Part II
A dark and towering shadow, rising like the phoenix from the ashes. Malevolent. Omnipotent.
Chapter Fifteen
Berlin, Germany
Gunner, Cam and Bear flew into Berlin’s new Brandenburg Airport. Ordinarily, the team would’ve flown on a military transport into one of the many Army bases that used to be located in Germany. However, the U.S. had been pulling its military personnel out of Germany for years, redeploying them into the Indo-Pacific theater, where the nation faced significant geopolitical challenges with China and Russia.
After renting a car, the trio traveled directly to the CIA station in Berlin, where they received weapons and an operator’s kit consisting of several useful tools ranging from lockpicking devices to listening aids. Their rental car was taken in for them and was replaced with an armored passenger vehicle bearing diplomatic plates.
Gunner had made the special requests of Ghost before they left Washington on the Lufthansa flight for Berlin. Ghost advised of intelligence reports regarding possible terrorist activity by Hamas. Gunner wasn’t sure if there was any connection between the increased chatter and the U-boat, but he refused to travel abroad without weapons and other available protective measures.
Bear drove and Gunner rode in the front seat of the black BMW M5 sedan. As they traveled through the city toward Humboldt University and a scheduled appointment with Professor Alexander Brandt, Gunner stared out the window, silently taking in the sights. He hadn’t been to Berlin since he was a child. During the course of his career, none of the operations he’d been involved in had led him to Germany. His only memories, few that they were, involved visiting his mother’s family in other cities like Frankfort and Munich.
Berlin meant different things to people based on their perspectives. For most Americans, the city was equated with World War II, and therefore the Nazis’ hold on power. For Germans and most Europeans, the city’s combination of glamor and grit provided a mesmerizing experience for those interested in fabulous food and drink, as well as historic architecture and landmarks.
It was a city that had staged a revolution by Nazis, been bombed to rubble, been divided in two and then finally reunited. And that was just in the twentieth century. While the city was known as an endlessly fascinating history book where the past was evident everywhere a visitor traveled, it was second to none, including New York City, as a party paradise. Berlin was truly the city that never sleeps. From all-night basement clubs to techno-dance complexes packed with thousands of young people gyrating to the music, Berlin offered twenty-four-seven entertainment for anyone who had the stamina to partake.
Cam and Bear argued over directions, but eventually the team arrived at the entrance of Humboldt University, one of the most prestigious institutions of higher learning in Europe. Gunner studied the dossier of Professor Brandt and also took a moment to read the materials provided by Jackal on the man’s ancestor, Rudolf Brandt.
Rudolf was a lawyer by profession but was best known as the personal administrative officer to Reichsführer-SS Himmler. The close relationship of the two men caused Gunner to read about Rudolf in more detail in light of the fact that Himmler was credited with creating Odessa and the ratlines.
In addition to his position by the side of Himmler, Brandt had conducted medical experimentation on prisoners and was found guilty of killing tuberculosis-infected patients to prevent the spread of the disease. He’d played an important role in assisting Himmler in developing the plan to murder any Jews within reach of the Reich. Known as the Final Solution, this policy of deliberate and systematic genocide of Jews later culminated in the Holocaust.
Although Rudolf Brandt had been hanged after his trial, his family remained on the radar of prosecutors, according to the dossier. Questions arose as to whether the Brandt family had been provided any valuable artifacts or money from Himmler. It was never proven, and the pursuit by authorities ended. It wasn’t until a decade ago that the issue was raised again as some Nazi hunters attempted to get Professor Brandt fired by Humboldt University. He survived the challenge and still taught European history there.
Bear was in a good mood, as evidenced by the way he wheeled the powerful BMW through the city. “I hope our little trip to Germany lands us on the autobahn somewhere. She handles great in the city, but I’d really like to put her through the paces on the open road, you know?”
“You’ll drive the speed limit, Mario,” admonished Cam, making a reference to legendary race car driver Mario Andretti.
Bear allowed a sly smile and glanced over at Gunner, who knew why. Cam must’ve forgotten there were no speed limits on Germany’s autobahns, some of the few public roads in the world without one.
“Wow, look at this place,” exclaimed Cam as Bear slowed the car in front of the three-story, U-shaped building. The extra-wide sidewalk was made of ancient cobblestones while the building itself was adorned with bronze statues along the edge of the roof. “It looks like a palace.”
“Very impressive,” said Gunner. He pointed to the right of a statue located in the center of a roundabout. “Park over there.”
Minutes later, they joined the throngs of thousands who traversed the open spaces of the university as they moved between classes. Gunner, using a downloaded map of the university’s site plan, located the history department and led the group inside. After asking a few of the students for assistance, the three of them found themselves parked outside Professor Brandt’s classroom as he finished up his final scheduled lecture of the day.
Gunner hoped catching the professor off guard didn’t annoy him. He’d learned in the past that if someone has something to hide, if they’re given time to prepare for a conversation, they’ll hide certain salient facts from those involved.
He had no reason to mistrust Professor Brandt other than his gut. Not to mention the fact his ancestor had sat
