The moment he had been dreading had come, he has to drive to the first drop point. He needed
new supply to continue his mission. Too many things could go wrong, but he had no choice.
The drop was scheduled for two in the morning and he will have to move fast.
He had been waiting on the edge of the little clearing for a good ten minutes
when he heard the whirring drone of the propeller. The little wooden plane
could hide from radar but it took a pilot with nerves to face being shot
with no real protection.
He used his flashlight, signaled three times, waited, signalled again.
The plane veered slightly and came in low. He saw the parachute open as the plane
flew above him flying just above the trees and the sound disappeared in the distance.
He rushed into the clearing and recuperated the parachute and the leather clad
container.
Quickly as he could he buried the parachute at the tree line then carted the
container to his car. He listened for the sound of approaching vehicle but
all he could hear where the sounds of the night resuming after the plane disturb
them.
His instincts were screaming at him to get out of there. His hands were shaking
as he opened the container and placed the replacement explosive in the seat’s
secret compartment.
There was also a letter from his “aunt Alice” That would have to wait.
No time to decipher it now. He hid the empty container nearby got in his car
and with lights off, drove away.
As he glanced in his rear view mirror he could see lights coming fast.
He pressed the accelerator down as fast as he dared to put distanced between
them and himself. He hoped they had not noticed him.
He could see the distance getting greater and had a sigh of relief, He
took a curve a bit to fast and the car began to slide out of control.
With all his driving skill he managed to correct the skid just in time to
avoid going off the road and slowed down some.
Feeling it was safe to do so he put his lights back on. He came to the junction
and careened unto the highway and slowed slightly. He mixed with the light traffic
at that time of night and felt safer in the anonymous circulation.
In the back of his mind he wondered if the noise of the plane had attracted attention
or if someone had talked and revealed the position of the drop. either way that
was too close for comfort.
“““““““““““““““““““““““““““`
What he did not know was that Germaine and Roger had been betrayed by an informer.
They were being interrogated by Kruger’s team. Germaine had been raped
and tortured then raped again. She could not tell how long she had been
a prisoner.
Roger had been forced to watch through a 2 way mirror as Germaine was raped the first
time. They followed that with a torture session in which they ripped his nails
off with pliers until mad with pain he lost consciousness.
A bucket of cold water revived him bringing with it the unbearable pains.
But he too refused to give in, refused to talk. Kruger walked into the room
looked around then at the man tied on the chair and the blood on the floor.
“You are a stubborn man, you should save yourself a lot of discomfort
and just tell us what you know. You will in the end they all do…”
“Go to hell!” Replied Roger.
The guard hit him knocking a tooth loose Roger could taste the blood in his mouth.
He tried to spit the blood and tooth at Kruger but it merely dribbled down his chin.
“Now! Now! This will get you nowhere, let’s be civilized about this.
You tell us what we want to hear and you and the lovely mademoiselle
can leave here. While she is still lovely that is…” Kruger replied.
Roger stayed silent.
“Helmut here…” Kruger said pointing at one of the torturer “Has suggested
we cut your penis and feed it to her like a sausage.”
Kruger saw the look of revulsion and panic in Roger’s eyes but it lasted
only a moment then the steely determination returned.
“““““““““““““““““““““““““““
Antoine was thinking about his feeling, when he had enlisted there was speeches
about honor and glory. Yet, he did not feel “glorious” those who are
victims of his actions, are humans too. They have wives, mothers, who
will grieve and mourn them.
War is merciless, making killers out of ordinary well-meaning men and women.
History is made up of ever more cruel fratricidal rages that spring up again
and again at an alarming pace. To the glee of bankers and weapon makers.
The 20th century is thought of has the century of enlightenment. Not yet
half way through and two major wars already. Will it ever ends? He was torn
between his hopes for peace and the harsh reality of the world.
Sitting here on the shore of this peaceful lake, the world, the war, seemed
somewhat distant this is how the surreal artists must feel. What was it Dali said?
“I believe that the moment is near when by a procedure of active paranoiac thought,
it will be possible to systematize confusion and contribute to the total discrediting
of the world of reality.” weird, this is exactly what the world feels like today.
“““““““““““““““““““““““`
The letter from “Aunt Alice” worried him. He had deciphered the message.
A very urgent mission, the underground had reported the arrival in Paris
of a Colonel Kruger. They wanted him dead at all cost And “Aunt Alice” reminisced
about a small hotel she stayed at so he will have to see.
Also in the letter was the description of a Frenchman she had met which he knew to be
the description of Kruger. He made his goodbyes to Mado and drove to Paris.
Twice on the way to Paris he encountered road blocks, at the second one he had to exit the
car and they searched his car toroughly they asked the usual questions trying to confuse him
into revealing a lie. But he was cautious. Playing on the thick german accent to make the
soldier repeat the questions.
As he was getting back into his car He heard the officer say “All this security because
reichsfhurer Himmler is coming! Heck he could walk down the champ Élysée and no one would
give a shit!”
The officer was regular army and it was no secret that they despised the SS. But talking in
such a fashion openly could get him in trouble if not killed. An hour later he was driving
on the street of Paris. He found a moderately priced hotel and settled for the night.
