CHAPTER SIX
They came from Greece, Serbia, Croatia, Poland, Russia, or rather they had fled from those areas from Hitler's War Machine. The Hercules Project now had one hundred and twenty couples. The medical staff was ever busy administering the tests, taking blood samples, comparing pictures against those of medieval and earlier times, and seeing the face of some in the portraits painted by the early Renaissance and Romantic masters. The priest was very busy performing marriages for so many couples, some who objected as not being Roman Catholics so the MI-5 persuaded a local reverend to perform the Protestant ceremonies.
To avoid detection by outside forces, they had the patients referred by their first name plus the numerical representation of their country of origin. If the husband and wife were of different countries, for instance, The Netherlands and Germany, they were Mr. and Mrs. 137. Major Southam kept the passports, marriage, and birth certificates in a safe which he would hand back to them when the assignment was completed.
However, the patients referred to themselves by their first names.
The MI5 set up a block of flats, interconnecting each room with a large room that they maintained as a maternity ward and laboratory. They employed various doctors skilled in infertility treatments, chemists, recruited from Oxford and Cambridge and other universities, ordering them to maintain strict confidentiality. After determining the ovulation times of the women, the scientists put the women to sleep, inserting a cup into the vagina to receive the sperm.
When the women made love to their husbands, the laboratory introduced a sleeping gas into their rooms, removed the cup, took out the damaged and broken sperm, and inserted the slow moving and regular sperm back into the women. The scientists did strict controls and the penalties were severe so there was never a mix up.
They had been working since the beginning of the war until well into December. The couples were getting rather edgy, longing for the traditions of whatever traditions their native land held. However, the War effort required sacrifices.
"How's it coming along?" asked Southam peering over one of the microscopes as one of the scientist prepared a slide.
"One almost, most not quite. We have to vary our methods," he replied.
"As long as they are unaware. The cups were inserted far enough so there's no damage, correct?"
"Sir, we must remove the sperm at the exact time. We've been doing this for over three months. Christmas is but a day away and people are getting anxious."
"Keep it up. Oh and give everyone a holiday. I suppose having a normal child would help things for some."
On the month of August 1940 and several babies were born, normal, not the kinds to fight Hitler's Aryan youth. That effort appeared doomed to failure. Meanwhile another tragedy ensued. Alfred Carmichael's wife died, her child also with her.
"Sir," said Southam's aide, "you said that Carmichael wanted to volunteer."
The Major hesitated. "It's too soon. We have to find if these mothers are ready to try again. You realize that the Serbian couple opted out of the program and are going back to fight the Nazis their own way."
"It's too bad, but at least we got the others. So what's on the agenda, sir?"
"We wait and see if one of the women becomes free. We've had quite a few bomb raids recently and some of the men volunteered to help out in the brigade."
However, none of the men died in an explosion, none hit by a Spitfire, nor did any Nazi spy slit their throat with a knife and still no babies were born of the type suitable for the Hercules Project.
They had tried everything they could think of, varying the proportions of sperm, the temperature in the rooms, asking the ladies to keep their legs up with pillows underneath their buttocks with no success. Something was wrong and no one knew what it was.
By now it was well into 1942.
"What about the dates, sister?" asked Southam asked a nurse.
"We used the scientific method which should be successful over the rhythm method. We asked their husbands to make love once a month, twice a month, once a week, every two days, but no matter how much, the only babies that were born were those in August."
Something was not right. "What about the couple who bore that little girl who died? I recall there was something about him, something that doctor said back in MI-5, but I do not know what it was."
"The child died and so did the other one they had, sir."
Southam rushed to his black book and after finding the address, got on the telephone. "This is Major Southam. Is Dr. Halbert there? Oh Dr. Halbert, you worked with Dr. Forsythe on a difficult pregnancy. No, a young couple who had a baby girl who died and a previous death, the first rather early. You said they had an unusual low sperm count. No, I'll get Dr. Forsythe to call you back."
An hour later, Forsythe having finished examining another patient, got on the telephone. "Cedric old chap, I'd like the dates that the couple tried out, the one where they succeeded. I'd also like an itinerary of what activities they did, how much bed rest, how long it lasted. Thank you." He hung up the telephone. "At least, the children will be born."
"But will they be born alive?" asked the Major. e hyu
They came from Greece, Serbia, Croatia, Poland, Russia, or rather they had fled from those areas from Hitler's War Machine. The Hercules Project now had one hundred and twenty couples. The medical staff was ever busy administering the tests, taking blood samples, comparing pictures against those of medieval and earlier times, and seeing the face of some in the portraits painted by the early Renaissance and Romantic masters. The priest was very busy performing marriages for so many couples, some who objected as not being Roman Catholics so the MI-5 persuaded a local reverend to perform the Protestant ceremonies.
To avoid detection by outside forces, they had the patients referred by their first name plus the numerical representation of their country of origin. If the husband and wife were of different countries, for instance, The Netherlands and Germany, they were Mr. and Mrs. 137. Major Southam kept the passports, marriage, and birth certificates in a safe which he would hand back to them when the assignment was completed.
However, the patients referred to themselves by their first names.
The MI5 set up a block of flats, interconnecting each room with a large room that they maintained as a maternity ward and laboratory. They employed various doctors skilled in infertility treatments, chemists, recruited from Oxford and Cambridge and other universities, ordering them to maintain strict confidentiality. After determining the ovulation times of the women, the scientists put the women to sleep, inserting a cup into the vagina to receive the sperm.
When the women made love to their husbands, the laboratory introduced a sleeping gas into their rooms, removed the cup, took out the damaged and broken sperm, and inserted the slow moving and regular sperm back into the women. The scientists did strict controls and the penalties were severe so there was never a mix up.
They had been working since the beginning of the war until well into December. The couples were getting rather edgy, longing for the traditions of whatever traditions their native land held. However, the War effort required sacrifices.
"How's it coming along?" asked Southam peering over one of the microscopes as one of the scientist prepared a slide.
"One almost, most not quite. We have to vary our methods," he replied.
"As long as they are unaware. The cups were inserted far enough so there's no damage, correct?"
"Sir, we must remove the sperm at the exact time. We've been doing this for over three months. Christmas is but a day away and people are getting anxious."
"Keep it up. Oh and give everyone a holiday. I suppose having a normal child would help things for some."
On the month of August 1940 and several babies were born, normal, not the kinds to fight Hitler's Aryan youth. That effort appeared doomed to failure. Meanwhile another tragedy ensued. Alfred Carmichael's wife died, her child also with her.
"Sir," said Southam's aide, "you said that Carmichael wanted to volunteer."
The Major hesitated. "It's too soon. We have to find if these mothers are ready to try again. You realize that the Serbian couple opted out of the program and are going back to fight the Nazis their own way."
"It's too bad, but at least we got the others. So what's on the agenda, sir?"
"We wait and see if one of the women becomes free. We've had quite a few bomb raids recently and some of the men volunteered to help out in the brigade."
However, none of the men died in an explosion, none hit by a Spitfire, nor did any Nazi spy slit their throat with a knife and still no babies were born of the type suitable for the Hercules Project.
They had tried everything they could think of, varying the proportions of sperm, the temperature in the rooms, asking the ladies to keep their legs up with pillows underneath their buttocks with no success. Something was wrong and no one knew what it was.
By now it was well into 1942.
"What about the dates, sister?" asked Southam asked a nurse.
"We used the scientific method which should be successful over the rhythm method. We asked their husbands to make love once a month, twice a month, once a week, every two days, but no matter how much, the only babies that were born were those in August."
Something was not right. "What about the couple who bore that little girl who died? I recall there was something about him, something that doctor said back in MI-5, but I do not know what it was."
"The child died and so did the other one they had, sir."
Southam rushed to his black book and after finding the address, got on the telephone. "This is Major Southam. Is Dr. Halbert there? Oh Dr. Halbert, you worked with Dr. Forsythe on a difficult pregnancy. No, a young couple who had a baby girl who died and a previous death, the first rather early. You said they had an unusual low sperm count. No, I'll get Dr. Forsythe to call you back."
An hour later, Forsythe having finished examining another patient, got on the telephone. "Cedric old chap, I'd like the dates that the couple tried out, the one where they succeeded. I'd also like an itinerary of what activities they did, how much bed rest, how long it lasted. Thank you." He hung up the telephone. "At least, the children will be born."
"But will they be born alive?" asked the Major. e hyu