"Here." Canaris gestured toward the leather chair inside the small room that served as an office. It had been the office of Schwarzer once and Paul remembered it as if it were yesterday. Slowly he walked through the room and around the desk.
He looked at the chair for a moment before taking his seat while his eyes scanned every corner of the space.
Canaris gestured toward the telephone standing on the table which was the only object left on the surface. Gustaf leaned against the doorframe and watched the scene with quiet curiosity. Rommel sat in a seat before the table and behind the door stood two heavily armed soldiers.
Paul picked up the receiver and waited for the line to clear. When the voice on the other end answered it was firm and steady.
"Raeder," the Admiral said.
"Do you recognize my voice?" Paul asked in a near whisper.
"How could I not," Raeder answered.
"The time has come Admiral. Berlin is empty and the SS is spread across the whole front far from the capital. Göring was lured into a troop visit and Himmler..."
Paul paused while his fingers tightened around the cigarette he was smoking. "Is visiting a concentration camp in Poland," he added with a voice full of hatred.
"Are you going to stand with me Raeder? Are you goign fulfill Plan Z?" Paul continued while a silence filled the other end of the line.
"When I met you the first time, you remember that evening don't you? At that time I stood with you. When I persuaded countless officers I stood with you. When I planned the details with you I stood with you. And now I will stand with you too. The Kriegsmarine stands with you as well."
Paul nodded and smiled lightly.
"Today you will help me and tomorrow I will show the Kriegsmarine my gratitude. My gratitude to you and Dönitz will be plentiful but first we have to win," Paul said with his eyes squinted.
"We have to and for that I wish you good luck," Raeder said while sighing.
"It will work with luck or misfortune as there is no difference. When the sun rises tomorrow Berlin will be ours," Paul said before ending the call.
He sat there for a few minutes smoking before his hand finally reached out to the phone once again. The line rang and then another man took up the phone.
"Blomberg," Paul spoke a name that had been long forgotten by the powerful and influential.
"Heinrich Jaeger. This call. Is it what I think it is for?" Blomberg asked at the other end of the line with a voice that was almost threatening.
"It is General. The time is ripe. You are to execute your obligations in Plan Z together with Fritsch and Rundstedt," Paul said.
"I have waited a long time for this call. The longing for his blood, the blood of the man who betrayed me, has plagued me every day. So Jaeger, trust me with this obligation. I will fulfill it. Fritsch will too. We will begin at the hour."
"Good. Your revenge will be fulfilled. That is what my obligation is," Paul added before ending the call once again.
Then he dialed another number, one that he had called more often than the others. The phone was picked up quickly with a new voice coming through the receiver.
"Hello, you have called the Rundstedt residence. May I know who you are and what your intent is?" a man asked.
"Albert," Paul began. "I have to speak to the General. Would you be so kind?"
"He is right next to me Herrn Jaeger. I will give the phone to him."
A loud coughing could be heard before a hoarse voice sounded.
"Heinrich, good to hear from you. I heard of your triumphs and I have to congratulate you. You did good boy," Rundstedt said before coughing once again.
"Thank you," Paul said while sighing at the condition Rundstedt was in, a condition that was partly his fault.
"But this is not why you called, am I right?" Rundstedt asked with a voice still bearing a tinge of sharpness.
"Indeed," Paul began as his tone changed. "General, I will have to ask of you one last favor."
"Mhm. I already understand," Rundstedt groaned, already knowing what Paul indicated. Then he paused. "That you may ask," Rundstedt said, his words ending the third call.
While Paul dialed the next number, Rundstedt slowly climbed out of his bed with the help of his attendant while breathing heavily.
"Albert," he turned toward the old attendant. "Bring me my uniform and my saber. One... last time."
Quietly Rundstedt was dressed. The pristine and highly decorated uniform still fit perfectly while the saber fit right into its sheath.
"My coat," Rundstedt said.
Then a coat was put on him and he began walking. The wooden floor creaked under the pressure the saber emitted as Rundstedt put his weight on it. Outside the metal scabbard struck the ground rhythmically while the sound echoed through the streets of Berlin.
The phone began ringing again
"Werner," Paul said with a voice bearing a tinge of emotion.
"Paul," Werner replied, speaking the name only he was allowed to use.
"Although I would have liked a rendezvous, you likely already know why I am calling," Paul said.
"I know," Werner said nostalgically. "I know and I will go. Do not worry. But things will have to change Paul."
"Yes, they will," Paul answered.
With that the fourth call ended. Paul leaned back for a moment while talking with Rommel. While they were speaking, Werner had already begun his part of the mission.
Berlin outskirts.
"You remember that woman? What was her name again?"
A laughter erupted between the guards. "How would I know what your woman is called?"
Then someone cleared his throat. The two SS guards nearly choked on their own spit.
"Am I disturbing you soldiers?" Werner asked while clad in his SS officer uniform.
"No... No Sir!" The first one noticed Werner's rank and quickly saluted while the other one followed his lead. Behind Werner stood two other men in SS uniforms with submachine guns in their hands.
"I will have to talk to Herr Kesselring," Werner said.
The two guards looked at each other before the first one slowly opened his mouth. "Sir, we were instructed to let no one inside. It is a Führer order."
Werner raised his eyebrow. "Are there other guards here?"
"No, we are the only ones," the second one answered while his gaze became mistrusting.
Werner nodded before stepping to the side and walking toward the gate.
"Hey!"
The sound of the submachine guns erupted and muted the two guards. Werner's men quickly carried away the two bodies and threw them into the greenery of the forest before they replaced them as if nothing had happened. All while Werner was walking toward the mansion and reaching the heavy wooden door.
He knocked twice. After a while the door was opened by an elderly man who gave Werner a look of disdain.
"What do you want?" he asked while almost closing the door.
"To talk with Herr Kesselring," Werner answered.
The attendant mustered him before sighing and opening the door further. "He is in his study. I will lead you to him."
Quietly they made their way through the large but empty house until they reached a single door. The attendant gestured for Werner to step inside. Werner knocked before opening the door.
"Kesselring, do you remember me?" Werner asked when he saw the former General sitting behind his table. Kesselring's hostile gaze quickly diminished when he looked past the SS uniform.
"You are Friedrich Lehmann. The friend of Jaeger, are you not?" Kesselring asked while his eyes widened with every word.
"That I am."
A loud thunder struck in the background and illuminated the dark room.
"General Kesselring," Werner said with a tone of authority. "Are you ready to resume your role?"
Kesselring stood up immediately. He was still clad in his uniform despite it not meaning anything to the current regime.
"That I am." Kesselring smiled lightly before grabbing his hat.
"You know what your role is?" Werner asked.
Kesselring nodded. The two left the mansion and walked past the new SS guards. Kesselring noticed the residue of blood on the ground but he did not say anything. Before the gate a transport truck was waiting. Werner gestured for Kesselring to get inside. Kesselring climbed into the truck before leaning out again.
"Tell Jaeger my gratitude."
Werner nodded and the truck drove away.
After some time had passed, Paul reached out for the phone one last time while exchanging a meaningful look with Rommel.
"Hello, is that you Generalmajor Jaeger?" a familiar voice said.
"Indeed Generalmajor Schwarzer, it is me. I am sitting in your former office right now," Paul said while his tone became calculative. "I call for a promise. For a debt that has to be settled."
"I would have helped you either way. Besides, you are part of the reason why I got my current position. Garrison commander of Berlin, what a title to bear," Schwarzer said.
"Right," Paul began while leaning forward suddenly.
"In my capacity as commander of Plan Z and Generalmajor of the Wehrmacht, I order you Generalmajor Schwarzer to put the city of Berlin under Martial Law beginning at midnight. I want soldiers at every corner and not a single resident in the streets. Do you understand?"
"Yes Sir, I do. Berlin will be put under Martial Law. Tonight the Wehrmacht will reign," Schwarzer said with an ominous voice.
Hours later, sirens echoed through the caserns of Berlin.
Soldiers poured out of the buildings and boarded the already prepared transport trucks, armed and ready to act. They left the gates minutes before midnight and poured into the city like a rising tide.
"Get inside!" a Wehrmacht soldier shouted while gesturing toward a couple that was still walking down the streets.
In a steady march, the soldiers were transported to various important locations. They took the train stations, government buildings, the harbor, bridges, and key roads.
They occupied power stations and seized the telephone network. Lines were cut. Under the heavy rain and the storm, Berlin was cut off from the rest of Germany and from the rest of the world. The capital became a deserted bunker.
All while this happened, the steel titans of Paul and Rommel arrived in the outskirts. Rommel's tanks departed like shadows in the night to surround the capital and sever every artery leading into the city. Paul advanced further toward the beating heart of Berlin while the ground trembled beneath his tracks.
Now only a handful of islands remained in the sea of shadows. The military airport, the party headquarters, the Chancellery, the defense department, and the Reichstag. Inside the Reichstag the lights were still burning like a dying candle in a storm. A late night session had gathered many key figures of the state in one single place.
Paul stood on the hull of his Panzer and looked at the distant silhouette of Berlin. He felt the cold rain on his face while he watched the trap close.
"The dice have been cast," Paul whispered into the wind.
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