by Eddy Shah
Welcome to democracy, Marcus. See the freedom that they would bring, and destroy in the name of their own brand of freedom.
He kept his head bowed, knowing there would be plain clothes police and other security people mixing with the crowds. The army fatigues had been replaced by the clothes he had found in the police car. He smiled as he remembered the sandwiches and hot flask of tea that had been rammed into the pockets of the thick leather jacket he now wore. They'd been most welcome, as had the two revolvers that nestled under his trouser belt.
He had followed the signs to the Tiergarten, driving at breakneck speed, and he was lucky no patrol car had picked him up. A police barrier had been set up near the Tiergarten, but they waved him through. He realised they were part of the security to seal off the area for tomorrow's ceremony. When he had come to the open parkland, he had driven off the road and parked amongst some trees. After forcing the boot open and finding his booty, he had changed his clothing quickly and headed east, jogging through the sparse trees. His body was hurting, the cuts Kaas and his people had inflicted on him were very sore now. But he kept going and within twenty minutes he saw the Reichstag building. The snow had started by then and the whole scene, with the bright lights that emblazoned the building, was just like a Christmas card. He grinned when he saw it. Still a fucking romantic, Marcus. The square in front of the Reichstag was bright with the falling snow and he had kept in the trees, not wanting to be seen in the whiteness of it all. A high moon and a cloudless sky didn't help. In the distance he saw the police cars and the men working as they prepared the crowd barriers and the gantries for the television cameras.
The tree line had led him towards the enormous rounded sculpture of Henry Moore's Butterfly. He stopped and marvelled at it, its smoothness and size more impressive than the pictures he remembered of it. Behind the sculpture, across a small lake, was the House of Cultures of the World, an ugly 1957 building that had a curved dome, curved like a top lip with yellowed slats that ran down to the entrance. It was like a big mouth, permanently opened to reveal yellowed teeth. He wasn't to know, but to Berliners, the building was known as 'the smile in stone of Jimmy Carter'.
He had seen the tall obelisk through the trees, rising over sixty metres in the air. He crossed over towards it. It was a square building, some eight metres from corner to corner. The sign told him it was the 'Glocken Turm', a bell tower with sixty two bells that had been given to the people of Berlin by the Mercedes Benz Motor Car Company. He grinned as he looked up at the tower. Berlin's Big Benz, Marcus. He laughed at his own joke, then wished Billie had been there to share it. She'd have enjoyed that.
It hadn't taken long to climb the large struts to the top. Apart from the pain in his body, the only cause for concern had been the surprise of the bells chiming. It had taken nearly five minutes for his hearing to return to normal. Once at the top, he had broken into the engineer's room, closed the door and settled down to enjoy the meal that had been prepared for the policeman. Finally, cold but no longer hungry, he had dropped off to sleep, his only companion being the hourly ringing of the bells. Midnight had been the worst.
Just before daylight, he had looked out of the small window at the square and the Reichstag. From there he worked out his plan of action. He had searched through the policeman's clothes and found his wallet and his police marksman's identity card. Fortunately there was no picture and he was pleased with his discovery.
At eight o' clock when the crowds hadstarted to build, he had skimmed down the struts of the Big Benz and joined the mass. A few noticed him, but no-one was alarmed. They were all trying to get a good vantage point.
Now Adam finally stopped three deep from the front line. The police stood by the barriers, and beyond them, on the wide steps of the Reichstag, the podium waited for the leaders of the world to clasp their hands in friendship.
He stayed where he was, shielded by a big man in front of him who carried a child straddled on his shoulders for a better view. He saw the limousines arrive, one by one, depositing members of the Bundestag, the Ministers, the diplomatic envoys, the honoured guests.
Christ, Marcus, there's going to be more of them inside than out here.
That was when he saw Kaas.
Amongst a group of reporters and cameramen waiting on the steps.
The bastards were inside. Whatever they were up to, it was going to be inside.
Then he remembered the room in the chalet, the benches laid out on the rostrum, the two lecterns he and Billie had been forced to stand at.
They were going to kill the President.
No, Marcus. They're going to kill both Presidents. And anyone else they can get.
Ch. 77
Grand Hotel
FredrichStrasse
Berlin.
As tired as she was, Billie had found it impossible to sleep once she'd climbed into the soft matressed bed. She could only think of Adam, of the danger he was in. And how much she missed him.
She eventually went and sat by the window and watched the dawn break over the housetops. Then she rang room service and ordered a coffee and a full English breakfast.
At nine o' clock there was a knock on the door. It was the DDI.
'See you've eaten,' he said, looking at the remains of her breakfast. 'Sleep alright?'
'No.'
'Can't blame you.'
'Have you found Adam?'
He shook his head. 'They found the car. Your friend was heading for the Reichstag.'
'If that's where the trouble is...that's where he'll go.'
'You could be wrong about him.'
'How?'
The DDI considered for a moment before he spoke. 'Ever hear of the Reichstag fire?'
'Yes. In the thirties. Burnt down by a communist.'
'Two communists. Twenty seven February, 1933. Dimitrow and Torgler. Sounds like an ice skating team.' He saw she didn't appreciate the joke. 'That's what the Nazis claimed. They were found 'Not Guilty' by the Supreme Court. Then they arrested a Dutchman, crazy guy, called Marinus van der Lubbe. He was found guilty and condemned to death. That judgement was overturned in 1982. The case is still officially open. The real theory is that Hitler's boys did it. They came into the Reichstag through an underground tunnel connected to the Air Ministry. Hermann Goering's Air Ministry. They just torched the place down. Then they accused the reds. Their aim was to create chaos, then come in as the only party to lead Germany. They succeeded. On twenty eight February, 1933, they introduced an emergency decree that gave them total control over the political system of this country.'
'I see the connection. But what's that got to do with Adam?'
'These Nazis of yours...from Dresden. They're probably up to the same crazy scheme. We've checked the place, the Heidi, out. It's definitely a training camp. Only it's registered as an executive survival course. We got them in the States. Doesn't mean you're not right.'
'But Adam...'
'Could just be in on it.'
'Why torture him? If he's one of them.'
'All I'm saying is that nothing in life is what it seems. He could be working for someone else.'
'But the Nazis...if they're up to something you've got to stop them.'
'That's under control. We know where they are. But he's the joker in the deck. He could switch hit on us and all our preparations would be blown. Then there really would be chaos.'
They said nothing for a while. It was Billie who spoke finally. 'Not Adam. Not him.'
'I hope you're right. Helluva chance for us to take, isn't it?'
'I don't know where he is.'
The DDI saw he wasn't going to get any further. 'I've agreed with the police that you stay here. You're still officially under their jurisdiction. They've got their men positioned outside. Remember what I told you. Don't tell them any more than they know already. Okay?'
She nodded.
The DDI left her alone.
She thought he was going to the Reichstag.
He retur
ned to the embassy building. There was no way he was going to the Reichstag today.
Ch. 78
Plenary Chamber
Reichstag
Berlin.
Frick and Schiller looked down on the half empty Plenary chamber from a public viewing gallery that ran the length of the hall. It was filling slowly as members of the Bundestag took their places. The President's podium and the two lecterns in front of it were empty except for a sound technician who was checking the microphones.
'Not long now,' said Schiller. It was he who had used his influence and arranged an invitation for Frick and Kragan. He knew Frick wanted to be there when history was made. He knew Frick saw it as part of his destiny.
'We shall rebuild. This is the natural home for government,' stated Frick. 'The natural home,' he repeated.
Kragan came along the gallery towards them.
'Ready?' asked Frick.
'As planned,' replied Kragan.
'Good. Time to take our seats.'
Ch. 79
Square of the Republic.
Tiergarten
Berlin.
Kaas had entered the Reichstag with the other reporters when Adam made his move.
An unruly group of agitators had moved up in the crowd, their banner declaring that they were members of the New Communist Peace Movement. Their antics were anything but peaceful as they pushed through, trampling a path to the front where they could be easily recognised by the television cameras.
Adam saw an undercover policeman infiltrate the group, his handcuffs ready to slip onto the leader. Adam came up behind him as the others in the New Communist Peace Movement turned their attention to him. Realising he was about to be attacked by the others, the policeman now shouted for help as he reached into his back pocket for a revolver. But he was knocked down before he could pull it and the group set about kicking him on the ground. Those innocents in the crowd who were caught in the violence started to scream and scramble backwards away from the violence.
Adam snatched the cuffs from the fallen policeman's hand, then turned on the attacking mob. Those nearest him were no match for his martial skills and as they backed away from his vicious attack, the policeman rose to his feet. Uniformed police were now pushing their way through the crowd to bring the situation under control.
'That one!' shouted the policeman who had been attacked. 'He's the leader. He's the one.'
Adam moved towards the youth who had been singled out, a tall thin man in his early thirties wearing jeans and a duffle coat. The man turned to run, but Adam was on him, easily knocking him to the ground.
'I got him,' he shouted as he handcuffed Duffle Coat and dragged him to his feet. 'I got the bastard.' He pushed his prisoner forward, towards the Reichstag. As they moved through the crowd, he fished the marksman's ID card from his pocket and flashed it to the uniformed guards on the crowd barriers. Behind came the policeman who had initiated the arrest and he also flashed his ID.
The guards opened the barrier and let them through. Adam pulled the prisoner towards the police vans parked at the side of the Reichstag, just under the west tower.
'He's your collar,' said Adam, pushing the prisoner towards the other policeman. 'I'll catch up with your report later.'
'Thanks. For saving me from a beating.'
'Getting rough out there, isn't it?'
'Yeah. And it's going to get worse.'
The policeman hauled the prisoner towards an internment van as Adam walked away, down the ramp that led under the great steps at the front of the building. He crossed behind the police personnel buses that were parked there and looked into them as he walked down. He saw what he was looking for at the third bus and he climbed in. It was a pile of police topcoats on a seat. He tried three of them before one fitted, then he left the bus and went down the ramp and under the door that led into the Reichstag. The armed policeman on duty nodded at him as he flashed his ID and he entered the door.
He was in the Reichstag.
As he entered he heard the roar of the crowd.
The procession of limousines that carried the leaders of the European community, the President of the United States and the President of the Soviet Union were arriving.
Time's running out, Marcus.
Things are coming to an end.
He quickened his pace as he reached the end of the corridor and climbed the wide stairs that led into the heart of the building.
Nobody challenged him; the excitement outside consumed everyone's attention.
Ch. 80
Grand Hotel
FredrichStrasse
Berlin.
She stood at the window, looking down at the traffic jam below.
The ceremony at the Reichstag had bottlenecked the rest of the city; diversions and frayed tempers had become the norm for the day.
Nobody had contacted her. She'd tried to leave the room, but the guards had stopped her.
So she'd turned to what she was best at, what she was trained to do. She disseminated information, broke down the facts as she knew them.
It still didn't make sense. Except for one thing. It hadn't taken her long to realise the DDI had lied to her. The information she had given him had not been passed on. It wasn't the way the Agency worked. They were paranoid about information. By now, there should have been a team of de-briefers working with her; interrogating; probing; tricking; getting to the bottom of it.
But there'd been no-one.
Which meant they had their own plans; that they'd known what was going on all the time, ever since New Orleans.
The horrible alternative was that the DDI was working alone. Trouble was, she didn't know for which side.
She stared out of the window, could see the crowds in the distance in the expanse of space that was the Tiergarten. She couldn't see the Reichstag, only the Brandenburg Gate.
Be safe, Adam. Watch them. They're going to come at you from every side.
Then she knelt by the window and closed here eyes and tried to see him in her mind. She tried to communicate with him, to give him strength and warning. Finally, she started to pray, called upon a God she had long since ignored and forgotten. God wasn't the Californian way.
Behind her, the television screen showed the world leaders on the steps of the Reichstag, waving at the crowds as they climbed the great steps. When they had gone under the arch and through the entrance, the camera cut to the mass in the square. There was a sudden movement near the front and a tussle broke out between a group of policeman and some youths. Then it spread, more violent and more purposeful as it turned into a mob. A policeman collapsed, his face cut open by a flying brick. His colleagues pulled him to safety, and in their concern for him, lost their ground as the mob advanced.
Suddenly there was rioting.
The camera cut to the front of the building, to the great arch.
DEM DEUTSCHEN VOLKE.
For the German people.
Ch. 81
Plenary Chamber
Reichstag
Berlin.
The Plenary Chamber was full; all the members of the Bundestag had taken their positions. They stood in anticipation of the German Chancellor leading in his honoured guests.
The Chamber was surrounded by four glass walls, a vast room within a room that was the Great Hall of the Reichstag. Two levels of viewing galleries ran round the Chamber and looked down on this modern House of Parliament. These galleries were lined with chairs for guests to watch the ceremonies.
Adam stood at the top of the stairs that had led up from the lower level. He scanned the Chamber, looking for Kaas or hoping to identify one of the others who had been in the chalet in Dresden. He saw no-one he recognised, so he moved along the wall, searching for the journalists' group that Kaas had been with. He soon identified the undercover security men scattered round the building. He decided to keep his distance from them. He knew most of them would have his photograph. As he moved he recalled the little charade they had played on him and
Billie. There had been four of them, four armed gunmen bursting into the room with the lecterns and the banked seating, four of them playing their savage game of destruction.
He looked into the Plenary Chamber and saw the two lecterns, now empty in front of the President's Chair and the raised dias where the clerks of the Parliament sat. The lecterns looked out on the banked chairs where the members sat on three sides of the hall.
This is where the two Presidents would speak.
If the rehearsal in Dresden was accurate, the attack would come when they were both at the lecterns.
Adam frantically tried to recall where the four attackers had come from. Kaas, he'd come from the left. He searched there, but there was no group of journalists. He looked up to the first gallery level. Apart from the excited guests there was only one television camera looking down on the Chamber.
Two of the others had come from the right, close to each other. He turned his attention to that part of the hall. Once again there was no-one he recognised. The third had kept his distance, had fired from the back of the hall. He crossed the hall behind a line of anxious officials and climbed the stairs that led to the first level. As he did so, he looked out on the scene at the front of the Reichstag. He recognised the leaders coming into the hall, the Presidents of the United States and the Soviet Union as well as the British Prime Minister. The party had stopped there, shaking hands with Ministers and other dignitaries. That would take some time. Adam guessed it would be at least ten minutes before they came to the lecterns. Behind them, out in the square, he could see a fight going on between the police and a group of protesters. More police were joining in and trying to bring it under control.