by Unknown
Otto stared down at the side of the bed and didn’t say a word. Fredrich looked a little more stricken at the news, but didn’t cry. It was Otto who spoke first.
“Herr Dresner, told me about an hour ago. I’m sorry Fredrich,” he said. “We talked a while about it. I know our fathers were never really our fathers. They were dedicated to this cause all our lives. For the most part you and I grew up in a lie, never really knowing them closely. We’ve both known for a long time they were wrong. They did things to us a father should never do. We shall miss them but in my case I know I will never mourn.”
Fredrich nodded sadly. “Father was a Nazi. Not a former Nazi, but a real one. I am ashamed of him and what he believed. Neither of us wants the kind of world he wanted. Mother and I will be better off without him,” Fredrich said. Yet there were tears in his eyes for the loss.
Dresner looked proudly at the two young men. He reached out and gently patted each on the shoulder. Both boys smiled back at the man. Dresner knew the biggest fear for them now was how they would survive.
“Well, you have both served well. Germany owes you both a great deal, and so does Austria. For now, do not worry about anything. Leave everything to me,” he said as he stood. “Just get well, young Fredrich,” he said as he left the room.
Sergeant Betz sat against the far wall. Once again, he had seen the Major like this before. The thought made him feel warm all over.
“I agree. You should not worry. The last time I heard the Major say he would take care of something, it turned out very well indeed,” he said grinning.
Epilogue
German Chancellor Conrad Adenauer stood beside Austrian President Adolf Schärf on a hastily built scaffold over one of the missile silos. He could see the huge missile under the crystal clear water and involuntarily shook at what he had been told. Rolf Dresner stood behind the men.
“I cannot believe after all these years we were so close to Nazi tyranny once more,” Adenauer said slowly. He had a sad look on his face, as if the incident had aged him by another forty years. The old, tired eyes softened as he looked away from the silo and back to Dresner. “Are you sure this was all?”
Dresner shrugged his shoulders. “Who knows, Herr Chancellor? None of us knew about this one for seventeen years. I doubt I will ever fully relax,” he said.
Schärf looked at Adenauer. “We will need to be on constant watch until even the youngest of the war generation are too old to do anything like this.” He looked back in the silo. “This was just too close,” he said.
Adenauer nodded. “Yes, I agree. I talked to the American President last night. We totally agree with your conclusions. Word about this can never reach the public’s ears. Kennedy is making arrangements for it to be classified and hidden in their files. As for us, Germany is becoming a great nation once again. We have all worked hard to make it that way. The world is just now beginning to trust and respect us again. Kennedy and I agree cannot allow that to slip. With your concurrence, Herr Schärf, this incident never happened,” he said with some finality.
Schärf nodded. “I concur totally.”
“There are some matters to clear up. What about the warheads?” Dresner asked.
“I am arranging to have my engineers come and remove them. We will place them deep and out of the way,” said Adenauer.
Dresner nodded. “What about my plan for the prisoners. Herr Chancellor?”
“Accepted. They are being detained at an army post nearby. There will be no public trial, but a military tribunal will be held. A month or so of reorientation will have them changing their ways. Their families are being contacted and told what they were doing. We will release them only upon signing a binding oath that they will reveal none of this. I am placing a special file on each of the German men in our police files. If they so much as throw a scrap of paper on the street I will have them in Spandau along with the others,” Adenauer said.
“And I will do likewise for the Austrians,” said Schärf.
“And Müller?”
Adenauer grunted. “He is currently sitting in a cell under Spandau prison. Even the current prisoners do not know he is there. The trial is already scheduled and will be held in secret. There’s no doubt he will be hanged. No prison term for Gestapo Müller.”
“That is the best thing that could happen to him. Too bad Kammler was killed,” said Schärf.
Dresner shrugged his shoulders. “I tried,” he said. “We scraped his body out of the rocks two days ago. I’m just glad Young Anderson’s plan worked.”
“Speaking of Anderson, where is he?” asked Adenauer.
Dresner grinned. “On his honeymoon, Herr Chancellor. They said things were too lively to wait. They are somewhere in Munich at the Oktoberfest. Later they are going to travel around Germany and Austria, his new home,” Dresner said.
The three men laughed. “If you talk to him, tell him to come see me in Bonn. This sounds like a couple I want to meet,” Adenauer said. “And I understand you are preparing to tie the knot!”
Dresner turned red. “Yes, Herr Chancellor. Frau Hufham convinced me I needed some time off. After seeing what she did to one of the prisoners, I didn’t want to dispute her.”
The men laughed again and Adenauer slapped Dresner on the shoulder then looked out over the lake to the falls. “It is so beautiful,” he murmured. “Too beautiful for what happened here.” He looked back down at the silo. “What will Anderson do with all this?”
“He told me he is planning on repairing the silos and draining the water. We will get the weapons and get them to museums, then he said he would turn it into a special Boy Scout camp or something,” Dresner said. He shrugged. “Sounded like a good idea to me. I think I will help him do it. But not before we take a certain body and feed it through the generator turbines. That should put an end to it all,” he said with a grunt.
“Good. Just make sure his head doesn’t turn up downstream,” said Schärf.
“My pleasure.”
“A fitting end, I think,” said Schärf. Adenauer nodded in agreement. “Now what can a grateful nation do for the man who saved it?”
Dresner chuckled. “Remember, Herr Chancellor, I am Austrian now. And I want no special thanks. I do have two requests,” he said.
Adenauer grinned. “What are they?”
“There were two young men who helped us do this. As a matter of fact, if it weren’t for them we would not be here right now. Both their fathers were lost during the melee, and now they are with their mothers. There is no family income. Is there any way the government can provide a little something to keep them going?”
“These are the two you mentioned before?” Adenauer asked.
“Yes, Herr Chancellor.”
Adenauer nodded after a thoughtful moment. “I think we can provide a special pay of some sort for these two young men. After all, bravery should be rewarded. Don’t you agree?” he asked Schärf.
“I do,” said Schärf.
“Thank you, Herr Chancellor.”
“And what about the second request?”
Dresner grinned widely. “How would the two of you like to join my men and me at the beer hall tonight?”
The End
