The Gemini Divergence (6 page)

In the background behind him, one could see
that the horror that had unfolded here at Schwerig’s hands was also
playing out at the other factories in the industrial park.

The ghastly scene was providing a background
of occasional gunfire, the sound of men shouting, others screaming
in horror, explosions, and the sound of fire burning.

The young leutnant walked up to Schwerig and
presented him with the freshly typed document as he saluted.

Schwerig read it and said as he signed it,
“Very good, this will do nicely leutnant.” He handed the document
back and continued. “Tell me, after you take the forced labor back
to the concentration camps, where is your final destination to
deliver the hard assets?”

“Riese Poland, Herr Major,” reported the
young leutnant “I am to deliver these assets there and then return
the train with assets to defend against the coming allied
offensive… Of course now I will have to schedule a replacement crew
to be waiting for me at Riese.”

The leutnant paused and then asked, “If I
may, could I ask the major what the Allies will think once they
come upon this scene.”

Schwerig turned and smiled as he said, “They
will think it is of their own doing. We have received intelligence
that the British RAF is to bomb this industrial park tonight.
Anyone, even the locals that come across this scene will attribute
it tonight’s impending bombing.”

“Very good sir,” the young leutnant said
while snapping to attention and saluting farewell. “I will follow
your orders to the letter.”

He turned and departed, walking towards the
train.

Schwerig turned slowly to
view the panorama of his grand deed, thinking to himself,
what have I forgotten
?

As he pondered his agenda, he noticed Sgt.
Stark approaching with a file in his hand. He instantly knew that
this could not be good that Sgt. Stark would leave the building
with a file without destroying it. It almost certainly meant that
there was something within the file that needed his attention
before burning.

When Sgt. Stark arrived he snapped to
attention with apprehension; physically expressing his remorse to
report something.

“I am not going to like this, am I Feldwebel
Stark,” snorted Schwerig.

“I am afraid that you probably will not Herr
Major,” Sgt. Stark answered as he handed the file to Schwerig.

As Schwerig opened the file Stark continued,
“I was about to finish your checklist by destroying this particular
file when I discovered an entry that may be of concern to you. The
entire file is the record of duplicates produced. The last entry
states the our, Herr Volmer, made several photographic copies of
documents and blue prints of drawings and schematics of his most
recent work here to present to his new employers at
Peenemunde.”

“Damn!” exclaimed Schwerig. “We can only hope
that the team at Peenemunde, which the officer in charge, Major
Toelke, has assured me that Volmer has been accounted for, has also
accounted for these documents.”

“But, Herr Major… Can you be ultimately
certain?”

“I will be… before we are through… I will
retrieve these documents or confirm their demise; if I have to
chase them to the ends of the Earth.”

~~~**^**~~~

The Big War
/ Herr Volmer’s Desk

Volmer was still getting familiar with his
new job at Peenemunde, so he was still not entirely certain exactly
what he was supposed to be doing at the present time.

He was shuffling through the papers that had
been scattered all over his desk, looking for the task list given
to him by his new supervisor.

Otmar Volmer was an extremely intelligent
scientist, but very scatter brained. He was a very quick thinker,
but again… organization was not his greatest skill. Even in school,
professors would often scold him for his lack of clerical ability,
but his talent had always made up for it. He had never had a
problem finding work because his reputation for solving huge
technical problems was unblemished.

He knew not, what happened at his old place
of work, or about the fate of his former coworkers. He also had no
idea of the immense importance of the papers that he had tucked
away in his satchel that lay on top of one of many piles of paper
on his desk; or about the major that was supposed to dispatch him
and everyone around him, but for some reason had not.

He had merely made those duplicates so that
he could show his past experience and skill level to his new
employer.

Now that he was already employed, and trying
to figure out what he was supposed to be doing, he had little
regard for them. So they lay, for at this moment, forgotten.

His new supervisor approached him as he was
rifling through his papers, “Herr Volmer, I came to tell you that
Herr Von Braun is anxious to talk with you about problems that they
have been having with data from sensors onboard the rockets getting
back to the controllers. They need to drastically reduce the
propagation delay to get it as close to real time as technically
possible. Dr. Von Braun has heard of the work that you have done on
remotely controlling the Schriewer prototypes and wonders if you
can do something similar to help him here.”

Volmer looked up from his search. His eyes
looked enormous through his thick glasses.

He pushed the glasses all the way up his nose
and asked, “Is he waiting to see me this instant?”

His supervisor chuckled as he answered, “No,
but why don’t you get with Herr Von Braun’s secretary to arrange a
suitable time for the both of you.”

“Yes sir, I will do that right away,” said
Volmer. Then he asked, “Where exactly is Herr Von Braun’s office
located?”

Herr Volmer’s new supervisor was already
weary of his lack of organization. He sighed and said, “It is
clearly labeled on the map of the facilities that I supplied
you.”

Otmar just looked down at the mess on his
desk and said, “Oh, yes sir, I’ll get right on that,” as he again
started pilfering through his clutter.

~~~**^**~~~

The Big War
/ The Second Meeting

As the front door of Von Sterbenbach’s castle
opened, the bright daylight sun reflecting from the fallen snow
cascaded through the open door.

From the spectacle of natural light entered a
dark and forbidding silhouette. Once the figure had advanced a few
steps, the same well prepared sergeant that had been waiting in the
Foyer before, then recognized Schwerig as he walked closer.

“Ah. Major Schwerig,” The sergeant
proclaimed. “The General has been expecting you… of course.”

The sergeant continued as he rose and walked
towards the meeting room door, “Since all of the same members are
to be in attendance today as were in your last meeting, the
arrangements are to be the same as well. Is there anything that I
may get for you before you enter sir?”

Schwerig smiled, impressed again by the
sergeant’s demeanor and said, “No thank you sergeant, but thank you
for asking.”

Schwerig continued to smile but made a slight
gesture with his eyes toward the meeting room door, letting the
sergeant know that he intended to enter now.

At that the sergeant turned to Schwerig and
clicked his heels as he snapped to attention and gave a long arm
salute. Once Schwerig returned the salute, less enthusiastically of
course, the Sergeant opened the door for him and allowed him to
enter.

Minutes later, with the meeting already in
progress, General Von Sterbenbach was going over some trivial start
of the meeting matters.

Upon seeing that he now had the meeting in
full swing, and everybody’s undivided attention, he decided to get
to the reports of how the purge went.

He continued, “Now, for the reports of how
the purge and transfer program have come. We will start to my right
with Major Schwerig, and then continue around the table.” After a
brief pause he introduced, “Major Schwerig.” Then von Sterbenbach
sat down leaned back and turned towards Schwerig.

Schwerig, still sitting, picked up his paper
and started, “Thank you General… Although most of the actual
Schriewer and Gocke transfer programs were assigned to other
officers, I was charged with dispensing of subcontractors and parts
manufacturers for those specific projects. I am here to report that
all of the facilities have been destroyed and made to look like
allied bombing losses. All of the needed and usable assets have
been transferred to Riese, as ordered, to await further disposition
instructions… Further more, all forced labor has been rehabitated
into their original internment camps. All clerical records
destroyed. All logistical records destroyed.”

In the back of his mind he thought of the
Volmer papers, but he shut it out, telling himself that later in
this meeting he was going to hear the Peenemunde report and be put
at ease.

Schwerig finished by saying, “Most
importantly, all of the non-military personal involved in the
programs have been liquidated, and their body’s also staged to look
like allied bombing victims… All of the military men, not
associated with us, that helped me execute my orders have been
transferred to separate units on the Russian front to be put into
infantry units that have already been written off as expected total
losses in upcoming tactical skirmishes.”

He then straightened his papers and laid them
down, looking to the officer on his right, and said, “Hauptman
Mueller, I believe that you are next.”

Hauptman Mueller looked at Schwerig and said,
“Thank you Major Schwerig.”

Turning then to everyone in attendance
Hauptman Mueller then gave a report very similar to Schwerig’s, and
so it went around the table, from officer to officer, ad infinitum,
until they finally got to the Major in charge of the Peenemunde
account.

“My name is Major Toelke, and I have been
charged with dispensing the Peenemunde account,” he stated.

Suddenly, for the first time during the
meeting, General Von Sterbenbach interrupted; taking control of the
conversation, and asked, “Major Toelke, were you able to account
for all of the personal assigned to Peenemunde?”

Toelke answered, “Of course, Herr
General.”

Hearing this, Schwerig felt relieved
already.

The General continued, “Were you also able to
account for all of the assets and documents?”

Again the Major reported, “Yes, General Von
Sterbenbach.”

“So, Major Toelke, please tell me, after you
accounted for all of these assets, then what happened to all of the
Peenemunde personal. I am most interested to know.”

Major Toelke reacted like he was on the spot
now, so he stood at attention and answered very nervously, “Well,
Herr General, I must report that… they all were… captured by the
Allies.”

Schwerig’s mouth dropped open and his heart
started racing. Totally stunned by the report; he looked around the
room and saw that everybody else was having comparable
reactions.

Before Schwerig could visually pan the entire
room and see the General’s reaction, The General already blurted
out another question, “And the rockets? What has happened to all of
our rockets?

Major Toelke answered, “Captured as well Herr
General.”

“Every single one?” queried Von Sterbenbach
furiously.

“Yes,” timidly reported Toelke.

“And all of the documents and drawings?”
asked Von Sterbenbach, “What has become of them?”

Major Toelke still at attention reported,
“About six truckloads… All captured.”

General Von Sterbenbach stood up, pushing his
chair back in anger, and while looking directly at Toelke he
screamed, “Everybody except Majors Toelke and Schwerig…
dismissed!”