Alpha Threat (47 page)

Dane looked at Dothan, thinking this guy was pretty level-headed.
 
At least he was no namby-pamby educator.
 
Hugo smiled as if reading Dane’s mind.
 
Dane actually liked him.

“In fact, in my mind, I think what Dane and Hugo are talking about is the only way to go.
 
If we wait, Dana and Randall will -- well, enough said.”
  
Dothan’s voice trailed off.
 

A strange silence engulfed the group.
 
It was as if each person in the room suddenly came to grips with what must be done.
 
This will be a very dangerous operation.
 

“Do you realize what you are saying?” asked Nance.
 
“If these people are as evil as you believe, you’re talking about taking the law into your own hands.
 
Someone could be killed.”

“That is exactly right, Dr. Nance,” said Dane sternly.
 
“Some of our people have already been killed.
 
That’s a fact.
 
Now I want to make certain that Dana and Randall get out alive.
 
Frankly, if these bastards are like we believe they are, it is certain some of them will die.
 
Maybe even some of us as well.”

“As bad as it sounds, if it is between some neo-Nazi guys and Dana and Randall, I vote to save the Finleys and screw the Nazis,” Dr. Weeks said without emotion.
 
“I have read about these kinds of people.
 
If they are, as you said, Dane, descendants of the World War II Nazis, we have no choice but to get the Finleys out now.
 
We can’t wait.”

Hugo leaned over to Dane.
 
“Now, she’s my type of girl,” he whispered.
 
 
 
Dane gave Hugo one of his shut-up looks.
 

“All right, all right,” said Dr. Nance, seeing that he was vastly outnumbered and frankly way out of his comfort zone.
 
“I understand.
 
What do you need us to do to help?
 
That is unofficially, of course.
 
I cannot get the university involved, but what they don’t know won’t hurt them.”
 
He looked around the table at the other Princeton folks.
 
“Nothing, and I do mean nothing can ever be spoken about what we are about to do.
 
Does everyone understand?”
 

The group nodded their acknowledgement, each taking their vow seriously.
 

“Great.
 
Now that we have an understanding, Hugo and I already have a plan.
 
Any help you can give us would be appreciated,” said Dane, standing up.
 

“I’d like to help if I could,” said Dothan.
 
“I have experience in military ops.”
 

“What kind of experience?” asked Hugo.
 

“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.
 

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 have a crystal ball.
 
If it were not for that damned GPS, this whole thing would be over and done with.