The Eve of Abounding Wickedness

by Mark Spaid

  “Mein Fuehrer, our victory over France has been a glorious moment for the Greater Reich and the German people and it’s all thanks to your leadership.”

  “Well said, Goering but get to the point.”

  “Mein Fuehrer, I believe strongly that our next move should be to get Britain out of the war. Their navy and air force are a problem for us.”

  “Yes, but I think we should wipe out Russia first.”

  “A formidable task.”

  “You dare say formidable to the German people. The Russians are Slavs; an inferior people to be sure.”

  “Yes, Mein Fuehrer, but they are vast in numbers and Russia is vast in geography.”

  “What’re you saying, Goering?”

  “I’m saying, Mein Fuehrer, that we should invade England and wipe them out first.”

  “How? Their air force has proven to be a problem.”

  “We land agents all over the east and west coast of England. I have a force of three hundred agents who’ve been training for four months. They speak perfect English. They’ll be the vanguard. Their job will be to sabotage aircraft factories, airfields and to blow up RAF planes the day before the invasion. On the night of the invasion we’ll send over paratroopers to land behind enemy lines and disrupt their communications and supplies. Two hours before dawn we land a hundred thousand troops. We would be bombing ahead of them to paralyze the cities and their command and control.” Hitler was listening intently and liked what he was hearing.

  “Okay, go on, Goering.”

  “Once we establish a beachhead, we can land tanks, artillery and push towards London. We’ll wipe out their airfields and their planes on the way and should have the city surrounded within a month if not sooner.”

  “And they’ll be forced to surrender.”

  “Yes, Mein Fuehrer.”

  “What about Russia?”

  “We wait on Russia and we begin building an arsenal of tanks and guns.”

  “How long will it take?”

  “Germany must be put on a full war footing first. No consumer goods…all war goods. And, we build the jet aircraft that are in their infancy now and turn Heisenberg loose to build the atom bomb. Then when we’re ready, we can attack Russia and use the atom bombs to get their surrender early. We find Stalin and kill him and all the Russian leaders. With Russia out of the war we can turn to the United States. It’ll be harder across the ocean but we can build a huge navy and with a flotilla of ships…three hundred maybe we’ll bring the war and the bomb to the east coast of America and get their surrender as well. The world will belong to Germany and you Mein Fuehrer. That last part galled Goering but he said it to ingratiate Hitler. Goering stopped and Hitler stood up and paced with a gleam in his eye and a smile on his face.

  “You have spoken well, Goering. I like what you said and it makes sense. We’d be invincible. The world would bow to us.”

  “Yes, Mein Fuehrer.” Goering didn’t care if the world or anyone bowed to Hitler or Germany. Goering cared about Goering. He wanted to be rich, to live in a palace and to have a life of privilege and splendor. A German victory could give him that.

  “Goering, set up a meeting with Admiral Raeder and Jodl. We need to outline the invasion of Britain. I want to launch it in September.”

  “Yes, Mein Fuehrer,” Goering said and left with a spring in his step and a smile on his face. Down the hall he stopped and took a deep breath. “You did it, you genius.” He was giddy as he went into his office and got on the phone to the German military leaders to arrange the meeting with Hitler that’d change the course of history. The Nazi time travelers had done their work well. Hitler would change his mind and invade England first thus giving Germany the chance to win the war and conquer the world.

  * * *

  “You know, Love, this could be very dangerous for you and Little Wolf.”

  “Oh, I know that. There’s a chance neither one of us will come back,” Tatiana said as she was loading a backpack and tucking two knives in her belt.

  “You don’t seem rattled by the prospect.”

  “Have you ever seen me rattled?”

  “No.”

  “Good, then I’m true to form.”

  “You know that Sol and I could easily be taken prisoner or worse.”

  “I know that too, Dave. Did you think this was a picnic? We’re attempting something that’s nearly impossible without some loss of life. The lives of people we love. But what choice do we have? None. We must make this work.”

  “I understand but I’m worried and a little scared.”

  “So am I.”

  “You scared. I don’t believe that.”

  “Well you should because I am and so’s Little Wolf.”

  “Now, it’s impossible for Little Wolf to be scared.”

  “Dave, to be without fear is to be foolish and let your guard down, thinking you’re invincible. That’s a sure way to get killed. We’re determined to complete this task but we’re aware of the dangers; we don’t like them and yes, we’re afraid of death. Who isn’t if they’re sane?”

  “I see.”

  “I also know you’ll be in great danger too and Sol. We’ll be safely on the other side of the portal. You’ll be there when the SS shows up, so try to get away if you can.”

  “We’ll do our best,” Dave said. Tatiana nodded but her look suggested she was fearful for her husband and Sol. Sol was older and moved slower and she knew Dave wouldn’t leave his friend even if it meant he was shot too.

  “I love you, Dave.”

  “Love you back, Tatiana.” They hugged briefly then Tatiana continued getting ready.

  “Brave, be careful,” Julieta said. She was holding back the tears but it was hard. She loved him more than she could put into words and he felt the same about her.

  “I will, Maiden. We have an advantage in that they won’t know we’re waiting for them.”

  “I know but I’m still scared.”

  “Join the club.”

  “You?”

  “Yes, me. I’ve told you before, Maiden; only a fool ignores danger and isn’t afraid.” They hugged and Little Wolf walked over to Tatiana.

  “We’re ready,” Tatiana said.

  “Mom,” Mallory said as she stood holding Melanie’s hand. Tatiana walked over to her daughters.

  “Be good girls.”

  “We will, Mommy,” Melanie said as she let a mommy slip out.

  “Come here,” Tatiana said and hugged her daughters.

  “Be careful Mom,” Mallory said. Then they went to Dave who put out his arms.

  “I’m going to miss you girls,” he said and they jumped in his arms and squeezed tight.

  “I love you, Daddy.” Melanie said.

  “I do to, Daddy,” Mallory added.

  “And, I love you back. Take care of yourself.”

  “We will, Daddy,” Melanie said.

  “Time to go,” Tatiana said and they hopped in the hearse and took off with Tatiana driving.

  “We’ll get there around nine after we pick up Tom,” Dave said.

  “I hope it’s lightly guarded like Mario and Janet said it was,” Little Wolf remarked.

  “How long to warm it up?” Tatiana asked.

  “Five minutes, maybe more,” Sol said.

  “I remember it being noisy,” Tatiana said.

  “It was towards the end just before it reached the voltage level but at first it’s not bad,” Sol added.

  “I think we can help with that,” Mario said as he and Janet sat up having been hiding in the very back. seat.

  “What?” Tatiana said as she slowed down.

  “What’re you guys doing here?” Dave asked.

  “We thought we might help by creating a sort of diversion to keep their eyes and ears away from the lab,” Janet answered.

  “How?” Dave asked.

  “I’ll just say, we’re pretty good at the sabotage thing,” Mario replied.

  “Let us out a block or two before yo
u meet the policemen and in fifteen minutes all attention will be away from where you guys are,” Janet explained. Dave and Tatiana exchanged looks.

  “Sounds good to me,” Tatiana said. Mario and Janet were let off a block from the main street and ten blocks from the lab.

  “There they are,” Tatiana said as she drove into the alley and saw Tom and Captain Shellhause waiting.

  “Ready for this insanity?” Tom asked as they climbed in the back.

  “I see you’ve found the right vehicle for a suicide mission,” Captain Shellhause quipped.

  “It’s the only thing we could find but yeah, I guess it’s appropriate,” Dave said.

  “I hope you don’t mind that I’m coming too.”

  “Any help is welcome, Captain,” Tatiana said.

  “He’s a good shot,” Tom said.

  “We can use that,” Little Wolf said.

  “I’ll park here about a block away,” Tatiana said.

  “Where’s the disturbance?” Dave wondered as he and Tatiana exchange glances.

  “What disturbance?” Tom asked.

  “Our two latest associates promised to make a loud noise so we could get in quickly without being noticed,” Tatiana answered.

  “Your new associates?” Captain Shellhause asked.

  “Yes, we bailed them out of trouble the other day and they’ve been with us ever since,” Dave said.

  “Are you sure they’re not working for the SS?” Tom asked.

  “Do they use spies often?” Little Wolf asked.

  “I don’t know but I’d imagine they do,” Captain Shellhause said.

  “The thought had crossed my mind,” Dave said, “but they’ve been so helpful.”

  “Well, if the SS comes running around the corner with guns drawn then we’ll know we’ve been had,” Tatiana offered.

  “But if we hear a loud boom then we’ll know they’re on the up and up,” Dave said.

  * * *

  “Look there’s no one guarding this place…just one old security guard,” Mario said as he and Janet snuck along the fence surrounding the Aztec fuel depot. It housed gasoline, Kerosene, diesel fuel, etc. There was about twelve thousand gallons of gasoline. They chose this place specifically since safety regulations didn’t permit residences of any kind closer than a thousand feet. No one was to get hurt with their little diversion.

  “Okay, we can scale the fence in the back, start a fire and chase the old guy out so he doesn’t get hurt,” Janet said.

  “I’ll start a fire and when you see the flames, get him out.”

  “Sounds good.” They slipped over the fence and moved to their positions. Actually, there was very little sabotage anywhere in the country. The economy was strong and most people thought things had always been this way…meaning that the Germans won World War II and the whole planet was Nazified. So, there was little security around facilities that were potential targets for rebels. Mario set a small fire and had a trail of gasoline as a fuse to the main tank. Janet saw this and ran to the small office that housed the security guard. “Fire, fire!” She yelled and pounded on the door. The man woke up from his sleep and stood up startled. There’s a fire, you have to get out of here!”

  “Where? What fire?”

  “By the tanks, get out!” He didn’t wait and ran past her, out the front gate and down the street without looking back. Janet chuckled as she expected to have to explain why she was in the fenced area but not so with this guy.

  “Come on, Janet, this thing could blow any second.” The flames were licking at the bottom of the gasoline storage tank as they scaled the fence and moved a block away.

  * * *

  “It looks bleak,” Dave said.

  “Maybe we should get out of here while we still can?” Tom added.

  “Yeah, it’s starting to look like our new associates are shills for the SS,” Tatiana posed but before she finished there was a huge explosion and very loud. They looked as flames shot up a hundred feet.

  “I guess they’re okay,” Little Wolf said. There were two guards at the lab but when they saw the explosion, they took off running, figuring they’d be needed elsewhere.

  “Let’s go, the guards left,” Little Wolf said. As they ran to the lab, sirens could be heard all over the city.

  “In here,” Little Wolf said as he had the back door open in seconds.

  “I hope you never turn to a life of crime; we’d never catch you,” Tom said.

  “I’m an officer of the court; I’d be disbarred,” Little Wolf said as Dave and Sol ran to the control panel and turned on the power.

  Little Wolf was exceedingly observant and so was Dave and Tatiana but, on this day, they were preoccupied with the mission and wondering if they could pull it off. As result they didn’t spot the other stowaway in the storage compartment in the back of the hearse. You’re right if you guessed that it was none other than…Belinda. What could she do you ask? The general answer would be very little except get in the way, but that being said she was determined to do her part. So, she hitched a ride and was waiting outside the lab peeking through a window. She knew how the portal worked, having been pulled through with the rest of them twice.

  “Okay get in position and remember if you’re close it’ll suck you in fast,” Dave said.

  “How do we get back?” Tom asked.

  “You’re asking that now?” Sol asked chuckling.

  “To tell you the truth I never thought about it before.”

  “When you’re gone, we’ll shut the device down. Remember where you enter in 1939. You’ll have to come back to that location. You won’t see the portal but we can hear you and you can hear us. You can use whispers if it’s necessary and we’ll still hear you,” Sol explained.

  “Remember, no metal objects of any kind,” Little Wolf said.

  “Here’s my badge,” Captain Shellhause said as he tossed it to Dave.

  “You have the knives I gave you?” Little Wolf asked.

  “Ready to go, sir,” Tom asked.

  “One thing…Tatiana’s our leader. We take orders from her,” Little Wolf reminded them.

  “Don’t worry, I take orders from her all the time. It’s not so bad,” Dave said smiling at his wife who returned a stern look.

  “When I get back, I’ll deal with that comment,” Tatiana said. The noise was increasing, there was a hum and static was flying around the room.

  “We’re at six hundred thousand volts,” Sol said as he was making adjustments to the panel so he could get a symmetrical field. It needed to be even around the entire rectangle.

  “I can feel the static on my arms and my head,” Captain Shellhause said.

  “Eight hundred thousand,” Sol said. Hold on, I’m going to boost the charge.” He did and it was getting noisy. The lights were off but the sparks from the device lit up the room and now the copper balls at the top of the rectangle were glowing. Dave, Tatiana and Little Wolf had seen this before and they knew it wouldn’t be long now.

  “Hang on folks,” Dave said.

  “Nine hundred thousand!” Sol shouted above the noise.

  “Get on your knees and you’ll be less likely to fall when you go through!” Little Wolf shouted.

  “I’m being pulled!” Tom said.

  “We all are,” Tatiana added. She never saw Belinda come up behind her and neither did Dave and Sol as they were focused on the control panel.

  “We’re almost there!” Sol shouted. “One million volts!” the ceiling was ablaze with green lights that moved like a vibrating plasma across the top of the device. As they waited the wavy pattern that they’d seen before appeared then the portal was alive.

  “Now!” Little Wolf yelled and they all jumped through or were pulled through. The device shut down immediately as it always did when a group went through as if it had to rest then warm up again before being energized. The room was dark.

  “Is everyone alright?” Tatiana asked as they were on their knees in the backyard of someone’s h
ome.

  “I’m fine,” Tom said as they got up and brushed off their clothes.

  “So am I, Little Wolf said.

  “Okay, here,” Captain Shellhause added.

  “Well, my hair’s a mess but other than that I’m fine,” Belinda said.

  “Good, now…” Tatiana just realized they had an extra person with them. “Belinda!”

  “That’s me.”

  “Miss Belinda, what’re you doing here?” Little Wolf asked.

  “I’m here to help.” Tom groaned to himself but not loud enough so Belinda could here, being aware of her explosive personality.

  “Well, there’s always the unexpected,” Captain Shellhause said.

  “Yes,” Tatiana added.

  “Is everyone okay?”

  “We’re all fine and we know the location,” Tatiana said. “But we have an extra person.”

  “What?” Dave asked.

  “Didn’t you see Belinda lurking in the shadows?” Tatiana asked.

  “Apparently not. Sorry, she got away from us,” Dave said.

  “Can you warm it up and take her back?” Tatiana asked.

  “No, it’ll be hours before we can use it again,” Sol said.

  “See, now you’re stuck with me,” Belinda said smiling. To Belinda this was like a Halloween prank but to the others it was a complication. They had to carry out their task and watch out for a precocious, egomaniac who could be loads of trouble under normal conditions let alone this trip.

  “Miss Belinda, this is a dangerous thing we’re doing,” Little Wolf said. “You really don’t belong here,” Little Wolf said.

  “Are you mad at me, Little Wolf?”

  “Not mad but scared for your safety.”

  “I won’t be a problem and who knows maybe I can help.”

  “So, you’re all okay and you have the location?” Dave asked.

  “Yes,” Tatiana said.

  “Good, we’re leaving while we still can,” Dave said. Sol and Dave left quickly through the back door and drove away in the hearse to the cabin in the woods. The explosion spared them from being arrested and perhaps shot. When the guards returned later there was no sign that anyone had been there and they continued their nightly vigil.