Read Online One Thousand Years by Randolph Beck - Free Book Online Page B

against an alliance of hostile nations. It is
night in Europe. Action has generally been postponed until morning
in all the major points of conflict.”
    “Can
you see in the dark?”
    The
ground seemed to become illuminated. It was suddenly like daytime.
    “Wow!”
McHenry exclaimed. He could suddenly imagine new possibilities.
“Can you magnify the picture on the screen?”
    “That
function is restricted.”
    “Why?”
    “Detailed
live event data is classified.”
    Frustrated,
he felt like he had been thrust back to the reality of his situation.
He was a prisoner of war after all. After a few moments of thought,
he tried reasoning with the machine. “Why can you tell me what
is going on down there but not show me?”
    “Analysis
of current events is retrieved from unclassified historical data.”
    He
pondered that for a moment. “What you're saying is, the only
way you can tell me what's going on is by looking at your history
books?”
    “That
is a correct analogy.”
    McHenry
was intrigued. Their secrecy confirmed for him that, with a
telescopic view, the Nazis can tell so much more than they want him
to know. He leaned back in his chair, only momentarily stymied.
“Rechner,” he said, hoping to take a new tack. “Can
you tell me what will happen in the morning?”
    “American
and British bombing campaigns will resume in Europe. Odessa will
fall to the Soviet Army. President Roosevelt begins a rest period.
Would you like detailed information?”
    “No,
rechner. Thanks.” The possibility of finding out the future
repulsed him. This wasn't a parlor game or a carnival fortuneteller.
It was the realization that the world he knew, loved, hated,
suffered, and defended will come to a bitter defeat. He sat for a
long time contemplating what had become of him, his country, his
family and his friends. Most of all, he thought about how he might
escape from this place. And he wondered what Parker would do if he
were here.
    Then
he did something he had not done since he was a child. He prayed a
silent prayer.
    *
    Oberführer Klaus Mtubo stood by the full-wall view panel in his large private
office looking down over the Earth below. In moments of quiet
reflection, some men might prefer to relax beside a pastoral scene
from home. Not Mtubo. His view of the Earth was overlaid with a
Luftwaffe chart linked in with event data from the main watch room.
He was a man of duty. He served the Führer . Her
defense, and the defense of the Reich, always came first, even on
occasions when he chose to take a respite.
    Helmut
Stern's chime sounded at the door.
    “Enter,”
Mtubo commanded.
    Stern
stepped in, looking uncharacteristically disturbed. “ Heil
Renard! ” he said
quickly. Mtubo acknowledged and returned the greeting, and Stern
waited until the door closed before relaxing his posture. Although
the two men were longtime friends, Stern always preserved the dignity
of his friend's superior rank when in the presence of others.
    “You
will not believe this, Klaus,” he said. “I have the
finding.”
    Mtubo
turned to the side and glanced at the project overview now on the
panel. Everything appeared in order. “Is this about the
Americaner's Grauen sighting?”
    “Yes,”
said Stern. “This won't show on the main status boards until
it is checked against the plot. The reports are still preliminary.”
    “Does
it show the Grauen?” asked Mtubo.
    “Yes,
it does. It was indeed a Geier. We have tracked its entire flight
path. The satellite that recorded it would not have been analyzed
until May. We put in a rush order.”
    “Good,”
said Mtubo. “What was the problem?”
    “The
Geier was in the atmosphere thirty-two minutes. It did not actively
interfere with events. Then it went back into orbit before starting
its interstellar drive. There was no attempt to hide. I am certain
we would have seen it during a normal review.”
    “And?”
Mtubo prodded, knowing his friend often takes too long to make