Alpha Threat (57 page)

Jorgen Maas slowly waltzed into the room savoring his actions.
 
He studied the operations of the
Reichsführer
of the
SS in Germany, Heinrich Himmler.
 
Himmler’s actions and the actions of his Gestapo (the German Secret State Police) directly caused the deaths of more than six million souls during World War II.
 
Their actions were a prominent tenet of Nazism; attack the total person; attack them completely and sadistically without regard to morality or human life.
   

Maas had no regard for anyone, even his own men.
 
Oberleutnant
Grübner was already a mess.
 
Maas’ men had him for only an hour but had almost beaten the poor man to death.
 
Maas walked over to Grübner, whose wrists were tied securely behind his back and he was suspended by his wrists, hanging naked in the center of the room.
 
His hanging brought horrific pain to his muscles and shoulder joints.
 
His body was drenched in sweat and blood. He endured the suspension for thirty minutes, during which time he was beaten with an old truck fan belt.
 
This was a favorite interrogation tactic of Maas’ men.
 
They took notice of the techniques not only of the Germans in the war but those used by Saddam Hussein’s troops against the Iranian prisoners during the Iran-Iraq war in the mid to late 1980’s.
 
Many hundreds of rule breakers and other offenders in the Fortress were dealt with in this manner.
   

The reinforced fan belts were strong and would not come apart.
 
They lasted for a long time and survived multiple uses.
 
The belts did enormous physical damage to the poor person they were used upon.
 
The belts had wire reinforcing built into their structure.
 
They created heavy damage to the skin and seemed to rip the skin open, delivering horrible results.
 

Most persons did not survive extended use of the belts against them.
 
Western military personnel viewed the use of the fan belts as a violation of the Geneva Conventions, although the belts were not specifically mentioned.
 

Maas stood before Grübner looking over his men’s handiwork.
 
His face had been beaten as well.
 
Several well placed lashes across the face almost blinded the poor man.
 
He was hanging there moaning.
 

“Very nice work,” Maas said, smiling at the two goons standing over by the wall preparing some other ungodly torture.
 
“It looks like Grübner’s last hours on earth will be very painful.
 
That is exactly what I intended,” Maas said loudly as he smashed his fist into Grübner’s midsection.
 
He spewed blood and spit all over Maas.
 
This infuriated Maas.
 
“You stinking pig!” he screamed.
 
“I will flay you like a fish!”
 
Maas strode over to his henchmen.
 
“Flay the skin from his body.
 
But take care.
 
I want him alive to suffer the pain.
 
If you kill him, you will take his place,” he hissed.
 

One of Maas’ men opened a small chest and took out a sparkling set of stainless steel cutting instruments and laid them on a tray.
 
This was not going to be pretty.
 

Maas walked over to a large padded chair placed eight feet in front of Grübner.
 
He wanted a front row seat.
 
As he settled in, a man came running into the room.
 

“What are you doing here?” Maas bellowed as he stood and faced the man.
 

“Sir, I’m sorry but I have urgent news.
 
We are under attack!”

Maas’ face went from rage to concern in less than a second.
 
“What is happening?
 
Tell me!”

“Sir, the communications room picked up several radio messages.
 
We believe they point to an attack by two separate groups,” reported the man, still breathing hard.
 

Maas’ thoughts switched immediately from Grübner to the situation.
 
He strode out of the room with the man following.
 
“How many men were involved?
 
Where are they attacking?
 
Have you sent our troops in?” Maas was asking questions faster than the poor man could answer.
 

“Sir, we do not know how many men or where they are attacking,” he explained.
 
Maas stopped and looked at him puzzled.
 

“Then how in the hell…” Maas started.

“Sir, we believe the two groups are small and are very close to the Fortress.
 
Where, we do not know.
 
Our patrols have not reported any contacts but the radio messages persist.”
 

Maas stopped, turned back to yell at his henchmen.
 
“Keep him alive,” he screamed.
 
“I want to see him die myself.”
 

“Yes, sir,” one of Maas’ men responded.
 

Maas spun around and raced to the elevator.
 
He needed to get on top of this right now.
 

When he got to the Security Center, Maas’ assistant, Max Delper, met him at the door.
 

“Sir, we have confirmed multiple radio messages close to the complex.
 
All of our watch posts and patrols were notified.
 
All but two reported back in.”

“Those that did not report back,” Maas questioned, “have you sent someone to notify them directly?”

“No, sir.
 
Their operative orders were to maintain watch in the bunkers and periodically patrol the area around their bunker.
 
We believe they are on patrol,” explained Delper.
 

Maas looked at him with steely eyes.
 
“You believe…”
 
Maas looked like he was going to explode.
 
“Where are the two bunkers in question?”

The two men stepped over to the map on the wall.
 
After checking the reports, Delper pointed to two block-shaped red icons on the map.
 

“One is here and the other north of that bunker,” noted Delper.
 
Maas looked at the map and the locations.
 
He immediately saw the problem.
 

“That bunker,” he said, pointing to the southern bunker, “is the one we set up after the last visit of the intruders.
 
In fact, it was placed there to provide visual protection for the external access hatch there.”
 
He jammed his finger on the map where the hatch was located.
 
“Now you tell me the bunker is not responding; the exact location of the first incursion?
 
I don’t believe it for a second!” he boomed.
 
“Get some troops to that position immediately!
 
I think the reason our patrol has not checked in is because they are dead!”
 
Maas stared at Delper.
 
Delper hesitated for a split second and then grabbed up the phone and ordered troops to the bunker.
 

“While you are at it, send troops to the other bunker as well,” Maas sighed.
   
“They are probably dead too.”
 

Delper hung up the phone and turned to Maas.
 
“Sir, we have troops en route.”
 

“Thank you, Delper,” said Maas in a low tone.
 
“That makes me feel better!” he screamed, pounding his fist on the desk.
 
Almost immediately the phone rang.
 

“Delper,” answered Maas’ assistant.
 
His face turned pale.
 
He listened and nodded his head.
 
“Thank you,” he answered and turned to Maas.
 
“Sir, we have confirmation of the death of two of our men from the northern bunker.
 
A patrol just came across their bodies.”

“Dammit!
 
I knew it.
 
They are back.
 
The sons of bitches are back,” he yelled.
 
“Put the entire complex on highest alert, now!
 
All defense teams to their positions.
 
As of this second we are at war!”
 
Have Captain Boehm report to me at once.
 
I will be in my office.
 
Maas stormed out of the Security Center and down the hall to his office.
 

Five minutes later, Captain Boehm stepped into Maas’ office.
 
“Sir, you requested my presence?” she stated.
     

“I did not request anything, Boehm.
 
I ordered it!” he stated loudly.
 
Boehm did not flinch.
 
She stood her ground.
 
Maas liked that.
 
He thought about Grübner.
 
That sniveling bastard would have tucked his tail between his legs and meekly apologized.
 
Boehm took it like a soldier.
 
“We have now been at war for more than ten minutes.
 
Report!”

“Sir, all units answered the call.
 
I personally deployed our best troops to the two areas in question as well as to all other important ingress and egress points.
 
If they are after something here, they have to get in.
 
We will stop them from entering the Fortress.
 
All access points are secured and under heavy guard.
 
I also deployed tactical teams outside of the complex to guard the access points.
 
They are under orders to fight to the death before letting anyone in.”
 
Boehm stood there in front of Maas like an iron stake driven into the ground.
 
“I am, of course, open to any additional suggestions you may have, sir,” she snapped.
 

“Very good,” said Maas, actually feeling better about the situation after hearing Boehm’s report.
 
“I have no further orders but this…”
 
He leaned over within an inch of Boehm’s face.
 
“I hold you personally responsible for the defense of the Fortress.
 
I don’t have to tell you how important its defense is to our cause.
 
Now go.
 
You have my full support.
 
If you need more men or equipment, you have authority above all others except me.
 
Do you understand?”
 
Boehm’s eyes remained fixed on Maas.
 

“Yes, sir, very good, sir,” she said as she spun around and opened the door.
 
She turned back to Maas.
 
“My troops and I will defend this Fortress to our deaths.
 
Make no mistake about that.”
 
That said, she walked out of the room and closed the door.
 

Maas smiled for the first time in several hours.
 
What a complete bitch she is, he thought.
 
I knew there was something I liked about her besides her ass.
 

Monday, July 18, 2011

Fortress Alpha;
 
7:20 a.m.

Dane and Hugo were lucky, very lucky.
 
According to the maps they found, they were close to the freight elevator to transport them to the lower levels.
 
As they passed room after room they only had to hide twice in their quest across the width of the complex.
 
That is until they came to the last corner before the elevator.
 

Hugo led the duo.
 
As they neared the corner, Hugo heard several voices.
 
He stopped and raised a clenched fist.
 
Freeze!
 
Dane froze and looked around instinctively scanning the area for a hiding place.
 
Across the hall about two meters away was a door.
 
Dane stepped back, his weapon trained on the corner in case someone came waltzing around.
 
He looked at the label on the wall beside the door:
 
Lufffahrtausrustung
SH-12
.
 
Dane stepped over and tried the door handle.
 
It was unlocked.
 
He crept over behind Hugo and motioned to follow him.
 
They both backed away from the corner.
 

Dane opened the door and stepped into the well-lit room, Hugo right behind him.
 
Dane went in forward.
 
Hugo went in backwards covering the hall.
 
Dane scanned the room.
 
He saw no one.
 
But he heard voices.
 
He tapped Hugo on the shoulder and signaled he heard something.
 
Hugo spun around.
 
Two avionics technicians walked out from behind a parts area in the back of the room.
 
Everyone froze.
 
The techs were stunned seeing two camouflage-dressed guys wielding weapons staring at them.
 
Dane and Hugo were aiming their weapons at the two, deciding whether or not to fire.
 
One of the techs pushed the other toward Hugo and tried to reach a telephone on the wall.
 
Hugo fired twice; Dane once.
 
Both technicians died instantly with perfectly placed shots to the torso and head.
 
Hugo moved forward and checked the bodies while Dane quickly surveyed the rest of the room.
 
Dane flashed an all-clear signal.
 
He walked back to the door and listened.
 
He could barely hear voices.
 
Dane reached down and locked the door.