TEN

"Okay, let me see if I have this straight," said Piper. "You met another Nazi you knew in World War II who hasn't aged a day in sixty years. And you just walked out and left him there?"

"It's not like there was a lot we could do about it," said Prue. "There were too many innocents around and we were seen going into his office. If we had done anything there would have been a lot of questions we don't want asked."

"What makes you think he'll come here tonight?" Piper asked.

"He said he would," said Cole. "He's not like I remember him. He was almost timid. And he kept telling us how much he regretted what he did back then. It may sound strange but I believed him."

"People like that don't change," said Leo. "You remember what the Nazis were like. They were ruthless. You honestly believe he's actually sorry for anything he did?"

"He did seem sincere," said Prue. "As soon as he saw Cole he seemed to change. He went white as a sheet. It's almost like he was afraid of Cole."

"He might have been," said Cole. "Other than Kernian none of the demons with him were as powerful as Belthazor. If he thinks I've come for revenge or something he'd have good cause to be afraid."

"Aren't you afraid he might warn Kernian?" Piper asked.

"Maybe," said Cole. "But I'm willing to bet he's more interested why we came to see him after all these years."

"How much do you know about him?" Leo asked.

"Well," said Cole, "his real name was Karl Adler. He was a Sturmbannführer when I knew him. That's equivalent to a Major. He worked for Sperrle at the time. He was only about twenty-one years old."

"Twenty-one and a Major?" Leo questioned.

"Rank was handed out as much for friendship as for accomplishment in those days," said Cole. "He and Sperrle had grown up in the same town. When Sperrle became Eichmann's personal aide he brought Adler with him. But he was never as sadistic as Sperrle."

"So you think another demon is possessing this Adler?" Phoebe asked.

"Probably," said Cole. "It would explain why he hasn't aged. Just like Sperrle."

"So that's two demons that were supposedly vanquished by the Source who escaped," said Prue. "Not a very good track record for the leader of the underworld."

"I'm sure there's an explanation for it," said Cole. "The Source isn't likely to make a mistake like that. There must be some explanation for why he thinks they were vanquished when they weren't."

"What time is Adler supposed to be here?" Phoebe asked.

"He wasn't sure," said Prue. "He said he had a couple of meetings he couldn't miss. But he said he'd be here as soon as he could make it. He goes by the name Brandon Glass now."

"And you believed him?" Piper asked. "Prue, that's not like you. You're suspicious of everyone, especially if there are demons involved."

"Like we said," said Prue, "there wasn't a whole lot we could do about it. Besides, we know where to find him if we need to. I looked up his address in the phonebook before we came home."

"He's listed in the phonebook?" Phoebe questioned.

"Why not?" Cole asked. "He's the personal assistant of a city councilman. As far as anyone else is concerned, that's all he is. There's no reason for him to be hiding under a rock somewhere."

"That's exactly where he should be," said Piper. "Under a rock."

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Cole stepped over and looked out the front room window.

"It's him," said Cole. "I guess he got free earlier than he figured."

"Might as well let him in," said Prue. "I have a few questions for him."

She went to the front door and let Adler in. They came back into the living room and Adler looked at the rest nervously. Prue offered him a seat and he sat down, still nervous.

"So," said Piper, "Cole tells us he knew you a long time ago."

"It's not a time I like to think about," said Adler. "I was young and stupid. If I could change it I would."

"Yeah, right," said Leo sarcastically.

"Leo," said Piper, "that's no way to treat a guest."

"I had friends who were murdered by the Nazis," said Leo. "Forgive me if I don't want to be his best friend."

"He's still a guest," said Piper.

"No, he's right," said Adler. "What the Nazis did was unforgivable. The ones that were executed after the war got what they deserved. I should have been among them."

"So why weren't you?" Phoebe asked. "After the war you apparently escaped Germany. If you felt that way why didn't you just give yourself up to the Allies?"

"I couldn't," said Adler. "Sperrle wouldn't let me. He said we had to escape. He told me that there was still things for us to do and I had to go with him to make sure they got done."

"Why didn't you go back to the underworld?" Cole asked. "I'm sure the Source would have understood. You were just following the orders of your superior. He would probably have let you off easy."

"Underworld?" questioned Adler. "How was I supposed to get there? I didn't have the power he has. Besides, from the way he tells it, humans aren't very welcome down there."

"Wait a minute," said Prue. "Are you trying to tell us you aren't a demon?"

"Of course I'm not a demon," said Adler. "Is that what you thought? That I was a demon like him?"

"Then how do you explain you haven't aged in sixty years?" Phoebe asked.

"Sperrle does that," said Adler. "It's one of his powers. He has a number of them. I've never seen anyone who can do the things he can do. He said as long as I helped him I'd be safe. If I didn't help him, well, let's just say I probably wouldn't live to regret it."

"So you're helping him because you're afraid of him?" Prue asked.

"You don't believe that, do you?" Leo questioned. "He was a Nazi. Do you know the atrocities they committed? I may have served on Guadalcanal but I was there during that time. I saw what they did. They're as close to evil incarnate as you can get."

"He's right," said Adler. "We deserve whatever happens to us. Nothing can make up for what we did."

"What did you do in the Third Reich?" Cole asked. "I know you worked for Sperrle but I never knew exactly what it was you did."

"I was his assistant," said Adler. "Oh, I was very honored to get such a prestigious position. Personal assistant to the personal assistant of Adolf Eichmann. In the beginning it was very exciting. I was helping to shape the future of Germany. I thought we were going to form a great new nation.

"Then I began to read the communiqués I had been delivering for Sperrle. I learned about the horrible things they had planned. The things they were all ready doing. I learned about the concentration camps. About the gas chambers. About the mass graves. It made me sick.

"But by then it was too late. There was nothing I could do to stop it. I knew what happened to the opponents of the Nazi party. The 'accidents' or they simply disappeared in the night never to be seen again."

"So you went along with it," said Cole.

"I had no choice," said Adler. "If I had tried to walk away they would have killed me. When we learned that Germany was going to loose the war I decided I would surrender as soon as the Allies reached Berlin. But Sperrle said that I was a conspirator with them. I was just as guilty as any of them. He said if the Allies caught me I'd be executed along with the rest of them. I didn't want to die. I was scared. So when he left Germany for Argentina I went with him. We've been running ever since."

"We're you afraid that Nazi hunters would find you?" Prue asked. "Many Nazis have been caught over the years, especially in Argentina."

"It was always a concern of mine," said Adler. "But Sperrle said that would never happen. There were a couple of times I thought they were getting close to us but then they just disappeared. Sperrle said they would never bother us again and they didn't."

"He probably killed them," said Piper. "With his power it would be easy for him."

"I've tried to make up for the things I did," said Adler. "I know I never can. Not for all the lives I helped take. But there's nothing else I can do. Most of what I make goes to charities. Usually they're Jewish charities. And I help out in whatever way I can when I can. Like I said, I know I can never make up for what I did but there's nothing else I can do."

"Sounds to me like you didn't do all that much," said Cole. "You had nothing to do with what the hierarchy of the Nazi party did. Just like me you were nothing more than a clerk."

"I should have done something," said Adler. "I was in a position of authority. I could have done something. Tried to save some of them."

"And ended up dead yourself," said Phoebe. "Look, you seem to know that Sperrle is actually a demon. If you had betrayed him he wouldn't have hesitated to kill you. He was responsible for starting the war in the first place. Do you really think you could have done anything and he wouldn't have stopped you?"

"I don't know," said Adler. "But I do know that 'I was only following orders' was an excuse heard over and over again at the Nuremberg Trials. And no one accepted it. They said that every soldier was responsible for his own actions and simply 'following orders' did not relieve them of the responsibility for the atrocities they committed.

"I knew what was in those communiqués. I knew that hundreds, even thousands, of people were being sent to their deaths for no reason. And I did nothing to stop it. I was a card carrying member of the Nazi party. That makes me as guilty as they were."

"You were just a kid," said Leo. "And you were scared. I don't think anyone can fault you for that."

"You've certainly changed your tune," said Piper.

"I was wrong about him," said Leo. "He wasn't one of them. He was just caught up in circumstances that were beyond his control. And he did what he had to do to survive. He may not be proud of what he did but it doesn't sound like he had much of a choice."

"I could have left Germany," said Adler. "I could have defected to England or Russia or some other Allied country. I could have done anything but protect myself."

"How would you like to do something else to make up for it?" Cole asked. "Something that could conceivably help make up for everything you did during the war?"

"Nothing can do that," said Adler. "Nothing I do can every make up for what I did."

"What if it could?" Prue asked. "Would you be interested?"

"Of course I'd be interested," said Adler. "But what could I possibly do that can make up for the deaths of hundreds of innocent people?"

"Getting rid of Sperrle," said Cole.

"That's not possible," said Adler. "He's a demon. Oh, not the type with horns and a tail and a red suit. He's a real demon. He has powers you can't even imagine. There's no one that can stand up against him."

"We can," said Piper. "We fight demons all the time. And if you're willing to help us, we might just be able to stop him forever."

"What can you do?" Adler asked.

"We can destroy Sperrle," said Phoebe. "With him gone you'd be free of him. You could live you life without ever having to worry about him again. But in order to do that we're going to need your help."

"You know how many times I've dreamed of that," said Adler. "But I don't see how anyone can stop him."

"We're the Charmed Ones," said Prue. "And we have the power to stop him. With your help we can put an end to him very soon."

Adler just sat in the chair staring at them. It was evident from his expression that he wasn't completely convinced of what they were telling him.