Soldiers of Tomorrow: Iron Legions

by Michael G. Thomas

  “Kriminaldirektor! You do not have the…”

  The Gestapo man’s eyes burned holes into him. He was not entirely familiar with the Waffen SS man, but so far, he was far from impressed. The man was a textbook officer with no field experience, and that made him of little significance in his eyes. He pulled out a notebook from his pocket. A neatly folded letter was inside.

  “In this envelope is a letter from the Party Chancellery itself. In it I have been granted full authority to maintain order in this city, and that includes all local Wehrmacht and SS units. You would be wise to watch your tongue.”

  The Mayor took the letter from him, ran his eyes along the brief text, and handed it back.

  “I had no idea you were so…”

  The Kriminaldirektor smiled.

  “That does not surprise me. I was never just here to run internal police matters. Who do you think monitors all of your activities? The Party Chancellery takes an interest in all matters concerning the Reich. And I was sent here three months ago to check on the ideological and physical purity of this city. And so far I am not impressed. There has been no insurgency or rebellion in Europe for two decades. What is different here?”

  As they waited in silence, he moved to the door. He looked back at Marcus.

  “You were there during the English Mutiny. Tell me. If this is another attempt to do the same, what will they do? How will they hope to win?”

  He didn’t even need to think about it to answer the question.

  “They will want a public show of force, a way to draw attention to their cause, and to rally the disaffected inside the city.”

  “Exactly.”

  His eyes moved to the SS officer.

  “Standartenführer Müller. Prepare your forces. You will need your ground units ready at fifteen minutes’ notice. What else can you offer the Reich?”

  The Standartenführer’s nostrils flared. He didn’t want to answer the man, but he knew he had to.

  “I have my Stoßtruppen units and heavy panzers throughout the New York metropolitan area. They can…”

  “Good. That should be sufficient. Get them ready, but do not leave your barracks until ordered.”

  He rubbed his chin, considering his options.

  “I want the public to see what these terrorists are capable of, and that we are not afraid of them. Yes…hold the Stoßtruppen back unless absolutely needed. The citizens need to see that even regular SS can keep this city secure. Imagine what their minds will conjure if they are crushed without needing heavy equipment.”

  Both men headed for the door, leaving Marcus alone with the Mayor and the Inspector, plus a small number of junior officials.

  “Herr Kriminaldirektor,” said Müller, “What if they are dug in and ready? I could lose good men in an attack.”

  Kriminaldirektor Mattias merely smiled.

  “There can be no reprisals from the city’s SA units without a major act of sabotage and violence, can there? Are we not the law and order in this city? The more they hurt your men, the easier it will be to crush any signs of resistance.”

  Both men left, and the doors swung behind them. As they sealed shut, the Mayor let out a long sigh.

  “Well?” he asked, looking at the Inspector, “What happens next?”

  Inspector Miller rubbed his chin for a moment.

  “We let the Gestapo have their fun. We have other more important matters to attend to. Like this state visit.”

  The Mayor seemed to agree with that.

  “Indeed. The visit must take place without any further trouble. I am sure Standartenführer Müller’s men will be ready, but they are hardly the finest unit in the Reich, are they?”

  The Inspector chuckled. That was when the Mayor noticed Marcus was still there.

  “Herr Kapitän. How many landships do you have in New York?”

  “Three, Inspector. Plus Eiserner Gott. She’s fully functional, but…”

  He stopped speaking upon seeing the stunned looks from the two men.

  “Eiserner Gott is operational? The machine that ended the British Mutiny?”

  Marcus nodded.

  “Excellent,” said the Mayor, rubbing his hands together, “If what I’ve heard about the Standartenführer is true, he might have few men left to provide security for the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Have your machines reactivated and ready. It looks like the Kriegsmarine will have place of honour in the march.”

  Marcus saluted in the Naval fashion, much to their bemusement, and then left the room. Even after such a short visit, the place looked as though it was back to normal. A handful of cleaners scrubbed the walls, and carpenters were already busy working to fix the damage. As he moved out onto the steps, he found black marks to show a vehicle had been there.

  Six more hours and it will be as though this never happened.

  * * *

  Rebel Base, Bowery Bay, New York

  15th November 2017, 6.05am

  The hood over Ray’s head was pulled off. He was in a large, old sewer. Light bulbs hung from the ceiling so that the place was at least lit enough to see. There were dozens of people there. Mostly armed, or with weapons close to hand. The ground was dry, and had not been an active sewer for a long time. The room was large, feeding many pipelines. Tables at the middle were covered in maps and other papers. Samuel Weathers was at the centre with a few other familiar faces. Lisa was helping sew up Woody’s arm. It was nice to know they had made it.

  His hands were suspended against the wall. He was detained again. He shook his restraints to see how firm they were. They’d anchored the heavy duty chains to the wall.

  “Did you do this? Did you give us up?”

  Ray looked to his left side. Charlie was tied up beside him.

  “Well? Did you?”

  He moved his head from side to side in the negative.

  “Well, someone did, and it sure as hell wasn’t me.”

  “This is it? This is the centre of the fight back in New York?”

  “Just because it isn’t pretty, doesn’t mean it isn’t working.”

  Ray couldn’t help but agree with that. Weathers saw his face was uncovered and approached.

  “Is there anything you would like to share with us?”

  “Like what? You’ve been asking me the same questions for a few hours, and you wouldn’t have brought me here if you thought there was any chance I was a threat to you.”

  “Really? That assumes you are going to walk out of here. There are many who haven’t.”

  Ray sighed.

  “You got me into this. I didn’t ask for any of it.”

  “But with your record, of course we would try and bring you on board, or is that a lie, too?”

  “Go on. Ask me.”

  “Okay, the Uprising in London, people say you were there, fighting with the British. Even there on the last day when the machine was sent out.”

  “Is there a question there? Okay, yeah…I was there.”

  “And? You were there, you must have seen it?”

  “I did more than just see it. I crewed it.”

  Weathers looked sceptical. He paced back and forth, constantly looking at Ray’s face as if trying to weigh up his story.

  “Pretty tall tale, you know there are a few who could confirm it, or not. You sure that’s what you are sticking to?”

  “Damn right. Get me out of these. I’ve been locked up for what seems like a lifetime,” he said, shaking the chains.

  “Doing time inside can do many things to a man. In your case it could turn you against the cause you once fought so hard for. Am I wrong?”

  “No, except there is nothing I hate more than Nazi scum and those who work for them.”

  “Does that mean you’ll fight?”

  He sighed once more.

  “I didn’t say that. I’ve been out one day, and I never asked for any of this.”

  “But you knew it was always going to be your way, didn’t you? You could never have found yourself doin
g what you did in London if that were not the case.”

  “Sure, but I also don’t enjoy fighting battles I can’t win.”

  “We aren’t here to lose. This is our home, and it is yours, too. Will you give it up that easily?”

  “You think I do by choice! I have given most of my life to fighting the Reich, and look where it has gotten me.”

  “That’s not a reason to give up,” insisted Charlie.

  Ray gave the young man a scornful look. He knew his heart was in the right place, but he had seen so many like him perish because of such rebellious sentiments.

  “He’s right, you know.”

  “Sure, in an ideal world, but that is not this one, is it?”

  Ray couldn’t think of anything else to say. He wanted to be left alone, but that wasn’t a luxury he could afford.

  “Let them go,” Weathers insisted.

  “But, Sir, somebody gave us up, and…” started one of the men he had commanded.

  “And what?”

  “And, it is probably one of them.”

  Weathers took a deep breath, as he thought it over.

  “I hate to think that someone here gave us up, even unknowingly, but I don’t believe it was either of these guys.”

  The man begrudgingly unshackled Ray, and he was relieved to feel the blood flow back into his hands. He clenched his fists to get the feeling back, and the man who had freed him looked wary, as if he were going to lash out.

  “You know you should be more cautious,” said Ray.

  “Cautious how?” Weathers asked.

  “You don’t know me. You don’t know anything about me, despite what you think you might.”

  “You want to go back into those chains, do you?”

  Ray smiled.

  “I’m just saying, you can’t run a rebellion without an immense distrust of everyone you meet. It can cost you your life.”

  “And yet you think we should trust you?”

  “God no, certainly not yet. All I ask is you don’t kill me.”

  “It’s true, isn’t it?”

  Ray looked surprised as if unsure what he meant.

  “The stories of you in London. They are all true, aren’t they?”

  Ray nodded along.

  “Damn it, I knew it,” said Charlie, almost dancing a jig in excitement.

  “You think it is something to celebrate?”

  “That we have one of the badasses who stood up to the Nazis in open battle, damn right I do!”

  “Yeah, well, we lost, and we lost bad.”

  “But your heart was in the right place. There is no shame in losing when your cause is just,” said Weathers.

  “That means nothing at all when your friends are dead and your cause is lost. A noble mention in the history books, if those writing them respect your cause.”

  Dozens more rebels poured into the underground facility. Something big was going happening.

  “I brought you here because I thought you would be willing to help. It is no secret that you hate the Nazi regime, and its control over our great nation. You seemed like a man who could do a lot of good around here.”

  “I didn’t ask for that. I never gave out that impression, did I?”

  “You didn’t have to. Your reputation and the things you have already done spoke to that.”

  “But I am not that man anymore, am I? Times have changed.”

  “Have they? Time has gone on, but I can’t say anything has changed that much since the day the rebellion was defeated, and you were there to see it happen.”

  “Yeah, well, maybe that’s the problem. I fought for change, and look where it got us.”

  “And that is a good reason to give up? Nothing won was every easy.”

  “And some deaths and losses cannot be justified.”

  “You are in this now, whether you like it or not,” said Lisa as she approached them.

  “She’s right,” added Weathers.

  “I know,” he said wearily.

  The truth was, he knew he was going to be in this situation, whether they found him or not. He didn’t like losing, but he didn’t like living the way they did either. He had fought hard for what he believed, and even though he hadn’t succeeded, his gut told him to keep on fighting.

  “So what’ll it be? You going to stick around and keep fighting for what you believe in or not?” Weathers asked.

  Ray thought it over but already knew his answer. He didn’t know any other way, and he didn’t have anywhere else to go either.

  “You knew I’d be in, didn’t you?”

  Weathers almost smiled.

  “Pretty cruel, you know. Not even a single day of freedom to enjoy before being thrown into the shit.”

  “What freedom? If you want freedom, you’d better be prepared to fight for it.”

  “And what do you all know about fighting?”

  He looked around at the rabble. Many were far too young to be holding a gun, others that should be long retired.

  “They know more than you think. Many of these people might have started green. Terrified to hold a gun and face and enemy, but time and experience have changed them. It’s changed us all. These aren’t the same helpless New Yorkers you knew before you went to Rikers. Not the same men and women at all. Tougher, harder, thicker skinned. They are ready, ready for anything. Are you?”

  Ray was uncertain. He didn’t have much of a stomach for it anymore. He’d seen enough death and lost too many friends, but had no other choice before him.

  “Will you do it? Will you fight? We need soldiers like you and all the help we can get. If heroes like you aren’t willing to fight back, what hope is there for us?”

  “I am no hero.”

  “You are, just as everyone else here is. Men and women fighting for what is right. Not for pay or duty, and that is why we will win.”

  “Come on, you talk like you are fighting an occupying force.”

  “Aren’t we?”

  “Maybe a few decades ago, but we were born into this. We have never known another way. Our parents and grandparents might have known life before the occupation, but not us. The ORPOs out there policing the streets, they are as American as you and I.”

  “And that makes it right?”

  “No, but they believe they are just as right as you are. It’s a fine line between a resistance movement and a terrorist organisation.”

  Weathers sighed.

  “I would have thought a man with your experience would have known better.”

  “Why, because I fought a lost cause? I saw the price we paid for that with my own eyes, and what came after was far worse.”

  Weathers didn’t know what to say.

  “You saw all that they did, so you must know it’s worth fighting against?” Charlie asked.

  “It’s worth fighting if we can win,” replied Ray solemnly.

  “We can, but we need the support of fighters like you. It is essential, and don’t you think you have a duty to fight this cause?”

  Anger brewed in Ray’s eyes.

  “I’ve already given more than enough to the cause!”

  “No, you haven’t, because you are still standing and still breathing. You have the skills, the knowledge, and the capability to make a difference. And while that remains true, you’ve no excuse not to help. Nothing you did before this day matters if you give up now.”

  The truth was hard to face.

  “So what will it be? Will you fight for what you know is right?

  “It’s not like I have a choice, is it?”

  “You’ve got a good heart and a conscience, so no.”

  “Then I’m in.”

  Weathers smiled.

  “Okay, so what’s next?”

  Weathers walked to the centre of the room and stood at a table strewn with maps. Several captured enemy Mauser assault rifles lay on the table, too.

  “What we have in mind is big. To make a statement that will announce our existence to the Reich like never b
efore. At least, not since London.”

  Ray looked at the plan, and his eyes widened, realising the scale of what they planned.

  “You are going to fight them in open warfare?”

  “But at a time and place of our choosing. We will simultaneously seize three public buildings as shown, and raise the flag over them all.”

  “With what in mind? You’ll raise hell, and they’ll come down on you like a tonne of bricks.”

  “That’s the idea,” he replied with a grin.

  “We want the ORPOs to come to us,” Charlie said excitedly.

  “With what in mind?”

  “Mass casualties. We want them to suffer, and for the people to see them suffer. We want the men and women of this city to see there are still those who resist. Once the enemy are busy and fully engaged, a team will break into the Information Ministry and broadcast what is happening.”

  Ray looked deeply concerned at both his words and the details drawn up before him.

  “You don’t agree with our plan?”

  “No. You don’t have enough public support yet, and you know it.”

  “Yes, that’s why they need to see this happen. That we are fighting back, and that they can fight back as well.”

  “That isn’t the way this will go down. You see this as a rallying cry, but it won’t be. Have you any idea what the reprisals will be like? Whatever goodwill you think you’ll create, the people will hate you for it after the ORPOs have finished their work. Unless things have changed significantly since I went inside, your plan will fail.”

  Weathers’ expression was bitter, clearly hating him for making such a strong criticism in earshot of the resistance members gathered around them. He continued as if he hadn’t heard Ray’s objection.

  “The plan is ready to go, but before we can begin we need heavy weapons, and that means somehow we have to get them into the city.”

  “Heavy weapons? What are you trying to do?”

  “What needs to be done. We are going to send the Reich a powerful message, a message that is plain for everyone to see.”

  Ray wouldn’t back down. “You have to listen to me! I’ve seen what happens at times like this. I understand your desire to fight, but the Nazis have total control of this city. It would be madness to take them on in this way.”

  “You’re wrong. Madness would be to sit back and do nothing, while the city and the country we love is taken from us.”