Chapter Thirty-Three
Sound the Bugle - Bryan Adams
"Try to relax," he said. "You're doing good."
They were up in the sky, and she was riding it.
"Keep on going."
While she was flying the helicopter, he was searching in his bag and pulled out a black machine. It's meaning was foreign to her. Jasper quickly explained.
"It's a navigation system, so it shows us where other people are on a range of a few miles. If it picks warmth, you'll see a red dot. Avoid those."
She nodded.
A soft, hum came from her right. She didn't dare move her head to see what it was. The hum turned into words.
"Please have snow and mistletoe, and presents under the tree."
Her eyes widened and she dared herself to turn. She saw a little radio in between them, soft music filling the space between them.
"Christmas Eve will find me, where the love light beams. I'll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams."
Even though Christmas was over, Alice thought of next year.
25th of December 1946.
She imagined herself being still in this war. And the next year, the one after that. Until who knew how long.
This song depressed her, reminding her of a never ending war.
"Don't cry, America."
She sniffed quickly, but not daring to move her right hand from the stick or her left hand from the collective control.
"I can turn it off."
But without her consent to turn it off, Jasper didn't dare to do it. What if something else had upset her?
He sighed loudly.
"I've been trying to find a signal for the past few days," he admitted. "Each time, no avail. No music. And now, way up in the sky, the radio finds a signal."
"Oh."
"What a coincidence, right?"
"If only in my dreams. If only in my dreams."
The song came to an end.
"I like the song," she said honestly.
"I like that song too," he admitted.
"It's just the war, is all. I wish it would end. It's only caused misery, heartache and killings. I never expected such brutes, you know? Why does it feel like nobody's doing anything?"
"I do believe the end is nearing," he said.
"That's what I've been hearing for the past years now."
"You've seen him up and down the avenue. And now he's wearin' the navy blue. She had a tear in the corner of her eye. As he said his last goodbye. Shoo, shoo, shoo baby. Shoo, shoo, shoo baby. Bye, bye, bye baby. Do-dah do-day."
Seeing was very hard. Tears blinded her sight.
"I can't see," she muttered.
"Take a break," he said. "I'm watching."
"Thank you."
"Bitte. My friend can't come to Berlin. But he's close by. If we can get out of this city, he can get you out of here."
"Me?"
"Ja."
"Only me?"
"Ja."
"Not you?"
"Nein."
They'd been flying for over fifteen minutes now, and dodging those red dots wasn't easy. It helped her a lot that Jasper's hand was doing most of the steering work.
It did not help her uneasy heart that his hand was on top of hers, while that was completely unnecessary. But he never offered if she wanted her hand back and she too much enjoyed having any physical contact in this lonely world. So if it were up to here, she wanted to prolong this moment.
"No need to stay in this war zone on my account," she said bitterly. "I've seen you shoot the Nazi, Americans and...my friends. You've admitted to killing the rest of my team as well. But I can't sue you for murder, can I? So why stay?"
She sneaked a glance at him. His eyes showed hurt at her words said so darkly. It didn't suit the normally hopeful young woman.
"You can't do your mission on your own," she continued.
"I cannot profit from the personal immunity which has been granted to me from America for prosecution."
Alice gasped at his confession that he had immunity and that America had given it to him, which made Jasper Whitlock indeed an American.
"I've taken innocent lives for the sake of a mission that's not yet even completed. I cannot return, or their deaths will have been in vein. Before I met you, I wouldn't have cared much, but now I do."
The words touched her deeply within her heart.
"I'll stay in Berlin to fight and win. Or I'll die trying."
"Good God... You really are the good guy."
"I'm not a good guy. I'm just a soldier."
A soldier, but also a good man.
"Do you think we're out of Berlin now?"
"I believe so," he said. "But as long as we have gasoline, it's best to keep flying."
She nodded.
"Are you tired?" he asked.
"No. Well, I'm always tired."
He hummed softly and for a few more songs, they didn't speak. A few German songs later, Alice sighed.
"I wish I understood the songs."
"I can teach you," he said.
Alice scoffed hard.
"Me. Ich. You. Du. He. Er. She. Sie. We. Wir."
"Ich, wir, sie," she mumbled.
"Ich bin Krank. I am ill."
"Why does the teaching involve war?"
"Fine. Ich liebe dich."
"And that means?"
"I love you."
Accidentally she pushed the stick between her hand too tightly, causing the plane to leap forward.
"Easy, Alice. It's alright."
He steadied her hand and the plane was back in it's original speed.
Was he teaching her the German phrase for I love you or telling her those three words? That wouldn't make sense though.
"Time to land," he said. "Not much gasoline left."
"Little help?" she asked.
"Bring your left hand down to slowly descend. I'll guide your right hand."
She nodded.
Her actions weren't shivery anymore. She seemed less afraid.
"Have you gotten more confident?" he asked strangely.
Or rather, in other words, asking Alice if she was gambling with her life again.
"No. I'm not suicidal again. But, I have you on my side."
She was afraid to look at him after she said that. His hand on hers held hers more tightly. The ground was almost beneath them now.
Slowly, gently, they landed. It was all his doing.
Yet he said, "You did very good."
"Danke," she said awkwardly, because each time she spoke German, she felt like that.
"Let me make a call to my friend. He might be close by."
She nodded in response.
They stayed seated in the warm helicopter as Jasper held the phone against his ear.
"Wo bist?" he asked. "Wirklich? Ja, das ist perfekt. Danke!"
He hung up the phone and brought his shining eyes to Alice.
"He's fifteen minutes away. Said this place is completely deserted."
She nodded.
"Alice," he said in a gentle, human voice. "You're safe now."
"I thought there's always a risk."
Just this time, Jasper was right. Alice was safe. Because only a few minutes later a helicopter landed close by them.
"Goodbye Alice. I'm sorry for hurting you. I wish things could have been differently between us."
He kissed her front head and stood up.
"You can't go," she said, shaking her head. "Not now. Not injured."
"I must finish what I came here to do."
The last that Alice saw of him was his running frame into the woods, where the trees grew thicker until she could no longer see him.
The helicopter was on the ground. One men had stepped out and ran to Alice, still sitting in the drivers seat.
"Alice Brandon?" he called in clear American English.
She nodded nervously.
"Time to go home."
Home, she thought sadly. She was going home without the ones she came here with.