WWII Chapter 4c Commentary
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fyrefly101 an absolute age ago.
30 April 1942 Marburg an der Lahn, Germany, 472 km SE of Berlin
Dom smiled at Hans-Peter’s words. There is always a first time, Dom. It had gotten competitive between the boys when they were younger. Dom had been the reigning champion of sneaking about since he’d been six, and he held the title in two countries. Just a little background to show how long they’d known each other and why Dom might have the amount of trust he does despite the situation. “I suppose you are right, Hansel. Even the cleverest of foxes get torn by the huntsmen’s packs eventually.” teensy nod to the Police there; couldn’t help it. ;-)
Von Heuber snorted. “A fine analogy, Dominic.” Hans-Peter is a Gordon Sumner man as well. Brilliant! ;-)
Dom grinned lopsidedly over his shoulder as he bent to pick up a bottle. “It’s true though, isn’t it? I thought I was camouflaged completely and yet here I am, forced into hiding in your cellar.”
“You never asked what the message was about, Dom.”
Dom’s eyebrow rose. “I assumed if you had something further that you would eventually get around to telling me.”
“I was hoping you would be able to tell me something about it.” Von Heuber sighed. “This is starting to sound as if I’m going to turn you in, doesn’t it?”
“If it were anyone but you, Hansel, I would be worried,” Dom said, straightening. He went to a small cupboard on the wall behind the liquor racks and opened it, taking out a corkscrew. He brought both over to Von Heuber.
Hans-Peter took them, glancing at the label. Rémy Martin ’42. He sat down and then carefully opened the bottle, saluting Dom before taking a large swig. Surprise showed clearly on his face as he realized this was no ’42 vintage and then he began laughing. “Bernie, you clever old fox, you may have just saved the war -- for this bottle of ’28, at any rate.” No way was Dom letting Reinhardt have the ’28. heh.
Dom laughed as he joined his friend on the floor, accepting the bottle from Hans-Peter and taking a hearty swallow before handing it back. “So, the message was ‘Bernie must return to India?’ Was that the exact wording?”
“Yes, but whether or not you actually heard the message, the question is why did they want you to come here?”
“Do you have a radio?”
“Of course. But with Reinhardt showing up, well, we shouldn’t be using it from here, Dominic. They’ll be listening for that.”
Monaghan nodded. “Most likely. That being said, MI5 has got a plan or they wouldn’t have sent the message in the first place. I want to let them know I am here.”
Hans-Peter sat up straight. “You think they might be trying to pick you up here?”
“It’s a possibility,” Dom replied, shrugging elegantly with one shoulder. “Also, they might be trying to send instructions for escape by foot. Either way I’ll need your radio.”
Hans-Peter swallowed convulsively. If Dominic used the radio, Reinhardt or some other security thug would certainly come for him. He had very limited options and none of them were looking very good right now.
Dom said nothing as he watched his friend struggle with his decision. There was nothing he could do to ease the worries in Hans-Peter’s mind at the moment. He simply waited. I remember when I was writing this, thinking of how painful the waiting would be for Dom. He’s used to making snap decisions and trusting his instinct. He goes with the gut as many experienced field agents will tell you they do. To make matters worse, there’s no real choice and Dom already realizes that but he wants to allow H-P to reach that discovery on his own.
“I…I can’t stay here, Dominic.”
“I know, Hansel,” Dom said gently.
“How do I…” Hans-Peter trailed off, his eyes meeting Dom’s as his hands rose in a helpless gesture.
“You’ll still be working toward Hitler’s fall, only from England instead. There’s no question of whether Ian will offer you amnesty.”
Hans-Peter sighed heavily. “It’s just that you have two countries where you are equally comfortable, Dom. Germany is my home. What could I do in England? I would only be of limited help to them. I…”
“Contact Walther then,” Dom broke in. “Tell him that I am hiding in your wine cellar and I have no idea you are turning me in. Tell him that if he sends more security idiots around that I’ll be scared off and leave. Ask him if he wants me alive for interrogation or if you may have permission to kill me. But tell him you want to do it, not anyone else.”
Hans-Peter looked horrified and so offended by the suggestion that Dom had to fight back a smile.
“I can’t do that, Dominic!”
“Not even to keep yourself alive?
“I am an acceptable loss. You are not.”
“You’d be sacrificing yourself for nothing, Hansel. I’m already a loss.”
“No, Dom, you will still be able to play a major role from England, unlike me.”
“So you won’t turn me in.”
“No,” Hans-Peter said resolutely.
Dom met Hans-Peter’s frightened gaze steadily. “Get the radio Hansel. Let us find out what’s afoot.”
This section still makes me wibble when I read it. It seemed a fairly realistic thought process for a man who likely hadn’t really considered the fallout that might occur from his participation in such affairs. It simply never occurred to him that he might have to leave his home. I didn’t want him to seem stupid, just a bit naïve—which he definitely is in matters such as these. Also then doubting himself and his place in the scheme of things as opposed to Dom, who he completely believes is more important than him. This was also where I decided to completely get rid of any hint of treachery on H-P’s part. I thought at first it maybe added a bit to the story but by now I didn’t think it was necessary anymore. So, I had Dom push him a bit here, forcing him to consider the idea of turning his friend in, which obviously doesn’t go over very well. Heh.
*********
30 April 1942 Radio Communications Room, MI5 Building, London
Weaving looked down at the paper again. “Will he remember this, Matthew?” he asked doubtfully as he handed the paper back to Monaghan for sending.
Matt grinned widely. “If he doesn’t at first, he will for sure when he sees Major Boyd.”
Amused snort from author. Especially since, in my mind, Hugo was totally pulling that Elrond “wtf? The *hobbit?!* face while looking at the paper.
*********
30 April 1942 Sicherheinstdiest Headquarters, Berlin
“Herr Schellenberg! There is a new message being broadcast repeatedly on American Radio. We think it might have to do with the ‘Bernie’ message!”
Walther Schellenberg took the paper from the young clerk and looked at it, just glad it didn’t say ‘Bernie Must Return to India.’ “How many times?”
“Twice already this past hour.”
Schellenberg took a longer look at the writing on the paper. “’Chopsticks Optional?’ What can it possibly mean?” He looked back up to the clerk. “Were there any transmissions coming in on that frequency relating to Bernie before this went out?”
Schellenberg shook his head and sighed heavily at the clerk’s blank look. Was it too much to ask that his men figure out for themselves that this ‘Bernie’ might make a reply to let his handlers know that they could send further instructions? It was going to be an even longer night.
Poor Walther. Hee! In my head, I had Schellenberg lamenting the fact that he didn’t have H-P or Dom working in his office as they would obviously have picked up on the importance of cross-referencing messages both coming and going. I didn’t put it in because I thought it would be too much but still, pretty funny in my mind.
*********
30 April 1942 Marburg an der Lahn
“Chopsticks optional, Dom?” Hans-Peter was clearly mystified.
Dom sat against the wall, rolling the empty cognac bottle unconsciously between his hands as he contemplated the message. Chopsticks optional, chopsticks option…Sergeant Boyd’s perfect-for-fucking mouth resurfaced in Dom’s memory as he solved the riddle, and he pushed the image away with effort. “Remember we told you about the dinner honouring the soldiers who found Matty and me and brought us back to the hotel while we were in China?”
“I do remember that. You had a crush on Sergeant Boyd.” lol That’s right, Dom. Transparent, that’s you.
Dom glared. “Yes, well, what’s important about that night is that Sergeant Boyd made a disparaging remark about the English disregard for local customs. This seriously still cracks my shit up, the way Dom wants to be all, nuh-UH but can’t because he was totally in lust with Sgt. Boyd and so has no leg to stand on. Priceless to me. ::shakes head and wipes tears from eyes:: He noticed that only European utensils were on the tables and he leaned over to Sergeant Bean and said, ‘Chopsticks optional, then, mate.’”
“But what does it mean?”
“This is coming from Matt as he’s the only other one who would know about that. I think he’s trying to let me know someone’s coming for me, as specifically as he can with just a few words.”
“Sergeant Boyd, perhaps?”
“Right,” Dom said, snorting. “Sergeant Boyd to the rescue, again, eh?”
“Stranger things have happened,” Hans-Peter replied, smiling.
Dom shook his head. “Couldn’t be that lucky.”
“You’ve always been the luckiest man I’ve ever known, Dominic Monaghan.”
“Until four days ago, at any rate.”
Hans-Peter nodded. “Never thought it would come to this, my friend, but as you said before, even the cleverest of foxes meets its end.”
Dom didn’t smile this time. “You should get upstairs. The servants will be on the lookout for any strange behaviour from you.”
Hans-Peter stood and made his way to the door. There, he turned and looked down at Dom, who was still sat on the floor. “Thank you, Dominic.”
“For what?” Dom cocked his head.
“You’ve been in the field making decisions on a daily basis that involved your life, Dom. You wouldn’t be happy about leaving me behind, but if it came down to me or the mission to remove Hitler from power, it’s not much of choice, is it? I know this. So thank you.” A little moment I threw in to indulge myself. I was going to take it out but I really liked it, H-P letting Dom know that he understood his place in the scheme of things. A bit of realism underscoring the loyalty and friendship.
“You’re welcome, my friend,” Dom said as Hans-Peter closed the door behind himself.
*********
Over Munich, 1 hour outside of Marburg
“How far out do you want me to drop you, sir?”
“How close can you get us, Dave?”
Billy smiled as he said Dave’s name. He was co-pilot for the flight and over the past few hours, he and Wenham had turned on auto-pilot and kicked back in their seats, getting to know each other. He imagined Bean in the back, having to corral the proximity-heightened hormones of Urban and Bloom and chuckled.
Dave smiled. He wasn’t exactly sure what Boyd was amused by, but chances were it had something to do with the men in the cabin. He opened his mouth intending to make a cheeky comment about keeping decorum in the cockpit at all times, but was horrified to hear, “Are they lovers, sir?” come out instead. He paled and then flushed a deep red. There was no way to cover or back out after that. It wasn’t like he could pretend he’d only said something similar. When he finally chanced a look at Boyd, he saw the last thing he’d expected – amusement.
“They certainly act like it, don’t they?” Billy has experience with this sort of thing. heh. Make it a joke and everyone assumes it is one and that what they saw/are seeing couldn’t possibly be what they momentarily thought it was.
“They are, aren’t they?” Dave was even further mortified to hear himself ask. It sounded like his voice, but he seemed to have no control over it right now.
Billy’s amusement disappeared immediately. “Sodomy is a direct court-martial offence, Commander Wenham. I would be very careful about who you make such inquiries to and about in the future,” he said coldly.
“I…I’m sorry, sir, I have no idea where that came from, I’m…”
“Stow it, Dave,” Billy said deliberately lightening his tone to get them back to safer ground.
“Thank you, sir,” Dave answered, subdued.
“How close do you think you can get us, Dave?” He asked again.
“You want in his neighbourhood or garden, sir?” Dave replied, confidence in his abilities obvious.
Boyd grinned wolfishly and pulled out the maps they’d brought with them. “Which do you think?”
A message came through their headphones. “Operation code is ‘Chopsticks Optional’ repeat ‘Chopsticks Optional.’ Do you copy?”
“Copy that and out,” Dave said.
The radio cut out and Dave turned to Billy, a wide grin on his face. “Chopsticks optional, sir?” Seriously, Chopsticks Optional was inspired. I originally had some lame thing, I don’t even remember what it was anymore although it’s written down in a notebook somewhere. I kept shaking my head at it because it just kind of…sucked. Then one day I was riding the bus home and just kind of daydreaming a bit and that night came to me, the dinner and how opulent and lavish the whole night would have been and here’s Bill and Sean all, what fucking ever, man, we want to be holding our bowls in our hands and shovelling rice into our mouths because we’re hungry! Not only that but they get placed at the spot of honour in the front of the room on a dais with the Monaghan family and so they have to be on perfect mannerly behaviour all night. I’m sure Sean was ready to DIE. Lol
Billy smiled, remembering that night and how Bean, Matt and Dominic had laughed at his comment. He hadn’t meant for the Monaghan boys to hear, but they’d been too close. He knew they hadn’t said anything about it or he and Bean would have gotten in trouble. “It was something I said one time. Monaghan will understand. If anyone comes across Monaghan, this phrase should be used. Got it?”
Dave nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“I’m going to inform the boys,” Billy said, unstrapping himself and stretching as he stood.
“See you in a bit, then, sir,” Dave said, taking the plane off auto-pilot as Billy opened the cockpit door to climb into the cabin.
I also did Chapter 1 if anyone is interested.
fyrefly101 an absolute age ago.30 April 1942 Marburg an der Lahn, Germany, 472 km SE of Berlin
Dom smiled at Hans-Peter’s words. There is always a first time, Dom. It had gotten competitive between the boys when they were younger. Dom had been the reigning champion of sneaking about since he’d been six, and he held the title in two countries. Just a little background to show how long they’d known each other and why Dom might have the amount of trust he does despite the situation. “I suppose you are right, Hansel. Even the cleverest of foxes get torn by the huntsmen’s packs eventually.” teensy nod to the Police there; couldn’t help it. ;-)
Von Heuber snorted. “A fine analogy, Dominic.” Hans-Peter is a Gordon Sumner man as well. Brilliant! ;-)
Dom grinned lopsidedly over his shoulder as he bent to pick up a bottle. “It’s true though, isn’t it? I thought I was camouflaged completely and yet here I am, forced into hiding in your cellar.”
“You never asked what the message was about, Dom.”
Dom’s eyebrow rose. “I assumed if you had something further that you would eventually get around to telling me.”
“I was hoping you would be able to tell me something about it.” Von Heuber sighed. “This is starting to sound as if I’m going to turn you in, doesn’t it?”
“If it were anyone but you, Hansel, I would be worried,” Dom said, straightening. He went to a small cupboard on the wall behind the liquor racks and opened it, taking out a corkscrew. He brought both over to Von Heuber.
Hans-Peter took them, glancing at the label. Rémy Martin ’42. He sat down and then carefully opened the bottle, saluting Dom before taking a large swig. Surprise showed clearly on his face as he realized this was no ’42 vintage and then he began laughing. “Bernie, you clever old fox, you may have just saved the war -- for this bottle of ’28, at any rate.” No way was Dom letting Reinhardt have the ’28. heh.
Dom laughed as he joined his friend on the floor, accepting the bottle from Hans-Peter and taking a hearty swallow before handing it back. “So, the message was ‘Bernie must return to India?’ Was that the exact wording?”
“Yes, but whether or not you actually heard the message, the question is why did they want you to come here?”
“Do you have a radio?”
“Of course. But with Reinhardt showing up, well, we shouldn’t be using it from here, Dominic. They’ll be listening for that.”
Monaghan nodded. “Most likely. That being said, MI5 has got a plan or they wouldn’t have sent the message in the first place. I want to let them know I am here.”
Hans-Peter sat up straight. “You think they might be trying to pick you up here?”
“It’s a possibility,” Dom replied, shrugging elegantly with one shoulder. “Also, they might be trying to send instructions for escape by foot. Either way I’ll need your radio.”
Hans-Peter swallowed convulsively. If Dominic used the radio, Reinhardt or some other security thug would certainly come for him. He had very limited options and none of them were looking very good right now.
Dom said nothing as he watched his friend struggle with his decision. There was nothing he could do to ease the worries in Hans-Peter’s mind at the moment. He simply waited. I remember when I was writing this, thinking of how painful the waiting would be for Dom. He’s used to making snap decisions and trusting his instinct. He goes with the gut as many experienced field agents will tell you they do. To make matters worse, there’s no real choice and Dom already realizes that but he wants to allow H-P to reach that discovery on his own.
“I…I can’t stay here, Dominic.”
“I know, Hansel,” Dom said gently.
“How do I…” Hans-Peter trailed off, his eyes meeting Dom’s as his hands rose in a helpless gesture.
“You’ll still be working toward Hitler’s fall, only from England instead. There’s no question of whether Ian will offer you amnesty.”
Hans-Peter sighed heavily. “It’s just that you have two countries where you are equally comfortable, Dom. Germany is my home. What could I do in England? I would only be of limited help to them. I…”
“Contact Walther then,” Dom broke in. “Tell him that I am hiding in your wine cellar and I have no idea you are turning me in. Tell him that if he sends more security idiots around that I’ll be scared off and leave. Ask him if he wants me alive for interrogation or if you may have permission to kill me. But tell him you want to do it, not anyone else.”
Hans-Peter looked horrified and so offended by the suggestion that Dom had to fight back a smile.
“I can’t do that, Dominic!”
“Not even to keep yourself alive?
“I am an acceptable loss. You are not.”
“You’d be sacrificing yourself for nothing, Hansel. I’m already a loss.”
“No, Dom, you will still be able to play a major role from England, unlike me.”
“So you won’t turn me in.”
“No,” Hans-Peter said resolutely.
Dom met Hans-Peter’s frightened gaze steadily. “Get the radio Hansel. Let us find out what’s afoot.”
This section still makes me wibble when I read it. It seemed a fairly realistic thought process for a man who likely hadn’t really considered the fallout that might occur from his participation in such affairs. It simply never occurred to him that he might have to leave his home. I didn’t want him to seem stupid, just a bit naïve—which he definitely is in matters such as these. Also then doubting himself and his place in the scheme of things as opposed to Dom, who he completely believes is more important than him. This was also where I decided to completely get rid of any hint of treachery on H-P’s part. I thought at first it maybe added a bit to the story but by now I didn’t think it was necessary anymore. So, I had Dom push him a bit here, forcing him to consider the idea of turning his friend in, which obviously doesn’t go over very well. Heh.
*********
30 April 1942 Radio Communications Room, MI5 Building, London
Weaving looked down at the paper again. “Will he remember this, Matthew?” he asked doubtfully as he handed the paper back to Monaghan for sending.
Matt grinned widely. “If he doesn’t at first, he will for sure when he sees Major Boyd.”
Amused snort from author. Especially since, in my mind, Hugo was totally pulling that Elrond “wtf? The *hobbit?!* face while looking at the paper.
*********
30 April 1942 Sicherheinstdiest Headquarters, Berlin
“Herr Schellenberg! There is a new message being broadcast repeatedly on American Radio. We think it might have to do with the ‘Bernie’ message!”
Walther Schellenberg took the paper from the young clerk and looked at it, just glad it didn’t say ‘Bernie Must Return to India.’ “How many times?”
“Twice already this past hour.”
Schellenberg took a longer look at the writing on the paper. “’Chopsticks Optional?’ What can it possibly mean?” He looked back up to the clerk. “Were there any transmissions coming in on that frequency relating to Bernie before this went out?”
Schellenberg shook his head and sighed heavily at the clerk’s blank look. Was it too much to ask that his men figure out for themselves that this ‘Bernie’ might make a reply to let his handlers know that they could send further instructions? It was going to be an even longer night.
Poor Walther. Hee! In my head, I had Schellenberg lamenting the fact that he didn’t have H-P or Dom working in his office as they would obviously have picked up on the importance of cross-referencing messages both coming and going. I didn’t put it in because I thought it would be too much but still, pretty funny in my mind.
*********
30 April 1942 Marburg an der Lahn
“Chopsticks optional, Dom?” Hans-Peter was clearly mystified.
Dom sat against the wall, rolling the empty cognac bottle unconsciously between his hands as he contemplated the message. Chopsticks optional, chopsticks option…Sergeant Boyd’s perfect-for-fucking mouth resurfaced in Dom’s memory as he solved the riddle, and he pushed the image away with effort. “Remember we told you about the dinner honouring the soldiers who found Matty and me and brought us back to the hotel while we were in China?”
“I do remember that. You had a crush on Sergeant Boyd.” lol That’s right, Dom. Transparent, that’s you.
Dom glared. “Yes, well, what’s important about that night is that Sergeant Boyd made a disparaging remark about the English disregard for local customs. This seriously still cracks my shit up, the way Dom wants to be all, nuh-UH but can’t because he was totally in lust with Sgt. Boyd and so has no leg to stand on. Priceless to me. ::shakes head and wipes tears from eyes:: He noticed that only European utensils were on the tables and he leaned over to Sergeant Bean and said, ‘Chopsticks optional, then, mate.’”
“But what does it mean?”
“This is coming from Matt as he’s the only other one who would know about that. I think he’s trying to let me know someone’s coming for me, as specifically as he can with just a few words.”
“Sergeant Boyd, perhaps?”
“Right,” Dom said, snorting. “Sergeant Boyd to the rescue, again, eh?”
“Stranger things have happened,” Hans-Peter replied, smiling.
Dom shook his head. “Couldn’t be that lucky.”
“You’ve always been the luckiest man I’ve ever known, Dominic Monaghan.”
“Until four days ago, at any rate.”
Hans-Peter nodded. “Never thought it would come to this, my friend, but as you said before, even the cleverest of foxes meets its end.”
Dom didn’t smile this time. “You should get upstairs. The servants will be on the lookout for any strange behaviour from you.”
Hans-Peter stood and made his way to the door. There, he turned and looked down at Dom, who was still sat on the floor. “Thank you, Dominic.”
“For what?” Dom cocked his head.
“You’ve been in the field making decisions on a daily basis that involved your life, Dom. You wouldn’t be happy about leaving me behind, but if it came down to me or the mission to remove Hitler from power, it’s not much of choice, is it? I know this. So thank you.” A little moment I threw in to indulge myself. I was going to take it out but I really liked it, H-P letting Dom know that he understood his place in the scheme of things. A bit of realism underscoring the loyalty and friendship.
“You’re welcome, my friend,” Dom said as Hans-Peter closed the door behind himself.
*********
Over Munich, 1 hour outside of Marburg
“How far out do you want me to drop you, sir?”
“How close can you get us, Dave?”
Billy smiled as he said Dave’s name. He was co-pilot for the flight and over the past few hours, he and Wenham had turned on auto-pilot and kicked back in their seats, getting to know each other. He imagined Bean in the back, having to corral the proximity-heightened hormones of Urban and Bloom and chuckled.
Dave smiled. He wasn’t exactly sure what Boyd was amused by, but chances were it had something to do with the men in the cabin. He opened his mouth intending to make a cheeky comment about keeping decorum in the cockpit at all times, but was horrified to hear, “Are they lovers, sir?” come out instead. He paled and then flushed a deep red. There was no way to cover or back out after that. It wasn’t like he could pretend he’d only said something similar. When he finally chanced a look at Boyd, he saw the last thing he’d expected – amusement.
“They certainly act like it, don’t they?” Billy has experience with this sort of thing. heh. Make it a joke and everyone assumes it is one and that what they saw/are seeing couldn’t possibly be what they momentarily thought it was.
“They are, aren’t they?” Dave was even further mortified to hear himself ask. It sounded like his voice, but he seemed to have no control over it right now.
Billy’s amusement disappeared immediately. “Sodomy is a direct court-martial offence, Commander Wenham. I would be very careful about who you make such inquiries to and about in the future,” he said coldly.
“I…I’m sorry, sir, I have no idea where that came from, I’m…”
“Stow it, Dave,” Billy said deliberately lightening his tone to get them back to safer ground.
“Thank you, sir,” Dave answered, subdued.
“How close do you think you can get us, Dave?” He asked again.
“You want in his neighbourhood or garden, sir?” Dave replied, confidence in his abilities obvious.
Boyd grinned wolfishly and pulled out the maps they’d brought with them. “Which do you think?”
A message came through their headphones. “Operation code is ‘Chopsticks Optional’ repeat ‘Chopsticks Optional.’ Do you copy?”
“Copy that and out,” Dave said.
The radio cut out and Dave turned to Billy, a wide grin on his face. “Chopsticks optional, sir?” Seriously, Chopsticks Optional was inspired. I originally had some lame thing, I don’t even remember what it was anymore although it’s written down in a notebook somewhere. I kept shaking my head at it because it just kind of…sucked. Then one day I was riding the bus home and just kind of daydreaming a bit and that night came to me, the dinner and how opulent and lavish the whole night would have been and here’s Bill and Sean all, what fucking ever, man, we want to be holding our bowls in our hands and shovelling rice into our mouths because we’re hungry! Not only that but they get placed at the spot of honour in the front of the room on a dais with the Monaghan family and so they have to be on perfect mannerly behaviour all night. I’m sure Sean was ready to DIE. Lol
Billy smiled, remembering that night and how Bean, Matt and Dominic had laughed at his comment. He hadn’t meant for the Monaghan boys to hear, but they’d been too close. He knew they hadn’t said anything about it or he and Bean would have gotten in trouble. “It was something I said one time. Monaghan will understand. If anyone comes across Monaghan, this phrase should be used. Got it?”
Dave nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“I’m going to inform the boys,” Billy said, unstrapping himself and stretching as he stood.
“See you in a bit, then, sir,” Dave said, taking the plane off auto-pilot as Billy opened the cockpit door to climb into the cabin.
I also did Chapter 1 if anyone is interested.
