Chapter 16: A long Recovery and an Unknown Industrialist
Military Garrison 1, Imperial Army Northern Teather, the Empire
29 June, Unified Year 1923
The wounds Tanya and I sustained took a long time to heal. Perhaps it was the poor hygiene conditions or the dubious quality of the medicine we received that made the period of hospitalization long and tormented. Every day, at all hours, we had to be careful how we moved. Every movement too abrupt and sudden could cause us severe pain. On more than one occasion, I tore open my stitches due to an instinctive movement, and I had to "enjoy" a visit to the infirmary to reattach them.
I hated going through that. Not only due to the large number of injured (even serious) who were brought every day forcing you to wait for treatment, but also because of the limited supplies of medicine and painkillers made you risk being operated on without anesthesia. Luckily, my status as a War hero and my age guaranteed that I always got the best treatment I could get, but I had to hear screams of the other wounded as they were operated on without anesthesia.
It was not pleasant.
Another problem Tanya and I had to deal with often was the fact that our injuries (our broken legs in particular) forced us to rely on the other's help to move. It was particularly annoying, especially when it was night and there was nobody to help us.
Luckily, after a couple of days (and a report from Tanya to Colonel Von Schön), the sickbay staff gave us a pair of archaic-looking wheelchairs that we could use to freely move while our femurs healed. They were very heavy and therefore tiresome to move (so much, that we still had to rely on the medical staff for the most part to help us for journeys longer than a few meters). It was something at least. Most of the patients were not so lucky.
It was apparent that the cause of this preferential treatment was to be found in the fact that both Tanya and I were newly promoted war heroes of the Empire. We were still nine, almost ten years old and looked good enough to be poster-children for the war effort.
On one hand, this pleased me. On the other, it worried me greatly: You do not get nothing for nothing, I reminded myself often, and you can be sure that for everything they will give to you, they will want something in return in the future.
This is also the reason why I shivered every time I heard the bulletins from the front of the Rhine.
Apparently, the Republic's advance toward the Low Lands Industrial Region (one of the most important strategic and industrial regions of the Empire, located between my old world's Rhineland and Netherlands) had been completely halted and the front line had stopped almost along the natural boundary of the Rhine River. However, the block of the Republican offensive had not stopped its impetus.
Worse, it had strengthened it. There was no day that soldiers were not sent to assault the enemy trenches, and every assault (even the most successful ones) resulted in heavy bloodshed. The Rhine front, from what you could know beyond the propaganda, had already been nicknamed "the Hell on Earth", and it was easy to understand the reason why.
When I had been a child (in my old world, before ending up dying and having to grow once again) I had the chance to read a lot of books about the First World War, or "the war to end all wars", as some people of its period had called it. A terrible and nightmarish conflict that happened because the armies of both sides believed they were so balanced and coordinated to be able to predict the intentions of their enemies, all thanks to theories based of wars of the past.
However, the world and technology had changed and such theories were no longer applicable. The infantry could not advance in line towards enemy machine guns and the cavalry could not directly attack the enemy's cannons. This was the reality, yet the orders were still sent, as no one could imagine or comprehend the resulting massacre. Therefore, the soldiers were sent to die, without even knowing the reason for their death.
And here we were: Tanya and I, trapped in the local equivalent of the First World War between some of the greatest powers of the world, with no means to avoid being at the forefront should our superiors say otherwise. For the moment we were safe, but once our wounds would have healed?
Personally, I was tempted to reopen my wounds so they would take longer to heal (thus prolonging my time in the medical wing) but when I tried to speak with Tanya about that, she reminded me that doing so would be considered "dereliction of duty" and would guarantee a private meeting with a firing squad.
Little did I know that soon something else would capture my attention
It was a sunny and gloomy day. Since the outside temperature was high enough to allow one to stand outside for several minutes without risk to freeze, I asked one of the nurses, whose name was Marleen, to help me move outside to have a breath of fresh air.
During the trip through the long room of the medical wing, I saw an increasing number of allied wounded men, many in much worse shape than Tanya and I were. Many of them screamed, some pleaded, and some of them… did not make it.
See, that was more than enough to remember how lucky Tanya and I were by being together and still alive, without any part of our bodies missing or in need of amputation.
"What a terrible sight…" I let slip from my lips as I saw another man with an amputated limb.
"I know" Marleen said from behind me, still pushing my wheelchair "I hear that the situation along the Rhine is ever worse: at least, here, we do not have to worry about heavy artillery fire or a sudden attack of the enemy air forces…"
I nodded silently, trying not to show my fear. In my mind, I hoped that there were still some way to avoid the Rhine front.
I was so focused on my thoughts about the horrors of the war that I did not noticed Marleen push my wheelchair to the right, into a room.
"Wait" I said once I realized it "Marleen, why are we here? The exit is that way!"
"I know" she replied to me "I'm sorry to say this to you, but we are not going outside. Instead, there is someone who would like very much to speak with you…"
Someone who wants to speak with me? I thought with bewilderment "Who is that?"
"I'm sorry," she said once again "but I am not authorized to talk about him. However, you will find out very soon"
And with these last words, Marleen turned around, walking right outside of the door and closing it behind her, leaving me alone inside.
"Wait! Hey, someone" I started to say with visible panic "What is happen-"
"I suggest to you to not try to call for help," said an old, grumpy voice who I did not knew "Nobody will come, and you will not need it"
With great effort, I moved my wheelchair to have a better angle on the other occupant.
In front of me was an old looking man, with a white beard and mustache, well dressed in a waistcoat under a high-class black suit and a white bow tie. He was supporting himself with a walking stick that had a golden knob at the end. His clothes reeked of high class, indicators of an incredibly wealthy lifestyle.
"Who are you?" I said looking at the man "And what are you doing here?"
"Oh, right. I should have introduced myself. The fact is, I am not that used to people not knowing who I am. My name is August Gegenbauer; perhaps you've already heard my name on the newspaper you usually read."
Gegenbauer… Gegenbauer…when I have heard this name before? I thought tried to hide my anxiety, Surely, it is not the name of a high-level officer of the Strategic Headquarter. Maybe he is someone in the Imperial Government?
"No. Are you some kind of politician?"
The man laughed "No. I am not a politician, tough I have power too. I am one of the wealthiest men in Berun: industrialist, finance and loan shark, owner of mines, factories and shipyards!"
"Oh yeah?" I said, uncertain if I should believe his words or not "Then would you like to explain to me what you are doing here, old capitalist?"
"It's simple, really." he said "Having read in the newspaper about the famous pair of young children who managed to hold out against an entire company of enemy wizards, I used my connections to convince one of your superior officers to allow me the chance to meet with you…"
Oh, now I understand, I thought annoyed.
Another rich man who believed money was all there was in life and that it could give you everything you wanted to.
Since the day that both Tanya and I got our Silver Wings, there had been numerous visitors who wanted to meet "the new young heroes of the Empire". The majority of them used to be soldiers themselves or were civilian of the nearest town, but after a while, the rich and bored bourgeois of Berun and other major cities of the Empire had also arrived.
As the front line had now stabilized several kilometers to the North, and the hospital was no longer a "near-combat zone", we could not prevent their coming. Worse, since many of them had high-level connections with very important politicians and officers of the Empire, we could not refuse to meet them.
We were therefore forced to be like things that people liked to see as a curiosity, like the lions or the tigers at the local zoos. We had to smile all the time, obey the rules of the day, use ready-made sentences likes "I'm happy to meet you" or "We wish you to join the Imperial Army". And the people smiled, treating us as life-size dolls that they could see, touch and talk to.
Tanya was (obliviously) the most annoyed by that, but since we were not ready to jump back into action we had to endure it, because apparently a pair of child war heroes is too unique to not draw undesired attention.
Let us hope this man is not like that lecherous old lady who came here three days ago, I thought nervously.
"So, you wanted to meet me?" I said keeping my guard high.
"Yes. For the most part, I wanted to get to know you."
"Get to know me? What do you mean?"
The man looked down for a second "I have… some questions I would like to ask you…"
"So… you say you were born in an old orphanage near Berun. Is that correct?"
"Yes, and like I already told you, I was born the same day as my comrade Tanya Degurechaff."
"Indeed. Tell me… why did no one want to take you for adoption?"
"I do not know." I said, lying. I already knew the reason why.
The man came closer to me. For an instant, I actually feared he would try to do something unpleasant.
"So," he continued, "are you telling me that nobody ever came and asked to adopt you?"
"Well..." I said with badly concealed displeasure, "There were some people, long time ago, who wanted to become my parents. Sadly..."
"These people… who they were?"
"A man and his young wife. They wanted to adopt me, but they died in a car accident before the adoption papers could be filled."
Suddenly, a glint flashed into the old man's eyes, and his mouth twisted into a smile. Apparently, something I said had caught his attention.
"I knew it!" he said, "I knew that you were him!"
"Me? Him? What are you talking about?" I asked, now pissed off from this mystery game.
In response, the man retrieved something shiny from his waistcoat and handed it to me.
"Look. You'll realize it yourself…"
Although I felt suspicious about it, I reached out with my hand to take what he was offering to me.
It was a little custody in a round shape, made of gold-plated brass and iron, on a chain of the same material. Opening it, I saw that it contained a small photograph of the man in front of me, along with two other people I remembered clearly.
"But...but..."
"Yes. The same man and woman who wanted to adopt you. I am in the photo as well because that man was Karl, and he…was…"
"He was?" I said back, unsure of what he wanted to say.
"….my son."
I looked at him with eyes wide-open, unable to say anything for the surprise. The man who had tried to adopt me ... was his son?
"But…but…"
"His name was Karl. Karl Gegenbauer. The only child I had from my wife Edith before she died of tuberculosis. The woman with him was his wife Sieglinde. They used to come to visit me every month before their…tragic incident…"
My mind was confused. This old man… was the father of the man who wanted to adopt me?
But...this…this made him my…
"I understand you are confused." he kept speaking with a softer tone of voice than before "I know that, in all honesty, you do not know what to say or even what to think, but this is the truth. And I'm sorry for…"
"How… how did you manage to find out about… this?" I finally replied, my mind still unable to understand what was happening.
Mr. Gegenbauer sighed, "It was not easy. I was still mourning the death of my son when I found out that he had been planning to adopt a homeless child from an orphanage near Berun. I cannot deny that finding out… that… shocked me. I always wanted Karl to give me children, but after finding out that Siglinde was sterile, I had resigned myself to the fact that nobody would ever call me grandfather. Still, after I found out about you, I immediately went to the orphanage and asked about you. To my surprise, the nuns told me you had left the orphanage to join the military, even though you were still so young! And I knew that even my connections were not strong enough to give me free access to the Wizard corps of the Empire!"
"So… you know that I'm…"
"A mage? Yes, I know. The nuns of the orphanage claimed this as the reason why you and your little friend decided to leave, without leaving me a way to track you."
Mr. Gegenbauer moved himself toward me. For a moment, his eyes met mine and I saw that he was looking at me with a strange kind of look.
"I was ready to surrender, to give up my search, to stop looking for the child that my son wanted to call his. Then, less than a week ago, I heard the news about a pair of young wizard children that had managed to pull off a near impossible victory against an entire company of Entente mages in Norden. When I saw that one of the young heroes of the Empire was called Frederick… my hope, almost extinguished, inflamed once again. So I came here as soon as possible and once I discovered the hospital where you were hosted, I called a few friends and favors from my youth to gain access… and meet you!"
Mr. Gegenbauer put his hand in my hairs, ruffling them.
"You are even more beautiful than I had imagined. No wonder my son decided to take you among all the other little children of the orphanage…"
"Tell me," I raised my voice, "now that you have explained who you are and how you managed to get here, can you tell me what you want from me? Do you want to take me, like your son wanted to do at first?"
In part, I feared his answer, because I would have been forced to abandon Tanya, the only "friend" I had in this word. Unless Mr. Gegenbauer took us both…
"No, young boy." he said with a very strange smile "The fact is that I am an old man, and my days on this world are numbered. However, thanks to you I will be able to make sure my life's work will not go to waste."
And with these words, he walked away in the direction of the door.
"Hey!" I exclaimed, "Where are you…"
But he was already gone.
