Chapter 11: Escape from the German embassy

The clock on the wall read 6 am. Basta groaned and opened his eyes when he heard the clop of boots coming down the hallway. Figuring it was Landa, Basta rubbed his eyes and recollected the facts he'd learned yesterday. Blonde Hair and Blues Eyes, Swastika, Romani. But instead of Landa coming into view, it was Dr. Hertz! Basta blinked and frowned.

"Dr. Hertz?" he asked. The man was dressed in the typical coloured German uniform, only it wasn't dressy at all. Instead of sporting the Red Swastika band on the arm, Dr. Hertz had two white bands on both arms, each depicting a thick red cross. He carried a green messenger bag under his arm, a large white circle with a red cross shown plainly on the front.

"Good morning, Basta" said Dr. Hertz, his smooth masculine voice breaking the silent morning lull. Basta frowned.

"What are you wearing?" As Dr. Hertz approached the bars, Basta could see that the man was holding a heavy duty green/grey helmet under his arm, four white circles and red crosses covering each side.

"This is my field uniform" he said with a sigh.

"You mean..."

"I'm going back out into the action." Hertz frowned and took a deep breath.

"Into the battle?"

"Yes" Hertz looked either way before he walked up against the bars and motioned Basta over. Tentatively, Basta rose from his bed and approached the taller man. Hertz seemed to be stressed, and slightly fidgety. "Look" he said in a low voice, talking almost under his breath. "You need to get out of here" he whispered fiercely, locking his light brown eyes with Basta's. "I heard them talking about you... they're moving you to a different facility, to do experiments. They want to know your secrets!"

"What?"

"I read your polygraph test results. You time traveled? Though I don't think that's possible, they want to know your secrets. Hitler has heard of you! They want to know how you did it, and they'll do anything to find out." Hertz's breath tickled Basta's face.

"Hitler's heard of me?"

"That's what I heard. Look, whatever they're going to do to you, it won't be good." Hertz bit his lip. "You need to get out, and you need to hide. Run to Switzerland, it's a neutral country."

Basta couldn't digest what Hertz was saying. Hitler had heard of him... Hitler! What would Anna say?

"When are they going to move me?"

"I don't know" said Hertz, adjusting the bag on his shoulder.

"You need to escape."

"Thank you" Basta didn't know how to properly thank the doctor. He wasn't very good at saying thank you or appreciating things.

"It's the least I could do" murmured Hertz, making a bit of a face. "Anyways, I have to go." Hertz seemed pained by the idea of going out on the field.

"Good luck" said Basta, feeling gratitude towards the other man.

"Thanks. You too." Dr. Hertz smiled before backing away from the cell. He adjusted the black collar of his jacket, trimmed with white. "Take care" he raised a hand, then disappeared as he walked right, up the hallway. After the footsteps had drowned out, Basta sat on his bed, his heart in his throat. Experiments? What experiments? Basta didn't want to be a guinea pig. And what was this Switzerland Hertz had mentioned?

Basta took the atlas up off the floor, and thumbed over to the page on Europe. Though he couldn't read, he had paid close attention to the words Anna had said as she ran her finger over words on a page. He had managed to remember what letters made what sounds, so he had a general idea on how certain things were spelled. He searched each of the countries, looking for ones that started with S. He found a few, but the one that he was convinced was Switzerland was Surrounded by France, Italy, Germany, and a piece of Austria. It didn't seem too far away, just North East of France. He decided he would tell Anna that night. That is, if she came to visit. Nervously, Basta picked up another manila folder. Inside were pictures of the strangest things Basta had ever seen. A long, strangely shaped metal and wooden device, with a strap on it. Basta frowned, and made a mental note to ask Anna about the pictures of the strange things in the future.

Landa came at around five pm, chipper as per usual. After Anna's bit on Landa, Basta found himself weary around the older man. Of course Hertz's information didn't help either.

"How are you today, Basta?" Asked Landa, sitting on a chair outside the cell. Basta shrugged.

"I am well."

"Good to hear." Landa smiled as he scuffed the floor with his boot. "Finished your reading?"

"Yes" said Basta. He had gathered all the books, and arranged them properly in the apple crate.

"Excellent!" Landa smiled brilliantly, flashing his straight teeth. "Care to tell me what you've learned?" Landa folded his hands in his lap, and closed his lips. Basta looked into the man's eyes. After what Anna had told him, he imagined a number of gears turning in the man's brain. Chillingly clever.

"I read about the Aryan race" he said, cocking his head. Landa had blue eyes. "Blonde hair and blue eyes combined make a superior being. That is, if they're non-Jew."

"Very good." Landa nodded.

"Also, I learned about the Swastika." Basta took a breath. "The Swastika is the symbol of the Nazis." He shrugged a bit, not knowing what else to say. He didn't dare mention the Romani, or Auschwitz, in case they weren't mentioned in the documents.

"I am pleased that you have kept your word" said Landa, letting himself into the cell. "I hope you don't mind, I would like to take the books back. I've borrowed them from the public Library." He smiled and nodded as he spoke. Basta picked up the heavy apple crate, his arms swelling as he passed the load to Landa. The man held the crate with ease. He didn't seem stressed by the weight at all, which made Basta nervous. Maybe his fears of the man's abs were true... "Now Basta, I would like to discuss with you a change of location."

"Oh?" Basta felt himself grow rigid. Dr. Hertz was right!

"It's really just up in the air right now" said Landa pleasantly. "But I'm sure you're getting sick of this cell" he smiled, but his eyes were hard. "There are some very important people that would like to meet you!"

"Oh really, now?"

"Oh yes! A number or individuals would like to have a chat with you. But, like I said, we'll talk about it later."

"Oh, Ok." Basta pretended to be clueless. Oh, me? A celebrity? Aww, shucks! I'd love to meet these important people too... I'm onto you, you bastard.

"See you later then" said Landa, smiling.

"Bye." Basta smiled as pleasantly as he could, showing off his nice white teeth and crinkled skin around his eyes. Some of his dark bangs fell down over an eye, and he leaned in slightly, emphasizing his "enthusiasm". After Basta had left with his books, Basta found himself going absolutely stir crazy. The night Anna hadn't come, Basta had entertained himself by building a mini castle with the text books... a weak moment. Pathetic, really. But after all the pinup magazines had been read and re-read several times, Basta found himself literally jumping up and down in his cell, behaving like a hooligan in hopes of entertaining himself. Again, another...weak moment...

11pm and Basta was hanging upside down off his bed, his head on the floor and a porn magazine over his face. He had dozed off, but awoke with a start when he heard Anna's high heels clipping down the hallway. The young woman opened the gate, and laughed when she saw the sight before her.

"Those magazines have gotten to your head... literally."

"Huh?" He whipped the magazine off his face and blushed. "I uh... I..."

"Save your breath" she said, sauntering into the cell. Basta gulped. Anna was dressed in a beautiful dress. It had a high waist skirt, in black, and a deep V top portion in cheetah print. He wriggled onto his belly, so his chin was on the floor. He hauled half his body off the bed, and got to his feet. Anna's lips were painted a dark red, the color of wine, and she had he luscious brown hair collected in a bun. Pearl earrings decorated his lobes, and the golden cross necklace fit in-between the V that led down to her cleavage. He was so enticed for a moment that he almost forgot to tell Anna his news.

"Anna!" he cried suddenly, a little too loud. "Anna... I have bad news."

"What?" Anna's eyes widened.

"Dr. Hertz stopped by today" Basta lowered his voice and took a few steps towards Anna. He smelled her perfume, and it made his eyes almost roll back into his head as his body surged with heat. "He uhm... he... he..." Basta couldn't concentrate. He had to shake his head and take a step back in order to continue. "He told me that Hitler has heard about me, and that they're going to take me to a facility and do experiments. They want to find out how I time traveled."

"WHAT?" The look of panic on Anna's face made Basta's stomach roll.

"Dr. Hertz said I need to get out of here as fast as I can."

"Has Landa mentioned anything?"

"Yes. When he came by to take the text books, he said that we would talk about a location change..."

"Oh this is bad... very bad." Anna put a hand to her forehead and paced back and forth. "Not good.. Not good.. We need to get you out of here!"

"That's what the good doctor said..."

"Get what you want and we're out of here." Basta grabbed the mints, the cigarettes, and the matchbook, shoving them into the deep pockets of his army fatigues. "Not bringing your magazines?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Basta blushed and tried to sputter an answer, but Anna just shook her head. "Come on, let's go." Basta took one last look at his cozy cell before following Anna's hourglass figure down the hallway.

They left the embassy, their figures disappearing into the chilly night. Anna wasn't wearing a jacket, which surprised Basta.

"Where are we going?" he asked as he walked next to her at a brisk pace.

"To my house" she said. Basta buzzed with excitement. Anna's house? Awesome. "Landa and I usually go to his place, so I don't think there will be much of a problem." Great. Just great. Basta thought darkly.

"Why do you sleep with him anyways?" Blurted Basta. "I mean, is he that good in bed?" He was jealous and it clearly showed. He felt stupid for a moment, and felt his cheeks heat up. Anna didn't speak for a while, but when she finally spoke, her tone was injured.

"Have you ever heard the expression: Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer?"

"Yes murmured Basta." He felt stupid for mentioning the sex part.

"And yes, Basta. He is that good in bed."

His worst fears were realised! Oh, the horror! He muttered darkly under his breath as he trudged up the side walk. When she turned her head and winked at him, though, he felt a little smile play at his lips.

"How far away do you live?" he asked, his socks squishing as they got wet on the side walk.

"Getting tired?" She asked. Basta took that as an insult!

"I happen to be in prime physical condition! And I asked because I don't have any shoes and my socks are soaked."

"Oh! I'm sorry, Basta!"

"Don't you be sorry" he said, smiling.

"I live a few...err, well, a number of blocks away."

"That's alright" he said, walking beside her. He smiled as charmingly as he could, and she smiled back, her teeth flashing in the dark. "Oh Anna" he murmured.

"Oh Anna what?"

"Nothing..."

"Are you sure?" She nudged his arm, and he laughed.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Ok." She seemed a bit put off, but said nothing further. They walked in silence, arms touching. The night was chilly, so Basta was happy when Anna said they'd reached her place. "I live above the clothing store" she said.

"Huh?"

"Lots of stores have flats above them. I'm living above the clothes store." She smiled and lead him to a wrought iron stairwell behind the darkened building.

"That's cool" he murmured. Anna unlocked a door, and opened it into darkness. Her hand fumbled for a switch, and suddenly a quaint apartment was illuminated with soft golden light.

"It's not much, but it's home."

"It's nice" he said, looking around the nice space. The floors were worn honey coloured hardwood, and the walls were painted warm brick red. To their right was a kitchenette, and beyond that a small round table with three chairs gathered around its perimeter. Directly ahead of them was a cozy living room, a small fire place, and a red rug spread out on the floor. To their left, a closet, and around the corner was a bedroom.

"Can I get you anything to eat or drink?" she asked, stepping out of her shoes. She nudged them against the wall, and wandered over to her kitchen. Basta looked around some more before shaking his head no.

"No thank you" he said, following her into the kitchen.

"Sure?" She poured herself a glass of water. "I'm sorry it's so small, there's not a lot of room-"

"I can sleep on the couch." He offered, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. Anna nodded, and downed her drink.

"I'll prepare it for you. Though I will admit, I'm very nervous... when Landa finds out you're missing, they're going to rip the city apart..." suddenly she quieted down and looked very distressed, as if the realisation of what she'd done had finally hit her. Basta felt bad for putting her in such a situation. He shifted from foot to food, frowning and biting his lip.

"I can leave" he murmured. "Dr. Hertz said I should go to Switzerland..."

"Don't be silly. You can stay here, as long as we're careful."

"Ok." Basta watched as Anna hurried to her bedroom, and came back with blankets and a pillow in her arms. She began spreading them out on the couch.

"I'm going to have a drink" she said, her voice quivering.

"I'll join you" he murmured. As Anna poured herself a glass of wine, she asked what he wanted to drink. "Do you have any rum?" He asked.

"A rum drinker eh? I have just the drink for you." She pulled a bottle of rum from a cupboard, and something from her refrigerator (a device that Basta thought was revolutionary!). She opened a glass bottle, and into a glass she poured an ounce or so of rum, and the rest with the bubbling brown liquid. Basta frowned a bit. Anna passed the glass to him, and smiled. "Try it" she encouraged. Basta glanced into the bubbling, hissing drink, and took a tentative sip.

He nearly came in his pants.

"This is amazing!" He cried. He took another hard sip, smiling as the fizzy sweetness filled his mouth (and the rum was amazing as well).

"It's called rum and coke" she said, winking. Then took a sip of her wine. Basta wanted to chug the drink, but decided to go slow. He was close to being a light weight... all it took was a few drinks and he'd be smashed. "Told you you'd like it" he followed her to the living room, and sat down next to her on the couch. She swung her long smooth legs up, and reclined a bit, holding her cup of wine close to her lips. "What a day" she murmured, closing her eyes. Basta gulped and found himself taking a long sip from his glass.

"Yes, a long day."

"You must get so bored in your cell" she said.

"Oh you have no idea" he grumbled.

"What did you do for fun?" She asked, opening her eyes and sipping her wine.

"Um... sit ups, smoking..." he didn't dare mention the pin up magazines.

"Sit ups, huh?" Anna smiled.

"Yeah, I'm not used to sitting around." As he sat there with Anna, he felt so blissful. Not once had he ever enjoyed a situation such as this. Lounging around a cozy room with a beautiful woman with alcohol.

"What did you used to do, in your world?" She took a sip and extended a sculpted calf over Basta's lap. He gulped, felt sweat collecting on his forehead, and just when he thought she would drop her lovely leg into his lap, she pulled it back. He sighed.

"Anything my master needed me to do. I've delivered messages, done... errands, and uh, well, I suppose I was a bit of a soldier as well."

"Interesting" said Anna. "Did you ride horses?"

"Of course! They're our primary source of transportation." That made Anna smile.

"I used to ride horses" she said. "I took riding lessons." She shrugged a dainty shoulder.

"That's nice" said Basta. He wasn't very good at carrying out conversations, though he loved to talk. He was often amused by the sound of his own voice. The other black jackets often said that he enjoyed the sound more than everything. This was not entirely true. He went to take another sip of his rum and coke, but found that the glass was empty. "Can I have another one of these?"

"Oh, of course!" Anna jumped to her feet.

"No, no, I can get it..."

"Nonsense. I've got it." She took the glass from him, and walked over to the kitchen. Basta followed her beautiful figure with unblinking eyes. He watched as she fixed the drink, pouring the liquids into his glass. He licked his lips and repositioned himself on the couch. He stretched his legs out a bit, trying to get comfortable. He heard the chugging sound of the water bottle as Anna poured herself more wine. Anna came back, and handed him the drink. But instead of sitting in her usual spot, across from him, she made herself comfortable in between his legs. Basta let out an involuntary gasp, but moved his head aside so she could fit her head against his shoulder. He snuck a sip of the alcohol before setting the full glass on the end table. Anna took a long sip. Basta plucked up his courage and wrapped his arms around the young lady's rib cage. She sighed in content, but Basta shifted slightly in discomfort. He didn't want to get too excited, as he didn't have a belt buckle to blame if she should feel any hardness against her back ...

"Basta" she murmured, running her dainty fingers along his wrist.

"Y-yes?"

"I wasn't going to ask, but... what ever happened to your arms?"

So the question was out. She had noticed his ugly arms.

"I fell" he said slowly, thinking up a lie "into a fire pit." He allowed his head to lull closer to hers for enough time to sniff her hair.

"Strange" she mused, tickling his skin. "Your arms are burnt to the elbows, but your hands are completely unharmed." Her fingers traced over the ragged scars on his wrists where the shattered glass had sliced his skin when he had been dragged through the window.

"It's um... it's a long story."

"Hmm" Anna let out a little sigh, then took a sip of wine. Basta followed her example and took a stab of his rum and coke. He was beginning to feel the alcohol, the warm fuzzy detachment settling in his arms and legs. He tilted his head back and sighed, though he wanted very badly to brush Anna's hair aside and kiss her skin. Is that what she wants me to do? He wondered, looking down at the lady between his legs. I mean, why would she choose to sit on my lap anyways? He tightened his grip around her ribs, and smiled when he heard her make a sleepy little moan.

"Anna?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for all you've done for me" he murmured.

"It's not problem." She said. Then she yawned. "Sorry, but wine makes me so sleepy..."

Basta made a bit of a face. Alcohol usually made him horny as hell, but it had been a long day. So instead of feeling a buzz of excitement, he too found himself yawning and drifting off to sleep...