“Just as you were saying,” said Wayne, with a slight grin, as they turned and began to walk. “Which rank are we going to see now?”
“Oberst is the equivalent of colonel,” said Ishihara.
In the command tent, Wayne stood patiently as all the German officers reported in German to their Oberst. Major Bach was a short, burly man with dark hair. Oberst Schepke, a scowling, gaunt, hawk-nosed man, stood formally behind a battered wooden table, listening and asking questions. Then he used Leutnant Mohr as an interpreter to speak to his visitors.
“The Oberst has ordered me to use English so that both of you can understand,” said Leutnant Mohr, turning to face Wayne and Ishihara. “He requires your credentials.”
Wayne felt a surge of panic. He could not think of anything to say. Worried, he glanced at Ishihara.
“You misunderstand,” Ishihara said, with a formality and stiffness that matched those of the Oberst. “We are undercover, traveling across the national boundaries of many nations. Certainly we could not operate effectively against the Russian spy we seek if we carried documents that would expose our true mission.”
“Then present whatever travel documents you have. You must have passports of some sort.”
“They were taken from us and not returned,” said Ishihara smoothly.
“By whom?”
“By petty bureaucrats in Switzerland.”
Wayne was impressed. Ishihara was demonstrating a deft ability to improvise. Wayne assumed he was drawing on his limited history of this time.
“I must have some way to verify your identity,” Leutnant Mohr said for Oberst Schepke.
“Field Marshal Mannstein will speak for us,” said Ishihara coolly.
Wayne had never heard of him.
“Mannstein,” repeated the Oberst, showing some surprise as he recognized the name without translation. Then he spoke to Leutnant Mohr in German again.
“Contacting Mannstein from here will take some time. He is still on the Finnish border, moving on Leningrad,” Leutnant Mohr translated.
Wayne suppressed a smile. That was probably why Ishihara had picked that particular individual as a reference. Also, of course, Finland was next to Sweden, where Wayne had supposedly originated. That might help convince Oberst Schepke that Mannstein was a legitimate reference.
“We do not have time to waste,” said Ishihara, maintaining his calm, reserved delivery.” The spy we seek came this way. He is probably among us now, observing conditions and positions on our front. Soon, however, he will head for the Soviet lines to report what he has found.”
“How much do you know about him? Do you know his appearance and what name he is using?”
“We know exactly what he looks like. We don’t know what he is calling himself.”
“You have a photograph? Give it to me.”
“Our photograph has been lost on our travels. We have journeyed far, and quickly, to get here.”
“Then describe him.”
Ishihara described the short, slender component robot, who was physically identical to the other five who comprised MC Governor in combination with him.
Oberst Schepke was silent, looking at Ishihara and Wayne thoughtfully. Then he spoke again, nodding at their clothing. Leutnant Mohr continued to translate.
“Why are you dressed this way?”
“We have had to travel alone, with little money and no support, through much of Europe. In the wild mountains of Carpathia, our normal traveling clothes were reduced to rags. We accepted these clothes from Slavic peasants in a remote mountain village, where civilization has barely reached.”
“Yes. I have seen such places. We have no clothes to spare here, either.”
Ishihara nodded his acknowledgment. “Oberst, may we get on with our task? This spy must not be allowed to report your positions to the enemy.”
Oberst Schepke studied Ishihara for a long moment without speaking. Wayne could see that he was torn between the fear of a spy in his camp and the fact that his visitors had no proof to back up their story. The Oberst, too, had to fear the reprisals of his own superiors if he made a mistake-regarding either possibility. Then he spoke again, briefly.
“Leutnant Mohr-that is, I-will escort you about the lines within the area under my command,” Leutnant Mohr translated. “If your quest leads you into the command of another Oberst, you must return to me for an introduction.”
“Thank you, Oberst,” said Ishihara.
Oberst Schepke nodded sharply and barked an order. All the soldiers snapped to attention, angled their right arms up, palms forward, and spoke in unison: “Heil Hitler. ”
The soldiers did an about-face and marched out, but Oberst Schepke eyed Wayne and Ishihara suspiciously.
Suddenly Ishihara imitated the salute. Following his lead, so did Wayne. “Heil Hitler.”
Ishihara followed the soldiers out and Wayne stayed close to him. Outside the tent, Wayne let out a long sigh and relaxed for the first time since they had walked in. Most of the soldiers dispersed, but Leutnant Mohr remained.
“You were slow with the salute, my friends,” said Leutnant Mohr, looking pointedly at both of them.
“I fear, Leutnant, that we are out of practice,” said Ishihara. “As intelligence officers in neutral countries, and sometimes behind enemy lines, we must be careful not to speak too quickly.”
Leutnant Mohr shrugged uncomfortably. “Where shall we begin? Do you have a particular place?”
“No,” said Ishihara. “Let us start simply by walking through the lines, asking questions of the soldiers. As we go, I shall describe our quarry to you. Perhaps he can be found among refugees or POWs.”
“Very well.”
As they began to explore the lines, Wayne surmised how Oberst Schepke had made his decision. Finding the spy was too important to ignore. Since only his visitors could identify him, they had to be given some chance to do so.
At the same time, he could not allow the strangers to wander around his camp unsupervised. Wayne also suspected that the Oberst had decided not to assign a higher ranking officer for this, for fear he would be embarrassed later if their story was not true. Yet he could not trust an enlisted man with this task. For that reason, as well as his ability to speak English, Leutnant Mohr had received the chore.
8
Hunter knew that the walk back into Moscow was a long one for his human companions. Even he was using more energy than the weak winter sun could restore on the microscopic solar power cells in his skin. The activity helped keep the humans warm, but they needed a rest by the time they reached the edge of the city.
He did not see a place nearby where they could get warm. They settled for a bench on a sidewalk. A few other Muscovites walked past them.
“We should be able to find a bus line, I think,” said Judy. “I think some of them are still running.”
“Excellent,” said Hunter.
“Hunter,” said Steve. “Where are you going to look for MC 4, anyhow?”
“Not too far from here,” said Hunter. “My calculation of where MC 4 will likely return to his full size is out in a certain neighborhood that I will show you. He should return within a range of a couple of blocks.”
“After we find Jane, then, are we just going to stake out the area?”
“That will be a good beginning, of course,” said Hunter. “However, he may have already returned, or he may simply slip past us as the other component robots have on earlier missions. If we lose him that way, our search will be even more difficult than before.”
“Why?” Judy asked.
“He has more places to hide,” said Hunter. “In the middle of this large city, he can find shelter and company fairly quickly and can get lost in the crowds.”
“He won’t have a job or a place to live,” said Steve. “And when he first shows up, he won’t even have any clothes. That will make him stand out in a crowd.”
Judy laughed.
“Clothes can be found in a city,” said Hunter. “Further, with so many displaced people, I believe that fewer questions are being routinely asked of strangers than usual.”
“That’s right,” said Judy.