“We owe you our lives, Brigadier. You would have the right to ask anything, actually.”
Nancy smiled weakly, lowering her head for a moment before looking back at him.
“This may sound strange, but I would like to speak to one of your soldiers: Schütze3 Michel Hofmann.”
“Hofmann?” Said Schmidt, clearly surprised. “But he is my youngest, least experienced soldier. Why are you interested in him?”
“Because he is young actually, apart from being an intelligent and caring person.
To tell the truth, I have started recruiting young people with potential for my own organization, both Germans and non-Germans. Those people will in turn go to the future with me and help me preserve and protect history.”
Schmidt thought that over for a long moment. Young Private Hofmann had been one of his soldiers wounded in the first British raid on Colditz and had been healed by Laplante.
3 Schütze : Private
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As his commander, Schmidt knew the young man as a shy, reserved teenager whose cultured tastes were more typical of those found in a university than in a Wehrmacht unit. He also knew from reports from Feldwebel Buhlingen that Hofmann was in awe of Nancy Laplante, something not very surprising or even uncommon in light of the events of the last few days.
“I suppose that you want to recruit my soldier into your organization, Brigadier?”
“Correct, Colonel. One less soldier won’t be a big thing for you, but he could mean a lot to me.”
“Letting him go could brand me as a traitor, Brigadier.”
“Welcome to the club, Colonel. Look, you could declare him missing during the bombing. This is a chance for a new, exciting life for him, a life where he would be able to help all of Humanity through time.”
“Alright, you can have a talk with him, in private.”
“Thank you, Colonel. You are a nice man.”
“And you are…hell, I don’t even know anymore what you are, except that you are both brave and most decent.”
“I am a woman, nothing more.”
Schmidt bowed his head in respect, then called in Feldwebel Buhlingen to tell him to find and bring discreetly Private Hofmann to him. The old soldier was soon back with the teenager, who saluted both Schmidt and Nancy crisply.
“Private Hofmann, reporting as ordered, sir!”
“At ease, Private. Brigadier Laplante wished to speak to you. Listen to her, then you may do as you wish. Do you understand?”
“Er, yes sir!” Said hesitantly the blond teenager. He stared at Nancy in silence as Schmidt and Buhlingen walked away, leaving them alone. She looked in turn at the handsome, tall blue-eyed boy, and smiled.
“You told me once that you would like to be able to go to the future with me, Private. This is your chance. Colonel Schmidt has agreed to let you go and will declare you missing and presumed killed in the bombing. The decision is now yours. If this could help you, I can tell you that a number of other Germans, both men and women, have already enlisted in my organization. There are also a number of non-Germans in my group. So, what is your decision?”
The young man swallowed hard, overwhelmed by all the recent events. He however had dreamed too much about such a moment to say no to her offer.
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“I want to go with you, Brigadier.”
“Good! From now on, call me Nancy, Michel.”
“Yes, Brig…I mean, Nancy.”
“Alright, go give your rifle and web gear to Feldwebel Buhlingen, then come back to me.”
As the teenager ran away, Nancy called the HERMES through a time relay probe positioned above the nearby field.
“HERMES, this is Nancy. I am at coordinates Delta. I request a pickup for me and one passenger.”
“Nancy, thank the stars! We thought that you had been killed. Are you alright?”
“Of course I am. Feel free to bring the HERMES to my location. By the way, give my appreciations to our probe controllers: they did a first rate job.”
“The word will be passed. We will be there shortly.”
Following that conversation, Nancy went to Schmidt, where she was joined by Michel Hoffmann, and shook hands with the senior officer.
“I sincerely hope that you and your men survive this war and get to enjoy peace again, Colonel Schmidt. You were always the perfect gentleman.”
“And you the perfect angel, Brigadier.”
“A more accurate title would be ‘The Hand of The One’, Colonel. I only promote his word on this sad world. Before Private Hoffmann and I go, could I ask you to tell your men to hold their fire for a while? My ship is going to pick us up shortly.”
“Count on me, miss.”
Schmidt then faced Hoffmann and shook his hand.
“Good luck in your new life, Private Hoffmann. I truly envy you.”
“Thank you, sir!”
Nancy and the young soldier then walked away, following the road south for a while before going off it and walking in the farmer’s field. Stopping about fifty meters from the road, Nancy then activated the time beacon transmitter integrated to her helmet. The large, thirty meter-long ovoid shape of the heavy time shuttle HERMES appeared in a flash of white light 30 seconds later over their heads. The ship then landed silently twenty meters from them, its navigational lights illuminating its markings on its gray hull.
A cargo ramp wide enough for two trucks lowered to the ground at the rear, revealing a cargo bay lit by red lights. Nancy pointed the opening to Hoffmann.
“After
you,
Michel.”
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The teenager didn’t have to be told twice, nearly running to the ship in excitement.
Going up the ramp at a trot, they were met in the cargo bay by Mona Zirel. The young, beautiful giant looked down in appreciation at the blond-haired young German, who in turn eyed her with fascination.
“Decidedly, Nancy, you have good tastes. This ancestor’s hair does add character to your people, too.”
“Thanks! May I present you Michel Hoffmann, our newest recruit. Michel, this is Mona Zirel, an engineer from the year 3384. Don’t worry about her height: all the people of the 34th century are bald giants.”
Michel, eyeing discreetly the shapely body of Mona, shook hands with her before following Nancy deeper inside the cargo bay. The eight workstations in the forward part of the cargo bay were unmanned, but eight men were waiting besides them, escorted by Mike Crawford. Mike was armed with a stun pistol, just in case trouble flared up. Michel Hoffmann hesitated at the sight of the eight ex-prisoners from Colditz, who in turn eyed him with some suspicion.
“Come on, guys!” Said Nancy in a friendly tone. “You all know that Private Hoffmann is a decent fellow. Besides, the war is finished for him.”
“What about us?” Asked Mark Lindsay, still not knowing what Nancy’s plans for them were. “Are you returning us to England?”
“It will depend on you, actually. Michel has accepted to come to the future to work for me. I was hoping that you would do the same and start a new, exciting life in the year 3384. I can guarantee good pay, excellent benefits, top-notch equipment and lots of danger.”
“Sounds like what I want out of life.” Replied Jim Milner, smiling. “Are there lots of girls available too?”
“Tons, especially if you don’t mind German women.”
“Hey, I’m not a racist.”
“Good! If you turn out to be one, I would then be forced to boot you back to 1941. That applies to all of you and is a very serious point with me. I selected you as possible recruits because you proved to be tolerant and intelligent people, up to now. If you accept to work for me, you will then live in a society where racism, intolerance and brutality are not accepted. You will have to adapt and to accept things that you may find questionable in normal time, like open sexuality and lack of belief in any religion. If you think that this is not for you, tell me now and I will drop you with the others in London. I 85
know that you are all either single men or widowers, except for William Anderson, so family ties are probably not a serious factor. As for you, William, know that I will be happy to bring your family to the future if you and your wife wish so. What do you say, guys?”
“Count me in!” Said Milner without hesitation, closely followed by Jean Bigras, Sven Larsen, Jan Nierman and Samuel Goldman. After some thinking, Fernand Brunet and Mark Lindsay also said yes. William Anderson’s decision was a much tougher one to take.
“Nancy, your offer is extremely tempting, but I don’t know what my wife Kathleen will say about this. I also have a daughter and a son to think about. What will happen to them if I decide to go to the future?”
“They will keep going to school and live a normal life, but in a place where war has not been known for 500 years. They will also have a chance to do things that no children in 1941 could even dream of doing, like visiting the outer planets of the Solar System. Think of their future as much as of yours, William.”
“Damn, I would say yes if I would be alone. I will need to talk with my wife about that before taking a decision, though.”
“You will have a chance to do that soon, I promise. Now, let’s go forward to the passengers lounge, where we will be more comfortable.”
The heavy shuttle, its rear cargo ramp now closed, was lifting off as they entered the lounge. The fifteen persons inside took their eyes from the video screens lining the walls that had been showing them the outside world and examined the newcomers. Ingrid Weiss and Johanna Fink immediately made a place between them for Michel Hoffmann to sit down, smiling invitingly at him. The eight Allied ex-prisoners were greeted with polite reserve, though, and sat opposite the Germans. Nancy didn’t sit with either group, standing instead in the middle of the lounge so that everyone could see her plainly.
Mona Zirel joined her there, towering over her by two heads.
“For your information, this ship is about to go to London. After seeing if the family of Major Anderson accepts to come with us, we will collect a few more agents from this century, then call it a day and depart for the future. While I am on the ground, you will be able to follow the action on the wall video screens of this lounge. If you need anything in the meantime, just ask my friend Mona here.”
Having said that in German, she then repeated herself in English and French before leaving the lounge yet again, going up via a spiral staircase this time. Seconds later, a 86
flash of light permeated the lounge for an instant. The view on the screens changed abruptly from the darkness of the countryside near Colditz to a high altitude daylight view of London. Mark Lindsay waited nervously for the black clouds from exploding antiaircraft shells to appear but nothing came, prompting him to look questioningly at Mona.
“How come the London defenses are not reacting to us, miss?”
“Because they can’t detect us, mister. This ship is invisible to radar and is too high up to be seen with the naked eye. The pictures you will soon see from the ground will be relayed via a miniature spy probe.”
12:06 (GMT)
Tuesday, July 1, 1941 ‘B’
Rented apartment
Sutherland Avenue, Paddington District
London
The small woman in her early thirties opened her mouth in stunned surprise at the sight of the visitor at her door, then threw herself in the man’s arms.
“WILLIAM! You’re free at last!”
“I am, Kathleen.” Said William Anderson, sobs of joy choking his voice. “Are the kids home?”
“Yes, they are. We were about to have lunch. God, they are going to be so happy. Come!”
Closing the door behind him, William crossed the short hallway and entered the dining room, which also served as a kitchen. The twelve year-old girl and ten year-old boy sitting at the table looked at him as if he was a ghost.
“FATHER!” Shouted in unison Carolyn and Michael before jumping out of their seats and throwing themselves in William’s arms. He savored that moment for a long time, kissing and holding them, before guiding them back to the table, where he himself took a seat. Kathleen looked at him expectantly while holding an empty plate.
“Are you hungry? We were having some potatoes and corned beef.”
“I will have some with pleasure, dear.”
Kathleen quickly served him, then sat beside him. The four of them ate in silence for a few seconds before Kathleen spoke to William.
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“So, how did you get out of Colditz? Did you escape or did they do a prisoner exchange?”
“I escaped with the help of Brigadier Laplante, along with many others.”
That got both his wife and his children excited.
“Nancy Laplante raided Colditz?” Asked Carolyn, bringing an embarrassed smile on her father’s face.
“Actually, Nancy Laplante was captured by the Germans a week ago and sent to Colditz. Then, something happened and the Germans decided to send her back to Berlin. From there, she escaped to the future and returned with a time ship, which she used to take me and others away from Colditz.”
“A time ship?” Said softly Kathleen, awed. “How did she get back to the future in the first place?”
“Some people from the far future came to take her back to her time. She has however decided to work for these people and has started an organization called the Time Patrol, which will patrol time and protect history from illegal manipulations.”
“Sounds like a fine idea to me. One would not want some lunatics to rewrite history whichever way they wanted.” Said Kathleen.
“Father, what happened in Colditz to make the Germans send Nancy Laplante back to Berlin? It was not to hurt her, I hope?” Cut in Carolyn.
William looked down fondly at his daughter. She was a bright girl with long black hair and promised to become a beautiful woman in a few years.
“No, Carolyn. The Germans in Colditz were actually very respectful of her. What happened is that a miracle happened a few days ago in Colditz.”
William then took a good five minutes to tell his astonished family what had happened in the last five days. He then concluded with his big surprise.
“Nancy Laplante has asked me to work for her in the future, in the year 3384 to be more exact. I told her that it would depend on you.”
“I want to go!” Shouted immediately Michael, imitated by Carolyn. Kathleen was however much less enthusiastic.
“What about our friends and relatives here? Wouldn’t you also be considered a deserter for leaving like this in the middle of the war?”
“Maybe, but I could be so much more useful to the whole of Humanity as part of the Time Patrol. This would also be a chance to offer a fantastic new life to our children, Kathleen. Please, don’t dismiss this offer too quickly.”
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“Come on, Mother, say yes!” Pleaded Carolyn, nearly jumping from excitement.
Kathleen still hesitated.
“Could you tell me more about this, William? This is a very big decision to take, after all.”
“It is, dear. The people of 3384 are technologically and socially very advanced, but they are also utter pacifists with no military skills whatsoever. They are also bald giants who would stick out like a sore thumb in most time periods. Nancy Laplante is thus recruiting people from various places and time periods as field agents and ship crewmembers. The pay, benefits and living conditions are to be vastly superior to anything we could hope for if I stayed in the British Army. The job will be risky, of course, but no more so than now, and would involve myself traveling through various time periods while under disguise. This would be a brand new life for all of us, Kathleen, a life others could only dream about. No more postings every two or three years; no more transfers to backwater garrisons and rundown married quarters.”
Kathleen looked around the dining room and at what she could see of the small lounge of their apartment while thinking over what William had said. The flat they were living in since the start of the war was a cramped one, furnished with old furniture that belonged to the owner. Apart of their clothes, cutlery and dishes, they owned little in the apartment. The pay of an army major, while greatly superior to that of a simple soldier, was noting to shout about, especially when raising two children. William could not count on some family fortune to supplement his pay, the way many senior officers coming from the aristocracy did. The only luxury they owned was a well used Morris, four-door sedan car.
“What about the children? Where will they go to school?”
“They will study with all the other children of 3384 and be able to learn things we can’t even imagine. As an example, Nancy told me that everybody would be going tomorrow on a recreational visit to a space city.”
Carolyn and Michael gasped in wonderment, while Kathleen herself couldn’t help try to imagine what that would be like. She finally gave in to his arguments.
“Alright, dear. The future it is. What do we do now?”
“We pack our clothes and our personal souvenirs and leave after writing letters for our respective relatives. Everything we will need to live will be provided free to us in 3384. I will talk to the landlady and pay three months rent, so that she doesn’t make a fuss about us leaving. Don’t worry about the money: Nancy provided me with enough to 89
cover our moving expenses. A cash enlistment bonus is also waiting for me in 3384, so that we can live comfortably until my first pay and do some shopping for luxuries.”
“That is certainly better than what the Army has accustomed me to.” Replied Kathleen, remembering some of the transfers they had to go through before the war.
“What about our car?”
“We bring it with us. We won’t really use it in 3384, as most travel is by air vehicles, but Nancy told me that it will be useful to teach driving to some of her agents.
She will reimburse us for the car, of course.”
“Talking of those agents, what kind of people are they like?”
William smiled in embarrassment, trying to find words that would not antagonize his wife.
“As I said, Nancy is recruiting people from all over the place, as long as they are intelligent, resourceful, brave and open-minded, so that they could cope with traveling through various time periods and cultures. We are due to recruit more people in two days, but she has already a few British, French, Americans, a Dutchman, a Norwegian…
and a few Germans.”
“GERMANS?” Shouted Kathleen, shocked. “What the hell is Laplante doing with Germans?”
“Please, Kathleen. I met those Germans and they are not at all what you think.
They are not fanatics or even Nazis. Nancy even adopted one of them, a sixteen year-old girl who was a war orphan. Those Germans are actually nice, decent people.”
“Germans…” said Kathleen with a sigh. “I hope that you know what you are getting us into, William.”
William patted gently her shoulder while smiling in encouragement.
“I do, dear. You know me!”
10:32 (Central Pacific Time)
Friday, July 2, 1937 ‘A’
Patrol ship WALKUREN
Southeast Marshall Islands
Pacific Ocean
All eyes were on the video screens of the shuttle’s passenger lounge, where a small, twin-engine aircraft could be seen flying at medium altitude over the Pacific Ocean. Hanna Reitsch ‘B’ was at the controls of the WALKUREN, with Ingrid Weiss ‘B’
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as copilot and Bertha Beinholdt ‘B’ and Ilsa Bauman ‘B’ acting as sensors and weapons operators. Maran Tolvek ‘B’ was on his part serving as the flight engineer of the scoutship, while Nancy sat in the seat left free in the cockpit.
“A Lockheed 10-E ELECTRA. It’s registry number corresponds to that of Amelia Earhart’s plane.” Said Hanna Reitsch, making Nancy nod her head.
‘’Very well! Follow it discreetly until it runs out of fuel, then grab the plane with our tractor beam, time for us to transfer Earhart and Noonan aboard. In the meantime, I will go see how our other passengers are doing in the cargo bay.’’
Going to the rear of the cockpit and climbing down the staircase leading to the crew quarters, Nancy then took a second staircase down to an airlock giving access to the cargo bay of the patrol ship. The airlock was actually meant to allow access to the cargo bay even when it was open to the vacuum of space. It also had an armored door giving directly to the outside. Crossing the airlock, Nancy then set foot in the cargo bay, twenty meters long and six meters wide. A good forty persons occupied the cargo bay, including nine uniformed members of the Time Patrol., while a large padded mattress sat in the middle. Nancy smiled while passing by Mike Crawford, who was with what she called ‘the Crawford Clan’. Apart from Mike, the clan counted Jack Crawford and his wife and son, as well as the parents of Jack and his kid sister, a young widow with a baby. Nancy was however preoccupied by two other groups of persons in the compartment, groups that kept separated and were watched carefully by her agents.
Samuel Goldman ‘B’, an American Jew born in Russia, was talking with one of those groups, formed of two young women wearing the uniforms of Soviet aviators. Frida Winterer ‘B’ and Johanna Fink ‘B’ were on their part talking with the second group, which was made of five young German women wearing dirty anti-aircraft defense Luftwaffe auxiliaries uniforms. That group actually included three examples of what the Time Patrol called ‘timeline twins’. Ingrid Weiss ‘A’, Frida Winterer ‘A’ and Johanna Fink ‘A’
had been saved from certain death in their Berlin shelter in February of 1945, as they were about to be incinerated by an American incendiary bomb in the company of Lisa Gerhardt ‘A’ and Martha Brumbach ‘A’. With only charred bodies found afterwards in their shelter, and with their personnel files closed the next day with the mention ‘killed in action’, the Time Patrol had found it easy to pick them up by transit probes, then replace them with the bodies of five young women from 1945 that were already dead. Saving Lieutenants Lidiya Litvyak ‘A’ and Katya Budanova ‘A’ in 1943 had however been a bit 91
more complicated, with the two fighter pilots having to be extracted in flight from their burning, doomed Yak-1 fighter planes.
Nancy presented herself first in Russian to Lidiya Litvyak and Katya Budanova, who were eating with gusto a meal just served up by Natia Mindicor ‘A’, newly enrolled in the Time Patrol as a stewardess and purser.
‘’I hope that you approve of the hospitality shown on this ship, Lieutenants. We should arrive at our base in a few hours, after recuperating two other persons and observing a key event in Humanity’s history. We will then be able to speak at length.’’
Lidiya Litvyak, more commonly known as ‘Lilya’ by her friends, was a small but beautiful young blonde with curly hair and piercing blue eyes. She eyed Nancy with reservation.
‘’Your food is certainly vastly superior to the rations of the Red Army, Miss Laplante, but you don’t keep very good company. Why did you save those five Nazis?
The others and can understand and approve, but them…’’
Nancy didn’t get angry at that and answered her calmly.
‘’Because these women, while Germans, are not Nazis and are decent persons, Lieutenant. Would you say that all Soviets are members of the NKVD?’’
Litvyak hesitated, then lowered her head, recognizing her point.
‘’I can see what you mean, miss. I must say however that I am still somewhat overwhelmed by what happened to me. One moment, I was falling in my burning fighter, strafed by eight German fighters, then I find myself here by magic. Can I ask if the two other persons you want to save are Germans?’’
‘’They are Americans, Lieutenant. In fact, you may have heard about them six years ago. They should appear soon in the cargo bay. Continue to enjoy your meal in the meantime.’’
Nancy then went to the group of five German women. Those five, apart from being still under the shock of their recent experience, were clearly marked by more than five long years of war, looking both exhausted and famished. They were definitely going to need weeks of recuperation time before starting their training as members of the Time Patrol. Nancy smiled tenderly at Ingrid Weiss ‘A’, even though she had never met her before, as the German girl devoured her meal.
‘’How is the morale of your squad, Truppenführerin Weiss?’’ Asked Nancy in German.
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‘’Better but still confused, Miss Laplante.’’
‘’Please, call me simply Nancy. We will return in a few hours to our base in 3384, where you will be able to wash yourselves and go to sleep in a real bed.’’
‘’That will be nice indeed, miss.’’ Said Martha Brumbach ‘A’, the oldest of the lot at 26 and a strongly-built woman that could not be called pretty. ‘’My nerves already feel better from not hearing bombs explode anymore.’’
She then opened a pocket of her grey coverall and took out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Nancy however gently took the pack from her before she could light a cigarette.
‘’I am sorry, Helferin Brumbach, but the use of tobacco is strictly forbidden in the society of the Global Council, for public health