline of a cactus plant several yards off the side of the road. He started to jog towards it glancing back at the light that glided over the top of his car illuminating the area in a blue haze. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Fisher stumbled and was sent sprawling onto the dirt. Before he could pick himself up the light had located its prey and now hovered over Fisher who tried to shield his eyes. Then in an instant the road plunged into blackness again, the car engine spluttered into life, the lights of Winslow came back on, but Brandon Fisher was nowhere to be seen.
Codename Angel (The Angel Chronicles Book 1) Page 31