Gudrun forced herself to think about it. The Provisional Government would have liked to control the entire Greater German Reich, but practicality told against it. The economy was in tatters. There was no way the Provisional Government could keep control of the subject nations, let alone keep fighting the war in South Africa. And Germany East? Perhaps, as Volker had suggested, it would be better if Germany East went its own way.
“They would probably agree to your independence from the rest of the Reich,” she said, finally. She doubted there was any form of compromise that would keep the Reich unified, not one that would suit both sides. “As long as you didn’t pose a threat to us, we wouldn’t pose a threat to you.”
The second man leaned forward. “You’d just let us go?”
“Yes,” Gudrun said. “I don’t think we could afford to keep you.”
She sighed. “But Holliston is the real problem,” she added. “As long as he’s alive, there can be no peace.”
The first man seemed to shrug. “Are you sure?”
“I’m not sure of anything,” Gudrun said. She wondered if she dared ask how long she’d been in the cell, then decided she probably couldn’t trust their answers. “But Germany Prime and Germany East have been separating for years. Culturally, you’re very different from us. I don’t think you’ll tamely accept all the changes we’ve written into the laws…”
“Of course not,” the first man said. “Imagine giving everyone the vote.”
Gudrun snorted. The Reichstag had been nothing more than a rubber stamp for the Reich Council for decades. No one had taken it seriously — a seat on the Reichstag was nothing more than a convenient place for the council to dispose of their political enemies. But now, the Reichstag would regain its prominence in the Reich… if they ever managed to end the war and hold free elections. She could understand why the Easterners might sneer at it…
We gave everyone the vote, she thought. It had been hard, very hard, to convince the Provisional Government that women should have the vote. She’d had to fight a long battle to ensure that women, like men, could vote from the age of twenty. And Germany Prime, the most densely-populated part of the Reich, would have a major advantage.
She shook her head. There were hundreds of differences between the two regions, ranging from how children were raised to the private ownership of weapons and ammunition. She honestly didn’t see how they could come to terms. Holliston might not be popular — she had no idea how popular he was — but the SS was very popular. Invading and occupying Germany East might spark an insurrection against the Provisional Government.
“Get rid of Holliston,” she said. “And then you can talk to the Provisional Government.”
“We shall see,” the first man said.
He turned and led the way out of the cell, his companion giving Gudrun one last look before following him. Gudrun watched them go, feeling utterly unsure of herself. Were they genuinely planning to take steps against Karl Holliston? Or were they merely trying to trick her into implicating herself? But it wasn’t as if the SS needed an excuse to execute her. They already had her at their mercy.
She sighed as she turned and walked back to the bed. There was nothing to do in the cell, nothing but wait for something to happen to her. She sat down on the bed, resting her hands behind her head. There was no point in trying to conceal anything from the watching cameras…
Maybe they will overthrow Holliston, she thought. She found it hard to believe that Holliston was universally beloved, particularly after he’d assumed the title of Führer. A Führer with real power would be a nightmare. And if they don’t…
She shook her head. She wanted — she needed — to believe she had allies, people whose interests matched her own. And if she could convince them to turn against Holliston, she might just be able to get out of the cell before it was too late.
And if they are plants, she thought grimly, it isn’t as if I can implicate myself any further.
Chapter Twelve
Germanica (Moscow), Germany East
1 November 1985
Gudrun, Katherine noted dispassionately as she stepped back into the security room, was bearing up well under the interrogation.
It wasn’t something she’d expected to admire in her captive. Gudrun had always seemed like a weakling to her, a foolish female who’d seduced many men from their duty. She certainly was not the kind of woman who would openly defy her male relatives, let alone force the men to accept her on her own terms. And yet, there was a hard core of strength in her that Katherine was forced to admire.
Soft, yet unyielding, Katherine thought. She will bend, but she will not break.
She kept her expression blank as she stood in the room, watching Gudrun through the security cameras. She’d known far too many women — even women born in Germany East — who would have been humiliated by being forced to remain naked, but Gudrun was neither breaking down nor demanding clothing. And she was keeping herself busy by walking around her tiny cell, even though she had to know it was futile. Escape was impossible without outside help, Katherine knew; the Reichstag was so heavily defended that nothing short of an armoured assault would be enough to break through the defences and gain access to the inner chambers.
Katherine hadn’t had an easy life, even before she’d joined the SS. Her mother had died when she was very young; she’d grown up with her brothers and a number of male cousins, all of whom had treated her as one of the boys. She’d had endless clashes with her teachers over the proper place for a young woman, enduring punishment after punishment for refusing to stay in the space they’d put aside for her. Her brothers had admired her defiance, even after they’d grown old enough to understand the difference between boys and girls. But Gudrun? She’d had an easy life.
In many ways, Gudrun was precisely the sort of girl Katherine despised. She would have married a handsome young man in a black uniform, abandoning her studies and all hope of a genuine career to bear and raise a legion of screaming brats. Her schooling suggested promise — she wouldn’t have got into the university without genuine talent — but it would all have been wasted when she got married. And yet, when her boyfriend had been crippled, Gudrun had literally overthrown the regime.
Or, at least, she started the avalanche rolling, Katherine thought, dryly. No one could hope to overthrow an entire government without help, save perhaps for the legendary Otto Skorzeny. And she didn’t even stop after taking her revenge.
It was odd. Gudrun was a mixture of admirable and detestable traits. A grim determination that Katherine admired, mixed with a willingness to bend and seek compromises that Katherine detested. Gudrun would not have stood up to her father, Katherine was sure; she’d have found a way to work around him instead. And she would probably do the same with her husband, if she managed to return to his arms. Horst — oathbreaker, traitor — might not understand the woman he’d married. Gudrun would not be content to be a simple housewife any longer.