Home
This is Lonewolf's story so far, I've put it in a spoiler because it's somewhat long (8 full letter size pages). I have no doubt that it will be modified by the time the final product is released, but this is the larger basis of it.
- Spoiler:
It's June 1940, the United States is still neutral as the rest of the world is engaged in the Second World War. However, Germany is planning to bring the US into the war with a surprise attack on Washington using a new long range bomber designed by the Hueber brothers – Reimar and Walter Hueber. Experts in "flying wing" style aircraft, their latest design, the RW-993, was capable of making a strike against the eastern coast of the United States from Brest in the recently occupied France.
Also a part of this plan was General Dr. Gerhard Shröder, an expert chemist and developer of some of the deadliest chemical weapons known to man – the G-agents. When combined with the Hueber brothers' RW-993, it could prove to be Nazi Germany's deadliest weapon. With a range of over 3,300 miles it could strike almost anywhere Hitler wanted, and with devastating power.
Although overseen by Hitler himself, much of the day-to-day business of the operation was delegated to SS-Obergruppenführer Gottlieb Berger, a notoriously ruthless and cold member of the Allgemeine-SS. He was intent on not only making the operation a success, but also putting it into action ahead of schedule by any means necessary.
"Mein Führer, naturally, it is not a sound tactical idea to employ a large number of our troops in such a distant theater as the United States," explained Berger, "As such, I recall that you had assigned a project to a Doctor Schabbs to create readily available armies of millions using dead soldiers and mutagens."
"I am not a fan of his work Herr Obergruppenfüher," responded Hitler, "I must profess my disdain for the disturbing of the bodies of dead German soldiers."
"I agree, Mein Führer, however, we have other resources for bodies as well," said Berger, hoping to win his leader's approval.
This suggestion peaked Hitler's curiosity. It wasn't difficult to extrapolate what Berger was refering to – people interned in concentration camps, POWs, dead enemy soldiers, anyone and everyone. It would be a major undertaking and it would definitely not be a clean job. The ferrying of thousands of dead to be re-animated and enhanced to become part of a massive invasion force. It was a bold plan, but Hitler had faith in Berger.
"An interesting suggestion, Her Obergruppenführer. I will issue an executive decree, stating that all dead are to be taken to the headquarters of Doctor Schabbs for processing," Hitler said, pondering in the back of his mind what this would eventually mean for The Third Reich.
Berger clicked his heels and saluted his master, as emphatically as ever now having won his favor to proceed with his abomination of a military operation.
"The whole of the world," he thought to himself, "is the right of the National Socialist."
Meanwhile, somewhere in south-west England, A British Colonel, Sir Reginald Winthrop, sat at his desk, puffing on a pipe while he carefully flipped through a dossier. As he mumbled to himself the contents of the file, a knock came to his door.
"Enter," he said, almost as if he knew who was at his door.
The door opened and through it a rather grungy individual was shoved through it, clad in what seemed to be a prisoner's uniform. Scruffy and dirty, he had certainly seen better days.
"No doubt you have no idea who I am, Mr. Haley" quipped Winthrop.
The man just stood there, somewhat blank in the face, rebelling against the Colonel's authority. The Colonel, with his British sensibilities, sat back down and offered Haley a drink. However, it was to no success as he just stood there like a rock in the waves.
"Well Mr. Haley it doesn't matter if you know who I am, all that matters is that I know everything about you," said Winthrop, "You see, Mr. Haley, I know that the American government is still neutral, even though it's stealing our intelligence about the Germans."
Haley cracked a small grin, still defiant of the Colonel's apparent authority over him. The Colonel ordered the guard to unshackle him and leave them to talk in private, something which surprised Haley.
"From what we can tell, you're the best the Americans have. The only reason we caught you was sheer accident when that air raid struck," explained Winthrop, "Honestly you probably would've been on your merry way back to Washington by now."
This visibly put off Haley, as it seems that even though he was America's best, something completely out of his control was his undoing. He was so careful to plan everything, literally even down to the second, but when the base he was infiltrating went on alert, there was simply no escape, even for him.
"Surely you at least have the desire to just sit down, Mr. Haley?" asked Winthrop, baffled by Haley's resistive nature.
Haley let out a long sigh and sat down, hoping a small display of conforming to the Colonel's wishes would get him back to the solitude of his cell sooner. He slouched in the chair, impatient at the Colonel's overtures. Winthrop began to pick up on his attitude and decided to just move forward with the business at hand. Flipping through the dossier, he was trying to find Haley's career statistics.
"Lieutenant James Robert Haley, born July 14th, 1908, trained by a Mister Genbe Matsaharu in Ninjutsu from 1920 to 1931, enlisted in the US Army in 1932, trained with US Army Rangers until 1936 and subsequently transferred as a military operative of the Office of Strategic and Covert Affairs that year," said the Colonel, reading off some of the higher points of Haley's career.
Haley could only sit in shock, now aware of just how much the Colonel knew of him.
"I did tell you I knew everything about you. Your superiors where amazingly cooperative with us once they heard about the German's operation," explained the Colonel, "The irony of this is that the information you were sent to steal from us was just 12 hours away from being sent to your government."
This came as a real shock to Haley, finding out that had his superiors exercised just a little more patience, he would've been spared being captured as a spy.
"So, in exchange for not executing you as a spy during war time, we've been given free range with you to use you as our own agent to prevent a larger catastrophe from happening," explained Winthrop.
This did not please Haley, but there wasn't much that could be done about that. Decisions had been made in high places and now that it had trickled down to him, he couldn't exactly disobey an order from his own government, even if it was done indirectly. As a quiet man, made so by his training, he still did not have much to say. This began to agitate Winthrop, seeing it as yet another show of defiance.
"Mister Haley, you do realize that should to reject this rather gracious offer, you will be executed as a spy and enemy during war time?" explained Winthrop in a much more aggressive tone, "Furthermore, it may even give Britain the right to declare war on the United States, or at least an embargo of some kind? Your rejection of this will have far reaching consequences."
Haley still remained silent, like a stone in the dark of night. This outright angered Winthrop, unable to comprehend what he perceived to be selfishness and stubbornness on the part of Haley. Winthrop sighed and called the guard in, telling Haley he had just 12 hours to think about his position or be executed the next morning as a spy. But at the last moment Haley raised his hand just before being hauled back to his cell for contemplation.
"If I make it back, will I be returned home?" asked Haley.
"That isn't up to me, but if you succeed, you'd be a hero of two countries. I think that would garner you a great deal of favor in such a decision," explained Winthrop.
Winthrop told the guard to leave and walked over to his file cabinet, pulling out an even thicker dossier marked 'Most Secret', with papers and photos nearly falling out. He dropped it on his desk in front of Haley, making a great big thud. Haley leaned forward and rather daintily flipped open the tome of secret information. Intrigued, he grabbed the whole dossier and sat back in his seat, browsing and skimming through month's worth of intelligence gathered by the British.
"Bold...reckless, almost fictional," commented Haley, unsure about what he was reading.
"Then you can appreciate the depth of the situation," said Winthrop, "If anything, you should feel flattered that our governments agreed on you and you alone to take on this mission."
Haley continued through the files, amazed at some of the things the Nazi regime was trying to attempt. Learning of the long range bomber, the gas and the mutant soldiers, he didn't know if he should laugh in disbelief or be appalled. At first glance it appeared fictional, like a great work of fiction filled with photos of Nazi officials and technical terms. It was very hard to believe and even harder to consider going into Occupied Europe to try and stop this plan.
"Turn to the section marked with blue tape," explained Winthrop,"There you'll find what appears to be a perfect storm in our favor."
Haley turned to the section and found out that it was indeed a perfect storm. It seemed that every official involved in the operation would be present at a single location approximately 17 days from now – Castle Neuschwanstein in Bavaria. A large and relatively famous castle of Germany, it was located in the heart of Nazi occupied Europe. The castle would no doubt be the most heavily guarded place in the entirety of Europe as well. Hitler, Berger, Schabbs, the Hueben brothers, Schröder, Kringler and even Himmler and Göring would all be there in one place. Security-wise it is a terrible move but it seemed to be absolutely necessary in the final hours of the operation.
"All of these people in one place at one time on a specific date, honestly it seems more and more like a trap," commented Haley, not convinced of the information's authenticity.
"We've considered that. And frankly I have to say I agree. Hitler, Himmler and Göring all together at the same time?! I haven't the foggiest idea as to why Gerry would think to bring the proverbial head of the snake together," said Winthrop, leaning back in his chair in a moment of ease between the two.
"Not to mention these other apparently high profile members of the plan as well. This perfect storm of yours seems almost too perfect," said Haley, still pouring over the dossier.
Winthrop sighed and nodded, knowing that it could indeed be a trap set for British intelligence. The game of intelligence and counter-intelligence between the warring countries was at it's height and it was all too plausible that the entire dossier was a mess of false information. Winthrop got up to tap his pipe and refill it, it was just one of those days where a good pipe seemed his only luxury.
"How's about that drink, Colonel," requested Haley.
"About damned time," quipped Winthrop, with a light chuckle.
Winthrop poured Haley a 30 years single malt scotch, much to the enjoyment of Haley. The mood finally began to relax between the two.
"Getting me in there will probably be harder than actually making the assassination attempt," explained Haley, "The act of killing is easy enough, but getting to the right place and the right moment is the trick. A successful, or even a marginally successful assassination will rely on me being able to plant explosives in their meeting room. Beyond that, we have to look at where this place is, it's in the middle of Nazi Germany."
"We're going to get you in at Dunkirk and then the rest is up to our network in occupied France and Germany. Remember Haley, we've been at this since '39," said Winthrop, "It'll be up to our network, which is somewhat extensive to get you to the location, where the rest will be entirely up to you. Using a combination of multiple vehicles throughout the trip and going through relatively insignificant villages should get you there unnoticed. Only at the last moment will you be given supplies. Until that point you'll be made to look like any ordinary German taking a trip through the countryside. You're going to have to be that lone wolf that no one expects."
Haley pondered for a moment, knowing that any other way would be futile. A lone man would be too conspicuous, but a changing group of people might be able to pull it off if done correctly while avoiding major cities. The two conversed about the plan for the remainder of the day and on into the night, with intelligence officers and other military figures joining in as necessary. Haley had accepted but the mission was a serious longshot, providing it wasn't an elaborate trap. That very thought still laid in the back of Haley's mind, knowing that if it were a trap, a way of rooting out networks of spies during the final hours of the operation, it too would have far reaching consequences. They knew that the American strike plan was not fictional, as their networks and two defectors had confirmed it's existence; but the gathering of those figures was just steeped in doubt and ambiguity. Such a meeting would no doubt be kept such a dark secret that only it's participants would know. And why not at Eagle's Nest which was in the same province, as well as being far more securable. These were questions without answers that left too much doubt.
Meanwhile, at Eagle's Nest in Germany, Adolf Hitler was holding a private audience for a group of Japanese emissaries. He was personally explaining the operation, now dubbed, Operation Längsten Arm ('Longest Arm'). Impressed but skeptical, they revealed an equally ambitious plan of their own for an attack on the west coast of the United States. Hitler was taken aback, surprised at the ambition of the Japanese, at least beyond Asia. Jealous but impressed, he expressed a small notion of approval for the plan. In the end, the division of the United States between the Germans and the Japanese may be more strategically sound. Such a large country, it would be impossible for Germany to maintain an offensive without an ally, even with Schabbs' machinations and the chemical weapons.
Later that day, Hitler would be meeting with Berger for final arrangements. However, he would also be revealing the Japanese plans to him as well. This would come as a shock to Berger, who was overcome with jealousy and resentment, claiming that it was the destiny of National Socialism to envelop the whole of the world, and the birthright of the German people. Hitler quietly agreed but stated that for now, Germany needs allies until it can field armies large enough to achieve the true Final Victory, which disregarded Germany's current allies, conquering them as well with massive hordes of mutated soldiers. Convinced, but not appeased, Berger felt as though his clout had been reduced.
Some days later, Berger had arranged a meeting with Doctor Schabbs, checking up on his progress. Berger did not hide the fact that he abhorred Schabbs work, but found it to be a necessary evil to achieve Final Victory.
"Your progress is...impressive, Herr Doctor, but what is this news you speak of?" inquired Berger.
"Well Herr Berger, it seems as though the re-animation serum is unstable under certain conditions," responded Schabbs, slightly nervous yet somehow morbidly impressed with his own work at the same time.
"Certain conditions? While I am aware that they are not a viable replacement for proud German warriors, they must be relatively flawless, Herr Schabbs," said Berger, taking every chance he can to berate Schabbs' work.
"Yes, no doubt...But it seems that if they're injured, even in the slightest manner, they die. I have made several attempts to adjust the serum to correct this but I have found that their physiology must be altered to make them stable," explained Schabbs' having to keep his excitement in check in front of Berger, who does not share in his enthusiasm.
"Physiological changes? Surely Herr Doctor, I am loathe to think of what you do to them when no one is around," quipped Berger.
"Well you see, in the original formula, the blood thins and becomes less viscous than water and the increased metabolism increases the heart rate and blood pressure. Even a small knick causes them to bleed to death in seconds. That and other things which explaining may injure the simple mind of a soldier," explained Schabbs, who was merely waiting for the perfect moment to deliver his own insults.
"And what have you done to remedy this?" asked Berger.
"Well, for the last week I had tried adjusting the current serum formula but all were unsuccessful. Too many components which were necessary to the process contributed to the instabilities. Until I found that it was the way they were metabolized in the brain. I had to..." began Schabbs before being cut off by Berger.
"Please Herr Doctor, be brief," said Berger, impatient with the Doctor's ramblings.
"Simply put, the new formula deadens certain parts of the brain which cause the instabilities. Subsequently they became much more agressive, even animalistic. Come this way," explained Schabbs.
The two walked into an observation lounge where a thick, wire-reinforced glass pane separated them from a padded cell. Within it was a humanoid figure with grey skin, jet black hair and a third hand protruding from it's chest. Needless to say this startled Berger beyond beliefs. The Doctor reassured him that even with the enhanced strength, it would be unable to break through the glass. Schabbs gave an order for one of his assistants to wake the mutant using a remote controlled injection system. The mutant awoke violently, foaming at the mouth. Schabbs then ordered his assistant to inject the mutant with what he called Weiß-119, a serum he claimed would keep the mutants in check for up to 7 days. Berger was completely and utterly appalled, at a loss for words he could only vomit into the nearest waste bin.
"Th-that thing is going to help us?" asked Berger, with his pistol in his hand, wiping his mouth off as he recovered from his sickness.
"Oh yes, with the new serum and Weiß-119 we can begin immediate transformation of any suitable corpses," said Schabbs, proud of his work and somewhat gleeful from Berger's disgust.
"And that third hand? Did you really...sew it onto it?" asked Berger, unable to comprehend the evil Schabbs had created, "Your initial reports described no physical mutations beyond skin and hair coloration."
"No, actually it was a natural side effect of the new serum. It caused new limb growth. As far as you or I should be concerned, it's another hand for another weapon," explained Schabbs.
Berger was in shock, but at the same time he was now quite impressed. Although he knew that once their work was done, both Schabbs and his mutants would have to be eliminated, as it gave one man too much control. He knew that only under the direct supervision of Der Führer and his staff could these things be made. But now was not the time to act on that. The Doctor was still a necessary and vital cog in the machine working for Final Victory.
Meanwhile, in a small village in central Germany, Haley and two British operatives were cruising through the countryside in a new Volkswagen. Hitler's Autobahn was, without a doubt a major engineering achievement and impressed even Haley. But he was still focused on his mission. Thus far they encountered no problems, they weren't searched at any checkpoints and all of the small villages along the way had minimal presence of any Nazi elements. The next village they were headed to was about 3 hours from Castle Neuschwanstein. It was their second to last stop but it was an important one. In a safehouse in that village, Haley would take on his supplies and prepare to be dropped off in a field adjacent to the castle, where he would then have to climb the cliff and enter in through the lower levels.
"Tell me something Haley, did you volunteer for this?" asked one of the operatives, a babyfaced Brit from Liverpool.
"Doesn't really matter, more like either I volunteer to die in Germany or die in a cell," said Haley, looking out into the countryside.
"A dismal outlook don't you think chap?" said the operative, curious about Haley's negative attitude towards the mission.
"I have to assassinate the top Nazi officials who, for reasons unknown, have decided to gather all in one place rather than use normal correspondence methods or the much more secure Eagle's Nest," explained Haley.
The operative knew of Haley's mission but didn't have the exact details, at least not those details. Shocked, he now understood why Haley would have such an attitude. The two conversed about other things, as it seemed now that neither man wanted to talk about it. One man was on a suicide mission and the other was the one having to drive him to it. Haley still believed that it was a trap but this far into the mission, there was no turning back.
After arriving at the last stop before the castle, he was given supplies – a 9mm Luger, a combat knife, a kilogram of explosive compound, black clothing (at his request), a map of the immediate area around the castle and the castle's floor plan. It was all he requested, choosing to travel light in keeping with the Ninjutsu tradition that he learned many years ago. In the event that he did succeed and live, the extraction plan was for him to make it from Castle Neuschwanstein to neutral Switzerland where he would make contact with a British agent and fly to neutral Portugal, make contact with another agent and fly back to Britain to an equally unknown fate. None of it seemed to be possible but he didn't have much of a choice in the matter.
The final hours approached, Haley was dropped off at the designated area and proceeded to make his way to the cliffs of the castle. They were steep but could be scaled, the main issue was doing so while avoiding being seen by the spotlights atop the castle ramparts. The climb was treacherous, constantly having to avoid the spotlight with no real cover. But once he did make it to the top there was enough underbrush where he could safely move around while remaining unseen to patrols. The castle was heavily guarded, as he suspected, but it was still more heavily guarded than he anticipated.
As he creeped around to the front area in an effort to determine if this was a trap or the real deal, he heard a motorcade approach. The motorcycles roared as a long white limousine pulled up, prompting Haley to pull out his binoculars and see who emerged from the vehicle. It was none other than Herman Göring himself. It provided some validity to the intelligence gathered but it could have also been a trap orchestrated by him. Only 10 pm, Haley decided to wait around to see who else came, as it seemed Göring was the first to arrive. Soon another motorcade pulled up, with Hitler, Berger, Himmler and the Hueber brothers. Soon, Himmler would arrive, as well as Schabbs, Schröder and Himmler's personal occult adviser Gerhard Kringler.
It was indeed the perfect storm. Almost every major Nazi figure under one roof, ready to meet their end at the hands of Haley. At this point Haley began to notice securing tightening, soon he would be unable to make his move. So he made his way to the rear of the castle and carefully maneuvered himself down a small hill into a culvert which he had seen in the floor plans he received. This would be his entry point. He had a job to do that no one else could or would do, a lone wolf, it seemed as if his arrival would be unexpected.
