-8-
Dolph paced outside his commander’s office. How dare Hans interrupt his planning for this meeting? He had nothing to do with the occupation; his only reason in France was to oversee the collection of scientific information the Reich deemed valuable. It was his concession for being allowed to pursue the books.
The door swung open and a young ensign stepped into the hall. Dolph stood as the young man saluted.
“Herr Field Marshall, the generals will see you now.”
Generals? Dolph thought. This was not the meeting he expected.
Dolph entered the room to a disturbing sight. His friend General Hans Backer sat behind his massive desk, a look of concern on his face. Dolph wasn’t worried about Hans; he was an old family friend and the husband of his oldest sister. It was the two other generals that unnerved him. General Claus Reuters grinned at him like a wolf, twirling the end of his massive black moustache. There was no love lost between them; Reuters was an ignorant fool that owed his position to nepotism. The other general, an older man with a fading mane was General Lukas Himmler. An excellent warrior in his day, the elderly general’s skills were fading like his hair. He was still well respected and a good man to have on your side.
“Sirs,” Dolph said. “This is unexpected.”
“But long overdue,” Reuters said.
“Be quiet, Claus” Hans said. “Field Marshall, your reports says you lost an airship in Mali. Is that true?”
Dolph cleared his throat to hide his anger. “It’s in the report, sir.”
“An airship is an expensive thing,” Himmler said. “When we lose one, it should be because of a worthwhile endeavor.”
Dolph turned to Himmler. “Herr General, the mission on which the airship was involved was authorized by your department.”
“If I had known it was used to search for one of you books, I would not have done so,” the general replied.
Dolph looked at his friend. “What exactly is going on here?”
Himmler sat straight then cleared his throat. “Dolph, your family has served our country with honor for generations. You have been a valuable asset to the Reich. Because of this we have indulged your idiosyncrasies. But the loss of an airship raises the attention of others that are not so tolerant.”
“So what are you saying?” Dolph asked.
“What he is saying is that your little escapades are at an end,” Claus said.
Dolph looked at Hans. “Is this true?”
Hans nodded. “I’m afraid so.”
Dolph stomped his foot. “This is outrageous!”
“Be careful,” Hans warned.
“These books contain information that can transform our country! With them in our possession we will dominate Europe and the world for generations to come!”
“You expect us to believe that a couple of dusty scrolls written by savages contain such information?” Claus laughed. “It’s true what they say. You are mad.”
Dolph started toward Claus. The general came to his feet, his fists at his side.
“Stop this nonsense at once!” Hans shouted. He rose from his seat then walked around his desk toward the door.
“Dolph, come with me,” he said.
Dolph followed Hans out the door.
“What is going on, Hans? You told me…”
Hans raised his hand. “It’s beyond me, Dolph. Claus raised a stink before high command and they listened. You shouldn’t have lost the airship. Especially in Africa.”
“Look, Hans. Get me a meeting with the high command. My research must continue.”
“Not for now,” Hans said. “I want you to take a leave of absence. Go home and spend time with your wife and those wonderful children of yours. Things will calm down in a few months and you can pick up where you left off.”
“No!” Dolph shouted. “We musn’t waste time!”
Hans glared at Dolph. “This is not advice. It’s an order. Go home. I expect you to be on a train to Prussia in two days. Do you understand?”
Dolph shook with anger. “I understand.”
“Good. Now come back later today and say goodbye when you’ve calmed down.”
Hans smiled then returned to his office, closing the door behind him. Dolph turned on his heels then stomped down the corridor. He had no intentions of going back to Prussia, not with his program at such a critical state. Spending the military’s money had been convenient but he knew it would run out at some point. It was time he took the program private. Hopefully the leave of absence would give him enough time to retrieve the other books and continue his experiments. But first, he would contact his resources. There was still so much work to do.
He hurried back to his office. Locking the door, he sat at his desk then wrote a brief letter to his wife:
Dear Angelika,
How are you and the children? I know I have been away longer than I promise, but my work in Paris demands my constant presence. A situation has occurred that forces me to make decisions that will be detrimental to my military career and possibly damaging to our family’s reputation. Please realize that I do not make this decision lightly; I have thought long on this and come to the conclusion that this is the right course of action. Please do not share this with anyone, especially Hanna. I do not wish Hans to be implicated in my actions. Please kiss the children for me.
Yours forever,
Dolph.
Dolph folded the letter then placed it in the envelope.
“Gunther!” he called out.
Gunther Schmidt, Dolph’s timid ensign, peeked into the room.
“Herr Field Marshall?”
“Come in, man,” Dolph ordered. He handed the letter to Gunther.
“Deliver this letter to my wife personally,” Dolph said.
Gunther’s eyes widened. “Herr Field Marshall, shouldn’t I use the postal service?”
“No. I want you to hand this to my wife,” Dolph said. “If anyone questions you tell them I gave you orders. You will be compensated.”
Gunther smiled. “Thank you, Herr Field Marshall.”
“I expect you to leave immediately.”
Gunther saluted. “Yes, Herr Field Marshall.”
The man scurried from the office. Dolph waited a moment then reached into his desk drawer, extracting the communication device built from the designs of the book in his possession. Those fools had no idea what wonders were contained on the pages of the books. He could have shown them, dazzled them with the communication box and astounded them with the other devices he’d constructed but now was not the time. He would suffer their ignorance a little longer, until the patents were in place and his factories were completed. Once his work was done he would reveal his plans for the glory of Germany and his family.
He cranked the handle on the side of the box then pressed the sequence of key.
“Herr Erikson?” a familiar voice asked.
“Hello Tomas. Is Georg close by?”
“No, sir, but I can contact him quickly.”
“Good. Our plans have changed. Gather the equipment then meet me in Nice. We will proceed from there.”
“Yes, Herr Erickson.”
Dolph ceased cranking then sat down the talking box. He could be deterred, but he could not be denied. He would have the books, every last one, and no one was going to stop him.