CODENAME: ATHENA (2025 Edition) by Michel Poulin - HTML preview

CHAPTER 34 – HOSPITAL STAY

09:51 (Berlin Time)

Thursday, June 26, 1941 ‘B’

Tempelhof military hospital

Berlin, Germany

Farah Tolkonen emerged slowly from her sleep to find an ancestor woman sitting

by the side of her bed and watching her. By the dryness of her throat and the difficulty

she felt in concentrating, Farah understood that she had been given pain-killing drugs.

She didn’t like the idea much, as such drugs were not used any more in the 34th century,

due to their habit-forming effects. She thus had to get access to her own medical kit. A

wave of searing pain went through her body when she tried to move, making her cry out

in pain. The ancestor woman held her down gently, concern on her young face.

“Please stay still, miss.” said the nurse in German. “Your wounds will be quite

painful for a while. Do you want more morphine?”

“NO!” shouted Farah, surprising the nurse. “I don’t want your primitive drugs. Let

me have my own medical kit instead.”

“Are you a doctor, miss?”

“Yes! My kit contains very advanced medical equipment. I will need it if Nancy

Laplante is to be saved at all.”

The nurse straightened up, clearly offended.

“Miss, we have the best doctors of the Luftwaffe here. We will be able to care for

your friend.”

“You people don’t even know about antibiotics yet. If I am not allowed to treat

her, she will soon die of a generalized infection. Where is Nancy Laplante now?”

The nurse hesitated for a moment before answering in a subdued voice.

“She is due to be operated on soon. Her breasts were beaten and burned so

badly that they will have to be amputated.”

“NOOO! Cancel that operation immediately! I want to see the chief-surgeon

right now!”

“Calm down, miss! Colonel Mandell is very busy right now and you…”

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“GET HIM NOW! YOU ARE GOING TO MUTILATE NANCY LAPLANTE

UNNECESSARILY!”

“How could you pretend to do better than us?” replied the nurse, now angry.

Farah herself then became angry, maybe for the first time in her life.

“BECAUSE I’M A DOCTOR FROM THE 34th CENTURY, YOU IDIOT! I MIGHT

AS WELL BE IN THE STONE AGE AS FAR AS YOUR SO-CALLED MEDICAL

SCIENCE IS CONCERNED. GET ME YOUR COLONEL MANDELL, IMMEDIATELY!”

Badly shaken, the nurse got up from her chair and went to the door of the small room,

knocking on the door. An armed Luftwaffe soldier answered her and spoke briefly with

the nurse before letting her out and closing the door behind her. Farah heard the noise

of a door bolt being pushed as she slowly, painfully sat up in her bed, which was too

short by a good foot for her. The whip marks and the electrical burns to her breasts

were causing her intolerable pain, yet what she had endured was nothing compared to

Laplante’s ordeal. And all this had been started by two scientists from the Global

Council.

Farah was still bitterly thinking over that fact when the door of her room opened

and the nurse came back in with two men. One wore a white overcoat over a military

uniform, had a stethoscope around his neck and had graying short hair. The other man

was much younger and looked athletic. The open jacket of his gray suit let Farah see a

holstered pistol for a moment. The older man spoke first.

“Miss, I’m Colonel Reinhardt Mandell, Chief-Surgeon of this hospital. I am told

that you are a doctor yourself?”

“Yes, I am, Colonel. You must cancel the operation on Nancy Laplante and let

me treat her right away with my own medical kit.”

“What tells us that you won’t use your equipment to escape, Doctor?” asked the

younger man, suspicious. Farah gave him a poisoned look.

“Escape? How? Have you seen what you barbarians did to me and Nancy?”

“She’s right, Herr Braun.” cut in the chief-surgeon. “Brigadier Laplante is in no

state to go anywhere right now. In fact, she may very well die if we don’t do something

soon for her.”

“Please, let me have my medical equipment so that I can help her.” implored

Farah, close to tears. Braun thought for a second, then left the room to speak to one of

the soldiers on guard. He then came back and fixed Farah, his face hard.

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“A guard will bring the belongings of both of you here. I will however have to vet

any equipment you wish to take before it is given to you. If you try to trick us, you will be

separated from Laplante for good. Do you understand me?”

“Yes!” replied Farah weakly, lowering her eyes under his intense gaze. This

situation was well beyond anything she had experienced before in her life. Braun was

not finished, however.

“While we wait for your equipment, Doctor, I have a few questions for you. First

off…”

“Before you go on, Herr Braun, I want Nancy Laplante brought here immediately,

so that I can treat her without delay. If you don’t do that, then forget your questions.”

Taken aback for a moment by Farah’s sudden combativeness, Braun then nodded to

Colonel Mandell, who in turn sent away his nurse with orders to bring in Laplante.

“Happy now, Doctor?” said Braun in a cold voice. “Do understand one thing,

miss: I am from the Abwehr, not the Gestapo, but I still place the interests of Germany

first. As a spy and suspected saboteur, you still are liable for the firing squad. If you do

not cooperate fully…”

“B… but I’m a doctor! I am incapable of violence. My society hasn’t known war

for over 500 years.”

“You still broke into a German jail to try freeing the person widely considered to

be Germany’s most dangerous enemy, miss.”

“But Nancy is not an enemy of the Germans per say. She has always treated

German prisoners the best she could. She even served alongside a German Army unit

in the year 2004.”

That seemed to shock the two Germans present to no small degree. Farah then pushed

that little gain for all its worth.

“Look at what happened since she appeared in September of 1940: within two

months after her arrival, the British stopped bombing indiscriminately your cities. Why?

Because she convinced the British Prime Minister to stop such bombings.”

“For the good it did us.” replied Braun sharply. “The new British weapons she

helped introduce are destroying systematically our war industries.”

“So, they now target machines instead of people. I can live with that. Nancy

Laplante is not a butcher or a sadist, contrary to some of your leaders.”

“Watch what you say, miss, or…”

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“Or you will torture me and Nancy again? Don’t you have any shred of human

decency left in you?”

Farah, at the end of her nervous resistance, then started crying, still sitting on her bed

and wearing a hospital gown too short for her 220-centimeter-long body. Braun watched

her in silence for a moment, unsure how to react. That was when Nancy Laplante was

rolled in on a gurney. Still in a semi-comatose state and with most of her body covered

by a linen sheet, it was still plainly obvious that she was in constant, severe pain, with

her teeth clenched together and her body shaking constantly. Mandell looked at Farah

apologetically.

“We already gave her as much morphine as we dared. More could kill her.”

Farah, fighting off her own pain, stepped slowly out of bed and laboriously walked to

Nancy’s gurney. Tears came back to her eyes as she gently caressed the Canadian’s

hair.

“Please forgive my people for dropping you into this hell, Nancy.”

Nancy responded by slowly moving her right arm to touch Farah’s face with her

bandaged hand, while looking at her with her one good eye.

“Not... your fault… friend.”

Those words and the touch of Nancy’s hand gave back some courage to Farah, who

glared at Braun.

“Where is my medical equipment? Has your guard stopped for a lunch break or

what?”

Sighing in exasperation, the Abwehr agent left the room, locking the door behind him.

He was back two minutes later with the Luftwaffe guard, whose hands were full with a

cardboard box and Farah’s medical kit. The guard put both the box and the kit on the

bed and left. Farah was eagerly reaching for her kit when the noise of Braun’s pistol

being cocked froze her.

“Remember, miss: no tricks!”

Moving in slow, deliberate gestures, Farah opened her medical kit and took out two

headbands with circuitry attached to them. Putting one around Nancy’s head, she then

pushed a switch on it. The Canadian immediately sighed with relief, her body relaxing

all of a sudden.

“These headbands are pain inhibitors. They block the pain messages from nerve

endings from being registered by the brain. You won’t need to administer drugs to her

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anymore, but that headband is not to be removed for any reason until I say so: taking it

off too soon could kill her from the pain backwash.”

Farah then put on a headband herself and activated it. Sighing with relief, she then

searched in the cardboard box and took out of it a hand-held instrument and what looked

like a big wristwatch.

“These are a medical scanner and a data storage unit. I will now examine

Nancy.”

Strapping first the so-called data storage unit to her left wrist, Farah then pulled away the

linen sheet covering Nancy’s body and approached the medical scanner to inches of

Nancy’s swollen, mutilated breasts, hoping all along that Braun would not be too

insistent on inspecting her equipment. The unit now strapped to her wrist was in reality

a portable time distorter, which permitted her to effect short space-time jumps. Nancy

was however in no shape right now to escape with her. Farah had to heal her first

before they could think about leaving. Switching her scanner to thermal mode, Farah

swept it slowly around Nancy’s breasts first, then the rest of her body, while explaining

her actions to the fascinated Germans.

“My scanner is now on thermal vision mode and gives me a view of Nancy’s

internal temperature zones. Blue zones are coolest and red zones warmest. It is

evident that much of her breast tissues are dying due to extensive blood cloths and

electrical burns. The same applies to her genitals and most of her skin surface. There

is also a large blood cloth blocking partially her left femoral artery. I am now switching to

echo-sounding mode to check for fractures.”

Starting her scan at Nancy’s head, Farah quickly found something and pointed it on the

scanners screen to Colonel Mandell.

“There is a fracture line along her right cheekbone, around the eye lobe. She

also lost three teeth, with a fourth one loose.”

“This scanner of yours is incredible.” marveled Mandell. “I wish that we could

have such equipment.”

“Forget it, Colonel: your science is not advanced enough to even understand this

equipment if dismantled for examination.”

Going down along Nancy’s legs, Farah swore as she scanned her feet.

“The bones in her toes are all smashed to bits. What the hell did they do to her?”

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“An old Gestapo technique, Doctor.” explained Braun in a subdued voice. “After

pulling the toenails out, they smash the toes one by one with a hammer: an

excruciatingly painful treatment but a generally effective one.”

That earned him a murderous look from Farah.

“You barbarians! How dare you call yourselves civilized people?”

“Miss, don’t confuse the Gestapo with the average German people.”

“Oh? What about the hundreds of thousands of prisoners being beaten and

starved to death right now in your concentration camps? What about the six million

Jews and Gypsies who will be exterminated in specialized German death camps during

this war? I bet that you will plead ignorance or obedience to orders, like your leaders will

do at the end of this war. Forget it anyway: I have more urgent things to do than to

discuss your personal guilt in those atrocities.”

Still furious and ignoring Braun from then on, Farah took out of her kit a small gray box

and a flat case. Opening the case, she revealed a display screen and a control

keyboard. Next, she took out of the box what looked like a syringe and carefully inserted

its large needle in the femoral artery of Nancy’s left leg.

“For those of you who care, I’m going to remove that large blood cloth before it

travels to Nancy’s heart or brain.”

The Abwehr man, thoroughly shamed by now, left the room with his head bowed low.

Now more relaxed, Farah started punching directives on her control keyboard as

Mandell and his nurse watched her intensely.

“How are you going to proceed, Doctor Tolkonen?”

“I will destroy that blood cloth from within, using a microscopic probe that I am

about to inject in the femoral artery.”

Mandell looked closely at the syringe and shook his head.

“But I see only a clear liquid inside that syringe.”

“That’s because the probe is only a few microns in diameter. You would need a

microscope to see it.”

“Microns?” said Mandell, overwhelmed.

“Yes, Colonel. Watch this display screen now: it will show what the probe’s

camera will transmit.”

“That thing has a camera? Mein Gott!”

Pushing a button, Farah sent the nanoprobe on its preprogrammed mission. She,

Mandell and the nurse soon were watching a view from inside Nancy’s artery as the

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nanoprobe traveled towards the blood cloth. The latter soon became plainly visible on

the display screen. Hugging it, the nanoprobe quickly started destroying it methodically.

“My probe is now using a special solvent to dissolve the blood cloth. While it is

working, I will start another part of Nancy’s treatment.”

Farah took out of her kit a hypodermic injector and a small bottle full of clear liquid,

plugging the bottle to the base of the injector. After setting the shot dosage on her

injector, Farah made a number of quick injections into Nancy’s breasts, face, genitals

and toes.

“What I just injected is a mixture of two products: one will dissolve and wash

away the dead tissues inside her body; the other will stimulate and accelerate the

regeneration of body cells. As for her external wounds, I will use a dermal regeneration

unit.”

Farah took out yet another instrument which looked like a small flashlight and, activating

it, started slowly playing its yellow beam of light from up close on Nancy’s whip marks

and burns.

“Watch carefully how I do this, Colonel: you will have to do it on me afterwards,

when I’m finished with Nancy.”

Farah had to work for nearly an hour on Nancy, so extensive were the

Canadian’s wounds. Finally satisfied that she had done all she could for her for the

moment, Farah then gave her dermal regenerator to Mandell and took off her hospital

gown, standing naked in front of the German doctor.

“Your turn to get to work, Doctor.”

Mandell spent a good twenty minutes treating Farah. Finished with his task, he looked

at Nancy Laplante and nearly jumped back.

“Mein Gott! Much of her facial swelling is gone already. I also see some pink

back in her toes. This is a miracle.”

“No, it is 34th century medical science for you, Colonel.” replied calmly Farah

while putting on her 34th century clothes, which had been in the cardboard box brought

in earlier by the guard. Putting on last her boots, she went back to Nancy’s side to

inspect her progress. Her eyes still unfocused due to the morphine still inside her body,

the Canadian smiled weakly to Farah while taking hold of her right hand.

“Thanks, Farah. You will be my friend forever.”

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“And you will always have my most sincere admiration: you are the bravest

woman I ever met.”

“I could point a few others to you. You wouldn’t have some sort of contraceptive

in your kit, by chance? The SS guards gang-raped me in my cell.”

That brought tears back to Farah’s eyes. Going back to her medical kit, she took out of

it a small aerosol can and held it in front of Nancy’s mouth.

“Open wide, Nancy.”

Farah then let go a short spray inside Nancy’s open mouth.

“There! Don’t worry anymore about having an unwanted baby from one of those

monsters. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“Yes!” replied Nancy, switching to French. “Get both of us out of here as soon as

possible if you still can.”

Farah lowered her voice and also switched to French.

“I am afraid that is not possible anymore: I ordered my ship back while they

tortured me, since I was afraid of breaking under the pain. I however still have a way to

get us to England. We will go in a few days, when you will be able to walk.”

“With my smashed toes?”

“They will be mostly healed by then. Have faith.”

“Then, I guess that I will have to fake it out for a few days.”

“A good idea. Now, rest. You need to get rid of all those drugs in your body.”

The Abwehr agent then came back in the room. He went to Mandell and was about to

say something to him when his eyes fell on Nancy. Utter surprise on his face, Braun ran

to her and looked closely at her face. He then pulled away the linen sheet covering her

and contemplated her half-healed wounds.

“But… this is impossible! How did you do this, Doctor Tolkonen?”

“You want a five-minute résumé on 34th century medical science, mister? You

should have stayed during the class. You will however have another shot at watching

me: I intend to treat the patients of this hospital afterwards.”

“You what?”

“You heard me well, Herr Braun. I am ready to help your wounded as well.”

“Please, Herr Braun!” said Mandell. “We have dying patients whom Doctor

Tolkonen could save. Let her help them.”

Visibly moved, Braun’s expression softened.

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“I sincerely appreciate this, miss, but it will have to wait: an important visitor is

about to arrive to see both of you.”

“Could I have my clothes, then?” Asked weakly Nancy from her gurney. “If that

visitor is the one I think, then I want him to see me as Brigadier Laplante, of the

Canadian Army.”

“That is a legitimate enough request, Colonel.” agreed Braun. “You are a

prisoner of war and this is a basic right. Are you well enough to put on your uniform,

though?”

“Except for my shoes and socks, yes.”

Braun then went to the cardboard box on the bed and took out the pieces of Nancy’s

uniform, handing them to Farah.

“Here! I will leave now so that Brigadier Laplante can have some privacy while

dressing up.”

“You already saw me naked, Mister.” cut in Nancy. “You might as well show your

muscles to Farah by helping her to dress me up. I will need a wheelchair, though.”

“I will get one.” volunteered the German nurse, leaving the room at a quick walk.

Braun, a bit embarrassed at first, helped turn and move Nancy around as Farah dressed

her up. Nancy was nearly dressed when the nurse came back, pushing a wheelchair.

Braun then gently picked up Nancy in his arms and sat her in the wheelchair. As she

had suspected, Nancy could not put on her socks or shoes without deforming her

healing toes permanently. The nurse put Nancy’s shoes and socks in her lap instead,

then covered her legs and feet with a blanket. Last, Farah adjusted Nancy’s green beret

on her head, covering as much as possible the pain inhibitor band.

“Remember, Nancy: do not take off your pain inhibitor for any reason for at least

another week, or it could kill you. Another thing: you will need one daily injection of my

regenerative solution for the next three days if you are to recover to any fair degree from

your wounds.”

“What if we get separated or your medical kit is taken away?” asked Nancy,

apprehensive. The German nurse found the solution to that.

“I could get a syringe set for Colonel Laplante to use. She could then keep her

needed drugs on herself.”

“Good idea, Nurse Stauberger.” replied Mandell. “I will sign a medical ordnance

authorizing her medication. I doubt that anybody will countermand that.”

“Perfect!” said Farah, delighted. “Let’s do it!”

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Five minutes later, Nancy had in a pocket of her uniform a small case containing

four syringes already filled with daily doses of Farah’s regenerative solution. The giant

gave her as well a dozen large medical patches wrapped in sterile plastic packaging.

“These patches are soaked with regenerative cream and are meant to heal third

degree burns. They are self-adhesive. You will need them to regrow your nipples.”

Nancy barely had time to pocket the patches before the sound of boots came from the

hallway. Farah retreated behind Nancy’s wheelchair, fear overtaking her, as four big SS

soldiers armed with submachine guns entered the room, weapons at the ready. Two of

them immediately took position behind and on each side of Nancy and Farah, while the

two others faced them with stony looks, fingers on the triggers of their weapons. Adolph

Hitler was next to enter the small room, half a dozen high-ranking Nazi officials behind

him. As the Germans present gave the Nazi salute to Hitler, Nancy’s eyes zeroed in on

a tall, handsome SS officer close behind the Fuhrer.

“Heidrich!” she said in a low voice full of hatred. The man was both dangerous

and ruthless, apart from being highly intelligent and ambitious. Most Nazi officials justly

feared the head of security of the SS Corps. Reinhardt Heidrich, as well as Hitler and

the others, heard Nancy, glared back at her as Hitler looked on in apparent amusement.

“It seems that Die Wolfin doesn’t like you, my dear Heidrich.”

“Why did we spare her, Mein Fuhrer? She has too many important secrets to tell

for us to show manners with her.”

“I decided so because she showed mercy to our own people, Heidrich. I will not

go back over this.”

Hitler’s final tone made Heidrich snap to attention.

“Yes, Mein Führer!”

Hitler then looked up and down Farah with intense curiosity.

“So, this is what women will look like in the future. Are men also bald in your time,

miss?”

“Everyone in the 34th century is bald and has six fingers per hand, sir.”

Farah’s polite answer got her an angry correction from one of the SS guards.

“You will call him Fuhrer, not sir!”

“S… sorry, I didn’t know.” pleaded Farah, shrinking from the SS soldier. That

made Heidrich snort in disdain.

“Tall but cowardly. These future humans are clearly an inferior race.”

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Nancy had to control herself in order not to shout at Heidrich.

“She is a pacifist and her people have not known war for centuries, yet she came

unarmed and risked her life to try saving me. She is not a coward.”

Hitler contemplated Nancy for a moment, thoughtful.

“Like a true she-wolf: dangerous, cunning, yet protective. You have a lot to be

admired for, Brigadier Laplante, starting with your consideration towards the safety of

German civilians and your scrupulous treatment of German prisoners of war. You will be

treated as a genuine prisoner of war, but you are however too dangerous to be sent to a

normal prisoner of war camp. I have thus ordered that you be transferred immediately to

Oflag24 IV-C, in Colditz Castle, where you will be kept in solitary confinement for the rest

of the war.”

Nancy couldn’t help feel despair then: Colditz Castle was a forbidding castle fortress in

Saxony reserved for prisoners deemed too high risk for other camps. The prospect of

spending years in solitary confinement there would be daunting even to the toughest

persons. Farah reacted with dismay and horror to Hitler’s announcement.

“But… long term solitary confinement could drive her mad.”

“I am sure that Die Wolfin can stand up to that trial, miss. You should worry more

about your own faith, as you don’t benefit from the status of legitimate prisoner of war.”

Nancy’s face hardened at those words.

“Reich Fuhrer, my friend is a doctor and a pacifist: she knows nothing about war

or advanced weapons and can’t possibly help you in those matters. If you want her help,

then let her treat the patients of this hospital with her advanced medical knowledge and

equipment.”

That made Hitler pause a moment before glancing at Heidrich, who shook his head.

“She can’t be seen in public, Mein Fuhrer: the British must not learn about her.

What we need from her is her time machine. With it, we could procure advanced

weapons in the future and win this war, which our good Brigadier Laplante has tipped so

heavily in the British’s favor.”

All eyes then went to Farah, who realized that she was now backed up in a corner from

which she could not escape anymore. Terrified of what would happen to her next, she

slowly collapsed to her knees, sobs raking her.

 

24 Oflag: prisoner of war camp reserved for officers

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“Do what you want with me, Reich Fuhrer: my ship is no longer in this century. It

went back on a preprogrammed return trip to the 34th century while I was being tortured.”

Hitler glared at her, with Heidrich turning to face the Fuhrer.

“Let me punish her properly, Mein Fuhrer. She must learn who to obey now.”

“YOU DAMN SADIST, HEIDRICH!” shouted Nancy angrily from her wheelchair.

“Reich Fuhrer, don’t listen to him! Let my friend stay here, where she can do the most

good. This is a Luftwaffe hospital after all: you give the order and nobody here will

divulge my friend’s presence.”

Furious, Heidrich went to Nancy and slapped her hard.

“SILENCE! How dare you give advice to our Fuhrer?”

“HEIDRICH!” Snapped Hitler harshly, making the SS officer turn and snap to

attention, a surprised expression on his face.

“But… Mein Führer…”

“Enough! Her suggestion actually makes sense. Many of our best pilots are

here and could use her expertise. As for the loyalty of the Luftwaffe, it is certainly less

questionable than that of the Gestapo, which openly defied one of my directives.”

Field Marshal Milch, head of the Luftwaffe, then cut in politely.

“Mein Fuhrer, I agree with Brigadier Laplante’s idea. We are critically short of

experienced aircrews and this woman could help my men here. Torturing one more

woman will help neither Germany nor my wounded pilots.”

“Then it will be done.” said Hitler with finality. “Doctor Tolkonen will stay here

under strict guard. Milch, make sure that no one speaks about her outside of this

hospital. You will also take care of transferring Brigadier Laplante to Colditz immediately

under Luftwaffe escort.”

“Yes, Mein Führer!” said Milch, pleased. As he was calling in two Luftwaffe

soldiers, Nancy noticed that Heidrich was starting to eye suspiciously the pain inhibitor

around her head, which was only half hidden by her beret. Deciding to preempt him and

maybe gain something in exchange, Nancy touched Farah’s shoulder while taking off

her beret and speaking in German so that Hitler could understand her.

“Farah, if you are going to help the wounded here, you will need this.”

“NO! The pain surge could kill you.”

“I will survive it, Farah. Take my inhibitor and make the best use of it.”

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Understanding that Nancy was giving her an extra excuse to stay in the hospital and

away from Heidrich, Farah looked tearfully into the Canadian’s eyes while taking hold of

the pain inhibitor.

“Brace yourself: this will feel like agony.”

She then switched off the headband. Nancy’s eyes immediately closed, while her body

arched out of the wheelchair from the jolt of pain. The two Luftwaffe soldiers called in by

Milch hurried forward as a frantic Farah lay Nancy down on the floor. The giant checked

her pulse, but found none.

“SHE’S IN CARDIAC ARREST! NURSE, MY KIT, NOW!”

The German nurse thankfully reacted quickly and grabbed Farah’s medical kit, putting it

down on the floor besides her. Farah then opened a panel on one side of her kit and

grabbed two defibrillator electrode handles. Flipping on the defibrillator unit’s power

switch, she quickly opened Nancy’s jacket and shirt, then grabbed back the electrode

handles and approached them from Nancy’s denuded chest.

“STAND BACK!”

She then applied the electrodes and fired the pulse. Nancy’s body arched up under the

jolt of electricity. Hitler watched on, confused, as Farah checked again for a pulse.

“What is going on? What is she doing?”

Mandell answered him at the same time as he was kneeling besides Nancy to help

Farah.

“Laplante’s heart has stopped, Mein Fuhrer. Doctor Tolkonen is trying to revive

her.”

The German doctor then checked Nancy’s pulse as Farah performed artificial respiration

on the Canadian.

“Her heart is still stopped. She is dead, Doctor Tolkonen.”

“Not yet! Stand back!”

Farah then administered another defibrillator jolt. As soon as her body fell back flat on

the floor, Nancy’s mouth and eyes opened wide and she sucked in a deep breath,

causing Farah to shout in triumph.

“She’s back with us! Way to go, Nancy!”

Hitler stared in wonderment as Nancy was laid on the bed and given oxygen by Farah

and Mandell.

“Colonel Mandell, what the hell happened to Laplante? Why did her heart stop

like this?”

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The Luftwaffe doctor looked at Hitler gravely.

“That headband she wore is called by Doctor Tolkonen a pain inhibitor. It stops

pain from being felt but, if taken off too early, results in all the suppressed pain coming

back in one surge. Her heart stopped from a massive pain jolt but Doctor Tolkonen was

able to revive her, something I couldn’t have done. Mein Fuhrer, Brigadier Laplante

effectively died for a moment, so that our wounded could use her pain inhibitor. Does

she really deserve years of solitary confinement, Mein Fuhrer?”

Hitler didn’t reply, instead walking slowly to the bed where Nancy lay, her body shaking

continuously. He bent over and looked closely at her face, pale, covered with cold sweat

and reflecting constant, severe pain. Looking next at her still denuded chest, Hitler

touched lightly one of the burns covering her left breast. The slight contact was enough

to cause Nancy to flinch as she barely stifled a scream of pain. Getting back up, Hitler

faced Field Marshal Milch.

“Cancel the requirement for Brigadier Laplante to be held in solitary confinement:

she is already confined to her crippled body. Have her moved to Colditz as soon as it is

safe for her to do so.”

While Milch smiled and saluted, Heidrich left the room, clearly furious about Hitler’s

decision. Hitler himself then left without another word, followed by the staff officers and

his bodyguards. Mandell caressed Nancy’s sweaty forehead and spoke to Farah in a

low voice.

“Her place now should be here, where she could receive proper care, but I can’t

contradict the Fuhrer’s order, DoctorTolkonen. I am sorry that I can’t help you more on

this.”

“You already did a lot, Colonel. Thanks for speaking out on Nancy’s behalf.”

They were interrupted by Braun, who grabbed Farah by an arm and forced her to her

feet.

“I’m sorry, Doctor, but you must leave this room for a while: Brigadier Laplante is

getting two visitors who can’t be allowed to see you.”

“But… Nancy…”

“Colonel Mandell and his nurse will take care of her. Follow me!”

Braun grabbed Farah’s medical kit, then led the giant out of the room. Five minutes later,

Braun escorted in two men wearing civilian clothes. The newcomers shook hand briefly

with Mandell as they presented themselves. The first one was a small, thin man with

thick glasses.

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“Johan Strassberg, from the International Red Cross. This is Mister Frank

Bollinger, from the American embassy. We are here to ensure that Brigadier Laplante’s

rights as a prisoner of war are respected… from now on. We are deeply shocked by

what was done to her by the Gestapo and regret that we couldn’t get to her sooner.”

“Not as much as me, gentlemen, believe me. She is in constant pain and needs

rest, but I can allow you some time with her. Do you prefer to be alone with her?”

“That would be much appreciated, Colonel.”

The Swiss and the American waited until Mandell and his nurse were gone, then pulled

up two chairs and sat beside Nancy’s bed.

“Brigadier Laplante,” said Strassberg, “I am a doctor as well as a representative

of the International Red Cross. I would like to quickly examine you, to judge the extent

of your wounds. Mister Bollinger will take some pictures of you, if you don’t mind of

course. Those pictures will then be sent to your husband, Major Crawford, in London.”

“Go ahead, gentlemen. Beware: I’m not a pretty sight right now.”

“I realize that, Colonel.” replied Strassberg softly. He then gently undressed her,

so that he could check her out and let Bollinger photograph her wounds. Both men

shook their heads in disgust when they were finished and they had dressed her up again.

“Brigadier, I had yet to see such extreme cruelty as what was done to you. I

frankly am not even sure that you will ever fully recover from such treatment. We were

told that you are to be transferred to Colditz Castle today.”

“That’s right! Could I give you a few requests to pass on to my husband in

London, along with a short note?”

“Certainly, Brigadier! I will write this down for you.”

The Swiss took ten minutes to write down a note and a list of her requests, then looked

back at her.

“Anything else, Brigadier?”

Nancy was thoughtful for a moment: telling those two men about Farah would bring no

good and could even endanger their lives, apart from possibly attracting reprisals on

Farah’s head and herself. She finally shook her head.

“No! Just make sure to tell my husband that I will be alright and that I love him

and our daughter Ingrid very much.”

“I will do that. Good luck from now on, Brigadier.”

Nancy couldn’t help feel apprehension when the two men left the room: they were

probably the last friendly faces she would see in a long time once out of this hospital.

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Agent Braun showed up ten minutes after their departure, alone but with a tray of food in

his hands.

“I know for a fact that the Gestapo doesn’t feed well its prisoners, Brigadier. You

must be starved.”

“I am. They actually didn’t give me anything to eat or even drink during my

detention.”

“Then, have some apple juice first.”

Braun cranked up Nancy’s bed, raising her torso to a near sitting position, then

presented her a glass of apple juice, which she quickly drank while he held up the glass,

since her hands were useless. Braun then helped her eat the bland meal of black bread,

cabbage soup and small slice of cheese. Gently cleaning her mouth with a napkin, he

then rose to his feet, the food tray in his hands.

“Your Luftwaffe escort should be ready by now. Are you ready to go?” ‘’As much as I ever could, Agent Braun.’’

A group of Nazi Party officials and German press photographers were waiting for

Nancy in the main hall of the hospital, along with the Luftwaffe major in charge of

Nancy’s escort. The photographers then took numerous pictures of her, with the

Luftwaffe major standing beside her wheelchair. The whole thing was obviously staged

for propaganda purpose and no questions were asked by the reporters before Nancy

was wheeled out of the hospital and put in the back seat of a staff car. Her wheelchair

and her shoes were put in the trunk of the car as the Luftwaffe major sat beside her

without a word. Sandwiched between two trucks full of Luftwaffe soldiers, the staff car

then drove off southward. Nancy had a last thought for Farah as the Tempelhof hospital

disappeared from her sight.

The trip went on in silence as they drove through Berlin, then headed towards

Leipzig on secondary roads. Nancy used the time to think about what was awaiting her

and about trying to remember everything that she knew about Colditz Castle, which was

actually a lot, as she had visited it in 2003. The place was reputed to be impossible to

break out of, but she knew better. Dozens of allied prisoners had actually escaped from

it, at least in the history she knew, and had fled to Switzerland, mostly by dressing up as

German soldiers to walk past the guards. As a woman, that subterfuge was a non-

starter for her, but she had the advantage of speaking German fluently. Her big problem

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now, however, was her crippled body. It was going to probably take weeks for her just to

start walking normally, if she ever achieved even that. Her morose thoughts were cut by

the German officer sitting beside her, who spoke to her in a polite, gentlemanly tone.

“So, Brigadier, what are you planning to do after the war is over?”

“Well, the moment I’m back in London, I will check on my friend Farah, whom we

left behind in Tempelhof Hospital. Once I am assured that she is alright, I will get my

adoptive daughter out of the Tower of London, grab my husband and my friend Farah

and throw a huge party.”

The German gave her a confused look.

“Your adoptive daughter… in the Tower of London? But that’s a military fortress

used as a prison, no?”

“Correct, Major. Ingrid is actually a Luftwaffe auxiliary held there as a prisoner of

war. I helped capture her, along with other Germans, during a raid in France a few

months ago.”

“She’s a German prisoner of war and the British let you adopt her?”

“The British don’t know about that, Major.”

The German officer, along with the armed soldier sitting beside the driver, looked with

stunned surprise at Nancy.

“You’re pulling my leg, Brigadier.’’

“I’m very serious, Major. Her name is Ingrid Weiss and she is fifteen years old,

apart from being a war orphan. I myself became an orphan at the age of sixteen and felt

a lot of empathy for Ingrid, who is actually a really nice and decent girl. I have a couple

more dirty secrets I keep from the British which would probably land me in front of a

court martial if they ever learned about them.”

“Brigadier, you’re a strange woman.” pronounced the major while shaking his

head. Nancy smiled at that and positioned herself in the most comfortable position she

could so that she could sleep.

‘’Maybe! Just wake me up when we will be in Colditz. I had a couple of very

rough days lately.’’

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