Reiger had associated Carter with a sense of calm, so it was strange seeing him distraught when he emerged from the bunk bed ladder from the tunnel. He watched Carter get into his bunk, and listened to his heavy breathing. A quick look told Reiger that Carter's heart was racing. Something has upset him pretty good, Reiger thought. He stood when Carter was laying in his bunk. "Is everything alright, Carter?"

Carter turned away from Reiger, facing the wall. "Everything's fine."

Reiger sighed. "I am getting the sense that everything is not fine."

"Please, leave me alone."

Respecting his wishes, Reiger went back to sitting at the table.

"Wouldn't want a deer to run in and shove its antlers through your stomach."

Reiger raised an eyebrow, and looked up at Carter. "I beg your pardon?"

"Yeah." Carter shrugged. "Apparently, if I feel threatened, deer come to my rescue."

"I… need a bit more information."

Sighing, Carter turned to face Reiger. "I went out on a walk with Veidt today to talk to him about our mission coming up. We ran into Steichen, and… when Steichen put a gun to my head, I was thinking, 'Someone help me.' Not even a minute later, here comes a deer. Struck Steichen and killed him."

A sudden rush of emotions crashed over Reiger. Relief and disappointment stood out among them. Relief that Steichen was gone and could no longer hurt him, but also disappointment that he wasn't the one who killed him. A deer had that honor. Reiger looked down at his lap. "Good riddance," he muttered.

"I know Steichen was going to have to pay sooner or later, but I don't think it should've been… like that. It was horrible and something about it felt unnatural."

"I feel the same way about my own existence."

Carter paused, looking embarrassed. "Well, I guess that's something we have in common, right?"

"You mentioned to me a few nights ago that you are not a magic user, but you have the ability to sense magic folk."

Carter nodded. "Apparently, people who have my gift often have an animal tied to them. It isn't always the case, but it's very common. I've always had deer tied to me, but…" He stopped, his lower lip quivering and taking on a much more scared expression. "I-I didn't think I was capable of that."

"Did you deliberately summon the deer?"

"No."

"It just came when you were begging for help?"

"Yes." Carter sat up. "I didn't want that happen. It's… a-an unnatural power. It's not something I should be trusted with, not if it's something I can't control."

Reiger stood, resting his hands on the side of the bunk bed. "I suppose that is something that we have in common. You had no control over what that deer would do. I have no control over whether or not I should drink blood."

"I don't want this to be something that could get my friends hurt. That's what I'm most afraid of."

A pang of sympathy drove into Reiger's chest like a spear. "That was why I refused your help at first. I was afraid of hurting you and the rest of Papa Bear's crew." He found himself needing to sit, prompting Carter to come down from his bunk and sit on the one below it to face Reiger.

"At least we found a way to help you," Carter said.

Reiger nodded. "You have helped in many ways, not just managing my need for blood."

There was silence between them for a few moments. Carter sighed, looking down at his lap before returning his gaze to Reiger. "I already questioned once if I was meant to stay here. I don't want to question that again."

"Your gift is a tool, and it is up to you to choose how you use it. Up until yesterday, I did not think I could ever use my abilities for good."

"You have a lot more control over that than I do with mine."

"Trust me, I was terrified when I was given Atkins's blood sample that I would lose control and bite him. Thankfully, that did not happen, and that gave me confidence that I could help people. I cannot do much, but in this place, where supplies are limited, it is better than nothing."

"You're not staying, though."

"I know. I did promise Atkins that when I get to Stalag VII C, I will send iron supplements."

"That shouldn't be too hard. Veidt told me that Westheimer has a guard who's anemic, so he probably has some supplements on hand."

"That is good to know." Reiger smiled a little, but it quickly faded. "I will admit, I feel terrible that many of your pains are because you decided to help me. Veidt would not have been put in a position to revisit his past, and you would not have encountered Steichen in the woods."

"You wouldn't have had a chance to live somewhat normally if we didn't decide to help you. I know it doesn't feel like it now, but this will be worth it in the end."

"I… appreciate that. I hope I do not seem ungrateful."

"You haven't. You've been a wonderful guest."

"Thank you." Reiger adjusted the way he was sitting. "I think you can control your gift. It will not happen overnight, and perhaps it will take an unforeseen trial to prove that you do have the ability to control it."

"I know what has to happen. I have to not panic in a situation like that again."

"What can you be expected to do when a gun is pointed at your head?"

"Hogan's dealt with that several times. I'll never understand how he remains calm whenever that happens."

"He seems to have a gift for controlling a situation."

"Yeah. That doesn't always happen, though." Carter gave a heavy sigh. "You really think I can control my… deer-summoning?"

"I find it incredible that one came to your aid, but I doubt they will come every time you ask for it. I think it is possible that you could 'cry wolf' too many times and they will refuse to help you."

Carter snorted. "It would make things easier if I could just make an army of deer and storm Hochstetter's office."

Reiger grinned. "That would certainly be an interesting spectacle, but you are right; it would make things easier, but life is rarely easy. This is a challenge you have to overcome."

Carter nodded, drawing his legs up and resting his head on my knees. "Both of my parents told me that my entire life, there will be challenges, and how I deal with them is what's going to shape me as a person."

"That is true, and you are not alone in trying to manage to a seemingly impossible challenge. My life is going to be a pretty big challenge for the next…" Reiger shrugged, "one hundred and fifty years."

"Just the fact that you'll still be living while everyone you love grows old and passes away seems like a challenge in of itself."

"It certainly will be, and I do not want to resort to just having them all turn into vampires. If I were to find a woman that I truly love… that is another story. I cannot bear the thought of going on while she passes away." Reiger fell silent for a moment. "I have faith that you will be able to manage this. This is a gift that could be of great benefit not just to you, but also to your friends."

"I feel like it would be too easy to make a mistake with this."

"Possibly, but there is also the possibility that you really are not the one in control of it, and who or whatever is in control of it knows when you are truly in need of help, so it cannot be abused. Now, I would not assume that. I would still exercise caution."

"You think there… might be more to it than we can understand?"

Reiger nodded. "Like with all magic." He gave Carter a curious look. "Have I helped at all?"

"I think you did. Thank you." Carter got out of the bunk. "I should go talk to Hogan about all this. I don't know when we'll be going to Zossen, but—"

"I will have my things ready. Worry about yourselves. I will be alright."

Veidt carefully folded the uniforms of an Obersturmbannführer, an Unterscharführer, and a Rottenführer before putting them in suitcases. He had a staff car ready for the following morning, and Colonel Hogan had sent him a message by raven saying that a truck was ready. The plan was simple—he and Hogan would be in the staff car, and Carter and the others would be in the truck. Kinchloe would use the truck as a base to keep track of radio transmissions in the complex. LeBeau would be with him, also in uniform, keeping watch for anyone approaching the truck. They would have a tarp to cover the radio, and LeBeau was to tell any passerby that Kinchloe was an escaped POW he was guarding until his superiors returned. Inside, Hogan would inform the head of complex that everyone was to be inspected for any trace of magical ability. Once the men were lined up in the halls, Carter and Newkirk would go around with Reiger's new documents, with help from Lieutenant Klostermann, who was a genuine warlock. He would be pulled out of formation for interrogation, but be put back when they were finished and told that it was a "false alarm."

Veidt had faith that Hogan could pull this off, but he was still afraid of his memories creeping up on him and paralyzing him. He stared at the suitcases for a moment, then closed them and set them by the bed. He went into the bathroom, hoping a warm bath would settle his nerves. As he undressed, his mind wandered back to what Steichen had told him earlier. He had already gone back and forth with himself on wondering whether or not what was said was even true, but he was still conflicted as to what to do when the time came for him to tell the truth. Part of him wondered if Kaschel was going to find out regardless. He just hoped it wasn't too soon.

Much like how Hogan kept Klink in charge of Stalag 13, Veidt knew Kaschel very well, and preferred having him in command of the Sorcery Division. He would protect Kaschel if it meant keeping him in command, as it kept more ambitious and destructive officers, like Steichen, from getting power and making it harder for Veidt to do any work for the League of Sorcerers. In some ways, it was crucial to keep Kaschel in power. Even Commandant Westheimer and the rest of the League understood that after observing Kaschel for a few months. They considered him much less dangerous compared to Wahler, but that didn't mean they could mess around with him. He was still dangerous when he directly involved himself with anything. That was one reason Veidt wanted to go alone on the mission to rescue Private Lechner that previous December; he knew how to manipulate Kaschel and keep him out of the way while Veidt did his work.

Veidt shuddered; the manipulation alone would be enough for Kaschel to want to beat him to death. Having seen such spectacles before, he didn't want to be on the receiving end of a beating from Kaschel. It was probably something he wouldn't survive. As he filled the tub with warm water, Veidt figured it would be best that such news be broken when he knew he would be safe from Kaschel retaliating.

A pang of guilt surfaced in Veidt's chest. It was horribly ironic that Kaschel had been genuinely good to him over the last couple of years, but Veidt was the one lying and manipulating him. He knew anyone he talked to would say that his actions were justified. Kaschel was in servitude of the Nazis and needed to be stopped. He had already killed and maimed several people, and ordered the deaths and experimentation on hundreds, if not thousands of others. At the same time, away from work, Kaschel was a completely different person. He was warmer, kinder, gentler. Never once did he treat Veidt like he was beneath him. There were good qualities to Kaschel, and Veidt wanted to see those fostered and flourish. He still had to be punished first. Once he served his time, the healing could begin, and Veidt knew it wasn't going to be a smooth process.

Veidt made himself a cup of tea after getting out of the bath and putting on his nightclothes. He continued to think as he nursed his tea, though he tried to shift his thoughts to the mission tomorrow. He was going to have to spend almost ten hours of the day alone with Colonel Hogan, whom he didn't know very well, at least compared to Carter, on the trip to and from Zossen. It would be a perfect opportunity to get to know the man in charge of the operation at Stalag 13, though there was a part of him that wondered if Hogan was going to keep quiet for the drive. Whichever happened, there was still going to be a lot of quiet time, a lot of time for Veidt to just sit and think. The last thing he wanted was to start second-guessing himself and his ability to perform at his best on this mission.

He went to sleep that night hoping and praying that he would wake up as confident as he could be, but when he did wake up the next morning, he was just as scared and anxious as when he had gone to sleep. After getting dressed, Veidt headed down to the hotel dining room, and had a small breakfast along with a cup of coffee. He didn't see Kaschel anywhere, and wondered if he was even still in Hammelburg. He did say he was going to take care of Steichen's remains yesterday. Veidt kept that in mind as he finished his coffee, then went back up to his room to get the suitcases containing the uniforms.

The weather report in the newspaper that morning said there would be thunderstorms later that day. Veidt just hoped they wouldn't impact the mission at all. He left the hotel with the suitcases, and put them in the back of the staff car. Park about a half-kilometer away from Stalag 13. Go in through the tree stump, Veidt thought, reciting what he and Hogan had discussed the night before. He went over the plan several times as he drove to Stalag 13. Once everything was put in place, he would bring the POWs back to camp, and then take Reiger to Stalag VII C on his motorcycle.

Veidt stopped talking to himself when he parked the staff car. He looked around nervously, making sure no one was around, then disappeared into the woods, making his way to the tree stump tunnel entrance. He was cautious as he approached the stump, keeping an eye on the guards beyond the barbed wire as he opened the stump and slipped inside.

Hogan, his men, and Reiger were gathered around a table, going over Reiger's new documents and comparing them with official ones swiped from Colonel Klink's office. Veidt adjusted his jacket as he entered the room. "Gentlemen," he said, "are you all ready?"

"As ready as we'll ever be," Hogan replied. "All the documents look good. We have a truck ready to go. Do you have the uniforms?"

"And the staff car," Veidt said. "We had better go before someone finds the car."

"Right." Hogan turned to Reiger. "You are not to leave the tunnel unless it's an emergency, understand?"

"Yes, Colonel," Reiger replied. "I wish you luck."

"Thanks. Veidt will come get you when we're done. Make sure you have all your belongings ready to go and don't waste any time getting out of here."

"Colonel… may I at least say goodbye to Atkins?"

"Ask Olsen. He'll be checking up on you every hour."

"Alright. Thank you, Colonel."

"No problem." Hogan looked back at Veidt. "Are you sure you can do this?"

Veidt nodded. "Not a hundred percent sure, but… I am sure." He glanced at Carter. "When we get to the car, I would like to speak to Carter in private."

"Sure. Just don't take too long."

Carter hadn't slept well the night before. His mind constantly swung back to the deer charging Steichen. Every sound and word echoed back in his dreams, almost as if there was a recorder in his brain, playing back on a loop that he couldn't stop.

His conversation with Reiger about overcoming this surfaced, and he released his breath as he followed Hogan and the others out of the tunnel and toward Veidt's waiting staff car. Kinchloe and Newkirk brought the truck and parked it behind the staff car, and each of the men hopped into the back of the truck to get changed into the SS Sorcery Division uniforms.

Once Carter had gotten changed, he got out of the truck to let Newkirk in next, and walked up to Veidt, who was sitting in the driver's seat of the staff car. "You wanted to talk to me, Veidt?"

"I did. I wanted to know how you were doing… after what happened yesterday," Veidt replied.

Carter shrugged. "A bit better, but, much like you, not a hundred percent. I talked with Reiger about it, and he's helped me look at it differently. I do feel somewhat more confident that I can keep this under control. It's still… unnerving, and I do feel responsible for Steichen's death." He gave a nervous laugh. "You know… normally, that would be something to celebrate, but, even though he was dangerous and twisted, it… doesn't feel right."

"I understand what you are trying to say. Celebrating the taking of another human life is not normal and does not make us any better than people like Steichen. You feeling bad about this does not mean you sympathized with Steichen; it just means that despite your situation, you have retained a sense of humanity."

Carter nodded a little. "Thanks. I've been trying to put that into words since yesterday, and you illustrated it perfectly."

Veidt gave him a weak smile. "Not a problem." His smile quickly faded. "I tried convincing Hogan yesterday to let me help you plant the documents, but he needs me to help with the interrogations because… I have experience with it." He looked down at his boots. "There is no turning back from this now. Reiger is no longer in danger from Steichen, but he still needs to be kept safe. Kaschel told me that he is dropping the search, but that does not mean he will not open the case again in the future. Plus, Reiger needs a chance to live normally. I am willing to do this for him, but… I am afraid of what will happen when I am directly confronted with the same situations that I found myself in several years ago."

"I know I told you that I don't think doing this will suddenly turn you back into your previous self."

"Frankly, I do not know what I am worried about at this point. I just… never wanted to revisit this. I already do every night and it is something that I am trying to escape."

Carter thought back to yesterday, when Veidt had them both "play pretend" when Steichen approached them. He couldn't think of many people that he would trust to put a loaded gun with its safety off to his head. There was Hogan, obviously, Newkirk, Kinchloe, LeBeau, and Veidt. "If you're worried about… whether or not you've changed, keep this in mind—you put a gun to my head yesterday and I trusted you the whole time that you wouldn't accidentally pull the trigger. I mean, I know that would've been impossible with how heavy that damn trigger is, but… with Steichen there, it didn't exactly help either of our nerves."

Veidt was quiet for a moment, but the look on his face told Carter that he was taking that to heart. "You know, I never brought this up yesterday because of what happened to Steichen, but I was absolutely terrified that I was going to accidentally shoot you, even though I knew it was impossible." He gave a nervous laugh of his own, and Carter could see tears in his eyes.

"Well, neither of us got hurt. That's all that matters. No matter what happens in Maybach, I will always trust you." Carter held out his hand.

"That… means a lot to me, Carter." Veidt took his hand, squeezing it. He sighed as he let go. "You had best get in the truck. Good luck."

"Thanks. Good luck to you, too." Carter glanced over his shoulder at Veidt once last time before jogging to the truck, getting in the passenger seat next to Newkirk.

"You really think he can pull this off?" Newkirk said, starting the truck after Hogan got in the staff car ahead of them.

"Who, Veidt?"

"Yeah. We're basically forcing him to confront his demons head-on."

"We're not 'forcing' him," Carter replied. "He's coming with us on his own terms. I do think he can do this."

"He looked more scared than a cornered rabbit."

"He can do it. Have faith in him. It'll help."

Newkirk nodded, but also sighed. "Alright. If you have faith in him, I will, too."

"Thanks."

It was nearly the middle of the day, but the sky darkened as the edges of a sizable thunderstorm started to roll in. Veidt let out a heavy and anxious breath as he continued driving, a quiet and stoic Hogan in the seat next to him. They hadn't spoken much since the trip began, and it left Veidt to spend much of the drive in his own head, a place he didn't want to be. No amount of silent begging could get his stomach to stop turning and his heart to slow down.

As they drew closer to Zossen, Veidt forced himself to take on a much calmer expression. It was coming time to play pretend again, but this time was going to be much different than all the times he had to over the last two years.

The two vehicles parked close to a checkpoint station. Just beyond it, buildings made to resemble German civilian houses lined a road, made to prevent any Allied bombers from thinking this was indeed the place of a series of huge bunkers that housed all the information the Oberkommando der Heer needed to function. Veidt had never been inside Maybach I, but he knew it was a big complex, and that their only hope of getting Reiger's documents planted was Lieutenant Klostermann, who was expecting them to arrive any minute.

The two Heer soldiers at the checkpoint looked nervous at the sight of the pitch-black uniforms emerging from the staff car and truck. Veidt followed close behind Hogan, who told the two soldiers that he was "Obersturmbannführer Hoganmeyer," and that he was on assignment to inspect the staff of Maybach I for magic users. After showing the two men his fake credentials, Hogan and the others were let inside.

The halls and tunnels of Maybach I were tight and narrow. Veidt wouldn't be surprised if the walls were thicker than the halls were wide. He had been in bunkers similar to this before, but this was a different occasion. He found it hard to breathe and hard to focus.

There were high-level army officers present in the complex, but they were situated far away from where Hogan and his men were operating, and Hogan made it clear that he wanted to inspect the staff, not the visitors. Hogan was very in-character, shouting at the Heer officers when they questioned why they weren't alerted to this, telling them that the Sorcery Division's work was just as important to theirs, and that he would go directly to Kaschel and Himmler himself if his orders weren't followed. It was the exact opposite of how Kaschel had conducted his inspections, and a more exaggerated way than how Wahler had done his. Kaschel's persuasion lay in his stoicism, what he didn't say. He made people fear him using his height, but he also kept his word and refused to use violence against someone who wasn't cooperating, as he found it was a waste of time and resources. Wahler's lay in his ability to convince others that his work with magic was not just for the betterment of Germany, but for the whole of humanity. He preyed on people's basic desire to end the conflict.

Hogan had clearly dealt with far too many high-strung officers, as his mannerisms were terrifying in that they seemed unpredictable. The shouting and threatening did get the officers in charge of the complex to do his bidding, putting out an announcement over the loudspeaker system that all staff were to line up outside their offices and general workspaces.

Veidt kept a blank expression as a strong twisting sensation gripped his stomach. All of this was too familiar. He wanted to pinch himself, make himself wake up. His heart started beating faster and he felt an urge to hyperventilate and throw up all at the same time. This is all a bad dream. Wake up. Wake up!

Officers and enlisted men were lining up in the hallways. "What is going on, sir?" a young corporal whispered to the lieutenant next to him.

"Quiet. They are looking for magic folk," the lieutenant whispered back.

"But… there are no magic folk here, sir."

"They could be hiding among us. The Sorcery Division is here to find them."

The corporal glanced up at Veidt, whose heart broke at seeing the nervous expression on his face. He couldn't have been much older than 20. Be thankful this is not a real inspection, Veidt thought. This boy thinks it is real, though, and you cannot reassure him that everything will be alright! You are doing nothing while these men suffer thinking that you are going to rip them away from their families! Nothing! You are doing nothing, you monster! You have not changed a bit!

Veidt struggled to hold himself together as he and Hogan went up and down the long line of soldiers. Some of them did truly look frightened, and he could hear whisperings of, "I am not a warlock," or "I am not a Conjurus."

Hogan stayed in-character, occasionally barking at a slouching man to make him stand straight, or pausing to inspect a soldier who had brighter blue eyes than the others. A private looked as though he was going to break down in tears while his neck was being felt for a colder pulse.

"You are normal. Stop crying," Hogan said. He and Veidt moved on, eventually stopping in front of a lieutenant with reddish-blond hair. Veidt gave Hogan a nod when he recognized the lieutenant as Klostermann, and Hogan said to the man, "There is something curious about you, Lieutenant."

"I am as ordinary as they come, Obersturmbannführer," Klostermann replied.

"Prove it." Hogan beckoned for Newkirk and Carter to come over. "You will be spending some quality time with my men."

The two disguised POWs took Klostermann's arms and dragged him off to a room at the end of the hall. Several men in the line looked scared for Klostermann as he was pulled away, but they immediately stood back up straight when Hogan glared at them.

Despite knowing what was actually going to happen to Klostermann, Veidt couldn't take it anymore, but he didn't want to break in front of the Maybach I staff or Hogan, so he took Hogan aside and whispered, "I need to use a restroom."

Hogan whispered back, "Be quick about it. We need to stall as long as we can."

"That should not be a problem." Veidt wasn't sure if that was true or not. He made his way down the hall, avoiding looking into the eyes of the lined-up soldiers. When he got to a restroom, which was a collection of wooden stalls surrounding a tiny space with a toilet at the center, he closed the door behind him, and collapsed in front of the toilet. His strength felt like it was being emptied along with his stomach as he was violently ill. Like his breakfast, his confidence was gone.

When he finished, Veidt shakily moved to sit against the stall walls. Tears were streaming down his face, and the words, What am I doing? Why am I doing it? echoed in his mind as he continued to wonder if this was all just another nightmare.

It is not a nightmare. You really are living this, Veidt thought. You can get through this. It is all pretend… That does not matter! You are hurting people out there!

Part of him started wishing he was as good an actor as Hogan, but then he realized what that would entail. He would have to behave in a manner similar to how he did when he was loyal to the SS. He would have to wear that disgustingly smug smile, act like he truly believed the claims that the work of the Sorcery Division was going to benefit everyone, act like he cared not for the terrified expressions on the faces of the men he was interrogating. He could see the face of the man he once was, the face of a man who had no idea what was ahead of him, and he hated him.

Carter's words before they left came back to him. "No matter what happens in Maybach, I will always trust you."

Veidt nodded, as if Carter was presently speaking to him in person. Carter is counting on me. Hogan is counting on me. Reiger is counting on me. I have to do this. I do not have to act just like Hogan, but I have to keep up the charade. Veidt braced himself against the wall as he stood back up on shaky legs. He left the stall and attempted to wash out the acidic taste from his mouth at the sink. He looked at himself in the mirror. In his eyes, he could still see his demons, and he could hear himself screaming inside that he would never forgive himself, but he could also see a faint little glimmer of hope.

Taking a deep breath, Veidt dried his hands on a paper towel, and headed back out into the hallway.