After Officer Wojcik had dismissed herself, Udo returned to finishing his coffee, which was now lukewarm. He winced slightly as he drank it, finding that it tasted even worse when it wasn’t hot, and made an effort to down the rest in a few swallows.<br/><br/>Prior to the conversation he was sure he would not function well on just one cup of coffee. That had changed rather quickly the moment Officer Wojcik had asked how long he would be staying in the area and that she would call upon him for the cleansing of the city. Deep down, he was feeling an odd sense of excitement. Working with her would certainly be interesting to say the least. This could prove to be a good opportunity for him to really work his magic on Munich, depending on what Erlind had in store for him once they met up.<br/><br/>He grinned a little, and was about to stand from the table to take his leave when the conversation Officer Wojcik was having with the man she was meeting with caught his attention.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">“Father, thank you for your patience.”</span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">“Not at all. It is a virtue, isn’t it?”</span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">“How do you know my name, Father?”</span><br/><br/>Father?<br/><br/>Udo’s gaze wandered to Officer Wojcik once more. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, so it wasn’t obvious that he was staring. She and someone else, an older man, were sitting together. As he listened a little further, taking in everything the older man was saying about the church, and even Officer Wojcik herself, he concluded that this ‘Father’ was indeed Father Fischer, who was the pastor of the church the young man behind the counter had mentioned. Perhaps they had plans to meet with each other? The Father mentioned he knew her, but… she did not know him? Very peculiar.<br/><br/>There was no saying for sure whether or not there would be any helpful information. It was likely that they were just catching up, judging by what he has heard so far. Not to mention, this was a casual setting. He wasn’t expecting any deep, dark secrets to come pouring out. At the very least he would walk away with having identified the Father and perhaps a bit more knowledge about Officer Wojcik. What intrigued him the most was how the Father addressed Officer Wojcik as ‘Yvael’. Perhaps ‘Yvonne’ was a name she used when travelling? Or… or was there something more?<br/><br/>Whatever the case for their meeting may be, even if it was just some catching up, this conversation definitely had left Udo intrigued and wanting to hear more.<br/><br/>While he was at it, he might as well refill his coffee.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"At the time, I had not put it together, who you were, but I did recognize the other folk who were with you. You were in the presence of Mademoiselle Devereaux, the French nurse who helps out at the local clinic and three other gentlemen, I believe. Two of them introduced themselves to you as German officers. There is something very important, I must tell you about those two German officers."</span><br/><br/>Two German officers?<br/><br/>The Father paused and commented about the coffee. Udo’s brow furrowed in thought, mostly about his disagreement, coffee was awful no matter where it was from, but, that aside… Two German officers… Could it be..?<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"A month ago, I was at a conference. The Hotel Schiffmeister is not far from here. The Fuhrer addressed a crowd of Gestapo agents, Schutzstaffelen as well as other high ranking officers of the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei. Your friend, Herr Drechsler was there, along with two other gentlemen. The same two men you were with last night."</span><br/><br/>Udo glanced at the Father briefly, to the point where he had to catch himself. He really was staring at this point but that was probably out of natural reaction to someone mentioning his name. There was no elaboration, or invitation for him to join the conversation, so he remained where he was, quiet, listening. Something about that didn’t seem right; he has no recollection of ever seeing him at that conference at all. What was going on? He had to know. He continued listening carefully to what was being said between the two, that curious side of him taking over.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"I do not know what your mother told you about yourself or your father. I assume you keep those thoughts as sacred and close to your bosom at all times. There are many among us who would believe you ready for the lunatic asylum if you shared those secrets. But your acquaintances last night are what I would refer to as the Fallen. They are not of this world. They occupy a mortal's body, take on a corporeal form occasionally in order to interact with humans and engage in some ulterior motive. I need to warn you of them, not because I believe they intend to harm you, but because they will try to challenge your beliefs. I know your heart is with God and our Savior Lord Jesus Christ. Your mind is with our Fuhrer Adolf Hitler. It is good to have something to believe. I will not judge this mortal. He has the best intentions for the people of this great nation. I hope that he can achieve great things. You will need to watch him and his policies with great care. Ask yourself occasionally, if they are in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ. Sure, we are all sinners. Yes, even me. Adolf Hitler is a human and susceptible to his own failings. Keep an eye on him. He is a great man and capable of many great things. But even great men have self-doubt."</span><br/><br/>It was strange.<br/><br/>At that moment, the Father’s words made Udo think a lot about his childhood, a time when his beliefs were strongest and he was closest to the Lord. He remembers some of the old teachings, and once in awhile he does turn to them. But that was the past. Sometimes, in order to do what was necessary in fighting for a cause, one had to turn away from such things. There were times where he did feel a little regret, of course. Every now and then they would surface and Udo would find himself wanting to return. But that other side of him, which was loyal to the Fatherland, always fought back and steered him back on the right path.<br/><br/>He wanted to see the Fatherland flourish. Kai had also said that Hitler would fail… So what if Adolf Hitler was not perfect, at least he had stepped up and rose to power in the German people’s time of need.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"Father Fischer, the cause of mein Fuhrer is that of the Lord, and I follow Him before any man, but should we fail to follow His man we will fail Him."</span>Officer Wojcik’s words put Udo at slight ease. His shoulders relaxed a little, comforted by the fact that she was so strongly devout to Adolf Hitler’s cause. Once more, he thought about how much of a pleasure it would truly be to work with her. He saw himself accomplishing great things by her side.<br/><br/>The thought was quickly expelled when the Father spoke again. What he had to say next was probably the most interesting out of everything.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">“Yvael. I know you and your family.”</span>The Father continued,<span style="font-style: italic">“You do not know me and you do not know Herr Kohler. Both he and I are not what you would think. I am more like you, than you could possibly know, but we are nothing alike. This morning, the two boys who served mass with me, are my brothers. How is it possible that a 15 and 17 year old could be brothers with a 60 year old man? Maybe because neither of us are 15, 17 or 60. But we are not the Fallen as Herr Kohler and his partner, Kai. In fact, if you have ever read Old Testament, there is a passage in the Testament of Solomon which mentions your friend Herr Kohler. His name back then was Asmodeus. Or maybe you are familiar with the Book of Tobit in the Eastern Orthodox church? In that book Asmodeus ran off with one of my brother's daughters, Sarah. You should ask Herr Kohler if he could recount his time with Sarah."</span><br/><br/>The waitress came by the Father’s table.<br/><br/>The Book of Tobit. Udo searched his childhood memories, trying to figure out what that was. He briefly recalls going to church one day and the stories being mentioned. At least the Testament of Solomon was familiar. It had been amongst his father’s favorite stories. He could still quote some of it in his sleep, there was no way he would ever forget it, even though it has been quite some time since he has actually read the Bible, though he does keep a Bible at home somewhere. Maybe this was a good time to refresh his memory, he thought.<br/><br/>As much as he wanted to know more, unfortunately, the Father didn’t reveal anything more that would be useful at this time after the waitress had left. It was both a good thing and rather infuriating at the same time. There was so much he wanted to know, so many questions he wanted to ask. The Father was connected in this; some part of him knew he was telling the truth about being at the conference.<br/><br/>More importantly…<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"That is quite a lot to take in, Father.”</span>Officer Wojcik said at last.<span style="font-style: italic">“Forgive me for hesitating to accept it without consideration; I'm sure you will understand the need to absorb. I must thank you, immediately, for bringing to light the true position of those officers you spoke of in whose company you found me this evening. My superiors will be very interested to hear it."</span>These words were very concerning.<br/>Udo decided that was probably the best time to leave and waved the waitress over once she was facing his direction. That settled it. He was going to need to pay the church a visit during his stay in Munich. Perhaps he would stop by there tomorrow at some point, to avoid rushing over there immediately. He had to know what was up the Father’s sleeve, who he was, why he was getting Officer Wojick involved with everything. Maybe he was being a bit reckless but he had to know. If not, he could confront her himself whenever she called on him.<br/><br/>Instead of immediately heading back to the hotel, he decided to take the scenic route and go for a bit of a walk. There was a lot going through his mind at this point. He wanted to do a bit of thinking, clear some of it. He needed to find out who the Father really was but would gain nothing if he went about it recklessly. He wondered if Erlind would know something, or perhaps the book would be able to tell him something. If he could only find a way to translate it…<br/><br/>His thoughts were interrupted by someone, appearing to be in a hurry, pushing through the crowd. The man was carrying a bag and something else under his arm. Judging by the looks of things, whatever he had was probably important which made him a little suspicious.<br/><br/>When the man passed by him, he looked down at his pocket watch and stuck his foot out a little, and watched the scene unfold. The man tripped, staggered for a few steps and ended up dropping what he was carrying. He began to mutter angrily, bending down and frantically gathering his things. Most of the view was obscured, so he went in a bit closer to help the man pick up a pen and notebook that had fallen.<br/><br/>“Are you alright, sir?” Udo spoke calmly, casually, with a hint of apology in his voice. “That was my fault. I should have paid closer attention to where I was going.”<br/><br/>“N..no, it’s fine. You don’t have to apologize. I was being reckless.” The man said in reply, chuckling nervously though showing no trace of suspicion. “I, uh, I don’t mean to be rude, I appreciate your help certainly… But I’ve got it from here.”<br/><br/>“Are you sure?”<br/><br/>“Yes.”<br/><br/>“Very well.” Udo said with a nod and gave the man his space. He didn’t seem like he had everything together but didn’t want to risk commenting on that. Instead, he added, “That is a lot of stuff you’re carrying.”<br/><br/>“I’m a busy man.”<br/><br/>“I see that.”<br/><br/>“Look, is there something you want from me?”<br/><br/>“No, not really. I was merely apologizing for inconveniencing you and couldn’t help but be observant,” Udo grinned a little. He really wanted to know what that man was carrying. It was time for another approach. “Although…” He let his words trail off and gestured for the man to follow him somewhere a little less out in the open, and when the man did, thought it had been after a bit of hesitation, he said, “I do advise you to be careful lest the Nazis become curious about what you’re carrying, and why you’re moving so quickly.”<br/><br/>That seemed to do it. Whatever defenses the man had put up had gone down, mostly. “Oh, yeah…” the man said in a hushed tone, “You don’t need to tell me twice. They’ve come by our residence already a few days ago… it’s getting worse.”<br/><br/>“I’m very sorry to hear that-”<br/><br/>“Don’t be.” The man cut Udo off, “I’ve accepted this life, and will continue to fight against the Nazis,” the man let out a huff and shifted his weight a little, adjusting the things he was carrying. “I… no, I’ve said enough. We should go on our way before someone breaks us up forcefully, and you never know who might be listening.” The man paused again, pursing his lips, seemingly hesitating a little before adding. “Answer me this before I go: are you fighting against them as well?”<br/><br/>Udo took a moment to think about it. Considering the man was so amusing, he might as well play along. “Yes, I am. Adolf Hitler is doing more harm than good for Germany.” This poor, naïve fool. Udo almost felt sorry for him. He wondered if he was brave or just that stupid.<br/><br/>“Good, good. You seem like a good man… Germany needs more good people in these times.”<br/><br/>“I couldn’t agree more,” Udo replied.<br/><br/>It was around late evening by the time Udo finally returned to the hotel. As he was heading to his room, he was stopped by one of the workers at the desk. She had come out to greet him in such a haste that she had nearly taken him by surprise.<br/><br/>“Um… you’re Udo Drechsler, staying in room four-nineteen, are you not?” She inquired. While she spoke, she didn’t quite look him right in the eye, like she was nervous about something.<br/><br/>“I am,” Udo nodded. “Is there something I can help you with?”<br/><br/>“There has been an incident. Someone reported hearing noise in your room, but one of the maids knew you were out. We had to look, you know, it’s just part of our jobs…”<br/><br/>“I understand. Please, if you would, just tell me what happened.”<br/><br/>The woman took a deep breath, “Someone had gotten into your room… and they killed one of our employees.”<br/><br/>Udo didn’t bother to hear whatever else the woman had to say, heading straight for his room, no longer able to bear the sight of her. This hotel was supposed to be one of the finest in Munich. How in the hell could they have allowed some intruder in?<br/><br/>He braced himself for the worst when he turned the doorknob.<br/><br/>Slowly, he entered the room and shut the door behind him. Much to his surprise the room, which he had expected to look like a storm had gone through, looked untouched for the most part. The maids must have tidied it up after the fact. He wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or infuriated by the fact. Nonetheless, at least he wouldn’t have to clean up a huge mess before he went to bed. He didn’t really have the energy, and now that his mood has turned sour it was draining whatever was left.<br/><br/>He unconsciously reached into his bag and pulled out the book and laid it on the desk. This book. This was what made sense to him anyway; he got this strange feeling. What else could they have been looking for, besides having the desire to simply end his life?  Perhaps he should have taken that demon a little more seriously. This damned thing was really becoming more trouble than it was worth. He had to get to the bottom of it and fast. Once it was off his hands, he wouldn’t have to look over his shoulder.<br/><br/>With a heavy sigh, he sat on the bed, looking at the ground in thought. Whoever had done this was probably going to come back. He was going to need to be very careful, he’d narrowly escaped this, he might not be so lucky next time.<br/><br/>It soon became apparent to Udo that he was a bit restless. In order to help ease that a bit, he decided to sit down and try to finish writing that letter to Heidi he’d been working on. It has been a few months since they’ve last spoken; she stopped writing back to him after their last outing. He still thought about her. She had been the only family member who bothered to keep in contact with him, and to have her suddenly cut ties like this was rather hurtful. This letter, he decided, would reflect that.<br/><br/>He ended up stopping half way through, finding himself to be a bit torn about the whole thing. On second thought, why should he bother? Some part of him, deep down, knew she’d likely not respond.<br/><br/>After some thought, he put his pen down and picked up the letter. He held it gingerly in both hands and closed his eyes, then, finding a bit of strength within, to prevent second thoughts, he tore it in half.<br/><br/><span style="text-decoration: underline">The Next Day</span><br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">8:30am</span><br/><br/>Udo was the kind of person who could sleep for a good fifteen or seventeen hours if he was tired enough or left alone. If today wasn’t a day where he could not afford to sleep in, he probably would have done just that. In fact, when he first felt signs of waking up, he decided to lie in bed a bit longer. There was still a bit of time before he had to do anything productive, or so he thought. A knock on the door canceled all of his plans to attempt to squeeze in another hour or two.<br/><br/>He answered it, straightening his posture when he noticed it was an officer, someone he actually recognized. “Good, I was hoping you would show up,” he said before the man had any chance to say anything, pulling the younger man inside the room and closing the door behind him. This man was officer Edlin Klaus. He was about two or three years younger than Udo. The two have worked together a few times, and knew him fairly well. He was at least reliable and easy to order around.<br/><br/>“Ah, Officer Drechsler,” the man began, “I’d stopped by the other day but you appeared to be out. I’m glad to see you’ve arrived in Munich safely.”<br/><br/>“Why thank you. It is nice to get out of Berlin every now and then.”<br/><br/>“I’ll get right down to business. You were to meet with Oberstluetenant Köhler, if I recall?”<br/><br/>Udo nodded.<br/><br/>“Excellent. Here, I’m instructed to give you this, it has everything you need to know,” Officer Klaus held up a letter. Udo took it in hand and read it over carefully, a little irritated that Erlind had not delivered this himself. “You would have received it the other day, had you been here. I would fill you in more, but I have other things to attend do. Oh, and Oberstluetenant Köhler has already been informed you are in Munich and will be meeting with him.”<br/><br/>“One favor, before you go.”<br/><br/>“Yes?”<br/><br/>“I had been out the other day, and when I returned it was brought to my attention that someone had been in my room. I don’t know who it was. I’d appreciate it if this matter could be looked in to. The information I’d been given here was vague.”<br/><br/>“Perhaps,” Officer Klaus said, frowning a little. “But the Führer’s orders take priority.”<br/><br/>“Naturally,” Udo gave Officer Klaus a pat on the shoulder. “Now, if you will excuse me, I only have two hours before I have to meet Herr Köhler, and would like my privacy.” He practically pushed the man out of the room as he was leaving.<br/><br/>Now that he had that out of the way, he quickly moved to the desk, where the book still lay. He should bring it with him. It was risky, but he knew it would not be safe here, not after last night, he didn’t want to risk it being stolen if the intruder came back. He could leave it here to trap them. But why go through that trouble? He was still pretty livid. He would rather catch them red handed and deal with them himself, and make them regret trying to steal from him.<br/><br/>Udo shoved the book in his bag, and then, once he was ready, set out to meet up with Erlind.