Unto the Universe

Chapter Eighteen: Saving Hitler: Reich Chancellery

By Lumendea

….

Rose was not impressed with the Reich Chancellery. This close up, the massive building loomed over the street with only enough space for a sidewalk. It was a three-story and blocky building full of windows and made of pale stone. While it had a hint of elegance, the lack of decoration reminded Rose a bit of a housing complex. Rows of windows were perfectly aligned, and almost all had drawn blinds. The opening was a large square cut into the front of the building with a staircase leading up to the main door and held up with four blocky pillars. Guards stood with each pillar, each of them armed and dressed in long uniforms that Rose had no doubt hid more weapons.

Only a few people walked on that side of the street, with most staying on the far side of the street. Rose eyed the building. To her surprise, it was only marked with an eagle. There were no large Nazi flags in sight. Maybe they didn't feel it was necessary.

"Seat of Hitler's power. Almost destroyed in the Battle of Berlin and then destroyed for good after the war," the Doctor said lowly as they slowed their walk. "He's likely inside."

Rose shivered. "That's weird to think about." She shook her head. "I mean, I've been in this era before, but it was over in England. Knew he was alive in an abstract way, but now he's inside there. Mortal and all."

"Killing him is still very dangerous," the Doctor cautioned.

"I know," Rose said. "I just can understand someone thinking it's a good idea if they don't know how time travel works."

"Me too," the Doctor said gently. "But some things can't be changed."

Rose knew that he knew she didn't need a reminder. Or Jack. It sounded more in this moment like he was speaking to himself. He inhaled slowly, and Rose wondered how much the incident with House was still weighing on him. For a little while, he'd been able to hope that it wasn't just him and the Monk, but that hope had then been taken away. It occurred to Rose, shockingly for the first time, that the Doctor might occasionally think about changing the fate of Gallifrey.

Just thinking about Gallifrey and House took Rose's mind back to the strange warning the TARDIS had given her. Beware Rassilon was a strange thing to say. Rose knew a bit about Rassilon thanks to the Companion's Club, but he was long gone. Yet, the TARDIS had given the warning with her dying breath, so Rose knew it had to be important. She just had to sort it out a bit and figure out how to tell the Doctor.

She cast her gaze around to check their surroundings. This wasn't the time to become confused or distracted. The wrong attention here and now could see her arrested if Rose's vague knowledge of Nazi Germany was correct. Then she spotted someone watching the far building who looked out of place.

The man was dressed in blue jeans a bomber-style leather jacket. Rose studied him with a frown and noticed other people doing the same. He was standing completely still and staring up at the building across the street from them. His brown hair was neatly styled, and he had a fairly nondescript face. It was one of those faces that Rose knew she'd struggle to remember the moment she looked away. His nose was a touch on the large side, but not remarkably so, and she thought he had brown eyes but couldn't be sure at this distance. What she was certain of was that he didn't fit in with the rest of the population.

"Doctor," Rose called softly. "Over there."

"I see him."

"He just walked over," Jack said softly. "And the guards have noticed him."

Two guards dressed in neat, dark Nazi uniforms walked down the stairs of the Reich Chancellery with firearms in hand. Rose grimaced at the sight of them. Another man, dressed in a lighter brown uniform, came out of the building and called to the guards. They paused and waited for him. Rose was very aware that Jack and the Doctor were watching as well.

There was no explosion of violence. No one was shot, but the man in the lighter uniform was watching the oddly dressed man. They were too far away to hear everything, but Rose watched the body language. The man in the lighter uniform was tense and frustrated.

"I think the man in the light uniform looks familiar," Jack said.

The Doctor adjusted the sonic screwdriver, and Jack did the same with his Vortex Manipulator. "Time traveler," they both announced at once.

"He's wearing future tech," Jack added with a smirk.

"Not surprisingly," the Doctor said. "Jack, I know you said it was only a rumor to you, but having worked with the Time Agency, do you have thoughts on what will happen?"

"They'll likely question him," Jack said. "Use a scan to try and determine if he's a time traveler and establish his threat level." He paused. "Uh, I'm not sure what then, if they'd kill him or send him to headquarters. Hopefully, the second as headquarters would be better able to investigate how they got a time travel device."

Rose licked her lips and swallowed. She wasn't sure how to feel about that answer. Rose knew the temptation to change an ugly point in history. But she'd also lived through the potential ramifications. Still… someone desperate who didn't understand and thought they were doing a good thing didn't deserve to die.

"Is that it?" Rose asked, looking up at the Doctor and then to Jack. "Is that all?"

"Maybe," Jack said. He shifted uneasily. "I mean, if that was the Hitler Division, and it seemed possible, then maybe it is over. According to the rumors, they were the absolute best and most disciplined." Jack shudder. "Can't imagine what it would take to stay in an era like this for years at a time. Doctor, what do you think?"

"I'm not one for staying still," the Doctor said. He was still watching the Reich Chancellery with a frown. "That does seem too easy."

"They are professionals," Jack pointed out. "Trying to protect human history."

"Maybe," the Doctor said. He glanced around and located a café nearby. "Let's eat and see what else happens."

"You don't think it's over," Jack said.

"Very rarely is it ever that easy," the Doctor said. "The man was just standing there; it was like he wanted to be taken."

"That would be crazy," Jack pointed out. "I'm 80% confident that he was a time traveler. His clothing didn't fit, and he was standing out. Anyone who decided to travel back to this era would have to know the potential ramifications of being caught with intent to harm Hitler. Even being suspicious could get you killed right now."

"I know," the Doctor replied. "But he was just watching the building, in plain sight and not trying to blend in. Do you have other ideas?"

Jack paused and shook his head. "No, nothing."

There was a tense moment as the three of them silently looked up at the building. Rose worried that they'd start drawing attention. The last thing she wanted was for them to be "escorted" into the building in much the same way. Sure, they didn't look too out of place, but…

A high-pitched noise made Rose flinch, followed by a flash of light from one of the upper rooms of the Reich Chancellery. It was gone in a moment, but the sounds of confusion from others on the street told Rose that she had no imagined it.

"What the hell?" Jack demanded, putting his hand on Rose's arm and trying to guide her behind him.

His hand twitched, and Rose knew that he was resisting the urge to draw his sonic gun. The Doctor gave him a dark look but said nothing about the weapon before peering forward at the building. People on the group had stopped to look up, but after the flash of light, there had been nothing. No explosion, no noise, nothing. Quickly, they started resuming their regular activities.

The Doctor pulled out the sonic screwdriver, and Jack pulled back his cuff to access his Vortex Manipulator. Rose watched the street, keeping her eyes out for anyone unusual. There was no sign of activity at the door, and the guards had remained at their posts.

"Some kind of temporal event just occurred up there," Jack said. "But it's registering more like a weapon. A burst of some kind."

"The energy is strange," the Doctor announced as he studied the sonic screwdriver. Then, with dawning horror, he added, "Very similar to that of an Eternal. And I just felt the mind of the Monk. He's here."

"Fuck," Jack hissed.

Rose was already looking around. The people on the street were glancing up at the building in confusion, but the lack of any clear sign of a threat seemed to be settling them. Rose shifted her hands and rubbed her bracelet, already eyeing the guards and the walls.

"We need to get inside," Rose said firmly. "Whatever is happening is happening inside. We need to be there."

"Agreed." The Doctor pulled out his sonic paper with a grim smile. "Time to gate crash. Rose, you're a civilian with information," he said quickly. "Jack and I are undercover in the city."

"Right," Jack agreed. "Let's just please get through this without anyone having to put on a uniform."

"I can't promise that," the Doctor said gently. "Come on; we need to get inside."

Each step across the street felt dangerous. Rose was grateful that her role was as a witness because some nerves made sense for her. The Doctor and Jack seemed completely calm, with both of them pulling out their psychic papers. She really needed to push for one of those of her own. Honestly, she should have pushed years ago on Earth. Would have made a lot of things easier.

The building loomed over her despite only being three stories tall. The knowledge of what it was and the sort of decisions made there added to the scale of it in Rose's mind. At times like this, too much knowledge was a burden. She just felt ill.

"Easy, Rose," Jack said softly. "It's just a building."

"No, it really isn't," Rose answered back.

There was no time for conversation as one of the guards stepped forward to greet them. The war hadn't started yet, wouldn't for another year, but it was clear that the building was still being carefully controlled.

"This woman is being taken in for an interview," the Doctor said calmly. "Marion Schmidt. We were ordered to bring her here." The Doctor showed his psychic paper to the guard.

"You were standing across the street for a while," the guard said, eyeing them all carefully though his eyes kept jumping back to the psychic paper.

Jack showed his identification as well after a glance at the Doctor's. "She's a witness," he explained. "Not a prisoner. She's a bit nervous and needed a moment to calm down."

The guard looked at Rose, his gaze softening a touch. "Are you alright, Frauline?"

"A bit overwhelmed," Rose was able to say honestly. The politeness of the guard threw her. His uniform was one that she hated, and yet he seemed pleasant and wanted to be sure she was alright. It was messing with her head. "But they've been nothing but polite."

"Good," the guard decided. He took a step back and nodded at the stairs. "Go ahead; you know where to go."

They headed up the stairs, and Rose breathed a little easier, trying to relax her posture. Jack opened the door and held it for her as the Doctor led the way in. She gasped softly as they entered. The interior was elegant, with fine marble walls and tiled floors. A map and a receptionist desk were near the door, along with another guard post. The Doctor was already looking around and nodded ahead for them to keep moving. A male officer at the desk looked up at them, but Jack flashed the man his identification, and he said nothing as they headed for the stairs.

"The Monk is upstairs," the Doctor said urgently. "He doesn't care about history; if he's helping this time traveler, then things are about to spiral out of control."

There was no time for further discussion. The Doctor sped up, running ahead of them, using every inch of his long legs to propel himself forward. Jack stayed with Rose, staying silent and with his hand ready to draw his firearm. The Doctor hadn't even scolded him. When they reached the upper floors, Rose noted the lack of guards with worry, but there wasn't time. The Doctor headed for a pair of double doors and pushed them open.

The room was massive, easily six times the size of the flat Rose had grown up in with flags and art hung on the wall. A large desk stood at the far end of the room with a man Rose knew very well from historical videos and photographs standing behind it. Hitler was dressed in his Nazi uniform, his hair neatly styled and his hand raised in a sign of surrender with real fear shining in his eyes. They were looking at the man from the street from behind, but even at this angle, Rose could see that he was holding a firearm on Hitler. And guessing from the smooth metallic with a blue energy source it had, it wasn't from this time period.

The man turned just enough to look their way. Hitler took a chance and dove for the desk, his movement making his attacker whirl back towards him. Rose ran forward, summoning her sword as she moved. The man shifted to point his firearm at her, and a blue energy bolt flashed through the air. Moving her sword, Rose batted the bolt away and smirked at the shock on the man's face.

"Get Hitler!" the Doctor shouted.

Rose dashed forward, ignoring the bile rising in her throat, and grabbed the sleeve of Hitler's uniform, pulling him roughly to the side just before an energy bolt flew by. She brought her sword up and glared at the man holding the weapon while the Monk stood behind him with a scowl. Two men lay unconscious on the ground near the desk with an odd small device, similar to the flash bombs Rose had seen at UNIT near them. The Doctor stopped near the Monk when the man turned the firearm towards him.

"Well, Daniel," the Monk said. "Now you have met the Doctor and his companions. What do you think of them?"

"I think they are protecting a monster," Daniel snapped. He shifted towards the Monk and shifted his arm to pull back the cuff of his jacket without moving his firearm away from the Doctor. A Vortex Manipulator was exposed to their view. The Monk reached down and pressed a button on the Vortex Manipulator, and they vanished with a flash of light.

"Who are you?" Hitler demanded. Rose turned and blinked. The man had retrieved a gun from his desk and was pointing it at her.

There was no time to answer because a moment later, a bolt from an energy weapon hit Hitler and he slumped to the floor. Reaching down, Rose checked his pulse and found it strong. She turned to find Jack with his firearm in hand and a scowl on his face. The Doctor didn't scold him, and Rose kicked the gun out of Hitler's hand, not at all upset when she hit his fingers.