Even though I kept hearing LeBeau muffling his French profanity in the box's air-hole behind me in the trunk, it was a fine ride to the oil refinery expect for the driver. O'Hara was enthused that he was heading out of here soon and was displaying it in his puerile, aggressive driving. He kept going on the other side of the road, just missing some trees and once, he hit a pothole in the small town of Köthen so big the boxes of explosives almost popped out of the trunk, ropes tightly holding them back or not.
"O'Hara!" I was yelling when we were getting out of Köthen and nearing Dessau. "What's the matter with you? Is this a way to show you have a drivers' license?"
"Sorry, Mad'm," he said, still animated, bouncy and oblivious to the road, "I'm just so –"
"Yes, yes, glad that this mission for you is over," I finished angrily as he missed another tree on the side of the road. "But can you please slow down? We don't want any Krauts thinking we're part of the Underground and running off to England by sub. And next time, make sure LeBeau or I am driving, and that's an order I'm willing to carry though." That last tidbit was a joke really. I was jealous that O'Hara was heading out and Rob, LeBeau, Newkirk, Kinch, Carter, the other men and even I were stuck in the hellhole called Stalag 13 still.
"Yes, Mad'm," O'Hara answered as he slowed down and actually looked out of the windshield to watch where he was going, adjusting his mirrors to see behind him. There were no checkpoints ahead and for this I am glad for. There even wasn't any as we entered Dessau again, but there were patrols out there, saluting and pointing us in the correct direction. O'Hara drove slowly back through the forests of azure trees, dyed to match the night.
~00~
Just on time, at about 1930 hours, we entered the gates of the oil refinery and our credentials checked out. I was accepted into the refinery and I had vouched for O'Hara and snapped at the guards at the gate that he was my driver, Hans Günter. The guards stared at his false paperwork and threatened to call where he was employed. I yelled upon hearing this, "Is it not enough to trust me? What do you take me as, a liar and a fool?"
The sentry at the post who became the target of this false anger was so afraid of my barking voice that he accepted O'Hara, no questions asked. I mean, who can cast doubt on a colonel like me?
As soon as we entered through the gate, I heard LeBeau's camera behind me clicking softly away at the brilliant lights of the buildings and of the place's scientific machines. There were what seemed to be thousands of buildings dedicated to this oil refinery and towards the center was where they extracted the oil to run them all. I also knew that in the following structures around me were the places they studied it, created more weapons and even there were regular housing for the scientists and not their families, doomed to stay here until the end of the war. This just proves how humane the Krauts are, I thought sarcastically as I heard a shot in the distance. Maeve did say that they shoot those scientists who escape and those who prove to be lazy. It didn't even have to be the scientists, but those who surveyed the area for food. I shudder to think about these people, who are ordered to stay here day and night, never to see their loved ones ever again. Even those who just walk in the outlawed forests are murdered in cold blood. They didn't even have to look for food either.
The car was constantly guarded and guided by the Gestapo agents and those sentries that work here regularly. O'Hara just compulsively followed them to where they wanted us so not to arouse suspicion. This obedience just landed us at the main office, which was just a few hundred yards from where they take the oil.
The nearest guard of the staff opened the door for me and saluted me, yelling loudly and echoing, "Heil Hitler, Herr Colonel Hozellenan!" Everyone around him stood in attention and repeated him, causing another echo, this time louder and probably heard in all the way to Dessau and maybe even faraway Cottbus. Was Mother this influential? I thought. She got this much respect from those in the Kraut army that they called her by a male title?
I saluted them back and said, "Heil Hitler!" casually back at them. This was obviously the best thing to do and something Mother did for everyone was smiling and best of all, my neck wasn't prickling.
This was a sure sign that things were going to go well. I was even beginning to enjoy things when that idiot captain who answered the phone earlier came out and stumbled with his greetings. "We had no i-idea you were coming on such s-s-short n-notice," he said as his commanding officer stood back and shook his head at the pathetic effort the Captain was making. "We have e-e-e-everything you have ask-asked for. It is a-a-all in-si-side."
"Good," I said taking off my white gloves. "I have just wanted to make a short and more secretive visit. Since my husband's unfortunate death, I have found more work for myself. Those Allied forces have to be defeated and those in self-doubt I have been trying to gather in earnest. The Fatherland must win this war this time, and we still have the resources to defeat Churchill and his allies. Chamberlain was a better prime minister, in my opinion. At least he had our interests in mind."
I looked up and found that the Captain was staring at me in fear. "Well?" I barked. "Have some men get these crates of wine inside. Is this what I get for all the trouble I had for coming here and bringing this for the men who work here? Move! Moveyou fool!" I had especially emphasized the last part about moving, for I had about half-dozen men coming from nowhere and opening the trunk and taking out the crates of explosives. The box LeBeau was in was moved first and the men who took it staggered a bit from the unusual weight before moving it into the office.
I followed the men who took LeBeau inside and found myself in some sort of office and obviously one of the labs. It looked more of a main office from the outside, but this proved to be the place where they inspect and store everything. Calls were taken here, files were stored and everything they plan to ship out is here. No wonder it is such a big structure, I thought foolishly as I looked around. There was an office part, of course, and it was on this side that there was a safe, filing cabinets (many of them) and a glass wall that separated this office side from the storage compartment. There were barrels and barrels of oil and many new weapons I cannot even describe for they are so complex and hard to explain about.
I heard the camera in LeBeau's box click away. O'Hara was at the car, barred from the door understandably, but he kept tapping his wrist when I looked back to see why they didn't let him come through the door. He was indicating the time we have here to get out before the explosives take this place down. So I had better hurry.
The Captain and his commanding officer came into the office after me. "There are your reports for this year and from the other previous years this lab has been functional," the commanding officer of the night, one Major Strunendüff I've learned later, indicated to me. I took notice of the huge pile of paperwork that lay on that desk.
I nodded my head in approval and said, "Good, very good, gentlemen. Now, I need that crate carried out," I pointed to LeBeau's box, which was placed next to the glass wall, "because of my own personal reasons." I gave them an evil glare, something I've seen on Mother when I've fought with her, which the Major took as dangerous. He whispered to the Captain, who called the guards at the door, and they took it to the trunk of Klink's staff car.
I was satisfied that everything was going my way for once, and all in thanks to Mother. Rest in peace, Mother, I thought, almost sarcastically, as I watched the crate went into the car. I knew it was LeBeau's for it was the only one with an air-hole at the top big enough for air and a camera lens.
After I was happy that everything was in place (another part of the character, if I remember correctly), I faced the fearful captain and his stoic commanding officer. "Now, gentlemen," I said as sweetly as I could muster, "I am feared to have been followed. Although I am armed with a skilled fighter, I must be leaving. I know this place is as secure as I've hoped it to be, and am satisfied everything is in order, as we've planned, but I know Allied fliers could come in any mo –"
Then, I was interrupted by some bombs going off, and from what I could hear, from a corner of the refinery. Such perfect timing! "They are here! Sound the alarm to the gunners!" the commanding officer, Major Strunendüff, said suddenly, running out the door and searching the skies for the planes that will never come.
The Captain, still scared of everything and everybody, said in German, "You should stay here, Herr Colonel. It is safer here."
I shook my head in despair, still in character, and yelled through the alarms and bombing, "Some security you have here! I am leaving this place and making sure Berlin hears of this! Allies bombers could NOT have known about this!" I stormed out through all of the fury and quickly headed to the car with the plans, grabbed on the way out, in my arms. A guard posted at the back of the car opened the door for me. O'Hara, already in the drivers' seat, followed the directions the guards were giving him as we exited the place.
After we headed out of the gates, I felt a prickling in my neck. I knew it wasn't Carter and Newkirk, for I knew in my heart that they got away. There was yelling about a fire behind us because of bombs, not intruders yet (I heard them). I also knew that it wasn't the contacts we were going to meet because I knew it was in a secret, deep part of the forests in Germany, a forbidden place because of not only patrols (rare as they were there), but also some folk superstition. Then I remembered something that we left at Stalag 13, someone, that Kinch was probably talking about before the mission started…
The Shadow was still at Stalag 13 and well aware, by the time he hears about the oil refinery explosion, that it was our fault. And his contacts are everything, telling him of the sabotage that goes on and about.
Realizing this as O'Hara sped away from the action of the refinery (it was as if he read my mind), I had ordered the car stopped as soon as we were a good distance from the refinery, about a few miles into the forests. I was panicking and I wanted LeBeau around and not in that box anymore time he needs to be (another paranoid tendency of mine, to make sure everyone I know is alright when I know others elsewhere are in danger). I had almost forgotten he was a bit claustrophobic, too.
As soon as the puzzled O'Hara stopped the car at the side of the road, I leapt out and went to the back of the car. I opened the trunk and opened the box with my bare hands. And there was LeBeau, already passed out and not dead, thank G-d. I checked his pulse (throbbing, but alive) and lifted him myself to the car. I made sure the camera was still on him, and laid him down in the back seat, shutting the trunk and the doors before ordering O'Hara to move again, and quickly.
LeBeau woke up after a few minutes. I smiled at him. He smiled back at me saying, "I must have forgotten that I hated tight spaces."
"Indeed," I said, aware that he was sucking up to me again. "Aren't you happy you got out in time?" I was a little irritated that he forgot (and so did everyone else, even myself, the usually thoughtful one). But he was the smallest person here and could fit anywhere and that was why Rob gets him into these messes. I'll have my revenge later, I thought.
"Oui," he answered, "but did we get the refinery?" A sudden explosion answered our question. A chain reaction must have happened, for it became louder and louder. The explosion lit the night skies and it seemed to be day again.
O'Hara, driving erratically again against my wishes and orders, whooped in excitement and all LeBeau and I could do was grin in happiness. Another major source of victory for the Krauts was destroyed. Our men were saved once more.