14:20 (Berlin Time)
Monday, June 30, 1941 ‘B’
Senior officers’ quarters, Colditz Castle
Germany
Brunet, Larsen, Milner and Nierman were killing time by playing cards in the junior officers’ room when a remark from Samuel Goldman, who was looking through the window facing the outer courtyard, got their attention.
“Colonel Schmidt is back, guys. His staff car just arrived.”
Jim Milner raised his nose up from his card hand for a moment.
“I wonder where he had been for the last 24 hours.”
“That’s not hard to figure out.” Replied Jan Nierman, facing him across the table they were using for the card game. “He was probably in Berlin to brief his superiors about our resident angel.”
“I wonder what the Germans will do about her.” Said Brunet. “The ones here in Colditz positively venerate her.”
“After half of the surviving ones were healed by her, I can understand their reactions to Nancy.” Added Sven Larsen. “I hope the Nazis in Berlin will not dissect her to try to find how she ended with her power of healing.”
“Well,” said Milner, “some here in Colditz are still far from venerating her.”
“That Robertson is an idiot, pure and simple.” Grumbled Brunet. “As for that bastard of Renaudin, I am going to make sure after I get back to France that he is booted out of the army.”
Goldman’s voice then rose by a pitch in excitement.
“Hey, Schmidt and Eggers are coming this way! Schmidt’s driver is already refueling his car. I wonder…”
The four other prisoners rushed to the window to look. Brunet understood first what was happening.
“Damn! I’m afraid that they are going to bring Nancy to Berlin. It was to be expected, after all.”
“We better warn her, then.” Replied Nierman. The five of them rushed out of the room and climbed the stairs to the fourth floor, only to find that Nancy was not in her room. Milner swore, and then raised a finger.
“Wait! I think that Anderson was planning to draw a picture of her today.”
That made the others race down the stairs again. They found the door of room 217 closed and had to knock.
“Who is it?” Asked the muffled voice of William Anderson.
“Colonel Brunet! I have urgent news for Brigadier Laplante.”
They heard a short exchange in muted tones inside before Anderson shouted for Brunet to come in. He entered, the four others close behind him, and stopped cold, his eyes nearly popping out: Nancy Laplante lay on her side on a bed, posing nude for Anderson in a most lascivious posture. Nancy smiled at the newcomers and waved a hand playfully. Her bald head, freshly shaved by Jean Bigras this morning to get rid of the burned remnants of her hair, made a weird contrast with her fabulous, athletic body. The men could also see that her groin was shaved clean as well. Anderson, his face impassive, sat five feet in front of her, a drawing board in his lap and a pencil in his right hand. As for Brunet and the others, they had a hard time keeping straight faces.
“What is it, gentlemen?” Purred Nancy, amused. Brunet swallowed once before answering.
“Er, we just saw Colonel Schmidt arrive back from his trip out of Colditz. His car is being refueled right now and he is heading this way with Captain Eggers. We think that they are going to ship you to Berlin.”
Nancy’s smile faded and she looked at Anderson.
“How long do you still need, William?”
“I’m nearly finished. Maybe five minutes.” Said Anderson, concentrating on his work. Nancy looked back at Brunet.
“Thank you for the warning, Gentlemen. I will advise you as soon as I know more from Schmidt.”
The five men left the room after a last look at Nancy. Milner growled with frustration as they got back in their room.
“God! What a woman! I nearly couldn’t resist jumping her.”
“She does have quite an appeal.” Replied Brunet, understating his own reaction.
Anderson was finished with his drawing and Nancy was dressing quickly in her shorts and T-shirt when someone knocked on the door again.
“One minute, please!” Shouted Nancy. Once dressed, she gave a quick kiss on Anderson’s forehead.
“Thanks for your time, William. You are really a first rate artist.”
“I’m the one thanking you, Nancy. You make one hell of a model.”
“Just don’t show this one to your wife, though: she may not be too understanding about it. Have a good day.”
Nancy then opened the door and faced Schmidt and Eggers, who had been waiting patiently in the hallway.
“Sorry to have made you wait, Colonel. I was posing for Major Anderson… nude.”
Schmidt’s eyebrow rose in interest as he smiled at Nancy.
“I will have to see the result of his work one day. I see that you did something quite drastic to your hair, Brigadier.”
Nancy sighed as she passed a hand on her bald head.
“It wasn’t something I enjoyed, Colonel, but it was the only way to ensure that my hair will grow evenly instead of in ugly clumps. Now, what may I do for you, Colonel?”
His face now somber, Schmidt straightened up.
“I have new orders concerning you, Brigadier. You are to leave for Berlin within the hour. I will have to ask you to pack quickly and to put on your uniform.”
“Where in Berlin am I to be brought?” Asked Nancy, apprehensive. Schmidt smiled, trying to reassure her.
“Do not worry, Brigadier: the Gestapo will not be allowed anywhere near you. My orders are to bring you to the Tempelhof Luftwaffe hospital, where you will assist the medical staff in treating the wounded. Your special talents are clearly wasted here.”
Schmidt was half expecting Nancy to object to this, which could be construed in directly helping Germany’s war effort, something prisoners of war were not supposed to do. Instead, his words brought immediate joy on her face.
“Tempelhof Hospital? Hell, I’ll be down in half an hour.”
Despite being surprised, like Schmidt, Eggers handed a duffel bag to Nancy.
“Then you will need this to pack your things, Brigadier.”
He then took an envelope out of one pocket and handed it too to her. Nancy looked at it blankly.
“What’s that?”
“The rest of the money from the sale of your ring, Brigadier. Bring it with the rest of your things to Berlin. Your face is so famous anyway that your chances of wandering unnoticed in Germany are next to nil, so the risk of you escaping from Berlin are quite slim.”
Nancy took the envelope and pointed an index at Eggers.
“Don’t underestimate me, Hauptman.”
“How could I underestimate an angel, Brigadier?”
“I already told you that I’m not an angel, Hauptman.”
“Sorry, Brigadier, but I don’t believe you! By the way, I will be escorting you to Berlin.”
Nancy’s smile warmed him instantly: her charm was nearly demonic in its strength.
“That will please me, Hauptman. See you at the main gate in half an hour.”
She then left the two German officers and went to her room, quickly changing into her Canadian Army dress uniform and packing her meager belongings into the duffel bag given by Eggers. Her next step was to go upstairs to say goodbye to Jean Bigras. She found the Frenchman having a nap in his bed. Ignoring the other prisoners around her, Nancy bent over him and gently woke him with a kiss. Jean opened his eyes in a startle and looked in confusion at her.
“Madame? What are you doing?”
“Kissing you goodbye, Jean. I am being transferred back to Berlin, to a Luftwaffe hospital where I will help heal the wounded. You are a very nice man, Jean. I hope to see you again after the war. I may have something for you then.”
“I will follow you anywhere, Brigadier. Good luck to you in Berlin.”
“The same to you, Jean. It was a pleasure knowing you.”
She then left him, sadness in her heart. Bigras was a young man with so much potential and kindness: he deserved better than this, like some others in the same building. Returning to her room and grabbing her duffel bag and her guitar, she then went down to Milner’s room, where he found him, Brunet and the others still playing cards. They all rose from their chairs when she showed up, apprehension on their faces. Nancy smiled gently to them.
“I am being transferred to the Tempelhof Luftwaffe hospital in Berlin, Gentlemen. You don’t need to worry about me: I will be treated correctly there. I am here to say goodbye to you.”
“What are your plans for after the war, Brigadier?” Asked Jim Milner softly.
“Something quite grandiose, actually. I may need a few good men to help me out then.”
“Count me in.” Replied eagerly Milner. Nierman, Larsen and Goldman echoed him, making Nancy grin.
“On one condition: that you would be prepared to work alongside a few German women.”
They looked at each other hesitantly, then back at her. Jim Milner spoke for the group.
“As long as the war is over, we have no objections to that, Brigadier.”
Nancy looked at Samuel Goldman, who appeared more hesitant than the others. She then spoke to him in a language the others did not understand, with Samuel answering her in the same language. Nancy next went to Brunet to shake his hand.
“Goodbye, Colonel Brunet. You proved to be a real gentleman.”
Nancy then left after a last look at the others. Milner looked questioningly at Goldman, who appeared deep in thoughts.
“What language did she use, Sam?”
“Hebrew. She was quoting a passage of the Torah about forgiveness.”
“Hebrew? Where would she have learned it? She never mentioned it before.”
“She learned it in Israël, thousands of years ago.” Said Samuel softly. “She started remembering it after her first healing.”
The others could only look at him in stunned silence.
At the main gate, Nancy found Eggers waiting patiently for her. She also found 26 German soldiers lined up at attention, rifles at their feet. She had healed every one of them, as a matter of fact. On Eggers’ orders, they shouldered their rifles and presented arms to Nancy in parade precision. Eggers then saluted Nancy.
“The garrison of Colditz Castle is bidding you farewell, Brigadier. We all admire you for your kindness and tolerance.”
Deeply moved by this, Nancy saluted back Eggers, then the soldiers.
“Thank you, all of you. I hope that this war will be soon over, so that we can formally be friends. I wish you all good luck.”
Eggers gave the command to shoulder the rifles, then escorted Nancy out. Schmidt’s staff car, a military version of the Volkswagen with a folding canvas top, was waiting for them in the outer courtyard. Eggers put Nancy’s bag and guitar on the rear seat, then invited her to sit in the front passenger seat before taking place behind the wheel. Nancy sat in the car, then smiled maliciously to Eggers.
“No escort this time?”
“No, Brigadier, for two reasons: first, an escort could attract an air attack; and second, I trust you not to try to escape during this trip. Besides, you could probably overpower any escort easily.”
“True enough. Let’s go, then.”
More German sentries saluted them as they drove out through the Clock Tower gate, over the moat bridge and into the town itself. As they were rolling down the main street, Nancy suddenly jerked her head to the right and shouted.
“STOP! BACK UP, HAUPTMAN!”
Eggers braked to a halt but did not back up, instead looking where Nancy was looking.
“What? What did you see?”
“That store…” said Nancy while pointing at a large window, “it has wigs in its display. Could I go in there and buy one?”
Eggers looked at her bald head, covered only by her green beret, and understood: her lack of hair must make her feel shameful in public. Reversing gears, he backed up and parked in front of the store. It wasn’t long before they were both back in the car, with Nancy now wearing a wig of long black hair that went down past her shoulders. Eggers looked at her and nodded with approval.
“You look much better now, Brigadier.”
“Thank you, Hauptman. Sorry for the delay.”
“That was nothing, Brigadier.”
Eggers then drove off, heading towards the main highway and Berlin.
18: 12 (Berlin Time)
Tempelhof Luftwaffe hospital
Berlin
There was still plenty of natural light when they arrived at the Tempelhof Hospital. Eggers parked in front of the main entrance, then gallantly offered Nancy to carry her things, which she agreed to. She felt growing joy at the thought of being reunited with Farah Tolkonen as she followed Eggers inside. They were met in the reception area by Colonel Reinhardt Mandell, who looked in disbelief at Nancy.
“Mein Gott! When I remember your crippled body as it was only four days ago…”
“I am alright now, I assure you, Doctor. Is my friend Farah very busy right now?”
While Eggers, who didn’t know about Farah Tolkonen, looked on with confusion, Mandell seemed more than a little embarrassed as he answered Nancy.
“I’m sorry, Brigadier, but your friend is not here anymore: she escaped last night.”
“ESCAPED?” Shouted Nancy in astonishment before lowering her voice to a normal level. “But she was harmless. She couldn’t fight her way out of a paper bag.”
“We thought so too, but she simply vanished during one of her evening ward tours: one minute she was there, the other she was gone.”
“Thank god!” Whispered Nancy. “Someone finally brought her back to her time. At least she is safe now.”
Mandell hesitated as he stared at her.
“I was told about your miraculous healing powers, Brigadier, but you may understand that I have a hard time believing in such things.”
“I understand you perfectly, Doctor. Give me a place to drop my things and time to eat something and I will start helping your patients. I suppose that Agent Braun will be my escort in the hospital.”
Mandell lowered his head, clearly bothered by her question.
“Herr Braun was accused of negligence for letting Doctor Tolkonen escape and was arrested by the Gestapo.”
The mention of the Gestapo and of the arrest of Braun was enough to infuriate Nancy: the Abwehr agent, while probably faultless, was certainly being tortured now to make him confess to being an accomplice in Farah’s escape. She kept her voice low with difficulty.
“Do you know how to contact Admiral Canaris, the head of the Abwehr, Colonel?”
“I do, miss. In fact, he left me his calling card four days ago. Why do you ask?”
“Because I want to speak to him urgently. Now, who will escort me around this hospital during my stay?”
“A squad of Luftwaffe soldiers has been assigned to that task, miss. Er, you are not planning to escape, Brigadier?”
Eggers rolled his eyes skyward at Mandell’s naïve question, while Nancy smiled sarcastically.
“Not at all, Doctor. I love to be a prisoner and to have my privacy invaded all the time. Be reassured, though: I will help your patients, then leave.”
A group of nine Luftwaffe soldiers arrived in the reception area as Nancy said those words. The feldwebel in charge of them snapped to attention in front of Eggers and saluted him.
“Feldwebel Martin Druckers reporting, Herr Hauptman. Me and my men will take custody of Brigadier Laplante from you.”
“Very well, Feldwebel. What were you told about Brigadier Laplante?”
“That she is very dangerous and must be kept on sight at all times, sir.”
Eggers and Nancy exchanged a knowing glance, with Nancy then smiling at the feldwebel.
“Well, this assignment should be an educative one for you and your men, Feldwebel. Will I be able to enjoy some privacy while under the shower or in the restroom, or are you planning to set up a medium machine gun in the women’s showers?”
If he was amused by her attempt at a joke, Druckers didn’t show it, keeping a straight face as he answered her.
“I haven’t considered that aspect yet, Brigadier. Please follow me to your new quarters.”
“That guy is a million laughs.” Said Nancy to Eggers as she was about to go with the soldiers. “Thank you for your kindness, Hauptman. It was a pleasure knowing you.”
“And it was an honor to know you, Brigadier. Good luck!”
21:46 (Berlin Time)
Private room, Tempelhof Hospital
Tired by the expenditure of energy spent on healing patients during the evening, Nancy was about to go take a shower when someone knocked on the door of her small private room.
“Come in!”
The small, graying man who entered the room was no stranger to Nancy, even though she had only met him once, briefly: Admiral Wilhelm Canaris’ career and secret agenda held no mysteries to her, thanks to a number of books and historical articles she had read about him. They both looked at each other in silence for a moment before Canaris spoke softly.
“I have heard a lot of disturbing things about you lately, Brigadier Laplante.”
“And you play some dangerous games, Admiral. I wanted to speak to you about your agent, Heinrik Braun.”
Canaris sighed and sat on her bed, his head bowed low.
“I think I know what you have in mind, Brigadier. Unfortunately, I have already tried everything in my power to free him, including pleading with the Führer, and I failed. Testifying in his favor won’t help him.”
“What about breaking him out by force?”
Canaris’ head snapped up at those words.
“Are you crazy? Himmler is just waiting for such a mistake to get rid of me and the Abwehr entirely.”
“What if someone else than the Abwehr makes him escape?”
Canaris looked at her with disbelief.
“You would be ready to break him out of jail? What do you have for this man?”
“Nothing, apart that he does not deserve his present fate.”
“Miss, you really are a weird person.”
“What is so weird about caring for others around you? Is this world so out of love and kindness?”
That left Canaris mute for a moment while he stared at her.
“They said in Colditz that you are now an angel. Now, you speak like one too. What are you exactly, Brigadier Laplante?”
“Someone who is getting quite pissed about this whole war and who is trying to make it less awful, even if it is through minute details. You know that I will never help Germany’s war effort and that I will eventually break out of here and escape back to England. Why not cooperate for once towards a common goal?”
Before Canaris could answer, someone knocked on the door again. Doctor Mandell then entered without waiting for Nancy’s permission. She was about to remind him about common courtesy when she saw his ashen face.
“What’s wrong, Doctor? Is one of your patients in trouble?”
“I wish it was something this simple, Brigadier. I just got a call from a Luftwaffe officer who was part of the battalion defending Colditz Castle. A massive British bomber raid just leveled the castle and the town around it. Only a few dozen people from the town and from the Luftwaffe battalion survived the raid. As for the prisoners and the garrison inside the castle itself, they are all dead.”
Unable to talk, Nancy sat on the bed, trying to control a sudden burst of tears. She could not and started crying, her shoulders shaken by violent sobs. Mandell could only watch her, helpless. Getting on his feet, Canaris took the chief-surgeon by the shoulders and led him outside the room.
“What else did that officer tell you, Doctor?”
“Not much more, actually. He did say that the British used a mix of explosive bombs and of those awful vapor blast bombs of theirs, then finished off Colditz with a carpet of incendiary bombs. What’s left of Colditz is now an inferno.”
Canaris was silent for a second, digesting that information.
“They wanted Brigadier Laplante dead this time. If not for her last minute transfer, she would be dead now.”
“But why? Why would the British try to kill her, especially if it meant killing hundreds of their own people in the process?”
“Doctor, have you ever heard about Mers El Kebir?”
“No! What’s that?”
“Mers El Kebir is a port on the coast of Algeria that was used by the French fleet. In July of last year, the French warships anchored there received an ultimatum from the British: either accompany them to England or be sunk. When the French refused to follow them, the British fired on them, sinking or disabling three battleships and killing hundreds of French sailors in the ensuing battle. My point is that the British will do everything to protect their interests, even if it means attacking an ally. Brigadier Laplante holds many of the most precious secrets the British have. Rather than risking that she gives them away to us, they probably decided to kill her to ensure that she won’t betray those secrets.”
“But… that’s monstrous!”
“That’s politics, Doctor.”
Canaris then looked towards Nancy’s room, from where they could hear her cry still.
“Poor woman. She will now have to live with the guilt of having indirectly caused the death of all those people in Colditz. From what I heard from the commandant there, she cared about as much for the Germans as for the allied prisoners there. The worst part is that some of those prisoners were stupid and mean enough to hold it against her and to call her a traitor.”
Canaris knew that this would be a perfect time to exploit her distress and emotions in order to turn her against the British, but he wasn’t ready to do that with her. The fact was that the British would actually deserve a rich payback for what they just had done for a second time in this war: strike a friend in the name of national security. He patted Mandell’s shoulder and led him away from Nancy’s room, which was guarded by two armed soldiers.
“Let’s leave her alone, Doctor: she has a lot of emotions to sort out right now.”
It took a long time for Nancy to run out of tears. Even then, the feeling of guilt she now bore about the death of all those people in Colditz was a crushing one. With the door of her room now closed and locked from the outside, she slowly undressed and went to bed. Sleep eluded her, though, the images of all the ones she had known in Colditz flashing through her mind and haunting her. At one point the image of Farah Tolkonen entered her mind. The thought of the gentle giant being safe in her time brought some comfort to Nancy. She then realized that Farah, as she appeared in her mind, actually looked sad. Close to tears again, Nancy invoked mentally her friend’s name.
“Farah, don’t be sad. I will be alright.”
To Nancy’s astonishment, the Farah in her mind snapped her head around, as if she had heard her. The background in which the scientist was in now became clearer to Nancy: Farah was sitting in a cell.
“Nancy? Where are you?”
Nancy saw Farah’s lips move as she heard her: she had spoken normally, unlike Nancy, who had only used her thoughts. Nancy saw a man appear behind the bars of Farah’s cell, looking at the giant with suspicion. The man wore a British uniform! Anger filled Nancy as the man seemingly spoke harshly to Farah. Contrary to her friend, Nancy could not hear him. She then understood that all this was not a dream. She was in actual telepathic communication with Farah, who was being held somewhere in England. Nancy concentrated hard on sending another message to Farah.
“Farah, speak through your mind only. I am in the Tempelhof Hospital in Berlin. Where are you?”
This time, she saw Farah close her eyes and concentrate.
“Nancy, how could you communicate like this?”
“It’s a long story, Farah. Where are you?”
“In a British cell in London. I heard one man refer to this place as the M.I.5 headquarters.”
“What are you doing there? Why are they holding you?”
“I escaped from Berlin by using my portable time distorter. It however has a small range only and I chose to go to England. The British however arrested me and took away my time distorter. They also interrogated me, but without violence.”
“Don’t despair, Farah. I will come soon to free you.”
“But you are a prisoner yourself. How will you escape?”
“Leave that to me, friend. As for the British, they just crossed the line. I am through with them. Hang on: I will contact you again once I’m out of Berlin.”
“Be careful, Nancy.” Thought Farah before her image faded from Nancy’s mind. The Canadian woke up abruptly and sat in her bed, thinking about what had just happened. She obviously had powers that she still didn’t control or even understand fully. It was now time to see the full extent of what she could do. Walking through the dark room, Nancy got her uniform from the closet and put it on quietly, careful not to attract the attention of the two soldiers guarding her door. The beret went on last, on top of the wig she had bought in Colditz. Then going to the room’s window, she opened the blackout curtain covering it and slid open the window. Being on the fourth floor, the Germans had not judged useful to nail shut the window of her room. Not that it would have really mattered to her, actually. Stepping over the ledge, Nancy looked at Tempelhof Airfield, close to the hospital. Dozens of aircraft of various kinds were parked around its grassy expanse. If she could steal one of them, she could be in England in a few hours. From her short experience in Colditz, Nancy had found out that levitation was even more draining on her than healing was. She could fly over relatively short distances, but long trips were still beyond her. Concentrating, she stepped away from the building and flew through the air, towards the airfield. It, along with the rest of Berlin, was in blackout condition as a defense against British air raids. No lights could help the Luftwaffe sentries posted around the airfield to see the dark shape that flew silently over their heads.
Nancy landed smoothly between two Fieseler Storch light liaison aircraft. Six other Fi 156 planes were lined up in the same area of the airfield. There were other, faster aircraft available around, but the nimble Storch would be much easier to handle for Nancy, who was qualified only on light piston-engined Cessna aircraft back in 2012. The Storch was renown for its simplicity and, especially, its phenomenally short take off performances. It however had a short range, except for a few Fi 156C-5 models, which had enough range to reach England. Nancy fervently hoped to find one of them in the lineup as she went from plane to plane. She nearly shouted in triumph when she came to the second last plane: a supplementary fuel tank took the place of the usual rear seat. Opening the right side door of the Storch, she climbed inside and knocked on the tank. It rang full. Sitting in the pilot’s seat, Nancy then took a few minutes to carefully study the cockpit’s instruments and controls. The dash of the single-engined Storch was actually even simpler than the one of the Cessna Model 210R she occasionally rented at the St-Hubert airport near her hometown of Boucherville. When she was sure she knew enough about the Storch’s controls, Nancy cautiously looked around and, seeing no sentries nearby, pressed the starter button, hoping that the engine would start at once. It did, which was a testament to the meticulous care the Luftwaffe ground crews gave to their aircraft. Not even bothering to line up on the grassy field, Nancy pushed the engine throttle forward all the way and launched the Storch on a roll. It took off in less than eighty yards and flew over a row of Junkers 52 transport planes before Nancy turned due West, staying barely above the treetops. The light from the half moon was enough for her to fly her Storch at its cruising speed of 85 miles per hour, but not enough for the anti-aircraft gunners now scrambling to their guns to acquire such a small, low-flying target. Nancy took only enough altitude to be able to fly safely above the buildings of Berlin. Looking briefly back, she saw a number of air defense searchlights now scanning the sky. She was however too low for them or even a radar to acquire her light aircraft. Grinning in triumph, she checked her compass and altimeter and made a slight correction. With some luck, she would be in England in about seven hours.
06:11 (GMT)
Tuesday, July 1, 1941 ‘B’
Twelve miles north of Southend on Sea
East coast of England
The Home Guard patrol, called in by a frantic farmer, found the abandoned Fieseler Storch in the field wher