When he returned an hour later, he relayed his findings to Agnes. “Security is most likely lacking compared to an SS-run camp.”
Agnes grinned. “Then it should be easier to free the families. Once we get them out of there, where do we go?”
“It might be safer to leave them in Vittel. The Germans won’t start shipping prisoners out of the camp until 1944.” He refrained from adding that he had changed this version of history.
“Barbara will never go for it,” Agnes said.
“So, we send teams Foxtrot and Golf to keep watch from a distance. Frontstalag 194 is small and in the middle of the mountains. If they try to move the prisoners, we can set up an ambush.”
34
1800 hours, Monday, August 10, 1942, northeast of Loches, Indre River Valley, Indre-et-Loire Department, Vichy France
Captain Trembley coded a message to be sent by HF radio to London, using a one-time cipher. Hiram took the time to relay the plan to invade southern France to his troops. He referred to the plan as Operation Roundup, a homage to the plan the Allies would not develop now that Hiram had meddled with the timeline.
“Team Charlie,” Hiram said, “you’re going to work your way southwest toward Bordeaux. You’ll need to position yourselves near Libourne, where the 7th Panzer Division has set up camp. When you are in place, I’ll join you and employ one of the Mark XII’s.” Hiram didn’t relish playing another game of hop-scotch on French trains, but it was the only way to ensure that only he could bring a working Mark XII into the world.
“The rest of us will travel southeast towards Vichy,” Hiram said. “Teams Delta, Foxtrot, and Golf will break off before we reach Vichy. Team Delta you’re going northeast to Moulins, where the German 15th Infantry Division is stationed. You’ll notice your proposed route has been programmed on your C2ID2.” The translator repeated his words.
The individuals with the C2ID2s pulled up the maps on their display, while the others in their team looked on.
“Teams Foxtrot and Golf, you’ll continue north to Vittel. You’ll need to monitor the camp until we can liberate the prisoners and get them to safety. Teams Bravo and Echo, you’re with me. We’re headed to Saint Chamond to free Rosette. Once we get Rosette out, Team Bravo will proceed south towards the coast. We’ll be deploying a Mark XII at Toulon to take out the French fleet. Team Echo, we’ll drop you off along the way near Valance.” No one seemed to contest the effort to save Rosette, not even Barbara.
Agnes stepped forward. “Should we send the Icarus drone towards London,” she pointed upward. “Might take five days or more to get there, but we’d need to shut it down anyway. It’s too slow to keep up with us. I expect it’ll arrive before the invasion fleet departs, assuming our plan is approved in the first place.”
“Good idea. Ida, tell Captain Trembley to include a note in his radio message for Sarah to begin checking her C2ID2 for a signal in four days.” Ida nodded and stepped away from the group to relay the message.
“Team Charlie, you’ll have to launch an Icarus drone upon arrival at your staging point,” Agnes added, the Babel Fish translating for Hiram’s benefit. “We won’t be in contact with you once you move out of C2ID2 range.”
“She’s right,” Hiram said. “The distance is going to push the limits of the drones. Make sure each team has the necessary equipment before we leave.”
After Rosette’s unexpected departure and his inability to locate Deborah and Danette after the event in Saarbrucken, Hiram had learned his lesson. He refused to let the modified railbikes out of his sight without a means to find them. He handed Isadore a bag full of radio-frequency identification chips and a tube of superglue.
“Glue one of these on each railbike, somewhere under the driver’s seat,” he said. “Record the number of each chip on your C2ID2. We’ll be able to track the railbikes with the Icarus drones that way.”
As the women around him discussed the plan, Hiram thought of Deborah. He had convinced himself Deborah and Danette had survived the blast in Saarbrücken, but the more time that passed the less likely the possibility he would see them again. Why in the hell had he taken such a risk! He would not give up on them◦– on Deborah. “Any sign of Danette and Deborah?”
“Nothing yet.” Agnes offered a hopeful smile. “Isadore continues searching the area with the drone.”
“We need another railbike, which means I have to go into the pod. And I don’t want Trembley to see me do it,” he said.
Agnes looked in Trembley’s direction, Hiram joined her.
“Do you think Ida could keep him occupied for a while?”
Agnes’ left eyebrow went up as she searched for the reason of his request.
“I’m going over to Team Golf’s position on the other side of the ridge. I can open the portal there. It will take Justine and Emma at least an hour to assemble another railbike.”
“You need a little privacy. Understood.” Agnes headed off toward Ida while the Babel Fish continued its translation. Hiram headed up the hill.
Two hours later, Hiram’s band of nuclear insurgents stood ready to head off into the darkness. Everyone bid goodbye to Irene, Denise, Camille, and Joanne. As Team Charlie disappeared, Hiram and his remaining troops headed southeast.
Captain Trembley and Charlotte rode in Hiram’s sidecar, first in line for another long journey down the tracks. Charlotte scouted ahead via the drone, running figure eights around the tracks, searching for concentrations of troops and ensuring the train stations along the way posed no imminent danger.
The American marveled at the speed of the railbikes and seemed enchanted by the night vision goggles. Hiram had also armed him with an M22 assault rifle. While Justine finished assembling the railbike, Ida convinced him he needed proper training to be able to carry such a powerful weapon. Barbara, eager to destroy as many of the bad guys as possible, jumped at the chance to get one more soldier up to speed.
Hiram ignored the man’s delighted observations as they sped down the tracks. His thoughts travelled eastward, toward the area just outside of the devastated city of Saarbrücken. Deborah, where are you?
35
1845 hours, Thursday, August 13, 1942, Saint Chamond, Loire Department, Vichy France
Rosette stared out a west-facing window, searching for any sign that her message had been received. The sun had sunk below the horizon, but twilight would linger another couple of hours. In the distance, a hunched shape, Alphonse Benoit, the farm’s owner and Emile Locard’s uncle, cleared debris from an irrigation ditch. Alphonse’s wife Janel milked cows in the barn, leaving Rosette alone in the small kitchen, tasked with peeling potatoes.
“Rosette,” a women’s voice called from the open doorway behind her. She spun at the sound, adjusting the paring knife to a fighting grip as she did so.
“Ida!” She dropped the knife in the bucket of potato peels and rushed to embrace her. “I can’t believe you made it here.”
“It wasn’t easy with the police checkpoints on the roads near every town.”
“What about the others?”
“You don’t think they let me come after you alone, do you?”
Rosette peeked outside, searching for signs of the others. Janel returned from the barn with a bucket of fresh milk, Alphonse continued his task along the edge of the field, and a cloud of dust drifted up from the road not too far away. “Where are they hiding? Is Hiram with you?”