Far from anything that still mattered in the Reich General Sankt sat at his desk planning how to pull this whole mess out of the flames. He could not bring himself to sleep yet, not with the foul mood that had taken hold of him. Looking over the maps and reports in front of him Sankt was trying to decide how to best use his discovery. To the west there were the British and Americans with all of their planes and ships. In the east the Soviet juggernaut continued to inexorably roll towards Germany. Italy was a shattered corpse propped up by Wehrmacht blood and steel and Japan was not only on the far side of the Earth but also under siege by the Americans. The numbers hardly concerned him. No amount of men, planes or tanks would be able to stand against what he would unleash. Soon enough the Allies would be brought to heel. There was only the question of how that day could be reached even faster.
A damnable chill had worked its way into the room. Perhaps past the heavy curtains over the windows or through the gaps in the baseboards. Little care and effort had gone into the construction of these buildings, they let wind and moisture in all too easily. Wherever the draft was coming from it served as an uncomfortable reminder of the many insults that had been dealt to Sankt in the last few years. Not long ago there had been over a dozen facilities at his disposal with hundreds of the brightest minds available staffing them. Now he had a single run down camp manned by the dregs he had managed to keep hold of. All working on not only the salvation of Germany but the future of mankind as a whole.
Sankt just needed a little more time. First to remove the leaders of the Reich and their accursed lack of vision, then to destroy all of Germany's enemies. He had the tools that he needed to do both. Closing his eyes for a moment Sankt envisioned how glorious it would be. Once he was in charge his former colleagues would come crawling to him begging for whatever scraps of relevance he would give them in his new order. His name would be elevated above even Hindenburg and Bismark in the annals of German history. All he needed was just a few weeks more to put his plans into action. Then the whole world would see the fruits of his genius.
Lost in his fantasies of revenge Sankt failed to notice the sound of engines breaking the silence of the night. Engines for more vehicles than were present in the entire camp. Neither did he hear the front door of the building opening or the echo of footsteps down the hallway. Only after the door to his office was thrown open did Sankt snap back to reality. There he found himself facing a wall of heavily armed men, none of whom he recognized. It was an unwelcome realization in a camp that was supposed to be a complete secret from all outsiders.
One man calmly stepped forward out of the group, smiling slightly as he met Sankt's shocked gaze. Some lower officer, a colonel it looked like, one so lacking in manners and decorum that he did not bother to introduce himself. Before Sankt was able to issue a suitable reprimand the Colonel began to speak.
"Something strange happened in Dresden the other day. A woman was reported to be searching for her husband, to see if he was still alive. Now that wasn't the strange thing, given the circumstances that is sadly a common sight these days. What was strange about the whole incident was that this woman was said to be near nine feet tall."
The man's tone might as well have been describing a trip down to the local market yet Sankt felt as though he had been struck. There was only one woman in the world who could have matched that description, vague as it was. Of all the stupid, asinine things that could have brought down the veil of secrecy that he had so carefully built up it had to be that idiot girl Klaudia and her childish demands. He had told her that the chances of her husband being among the dead in Dresden were slim, on top of the fact that the man had been half dead already. Klaudia had hardly appreciated either sentiment. There were still bruises around his neck from where she had grabbed him and Sankt knew that he was lucky she had not wrenched his head off in her anger.
"Of course the officials there were a bit incredulous of these reports at first. After all no one was able to produce this giant woman for inspection. But after a few reports they began digging a bit. They found that there had indeed been a woman named Klaudia Hoch who had lived in Dresden and that she had indeed had a husband convalescing in a hospital in the city. Now no one had seen her for nearly a year and a half, ever since she had been recruited for some project, but those who remembered her all agreed that she had been utterly normal prior to her disappearance."
Maintaining his composure as the Colonel droned on was becoming ever more taxing on Sankt. Already his mind was working on how to regain control of the situation. Yet none of his options were particularly promising. Some of the rank and file among his ubermensch would side with him but he feared that the majority would slip back into comfortable servitude to the government. Of the most powerful the two available to him both presented risks. Werner was in agreement that Hitler needed to be removed but also whined on incessantly about the importance of 'maintaining stability,' whatever that meant. Markus was an incompetent bootlicker but was also so thoroughly indoctrinated that Sankt doubted that the boy could even speak against Hitler, much less rise up against him.
"Without being able to question the woman herself and without any clue as to what she had been involved with the officials in Dresden made the decision to pass along what they knew to Berlin. Now luckily they were able to convince the first person that they reported to in the capital that it was indeed a serious inquiry. So he passed it along up the chain of command until it finally reached the desk of someone who happened to be familiar with the hitherto nameless project that Mrs Hoch had been part of," The Colonel's voice changed tone suddenly, into what Sankt recognized as a mocking imitation of his own. Raising one arm as if making a toast the Colonel continued."Gentlemen, Projekt U represents not only the future of warfare but the future of humanity itself. What we will create will provide more than just victory in this war but also a means to secure the supremacy of Germany and its people forevermore."
Those words brought Sankt's attention back to the man across the desk from him. They had been part of a speech he had given to a select circle of military and party officials after he had initially secured Hitler's support. In those days Sankt had been respected and even admired for his genius and daring in undertaking such an endeavour. Before the cowardice of lesser men had brought him low.
"You don't remember me, do you General? It hardly matters as I remember you and the promises you made very well. I also remember the considerable amount of resources and manpower that were made available to you. How it was never enough, even when you had made no discernible progress towards your goals. And how in the end, after everything, all you had to show for it was a few men dying as they bled from their eyes. At which point your Catalyst might have at least made for a decent chemical weapon if it didn't degrade within minutes of contacting the open air."
Finally Sankt was able to recognize the Colonel's face, even if the man's name continued to escape him. It was an unpleasant reminder of the worst day of his life. With the High Command breathing down his neck to show something for all of his efforts Sankt had arranged for the activation of several ubermensch to be observed. This Colonel had been one of those present. Sankt had been assured by his researchers that the difficulties in processing the Catalyst had been overcome. Something that had been proven wrong when each test subject died, taking with them Sankt's dignity and standing within the military. What had come after still made him seethe.
"We were prepared at that point to dismantle your little sideshow and court-martial you for being such an impediment to the war effort. But the Leader stepped in personally to let you keep your rank and this camp. A small gesture of goodwill to allow you to spend the rest of your career in peaceful obscurity. Until now, of course."
The pissant standing before him could hardly understand. Sankt had always been loyal to Hitler, even from the early days when being a member of the Nazi party had been detrimental to one's military career. When he had found the Codex and the crude translations of the first vital pages that loyalty had gained Sankt control over one of the largest weapon programs in all the Reich. He had truly believed that Hitler understood his vision of the future. Then the war had started to turn and the pressure to produce something of use steadily increased. Hitler had become ever more derisive, until that last meeting where Sankt had been forced to get down on his knees to beg Hitler to leave him some resources. That had been the moment when Sankt realized that once he was successful he needed to ensure that his new weapons were not wasted by his superiors. Ultimately Hitler and his ilk would have to be removed for Germany to flourish.
"So now we have not only this report out of Dresden but also another from near Pforzheim. Almost an entire Allied bombing force destroyed by a storm of light. Add in the rather large fellows you had guarding the door and I would say that you have been hiding something from us, haven't you?"
As shocked as Sankt was it still only took a moment for his mind to catch up.
"Colonel, while this story that you have woven together is certain to entertain those who enjoy such sordid tales I can assure you that it is far from the truth. If you would allow me to explain-" Sankt began to work his charm, suppressing the rage in his belly, until the Colonel held up a hand to stop him.
"It is not I you need to convince, but rather the Leader. He made it clear that if it appeared that you had been successful in your efforts you were to be brought before him immediately," Waving a few of his men forward the Colonel bowed his head to Sankt in a mocking nod. "I am certain that after all this time out here in the wilderness a trip to Berlin will do wonders for your health. Things here will be in good hands, you needn't worry about that."
As the men picked him up by his sleeves and pulled him from his chair Sankt's mouth worked wordlessly. He made some effort to try and regain his feet but it became clear that he was to be dragged from his own office. Passing the guards out front Sankt saw them look away, both the normal men and the ubermensch. Ungrateful bastards. This display was meant to signal to everyone in the camp that not only was he not in charge anymore but that things were to change drastically.
At the waiting car outside the men escorting him allowed Sankt to stand long enough for them to relieve him of his pistol and knife, before then cramming him into the back seat between two men who could have passed for exhibits in a zoo. Sankt did not even attempt to speak to them. It would not be worth the effort. Instead he focused on what would be waiting for him in Berlin. If he could drive a wedge between Hitler and some of the others there might be enough room for him to regain control. Hopefully Werner and the few in the project that knew Sankt's ultimate designs would be intelligent enough to work towards securing his freedom without his direction.
Driving through the cold night the darkness was broken every now and then by the headlights of trucks heading towards the camp. Only a few at first but more and more the further north they went. Soon enough Germany would realize the treasure that Sankt had discovered. The rest of the world would know shortly after, much to their despair.
It was moments like this that made Werner wonder if he would have been better off staying dead. Being dead had been simple, just lay down and embrace the darkness. No more pain, no more war, no more anything. Yet he had chosen life in the end, forcing himself up out of the eastern mud and making the long journey home. He did not regret that choice even after everything that had happened since. Here in the safety of solitude Werner allowed himself to indulge in the fantasy of what might have been. There was no harm in it so long as one remembered what was real. Though that had become increasingly difficult these days. Simply looking around was enough to remind him of how much things had changed.
Werner was seated with his legs crossed on the floor of a small room. It was sparsely furnished, like almost all the others in the camp, with a plain table in the centre and a few chairs. The furnishings were not what reminded Werner of reality but rather that he could comfortably rest his arms on the top of the table. He was tall enough now that even seated on the floor he could almost look someone straight in the eye. That was just scratching the surface of what he had become. Strong enough to shatter steel with a single blow, tough enough that bullets could not even mark his skin and then there was the terrifying destructive power of the energy field that they called the halo. It had been years ago that Werner had first heard the term 'wonder weapon.' Never in he wildest dreams did he ever think that he would become one.
Part of Werner was glad that this room had been picked for the interview rather than one of the larger ones. The cramped interior reminded him of the inside of a tank. Closing his eyes he could hear the roar of the engines, smell the sweat and oil. Comforting to remember the feeling of riding around shrouded in tonnes of steel. Sobering to remember that such feelings of safety were ultimately illusory. Men who did failed to remain wary, who felt invincible as they rode across the battlefield, usually ended up dead from an enemy they had never even seen. No matter how powerful he had become Werner could not, would not, allow himself to become complacent.
He could hear footsteps approaching. Rising Werner stood at attention, his head barely a foot from the ceiling. In these last few seconds he took a quick look to make sure that his medals were still pinned on straight. How much they would count for anything here was hard to say, but they might help provide the edge that he needed.
A single man entered the room. Older than Werner, old enough for his hair to have started to turn grey. His rank marked the man a colonel. Dutifully Werner saluted the officer, holding position as the man inspected him.
The seconds seemed to stretch on forever with the Colonel looking up at Werner and Werner trying to appear as calm as he could. Never before had he been so thankful that some oddity of the process had rendered him unable to sweat. Otherwise Werner felt that his shirt would have been soaked through. Finally the colonel seated himself and motioned for Werner to do the same.
"Good evening Unteroffizier Frei. I am Colonel Hagen. As I am certain that you have heard by now I am here on behalf of the High Command and the Leader to investigate the success of General Sankt's efforts. A success which has been unknown to us until tonight." The Colonel spoke as he laid out a few pieces of paper in front of himself. With his enhanced vision Werner could make out some of what was written on them. Service records for the most part, all doctored. Even Sankt would not have been foolish enough to write down any of what he knew about Werner's true past.
"I will assist you however I can sir." Werner spoke carefully. There was a certain image he wanted to project here. Polite but without appearing servile. Intelligent while avoiding the taint of subversiveness. If he managed to walk that tightrope then the rest should be simple. He had lied enough over the course of his life to become rather good at it, though he was never comfortable with it. The stakes here were higher than they had ever been before.
"Good, good. No less than I would expect from a soldier of your calibre. Served with distinction in the Ukraine and Russia in the war against the Bolsheviks. Fought valiantly at Kursk, saving the lives of many men in the process," Colonel Hagen read from the file, looking up at Werner's Iron Cross after the last part. Clapping his hands together and leaning back Hagen continued in a conciliatory tone. "Your loyalty to the Reich is not in question here. Just that of your commanding officer."
If only the man knew the truth of it. More than anyone else in the project Werner was twisted up in Sankt's schemes. By the time that he had realized that Sankt was every bit a fool as Hitler it had been too late to change course. Now he had to ride things out and see how they went.
"Sankt's idiocy in hiding your existence has led to a great deal of hardship. The last few months have taken quite a toll on the Wehrmacht," Frustration flashed across Hagen's face as he described how the war was going. "Though we cannot undo what has been done we can look to the future. So I would like to hear your thoughts on the Ubermensch project, as a soldier who lived through it. Will this be enough to win the war?"
"Our victory is now inevitable sir," Werner said with confidence. This at least he knew to be true. As Hagen leaned forward expectantly Werner explained further. "Not just victory over the Bolsheviks or the British but the Americans and anyone else who stands to face us. It will not be instantaneous but I would think that in no less than a year we should be able to end all resistance."
Such a statement must have seemed boastful as Hagen sat there in silence for some time. Finally he pulled out a map from his papers and began to motion over it.
"In the east the Soviets have broken through Poland and now threaten to encroach upon Danzig and Berlin. Romanian treachery has cut us off from their oil and the Red Army has advanced far enough into Hungary to risk those supplies as well. On the western front the Americans and British defeated our attempt to break out and recapture Antwerp. Fuel reserves are almost nonexistent, the airforce is a shadow of itself, the navy a bunch of half finished hulls. Only the Army still stands defiant but we are outnumbered. Given this information do you wish to change your assessment?"
"No sir," In the light of the situation it was hard to understand how victory could be achieved when even survival seemed impossible. Unless you had seen what Werner had. "The basic panzermensch can do everything a tank can and even more. Better accuracy, better manoeuvrability. All they need are solid rest periods and rations. As for myself and the other Battleships, we have not had a chance to test our full abilities but they should be much greater."
"Battleships," Hagen muttered to himself, shaking his head. Werner could not fault him for that. The names that had been chosen for them were grandiose if they were anything. "Any idea as to how much greater?"
"A panzermensch takes three Catalyst treatments to make. Klaudia, Markus and I have all had twenty-five treatments. In more concrete terms, if a panzermensch punches a tank his fist will go clean through the steel. If he punches me he gets a bruised fist and I barely feel a thing." It was the truth, Werner knew from experience. Sankt had always had intentions of much grander tests of the full extent of their abilities but the limited funds and space had prevented those from occurring.
"A shame there are only the two of you here." Hagen mused as he stroked his chin, obviously now seriously considering that the course of the war might be reversed by a handful of individuals. It was the way he said it that worried Werner.
"Sir, has something happened to Klaudia?" Again he had to phrase it just so. Werner did not want to appear too concerned but over the time they had spent together he had become fond of Klaudia. Certainly more so than the third Battleship. Having to spend time with Markus was the only thing that made Werner regret that he was no longer capable of getting drunk.
"We suspect that she was behind the destruction of an Allied bombing mission north of here hours ago. As of now we are unsure of where exactly she is," Hagen looked at Werner closely. "You two are close, I take it?"
"Just as friends," The insinuation in Hagen's words was obvious and Werner wondered what Klaudia would have made of it. Nothing good, he suspected. "I know that Klaudia went to Dresden to find out if her husband was still alive, do you happen to know...?"
"From what information we have it would appear that the hospital that Leon Hoch was a patient at was indeed burned during the bombings. Records are hard to come by but there is no indication that he survived."
"I see," Werner purposefully took a long pause before speaking again. "Given the situation it might be prudent if I am one of the first to speak with her once she is found. Klaudia can be temperamental and with her strength it would be best if I have a chance to calm her down. If that is at all possible, sir."
"A noble request, one that I will see if we can accommodate."
Hagen shuffled through his papers once more, making it clear that he wished to move onto further questions. As hard as he tried to focus on the meeting Werner was distracted by thoughts of what Klaudia might be doing.
Just make it back in one piece my friend. For all of our sakes.
"Shit, you got a lighter on you Willy? I must have left mine back at the barracks." Hans asked his fellow guard, still searching hopefully through his own pockets with one hand while holding his depressingly unlit cigarette in the other.
"No. Why don't you go in there and see if she has a light?" Wilhelm jerked his head to the doorway behind them with a smirk. Hans grimaced as he shook his head.
"That bitch looked about ready to take my head off when we went in earlier. I'll just do without," Looking up from his search Hans saw a particularly tall man approaching. "Dammit, looks like one of those panzer-things. Stay sharp."
Things were rough enough that they had been dragged out here to the mountains in the middle of the night to take over guarding this camp. That it was full of seven foot tall super soldiers was just the kind of surprise that Hans had wanted waiting for him. At least this one was not one of the two even larger men that had been shown off earlier. The dark haired man crossed the distance to the building that they were guarding in little time. Reaching them he said with a broad smile, "Good evening gentlemen, or would good morning be more accurate now? Its been quite a night for all of us. I just need to get into the labs."
"I'm sorry sir, they have been locked down on Colonel Hagen's order." Hans responded cautiously. Not just because the man outranked him but from what he had seen in the few hours since they had arrived at this god-forsaken corner of nowhere these living wonder weapons were capable of incredible things.
"Ah, what am I thinking! The Colonel has requested that an inventory be taken of everything we have on hand at the moment," The tall man tapped his forehead and turned the clipboard he was carrying towards Hans, who could make out Colonel Hagen's signature on it. Then he motioned to Hans's still unlit cigarette. "Need a light?"
Before Hans could respond light erupted from the other man's eyes, forming a twisting halo of around his head. Looking down at his cigarette Hans watched sparks form around the tip, setting it alight. It was all he could do to avoid dropping it. Beside him Wilhelm let out a shocked swear.
"I will not be too long, you both make sure to keep warm out here." The dark haired man clapped Hans on the shoulder as he passed through the door into the lab.
Inside he made his way into the first room on the left, flicking the lights on and checking that no one else was present. Seeing that he was clear the panzermensch let out a long breath as he turned on the taps, splashing some of the ice cold water onto his face. This was the second time in under a year that Lupin's whole world had been turned upside down and he was handling it a poorly as the first. Having recovered some his nerves Lupin made his way out to the first storeroom, ticking off the canisters of chemicals from his list. He knew perfectly well what was present but he had needed an excuse to get into the labs. Now that he was here there was no harm in making sure that everything was indeed accurate.
There was a light on in one of the rooms further down the hallway. As Lupin approached he could smell cigarette smoke coming from within, an almost sure sign that the person he was looking for was here. Out of all the researchers at the camp there was only one who was comfortable smoking in the presence of the unstable chemicals used in Catalyst production. Her quarters had been empty, which meant that she was either here or had already fled. It was the sad state of affairs he found himself in that Lupin had almost hoped for the latter to be true.
Opening the door Lupin could see that he had indeed found his quarry. After the project's funding had largely dried up there had been three types of scientists that had stayed on. First were the true believers, the ones who were completely convinced that Sankt had uncovered some kind of miracle. Next were the cranks, whose unorthodox ideas and methods afforded them little opportunity in regular research. Finally there was Doctor Freya Bergen. A Norwegian Nazi sympathizer, the chemist had worked at one of the project's satellite camps when they were still in operation. No one seemed willing to say just what the doctor had done there but she had a particularly chilling reputation. The look that the petite blonde gave Lupin over the top of her glasses was a good reminder of just why most people at the camp avoided interacting with her unless they absolutely had to.
"You took longer than I expected." Was all that Bergen said before returning her attention to the paperwork on her desk. She was ever the master of the cutting understatement.
"Well I'm sorry but it took time to convince the man in charge of this lot to let me in here. We need to figure something out. They aren't very organized at the moment but give them a few days and they will be looking over everything with a fine-toothed comb. Sankt has already been dragged away to Berlin, I'm sure that they will suspect the rest of us as being complicit," Lupin's mind was racing as he spoke, making his way to Bergen's desk. How could the woman seem so calm? "I've managed to hide what we have been doing so far but I can't say that a new set of eyes looking over the records won't figure it out."
"Calm down Lupin. Everything is still well in hand." Bergen did not even bother looking up at him as she spoke around her cigarette.
"Well in hand? Its all well and good for you to say that, you're a foreigner. They'll just execute you if they figure out you've been spying on them all this time. My family is still here in Germany. When they find out I've been sabotaging this project they will go after everyone related to me!"
That got her attention, though Lupin worried that he had gone a bit too far. It had been entirely an accident that he had found out that Bergen was actually impeding the project. He had been making similar efforts of his own, though he had known from the start that their reasons were much different. The night Lupin had confronted her about it had been the first time since he had undergone the change that he had felt vulnerable. Something about Bergen's demeanour seemed to say that him being bulletproof would not be much of an impediment to her killing him. As luck would have it they had been able to find an accord.
"Yet you chose to assist me rather than turning me in when you discovered my activities. The risk to your family was just as great then. Has your mind changed so much, now that we are about to see these weapons unleashed?"
"No," Lupin admitted as he lowered his head. "No it hasn't."
"Good. I've made preparations, so all we need now is an exit plan. We can either go quiet or loud. I would much prefer that we do it quietly. Keep your eyes and ears open for the next few hours. If an opportunity presents itself we will slip away without anyone noticing. Otherwise I'll make sure that they have something to look at while we make our escape."
Resisting the urge to gawk at Bergen's confidence Lupin pressed the palms of his hands against his eyes and let out a long sigh. "Simple as that?"
"You would be surprised. Now, if you've made yourself useful to the new bosses you should continue to do so." Bergen's attention returned to her papers, a clear sign that he was being dismissed. It was like another whole command chain for him to appease.
Leaving Bergen to her work Lupin continued to take stock of what the camp had on hand. He did not have access to much of the Catalyst needed to create ubermensch itself but there were still reasonable supplies of the various precursor chemicals. Most of them leaned towards the volatile side of things. If they needed a distraction it would not be too difficult to cause a suitably large explosion. Lupin mused that he might yet make it out of this alive. Whether anyone else would was another matter.