Night of the Dragon's Blood
Part Two: Der Führer



11

Der Rottenführer



Hi had been in Gebäude Drei almost nightly, on his editing chores, and had noticed the door to Munitions. It was not far down the corridor from Hi's workplace--a large storage room where Hitler's memoirs were kept, stacked on shelves and a work table. Next door to this room was the Neuanfang maintenance department, under the Hauptsturmführer's supervision. There Schützes worked nightly at carpentry and whatever else was necessary to keep the place up. Kegel's quarters, for example, often needed new panels, though no one seemed to know why. Dorsch himself would come in and get them. The hammering and other noise in maintenance would have bothered Hi next door if he were actually working, but he only glanced through Hitler's work to kill time. No real work was needed, since Hitler had but three months left if things went as planned. And Hi wanted to protect himself mentally. Hitler's memoirs were a mesmerizingly mindrotting read. For several seconds one night, after reading ten pages, Hi couldn't figure out where he was.

Needing no directions from Frankel, Hi headed for Munitions with his box of seedlings. On the way he dropped off a plant at maintenance. The plaque on the Munitions door read MUNITION UND ALLE TAKTISCHE AUFRÜSTUNG (Munitions and All Tactical Armament) or MATA ("kill" in Portuguese and Spanish). Hi knocked on the door and entered.

Hi found Munitions to be a large room with a surprising array of small weaponry and equipment, from hand grenades to bazookas, from boots to frogman outfits, piled on tables and shelves in no discernible overall order. Some order apparently existed, though, as the SS officer present, with a clipboard in hand, was busy doing inventory.

As Hi walked toward the officer, he noted one item that he needed and was definitely going to steal when he could. As for the young officer, Hi had not met him before, and Hi could tell before he got to him that the meeting would be an unpleasant experience.

The officer was a Rottenführer (corporal), about six feet tall and wiry, with a face that, though pale, would be handsome were it capable of smiling or expressing any degree of kind thought. He looked frowningly at the box of seedlings as Hi walked up to him.

"What is this?" the Nazi wanted to know.

"I'm delivering plants."

"Get them out of here." The Rottenführer went back to his clipboard.

"The Führer," Hi said, "wants to see these plants grow and flourish." The Rottenführer threw down the clipboard. "Shall I tell him you--"

"I said give them here." The Nazi tried to take the box from Hi's hands.

"You can only have one plant," Hi said, refusing to let go of the box.

"I want the whole box." The Rottenführer pulled on it.

"You can't have it," Hi said, pulling back.

"Give it here." There was a tug-of-war for the box.

"I'm in charge of these plants."

"Give me this box."

"No. You can't--"

The Rottenführer suddenly stopped pulling, but didn't let go. He was looking Hi hard in the eye. "What is your rank?"

So, Hi thought, the guy's pulling rank on me. Hi let go of the box. "Oberschütze," he said. The Rottenführer almost smiled as he held the prize in his hands.

"I'll have to report this," Hi said. "What is your rank?"

So, the Nazi thought, he's going to play dirty pool. He handed the box back to Hi. "Rottenführer," he said grudgingly.

"Rottenführer?" Hi said. "Talk about qualified." Hi took a seedling from the box and held it out to him. "Here's your plant."

The Rottenführer snatched it out of Hi's hand. He set it, just carefully enough not to break the pot, on the nearest table, and then picked up his clipboard. Turning his back on Hi, he resumed his work.

As Hi turned to leave, the Rottenführer, eyes on his clipboard, said, "I won't forget this, Oberschütze."

Hi, walking toward the door, passed the item he wanted to steal--a gas mask--and stole it, slipping it into his box, without breaking stride. "You just keep track of this inventory," Hi shot back over his shoulder, "and everything'll be all right."





Chapter 12

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