Heroes by David Hagberg (books under 200 pages .TXT) 📕

so far apart. From time to time we could get together.”

“Of course, sir.”

Canaris stepped closer and lowered his voice. “There are a number of things I’ll need you to do for me, Hans. Things that only can be done by someone who has an unrestricted access to informational sources. If you understand what I mean.”

“I understand, Herr Admiral,” Meitner said. He was disappointed for some reason. It was obvious from his expression.

Canaris caught it, but he didn’t know why, nor did he feel it necessary at the moment to ask. This was wartime.

Canaris turned to the others in the office, who had all remained standing and were watching, some of them openmouthed. He noticed for the first time that all of them, except for Bender, were either enlisted men or civilians. A pretty sad collection.

“I assume, Bender, that you are my adjutant?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You’ve had your people working six days a week?”

“Oh no, sir,” Bender said, puffing up. “We have been working seven days per week.”

“I see,” Canaris said. He let his eyes roam around the office.

“You may take the remainder of this day, and all of tomorrow, off.” Bender said nothing. But his mouth dropped open.

“The rest of you as well,” Canaris said. He wanted to laugh and cry at the same moment.

No one moved.

“I will expect you all back here first thing Monday morning, ready to get back to work. Now get out of here. Move! Now! Macht schnew.”

Bender was the first to come out of it. “Jawohl, meiner Admiral,” he said. He actually clicked his heels.

Within moments everyone had swung into action, and within two minutes flat Canaris and Meitner were alone, laughing so hard the tears were rolling down their cheeks, though neither of them thought what they had just witnessed was funny.

“I’m sorry, sir,” Meitner finally said. “I didn’t mean to laugh at those poor wretches.”

“I understand,” Canaris replied. They were poor wretches.

But no matter which way the war went, their lot would remain essentially the same. In a small way Canaris envied them. They had no troubles with conscience, with duty, with honor … or was he being too harsh? He thought not. Theirs was the simple, unfettered existence.

They went into the inner office—Canaris’. Meitner had been using it, he said, for the past three weeks. It was the only room in the entire Hwk suite that was clean and in any kind of order.

Meitner poured a cognac for him from a bottle in a desk drawer. Canaris looked at it pointedly.

“It was the only way I could cope here at times.”

“I understand.”

“Pardon me for saying this, sir, but / don’t understand. I no longer have any faith in the OKW. How in God’s name could they send you to such an operation as this?”

“In God’s name, Hans?” Canaris asked with irony. “No, in our Fiihrer’s name.” He looked around. “But even this is preferable to Burg Lauenstein.” He shook his head. “Did you know that Donitz pulled me from the active officers list? Said I was unfit for duty.” Meitner said something under his breath that Canaris couldn’t quite catch. The meaning was quite clear, though, and it was not complimentary to the high command.

“But here I am. Back in the fray, so to speak.”

Meitner looked toward the window. Only the bottom panes were whole. The top half was boarded over. “It certainly will not last much longer.” “No,” Canaris said.

‘ The Russians are coming at us from the east, and on Tuesday Cherbourg fell.”

“Cherbourg?”

“Yes, meiner Admiral.”

“Then it is true, it will be over soon.”

“By Christmas, perhaps.”

“Our madman will not give up so easily, you know,” Canaris said. He took his drink over to the window. He looked down at the street, then over the top of the one-story building across. A smoke pall hung over the city.

“I tried to come to see you,” Meitner said. “But I was ordered not to.”

“By whom?”

“Colonel Loetz.” ‘

Canaris’ eyes narrowed. “From Hamburg Station?”

Meitner nodded. “He managed to worm his way in with General Schellenberg himself, and had himself transferred to the SD. He’s in charge of all communications for the entire Reich.”

“I see.”

“He and Brigadier Reitlinger are fast and famous. All they can talk about is you.”

Canaris smiled. “They are like jealous old women.”

“Yes.”

“So, Hans,” Canaris said, bucking up. “Tell me about the Hwk. What are we doing here? What does the future hold for us?”

“There isn’t much left, I’m afraid, sir. At one time this was a very important operation. But no longer.”

“No?”

“No, sir. No one wants to deal with us any longer,” Meitner said. “Nor can I say that I blame them. We no longer receive chrome from Turkey, and no wolfram has come from Spain or Portugal since last month.”

“We still have Sweden and Switzerland.”

“Probably not for long, meiner Admiral.”

“Then there isn’t much left here for us.”

“No, sir. Tuesday and Thursday we brief the Luftwaffe and the Navy. On Wednesdays we present our reports to the Foreign Office, and on Friday mornings we’re with the Ministry of Economic Affairs. But no one listens any longer.”

“The weekends and Mondays are free?”

“Not actually, sir. On those days we make ready for our briefings. It’s why Bender and the others were reluctant to leave.

It’ll put us very short come Tuesday.”

“No one pays any attention, you said, so it won’t really matter.”

“No, sir.”

“We could tell them anything. Give them any set of numbers.

It would not matter.”

“Practically speaking, that is correct, meiner Admiral. I am sure that the information we provide is not used, and it certainly is never checked.”

“Which leaves us all the time we need for other, much more important activities.”

“I don’t understand.”

“No, you don’t, Hans. But you will. You will.”

Meitner was very loyal. “If there is anything I can do, sir.

Anything at all.”

“I know,” Canaris said. “There will be a lot you can and must do for me.”

Meitner waited.

“My movements, of necessity, will be somewhat restricted.”

“The Gestapo?”

Canaris nodded. “You will act as my eyes and ears. So it is very important that you be reassigned to