Chapter 9. Night Raid
Sergeant Howlett moved down the row of men sitting on either side of the aircraft. Checking their camouflaged painted faces with his battery-operated torch he looked for signs of anxiety about the night drop they were about to perform. As an experienced paratrooper he knew all it took was one man to change his mind about dropping into the dark abyss without hesitation. One man's refusal could be the difference between a successful mission and all of them ending up in a German PoW camp. At the end of the row the light hit Falsworth's face who grinned up at the sergeant. The man had as many jumps as he did and gave the impression he was just out for an evening stroll.
"How are they looking, Sergeant?" asked Falsworth, impressed at the attention to duty the Canadian paratrooper gave to the jump training of their combined force, a task they both took on given their extensive experience.
"Nervous, but it should go off like clockwork," said Howlett. "Just have to hope no one gets tangled in a tree. How many jumps is this for you, Major?"
"About 40 I think," said the British officer. "With our combined experience we prepared them as best we could, Sergeant. They're good soldiers."
"Yes sir, they are," replied the soldier, then he straightened up and returned to the front where Grant and Rogers were going over the maps of the drop zone to report on their readiness. "The men are ready for the drop."
Grant nodded then stepped towards the cockpit, checking their location with the pilots. Coming back, he gave the order to get ready. Rogers stepped between the two rows and took his place next to Falsworth. Howlett stood at the front, in the centre of the aisle, instructing everyone to check the rigging of the man in front of him, then to turn around and do it again. Falsworth and Rogers were leading the drop, out of the rear opening door beside the two men. The next two men would shove the supplies out before they jumped, followed by the rest of the men with Howlett and Grant bringing up the rear. They verified the rendezvous time and place, and waited for the green light to come on indicating they had reached the drop zone. As soon as it did the first two men dropped, and the rest followed with no hesitation. As Howlett and Grant dropped they turned their chutes towards the rendezvous point, landing cleanly in an open field. Removing their harnesses and gathering up their chutes they ran towards the spot where holes were already being dug to bury the large piles of silk cloth.
Falsworth ran up to them in the dark. "Everyone accounted for," he said. "One of the equipment chutes ended up in the trees. Barnes is cutting it free as we speak."
Together they ran towards where the others were and waited while the evidence of their landing was covered up before taking to the gravel road, stealthily keeping to the cover of the trees and bushes on either side. Ahead they could see the glow in the sky from the floodlights surrounding the camp, their target. Rogers and Grant looked at Jones and Raines.
"Make contact," they ordered.
Jones took the radio unit off his back while Raines picked up the microphone. Tuning it to the frequency of the German anti-Nazi resistance group he spoke the code words that identified their arrival, then waited for the code words that confirmed the identification of the resistance. Wearing the headphones, he listened patiently, then he nodded his head.
"Proceed to rendezvous point, Alpha 12," he stated in German then patted Jones on the back before looking at the two leaders. "They're delayed a few minutes. Had to wait for a convoy to cross on their approach. Told us to be on the lookout for it."
"Good," said Grant. "Morita, you and Rose take the point. I'll be right behind you with Rogers, Jones, and Raines. Everyone else stay loose but alert. This close to the camp they'll have canine units, knives only if you're confronted."
They continued along their path parallel to the road then saw lights coming their way. Taking cover themselves they saw the same convoy that must have delayed the resistance, except it was turning onto the road towards the camp. Rogers and Grant huddled together watching several troop trucks going past. The back tarps were open, showing armed guards closest to the tailgate. It was too dark to make out the passengers they were transporting but the lack of additional vehicles with armed guards brought up a question.
"What do you think?" asked Rogers after they passed. "More subjects for their experiments?"
"Bradley!" Grant called back, in a hushed voice. The big man came forward. "You're sure the prisoners of this camp were only for experiments or did they carry regular PoWs as well?"
"All experiments," confirmed the big man. "But when I was here as a prisoner they had more armed guards when they brought new people in. These arrivals could be new guards or their own soldiers for the experiments if they've progressed that far. We'll have to get the latest intelligence from the resistance before we know for sure."
Morita and Rose gave the word that the convoy was out of sight and the squad slipped across the roadway towards the rendezvous point, deep inside a wooded area at the top of a bluff. Raines and Bradley went forward, to confirm the resistance were who they said they were as the latter could identify them personally from when they rescued him before. As everyone else spread out the two men found the path marked with the sign of a German cross and followed it to where it crossed with another path.
"They're here," murmured Bradley. "I can hear them breathing." He pointed ahead of their position. "Most of them are there."
Raines nodded. "My Holstein cow had two calves," he said, in German.
"I would like to buy one," said a voice from the darkness, speaking English. Two men approached, dressed in civilian clothes. "You are the special forces units?"
"We are," replied Raines. "Is it safe to speak here?"
"As safe as anywhere," replied the man. "Give your people the signal while I do the same."
Bradley stopped Raines. "Wait a moment." He turned to the man, then looked past him. "Where is Hirsch?"
"Sergeant Bradley, you of all people know that Isaac Hirsch was captured during the rescue of you from the camp," said the man. "He was hung from a lamppost in the town square and no one was allowed to take his body down for fear of the whole town facing reprisal. His remains are in an unknown and unmarked grave. We're lucky the townsfolk didn't give us up."
"Just making sure, Goldstein," said Bradley. "I'm a Corporal now, long story. Go ahead, Raines."
The American returned moments later with the rest of the unit and Goldstein looked over the joint squad.
"That's a lot of men," he said. "I take it you intend to fully destroy this abomination of a camp?"
"That's the plan," replied Grant. "There were no additional guards with that convoy. Bradley said it could mean they're at the stage of beginning to transform their own soldiers. What's the latest intelligence on that?"
"Exactly that," Goldstein answered. "Our inside contact said the PoWs currently being held are no longer being experimented on and are likely to be used for the new super soldiers to train on. In other words, they plan to slaughter them, to bring the new soldier's blood lust up to a level that can't be stopped."
"Well, good luck controlling their soldiers if they get to that, which they won't as we're going to stop them," replied Grant. He uncovered his watch. "In about an hour there will be an air raid. We will have 15 minutes to infiltrate, rescue our people, lay the charges and get out before everything goes off."
The sounds of dismay from the resistance unit were audible and Goldstein had to hiss at them to keep quiet.
"Are you crazy? We don't have the time to do all that," he said.
"You're responsible for getting the prisoners out of the camp," replied Grant. "Use the trucks and any other vehicles there to transport them to the second rendezvous point. Leave the rest of it to us."
The man looked at Grant and the others as if they were delusional but Grant's face was completely serious.
"How are you going to take down guards, break into the camp, lay explosives, and get out in 15 minutes?"
"Well, six of us are incredibly strong," said Grant. "We have several very capable men on explosives duty, another who can pick a lock faster than anyone I've ever seen and the rest know their duties are to help where they can. Don't worry, we've trained for this and it will send a message, not just to the Germans but HYDRA that we're coming for them."
If they didn't have to be ready to act as soon as the air raid started Grant would have been happy to share more of what the two teams were capable of getting done in 15 minutes. It's what they had trained for 12 hours a day for two weeks straight. Everyone knew everyone else's job so that if anyone fell the next man would take over seamlessly. The four super soldiers, plus Howlett and Dugan, would take down anyone in a German uniform. Rumlow would pick the locks into the labs and serum storage, Dernier and Jones would lay the explosives, assisted by Rose, Raines and Falsworth who would also help keep them safe as they did their jobs. In simulated practice runs they got everything in place within 12 minutes, using British commandos to act as the Germans. The super soldiers had to pull their punches to avoid hurting the British commandos but those soldiers didn't know that and did their best to stop the enhanced humans and the former circus strongman who had proven he could handle several men at once. The resistance were to drive the rescued soldiers to a second rendezvous point where the Howling Commandos and Phantom Patrol would catch up with them. As the Resistance went back into hiding the two teams would escort the rescued prisoners through the Netherlands where the Dutch Resistance would provide them with several small boats that would meet in open water with a British submarine. By dawn after the following night they were expected to be on the submarine.
As they broke to get into position around the camp, Goldstein reminded Grant that their inside contact would identify herself with the V for Victory hand sign, along with her code name Marturo.
"Don't kill her," said the Resistance leader. "She's a good person."
Rose who heard the code name touched Grant's arm and leaned in close. "Marturo is Romani for witness," he said, in a low voice. "Perhaps she is one of the Polish Roma you seek."
After acknowledging that bit of information the two men continued towards their assigned positions. The boxes of explosives were opened and distributed amongst the non-enhanced soldiers, along with the timed charging fuses. As the far away sounds of hundreds of bombers approached everyone got ready to do their part. The air raid sirens went off and the lights of the camp began turning off, section by section. As soon as their section went dark everyone with wire cutters went in and cut the barbed wire of the outer fence, then the inner fence. From there they dispersed to their targets and the Resistance headed towards the prisoner blocks, ignoring the sounds of bombs dropping in the distance. Taking out the night guards first the super soldiers then went after the other guards in their quarters, making short work of them. Rumlow had already picked the lock of the medical wing where Bradley had said the experiments were undertaken. As they opened the doors with their guns on the ready none of them were prepared for what they saw.
"Get Grant, Rogers and Bradley," he said to Rose. "We need extra help."
While they waited for Rose to return with the others they laid the charges then broke into the next room identifying it as the serum lab. Several scientists came sleepily out of their quarters that were attached directly to that lab. Raines, in German, ordered them against the wall and held his gun on them. By their protests they weren't there willingly but he wasn't taking chances. Out in the main lab the three super soldiers had arrived and saw the reason they were called.
Four large capsules were laid horizontally with people visible inside of them in a state of cryosleep. Grant and Rogers looked at Bradley who just shook his head.
"They weren't at this stage when I was here," he said, peering down at the faces. "I recognize two of them, one American and one British PoW. I don't know the other two."
"Captain Rogers, Agent Grant, we have scientists in the other room," stated Falsworth, arriving just then. "They are claiming they are conscripts and not here willingly."
Rogers looked at his watch. "We have less than 6 minutes to get the remaining charges laid and get out of here," he said, looking at Grant. "What do you want to do? If these four are PoWs we can't leave them. But how do we wake them up?"
The two men left Bradley with the capsules while they went to the other lab, noting that the charges had been laid. There were four scientists, three men and a woman.
"What are your names?" Grant asked it out loud in English.
The three men shook their heads. The woman, tall with brown hair, stepped forward.
"My name is Dr. Eva Waslewski," she said, in English then she flashed the V for Victory sign. "My code name is Marturo. I was a research scientist in Poland studying how hypothermia can be used to slow down the body's reaction to traumatic injury, allowing doctors more time to treat the patient. My sister and I were conscripted by the Germans to come here but they took her away a month ago and I haven't seen her since. These other men are Nazis and not to be trusted. I was to teach them everything I know with my death likely to occur after."
Grant shone his torch on her, studying her face and confirming her appearance as one of the women in the files shown to him during the Blip. Approaching her he asked her a question.
"What is your grandmother's first name?"
"Kezia," replied the woman, puzzled.
"Can we disconnect the four men in the capsules out in the lab?" he asked, satisfied with the answer about her grandmother. "We already know two of them are PoWs."
"Yes, there is enough nitrogen inside the capsules to keep them in stasis for several days but they'll need medical treatment ready to act before we open the capsules up. They are all PoWs, the only ones to fully adapt to the serum. We were to begin injecting some chosen SS soldiers with serum starting tomorrow."
Grant smiled. "That's not happening. Come with me. We have to get these men out of here and we'll need you to look after them." He looked at Falsworth then at the remaining scientists. "They're not coming."
"Understood," replied the British officer who returned to the lab with Rose and closed the door.
The other soldiers continued on to the next target to lay the charges. As Dr. Waslewski went to the other lab with Grant and Rogers she gave out a cry of recognition when she saw Bradley.
"Sergeant! You made it!"
He turned and smiled back at her. "I did Ma'am," he replied, then he gestured. "We have to get these guys out of here."
She took charge, showing Bradley how to disconnect the capsules from their tanks and wheel them out through a larger door. While he helped her Grant went to get another truck to load the capsules into while Rogers went to find out if everyone else was done. Backing the truck up to the large doors Grant jumped out. He and Bradley physically lifted the two large capsules into the back of the troop truck, then wheeled the other two towards another truck that appeared driven by another sergeant, a man with a cigar in his mouth who brought another man with him. Waslewski noted those two men also had no problem lifting the capsules. They were joined shortly by Farnsworth and Rose who kept a lookout. When the loading was finished Bradley took the wheel while the others jumped in back. The other man with the cigar took control of the second truck while several others jumped in back with those two capsules. Grant offered his hand to Dr. Waslewski.
"I should get dressed," she said turning to go back into the serum lab.
"No time," replied Falsworth suddenly. "You don't want to go in there, Doctor."
Grant offered his hand again. "You're under my protection. No one will hurt you."
The sounds of the siren signalling the end of the air raid jolted her into action and she climbed inside sitting next to him. He pounded the wall of the cab of the truck and they took off with a lurch. The Polish doctor was thrown into Grant's side prompting him to put his arm around her shoulders to steady her. As they pulled away from the building they heard the charges going off at the other end of the camp. The trucks sped up, hoping to get away from the remaining buildings before they blew up. As Bradley and the others drove through the now opened gates those in the back could see the lab go up in spectacular fashion. Pulling the canvas back at the front Grant stuck his head through the side of the truck and spoke to Bradley then he took his jacket off and offered it to Dr. Waslewski.
"We have a ways to go," he said. "We'll be picking up some more of our team shortly."
She nodded, putting the jacket on gratefully. "You have no idea of the horrors they were inflicting on the soldiers in that camp," she said, her voice dripping with anger. "These four men, in the capsules, are the only survivors of over two dozen that were injected with the German serum."
"Actually, I do," said Grant. "Our two units are going after all the HYDRA labs and camps. We did this one first because Corporal Bradley told us about it."
"You're a super soldier?" she asked but not receiving a direct answer. "We knew about Captain America and about Bradley, but not about you. It's why I contacted the Resistance so that Bradley could get home. There was a rumour that HYDRA had begun using a machine to render a soldier useless against the command to kill. They would have sent Sergeant Bradley there to turn him against his own countrymen."
"When we get back you'll be fully briefed," said Grant, then he gestured to the capsules. "We need you to make sure these men survive the cryogenic process."
When they stopped briefly to pick up the rest of the men he watched her in the almost darkness of the back of the truck, his increased night vision able to take in her features. Guessing her to be in her mid-30s he wondered how she had managed to become part of the Resistance. As if she could read his thoughts she began to speak.
"I'm half Roma," she said. "Along with the Jews, the Communists, and the homosexuals, the Nazis were forcing Roma into the concentration camps. With our fair colouring my sister and I could pass for Aryan. There was never any doubt that we would work for the Resistance. I began my work on cryostasis about 8 years ago when I was a new medical graduate, working with a German doctor who felt we could save lives by extending the time when critical care must be given. He was a veteran of the First World War and was often frustrated by how long a critically injured soldier had to wait for treatment, usually resulting in his death. Noticing that hypothermia victims could be successfully brought back to life if they were given the time to recover properly he began working placing victims into a controlled hypothermic state until they could be treated. He was taken by the Nazis in 1939 to work with HYDRA on a special project. He never came back so I carried on without him." She placed her hand on the nearest capsule. "These four men are not injured but they are proof that the concept has merit." She turned to him. "Why did you ask me my grandmother's name?"
"I can't tell you that right now," replied Grant. "When I can tell you, I will. Your sister, she is part of your research?"
"Yes, she is part of the aftercare process," said the woman doctor. "Thawing a person out too fast can result in brain and tissue damage, too slow can cause great pain to the patient. Done at the right pace the process should have little to no effect on the patient's faculties although memory may require some more time to catch up. Anya has a more pleasant aspect to her appearance, and her compassion is evident. She is easy for a man to wake up to."
"You're saying she's beautiful," noted Grant. "You're not bad yourself."
The doctor smiled, reinforcing Grant's words. "I'm dedicated to my work. Anya is younger and more likely to get married than me." She turned more towards him. "What is your name?"
"Grant, Special Agent Steven Grant," he said. "We'll be going to England where you'll be able to wake these men up in a proper medical environment."
"Well, I would appreciate it if you could find me some clothes to wear before then," she asked. "Slippers, a nightgown and a borrowed jacket are not enough to prevent me from getting hypothermia."
"We'll find a way to clothe you, Doctor."
He heard a cough and looked at Falsworth in the dark, who said nothing, but had a grin on his face. Rose and the others were also trying to keep a straight face. Ignoring them he looked out the flap in the side of truck to see if they were approaching their rendezvous. They pulled into a quarry, the last truck to arrive. Jumping out the back he told the doctor and Rose to stay with the capsules while he and the others got out. In the pre-dawn light faces were becoming visible and Waslewski looked at Rose, frowning slightly.
"You're Roma," she stated, then started speaking slowly in her dialect of the Romani language. "What is the Special Agent not telling me?"
"I can't tell you either," replied Rose, replying slowly in his dialect, "except that he and I are kintala and what he is doing is patjivalo. He is not Roma but he knows things about our people and is trying to stop them from being killed by the Nazis. He is a worthy man."
"You trust him?" Rose could feel her gaze measuring him.
"Yes, the gadžo officers court-martialled Bradley and locked him up in the dark. Grant sent me to find him and when he learned where Bradley was he used all of his authority to get him out of that prison."
"He knew that Bradley was enhanced?"
Rose hesitated, feeling he had already told her more than he should have. "Grant was surprised to hear Bradley already was special, but it was something he knew would happen eventually. I can't say how he knew but I'm sure he will tell you because he was also looking for you and your sister. They need you for something to come."
Before she could ask anything else Grant returned with an armful of clothing.
"These were liberated from a nearby farmhouse," he said. "You can have a few minutes to put them on but we have to go before the local army detachment figures out it was an escape from the camp. Rose, give the lady some privacy. We'll give you some space."
As promised the men who had gathered at the back of the truck moved away so that she could put the clothes on. Instead of taking her nightgown off Waslewski put the clothes on over top then tucked the garment into the trousers they provided her. Pulling on the socks made her cold feet feel better already although the boots she was given were too big. They would have to do. Once she was dressed she checked the settings on the cryogenic capsules to make sure nothing was jarred loose during transport. Going to the back of the truck she slid down and went over to the other.
"I want to check on these two," she said, to the soldier nearby, a younger dark-haired sergeant.
Instead of offering her a hand he picked her up by the waist and placed her in the back of the truck like she weighed nothing. Satisfied that everything was normal she reappeared at the back of the truck and again he lifted her down with ease.
"Cap and Special Agent Grant want to talk to you, Ma'am," said the young sergeant, whose blue eyes were more visible in the approaching dawn.
Smiling slightly at him she walked over to the two men, noticing they resembled each other, almost like brothers. Grant smiled at her as she approached.
"Dr. Waslewski, this is Captain Rogers, also known as Captain America," he said. "We are related, in case you noticed a resemblance."
"Captain," she said. "I just checked the capsules and everything seems to be okay. We can go on to the next part of the journey, if you wish."
"Well, that's where we have a problem," said Grant. "We weren't expecting to find anyone in capsules. With the size of the capsules and your warning that waking them requires time and patience I think they need to get back sooner." He noticed the look of alarm on her face. "We have every intention of bringing them back to England. It just won't be in the same manner as the others."
"What are you suggesting?" She looked at the two men.
"That we split up," said Rogers. "I take most of the men with me and stick to our original exit plan. Grant will take you, the capsules, Corporal Bradley, Sergeant Howlett, Sergeant Barnes and Private Raines. There is an airfield nearby. They steal an airplane and fly you to England."
"Do any of you know how to fly?"
"Sort of," admitted Grant. "It's the taking off and landing that I'm ... rusty in."
"I'm sure there is at least one pilot in the group you rescued from the camp," suggested Waslewski.
Grant nodded at Howlett who went over to where the escaped prisoners were assembled to find a pilot. When he returned with several men he gave Grant a questioning look before speaking.
"Why steal one aircraft when you can steal several and get back faster?" he grinned. "The resistance can send a coded message that we've changed our escape plans. The intelligence people would be happy to get their hands on a German aircraft. There are several commandos in the escaped prisoners that would like an opportunity to pay back the Nazis by taking on the guards at the airbase. There's only one problem. With the size of those capsules there's only one aircraft that can carry them; a Messerschmidt ME 323 Gigant. There should be one at the base and it should be big enough to carry everyone."
"What's the problem?" asked Grant.
"Takes five men to fly it, two pilots, two engineers, and a radio operator," said Howlett. "But it's vulnerable and although it has guns if we're caught by the Germans or even our fighter aircraft we don't have much chance of surviving."
Both Grant and Rogers ran their hands over their faces in frustration almost as if they were synchronized. It was eerie to see, and Waslewski wondered if there was more to the explanation that they were just related. Rogers looked at his counterpart.
"I could still go the overland route with a group of men and contact our people to let your flight in," he said. "But I think we need to get those men in the capsules back right away. Dr. Erskine would be very interested in them."
"You mean, Dr. Abraham Erskine?" asked Dr. Waslewski. "I thought he was dead."
Grant smiled. "Don't believe everything you hear. We have to make a decision before the sun rises. Listen up!" He climbed onto the hood of one of the trucks. "We're going to split up the group. Captain Rogers will take volunteers to go the overland route to the Netherlands where the local resistance will provide boats to rendezvous with a British submarine that will take you to England. It's going to take another day at least to get back. The rest of us will be going to the airfield, stealing their largest troop carrier so that we can load the four soldiers who are still in the cryostasis cylinders. We need two pilots, and two engineers to run the aircraft. We already have a radio operator and I've already chosen from our men who will come with me. I'm not going to lie; there's a good chance we'll get shot down but these four men in the cylinders have to get back to England soon for the best chance of their survival. You have one minute to decide. Those going with Captain Rogers head over towards him. Those of you coming with me, stay put."
For several seconds the rescued soldiers looked at each other then the pilots who had come forth with Howlett stepped closer to Grant. Several others with engineering or mechanical experience stayed as well while the others went over to Rogers. The quarry was long abandoned but the decision was made for those who were going to the airfield to hide around the perimeter using brush to hide the trucks from any fly overs. The others would go as far as they could into the Netherlands with their trucks before making contact with the Dutch Resistance. It was hoped that would draw the attention of any pursuing German troops away from the airfield. With the belief that they would have access to the aircraft's radio by nightfall Grant sent the unit's radio with Jones and Rogers. The firearms they took from the Germans at the camp were divided up between the two groups of escaped prisoners. With an informal salute Rogers acknowledged Grant and the two men divided their force hoping to see each other again soon.
Author notes: There were German-based resistance cells, mostly comprised of left-wing Zionists, German Social Democrats, and Communists. There were also right-wing resistance groups (usually religious in their makeup) but they tended to be anti-Semitic although not to the extent they wished for Jews to be exterminated. The Roma, commonly called Gypsies for their supposed Egyptian heritage (the term is now considered a slur), were also targeted by the Nazis. It is estimated that between 250,000 and 500,000 met their demise at the hands of the Nazis.
Gadžo - non-Roma
Kintala – a pairing or partnership, usually meant to restore balance
Patjivalo - honourable