by Mark Spaid
“We have to try and stop it,” Mario said as he and Janet had been listening from two seats back. There were still some bus seats remaining with the back of the bus being converted to a kitchen and lounge area.
“I think we’re all thinking the same thing but how?” Justin asked.
“You have weapons,” Janet said.
“Yes, but I’m sure the guards will come armed with rifles and even machine guns,” Jozette added.
“All we have are handguns and we’ll have to be very close to do any damage,” Dave posed.
“You’re right and I think we may be able to help,” Mario said.
“How?” Sol asked.
“I think we can try this,” Mario said and explained his idea.
“Sounds risky,” Jozette said.
“We don’t have a large range of choices,” Janet replied.
“You’re right,” Justin said. “It’s worth a gamble…we can’t let them murder those children without trying something.” They spent the evening and late into the night planning the details. They were parked at a place with several RV’s. As it happened there were two other pink vehicles so they could remain relatively inconspicuous. Morning arrived and Justin, Dave, Sol, Jozette, Ariel, Lexi, Julieta, Mario and Janet assembled outside the bus to make last minute plans.
“We have something to say,” Darcy said. The girls had been talking and they chose her to be their spokesperson.
“Okay,” Justin said.
“We know what you’re planning and we want to help.”
“Nothing doing, you girls should stay here in the RV,” Lexi said.
“Yes,” Jozette added.
“No, Mom, we want to help. We’re not kids anymore. We’re all eighteen,” Dixie said.
“She’s right,” Jessica said. If you free the girls they’ll need someplace to go. We can wait in the woods to get them out of there and to safety,” Mallory added.
“It’ll be dangerous,” Sol said.
“We know that but you’ll need some help if twenty-five frightened ten-year old girls are to get away,” Darcy said.
“They make sense,” Julieta said, “and besides I saw these girls in the jungle and they’re not kids anymore.”
“How can we protect them?” Lexi asked.
“Well, it could be asked, how can we protect ourselves,” Julieta remarked.
“I think the girls are right,” Justin said. Jozette looked at him then reluctantly nodded.
“Okay, we can use them,” Jozette said and they sat down with the girls at a picnic table and finalized the plans.
* * *
“There they are,” Dave said as they were crouched in some bushes about a hundred yards from the site where Mario and Janet were sure they’d use for the executions. They’d witnessed it before though not in such a large number as this.
“Girls take your positions,” Justin said and they did.
“I only see ten guards,” Lexi said.
“Yeah, I thought there’d be more,” Sol said.
“The truck was unloaded and twenty-five terrified little girls stood in a bunch like frightened chickens. The guards lined up, awaiting orders. They all had machine guns. Two officers got out of a car and were talking to each other and laughing. It’s hard to imagine people without a conscience, without a soul, without any humanity at all. But they’re out there and today was proof.
“Here we go,” Mario said as Janet and he jumped up and ran to the officers waving their arms and shouting. Two guards pointed their guns at the two intruders but an officer told them to back down. Mario was telling about a group of Jews who were hiding out in a barn about two miles away. The officers conferred then dispatched four guards to accompany Mario and Janet to the location. That left only six guards…well-armed to be sure but six and not ten. When the four men, and Mario and Janet were out of sight the officers gave orders to the remaining guards who lined up and prepared for their duty.
“I’m going behind them,” Julieta said. “When you hear me fire then take off and aim for the guards, I’ll take out the officers.” She moved quickly behind everything and the rest prepared to attack.
“Where’s Ariel?” Jozette asked but she was gone.
“Take your safety off and be ready,” Jozette said and they were…Andy, Jozette and Sol. As the guards prepared to fire there were shots heard in the distance and then an officer held up his hand and said something; the guards stood down. Julieta saw her chance and ran quickly. She was quiet like Little Wolf and when she was twenty feet behind, she shot both officers in the head. The guards turned to see this and aimed at Julieta. She ducked behind the car and Jozette, Andy and Sol ran towards the guards who were now flanked. Shots rang out and two guards fell on their faces. Julieta had snuck around the car and was now behind the truck and flanked the remaining guards on the other side. She began firing along with Jozette, Andy and Sol. Ariel who’d managed to crawl through the grass to the girls got to them and when the shooting started she stood up.
“Run, girls in that direction; they didn’t wait and took off towards the woods. Ariel then ran towards the guards who had people on three sides shooting at them. Two more guards hit the ground and were dead. The last two started spraying machine gun bullets and everyone hit the dirt. The girls reached the woods and Darcy and the rest took them and moved quickly through the trees and out of danger as they’d been instructed. One girl was limping; Paulita picked her up and carried her.
“I’m hit,” Jozette said as she lay on the ground clutching her left shoulder.
“Don’t move,” Andy said. The two guards walked towards them. They had their sights set on Andy, Sol and the wounded Jozette. They looked at each other and grinned. Andy was out of ammo and Sol had one shot left. He took it and hit one guard in the right shoulder. He dropped his gun and fell to his knees. Contrary to what television and movies will show you, when a person is shot anywhere on their body, they’re out of action. Now, it was just one guard left and he moved slowly…he had the sense that Andy, Jozette and Sol’s guns were empty and they were. He slowly raised his gun to finish them off but he forget about Julieta. There’s a rule that all bad guys should remember…never forget about Little Wolf or Julieta. A shot went through his head. Julieta walked around checking the guards but they were all dead. Except the one who had a bullet in his shoulder. She shot him in the head and now they were all dead.
“Thanks, Julieta,” Andy said.
“How’s Miss Jozette?” Julieta asked.
“I’m woozy…a bullet in the shoulder.
“Let me see,” Dave said as he and Justin walked up. They’d been back behind in the grass since neither one had a gun.
“It has to come out,” Dave said.
“Can you walk?” Julieta asked.
“We’ll help her,” Justin said.
“We need to go now and meet up with everyone else,” Julieta said. They helped Jozette, who made good time for a gunshot victim. Ariel disappeared again but they couldn’t wait for her. Other SS men would likely show up soon at the site and it wouldn’t be good for anyone to be there.
“There they are,” Justin said as they saw the girls standing at the top of a hill.
“Hey, girls,” Dave said as they approached but as they got close a guard stepped from behind and pointed his gun at them.
“Drop your weapons and stand over there,” the guard said and they did as they were told. They looked a few yards away and saw Mario and Janet lying on the ground. He was obviously dead but Janet was moving and in pain. Her hand was on her abdomen as blood was soaking her clothes and the ground around her.
“Janet,” Dave said and started to go to her but the guard stepped in between and Dave stopped.
“Get back.”
“But she needs help,” Dave said.
“Tough, she and her boyfriend killed my partner and those two bitches the other two guards.,” He said pointing his finger at Paulita and Darcy. The two girls had seen the four guards foll
owing Mario and Janet and paralleled them. When Mario and Janet made their move Darcy and Paulita flew out of the bushes with clubs they had found in a woodpile and attacked the guards from their flank. They knocked them down and proceeded to club them to death. Mario and Janet were shot but not until Mario had shot one of the guards. That left one guard who shot Janet and he would’ve killed Paulita and Darcy but he heard the rest coming and hid.
“What’re you going to do with us?” Justin asked.
“I’m going to call my superiors and they’ll come with more men…armed men then they’ll line up and shoot you all.”
“Is that really necessary?” Andy asked.
“It is…scum like you need to be wiped out for good of The Greater Reich.” It was clear he was a convert and it was more than just someone doing his duty. He was a Nazi and if given the opportunity he’d kill…innocents as well as the guilty. The little girls clung to Darcy, Mallory, Melanie etc., thinking they were going to die after all. The guard raised his radio to call when a shot was heard and he fell forward on the ground. Andy grabbed his gun though he was already dead. They looked and Ariel came walking up from behind a tree.
“Sorry, I’m late but I had trouble keeping up.”
“I think we’ll overlook your lateness,” Justin said.
“Janet’s been shot,” Andy said and they went to her. Dave knelt down and examined a large wound in her abdominal area.
“It’s not so good is it, Doc?” Janet said through her coughs.
“Just stay still and we’ll get you some help,” Dave said.
“How, we can’t go to a hospital. They’d call the SS and I’d be shot even if I recovered from this.”
“We’ll take you with us,” Dave said.
“I can’t be moved and you know it and besides I can feel myself slipping away.”
“Are you in pain?”
“Not particularly, I think the end’s near. I read once that when the body is shutting down it blocks the nerves from transmitting pain. Sort of a way to let us go out peacefully.”
“Maybe,” Dave said and lowered his head.
“Hey, all of you guys, you’re the best. I was glad to help and I know if anyone can pull this thing off…it’ll be you guys.”
“Thanks for all you did,” Lexi said.
“My pleasure…” Janet said then winced and laid her head to one side. She took a couple of breaths then closed her eyes. They paused for a moment but the truth is they didn’t have very long to wait.
“Jo’s wounded,” Lexi said.
“I know but we have to get as far away as possible,” Julieta said.
“Julieta’s right,” Jozette added.
“What about burying Mario and Janet?” Lexi asked.
“I hate to leave them but we can’t wait,” Justin said.
“It’ll be fine, the SS will bury everyone. Let’s get moving.” They took off with the twenty-five girls along with them. A half hour later they made it to a clearing and rested. Jo, let me look at that shoulder,” Dave said.
“It hurts,” Jozette said.
“The bullet passed through,” Dave said and he sighed.
“Thank goodness,” Andy said.
“I’ll wash and bandage it. Sorry, I have no antibiotics.”
“That’s okay, I’ll survive.”
“Where do we take these girls?” Justin asked.
“How about Edna?” Lexi asked.
“Twenty-five people?” Andy wondered.
“It won’t be for very long,” Dave said.
“How do you know?” Ariel said.
“Because, Tatiana, Little Wolf and the gang will either succeed and things will be back to normal or they’ll fail and we’re all dead anyway,” Sol added…and he was right. They made it to Edna’s in the bus…it was crowded but they arrived. Of course, she agreed to keep the girls and after feeding everyone, Andy fired up the bus and they left. Edna showed the girls the basement in the barn and after a few hesitations they went below and Edna shut the floor.
“Where do we go?” Jozette asked.
“Dave and Sol have to get to the lab or nearby,” Justin said.
“But how do we know if they’re alive let alone when they’ll be back,” Lexi said then realized what she said and lowered her head. “I’m sorry, Julieta and Dave…that was a stupid thing to say.”
“You’re not wrong,” Dave said.
“Look, Little Wolf and I discussed things in detail, Lexi. We both knew it was a dangerous mission and the chances of pulling it off and everyone coming back alive was slim. But we both agreed that the world under the new Time Frame isn’t fit for anyone. We can’t let things go on as they are now,” Julieta added.
“I think we all feel that way,” Justin said.
“Sol and I need to be at the lab when they contact us or they can’t get back,” Dave said.
“I think it’s best if I go with them…just the three of us,” Julieta added.
“That’s dangerous,” Jozette said. “There’ll be SS everywhere with what happened today.”
“That may work to our advantage,” Julieta said.
“She’s right, Jo,” Dave said. “They’ll be searching the countryside and the city. There’s no reason to pay any attention to the lab.”
“Maybe you’re right,” Jozette admitted.
“I hope so but we have to be nearby. The three of us will lay low and wait. You guys need to be somewhere safe for the sake of the girls,” Dave said.
“Okay,” Justin said
“Leave us near Bloomington and you guys get lost,” Julieta said and it was agreed.
“Well, here we are,” Dave said as they stood on the outskirts of town in the woods.
“After dark we can scout around the lab,” Sol posed and they agreed.
“We make quite the crew,” Julieta said as they sat under a tree waiting for dark
“Yeah, they should make a sitcom about us,” Sol said. I can just hear it now. This fall on Friday nights…The Physicist, the Latina and the Jew.” They looked at each then broke up laughing. Was it a time for levity? Probably not but with what they’d seen and what was coming for everyone it was a question of keeping one’s sense of humor or wallowing in despair and who in their right mind would choose the latter.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Le Havre, France
May 1, 1941
Operation Sea Lion, the code name for the invasion of England was about to go into effect. Hitler wanted to invade in the fall of 1940 but Goering convinced him that they needed to wait until the spring to avoid the rains and cold of the fall. Convincing Hitler of anything was no easy task and changing his mind was a monumental but somehow Goering did it and Hitler agreed to wait until 1941. Goering was the mastermind, or at least he’d be given credit if it worked. In reality, like any great military campaign, it was low level officers who did the actual tactical planning. This was the plan that Goering asked for when Hitler agreed to invade England and not Russia. It was predicated on the Luftwaffe wiping out the RAF (Royal Air Force). That didn’t happen…radar gave the English an advantage and they took it. So, the English air force and their navy would be a problem…a big problem. In short, the Germans had to transport troops across the English Channel and those troop ships would be vulnerable to naval and air attacks. Once the Germans established a beachhead in England, they’d rapidly move north and be unstoppable. But making the landing with sufficient troops would be tricky. They expected to lose some ships but could they land enough to make it successful. It required a complex and massive plan for invasion. It’d been in the works for months and now it was ready. Hitler had been skeptical of the chances for success and he still was even at the eleventh hour.
The opening of the attack actually began a month ago when two hundred and thirty agents snuck on shore up and down the southern coast of England. They’d been training for years. Their English was perfect and they were experts in demolition and sabotage. Their job was to hit the airfiel
ds just before the invasion. The first troops on shore were four hundred paratroopers who were to land twenty miles inland and help with disrupting communications and to report English troop movements. At dusk on the first of May a massive air strike would commence consisting of two thousand bombers headed for London and other major cities plus airfields. Five hundred fighters would engage the RAF, mainly to keep it occupied. Thirty-two U-boats were in the channel to intercept English naval vessels.
With the airstrikes occupying the attention of the RAF, the troop ships would depart Calais, Dieppe, Cherbourg and other locations. They’d send a huge force to Dover, which is very close to France but they’d also have units headed for Plymouth, Portsmouth and other places up and down the southern coast. It’d be impossible for the English to defend all the beaches. Once beachheads were established and most importantly the RAF was neutralized then tanks and heavy artillery could be off-loaded and the main offensive against London and the major cities could be launched. Luftwaffe planes would occupy the southern airfields to further add to the attack. Goering knew that they couldn’t stop at England. They’d have to go all the way and conquer Scotland as well. If not, the English would retreat there and use it as a staging base for guerilla attacks.
“How’re things going?” Hitler asked Goering. They were at a villa north of Paris that the Germans had commandeered as a military planning station for the attack on England. Hitler sat in a recliner sipping a cup of tea.
“The air attacks have done what we hoped for…the RAF has been stymied. We’re landing all up and down the southern coast with minimal opposition.
“Their airfields?
“Our agents knocked out two of them before the attack began and the massive bombing has damaged and knocked out several more. They simply do not have many planes in the air and we’ve shot down over two hundred and fifty.”
“How far have we advanced?”
“In the west we’re twenty miles inland…the east has seen stiffer resistance but we’re moving…about ten miles inland.”
“Good…how about tanks and artillery?”
“We lost two troop ships and three supply ships to destroyer attacks. Then our U-boats sank two destroyers and crippled three more. Our supply ships with tanks and artillery should land in two hours.”
