The Time Portal 5: The Nazi

by Joe Corso

  Keisling entered the inn and took a seat by the window where he could see who came and went. He was sure he was safe, but experience taught him to take nothing for granted. When the waitress took his order, he told her that after breakfast, he’d like her to prepare a bath for him.

  After having a refreshing bath, he asked the young lady where he could purchase new clothes and she directed him to a store not far from the inn. He used some of his money to get a haircut and a shave and then he bought new clothes. When he looked at himself in the mirror, he didn’t recognize the man staring back at him. Good, he thought to himself. Then he asked the tailor, “Do you know where can I buy a good sword?”

  The tailor couldn’t believe his luck. He smiled and told Keisling to stay right there and don’t move. He had a sword in the back room that a customer left as security for the clothing he had bought. But he never returned for it, so it was now the tailor’s sword to do with as he saw fit. He was anxious to sell it and recoup his money. He ran through a curtain to the back room and opened the closet door. He returned shortly with a beautiful scabbard and sword.

  Keisling’s eyes lit up. He knew a quality weapon when he saw one, and it was confirmed when he pulled the sword out its scabbard. This one was as good as he could ever hope to buy. “How much do you want for it?” he asked.

  The tailor wanted the money he was owed, plus if he could make a little profit on it, that would be fine also. “Eight silver pennies, and it’s a bargain at that price.”

  Keisling wanted the sword, but he didn’t want to appear anxious. “I think that’s a little more than I want to spend. But thank you for your time.” He tried a bluff, figuring he could always come back and say that he changed his mind. Leopold thanked the man and turned to leave. The tailor, seeing his chance to sell the sword and recoup his money walking out the door, said, “STOP. You can have it for seven pennies.”

  “Six and you have a deal.”

  The little tailor wiped his brow. Six silver pennies would settle his customer’s debt, and he’d still make a little profit. “All right. Six pennies it is.”

  Keisling paid the man and buckled the sword around his waist. He looked at himself in the mirror and realized that, until now, he had felt naked. But now, as he looked at himself in the mirror, he finally admitted to himself that he felt completely dressed. Without a sword on his hip, he always felt naked. Later that night in his room in the inn, he examined every inch of the sword and was impressed with the workmanship and the etching along the blade and handle. He had just paid six silver pennies for it. He bought it because he knew his weapons; he knew this sword was worth four times what he had paid for it. He slept with it by his side.

  The following morning when he ordered breakfast, at first the pretty buxom waitress didn’t recognize the handsome cavalier from the beggar she had served breakfast to yesterday. Her eyes drank in his expensive clothes and she liked what she saw. When he ordered breakfast, she coyly batted her eyelashes, and when she turned to walk away, she made sure to shake her bottom provocatively, hoping to get a rise out of the handsome stranger. This time of the year, with the snows and bad weather, not many travelers passed through town. She always hoped that a young handsome prince would come to the inn and take notice of her. She was twenty years old and would soon be an old maid if she didn’t find a husband soon. And the dashing man wearing the expensive clothes, shiny boots, and sword, and with his fashionable mustache and beard, sure looked like a prince to her.

  Leopold was a worldly man and he could tell when a woman was attracted to him. When he was on a mission, he normally wouldn’t bed a woman - but he hadn’t lain with one in so long, that he longed to touch a soft feminine body, and he just knew that she wanted him as badly as he wanted her. When she brought him his meal, he told her, “Come to Room 7 tonight after you close. I’ll be waiting for you.”

  She took a deep breath and held it for a moment. She didn’t want him to think that she was easy or common, but he did take her breath away, and she realized that she hadn’t exhaled. He laughed gently at her reaction to his words to her. “Sir,” she said. “I’m not a bar girl, nor am I a prostitute. What makes you think that I would want to visit you tonight?”

  He spoke reassuringly and with the confidence that comes from experience. “I know that you feel as I do. You are a very desirable woman, and I desire you. So please do your best not to disappoint me or yourself.”

  She was speechless and didn’t know how to answer him without appearing like a trollop. “Sir, I must ask you to behave yourself.”

  He laughed that gentle laugh of his. “Come on now. What’s the harm in spending a little time with a lonely traveler?”

  “The harm, sir, is that you’ll be gone tomorrow or the next day and I’ll still be here. I’ll have you know that I’m no man’s plaything. Something to be used and then discarded like an old shoe.”

  “My dear young lady. You could never be considered an old shoe by anyone with eyes to feast on your beauty.”

  He sure has a way with words, she said to herself. The truth was, she hadn’t lain with a man since her boyfriend George entered the king’s army almost a year ago now. She turned to leave, but he stopped her.

  “Wait. I must know your name.”

  “Catherine. My name is Catherine.” And in the next instant, she was gone.

  Hmm, Catherine. What a nice name, he thought as he envisioned her lying beside him in his bed. Well it certainly suits you,” he said to himself.

  He was asleep when he heard a key put in the lock and he heard the doorknob turn. He reached for his sword, which lay beside his bed, and waited. A silhouette brought a basin in through the open door, which was placed on the armoire, and then another basin was retrieved and placed beside the first basin. He was aware of clothing being taken off and falling to the floor. Then a lithe, warm body slid into bed beside him. It was Catherine. He turned and gently kissed her, and then he kissed her harder, and she responded in kind. He caressed her ample breasts and gently pinched her nipples, which brought a sigh from her lips. He knew from experience when she was ready and he entered her, and in turn, he received a welcome sigh. They made love hungrily over and over, until sleep finally overtook the two of them.

  Early the following morning, they both used the chamber pot, and then they washed themselves using the two basins that Catherine had brought up to the room with her last night. Later that morning, after saying goodbye to Catherine, Keisling left the inn, thinking of the pretty Catherine, and he daydreamed that he would see her again someday, but he quickly put that thought from his mind because he knew deep down that the chances of that happening in this lifetime were slim to none.

  CHAPTER 25

  THE PRESENT

  Lucky, Nicky, and Dukie were unaware that Mickey and the professor were hovering over them, looking for a safe place to land the saucer. Other than the cornfields, there was just the highway to land on. Since there was no traffic coming towards them in either direction, the professor put the ship softly down on the two-lane highway. Lucky knew they were there when the stairwell became visible as it telescoped down, while the rest of the ship remained cloaked, and then, when Mickey came bounding down the steps, and jumped on his three friends, giving them a crushing bear hug. Then Mickey noticed the stranger dressed in full fighting WWII military gear, standing alone, staring at the reunion that was taking place. Mickey excused himself from his friends, went over to Angelo, and put out his hand.

  “Hi, I’m Mickey.”

  “I’m Angelo.” They shook hands.

  “Come on, get in. The last thing we need is for someone to see the saucer. We’ll talk more in the ship.”

  Angelo was in shock. He never would have believed a craft like this existed. The saucer was the brainchild of Dr. Henry Lindstrom, an astrophysicist who was known to his friends as “the professor.” When Arab oilmen had learned about his patents for a magnetic propulsion system with an engine that didn’t need oil or gasoline,
they offered the professor a billion dollars for his patents, but he refused them, which put his life in danger. Lucky was called in to help. After listening to his story, he asked the professor if he could see a demonstration of his revolutionary system. The professor demonstrated his magnetic propulsion system in the Astoria safe house. After witnessing the demonstration, Lucky decided that the only safe place for the professor to build a full-sized ship was at his friend Charlie Hodge’s ranch in the Australian outback. Lucky and the professor became partners when Lucky financed the project.

  With his buddy Mickey sitting beside him, Lucky was happy. It felt good to be back home.

  “Okay. Let’s hear it all, and start from the beginning,” Mickey said.

  Lucky spent the next hour bringing Mickey up to date on everything that happened. When he was finished, Mickey’s face had a look of hate on it.

  “That son of a bitch. Who the hell does he think he is? I can’t wait till I get my hands on him.”

  Lucky laughed. “Calm down. We’ll take care of him when the time is right.”

  Mickey looked over at Angelo, who was staring at the sixty-inch LED TV.

  “This is like being in a movie theatre, only better. How long has this been going on?”

  “Since right after the war.”

  Mickey tilted his head in Angelo’s direction. “What about this guy? What do you plan on doing with him?”

  Lucky shrugged his shoulders.

  “Beats me. I don’t have a clue what to do with him. We found him in France, in the middle of a ground war. In fact, a German tank was about to blow him to smithereens, and it would have if we hadn’t killed the officer and lobbed a few hand grenades down the turret, and blowing up the tank. If we didn’t take him with us, he’d be dead by now. I don’t think I could take him back to the war because I still can’t control the portals. If I could, I’d leave him behind the lines with the American forces, where he’d be safe. He told us that he’d like to stay here with us, so we took a vote on it, and we agreed to allow him to remain here. But we’re seventy years into his future and I don’t know how that’ll work for him. He says that he has no family to speak of, which by definition means that he has family, but either they won’t miss him or he won’t miss them. I’m not going to second-guess him, but we did take a vote to take him with us, and that’s why he’s here with us now. On the way to the safe house, I had an idea of how he could be of use to us, and that’s what I’d like to discuss with you and the guys. If what I have in mind works, then by him remaining here, he’ll be of use to us.”

  He patted Mickey on the shoulder.

  “Why don’t you call the corporate shareholders and set up a meeting for tomorrow morning.”

  Lucky went into the kitchen to talk to Angelo, who was taking toast out of the toaster to have with his coffee. He greeted Lucky with, “Coffee? Or maybe toast?”

  “No thanks. I have to talk to you.”

  Angelo had a questioning look on his face. “Sure. What do you want to talk about?”

  Lucky scratched his head wondering where to start.

  “Look, Angelo. I took you seventy years into the future. I need to know how you feel about that. I was thinking that maybe I should take you back to 1944. I’d make sure that you were out of harm’s way, where you’d be safe for a little while.”

  Angelo shook his head. “Uh uh. You’re not going to take me back there. I almost got my ass shot off by that tank. There would have been pieces of me all over Germany if you guys hadn’t stepped up to the plate and blown that tank up.”

  “You don’t have to worry about any of that happening, Angelo. I’ll take you back behind the lines to where you originally should have landed after you parachuted out of the plane. You can relax because when I bring you behind the American lines, it’ll be somewhere where you’ll be safe . . . how’s that sound?”

  Angelo’s head dropped and his face took on a hangdog expression.

  “Look, Lucky. I like it here. I like the big screen television sets, I like the women, I like the cars; in fact, I like everything about this time, so if it’s all right with you, I’d like to stay here.”

  Lucky had a plan that included him, and if that’s what Angelo wanted, then Lucky would make him part of his plan.

  “If that’s what you want, what you really want, then I guess it’s all right for you to stay, but understand this. You’ll be staying on my terms.”

  Angelo raised his eyebrows, wondering what Lucky’s terms were, and what he meant by that.

  “You have to work for me and the boys. You’ll be well paid and the work isn’t hard, but if you want to stay here with us, then you’ll have to earn that right.”

  “What would I have to do?” Then his expression changed. “Look; I’m not gonna kill people, if that’s what you had in mind.”

  Lucky hadn’t expected him to say that and he pointed at him and laughed. “Kill people. Is that what you thought I wanted you to do?”

  He was laughing so hard that Mickey came in to see what the joke was.

  “Hey! Let me in on the joke.”

  “Mickey, Angelo wants to stay here with us. I told him he’d have to do some work for us, and he thought that I meant he’d have to kill people.”

  Now the both of them were laughing so hard, tears were spilling down their faces. “Come on, guys. Let me in on the joke and tell me what kind of work you want me to do for you?”

  Lucky calmed down and, although he was still chuckling, he explained to Angelo between guffaws what he meant by having him work for them.

  “We have a rather large corporation. Your job will be to go to work there every day and learn the business. You’ll be representing the board of directors - meaning us. And I’m not giving you this job to be a rat and rat on anybody, but you’ll give us periodic progress reports on how the company’s doing. You’ll give me the report if I’m here - or the board if I’m not. You’ll be our eyes and ears, with all of the power of the chief executive. And for that work, you’ll be paid $150,000 a year to start and that includes a company credit card, a new car - and well, you get the idea.”

  Angelo almost fell off of his chair. In 1944, the average family made $2600 a year, so to him $150,000 was like hitting the lottery.

  “When you prove yourself to me and the board, we’ll double that figure.”

  Angelo’s head was bobbing like a bobble-head doll.

  “Yes, of course, I’ll work for you. Just tell me what I have to do and consider it done.”

  “Okay, then. The first thing we have to do is to get you a wardrobe. When you walk into that building, I want you looking like a millionaire. You must dress to the nines every day religiously.”

  Angelo couldn’t believe this was happening to him. But Lucky had more to tell him. “I’m going to introduce you to Leonard Flackstein. He’s the president of our company. I’m going to have him give you an executive office near his. You won’t have an official title, at least not right away, but you’ll be representing us as a board member, with the official status and all of the benefits that that title affords you. In other words, you’ll be on Flackstein’s level, but you won’t interfere with the running of the business, and you won’t have any voting rights. All you have to remember is to keep your mouth shut, and keep us updated on all that’s happening. The main reason that I want you to learn the business is in case anything should happen to Flackstein; I’ll need someone there who could run the business.”

  The members of the board were seated in chairs that Mickey had set up in the living room beside the sofa and lounge chairs. Angelo was seated at the side of Lucky, who was chairing the meeting.

  “Listen up, guys. This meeting is now called to order. For those of you who have never met Angelo,” Lucky turned and pointed to the young man seated beside him, “we found this guy in France in the middle of WWII just as he was about to be blasted out of existence by a German tank. We took out the tank and saved Angelo, but we created a problem for ourselv
es. We couldn’t leave him there behind enemy lines, so we did the only thing we could do; we took him with us. I wanted to take him back to his time, but he prefers to stay here - and ‘here’ is seventy years in his future. Says he likes our big screen TVs and the women.”

  The men laughed lightheartedly.

  “So since he doesn’t want to go back to the war, where he’d most likely get his ass shot off, I decided to put him to work for the board. Here’s what I had in mind. I’d like to make him our eyes and ears in our corporation. He’ll be working with Flackstein in his capacity as a new board member, but he’ll have no voting rights and he won’t interfere with Flackstein in any way. I want him to learn the business from the ground up. This is more like a safety measure for us, in case anything were to happen to Flackstein, then we’d have someone we know and trust who could step in and run the company. But since this is a decision the board should make, I want a vote to make it official. Are there any questions?”

  Sally raised his hand. “Go ahead, Sally.”

  “First, I want to say that it’s good to have you back. Second. How much are we paying him?”