------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- June 1960 - Two Weeks Ago - Vemork, Norway, The German Empire (FLASHBACK) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A jet black Mercedes Benz swept sedately through the Norwegian countryside, the late afternoon sunshine already blocked out by the mountains that towered up on either side of the steep valley. It was not a warm place, but it was ideal to prevent Allied bombing raids. Scattered throughout the valley, crews standing at the ready, were numerous anti-aircraft batteries. The car had already passed through six security check points and the final one was coming up quickly. Obergruppenführer Heinrich Himmler was leaning back in the rear seat, smoke curling up from a cigarette held between two fingers, a blue stream that swirled for a moment before being sucked out the window. His SS uniform was immaculate, the silver buttons, lace, and pips, all seemingly glowed in the later afternoon light. Next to him, staring rigidly ahead, sat SS-Major Rowan Hagen. Her red hair was pulled back in a tight bun beneath her cap, her sharp features complimented by a pair of pale blue eyes that hid a savagery he had rarely seen in a woman. He had no doubt she would be an excellent choice for the position he had selected for her. "And here we are." He said, breaking the silence. "Your new command." The road had come to a right hand bend, the view of the valley altering until, at last, the Vemork Hydroelectric Plant came into view. The massive concrete edifice sat squatting on the edge of the valley like an ancient Teutonic Castle. "The home of our Nuclear program." Rowan had to admit it looked impressive, maybe even more so since she had worked for almost two years to get here. She had done horrible things to convince the Nazi's she was one of them. Torture, executions, murders, espionage, and so much more. All to bring her to this moment when she could at last answer the questions Churchill and Eisenhower, well, just Eisenhower now, needed to know beyond all else. "It looks formidable." She said with a nod of agreement. Part of her wanted to reach out and stab the man next to her. He was the embodiment of everything she hated, everything the Allies had fought against, and now she sat, only an arms length away. Men like him had killed her father after all. She pushed the feeling down least it show on her face and turned her attention back to the approaching building. Her hard work had earned her several promotions, mainly through her work in the occupied Russian territories, and her attention to detail and security had gotten her here, the new Commander of Nazi Nuclear Program. Had this been an Allied nation she would never have come so far so quickly but in the German Empire Hitler kept his underlings constantly at each other throats to protect his own position. As a result, someone like Himmler could quickly come to rely on someone he viewed as an invaluable asset. Someone like her. The final check point came and went, black clad SS guards snapping to attention as the car passed. A pair of black wooden gates swung slowly open to admit the car into the compound and the vehicle came to a halt before the tall doors that would lead inside. Equipment was everywhere, piles, mounds, heaps of it. Scientists bustled in and out, guards with dogs seemed to be everywhere. Say one thing for the Nazi's, they were organized, and they never failed to amaze with what they could accomplish. "Out we go Hagen, time to meet your command." Himmler said with a smile as he climbed from the car. A Detachment had been drawn up and they slammed to attention as their Lieutenant saluted the two SS officers, both of whom ignored him as they headed for the front doors of the building. Rowans heart was pounding in her chest now. This was it. In a few days she would have the knowledge she needed to return home and be rid of the Nazi's forever. The feeling was almost overwhelming and she had to swallow it again, forcing it beneath the character she had become for this, the ultimate mission. "Heil Hitler!" A second young Lieutenant snapped to attention just inside the front doors and this time both officers returned his salute. "Your office is just here Major." The young man said without emotion, gesturing toward an open door behind him. "Thank you Lieutenant, that will be all." Himmler said before Rowan could speak. The young man saluted again and hurried away. Rowan had so far noted that every soldier she had seen was one of Himmlers personal fanatics. Men who would die at his command. Much as she was now expected to do. Himmler led her into the office and she noted a massive black drape had been hung over one wall. Himmler closed the door behind her and then nodded to one of the two chairs that sat in front of the large desk. He sat in the other with a sigh and the look on his face suddenly reminded her of Churchill. "Major, what I am about to tell you is something you can never ever speak of again with anyone other than myself or the Führer, do you understand?" "No." Rowan whispered and she was already shaking her head as he looked up at her again. Her world was crumbling around her and Himmler hadn't even said the word. He mistook her emotions as he plowed on. "I am afraid it's true Major, our nuclear program is nothing but smoke and mirrors, we do not posses the nuclear bomb." Rowan screamed. The sound tore her apart, coming from the deepest part of her soul. Everything she had done to this point suddenly didn't matter. The bomb wasn't real. The men, the women, the children, all those people she had killed or consigned to death in the name of reaching this point. It meant nothing now. She was no better than the Nazi's. She slid out of her chair and onto the floor, tears streaming down her face. Himmler looked shocked. It was possible he had expected anything but this. He reached out a hand toward her. "Now Major, come, we must remain strong. We cannot show weakness!" "Weakness..." She hissed the word at him. A horrible change had come over her face and in that moment she looked more like a Valkyrie of legend than she ever had before. She slowly began to climb to her feet. "Weakness?!" She screamed the word in his face. He recoiled in shock and surprise, his eyebrows narrowing as his own temper started to rise. He shot to his feet. She didn't wait, she couldn't, she had reach an emotional breaking point. She snapped. She drew her sidearm and shot him between the eyes.