August 13
Train to Bremerhaven, Germany – 2210 Hours
It is getting late and the night outside scares me more than what Ivan said before we arrived in Bremen. Yes, it was Ivan who knocked on our door yesterday evening. He had taken longer than he had wished to, for there were Gestapo agents who asked, at a small town railway station, that they be picked up and Ivan had to cater to everything they asked for when they boarded. My neck prickled when I thought of them. Even beforehand, I thought there must be something wrong, and indeed, there are agents ready to skin us alive if we're not careful enough. They were next door to our compartment, so as soon as Ivan came in, he had to warn us to keep our voices low. He advanced then to act, as if he were my lover. He seated himself and asked permission that I be seated in his lap. "If this can save us and get us to where we need to be, then so be it," I said as I accepted the ultimatum and hopped into Ivan's lap as he sat down. Although I knew that he wasn't as young as he wished to be (Ivan looked to be in his late fifties), I tried to be careful. Carter suppressed a giggle and attempted to appear serious and he succeed in doing so. Now, it was time to get down to business. I started my questions.
"Ivan," I began, "how much do you know about the doings of the High Command in London?"
"Well," Ivan began slowly and quietly, "I am an agent of the Underground. I try to listen in on the conversations of the people here. Every piece of information I gain is transmitted to London. I usually do not interact with them, for I am a lowly agent. However, I do listen in on some of things they do. I have connections, in Bremen, and in other places, that tell me of what happens in London and especially what needs to do done and what I can do."
Something in me chilled. My neck started to prickle at the mentioned of the doings of London. I knew something was fishy here, and somehow, I knew it wasn't this agent called Dragonfly. Indeed, he was slight and nimble, but he was invisible to those he wanted to see.
I popped the next question. "What connections do you have? Where are they?"
Ivan laughed. "One question at a time, Desertstar," he said, but then a dark look crossed his face. Next to us, the Gestapo laughed. Through the glass windows of the doors, I saw that one of them, in the hallway with a companion, indicated he was shooting someone by using his thumb and pointing finger in the mimic of a gun.
Killing someone they considered lower than the dirt they walk on? I thought in spite as I turned away from the glass. For a split second, I experienced a deep hatred of those Krauts, but then thought about this mission and waited for Ivan to continue and this time, his voice was lower. "Desertstar, I have many connections everywhere I can go. I have contacts in Hammelburg and that includes Stalag 13's Papa Bear. I have someone watching out for Hitler in Berlin – another bodyguard working for us and reporting on Hitler every week he has off. I have someone watching the skies in Dresden and Görlitz in the east and also in Stalingrad, believe it or not; Erfurt, Zwickau, Siegen, Dessau, Munich, Saarbrücken, Frankfort am Main, Hof, Sassnitz…all these places I have traveled to through this system. I have met agents and have contacts connected to them so as they board. I receive their reports as I entertain them and report to England as I can. Of course, I have someone – two people actually – who have a radio in England and pass my information to Headquarters. Their codenames are Hansel and Gretel. They gather the crumbs I leave behind me and feed them to the birds – the Head. Then plans are put into action."
"Can you tell us about Hansel and Gretel?" Suddenly, my neck started to bristle. There was danger about. I squirmed in Ivan's lap as I looked about me and saw that a Gestapo agent, the same that used his fingers in a mock gun, passed by our compartment and was staring at us as he stopped by.
Carter played along quickly, as he noticed who was around, as the elder brother who was concerned about his sister by standing up and yelling at Ivan, "No, you cannot have my sister! She's the only little sister I have and if you can think you can take her away again then you're just as bad as I thought you are!" I resisted my giggles, but if anyone looked on, then they'd think I was giggling with pleasure and not the attempts of Carter being the concerned, protective brother he thought he could be.
But, it was hilarious that Ivan even picked up as, like I was a doll, and seated me on his seat before yelling back at Carter as he stood up, "Yes, well, I can have who I please and nobody can stop me!" Ivan gestured profusely and used profanity before the Gestapo agent finally left us. I was relieved and my neck furthered that sense of safety. Ivan and Carter saw this and they both sat down again. Ivan eventually made a grab for me again and once more, I was seated higher than I expected. This created a better situation, and now, we're three people discussing if Ivan can have me as his wife. The argument was over for the moment.
"Now to Hansel and Gretel," I whispered and Ivan nodded. He gestures, his hands in front of me, as if he was bargaining for my hand in marriage. It was very awkward, but I soon became accustomed to it (after all, this is business and not for real).
I did hear what Ivan had to say about his contacts in London. "Hansel and Gretel are both German born, as I am, and moved to England as soon as the war started. They remained on good terms with Germany and used this as means to work as agents. They are also a young couple with a young child, so this adds to the danger. This also explains their codenames. It is the favorite story of their child, so they use it as their codenames. Berlin knows who they are, but the Underground reports have indicated they are not on a wanted list. I find this strange."
Ivan scrunched up his face. "If Berlin knew about an agent, then they would have a file on them and watch their activities. For this couple, they have nothing. I have begun to suspect them especially when they insisted that they never use the codes from the books that London says to use. I am uneasy with this, since I talk with them, but I do as they say. I complained about this risk to security, but I am told by London that they are reliable people and to do as they wished no matter how far-fetched it is. I obeyed, but am quick and vague with my reports to me. I still am not sure about them."
"Good thinking," I said. "Is there anything else?" I adjusted myself in my seat and spoiled myself by staying comfortable. Will Rob do that for me sometime? I thought childishly.
I was about to receive my answer when the train conductor from earlier came into our compartment, angry. "Ivan, you are wanted up front. This is no place for you to make your marriage bargains. The Gestapo is here and waiting for you, so you better make this quick. They suspect you of some treason. I keep saying something about your lady friend here and then they laughed. They sent someone here to make sure you're not conspiring and they saw arguing and sent me here to check everything again."
"It is all that I dreamed of," I said with a sigh (to be frank here, I only use it playfully against Rob as I tease him, so this adds to the effect, and it worked). Playing the part, I continued. "I never knew that he was all. I met him years ago, and never saw anything of him until now. Oh, marriage has called me again!" I hated being dramatic.
"Not if I can help it," Carter said in his fake German accent. He sounded angry, as rightfully as an elder brother should be.
"Well, I hope the plans are finalized soon…after Ivan gets his ass up front and stops socializing with the passengers!" the equally angry train conductor said as he opened the doorway wider. As Ivan picked me up and placed me back in my seat and left quietly, the conductor slammed the door shut and departed, dragging Ivan by his ear like an unruly child.
As soon as everyone was out of sight, Carter spoke. "What do you think we have, Mad'm?" he asked me.
I shook my head, and replied to the senseless Carter in my obviously fake British accent, "Well, Carter my comrade, I think we have two little spies, a child caught in the middle of it and jolly old England in danger of being blown into little bits – such a great shame."
"Yes, this is a great shame," Carter said, switching to a perfect British accent.
I laughed, the first time in a long time. "Yes, Carter," I said normally, "and it is a blessing that you know what the situation was before we boarded. Good job, on all accounts. Now, we need to get to whatever is left of jolly old England and save it…"
August 15
On the Ship The Black Pearl to England – 1450 Hours
Carter and I have safely reached the ship that leads us to England only half an hour ago. Our trip to Bremerhaven was uneventful and silent, considering Carter. But we did reach the place safely and have walked, without detection, to the shore for a few miles this morning where The Black Pearl waited for us, to take us to England. The captain of the ship personally knows Jimi, wherever he may be right now in these seas, and let us on without any trouble after explaining where we needed to be. I think he remembered me too. I usually saw him at Bridgeport fishing when Rob and his brothers took me to the beaches.
This helped to get us on board, but they were troubled by the appearance of Carter, who they don't know. At first we were banned from the ship from one of the more cautious crewmates, so I had to explain where we wanted to be, what time we needed to get back to Germany and that I had a companion whose loyalty to me I couldn't explain. I also said to give us two days, for it'll take a few more to get back to Stalag 13 without the Gestapo trailing behind us. So, it is to be the night of the 17th that, at 2200 hours and no later, we are to leave England behind us and we'll land at around 2400 hours. It'll only take a day or two, without rest, to reach Hammelburg again on the 19th.
It was after all of this explaining and dealing that we were allowed onboard and given top priority to get to England and back. Therefore, we are arriving in ebullient, old England in about another hour, and then another will be needed to get to London via train (if there's any) or, if we have to walk, perhaps half a day.
That leaves us with little time to motivate ourselves and talk to Hansel and Gretel. We need to move quickly.
I talked to Carter as soon as we settled ourselves onboard. He was at the stern of the ship, watching the coast of Germany disappear as we moved back to Allied territory. I came upon him quietly enough, but he sensed that I was behind him. Before he could talk some nonsense about some little thing or anything, I cut him off. "Carter, we have reached an important part of the mission. We have to be cautious from here on and that's an order. Speak as little as possible until I give the word."
"Why do we have two days, Mad'm?" Carter asked. He heard me talking to the ship's captain, but didn't ask me anything until then.
I sighed. "Carter, we have two days because we're on a tight schedule. We wasted time escaping the Gestapo when it was not needed. Partially because of my stupidity, we have stalled our mission. We haven't even talked to our home base yet!" I paused. "Now, we need to talk to whoever may be at Headquarters, investigate quickly, bag those people we need to get and head out. Remember that Colonel Hogan only gave us a week and a half because our planes couldn't carry us there. There is too much risk in having planes carry prisoners of war to and from Germany. What would Major Hochstetter think when he catches two prisoners of war being carried to England and one of them happens to be a suspected spy who happens to have an extensive file in Germany, which is including one in the personal office of Himmler?"
I shuddered visibly when thinking of the hazards we run into as we operate a sticky business under Stalag 13. I run the most risk. I personally am suspected by Hochstetter to be the spy Desertstar, and he's correct, but he has no proof. So, if Hochstetter caught up with me, then he would be granted the greatest honors of Germany. I personally know that after Tiger, I am the most wanted spy on the Axis side. Even Hitler has placed a price on my head, appointing Himmler to motivate the Gestapo to catch me and Tiger. So, whoever does so will be awarded generously and given the highest honors that Germany can bestow upon them. The executions are said to be awaited by the highest personal in Germany, and I for one have no care of seeing my comrades and myself staring at some shiny guns or hanging from a noose.
In quickly thinking of this, I also thought of Carter and how he felt. I regretted my harsh words with Carter, but this was the reality that he has to face and playing with a spy whose back has always felt guns is dangerous indeed. This is why it was in my best interest to protect Carter as much as I can, and better than I did with Kinch when the Shadow was at Stalag 13. But I need to have more patience with him, and I also needed to apologize.
I sighed again and this time it wasn't of frustration. "Listen, I'm sorry, Carter. I got very carried away with my worries and this delay must have the gang back at Stalag 13 worried. But like I said, we have two days to get in and get out, so we need all of the energy we don't have to continue. I can't tolerate any more problems today. I know it's disappointing that you're stuck behind me. I am seriously protecting you. I can't risk losing you." I stopped right there, never forgetting the last time it happened.
"Yes, Mad'm," Carter said. "What are the orders?" I was glad he got to the point quickly. I loved Carter for doing that at the moment.
"Just…stick to what I said and stay behind me for a while," I said. "When the wheels start to turn in my mind on a plan, I'll let you know."
With that, I left. I stayed at the middle of the ship above the rooms below, writing. The sea wind feels as invigorating as those three days I spent with Rob when we were ordered to England when the war started. It is all the sea can remind me of. The two of us were standing on deck, holding each other as if it was the last time and watching out for his brothers below. Jerry was awfully excited, being eighteen and the first time out of Sally's watchful eyes and even Jimi was eager about the prospects of being away from home, although I knew that he missed Jeanette and his daughters.
Bridgeport…it seems so far away. I miss it.