by Ron Smoak
“I spent ten years in the Army,” said Dothan, “Green Berets. Did some covert stuff and saw some pretty nasty action that I can’t talk about. You understand. I know my weapons and can handle myself in a fight.”
“Sweet,” smiled Hugo, bumping fists with Tim. “You may be able to help big time. Gotta love those Greenies.”
“Ready when you are,” grinned Tim. “In this case I’m glad to help out.”
“So the way I see it, we have Hugo and I, Ben and Tim here. That’s a great start. But I want you all to know that this is real. These guys we are going up against play for keeps. I guarantee people will die,” warned Dane. “It’s our job to make sure it is them and not us. Is everyone clear about this? I want to make sure you know what you are getting into. If you don’t feel good about going, we can use your help back here. Nothing bad will be said.”
They all looked at each other with sober eyes, each letting the seriousness of the situation sink in.
“Looks like we are going to war,” Tim Dothan said quietly. “So be it.”
Hugo grinned. “Damn, this is like old times,” said Hugo, glancing at Dane.
“Well, let’s get cracking on the plan,” said Dane as he pulled up a chair to the table. “I want to take off at dawn. That does not give us a lot of time. Here’s what we had in mind; a little piece of hell on earth for the Nazis.”
As the light of day began to fade, the group hunkered down to refine the plan to rescue Dana and Randall. Lee and Nell would stay back at base camp with Dr. Nance monitoring the radio in case things went to hell. Dane, Hugo, Ben and Tim would go to the Fortress with Tecal and several of his men. Once they got there, Dane and Hugo would go into the Fortress and get the Finleys out. The others would create a diversion to keep the Nazis at bay until Dane and Hugo could complete the rescue. The plan sounded simple. That’s the way they wanted it. But even simple plans have ways of exploding in your face.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Fortress Alpha, Brazil; 7:00 p.m.
Captain Jorgen Maas asked to see the Führer just before lunch. He was given an appointment for 7:00 p.m. That delay infuriated him. That damned bitch, he thought. She had no time to see him about such an important issue? What the hell was more important than their collective survival?
Maas sat in the Führer’s waiting room. He heard her loud voice behind the large polished mahogany door. He wondered what she was raging about now. It seemed she was always mad at someone and leveled that anger at all levels of her command. It was not like this in the old days, he thought. When her father was the Führer, he had a more workmanlike demeanor. It was true her father ruled with an iron hand and was as cruel to offenders as ever, but his daughter left much to be desired in Maas’ eyes. Maybe it was because she was a woman. In Maas’ opinion women were to be ruled and taken by men, owned by men. The Third Reich was gone but in Maas’ mind the “Fatherland” was so named to be ruled by men. Women were soft and not meant to rule over men. Maas’ fury over the kidnapping issue was spilling into his deepest thoughts; thoughts that could have him executed. He decided he must guard those thoughts well or risk death.
Maas looked up as the Führer’s door opened and three of her minions scurried out of her office, their figurative tails between their legs. He swore to himself that would never happen to him.
“You may go in now,” said the Führer’s secretary in a soft monotone voice. Maas arose and strode commandingly into her office, closing the door behind him.
The Führer was sitting behind her huge desk intently reviewing two documents, her reading glasses perched on her nose. Maas noted the desk was perfectly clear of any other items. The distance from the office door to her desk was nearly twenty meters. The long walk was designed to instill a regal feel to her presence, causing visitors to feel intimidated as they approached the desk; a purposeful belittlement that the Führer relished. It worked. Maas stopped and stood before her and felt overwhelmed.
“And what news do you bring me?” she asked without looking up.
“My Führer, I have uncovered a major security problem, one that could have dire consequences.”
Kaete Grimme reached up and flipped her glasses off and looked directly at Maas. “What do you mean?”
“Remember the security issues we experienced a few days ago regarding the disappearance of the cook, Wilhelm Door, and the technician, Carla von Gerber?”
“Yes. Go on.”
“One of my men, Oberleutnant Grübner, has investigated the situation and has developed a very dangerous hypothesis as to what happened.”
Grimme sat straight, her eyes fixed upon Maas. She said nothing.
“After his investigation, we concluded they did not escape. They were kidnapped. They were taken from the Fortress against their will.”
Grimme’s eyes narrowed; her intensity building. She was clearly agitated at the news.
“Grübner researched Door and von Gerber’s backgrounds and found their records were perfect. Their parents were also reviewed. Again perfect. It seems Door and von Gerber were friends, maybe lovers. Interviews with both their co-workers brought up no issues at all. We concluded Door and von Gerber were not the kind to escape.”
“Continue,” hissed Grimme.
“Minutes before the first hatch alarm we found one of our perimeter patrols attacked and severely beaten. The two men reported two heavily armed Americans dressed in camouflage military gear jumped them and tied them up. Minutes later we received the first hatch alarm. The alarm was checked out accordingly. Within a few minutes Door and von Gerber were missing. Door was sent to get baking supplies and never returned to his job. Von Gerber was on break and never returned. Then we received a second alarm on the same hatch. Door’s cart was found in a dry storage area very close to the hatch in question. We believe von Gerber met Door in the storage room. Grübner believes the Americans neutralized the perimeter guards, came into the Fortress through the hatch, found and abducted Door and von Gerber and escaped through the same hatch. After reviewing Grübner’s report and the records, I concur with his findings.”
“So two of our personnel have been kidnapped,” said Grimme sternly. “They are in the hands of the enemy.”
“Yes, Mein Führer, it seems this is so.”
Grimme stepped out from behind her desk and walked over to a cabinet holding several bottles of fine spirits. As she poured herself a glass, she turned abruptly to Maas.
“Captain Maas, how can that occur?” Grimme asked in a solemn but menacing tone. Her face was becoming red. “It is your job to see that such things do not happen.”
Maas felt his temper rising but he held his indignance in check. “It seems that the two Americans we captured were carrying a global positioning system device that reported their location back to their base. That information was transmitted to their base before we could disable the GPS.” Maas waited for the explosion but Grimme remained calm, at least on the outside, sipping her drink. There was silence in the room.
“I have full and complete confidence in you and your people to adequately address this situation, Captain Maas. I trust you have taken sufficient actions to address this ‘issue’ and take care of any necessary let’s say deletions. Am I correct?” Grimme stared at Maas, her fury showing through her stoic face.
“Absolutely, Mein Führer. We have taken and will take even more steps to ensure our safety and security,” answered Maas tersely.
“I am sure you have and will, Maas,” answered Grimme in an equally terse voice. “Our survival depends on it... yours especially.” Grimme stood beside her desk for a second and then turned toward the bookcase behind her. She began perusing the titles. “Captain Maas, I believe you have a job to do?”
“Yes, Mein Führer,” he responded as he stood, turned and strode out of the Führer’s office. That damned bitch, he thought. I will fix her one day. How was he to know that these Americans were going to cause such trouble? He didn’t h
ave a crystal ball. If it were not for that damned GPS, this whole thing would be over and done with.
But first he had work to do. This was the kind of work he relished. Pain and torture were the most favorite tools at his disposal. He walked quickly back to his office and sat down. He must do this right, he thought. There was no room for error. He should take this slowly and ensure a correct outcome. He picked up the telephone and called Grübner to his office. Between the two of them, they should be able to devise a plan to clear this up. It was time to go to work.
By the time Grübner arrived, Maas was already deep in his planning. “I have briefed the Führer of the situation. She has complete confidence in our actions. I expect that we will have another visit from the people that kidnapped our people.”
“I agree,” said Grübner. “I believe they used the two to gain information on the size and layout of the Fortress. I expect them to return at any time to try to rescue our captives.”
“That is why we will double the guards on the perimeter and set out additional sensors around the area of Hatch 0-122. They found their way in before using that hatch and I believe they will do it again. But this time we will be ready for them. They will disappear from the face of this earth.”
“I have already doubled the perimeter guards, Captain. I will deploy more sensors immediately.” Grübner reached over the desk and picked up the phone to order the sensors.
Maas stood and walked over to a large wall-mounted blueprint of the entire Fortress Alpha complex. He looked for any other areas near Hatch 0-122 that might be threatened. Grübner finished his call and joined Maas at the blueprint.
“The extra sensors are being placed as we speak.”
Maas studied the blueprint. “We were lucky. That hatch is way out on the outer edge of the complex. There are no other entryways in the immediate area. We should be able to grab anyone that shows up there.”
“My men have encircled this area,” Grübner said as he pointed out the area around the hatch. “No one or nothing can get past us. I have also ordered an increase in perimeter patrols doubling our coverage, especially in that area.”
“Good. I am holding you completely responsible for the security of the perimeter. You do what you see fit to defend it. Is that clear?” asked Maas.
“Yes, sir,” replied Grübner. “I assure you we will stop anyone that comes near.”
Maas turned toward the door. “I have some personal business to attend to. If there are any incidents, I expect to be informed immediately. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir,” answered Grübner. “I will also get you periodic updates as well, sir.”
“Carry on, Oberleutnant.” Without looking back Maas turned and walked out the door and down the hall. Grübner was finally able to breathe.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Friday, July 15, 2011
Base Camp, Cotriguacu, Brazil; 6:00 a.m.
The sun was creeping from its night slumber, barely lighting the sky behind the trees. Dane ambled out on the front porch of the hut and lifted his coffee cup to his mouth. Mornings in the jungle were beautiful but hot. The sun’s rays began to pierce the jungle canopy through the individual openings through the trees. It looked like thousands of laser beams hitting the ground. As Dane relished the taste of the coffee, Hugo and Tim joined him. In the early air the animals of the jungle were quiet. Even the insects were not singing their incessant songs yet.
Late the previous evening Dane and Hugo interrogated the two captives brought back from the Fortress. After instilling the fear of death or worse to both of them, the two decided to talk. They helped Hugo draw a rough map of the complex, pointing out the major entrances and strongholds. They located the different components of the complex, the power station, motor pool, jail and other key areas. Although Hugo and Dane wanted more information, they were pleased with what they learned. One thing Dane and Hugo asked about was the gold production.
Carla von Gerber filled the two in on some of the process.
“Theoretically the transmutation of lead to gold is simple. One must only change the number of protons,” explained Carla. “The problem is not only that the process requires enormous amounts of energy but also in the catalysts added to the process to make the changes. This is where our scientists had a breakthrough back in early 1945. Our process remains a secret to this day. Only senior level personnel know the operation and even then only those who must know.”
“Wow,” said Hugo, rubbing his head suggesting he felt overwhelmed. Dane smiled. He was very interested in the technician’s story.
“So the Germans brought this gold secret over to Brazil?” asked Dane, still not fully believing the whole story but still eager to hear what Carla had to say.
“Yes. A core group of German scientists were moved secretly out of Germany in the last few weeks of the war, bringing their developments with them. They also brought over a huge cache of gold bullion to keep it out of the hands of the Allies. With those resources, we were able to create a foolproof gold operation.”
Dane pressed on. “So how did this gold and the scientists get here?”
“That was simple,” Carla went on to say. “They had access to the German submarine fleet. The SS commandeered more than forty U-boats to ferry the gold and secrets to Brazil.”
“Sweet,” said Hugo. “All they had to do was load ‘em up and send them over. Perfect.”
Carla continued, “But there was a cost. A decision was made that only those directly involved in the new situation here in Brazil were to know what was happening. As a result, all of the U-boats were destroyed after they made their deliveries. Many U-boat crews died. Even the soldiers that loaded the U-boats back in Germany were executed to keep the secret. That part worked very well, as you can attest. The world still does not know of this complex and its secrets.”
Dane looked at Hugo and let out a soft whistle. “This is much bigger than we thought. No wonder folks in the area have been disappearing over the years. It may even be a miracle if Dana and Randall are still alive. If all of this is true, which I am inclined to believe, this is a huge threat to not only the U.S. but the world.”
“Yeah, an alpha threat to the hilt,” cracked Hugo. “What does the other guy we got say about all of this?”
“Actually, not much. His primary job was a cook. He had some secondary technician duties but he didn’t mention any of this. She knows much more than him.”
Dane thought about what he learned from Wayne’s friend Nathan back in Miami. All of this fit nicely into the theory of the gold and gold trading back home. In fact, it was becoming crystal clear as he listened to Carla.
Dane looked back at von Gerber. “You said you worked in the power center of the complex?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“So where does the power for this complex come from?”
“A very large volcanic system deep beneath the complex,” answered Carla.
Hugo suddenly sat up straight. “A volcano?”
“It is much more complex than that but the power is enormous. Using our technology we match the power of a nuclear process without the radiation or residual waste; pure, almost unlimited power.” She looked smugly at the two men as she talked of their superior technology.
“Holy crap,” said Hugo, glancing at Dane. “That’s a lot of power, my friend.”
Hugo and Dane stood together on the front porch looking at the jungle across the dirt road, coffee in hand.
“It’s the calm before the storm,” said Hugo, gazing across the road at the calm waters of the river.
“You know, if we weren’t here because of the situation, this would be one beautiful place,” added Tim. “I do love this jungle.”
“We’ll see a lot of it over the next few days,” said Dane. By now Ben and Dr. Nance had joined the crew on the porch.
“Morning, guys,” said Dr. Nance, taking a slug of hot coffee. The rest of the crew nodded in agreement.
Ben leaned ag
ainst the porch rail. “I guess we are ready?”
“As ready as we will ever be,” said Dane, staring into the morning sky. “I hope and pray we are in time and none of us get hurt.”
“Here, here,” answered Hugo, waving his cup slightly.
“You’ve done this type of thing before, I imagine?” queried Dr. Nance, still a bit skeptical of not informing the government. Dane turned to Dr. Nance. In a low, stoic voice Dane tried to explain.
”Dr. Nance, several of us have seen the horrors of war. I can tell you most definitively that war is exactly what the Civil War Union General Tecumseh Sherman said it was…Hell. You are scared, the men around you on both sides are scared, but somehow you go on. You must be crazy to put yourself into a situation where someone wants to kill you but sometimes you do just that. I’m not doing this to be a hero; I do this to save my sister and her husband. I must do it to be able to live with myself. The others,” Dane waved his hand around the group, “I can’t speak for but I suspect they want to come because they believe it is the right thing to do.”
Hugo took a sip of coffee. “For me it is simple. Where Dane goes, I go. We’ve been through a lot together. We have probably saved each other’s life ten times over. Bosnia, the Middle East, Iraq, you name it. To me, Dane is my brother as well as my brother in arms.”
“Okay, let’s don’t start waxing poetically here. We have a job to do,” interjected Dane. “Is everyone ready? Let’s get this done.” The men took their last sips of coffee.
Tecal appeared from one side of the porch with several of his men. They all carried small homemade rucksacks looking ready for a long trek in the jungle.
Dane put down his coffee cup. “Everything ready, Tecal?” he asked.
“Yes, Mr. Dane. Everything is packed and ready.”
“Well, gents, it looks like it is time to hit the trail. If we make good time, we should be in the general Fortress area by late tomorrow. We’ll all travel together until we get to that location but I want Hugo to take point,” Dane explained to everyone standing there.