Kingdom of Darkness

27

The young man led Eddie towards the heart of the Enklave. Even though it was now dark, they used the sparse vegetation to stay concealed as much as possible. ‘All right,’ said Eddie, ‘I need to know this place’s layout. Where’s the prison?’

‘It is on the far side of the compound, past the Kinderhaus,’ Roland replied.

‘The what?’ He knew the two parts of the compound word — child and house — but wasn’t sure if it meant what he thought.

‘The children’s building, there.’ Roland pointed at a large white-painted structure beyond the barracks. ‘It is where I grew up. Where we all grew up.’

‘All the kids live in one building?’

‘Yes. I was surprised when Julieta first told me she lived only with her father and mother.’

‘Wait, you mean you didn’t live with your mum and dad?’

‘No, I was born of one of the Zucht-Frauen.’

‘What are they?’

‘There are nine at the present time, I think? Six of them are Kindermädchen; they look after the children and teach them useful skills, like cooking and how to make clothes.’

‘What about the other three?’ Eddie asked, with the distinct feeling that he wouldn’t like the answer.

Roland hesitated. ‘They are kept in a ward for… breeding.’

The Englishman stopped. ‘You mean they’re prisoners? They’re, what, literally breeding stock? Jesus!’

‘Only those who are not totally obedient to the Reich…’ The youth trailed off under Eddie’s glare.

‘So women who don’t do as they’re told get locked up to become baby machines? What happens to men who—’ He already knew. ‘They’re just fucking executed, obviously. Like your brother.’

Roland could no longer meet his gaze. ‘I… I cannot believe he is gone.’

‘Yeah, he’s gone. He was shot in the fucking street by that scar-faced bastard Jaekel. So, is that how it was? He was the free-thinking, troublemaking brother who didn’t like what Kroll and the other Nazi shitehawks were doing and died trying to stop it, and you were the good little boy who always did what he was told, however fucking evil it was?’

‘I never did anything evil!’ the youth protested. ‘I just… never doubted what our leaders told us.’

‘Now’d be a good time to start. You need to pick a side, son. The people who killed your brother, and Macy, and about twenty million others — or people like me who’re trying to stop history from repeating itself. Who’s it gonna be?’

Roland shook his head, conflicted. ‘I do not know what to do…’ He finally looked up at Eddie. ‘But I promised Julieta that I would help you find Dr Wilde, and I will keep my promise.’

He set off again, Eddie staring angrily after him before following. ‘How do I get into this prison?’

‘There is only one entrance, and there is a guard room beyond it. But you will be able to talk to Dr Wilde from outside — there is a hole for air in the back wall.’ He glanced back with a half-smile. ‘I used to sneak around and talk to Volker through it when he was in the prison for getting into trouble.’ The smile faded at the thought of his late brother.

‘So you went outside the Enklave to hook up with Julieta, and talked to your brother in secret when he was in the slammer? You don’t always follow orders, then. There’s hope for you yet.’ Eddie was already working out possible plans of action; if he reached the prison unseen, he could get Nina to create a distraction inside her cell while he entered the building…

Roland stopped behind a clump of trees. ‘Sentries walk along this path,’ he explained, indicating a route circling the settlement. A barbed-wire fence ran along its outer side.

The Englishman checked in both directions. ‘I haven’t seen anyone.’

‘No. That is strange, we always have a night watch. It must be because of the rally.’

‘What rally?’

‘The Führer, Herr Kroll — he ordered everyone to attend a rally tonight. I do not know why, though. A big announcement.’

Eddie regarded the floodlights. ‘They were building something on a parade ground with a stage at one end — is that where they’re holding it?’

‘Yes. I saw them taking wood to it, but I do not know what they are making.’

‘You said everyone’s going to be there?’ Eddie asked. Roland nodded. ‘So I might be able to get into this prison while it’s going on?’

‘Perhaps. The order was given to everybody in the Enklave.’ He pointed towards some bushes forty metres past the fence. ‘There is a trench behind them. We can use it to get closer.’

‘Lead on.’ Eddie let Roland go first, still keeping the gun at the ready. The young man had seemed genuinely devastated on learning what had happened to his twin, but he might still fall back on learned behaviour and protect his leaders by betraying his new companion.

For now, though, there was no indication that he meant to give away Eddie’s presence. They crawled under the fence, then Roland led the way to the end of the ditch, bringing the pair to within a hundred metres of the buildings. The nearest was a large and ugly block silhouetted by lights behind. ‘Okay, where are we?’ Eddie asked.

‘That is the motor pool and the auto workshops,’ Roland told him. ‘We will have to go all the way around the compound to reach the prison from here.’

The young man started to move, but Eddie held his arm. ‘Wait — that garage, is there a back door?’

‘No, but… I know a way to get inside without being seen. Volker and I used to sneak in to play in the trucks when we were children.’ A quizzical glance. ‘Why do you want to go inside?’

‘’Cause when I get Nina out, I don’t want a hundred pissed-off fucking Nazis chasing after me in half-tracks.’ He nudged Roland on.

‘We only have trucks, and some jeeps. And tractors,’ Roland told him as they cautiously crossed the open ground.

‘What about the railway? Are there any trains?’

‘Yes, there is a steam engine, but it has not run for years.’

They reached the rear of the garage. Eddie peered warily around its corner, ducking back as two men walked past on the building’s far side. However, they were not looking in his direction. He leaned out again, seeing that they were heading towards the floodlit glare of the parade ground. More Nazis trooped by. ‘Looks like this rally’s about to start. That’ll keep ’em occupied, then. How do we get in?’

‘Here.’ Roland moved to a pile of old tyres and assorted machine parts against the side wall. He rolled a rusting truck wheel back a few feet to expose a dark hole at the bottom of the flaking planks.

Eddie bent to look through. The garage had shutters fronting each work bay, and some were open, letting in spill from the floodlights. But the interior itself was unlit. He made out vehicles lurking within, and more trucks and jeeps just outside. ‘Do they keep all their cars and stuff here?’

‘Yes.’

He weighed up his options. Desperate as he was to save Nina, it was unlikely that he could simply march into the prison, gun blazing, and bring her out. But if the guards were at the rally, or if only a single man was left on watch… ‘When does the rally start?’

‘In twenty minutes,’ Roland told him.

Eddie made a decision. ‘Okay, wait here. I’m going to sort out these trucks.’ The blond man retreated, leaving him to crawl through the little opening.

The garage smelled strongly of spilled diesel and grease. This end of the building was home to racks holding tools and boxes of engine parts, as well as ranks of jerry cans and fuel drums. He crept past them to find a dented six-wheeled truck that from its dated styling appeared at least thirty years old. None of the other vehicles were any younger, so sabotaging them wouldn’t be difficult.

He neared an open garage door, getting his first clear look at the floodlit parade ground — and froze.

Construction work had finished. The fruits of the Nazis’ labours now stood before the stage.

A pair of gallows.

Each of the tall beams stood sixteen feet high, a noose already hanging from the cross-beam of one while a man on a ladder threaded a second rope into place on its neighbour.

Two gallows. Two prisoners. Eddie already knew who was due for the drop. A Mossad agent was an enemy the Nazis would want rid of as quickly as possible, and since Roland had said Banna was not in the cell, that meant Kroll had decided which archaeologist he was going to use to find the spring. And it wasn’t the stroppy redhead from New York.

A flash of pride that Nina had told the obese Nazi where to go was overpowered by fear for her life. She and Zane would be the main attraction at the impending rally. The stage was backed by huge swastika banners, men already assembling before it with red armbands standing out under the glaring lights. How the hell was he going to save them from the hangman with over a hundred Nazis watching?

He slipped back into the shadows as more young men passed the garage. Their reaction to the sight of the gallows was the opposite of his: an expectant thrill. ‘Goose-stepping little shits,’ he muttered — but then he took a closer look. They were all in uniform, but none appeared armed. A hundred Nazis, but no guns…

A glance back at the tool shelves, and he had his plan. He returned to the hole to see Roland still outside. ‘Herr Chase,’ whispered the youth. ‘Have you finished?’

‘Change of plan,’ Eddie replied. ‘Look, you know this place well, right? Ways to move around without being seen, hiding places, that kind of thing?’

‘Yes. Ever since we were children, Volker and I explored the Enklave whenever we could.’

‘Good, ’cause we’re gonna need ’em. Is there somewhere you can wait for me behind that stage?’

Roland looked uncomfortable. ‘Everyone is expected to attend the rally. I should already be in my quarters to put on my uniform — if I am late, they will search for me. And if they are searching for me, they may find you.’

‘They’ll wish they hadn’t.’

‘But if anyone is missed, the whole Enklave will be placed on alert, and you will never save your wife and your friends. I must go, I am sorry. But there is a red hut on the far side of the parade ground; under it, there is room to hide if you can get in without being seen. I will meet you there.’ Seeing the Englishman’s doubting expression, he added: ‘I promised Julieta I would help you. I would never lie to her — so I will not lie to you.’

Eddie was still dubious, but was also running out of time. ‘Okay then,’ he finally said. ‘You go and get ready.’

‘What are you going to do?’

‘Fix those trucks. And get some weapons.’

Roland frowned, puzzled. ‘But there are no weapons in there.’

Eddie gave him a sardonic smile. ‘People always said the Nazis were unimaginative…’