ONE MORE TIME

Daniel Chu, BIWH

As I stood in front of the Marquis Paris Division Headquarters, I reminisced about the first time we heard of the "Uhrumkhrer.” It was whispered among shadows and hidden between coded lines of intercepted messages. We obtained information on the Nazi-developed device capable of reverting time. The whole thing is thought to be a baseless threat, made to unsettle the tired resistance. However, we knew it was anything but a baseless threat.

Rumors of an infinite Nazi barrage reached our ears. Up north, the Russians reported that “soldiers riddled with bullets and bleeding profusely were fighting like nothing had happened.” Soon after that transmission, the Russian position fell and we thought that was the end of that, another soldier falling into the grasp of delusion at the sight of defeat.

Then, six months later, a raggedy man, with blood-stained bandages covered with an overcoat, stumbled into the headquarters. He identified himself as an infantryman of the defeated Russian regiment. Now, having captured our complete and undivided attention, he began describing the scenes he witnessed in that battle.

“We’d taken down a squad, their bodies sprawled lifeless on the ground – until they started to move. Each one had this brickshaped device strapped to their hip. It seemed that the second their hearts stopped, the device kicked in, jerking them back to life. They stood up, wounds still wide open, bleeding but fighting like they felt nothing. Their eyes were not those of the lifeless, they had emotion behind them, but none that reflected pain. It was like facing Koshchei. I kept shooting, and they ceased to stop, almost as if their minds had forgotten the concept of pain. So, I ran. After several hours, I returned to find my comrades lying dead on the ground. Next to their bodies were the mutilated corpses of the Nazis.”

“Almost every aspect of their anatomy was visible. While on my trek here, I figured that the toll of their injuries caught up, and eventually the device wasn’t able to support their failing bodies anymore.” Following that grand recalling, the Russian slipped into a coma. Such abilities sum up why the Marquis has now taken such an interest in the Uhrumkhrer. The prospect of having almostimmortal soldiers was like music to the nowdepleted French resistance. So, the Marquis began to investigate and to scheme up a plan to obtain the Uhrumkhrer.

And we had a breakthrough with our investigation. As the director of the Paris Division of the Marquis, Guillaume, briefed us on the exchange. He told us of an informant, a low-level assistant in the Wagner Research and Development Center, who had managed to secure a field report and a schematic on this “time reverter," or so he called it. The information would cost the Resistance 100,000 Reichsmarks (an astronomical price) but the potential was enough for us to make the sacrifice.

Now, my crew is en route to Charleroi to meet up with the informant. After miles of country roads, we rounded a turn in an intersection. As we began to pull into the straightaway, bullets ripped through the shadows. Suddenly, a simple exchange turned into a nightmare as assailants ambushed us. Bullets shattered car windows, and the whine of tires on gravel screamed in my ears. Several beams of light streamed from the darkness. My heart pounding, I screamed to the driver to drive faster. Just when we began to pick up speed, a well-placed shot sent us careening into the woods. Kicking open the passenger door, I sprinted into the darkness. Scrambling through rocks and weaving through trees, I lost track of my comrades.

While trying to stay ahead of our pursuers. A searing pain exploded in my chest. I collapsed, gasping and gripping my chest as the pursuers closed in. Slowly though, their voices faded into the background. I felt an odd, spreading warmth, a strange tranquility pulling me into darkness.

Then, suddenly, I was gasping for air. My heart once again beating, heavy and fast, I looked down at the wound that had once marked my death. Gone, the flayed skin that flapped uselessly. Now, a surface smooth and clean, devoid of everything that happened prior. When I came to my senses, I was hogtied on the ground, surrounded by soldiers chattering.

Some of them laughed as if enjoying the show. I looked over and saw the body of one of my comrades, his lifeless eyes staring back at me, blood pooling beneath him. The officer in charge leaned close, taunting us,

“You are looking for this?” as he threw handwritten notes and blueprints to the ground.

I looked blankly at him, “There must have been a misunderstanding, I have no clue what you are on about.”

The officer leaned down; he gently tapped on one of his badges, “We’re Gestapo, do you think we make mistakes?”

“Well, you are probably wondering why your condition right now doesn't match up with prior information about the effects of the Uhrumkhrer.” The officer smirked as he went on.

“That, my friend, is because we upgraded.”

“The information you are willing to pay so much for is for a model that we now consider obsolete. So even if the Marquis get these schematics and manage to manufacture some, they are still no match for us.”

“These new models turn back the time for all aspects of the recipient, not just their mental state, but their physical attributes too. Gone are the lingering injuries following the revival. Their bodies are brought to a state essentially four hours before death, whilst still keeping the experiences of the last four hours.” The officer beamed with delight.

“A device suitable for the eternal regime.” proudly exclaimed the officer.

“Words don’t do the Uhrumkher justice, actions do” as he pointed the time reverter at my dead comrade.

Then … everything went black.

The next thing I knew, I was standing in front of the Marquis Paris Division Headquarters, reminiscing about the first time we heard of the "Uhrumkhrer.”