Shadow Warrior: Destiny of a Mutant (17 page)

Pacific Theater of Operations

Guadalcanal Island

1943 A.D.

The main offensive in the fight for Guadalcanal had only been over for a couple of weeks. The U.S. Marines and Army Airborne Rangers were still rooting out the remaining Japanese soldiers from their island hiding places, who were not giving up without a fight.

Captain Karl Hauser, U.S. Army Airborne Rangers, had led the small contingent of Army Rangers in assisting the Marines with securing the island. Hauser and his Rangers had also been instrumental during the battle that had been waged for control of Guadalcanal as well. Hauser had distinguished himself as a natural leader, and he was fearless in the face of enemy fire. He had already received the Medal of Valor, a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.

Hauser was born and raised in Dearborn, Michigan. Before entering the Army, he had graduated with honors from West Point with a degree in mechanical engineering. He could have easily obtained a plush assignment stateside or with the Army Corps of Engineers, but he wanted to be part of the action. After being commissioned in the Army, Hauser immediately volunteered to join the Airborne Rangers. The training had been tough, and a lot of his contemporaries had been washed out during the rigorous training program, much of which was conducted by the British Special Air Service, or SAS.

Hauser’s grandfather had emigrated from Germany before the start of World War I. He had been an electrical engineer. As a proud German, he insisted that his children maintain part of their German heritage, and he ensured that they spoke German as fluently as they spoke English. However, with the entrance of America in World War I, his children were forced to speak German only at home or with close family friends.

Hauser’s father, an engineer for Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Michigan, kept this tradition alive and made sure that Hauser spoke German and English fluently as well.

In the early days of his Army career, Hauser had been assigned to debrief German spies, POWs and deserters in their native language.

Earlier that morning, Hauser had been tracked down by his commanding officer and told to report to base for a meeting from some colonel who was coming to interview him from stateside. No explanation was given; just to be there and wait for the colonel.

Hauser was shown into a tent where he was to wait for the colonel. When he arrived, there were two sailors also waiting in the tent. Upon seeing his rank insignia, both sailors jumped to their feet and stood at attention.

“At ease, men,” said Hauser.

“Aye, aye, sir. Thank you, sir,” both sailors said in unison, and they sat back down.

“So, it appears that I’m not the only one here to meet this mysterious colonel,” said Hauser with a smile.

“Apparently not, sir.” said one sailor, an ensign by his rank insignia.

“Do you gentlemen have any idea what this is about?”

“No, sir. We were just talking about it before you entered,” said the other sailor, a petty officer by the rank insignia on his uniform sleeve. “We were assigned to ships, me to a destroyer and the Ensign here to an aircraft carrier, just off the coast here, sir. Our captains just said to report here and meet some colonel. Then they put us on a fastboat and the next thing you know, here we are, sir.”

Hauser just shook his head. “I’m Karl Hauser, by the way.”

“Henry Hess, sir,” said the Ensign, with a barely noticeable Brooklyn accent.

“Gerry Hammond, sir,” said the petty officer.

“Pleased to meet you both.”

***

Gerald Hammond had grown up in Miami, Florida and spent most of his free time as a child and teen at the beaches along the Atlantic Ocean. He had been a lifeguard for extra money during the summers in Miami Beach. He had been a member of his high school swim team and lettered in track as well. Hammond was also a straight ‘A’ student and was the valedictorian of his graduating class. He received a scholarship to the University of Miami as a swimmer and entered college soon after graduation to major in mining and petroleum engineering.

His mother was a professor of languages at the University of Miami, and his father worked for a construction company as a blast engineer. Whenever a construction company needed a demolition expert to blow something up for a construction project, it was his dad who was called to do the job. He even showed Gerry the ins and outs of working with explosives in the event that his son decided to go into that field, and often took Gerry on jobs with him on weekends or during the summer.

His paternal grandfather had emigrated from England during World War I. In order to celebrate his English heritage, he had suggested a good English name, Gerald, for his grandson. He was called Gerry for short, using the British spelling as opposed to the American spelling of ‘Jerry.’

His mother’s family was originally from Austria, and she spoke six languages fluently: English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch and Swedish. His mother taught him two dialects of German, which he spoke fluently. He was passable in French, Dutch and Spanish as well.

Gerry had finished two years of college, and had easily made the dean’s list with all A’s. However, after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on that December day in 1941, Gerry did not return to school after Christmas break, but joined the Navy instead. After learning of his swimming abilities, knowledge of explosives, and language skills, his recruiter suggested that he might be interested in a fairly new program the Navy had begun that would make good use of his skills and abilities, which turned out to be the fledgling Underwater Demolition Team, or UDT, program.

Gerry agreed and was allowed into the program. He subsequently trained at the Amphibious Scout and Raider School located in Fort Pierce, Florida, where he met Henry Hess.

***

The men then shook hands and started to make small talk and guess why they had all been summoned there to meet with the mysterious colonel when the flap of the tent opened and in walked Colonel Clark. All of the men jumped to attention quickly upon seeing a full-bird Army colonel walk through the door.

They all noticed that the man was wearing green BDUs with a pair of subdued colonel’s eagles on each collar. He was tall and powerfully built with short dark hair. He had the most piercing eyes any of them had ever seen. He didn’t look like a desk jockey at all, but rather battle hardened with a stare that could wilt the toughest man.

“At ease men,” he said in a deep, husky voice. “Please, have a seat. I’m Colonel Clark, and I was the one who asked to meet with you here today.”

The men sat as one, even more curious as Will seemed to size them up. After a few seconds, they were stunned as Will began speaking to them in perfect German.

“Were you men provided any explanation as to why you were summoned here today?”

Upon hearing the colonel speaking to them in German, they looked to the ranking officer, Hauser, to speak first - which he did, but in English.

“Sir, I’m not sure what this is ab…” said Hauser.

Will interrupted him. “German, please.”

Hauser then continued in German, “Sir, no explanation has been given to us by anyone, sir. Now you come in here speaking German like a native. We’d sure as hell like an explanation…sir.”

Will nodded. “Very good, Captain Hauser. Gentlemen, I’m here to offer each of you the opportunity to volunteer for a secret mission behind enemy lines. The reason I’m speaking to you in German and want you to answer in German is to determine if you are fluent enough to pass as a German soldier, if need be, behind enemy lines.”

“Why us, in particular, sir?” asked Hess, in German.

“Mainly due to your German language skills and your commando training. Plus, none of you are married or have children. This mission will be dangerous, and I don’t have the time to give you much training as I plan on starting this mission as soon as possible.”

“Can you tell us what the mission is, sir?” asked Hammond, also in fluent German.

“No, but I can tell you that it is sanctioned by the president himself, and that it will be unlike any mission you have ever, or will ever, participate in your entire life.”

All three of the men looked at each other and nodded. Hauser then spoke for the group.

“Looks like you have your volunteers, sir.”

Will nodded his head. “Very good. Pack your gear. You’ll be returning stateside today. Also, you can tell no one about this mission, gentlemen.
No one
. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir!” They said in unison as they snapped to attention.

“I’ll see you gentlemen in Columbus, Georgia in two days. There is a plane leaving within the hour. I expect you to be on it. Get some sleep,” Will said. “You’ll need it.”

As Will left, the two sailors looked at Hauser.

“Georgia? Why are we going to Georgia, sir?” asked Hammond.

“That’s where Fort Benning is located. Benning is the home of the Airborne Rangers. Well, you heard the man, let’s get our gear packed; we have a plane to catch.”

“Sir, they had us take our gear when we left the boats. I guess they knew we wouldn’t be coming back.”

“Fine. Give me ten minutes to pack my gear, and then let’s get a ride to that plane. Let’s see if the Colonel will wait for a few minutes and give us one.”

As they stepped outside, they looked around for Colonel Clark, but he was nowhere to be found.

“Wonder where he went to so fast?” said Hauser.

“Maybe being in a war zone makes him a little nervous there, Captain,” said Hess with a chuckle.

Hauser chuckled as well. “Somehow I don’t believe anything would make that big bastard nervous. I wonder where he went to so quickly?”

***

Sixty-thousand feet overhead Will was already flying to his next destination. He had morphed into his Guardian uniform, and was flying too high and too fast for any planes to see him.

Three down and seven to go
, Will mused.

The next six hours were fruitful for Will. His next two candidates, Klaus Schechter and Mark Robbins, were in Palermo, Italy. His meeting with them went equally as well as they both volunteered for the mission.

Afterwards, he proceeded to London where he met with David Wakefield and Stanley Becker. At first both of them were somewhat resistant, but eventually both Becker and Wakefield relented and volunteered.

Next, Will made his way to Greece and met with Peter Brunner, who volunteered enthusiastically to be a part of the mission.

The final two candidates, Thomas Schultz and Jaime Serrano, were located in Singapore. Both of them volunteered as well.

***

As he finished his interviews with his new team, Will went over the details in their files again mentally in his head. They all ranged in age from their early twenties to mid-thirties. He was not surprised that most of them shared some common characteristics and background. All of their parents had instilled in them a deep sense of honor and commitment to their adopted homeland, and a strong work ethic, all the while maintaining remnants of their German heritage by teaching them the German language and culture from childhood.

***

After meeting with his candidates, Will traveled to Fort Benning, Georgia to set up for the training he wanted to give his new team. He contacted the president on his secure line to make sure that he had been given the clearance he needed to set up his training at Fort Benning without any questions being asked.

He had been. The president also informed him of the latest attack on the tank unit in North Africa. Will decided that he may need to move his timetable up by a day or two, or more, depending on how well his men performed during their training. The president was equally shocked that Will had finished his interviews so quickly.

Will then proceeded to take care of his business at Fort Benning.

U.S. Army Airborne Rangers Training Facility

Fort Benning, Georgia

In 1918, Fort Benning was established in response to World War I and Columbus, Georgia's need to play an important role in the defense of the United States. The Columbus Chamber of Commerce actively sought to secure a training facility that would accommodate the new troops that were being inducted into the service for the war.

The result was a camp named Fort Benning, which was named after General Henry Lewis Benning, who was both a long time Columbus resident and a hero of the Civil War. The camp trained infantrymen and emerged from a camp into a fully-developed fort along the way.

Fort Benning eventually became the basic training ground for the U.S. Army Airborne Rangers, due in part to its mountainous terrain, heavy vegetation, and its more than 183,000 acres.

Will, with the president’s intervention, was able to set up a training venue deep inside of Fort Benning, as well as in the mountainous regions that surrounded it, without a lot of questions. He was also able to secure a plane for use in some additional specialized training he had in mind for his team of commandos.

***

Two days after meeting with his team in various parts of the world, they arrived at Fort Benning. They arrived by bus at the main arrival depot in the early afternoon hours, and Will was there to greet them. Will had been able to secure four Jeeps for their use.

“Gentlemen, stow your gear in the Jeeps and follow me to where we’ll be conducting our training.”

Without further discussion, Will got behind the wheel of the lead vehicle and started driving to where they would be camping and training for the next few days. After driving more than an hour through the rugged terrain, they finally arrived at their bivouac area. There were four large tents, one of which was set aside for Will, already set up when they arrived.

“Men, stow your gear on your bunks and then meet me in my tent in ten minutes. Officers will share tent number one. Becker, Schultz and Serrano, tent number two. Hammond, Robbins and Wakefield, tent number three,” Will said and then turned, walked towards and entered his tent.

Will’s order was met with a mix of “yes, sir” and “aye, aye, sir.”

“Not much on sweet talkin’ is he,” said Henry Hess, in his Brooklyn-tainted accent, to the group with a chuckle after Will went inside of his tent.

Hess got nods and chuckles all around in agreement.

“Seems like an okay guy…for a colonel,” said Hammond with a smile.

“I sure wouldn’t want to piss that big bastard off. He looks like he could rip off your head and shit down your neck without breaking a sweat,” said Jaime Serrano.

More nods in agreement.

“This guy must have some serious juice to get all of us here from all over the planet in two days,” said Thomas Schultz.

“I guess when he told us this mission was sanctioned by the president he wasn’t bullshittin’,” said Hauser. More nods. “Well, let’s stow this gear and get to his tent, I don’t think he likes to be kept waiting.”

The team finished stowing their gear, and then proceeded to Will’s tent. Upon arriving, Hauser knocked on the door and waited to be invited in. “Enter,” came Will’s voice from inside.

The ten members of Will’s team paraded into Will’s tent and stood at attention.

“At ease, men. Take a seat,” Will said, indicating they should sit in the chairs that had been provided for their briefing. Will stood in front of them in front of a briefing board covered by a piece of cloth to prevent them from seeing what was on the board until the briefing began.

“Gentlemen, I’ll be brief. First of all, I appreciate a
ll of you volunteering for this mission. Before we get started, I’m going to give you one final chance to bow out and return to your previous duty assignments with no questions asked. No one will think less of you.” Will waited a few seconds to see if anyone would take him

up
on his offer. When there were no takers, he continued.

“I thought as much. After reviewing your military records, I would have been surprised if anyone had wanted to leave. However, after I tell you what this mission is about, some of you may change your minds. But, I must warn you, this mission is classified Top Secret, and can
never
be discussed with anyone outside of this room. Is that clear?”

Again Will was met with a chorus of “yes, sir” and “aye, aye sir.”

“In fact, there are only two people in this world who know specifically what this mission is about…me and the President of the United States. And with the exception of you gentlemen, it must stay that way.”

They nodded in agreement.

“As I told you when I met with you a few days ago, you were offered this opportunity based on your German-language skills and your commando training. Due to the nature of this mission, both of these skills will be used, especially your German-language skills. Which is why from this moment on, we will be speaking entirely in German to prepare you for the mission.” Will then switched to flawless German.

“Are any of you gentlemen aware of the recent attacks on American and British forces by the Germans, specifically the destruction of several bombers and tanks in the last few weeks that was executed with a new German weapon?”

Most of the men nodded that they had not, but Chuck Schechter spoke up.

“Sir, some of my fellow pilots and I heard about the attacks on those bombers but most of it was just rumor. Supposedly the Germans shot ‘em out of the sky with some fancy new weapon that looked like a blue light or somethin’. We heard there wasn’t even any wreckage found.”

Schultz then said, “And I heard a rumor about some tanks being destroyed the same way. Supposedly out of twenty tanks, only four or five made it back, and they were also talking about some new German weapon that didn’t leave any wreckage.”

“Gentlemen, unfortunately they are not rumors. The Germans are using a new weapon that utilizes an advanced blue-light laser that instantly and totally vaporizes any carbon-based substance it comes in contact with by reducing it to sub-atomic matter.”

All of the men looked stunned at this revelation.

“But, sir,” said Hauser, “how in the hell did the Krauts develop a weapon like that? It sounds like something out of a comic book or space movie.”

“I never said the Germans
developed
the weapon, Captain. I just that they were
using
it against American and Allied troops.”

“Then who did develop it, sir?” asked Schechter.

Will sighed deeply before he began.

“The technology was developed by an advanced race of alien beings from another galaxy that crash landed on Earth several months ago. The Germans captured these aliens and have learned how to use their weapons. They also have the aliens, who are still alive, at a secret location in Germany, along with their spacecraft. Our mission is to recover the aliens, their spacecraft, and their weapons.”

Upon hearing this, all of the men looked stunned. A few of them chuckled nervously as if they thought Will was joking.

“Sir, begging the Colonel’s pardon, but are you serious with this bullshit? Sir.”

“Do I look like someone who would be joking about something like this?” said Will with his wilting stare.

“No…no, sir! But what you’re sayin’ is impossible!” said Schechter.

“Gentlemen, I can assure you that I am deadly serious about this. However, if any of you wish to back out now, I will understand completely.”

Although there was a considerable amount of trepidation and disbelief on their faces, no one stepped forward to leave. Schechter looked like he wanted to add something, but he kept his mouth shut.

“Fine. Now that I have your attention, let’s finish the briefing,” continued Will.