THE RISE OF THE FOURTH REICH

I remember when I was a grenadier officer watching over the facility which was a top-secret base located in the mountains west of Germany. My guards were standing outside doing idle work and occasionally rock paper and scissors. The sight of a dirt cloud got my men and me the attention to get up, making sure our uniforms were presentable. The rows of supply trucks and the main Volkswagen were coming to a stop. One of their troops opened the door as two men and one little girl got out. I reached out my hand, “Doctor Maxis and Edward Richtofen, it is an honor to come back once again on your project” I said towards them. Walking into the mountain, there was a heavy, solid, steal door big enough for a hanger bay to store the HE111 bomber. There was the sound of grinding gears as she opened up.

The interior was somewhat nice for a bunker, with the feel of a standard military base, walking through the hallways of the bunker. Next in front of me, was the General, bearing the grand cross of the iron cross and my friend next to his left doing the regular salute. Continuing onwards in this mass of a base, walking through the bright halls stopping at the bulkheads, it slowly opened towards a sight to behold. An entire underground facility, the generators whirling and whining and the banners hanging high above giving life to all the workers here and there. Then one thing stood out. Their power cables working their way across towards a ring where everyone was standing at attention with arms held out, closing towards the ring.

One scientist turned around, “Hail the Fuhrer” he said saluting.

“Hail the Fuhrer” the General said standing with his arms behind his back and yet a hint of irritation. “Is it ready?” the General said in a calm voice looking at the machine.

“No sir, we need to test it on a human for it to work. We managed to send boxes and one dog and a vehicle panzer cycle and a motorcycle. The dog came back unhurt but different. We need someone to go through the portal to see what is on the other side.” He looked behind us to see the two doctors.

“Maxis, you old hound dog” he said walking past the general doctor. Maxis and Richtofen returned the gesture with friendly faces. Maxis looked over to him as they finished their greetings.

“How is she working, Verger?” he said enthusiastically looking at the marvelous machine from German engineering.

“Most excellent.” There was a sound of someone clearing his throat to catch the attention of the three doctors to see the general standing next to me.

“I have one right here,” he said pointing at me for the first to travel a new land or teleportation.

“Yes sir, I’ll do it by your orders” I said in depression. The doctors quickly came over to me and Maxis and Edward walked me towards the heavy doors.

“Don’t worry. We have taken all precautions to get you back when we open the portal” he said, walking to the stand.

Taking me towards the left side of the facility not too far away from the portal, both of the doctors and the steal casing that they brought was with them. I undress my rank and put on the bulky set of unusual armor and my steel breathing mask and heating/cooling system.

“Your armor can stand sixty below and the max is sixty seven below, and can survive heat up to nine hundred degrees. The max is nine hundred twenty degrees. You have your own oxygen supplies when your suit detects danger, you can thank Doctor Edward for the attachment. When you are ready you can give us a thumbs up.” he said standing in front of me, he walked around towards my back “your suit will give us data as soon as you cross. And fire this through you have twenty-four hours to report before we close.” He gave me a canister while walking through the walkway towards the portal. “Shoot this through the portal, we will retrieve and send pioneers immediately through to start on an outpost for future operations.”

I looked to my left and nodded, the portal sparked to life, humming low then increased in sound. I walked up to the green wall, placing my hand on; it rippled like water, walking slowly through exiting out. I looked around to see snow and trees all around me, taking out a radiation reader not ticking out with any worries. Walking through the snowy tundra the winds howling out, as my mind wondering out if I’m in the cold lands of Siberia or the Canadian snowy tundra. Placing flags down to find my way back, but not too far away, I found the boxes and the panzer cycle in the snow looking around myself watching the snow fall calmly.

Reaching towards the back of my head, flipping a switch I could feel the entire mask-shifting opening up to the bitter cold howling wind. The wind was all I could hear, walking back towards the portal. I loaded a canister and lunched it through then I played the wait game, gathering the equipment at the boxes opening to revile guns, Karabiner 98 Kurz, Mauser C96, and MP18 and stick grenades. I walked through the deep snow every step was a loud crunch, opening the case were flags and then the last were food supplies.

“Friedhelm. Where are you?” I heard walking swiftly through the deep snow see two pioneers walking out of the portal in winter clothing.

“Is this all of us that they are sending?” I said out loud.

“No” one of them said “we are here to examining if we can build here. I see we are at a tundra state of Russia or the Canadian Rockies.” the engineer said standing in front of me.

“Don’t know which part of the world we are in, the lands of Russia or Canada?” The other said looking out the howling winds, blowing against his armor he turned and started to go through the portal.

“Where is he going?” I said out of curiosity watching the green liquid wall engulfing him

“We have the data to start building. We have a panzer MK III outfitted for construction work and a convoy of ammo and fuel. The troops will soon come after.” he said watching the portal flickering and sparking out. Then the land started to rumble and I could feel the ground shake. The portal sparked out with a blinding flash as tanks rolled out with plows pushing the snows outwards and behind them were grenadiers.

“Sir. We were told that they are closing the portal but we have enough supplies to finish the land for the trucks, and the base ground,” the trooper said in his winter camouflage.

“How long is the portal closed for?” I yelled out towards the men in front of me exiting the portal. I looked to my left to see the armored beast plowing the snow away from the portal.

“Two months sir. The batteries and generators have to recharge” called out a grenadier under his mask as he saluted “and you are the one in charge and are to protect us from anything out here.” Holding his rifle behind his back he turned and walked away.

The howling winds blew out creating a storm. The panzer moved the snow out of the way then the second laying tracks down “Alright clear this snow away, so we can construct the bunkhouse so have a place to stay for the nights to come.” We continued to work away, shoveling snow away, tanks pushing onward. Once we moved the piles of snow it felt strange as the grass was green, the more snow we removed, the greener the grass was. My crew did not pay any attention to our surroundings, but we had made a 2-mile ring around us. The sun was climbing the stairs of its path to the highest point of high noon. The day moved slowly and the time felt long. I worried about the night, but my watch told me that the day was correct, but it felt like hours had passed by so quickly. Placing down the tracks for the floor we left a patch for farming when we needed it the most.

“Sir?” a grenadier came up to me his mask protecting him from the harsh winter breeze.

“Yes” I said towards him as I placed the shovel down and turned towards his direction, the winter breeze blowing his scarf around in the breeze his mask was a shadow black seal around his mouth, the clear lens of his goggles having the snow sticking to his cloths and uniform.

“We are placing down the base work of the outpost.” I looked to the sky the sun moved towards the horizon and towards the vast land of the tundra, seeing nothing but snow, but when I faced the North East I could make out a small mountain.

“Good but set up the bunk house first” I instructed him. Watching him go into the construction yard of the base the towering walls and towers, I could see the sparks from pioneers using there welding torch

“Right away” he turned around beginning to walk but I caught his attention again by grabbing him by the shoulder.

“I’ll look deeper in the tundra to find anything out there” he stopped and looked around.

“Sir what about an attack?” I looked around to see a vast valley of snow and more snow and small dead trees nothing seems to be a threat out here and if something dose pop up they have to get through some lead

“No need to worry I’m going for another five miles North East from here I’ll be back with whatever I have and if I’m gone too long follow the flags.” he looked at me and nodded as he traveled back into the construction yards.

I walked through the frigged tundra snow the sound of it crunching under my feet. A lake was spotted and traveling it, a large body of water that was frozen far as I could see just a mile long. Turning around to see a mountain and a faint from line of something was in that direction as I walked towards it. I noticed a village covered by the snow and ice. Covering most of the homes when I stepped foot inside the town it felt… dark cold to my spine pulling back cocking my MP18, walking around with caution carefully watching the shadows I could see the ice that had formed for who knows how long, but another feeling I can’t shake off. Traveling deeper inside this village but then I saw something that was lost since time. It was a well preserved castle.

When I entered the large double doors it felt warmer inside. I pulled out the portable radar the needlepointing towards the South West but something was pulling my mind towards the northwest tower and so I traveled on. Upon stopping in front of a heavy oak wooden double door the insignia was something to see but most were worn out and hard to know what used to be there. Opening the heavy doors the loud creaking of the hinges shown of rust walking into a throne room. My mind was amazed by the architectural design a magnificent look even over the harsh winters or years I was at a loss walking up the short stairs to find the thrones chair sitting down. To my surprise it was small and low but supported my over weighted armor and looking in a king’s view. The feel and the view of all the stained glass covered in dust? Dust the only reason dust can happen was from a sentient being getting up a sudden sound drawn my attention towards another part of the castle’s interior a library. A place that I needed to know the history looking to the books there were no words but grabbing one of pure curiosity to see a picture of a small horse or a pony but no title. Opening the book was a writing I could not see what it was just some type of writing that I could not put my hand on or know the origin. Then I saw a shadow.

It ran and I gave chase to the next room. Something jumped In front of me. Five bipedal dogs holding shields swords and spears lifting my MP18 at the five of them. Suddenly I felt someone hit me from my side the sound of metal clashing with the marble floor. My machine gun fired off when I was going down firing the bullets ricocheted off the floor or the walls. One was not lucky. Some of the stray rounds hit him. My machine gun rolled away from my grasp focusing on the jaws above me tilting to the left the sound of his jaw snapping. Grabbing the head of the beast pulling it down I lifted my knee cape hitting it the sound of flesh and metal a loud yelp sounded out. Getting up for only to duck under a blade clashed with the marble pillar lifting my arm up and swinging down with the weight of the armor shattering the blade. Stumbling around from the impacted force the sound of my boots made the very ground shook beneath me with loud thundering clanks.

Pulling my arm back and thrusting forward only to put his shield up creating a deafening loud clanking sound. Flying back from the force due to the weight of me the shield was stuck in my fist pulling the plate of armor off my fist. He looked up at me then looked to the left I turned to see another tackle me down pulling his blade up grabbing before it came down on me. Reaching over to the shattered remains of the sword grasping for the shard only to be thrust in the beast’s neck, I could hear him gargle from the blood entering his lungs as he held his wound. Reaching for my C96 Mauser pistol cocking back letting three rounds enter my opponent the look in his eyes was some amusement to see the creature holding his gunshot wounds. Turning to see the rest dragging the wounded and running out the doors I gave chase after my suit of iron was well bolted as I ran giving me a slow pace. Reaching out only to get one on my back grabbing him with a toss he ended in the ground. Lifting my heavy iron gantlet I felt my suit burning me. The suit hissed out through the exhaust piece above my mouth. The steam was blasting through the visor. Under my nose the steam blew out towards the dog yelling in pain and as I was feeling the heat radiating from the armor burning my skin until the pain subsided.

Looking for my targets to find a blood trail leading outside jumping into the snow, but I was met with the dirt. My armored suit was radiating so much heat that the snow melted away fast. The blood trail that lead into a cave I stopped to grinding my hand across the stone cave to show the swastika engraved into the wall but out of sight walking away from the cave and out of the gardens towards the flags left behind from me.

Soon I was in the snowy tundra but the snow melted away from the heat radiating off clearing a meter radios revealing more grass? As I made my way to base I found a lone grenadier walking along the rope line. “Sir you were gone for four hours what happen?”

I looked at him “I was gone for an hour!” he nodded his head as he made his way to me lifting his rifle behind his back the wind dying down

“It has been four hours since you left. What did you find?” I looked at him shocked at what he said. Walking back towards the base seeing the bunkhouse constructed and some of our walls built and one lookout tower.

“Life and a civilization but different. We are not on the lands we know any more and a new creature that I have never seen” I said the feel of the heat from my suit died down. The construction of our outpost was coming along nicely.

“Shall we finish the wall first sir?” I nodded my head looking at our unfinished wall of barbwire and high walls, the watchtowers high and tall. When I looked in the middle was our pride of my land swaying in the cold wind, ever so lightly flapping with the grace of the wind blowing the red flag and the black insignia of the swastika.

“Yes and a kill zone.” When I finished two grenadiers ran up the tower to set the MG 08 machine gun looking out where we came from walking into the unfinished base I could see the roaring fires crackling in the night. Looking around this great fire seeing thirty faces and the eight-tank crew gathered with us. Around the fire the howling winds blowing around us. My men huddled around this fire keeping us warm. The clear night sky but the moon hidden from view. When I looked at all the men under my supervision one of them started to sing and as we sang the fire grew brighter and the warmth emitting was felt across my face as I too joined them.