He watched Leutnant Mohr and Ishihara speak in German. As the discussion progressed, Leutnant Mohr became more agitated. Ishihara kept talking, calmly but quickly. Suddenly Leutnant Mohr shouted and the soldiers in his patrol swarmed into the tent to surround Ishihara and Wayne at gunpoint.
Leutnant Mohr gave one more command and the patrol marched out their new prisoners.
Wayne was mystified. Ishihara did not speak, however. They were herded onto the back of the armored car again. This time, the patrol drove them through the lines of gaunt, hollow-eyed soldiers huddling together to the rear. There, they were ordered into a makeshift holding pen.
The pen offered no shelter, being merely a circle of open steppe surrounded by barbed wire guarded by sentries. A crowd of bearded men in ragged and dirty Soviet military uniforms lay huddled on the ground, their only protection from the winter wind coming from each other’s bodies. After Leutnant Mohr’s men had marched back to their armored car, Ishihara squatted and spoke quietly in Russian for a moment to another prisoner. The other man responded briefly and Ishihara stood up again.
Wayne followed Ishihara a short distance away so they could speak English without being overheard.
“What happened with Leutnant Mohr?” Wayne asked.
“I told Leutnant Mohr about the placement of the antitank ditches. I also told him about the width of the neutral zone between the armies and roughly where I believe the Red Army is placed. I felt I could risk telling him that much, because it will not change the coming battle. Unfortunately, the Leutnant knows that this is worthless information.”
“And he got mad.”
“Leutnant Mohr feels that we tricked him, which, of course, is actually true. Now the Leutnant has to save himself from Major Bach’s anger. I think he is hoping that treating us as prisoners will look good to his superior.”
Wayne glanced at the cold, spiritless men in the pen with them. “I would have thought the Germans would have more prisoners than this.”
“The man I spoke to here told me that this is just a holding pen for paws. The vast majority of prisoners have already been marched far to the rear. This pen simply holds those who have been captured since the others left. Apparently, the Germans have a bunch of these small pens up and down the rear of their lines.”
Wayne nodded. “Leutnant Mohr overreacted. Don’t you think Major Bach will let us out again?”
“Predicting is difficult. Leutnant Mohr is protecting himself when in doubt.”
“Well…he didn’t take my fur cloak away. Last time we saw him, he wanted it.”
“Maybe he is simply distracted by larger issues at the moment. I suggest that the time has come to go to another time and place. We could give up on MC 4 and attempt to apprehend one of the other component robots.”
“No, not yet. We can always go at the last minute-on the point of death.”
“I cannot allow the risk of harm to come that close to you.”
“We haven’t reached that point yet. Look, you know I haven’t done very well. I only need to get my hands on one of the component robots-but I’m desperate for one! I don’t dare give up this easily.”
“All right. Until more immediate danger threatens, the Second Law still applies.”
Wayne nodded, tightening his fur cloak around him. “It’s going to be a long, cold night out here.”
Steve found breakfast waiting when Hunter woke him. The team ate, showered down the hall, and dressed in the new costumes Hunter had waiting. These clothes looked similar to the previous ones to Steve, but Hunter assured him that the differences in style would be noticeable to the Germans. Then they gathered in Room F-12, wearing new overcoats in anticipation of returning to the Russian winter.
“I see we’re all ready,” said Judy. “Any final briefing, Hunter?”
“Only that we shall go back to the area behind German lines, at dawn the morning after we left.”
“I was thinking about that,” said Steve. “Can’t you calculate where MC 4 would be earlier in the night, while he’s crossing the neutral zone alone? We could trap him out on the open steppe, without any local witnesses.”
“I considered it,” said Hunter. “That move sounds easy but it would actually be difficult. For instance, we cannot afford to go back at a time when we were already there; appearing there twice at the same time would risk time paradoxes that could bring about incalculable problems.”
“Your internal clock will tell you exactly when we left,” said Jane. “You can take us back an hour later. MC 4 would still be out in the middle of nowhere.”
“I have no way to predict his precise route. He will probably take some evasive measures, and may alter his path even more as he draws close enough to see or hear soldiers on the German lines. Remember, he cannot just walk up to them without violating the Third Law by getting shot. So as he sneaks up on the Germans, his moves become unpredictable.”
“You could still make an educated guess,” said Steve. “I like the idea of nabbing him all alone out in the open.”
“If I fail to take us within sight of him, we will have accomplished nothing,” said Hunter. “We could not risk following him to the German lines.”
“I’m with Hunter,” said Judy. “We’re going back to December 5, 1941. The Soviet army moves on the Germans at dawn. If we’re standing between the two armies when it does, we’re in big trouble.”
“We would have to come back here again,” said Hunter. “And go to the German rear anyway.”
“Okay,” said Steve. “I’m convinced.”
Jane nodded.
“Then we shall go directly to the rear of the German lines,” said Hunter. “I shall set the console.”
Steve helped Jane and Judy climb into the sphere and then followed them. As always, Hunter joined them last and closed it. Steve only hoped they could avoid the dangers of combat once the battle began.
As soon as the team arrived safely on the cold ground, Hunter stood up and looked west in the pale early light. He could not see any sign of the German lines, but when he raised his aural sensitivity, he heard the sounds of vehicles, voices, and marching feet. Then a series of thunderous booms reached them.
“Soviet artillery,” said Judy. “The Germans will be moving quickly to prepare for the Soviet advance.”
“I do not want to waste any time,” said Hunter. “I shall radio in German for help.”
Hunter sent out a call in German, identifying himself as a Swiss national whose team was involved with German intelligence. After a brief delay, the radio operator responded that a German patrol would be sent to pick them up. Hunter gave his location as well as he could and signed off.
Soon Hunter could hear the roar of a loud, powerful engine coming toward them.
“I believe the patrol is on the way,” said Hunter.
“Probably an armored car,” said Judy. “Carrying troops in the back.”
“Yes,” Hunter said, magnifying his vision and focusing on a speck that had just come over the horizon. “I see it now.”
The armored car rumbled over the rough ground as the sound of artillery grew more intense. As soon as it pulled up in front of the team, the soldiers in the back leaped to the ground and fanned out around them, leveling their weapons. One young officer stepped out of the passenger side of the car.
“Hands up! Now!” He was excited, his voice tense. “Who is in charge here?”
Hunter raised his hands and saw that his team also complied. “I am,” he said in German as fluent as the officer’s. “This man is Japanese; the rest of us are Swiss. We are no threat to you.”
“Frisk them!” The officer pointed to two of his men.
As they slung their rifles over their shoulders and trotted forward, Hunter looked at the officer in surprise. “Who are you? What is wrong?”
“I am Leutnant Mohr.” He walked up in front of Hunter, studying him carefully as artillery pounded even faster, shaking the ground. “What is your business with German intelligence?”