The Czech boarder, 1938
The commander of the infantry regiment assigned to the Czech frontier was a stout man. Johana knew that he was Bavarian, but he was also clearly Jewish. A fact that he didn’t hide and freely admitted to when questioned.
“Can you tell me why I have been asked to visit the Czech Frontier Colonel?” Johanna asked.
“I,” the man turned around and looked at the person he was addressing, “I am sorry, you are?”
“Johanna Schmidt,” Johanna smiled, “From the President’s office. I understand you asked for Captain Germany to come deal with a problem.”
“So you are the President’s Captain?” the officer smiled, “I had been told by a friend in Berlin that the Captain was someone I could confide in.”
“So what seems to be your problem?” Johana smiled.
“The National Socialists. We may have cut the head off that blow hard Austrian, but other heads have grown back,” the officer looked back over the frontier, “They have renamed themselves that by the way, Hydra.”
“So the National Socialists are now calling themselves Hydra?” Johanna said, hiding the fact that she already knew that, “What do they want in Czechoslovakia?”
“A war. A war between the Czech and Slovakian nationalities and the German minorities. A war that they hope will make the Reich Citizens demand the government get involved with,” the officer said.
“They could not make a race war in Germany so they are going to formant conflict next door to create one?” Johanna said.
“So it would seem,” the officer said then stopped and smiled, “I have someone I thought you should meet. I understand you knew Senior Ensign Wolfe. This is Soldier Kulheim, his grandson.”
“Soldier Kulheim reporting as ordered Oberst,” the young man saluted in military fashion.
“Stand easy,” the colonel smiled, “This is Senior Ensign Wolfe’s grandson. This is Miss Schmidt from the President’s office, she survived your grandfather’s training.”
“You were among the group President Hindenburg got him out of retirement to train?” Kulheim asked.
“Yes,” Johanna admitted, “I was a secretary of the President at the time and he wanted me to keep an eye on the other candidates in that program.”
“With due respect,” Kulheim smiled, “You must be one tough battle ax to survive my Grandfather and his feelings on women wearing anything but an old fashion dress.”
Johanna chuckled even as the head of the regiment gave a stern face.
“I think surviving your grandfather makes me more of a superhuman than the National Socialists could hope for,” Johanna giggled.
Both men looked at Johanna oddly.
“So, Kulheim,” Johanna asked, “Why not Wolfe like your grandfather?”
“Kulheim is my father’s name, Wolfe is my mother’s maiden name.”
“So you followed in your grandfather’s footsteps?”
“Yes miss,” Kulheim smiled, “My father wanted me to go to university, but I decided to join the army.”
“Really?” Johanna cocked her head.
“It is as Hippocrates said, ‘if you would be a surgeon follow the army.’ So I have enlisted while I apply for medical school,” Kulheim said.
“He is the right hand of the regimental surgeon,” the Colonel noted.
“Hopefully I will only see you socially,” Johanna smiled and offered her hand.
*
Present
“I wonder what she is dreaming about,” the orderly said as he noticed the patient’s eyes flickering under her eyelids.
“Does it matter?” Sin asked.
“At least she is showing more nerve activity,” the orderly said looking at the monitors.
“Check your email,” Nina said as she walked in in her accented English.
Sin gave the orderly a hard look and he stepped away from the hospital bed. Sin looked as saw an email from no less than Maria Hill of shield. Attached were two sets of medical records. One was for a male, no name and the other was for a female, again name was removed.
“The weapon we found that wounded the Captain is called a ‘Talon of Caine,’ like the biblical figure,” Nina said, “It was treated with a powerful poison called ‘Shadow Blood’. It is lethal to mortals. A half a drop would on his razor would have killed him this morning.”
Nina pointed back at the orderly.
Sin notices the slightest hint of a nick on his neck.
“What?” the orderly asked in German, not understanding the English.
“She said you cut yourself shaving this morning,” Sin spat in German before going back to English, “These two recovered, in fact Mother’s condition seems to be following this man’s charts rather closely so far.”
“The poison wasn’t made to kill mortal humans,” Nina said, “But it is rather effective.”
“So someone thought she was a mutant or part alien?” Sin asked.
“Last time they used it against a mutant the Mutant ruined their day,” Nina laughed.
The orderly and Sin both gave her sour looks.
“Sorry, an assassin tried to kill the mutant Wade Wilson with it. Deadpool as he calls himself turned the assassin into chopped liver. No, this poison is made to kill other things, and hybrids seem to recover rather quickly…” Nina said looking from Johanna to Sin.
“So she will recover quickly?” Sin asked.
“Yes,” Nina said, “Tell me what do you know of the serial killer Eric Brooks?”
“Yes,” Sin said, “Known as the ‘knife’ or something. Kills people by cutting off their heads or stabbing them in the heart and then burns the bodies. It is claimed he is obsessed with vampires.”
Sin frowned and crossed her arms.
“What does he have to do with this?” Sin asked.
“He was the man that survived the poisoning,” Nina smiled.
“And who was the woman?” Sin asked.
“I survived it as well,” Nina frowned then she whispered, “The daywalkers survive…”
A knock at the door interrupted Nina’s mussing.
“Director Schmidt, Oberst Kulheim has been found,” A police officer said as he walked in, “He died sometime this morning in his bed, his maid was found dead as she had come in the kitchen this morning as well. Whoever came to the Government building was not the Oberst.”
“Cause of death?” Sin asked in her native German.
“Let me guess, a small nick of a poisoned blade killed whoever he is talking about,” Nina said in English.
“Do we know what killed my god father?” Sin asked in German.
“We think he was killed with a poison applied via a small cut on him,” the police officer said.