Alpha Threat (50 page)

“Report on gold production,” the stoic secretary ordered without changing her tone.
 

The director of gold production, Dr. Stefan Scholz, stood and read three technical briefs pertaining to the transformation of lead into gold.
 
The numbers were staggering.
 
Over two tons of gold was produced that week alone in the four transmutation units on site.
 
Several other department heads applauded the news.
 
The Führer smiled openly.
 
For the first time in many months production had returned to a “normal” mode.
 
Previous issues surrounding the processes were solved after months of extensive research and work done by the technical and production teams.
 
This was very good news as all four of the transmutation units were now online.
 
Fifth and sixth units were now under construction with target production dates of mid-next year.
 

“Our production personnel have done a great job in solving the previous issues that have plagued us.
 
Now we can move steadily ahead toward our ultimate goals,” said the Führer as she clearly congratulated the production department. Dr. Scholz sat proudly with a smug look about his face as he took in the praise and looked about the room.
 

“Report on energy production,” the stoic secretary ordered without looking up.
 

A small, wiry man stood to give his report.
 

“Our energy situation has also improved,” he said.
 
“Now we can easily maintain the current production goals and support the long-term goals.”
 
He nodded toward the Führer and continued.
 
“Our use of technology to tap the geothermal volcanism of this region has afforded a near limitless source of energy.”
 

The Nazis had good reason for their pride in their energy production.
 
Their early trials sought to use some of the nuclear technology brought over from Germany after the war.
 
However, after many attempts, the Nazi technicians abandoned the use of nuclear power due to its high cost both in nuclear materials and the cost of building and maintaining a usable reactor.
 

Ten years ago the technicians discovered a small fissure beneath the Fortress enabling access to volcanic actions deep beneath the ground.
 
They found a limitless source of heat which, once harnessed, would provide for the growing power needs of the Fortress.
 
After a huge project to create a safe tap into the geothermal source, the Nazis finally perfected the process of producing steam by injecting water into a heat source.
 
This in turn ran their power-generating equipment.
 
The project also developed a way to multiply the effectiveness of the process by a factor of one hundred.
 
Technicians hailed this process as a nuclear reactor without the radiation.
 
This endless power production process enabled the Nazis to bring four gold transmutation units online.
 
Two more units were planned.
 
The Führer was pleased.
 

“Report on finance,” the stoic secretary ordered, glancing to her right.
 
Herrman Kunze rose.
 

“I too have great news,” he began.
 
“Our financial contacts throughout are strongly in position and have established numerous gold and financial accounts in banks across the globe.
 
With our gold production becoming normal, thanks to Dr. Scholz, we are poised to set our plans into full motion.
 
We intend to flood the market with gold over the next several years to artificially drive the price down.
 
At the same time our subsidiaries will quietly begin a trickle of gold buying and position ourselves in the market to corner the entire gold market, thus making the Fourth Reich the owner of the vast majority of gold in the world.
 
With that financial power we will topple governments, replacing them with our puppet heads to gain full control of the world.”
 
Kunze smiled.
 
“That is the short version, of course.
 
We developed a very detailed plan which we have already embarked upon.
 
The plan is flawless.
 
The Fourth Reich will endure.”
  
With that Kunze sat down to a room of applause.
 

 
“This is all excellent news,” said the Führer, not masking her excitement in any way.
 
“With this power breakthrough we will continue to grow our capabilities to produce gold.
 
We will use the gold to cripple the world financial markets.
 
We will step in at the appropriate time and seize the markets, controlling the world’s gold market and thus controlling the world.”

Applause again filled the room.
 
The Führer continued.

“Your work has brought us to the brink of the demise of the financial and political norms we are all saddled with at this time.
 
The world will no longer be controlled by the United States, the European Union, OPEC nations and the sheiks and power-hungry leaders who think they rule the world.
 
We, the Nazis, will continue our rise to power and complete the creation of the Fourth Reich.
 
We will rule the world!”

Another rousing round of applause filled the room.
 
A quick glance at her secretary by the Führer brought forth a loud rendition of
Deutschland über Alles
fr
om hidden speakers around the room.
 
The Führer smiled broadly as everyone in the room stood and sang along.
 
She did her job well.
 
She whipped the group into frenzy, instilling in them a feeling of invincibility.
 
They all felt that this time they would rule the world.
 
Not by war but by a much more powerful tool…Gold!

As the anthem came to an end, the Führer nodded to her secretary and her entourage left the room.
 
The remainder of the department heads turned to each other, congratulating themselves on a job well done.
 
While Maas was all smiles and shaking hands outwardly, his thoughts were on the Americans.
 

By now Maas was obsessed to know answers.
 
He wanted to stand up in this meeting next week and report the most formidable threat to the Fortress and the movement was crushed.
 
But first he must determine what to do about the American rescuers that he knew were coming.
 
As long as they thought he had the two Americans, he knew others would come and seek their release.
 
Maas was determined to kill them all.
 

After the meeting Maas returned to his office.
 
He checked for any reports that were placed since he was in that ridiculous meeting.
 
There were none.
 
He picked up the phone and called Oberleutnant Grübner.
 
Grübner answered the phone on the first ring.

“Yes, sir,” snapped Grübner, recognizing the extension number on the phone.
 
Grübner was scared to death of Maas.
 
He saw him operate for many years.
 
One thing Grübner was very certain of, do not get on his bad side.
 
Maas loved to simply place someone in a jail cell and leave them there until they died: no food, no water.
 
Sure it took a while but Maas felt this was a good way to inflict the maximum amount of pain and suffering on his enemies.
 
And one thing Maas surely loved was inflicting pain and suffering.

“Any news from our patrols?” asked Maas without any niceties such as “good day”.
 
His abruptness startled Grübner for a second.
 
It was meant to startle him.
 

“Ah, no, sir, we do not have any adverse reports from the patrols or the sensors.
 
I am checking personally with the team leaders every thirty minutes.
 
I also deployed several long-range patrols a full ten kilometers from our normal security perimeter especially in the areas from which the intruders came.
 
Our security cloak is very well in place.”

“That is very good for your sake, Grübner,” growled Maas.
 
“Both the Führer and I are holding you personally responsible for our protection from these intruders.
 
They will return, I guarantee you.
 
And when they do, I expect you to handle them quickly, quietly and effectively.
 
Do you understand, Oberleutnant?”
 

“Absolutely, sir,” answered Grübner as he wiped a small rivulet of sweat from his brow.
 
“I will handle it.”

“See that you do,” snapped Maas as he hung up the phone.
 
He sat back and looked at the large map on his wall.
 
He stood, walked over to the map, reached down and picked up a red push pin placing it on the map at the site of the hatchway where the intruders had gained access.
 
He stepped back and surveyed the land around the hatch.
 
This area was close to several native trails that crossed through the area.
 

He wondered to himself about the capabilities of the intruders.
 
Would they come back the same way?
 
That would be foolish in his mind.
 
But that was also the only reasonable way into the Fortress area due to the close proximity of the native trails.
 
His hunch was the intruders knew only those trails and that entrance to the Fortress.
 
For that reason they would try to gain entrance there again.
 
But the big question was when.
 
Several days had elapsed with no reports of the intruders.
 
That worried him.
 
They were long overdue in his mind.
 
He would have struck earlier.
 
Where were they?

Sunday, July 17, 2011

The Jungle, Brazil;
 
3:35 p.m.

Hugo heard the man first.
 
The Nazi made little noise but it was enough for Hugo to hear.
 
Now he was in Hugo’s sights.
 
The man never saw Hugo step out of the underbrush.
 

Hugo’s knife silently sliced through the trachea and jugular vein until it ended its work near the earlobe of the Nazi.
 
The man’s eyes bulged as he felt an intense stinging sensation, then a flow of warm liquid down his chest.
 
Suddenly it became very hard to breathe.
 
The Nazi tried to look back at his attacker but Hugo’s hold was strong.
 
His hand clasped over the Nazi’s mouth and pulled back his head, further opening the crimson chasm in his neck.
 
Blood was pouring from the gaping wound.
 
A strange lightheaded feeling came over the Nazi.
 
He knew his life was coming to an end but there was no real pain.
 
The Nazi’s eyes looked toward the heavens as darkness closed his view, first around the edges of his field of vision, then closing from all sides like the iris of a camera.
 
Once darkness was complete, there was one less person on this planet earth.
 

Hugo eased him to the ground and wiped his knife on the man’s trousers.
 
He grabbed the Nazi by the epaulets on his fatigues and pulled his body under two huge ferns.
 
The man’s gun was tossed under an outgrowth of underbrush behind the ferns.
 
Hugo returned to the killing area and carefully spread leaves over the pool of blood.
 
He wanted to ensure that anyone coming this way would not find the body or see the blood unless they looked really hard.
  
Hugo whispered the all clear to Dane, who silently appeared beside Hugo.
 
It looked like the small animals and the bugs of the jungle were in for a nice meal.
 

Dane and Hugo made good time prior to this situation even though Hugo played it safe on point.
 
The two moved through the jungle like leopards.
 
Fast but extremely dangerous.
 

Within minutes Hugo heard the movement of a second man.
 
He froze like a Louisiana birddog.
 
Dane froze as well.
 

Then Dane heard it.
 
There was a slight rustling in the jungle.
 
Not a natural sound but a distinct staccato that gave away the Nazi walking through the jungle.
 
Without hesitation Hugo quickly flanked the man and was on him in an instant.
 
There was no noise, hardly even a sound.
 
But the man was dead none the less.