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Issue #5: The Party (part 5)

2114 hours

The cellar was rather huge, and we followed the cook through the labyrinth of wine drums. The stairs out were soon in sight, but she stopped, motioning for us to do the same. She crouched in hiding and we followed suite. Three guards walked by, searching around, but to high to spot us. They passed and we waited until their footsteps were distant clatter. We tiptoed after the girl toward the short flight of stairs to the door. She opened it and there on the other side stood a surprised guard. The girl let out a high pitched squeak while the Huntsman aimed and fired in quick reflex. The guard paused when the dart hit his neck and slowly crumpled to the ground. "D-did you kill him?" I asked.

"I use tranquilizers, I do not kill, Squid," said he putting in another dart.

"You kill animals," David pointed out.

"Humans are different, my friend," said the Huntsman. The girl had recovered herself and we continued through the dark hallway. There was light ahead, and a man singing in German. The sound of metal on wood every few seconds. The smell of cooking bread and wine filled the corridor as we neared the open doorway. At the edge of the doorway, the girl motioned to be silent and whispered into David's ear. He nodded and she went into the kitchen. The man inside said something, and David looked in. He walked slowly past the doorway, and the Huntsman and I followed. We came to a door at the end of the corridor, the sound of talking and the clink of glasses wafted through the open cracks of the door. "Alright, Squid, he'll turn on the lights any minute now." The lights around the door went out almost instantly, and I slipped on my goggles. Switching on Night Vision, I entered the Party Hall.

2129 hours

The party goers seemed to freeze in their steps, the women a little squeamish as the men walked about like blind men to find a way out. The guards had supplied flashlights, and I walked well enough to avoid it. It wasn't difficult to move my way through the crowd, I didn't have to worry about bumping into people since everyone was bumping into each other anyway. The Party Hall was massive, On the South End was tables of food and drink. Several servants who were in the process of carrying trays of food and alcohol had tripped or dropped their trays. There was a lot of clattering and shouting that made my movement much easier.

I found the stairs up to the balcony that overlaid the hall pretty easily. I started up and barely had time to move out of the way of a guard that was passing through. I was soon on the balcony and that's when the lights went back on. I dove for the cover of a pillar and turned off the Night Vision. I cursed as two guards were running toward the stairs, they were going to see me. I waited for them to pass, a plan already formulating in my mind.

Before they stepped in view of me, I laid out my foot and tripped the one closest toward me. He fell flat on his face as the second stopped in surprise. That was my chance. I lept out, catching the other in a tackle into the wall on the other side of the balcony. He crumpled in shock and game me time to collect myself and send my knee into his stomach. He doubled over, his wind knocked out. The tripped one had begun to stand and kicked his side. They hopefully wouldn't be speaking for a few seconds. And that was all that I was going to get. Or so I thought.

A couple, a Nazi officer and his wife stood there and saw the whole thing. The wife had fainted and the officer barked for the guards to fire. I ran the opposite way, rolling in the protection of the balcony fence as the guards ripped gunfire toward me. The closest door was a few yards away, and I was pinned by gunfire.

I crawled for the door as bullets slapped into the wall above my head. Plaster dust and sparks fell around me, making me sweat under the mask and irritating my eyes. I ripped the mask off, stuffing it into my tuxedo pocket and crawled quicker. I made it to the door and it opened by itself as a soldier walked out. He jerked back as the gunfire cut him down. I pushed into the room and swung the door closed.

Issue #4: The Party (part 4)

2059 hours

Imagine the only light you have is smothered by trees, only blades of white to guide the way. Imagine that and running through tons of overgrown grass, shrubs, and plants. Now to top it off, add angry Nazi soldiers with machine guns chasing after you, and you have exactly what is happening to me. And I can't forget the constant swarm of insects that surround my face. It was not fun, but i had been through worse. I was soon catching up to David. Phil had surpassed us all since he was programmed to. Sometimes I grow so paranoid that one of these days he'll rise above all and take over the world. The Huntsman has taken to the trees like Tarzan picking off our pursuers with his crossbow. I would've helped, but shooting a gun would attract them to our position. Keeping them unaware would keep them off our backs. "Alright, Squid," said David through huffs of breath, "they know we're here, so let's make this quick."

I nodded and we ran. Phil was going to quickly set the distraction, so I had to be ready pretty fast. Phil was going to feel tired after the run, so I would have to ignore rest. David and the Huntsman was going from the cellar, up. They would clear the way for our escape. The only thing that troubled me in the back of my mind was who was the inside job? They must have been informed that we were coming, there was no other way. But who? Not Phil, unless the Nazis offered extra oil. David? Of course not, he was a true-blood British Jack. The Huntsman maybe, he seemed to be the best bet. Oh, by the way, it isn't me.

2103 hours

We made it to the forest edge, and the outer rim of the castle's courtyard. The whole courtyard was smothered with troops. David, Huntsman, and I were crouched down in hiding as we surveyed the battlefield. We wanted to get through with as little combat as possible. They had laid a kind of blockade of jeeps about the castle, armed with machine guns. There was no way we would be able to get through without being cut down.

"Hey, look!" David had pointed toward a convertible that roared into the courtyard, with an officer in the back. He turned toward us, and I saw him wink. "It's Phil." Phil did have a Nazi officer uniform on and papers. Even though it was programmed for recon and for Nazi officer ideals and customs, it was uncanny how able he was without anyone's help. And there he was, being dropped off at the entrance of the castle, the soldiers hardly giving him a second glance.

"We'll never hear the last of this one," I muttered.

That's when I heard a clack, like a lock. I turned to see a board of nailed wood lift up from the ground. A face peered out. "Hello, the way is open," it spoke.

"Then, we welcome your hospitality," replied David as he crawled toward the open trapdoor. I do recall those lines being some kind of code for something. We followed David through the trapdoor, me last. I closed it behind me as he made our way down several metal rungs that made a ladder down. We came at last to solid ground surrounded by several wine drums. The owner of the face was a young girl, almost twenty it looked like. She was dressed as a cook, her face plastered with flour. "Hurry, there isn't much time," she said before she started off and we after her.

Issue #3: The Party (part 3)

2057 hours

The full moon shone like a silver coin on the forest road as the car sped up. David began talking the points of the plan. The Huntsman would take point on the balcony that overlooked the Hall which the party was taking place. He would watch for any movement of the guards and Herr Obertgruppen. Phil had to make the distraction, before I searched for Obertgruppen's private office. David was in disguise as a servant. He would try to pick up any conversations from the party goers as he served drinks, these conversations might be info that the Allies might want to know.

As he talked, I watched as the dark trees rushed past. Then, a glint of light off metal shot from between the trees. "Down!" I shrieked, as I ducked to the floor of the car. Bullets ripped through the windows, splattering glass in every direction. Shadows of the gunmen illuminated in the gun fire seeped through the shattered windows as David kicked the door on his side and rolled out. Phil followed after the Huntsman also leaped from the sedan. I crawled toward the exit as the gunmen slowly approached my side of the car. I heard David's pistol go off as the three raced into the dark, foreboding forest. I pushed myself through and slid into the foliage. I turned to spot the driver, slumped onto the wheel. I silently thanked him and apologized as I raced after my team.

Issue #2: The Party (party 2)

It was no surprise that they made a team for the mission and I was apart of it. The team consisted of a robotic man, named Phil, the Huntsman, David Ore, and myself. David was of course the leader, as having experience as a commander in the first years of the War. Phil was an android, or that's what the Professor called it, a robot made to look human. It didn't have much of a personality, but it really doesn't like me. You see, Phil was built on protocol and procedure and that is not like me at all. I will do anything possible to keep myself alive, and of course complete the mission, protocol or not. So, we usually argue during assignments and now we usually avoid working together on anything. The Huntsman was a good choice, but had no creativity at all. He was before the War, one of the greatest African hunters of all time. He was an experienced gunman, bowman, and of course, in the art of ambushing. But, he was so lacking in creativity, it was difficult to get him out of tricky situations. He was certain on the things he could do and couldn't do. For example, one mission led him and I to Paris. We had smashed through a window of a large estate that was crawling with enemies. We were quite a long way up from the streets on the balcony, and a telephone wire to another roof was the only way to escape. When I told him the plan, he huffed and told me he wouldn't do it. I asked why and he replied he knew he wouldn't be able to. I said he would have to. It took awhile before he considered, and by then someone was able to cut the wire, sending him and me crashing through the other building's window.

But with the help of David, who I favor over all the rest of them, we'll get out of any situation. He had a knack for gathering a plan in a few seconds, a plan that would be reliable and work well. Although it isn't like we'll need that for this, it was a party, not a war zone.

I discovered from David that the party was at Castle Herug, the manor of none other Herr Obertgruppen. I guess it is a war zone now. I couldn't believe it, one of the most hated Nazi inventors and generals was the host of this party. It would be crawling with wanted scientists, officers, and doctors of Nazi Germany. This was going to be a very interesting gathering, and I for one was not going to miss out on a chance like this. But wait, chance for what? They weren't going to just let me arrest Obertgruppen and leave. I asked David what we were doing there. It was a Safe Run. Basically, rumors from inside spies tell us Obertgruppen has a safe of important documents at the castle and we are going to get it. David told me then that it was going to be my job to crack open that safe, while they covered me.

2049 hours, September 5, 1941

The plane dropped us about ten miles from the castle into a forested glade. It was peaceful as we slipped down into the chill wind of the night. Phil roared past us, weighted down by his mechanics and smashed through the roof of an abandoned farmhouse below. We landed softly, unzipping the jump suits and coming out in tuxedos and bow ties, ready for action. Phil climbed from the large pit he had made by his landing and dressed quickly. He weren't worried he would attract any attention, who knew how many Nazi robos were attending the party, he would fit right in. It was me they were worried about. Obertgruppen and I go way back. From the Hindenburg to the Atlantis thing to South America, he had seen my face several times. If he were to see me, he would recognize it instantly. The Professor was able to make a plastic alloy mask that hid my identity. This mission, I had to let go of my goggles, which was the trademark of my outfit, but it was the only way to be safe. At 2053 hours, the black sedan drove up to us and we piled in, and the driver started toward the castle road. We would be there in a matter of minutes.

Issue #1: The Party

They say I'm a myth, a legend that brings courage among the fearful. And fear against the evil. They say I single-handed the demolish of the Hindenburg which was really filled to the brim with bombs about to be used to kill a couple thousand Americans on American soil, but that would be a lie. Had it not been for that tower that erupted the zeppelin in fire, I wouldn't have been able to beat Herr Obertgruppen's diabolical plan. Or the pilot who perfectly flew to help my escape from the fiery doom of the Hindenburg. Another example would be the mess in South America, where Obertgruppen again attempted to unleash apes rigged with electricity and machinery upon the Allies. I was able to demolish the generator that harvested the apes' energy and foiled his plans. Had it not been for the prisoner there, I would've been lost in that maze of a cave that was Obertgruppen's hideout or the monkey, I had named Skip, who helped me short out the wires to stop an ape from crushing my body. I may have been dashing, heroic, clever, and brave, but I never could've done it without the help of others. Since my last successful mission of stopping a Nazi train from supplying massive walking tanks to the war effort, I believed I deserved a really dirty, excited assignment that would put my intelligence and strength to their limits. Instead all I got was an invitation to a party. It was a recon, espionage mission, but not the kind you are thinking of, the kind that you walk about introducing yourself about a thousand times to the Duke of Hasburg, or Lady Glasfik. Bowing, and shaking hands, and walking around with a glass of wine in a hand, basically a interrogation on the large size.

I learned not a few hours later on my assignment that Lady Penelope Asgargh (past known as "Penelope Finch", aka "The Songbird"), married Lord Asgargh as part of an investigation on the dreaded lord and was attending the party. I had to deal with conversation nonsense, and another agent I have been in competition on for years. Little did I know what was going to happen at that party that was close to taking my life and revealing my true identity.