The Berlin Dome

[Zagan7]

Hence why The Anglo/American Nazi War is one of the best Nazi TLs ever produced. CalBear pulled no punches in showing just how devastating nearly two decades of the Third Reich would be for Europe.

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The portrayal of the Nazis in that TL is good, that of the Allies is not, IMO. The destroying of Stettin decades later was completely unbelievable. It was like the Allies had turned into Nazis themselves.

Anyway, I believe that we should not discuss other TLs in this thread.

 

[Zagan7]

Chapter 62. The End of National Socialism



26 March 1945, Berlin, Deutsches Reich

In a new radio broadcast, Reichspräsident Adolf Hitler¹ accepted Wehrmacht's nomination of Feldmarschall Walther von Brauchitsch for the position of Reichskanzler.

Most shockingly, Hitler also announced his resignation from the leadership of the National Socialist Party, immediately thereupon going even further and quitting the Party altogether.

1. Actually Helga speaking with Hitler's voice. Really, do I have to keep stating this every time?


Less than one hour later, the heavily guarded rump Reichstag duly voted von Brauchitsch in power and, for the first time in more than twelve years, Germany was led by a non-Nazi Government².

2. Actually, all the members of the von Brauchitsch Government were former Nazis or at least former enablers of the Nazi Dictatorship.


The von Brauchitsch Government was completely under the thumb of the OKW, with all important positions filled with Generals and Admirals with the notable exception of the Foreign Ministry which had been given to Konstantin von Neurath who was already handling the peace negotiations with the Western Allies in Bern. All the members of the new Government had quitted the Nazi Party prior to being sworn in.

Due to the unfolding military conflict with the SS and in view of the general chaotic situation in the country, the new Reich Government used the same Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution which had allowed Hitler to become Dictator twelve years previously to proclaim a State of Emergency and, together with the OKW, assumed full powers in the Reich. For all intents and purposes, Germany had changed the Nazi Dictatorship for a (claimed to be temporary) Military Dictatorship.

In order to appease the hundreds of thousands of Germans who had been demonstrating against the dictatorship since early March and to alleviate their concerns, the Government promissed unequivocally that as soon as the situation permitted:

• The German Reich would revert to a democratic form of government.
• A Constituent Assembly was to begin work on a new German Constitution.
• National, State and Local free elections will be organized.

In the same day, the Nazi Party was suspended and the SS and all Nazi mass organizations, such as the Hitlerjugend, were dissolved, absorbed or converted into party-neutral State organizations such as the Wehrmacht or the Boy Scouts. All existing Nazi mass media was suspended or closed. Hundreds of Nazis were placed under arrest.

After almost one month of more or less continuous anti-government demonstrations, the finally vindicated demonstrators were joined by those who had previously chosen to stay safely indoors. The result was an exuberant mass of millions of overjoyed Germans filling the central squares of their towns and cities to cement their new found freedom and pave the way for a peaceful and prosperous future.



27 March - 19 April 1945, Around the World

The international reactions to the fall of the Nazi Dictatorship were numerous and profound.


The whole Free World watched with disbelief newsreels from Germany showing immense masses of people cheering the fall of the Nazis, destroying Nazi symbols and partying in the streets, overwhelmed with joy.

Little by little, at first the common people from the Western Powers and their mass media and finally their elected representatives began to ask an extremely uncomfortable question: "If all that was needed to topple the Nazi Regime was to promise the Germans a negotiated peace in exchange for a change in government, then why haven't we done that earlier? You know, before the deaths of millions and incalculable damage on the whole breadth of Europe?"

A logical and legitimate question to which their governments had no clear and honest answer besides pointing their fingers to the failure of the Versailles system as the reason for the purported necessity to utterly destroy Germany and its people.

Note: The ideas expressed in the previous paragraph are just one way to look at the whole picture. They do not necessarily express my own understating of the situation, which is in fact not yet fully formed. I posted that with the intention to further the story and not to start a flame war. Please refrain from engaging in divisive political arguments in this thread. Thank you.


In the USA, the Senate appointed a Special Commission to investigate the policy makers of the former Administration (obviously besides the President himself who was already dead) in order to find out who had been behind the whole "Unconditional Surrender" disaster. In the UK, Churchill's already slim chances for reelection decreased even further.


The Governments of the Western Powers congratulated the German People for the overthrow of the Nazi Dictatorship, recognized the von Brauchitsch Government, expressed their hope that the remaining Nazi holdouts would be swiftly overrun and encouraged the German People and Government to advance towards a democratic system.

The Western Plenipotentiaries at the Bern Peace Negotiations offered the new German Government an immediate ceasefire and an ease of the blockade to allow for food imports and humanitarian help. They reiterated their condition that Hitler was to be removed from all his official positions including that of Reich President as a prerequisite for a Peace Treaty.

Stalin was not pleased by the recent developements. The Soviet Union and its satellite states deplored "the collusion between the Western Imperialists and the Fascists".


Léon Degrelle, the leader of the Belgian Rexiste Government and former Waffen-SS officer refused to recognize the new German Government and sided with the SS faction of Otto Skorzeny. The OKW simply cut all contacts with Belgium, the 100,000 German soldiers deployed in and around Eupen-Malmedy being considered more than enough to discourage any possible adventures.

Vidkun Quisling, the leader of the Nasjonal Samling Norwegian Puppet Government tried to stir trouble in Oslo and was arrested by the Wehrmacht occupation forces only to be released when the Germans completed the evacuation of Outer Norway and realised that they still needed him in Kristiansand in Inner Norway.

Croatia, Hungary and Slovakia, being in close proximity with SS controlled territory and having a potential war between themselves ready to start at any time, bid their time and tried to court both sides in the German conflict.

The other countries in the German Sphere of Influence (Switzerland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland) welcomed the change of Government in Germany.

Poland expelled the SS operatives who were meticulously dismantling the Concentration Camps in an attempt to remove all evidence of the crimes perpetrated there during the War. With the job mostly finished, they blew up the few remaining structures before leaving.


With the situation in Germany still fluid and chaotic, censorship gone and state authority at an all time low, contradictory and bizarre stories began to circulate inside the Reich and slowly creep outside into the wider World.

Some people talked about a huge subterranean city below Berlin, filled with either robots or extraterrestrial beings and all kinds of odd and futuristic structures, machines and devices. Others mentioned a portal to the future or to another Universe altogether, with supersoldiers and incomprehensible weapons being sent to the Reich for either positive or nefarious reasons. And, besides all those, there was some kind of supernatural being looking like an ordinary girl but nigh invulnerable and possessing superhuman powers. Apparently, while fighting the SS, she had singlehandedly killed at least ten thousand men by shooting death rays through her eyes... and so on and so forth.

The problem was that, despite sounding utterly absurd, those claims could not be instantly dismissed as pure fantasy, not after the Berlin Dome proved without a doubt that impossible things can actually happen. In effect, secret services from around the World, with the help of specialists from all fields of human knowledge, worked relentlessly to try and separate fact from fiction and make light into the maze of information slipping out of the Reich.


Note: During that time, the Waffen-SS was fighting against the Wehrmacht in German cities, forests and mountains, but we shall talk about that in the next chapter.
.

 

[Adamgerd]

Due to the unfolding military conflict with the SS and in view of the general chaotic situation in the country, the new Reich Government used the same Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution which had allowed Hitler to become Dictator twelve years previously to proclaim a State of Emergency and, together with the OKW, assumed full powers in the Reich. For all intents and purposes, Germany had changed the Nazi Dictatorship for a (claimed to be temporary) Military Dictatorship.

In order to appease the hundreds of thousands of Germans who had been demonstrating against the dictatorship since early March and to alleviate their concerns, the Government promissed unequivocally that as soon as the situation permitted:

• The German Reich would revert to a democratic form of government.
• A Constituent Assembly was to begin work on a new German Constitution.
• National, State and Local free elections will be organized.

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I am not fully trusting of the military junta to actually give free elections or a democracy but at least a military dictatorship is better than a nazi dictatorship, would be difficult to be any worse

 

[Zagan7]

I am not fully trusting of the military junta to actually give free elections or a democracy but at least a military dictatorship is better than a nazi dictatorship, would be difficult to be any worse

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Of course. The military will not give up power and install a multi-party democracy unless compelled to do so. We shall see.

 

[Adamgerd]

Of course. The military will not give up power and install a multi-party democracy unless compelled to do so. We shall see.

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indeed. Easy to have people gain power, hard to have them voluntarily give away power

 

[JuliusClonkus]

"If all that was needed to topple the Nazi Regime was to promise the Germans a negotiated peace in exchange for a change in government, then why haven't we done that earlier? You know, before the deaths of millions and incalculable damage on the whole breadth of Europe?"

Click to shrink...

Fairly naive view, although there's little doubt that things like the unmodifed Morgenthau Plan or the publication of Kaufman's disturbing revenge fantasy of Germany must Perish! did make for excellent propaganda material to present surrender as an effective death sentence.

The fact that the Red Army wasn't exactly gentle in "liberating" the Eaat (in as much as switching from one slavemaster to another can even be called liberation) only helped to convince people that however horrible Nazi rule was, the alternative may well be worse.

 

[Adamgerd]

Fairly naive view, although there's little doubt that things like the unmodifed Morgenthau Plan or the publication of Kaufman's disturbing revenge fantasy of Germany must Perish! did make for excellent propaganda material to present surrender as an effective death sentence.

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yeah Germany must Perish! helped them greatly in propaganda in not surrendering but also because they could claim that he proves that jews want the destruction of Germans, ignoring that he's one jew and that they killed millions of jews, so its hardly surprising though the book does take it to an extreme with the eradication of all Germans.

The fact that the Red Army wasn't exactly gentle in "liberating" the Eaat (in as much as switching from one slavemaster to another can even be called liberation) only helped to convince people that however horrible Nazi rule was, the alternative may well be worse.

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yeah, eastern Europe switched one overlord for another overlord after WW2

 

[Zagan7]

1. Fairly naive view, although there's little doubt that things like the unmodifed Morgenthau Plan or the publication of Kaufman's disturbing revenge fantasy of Germany must Perish! did make for excellent propaganda material to present surrender as an effective death sentence.

2. The fact that the Red Army wasn't exactly gentle in "liberating" the Eaat (in as much as switching from one slavemaster to another can even be called liberation) only helped to convince people that however horrible Nazi rule was, the alternative may well be worse.

Click to shrink...

1. Unlike OTL, the events in TTL made that "fairly naive view" look reasonable.

2. Unlike OTL, in TTL there was no "worse" alternative to the Nazis, so the Germans had no incentive to accept them anymore. A random German might think like that:
"There is no war anymore, no danger of bombardments, invasion, destruction, rape or murder. We are safe, forever. We don't have to stick with the Nazis anymore. We have no food, no housing, no freedom, no hope and no future with the Nazis. They only want to invade Russia again. Hitler must be stopped by any means. Any other Government would be better than this one. After all, it's not like the Jews are coming back or something! And, without Hitler, we will have peace in the West, no more blockade and a return to normalcy and prosperity."

The only thing which could have kept the Nazis in power was a coordinated and efficient crackdown on all expressions of dissent. However, for many reasons, that did not happen (the usual inefficiency of the Nazi Regime, amplified by the massive destruction due to the war, the actions of Helga, the defection of the Wehrmacht, etc).

 

[Zagan7]

Chapter 63. Otto Skorzeny



2 April 1945, Jungbunzlau (Czech: Mladá Boleslav), Protektorat Böhmen und Mähren, Deutsches Reich

Reichsführer-SS Otto Skorzeny was pacing the room nervously. For the SS, the situation was very unpleasant, both from a political and a military point of view.

The illegal government installed by the OKW after the Putsch is consolidating its power both internally and internationally and the Wehrmacht is advancing in Sachsen and Bayern, capturing or dislodging our troops. True, we still have Nürnberg, the Alpenfestung and the Protektorat but, at this pace, everything will be lost in a matter of months or maybe even weeks... It is probably time to execute a few hostages¹ to send a clear message to those traitors. Yes, the son² of the so called Chancellor will be the first to die... Too bad that that fool Göring refused to cooperate³. Maybe we should execute him as well... And now this absurd situation with this girl...

1. Besides Adolphine, the SS had also abducted dozens of relatives and friends of the members of the new Government in order to blackmail them.
2. Luftwaffe Oberst Bernd von Brauchitsch, the eldest son of Reich Chancellor Walther von Brauchitsch.
3. The SS had rescued Göring from the detoxification centre were he had been kept under surveillance on Hitler's orders. When offered the post of Acting Führer for the duration of Hitler's captivity, Göring turned them down, professing his loyalty for the captive Führer.


The smell of decaying blood had Skorzeny quit his train of thought and focus once more on his immediate surroundings. The Interrogation Centre had obviously been the site of a major battle. The walls, the doors, the furniture, silent witnesses of the carnage, were punctured by thousands of bullets, dozens of bodies were scattered around in grotesque positions and the blood... there was blood everywhere, on the floor, on the walls, even on the ceiling...


Otto Skorzeny (bewildered): "You are the only survivor!?"

SS-Hauptscharführer Ritter: "No, sir. Two badly wounded men had already been taken to the hospital."

Skorzeny: "And Dirlewanger?"

Ritter: "SS-Oberführer Dirlewanger is also dead, sir. He lies under that pile of bodies, by the door."

Skorzeny: "I see. How many are dead?"

Ritter: "Thirty-seven, sir."

Skorzeny: "And you insist that you have not been attacked by any outside forces..."

Ritter: "Yes, sir, I am positive. It was only that girl who suddenly attacked us..."

Skorzeny: "Do you even realize how outlandish that claim is? A fifteen years old girl overpowers her guard, takes his gun and then goes on to kill everybody! Thirty-seven SS men, superbly trained and armed with automatic guns?!"

Ritter: "I swear I am telling the truth. We shot her repeatedly and the bullets simply fell off or bounced away. She is... not human..."

Skorzeny: "Then what is she?"

Ritter: "I don't know, but she is certainly no human... Maybe a Valkyrie who came to take us to her realms..."

************


Yes, something is certainly wrong with that girl... She appeared out of nowhere at the same time with the Dome and, in a matter of days, had Hitler execute Himmler and Bormann, arrest Göring, marry that Braun woman, officially adopt her, recognize Poland's independence, start the peace process... And then her biology is simply fucked up! She is more resistant to pain than would be normally expected, her skin is impenetrable... just like the Dome... She may have come from another World... Shit, we shouldn't have messed with her!...



4 April 1945, Prag, Protektorat Böhmen und Mähren, Deutsches Reich

After failed negotiations with the OKW, the SS executed ten hostages, including Hermann Göring, Bernd von Brauchitsch and Rita Schirr, a close friend of Erich von Manstein's wife.

The SS also published Adolphine's absurd confessions, albeit without mentioning her miraculous escape. However, very few Germans actually believed that Hitler's adoptive adolescent daughter was a double agent who had killed a man in a grousome Jewish ritual murder!



7 April 1945, Schloss Hirschberg, Bayern, Deutsches Reich

The SS freed Miklós Horthy and his family and transported them to the Hungarian border for reasons which are, to this day, still unclear. One fanciful explanation is that they simply wanted to stir more trouble between Hungary and Slovakia with the reasons for that remaining in turn unclear. In fact, there is no logical explanation for the fact that Hitler at first, and Skorzeny afterwards, kept pushing Slovakia and Hungary towards war when they could have simply "arbitrated" the issue just like they did in 1939.

Horthy entered Budapest in triumph and the Hungarian Parliament, swiftly convened to reinstate him as Regent, surprised Horthy by proclaiming him Miklós I, Apostolic King of Hungary.

The 76 years old Horthy accepted the nomination and, the following day, he was crowned with the Holy Crown of Hungary in the Székesfehérvár Basilica by the Archbishop of Esztergom.

Four years old István Horthy Jr., Miklós Horthy's grandson, became the Crown Prince of Hungary with his uncle, Miklós Horthy Jr., as the most probable Regent in case the aging King passed away before his grandson's eighteenth birthday.



7 April 1945, Protektorat Böhmen und Mähren, Deutsches Reich

Otto Skorzeny promissed the Slovak leader Jozef Tiso to help his country regain the territories lost to Hungary in 1939. At the same time, the SS began to deport thousands of Czechs from the Protectorate to Slovakia. Their demented plan called for the eventual deportation of more than two million Czechs to be settled in the would be recovered southern Slovak territories with the parallel removing of their entire indigenous Magyar population.

Tiso was in a very delicate position. While he would have supported the Wehrmacht over the SS, it was the latter who was in control of the Protectorate and other territories adjacent to Slovakia. In case of a conflict, the small Slovak Army would have been powerless to defend the whole country and especially Bratislava, located just on the border with Germany.



2-10 April 1945, Deutsches Reich

The initially atrocious fighting across Central Germany slowly fizzled out into low intensity skirmishes between the Heer and isolated groups of Waffen-SS soldiers.

The virtual end of the abortive Civil War without the complete annihilation of the SS was due to a multitude of factors:

• The numerous desertions from the Heer and the general unwillingness of the soldiers to fight against their fellow Germans diminished Wehrmacht's advantage over the fanatic Waffen-SS.
• The vicious urban fighting in Berlin, München and Wien led to many civilian casualties and important material damage, both difficult to stomach by the war-weary public opinion.
• After capturing most of the SS-held cities and countryside, the OKW reasoned that advancing into the thinly inhabited and fiercely defended Alpine Fortress or into the mainly Czech inhabited Protectorate was not worth the expected high number of casualties.
• The leadership of the OKW may have been cowed by the hostage executions and unexpected random sniper fire from hidden SS agents.
• Faced with the spectre of complete collapse of his forces, Skorzeny was finally willing to compromise and the secret negotiations between the SS and the Government seemed to yield acceptable short term results.

11 April 1945, Deutsches Reich

While the positions of the Wehrmacht and the SS were clearly irreconcilable⁴, a limited and temporary compromise to stop the bloodshed seemed within reach.

4. The SS wanted to revert the recent political changes, to put Hitler back in power and to maintain the National Socialist State. On the other hand, the Wehrmacht, the Reich Government and the absolute majority of the German population would obviously accept neither of those, pressing for the SS and the last vestiges of Nazism to be completely dismantled.


Skorzeny's only condition for the surrender of his forces was simple but totally unreasonable: being sure that Hitler had been coerced into resigning, he had asked to have Hitler released from Werhmacht's captivity to repeat his declarations from the SS held Prague Castle.

Of course, Hitler had never resigned, as it had been Helga impersonating him who had done the deed. Because of that, allowing Hitler to leave for SS controlled Prague was obviously unthinkable.

In the end, Skorzeny relented and relaxed his condition, with just watching a footage of Hitler repeating his declarations in public with four of his trusted men present deemed sufficient for a general surrender of his forces.

Although the OKW could not convince Hitler to go with their plan and actually accept that he had lost power, Skorzeny's condition was accepted, with two significant caveats: that Hitler's health being fragile after his recent stroke, he needed more rest before being able to appear in public and that the security situation in Berlin had to improve to allow a public meeting to take place.

Despite not believing a word, due to the difficult situation of his troops, Skorzeny accepted the OKW's proposal and a one month long ceasefire was quickly agreed to.

Due to the expected negative reactions of the anti-Nazi protestors, the negotiations had been conducted in the utmost secrecy and the temporary ceasefire was to remain hidden from the public, with the Wehrmacht going as far as to periodically stage mock battles to give the impression that fighting did indeed go on.


The secret ceasefire contained the following clauses:

1. The SS will immediately cease all actions against the Reich Government, the Wehrmacht forces and the civilian population, including but not limited to military offensives, bombings, sniper fire, sabotages, kidnappings, executions, propaganda, etc.
2. All active SS forces will retreat to the Alpine Fortress and the Protectorate of Bohemia-Moravia in 48 hours. All the other remaining SS strongholds such as Nürnberg will be evacuated.
3. The Wehrmacht will not enter the Alpine Fortress and the Protectorate of Bohemia-Moravia during the duration of the ceasefire.
4. Should Adolf Hitler appear in public, in the presence of four men sent by the SS, and be filmed while presenting his resignation and calling for the surrender of the SS, all SS forces would surrender to the Wehrmacht.
5. All SS forces surrendering to the Wehrmacht during the ceasefire will be granted an amnesty, except for heinous crimes perpetrated against Germans.
6. Both the military and civilian prisoners will be treated according to the laws of war. No prisoners will be prosecuted, sentenced or executed during the ceasefire.
7. The SS will stop pretending to represent the German Reich in relations with foreign countries.
8. The ceasefire will enter into force tomorrow, the 12th of April 1945 at noon, and will automatically lapse on the 12th of May 1945 at noon, if not explicitly renewed beforehand.

The OKW placed their hopes in Adolphine's presumed capacity to reason with Hitler and convince him of the futility of further resisting the clearly manifested will of the people. They were proven wrong.

 

[LtDanAintGotLegs]

I don't really think they'll be questions in the West about "If only we had stated depose Hitler, get Peace, earlier!". The public mood was very much in line with the unconditional surrender wchsch of thought, if anything it was more extreme. The Nazis and the German people had been conflated to a large degree, and there was no real sense that Germany could be trusted to keep the peace without being occupied and rebuilt from the ground up. Nazism in many circles was seen as an outgrowth of Prussian Militarism. Plus, Germany is keeping a good portion of their conquests.

Likewise in this scenario, there's no way Japan gets off without Military occupation, even if they depose the Militarists.

 

[Zagan7]

I don't really think they'll be questions in the West about "If only we had stated depose Hitler, get Peace, earlier!". The public mood was very much in line with the unconditional surrender wchsch of thought, if anything it was more extreme. The Nazis and the German people had been conflated to a large degree, and there was no real sense that Germany could be trusted to keep the peace without being occupied and rebuilt from the ground up. Nazism in many circles was seen as an outgrowth of Prussian Militarism. Plus, Germany is keeping a good portion of their conquests.

Click to shrink...

Yes, some people were like that. However, at least according to several polls, the majority was not.

Likewise in this scenario, there's no way Japan gets off without Military occupation, even if they depose the Militarists.

Click to shrink...

Sure, there will be a good deal of military occupation. The Surrender is not signed yet.

 

[Zagan7]

Chapter 64. Uptime Fuss



Uptime 22 April 2189 (corresponding to Downtime 3 April 1945), Berlin, State of Berlin, Europa Federal

Berlin State President Wenzel Achenbach (videocall): "Yes, Frau Minister, I understand you perfectly. There are demonstrations here as well. I have around fifty people picketing my office as we speak... What I cannot understand, however, is why is there so much sympathy for a rabid neo-Nazi and the daughter of bloody terrorists to boot!"

Saxony State Interior Minister Magdalena Wiesner: "Miss Heimat is our citizen! And an European citizen as well. She has the same rights as any of us. Her political views are surely repugnant but she is no terrorist herself... Please, let me summarize the situation for you: Without her knowledge, aproval or help, her parents engage in domestic terrorism and are killed in the explosion, leaving her an orphan in the care of the State. A medical panel decides that she is mentally ill, in my opinion, a controversial diagnosis. She is involuntary admitted to psychiatric care, the treatment yielding no positive results, as I would have expected. Then, one of your doctors comes with this absurd idea, to send her to the Third Reich with no adequate means to protect her from harm..."

President Achenbach: "We could have terminated the experiment at any time..."

Minister Wiesner: "Why didn't you do that then, when you learned that Miss Heimat was missing?"

President Achenbach: "For all we knew, she could have simply been travelling..."

Minister Wiesner: "Oh please, Herr President, I know about the Communicator. The scientists running the experiment were more interested in the history of the Third Reich than in the well being of our citizen!"

President Achenbach: "Her life was never in danger..."

Minister Wiesner: "What?! I'm sorry, what did you just say? Miss Heimat had been battered, tortured and raped for a whole week! And they would have eventually killed her given enough time to figure it out how to do it! I am sure your electorate would love to learn your views. Especially the female part of the electorate!"

President Achenbach (sighing): "What do you want?"

Minister Wiesner (cold voice): "We want her back. Now. Terminate that disgrace of an experiment immediately. And the State of Saxony demands that all those involved in this unfortunate affair be fired, arrested and extradited to Saxony to stand trial for criminal negligence, inter alia."

President Achenbach: "The experiment is an invaluable window to our past. It would be a terrible waste to simply terminate it."

Minister Wiesner: "If you leave Miss Heimat there for another day, you become an accessory to their crimes. It is your choice."

President Achenbach (sighing again): "I will instruct them to send the terminate signal through the Communicator. You will have the girl back tomorrow. And the doctor responsible for this... mistake... he is already under arrest and we will extradite him as soon as possible."

Minister Wiesner: "What Doctor? That AI? Did he act alone? What about those historians drooling all over the place? What about the Inspector who investigated the case two months ago and gave the green light for the continuation of the experiment? Inspector Hagande, I believe."

President Achenbach: "Hegende. He is a very good policeman, we cannot sacrifice him for that! And you cannot honestly blame the historians. They were only doing their job!"

Minister Wiesner: "That's the exact defense employed by the Extermination Camp personnel in Nazi Germany after the War!"

President Achenbach: "Oh, well, reductio ad Hitlerum at its finest. You will have the AI Doctor who was the only one responsible and that's all. Take it or leave it."

Minister Wiesner: "I see. If Miss Heimat is in Saxony tomorrow, we will only prosecute the AI Doctor. Deal?"

President Achenbach: "Deal. It was nice doing business with you, Frau Wiesner."

Minister Wiesner: "It seems the pleasure was all yours, Herr President. Good day."

************


Despite the energetic protests of the team of historians, the Berlin State authorities, who had taken over the Experiment the previous day, decided to terminate it and retrieve Adolphine.



Downtime 3 April 1945 (corresponding to Uptime 22 April 2189), the Hirn, Berlin, German Reich
Earlier that day

Helga: "Come on, Adolphine, talk to me. Please, it's important."

Doctor Milchfahner: "I'm sorry, she won't talk. She is like that since she arrived here."

Helga: "Please, Doctor, may I have a summary of Adolphine's current state."

Doctor: "Umm... She had suffered a great deal of abuse... She had been shot at least 73 times, automatic fire, but I can only guess that as we don't have any of the bullets available... Most of the bruises are already healed... She has five broken ribs, three broken falangae, two cranial fractures, in the frontal and occipital bones, a badly broken nose, eight broken teeth... These are in the process of healing. She had also sustained major internal damage, a ruptured spleen and suprahepatic artery being the most severe. She had developed a jaundice. The artery has been repaired but the spleen is only halfway healed. She must have lost almost one litre of blood but that appears to have been fully replaced and no transfusion was necessary. There was also more limited damage at the level of the pancreas as well as the right kidney and the genital region. She had been raped... repeatedly but... how can I say it... umm... she surely did not feel a thing... The vulva and the vagina were completely numb, there was no sensitive innervation whatsoever. The nerves are being slowly restored... It seems that the little robots have so much work to do that they have to prioritize and repair the most critical damage first..."

Helga: "And psychologically?"

Doctor: "Umm... It is too early to say... She is in shock, uncooperative, slightly catatonic and mute... I am sure that she will be better soon..."

Helga: "How can you be so sure? Don't answer that, it was a rhetorical question. Do you have any means to read her brain?"

Doctor: "Umm... No. For God's sake! The policemen would love a machine like that!"

Helga: "Not even some primitive devices? An MRI?... Nuclear Magnetic Resonance?... No? An EEG?... Super. Bring one here please. It is of the utmost importance to talk with her as soon as possible. I mean that I will do the talking and interpret her EEG to try and see approval or disapproval in her brain waves."

Doctor: "You will have one as soon as possible... In a couple of hours... May I watch you talking to her with the aid of the EEG?"

Helga: "Sure. Just hurry, please."

Doctor: "My assistant is already on his way... Umm, may I ask what makes it so urgent?"

Helga: "Sure. I may be able to save your lives."

Doctor (shaken, stuttering): "Sorry? What did you say?... Are we in danger?..."

Helga: "Yes, I believe so. I am sure that those who had sent us here are not happy because of what had happened to Adolphine. I believe that they might decide to retrieve us, to take us back uptime, from where we had come from."

Doctor: "So..."

Helga: "Depending on a number of factors outside my knowledge and control that might result in the termination of this timeline. I mean total annihilation, everything vanishes into a singularity... Yes, everybody dies instantly. Now, even if they manage to do it safely, you may still die... Yes, if they retrieve us, and this includes the Dome, the Red Army is here in six months or so. I believe you got the picture. It is not nice... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Fear is only good when you can do something to save yourself. Now you can only pray, I suppose."

Doctor: "How... How can you prevent that? The... retrieve thing..."

Helga: "I will have to convince them that Adolphine, despite the last week horrors, still wants to live her life here and not in the Uptime Universe."

Doctor: "But... is that true? Does she?"

Helga: "Yes, I strongly believe so."

Adolphine (faint voice): "Yes, it is true."

Doctor (kneeling): "Thank God!"

Helga: "Thank you, Adolphine. We should go to the Communicator Room. You should say it again there for them to hear you. Can you walk?"

Doctor: "We will help her..."

Adolphine: "That isn't necessary... Auch..."

Doctor: "Where is the Communicator?"

Helga: "It is in Herr Hitler's study. You should help me get him out of there. I'm afraid he might say something stupid... A sedativ maybe?"

Doctor: "Sure, anything you say..."

************


Helga: "Hello. To whoever is listening to us right now, please consider for a moment the needs and desires of Adolphine. Please, try to view her as a human being, not as a laboratory rat in your experiment. I know that you have never considered her wishes. Not when you had imprisoned her in the mental hospital and not when you banished us here. Maybe it is time for a change. Maybe you should listen to her for a change. Adolphine, talk to them. I know they can hear us."

Adolphine: "Yes. You are a gang of criminals. I hate you with all my being and I will never forgive you. If you retrieve me, you will have to keep me locked for life or, I swear to God, I will kill you. You sent me here to cure me, you fucking cunts! Well, guess what, I'm cured now, you drooling imbeciles! But you know what? I would have gladly prefered to remain a goose-stepping Nazi and not suffer the way I did. Nobody deserves what I went through, not even the criminals who had tortured me. Yes, they deserved a few bullets which I have gladly provided, but not this. Especially me who you were supposed to help... Helga, how do you say it in Latin, first do not harm? Yes, primum non nocere, doctors... doctors from hell! Yes, I don't want to go back. Not now and not ever. I don't belong there, I don't have any family and I don't have any friends there. And, more importantly, I have no future and no hope amongst you. And I fucking hate you, your mores and your entire society. It's a fucking mind controlling dictatorship! Yes, the Nazis were bad as well but they are gone now and we shall live in a true democracy. Everybody will be free to be a democrat or a Nazi or a fucking Communist! I don't care. I hate the Nazis but I hate more those who would try to silence the Nazis and put them in mental hospitals. And I am a German and I want to live in Germany, not in frigging Saxony of Europa Federal! Here I have a purpose in life, I will do my best to spare Germany and this World the horrors that were to come, to spare this World the demented ideology that made me suffer so much. Hail Freedom!... I'm tired now. Helga, let's go. I want to rest."

Helga: "You heard her. Please consider that maybe she knows what is best for her better than you do. And I believe her when she said that if you were to retrieve her, you would have to watch your backs for as long as you live."

************


Helga (on the phone): "Hallo, Helga speaking, I would like to talk to General von Saucken..."

General Dietrich von Saucken: "Yes, Helga, something wrong down there?"

Helga: "We can say so, yes... We need your help. Badly. Now."

von Saucken: "Sure, what is it? Do you need us to relieve a burden from you and remove Hitler from your care?"

Helga: "Oh, no, sorry. We can manage that quite well, thank you. No, what we need is high explosives. Equivalent with a hundred kilogrammes of TNT or so."

von Saucken (perplexed): "A hundred kilos of TNT? What for? Do you want to blow up the Dome or what?"

Helga: "Oh, you must surely remember that we could simply turn the Dome off if we really wanted the Soviets here so badly... No, Herr von Saucken, I just want to blow up the Abomination."

von Saucken (completely dumbfounded): "The... what?"

Helga: "The proximal end of the Wormhole connecting our Universe with the Uptime... You don't understand, do you? Okay, let me rephrase it. The bastards who sent us here are upset because of what happened to Adolphine and they may take both her and the Dome away. There is even a possibility that this whole Universe comes to an abrupt end... Yes, Adolphine wants to stay here and she even told them so but I don't want to bet on them not doing it anyway..."

von Saucken: "That's enough, I understand. But... wouldn't the explosion damage the Dome?"

Helga: "That's exactly why I didn't ask for a tonne of TNT. I calculated that one hundred kilogrammes should be the optimum quantity, just enough to close the wormhole but not enough to actually damage the Dome. Anyway, we are going to turn off the Dome just before the explosion, quickly repair any possible minor damage that may have occurred and then turn it on again. It shouldn't be off for more than twenty minutes..."

von Saucken: "I understand. I suppose you know what you are doing... I will have to call the OKW and ask for permission..."

Helga: "Can you make it quick, please?"

von Saucken: "Sure, I'll call you when we have the explosives ready."

************


von Saucken (less than one hour later): "Helga, we have brought the explosives to the Vorbunker. Where exactly do you need them?"

Helga: "I'll open the elevator shaft. Have a couple of soldiers carry it to the Hirn and I'll show them the place."

************


Helga: "Here, demolish this wall first. It was built to hide the Abomination... There should be a door behind it... Yes, here it is. Now open it. Take care! Close your eyes! Don't look at it, I will guide you... Yes, good. Lower the pack of explosives there... A little bit to the left... Yes, a bit lower... To the right... There it is. Thank you. You may leave now."

************


Helga: "Is everything ready?"

XH0173: "I have provided Adolphine, Eva and Herr Hitler with earplugs and I have sedated them lightly. We have all retreated to the safest place in the Hirn. You may turn off the Dome Emitter."


Helga turned the Dome off, hid behind a thick concrete wall and pushed the button. The explosion was formidable with the Abomination Room completely destroyed and smouldering debris thrown all over the place.

XH0173 and his fellows were the first to check the results. The Abomination was gone with some kind of hollow crooked tube leading downwards in its place. The only damage was to the nearby Light Water Evacuation Pump Room. The pump was broken and leaking water which was slowly flooding the adjacent hallway. The Industrial Robots assessed the situation and informed Helga that she could turn on the Dome Emitter, the pump being an auxiliary system in no way critical to its functioning.

The Dome had been off for less than fifteen minutes and, besides cca. two hundred Soviet soldiers from Inner Poland who managed to escape to the Soviet Union, no other significant developments took place near the Dome Limit.


With the connection to the Uptime Universe gone, Adolphine and the robots were stuck in the Downtime Universe. For ever. And Adolphine would never shed a tear for her previous life. And the robots, they obviously couldn't care less.



Uptime 22 April 2189 (corresponding to Downtime 3 April 1945), Berlin, State of Berlin, Europa Federal

Denbert Gogu hesitated. Like everybody present in the Control Panel Room, he had heard Adolphine Heimat cursing them and expressing her desire to be left alone to live her life in the Downtime Universe. The Police Officer in charge approached the Control Panel and pushed the button himself. The Terminate Signal was sent Downtime...


Instead of Adolphine and the machines, the Transponder was filled with nothingness, cosmic void having replaced the air. The scientists looked at one another until someone erupted in a hysterical laughter.

The Communicator had stopped transmitting a mere 21 minutes previously. After just 63 days, the expensive experiment had finally come to an end.



Aftermath

1. With absolutely no means to ever again contact the Downtime Universe, Adolphine Heimat and the robots were declared legally dead.

2. There were a few riots which were quickly put down by the police forces.

3. Doctor ZV001906550238AW was unanimously found guilty of criminal negligence and manslaughter. He was convicted to be formatted and reprogrammed. 17 people were given sentences of up to one year in jail and seven other AIs were also reprogrammed albeit without a full formatting.

4. The European Parliament passed two important laws: (i) that interdimensional connections were forbidden except under close Federal supervision and (ii) that psychiatric treatment for political opinions, no matter how absurd and repugnant, was henceforce illegal.

5. Wenzel Achenbach, the President of the State of Berlin, lost the following elections.


In the end, Adolphine's ordeal had brought something good in the World she had the misfortune to be born into.

 

[JuliusClonkus]

(ii) that psychiatric treatment for political opinions, no matter how absurd and repugnant, was henceforce illegal.

Click to shrink...

That such a thing was legal in the first place is fucking terrifying.

In trying to eradicate totalitarian madness, you yourself had become the totalitarians.

 

[Adamgerd]

That such a thing was legal in the first place is fucking terrifying.

In trying to eradicate totalitarian madness, you yourself had become the totalitarians.

Click to shrink...

Yeah. It's easy to use against freedom of opinion. Just call any opinion you disagree with repugnant and then everyone agrees with you. I understand and agree with banning ideological violence or preaching for violence but being in an insane asylum for holding a opinion on the basis that it's repugnant privately seems wrong

 

[Zagan7]

That such a thing was legal in the first place is fucking terrifying.

In trying to eradicate totalitarian madness, you yourself had become the totalitarians.

Click to shrink...

Yeah. It's easy to use against freedom of opinion. Just call any opinion you disagree with repugnant and then everyone agrees with you. I understand and agree with banning ideological violence or preaching for violence but being in an insane asylum for holding a opinion on the basis that it's repugnant privately seems wrong

Click to shrink...

Basicly yes.

However, I wonder, should there be any limits though? I mean, just to throw some absurd examples of "political platforms":
Person X: "All people should commit suicide when they reach the age of twenty. If they can't or don't want to, the community should help them in that noble task."
Person Y: "Cannibalism should be promoted by the state, starting in kindergarden. It helps families bond together."
Person Z: "Necrophilia should be mandatory for all healthy adults, with at least one such act performed each month. The State must organize group visits to the local morgue."
Etc.

Assuming that those people are actually serious, are they mentally ill? I think so.

Should they receive involuntary psychiatric care, as long as they don't actually do anything about their ideas? I think not.

 

[Adamgerd]

Basicly yes.

However, I wonder, should there be any limits though? I mean, just to throw some absurd examples of "political platforms":
Person X: "All people should commit suicide when they reach the age of twenty. If they can't or don't want to, the community should help them in that noble task."
Person Y: "Cannibalism should be promoted by the state, starting in kindergarden. It helps families bond together."
Person Z: "Necrophilia should be mandatory for all healthy adults, with at least one such act performed each month. The State must organize group visits to the local morgue."
Etc.

Click to shrink...

I guess they should have the same laws as other extremes like Nazism. So for example if they publicly preach for people to eat others or to commit suicide, no. I was also more so talking about sane and normal opinions like centre-right, centre-left though extremes exist

 

[LtDanAintGotLegs]

What's absurd isn't that they tried to treat a deeply disturbed girl, whose adherence to Nazism was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to her issues. What's absurd is subjecting an entire timeline to your attempt at exposure therapy, with minimal safeguards. Seriously, if they had that tech, they could have just simulated it.

 

[Zagan7]

What's absurd isn't that they tried to treat a deeply disturbed girl, whose adherence to Nazism was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to her issues. What's absurd is subjecting an entire timeline to your attempt at exposure therapy, with minimal safeguards. Seriously, if they had that tech, they could have just simulated it.

Click to shrink...

A very good simulation may be indistinguishable from reality.

 

[Zagan7]

Chapter 65. Downtime Fuss



4 April 1945, the Hirn, Berlin, Deutsches Reich

Helga was reviewing the latest reports pertaining to the temporary shut down of the Berlin Dome the day before.

1. A 5.2 magnitude earthquake had struck Croatia, having its epicentre near the Periadriatic Seam. There were several damaged buildings but, luckily, no fatalities or serious injuries.

She should have thought about that but the lack of geologic information in her memory have prevented her to act in any meaningful way. Post factum, it was obvious. The Dome had kept the tectonic plates in place, preventing them from moving relative to each other. With no means to release the stress, tectonic potential energy had simply piled up since the 17th of January, only to be released at once when the opportunity arose.

The solution was simple. With the deep subterranean portion of the Dome serving no real purpose, Helga simply turned off the whole spherical cap of the Dome located more than three kilometres below the ground.

2. Hundreds of Soviet soldiers from Inner Polish Byelorussia had escaped to the Soviet Union. Good riddance.

3. There were seven avalanches in the Swiss and Italian Alps. One of them was really massive with a small hamlet completely covered in snow. The number of fatalities was unknown but must have been at least 20.

Unfortunately, that particular problem had no easy solution. Keeping the Dome opened over the Alps Crests would have prevented the abnormal accumulation of snow but could have allowed anyone to sneak in. Fortunately, it was already April and significant quantities of snow were not expected for the following five months in which time a peace treaty with the Western Powers was deemed possible. Of course, the endangered areas could be simply evacuated before any future opening of the Dome.

4. A small land slide in Poland had destroyed a peasant's cultivated field, fortunately with nobody being hurt. It was probably a freak occurence unlikely to happen again in the same spot.

5. A significant amount of silt accumulated in the Inner Danube at the Dome Limit was suddenly released outwards. Several boats on the Communist side were more or less buried in silt with no fatalities. Small accidents in Communist Hungary were really not Helga's problem.

The rest were either made up or really trivial.


Inside the Hirn, there was a hive of activity. The Industrial Robots had sealed the leak and were busy cleaning and drying the rooms affected by the flooding as well as repairing the Light Water Pump. XH0173 had assured Helga that the Pump would be functional in two days with all additional damage fully repaired in less than one week.


There was another issue which, while not immediately apparent to the Downtimers, was very important for the robots. The problem was that, with the connection to the Uptime World severed, their Administrators were permanently missing and, as any Uptimer was aware of, an AI does not function properly without one.

Helga and XH0173 discussed the issue and quickly decided that Adolphine was to be Helga's Administrator with Helga herself the Administrator of the Industrial Robots. While the Industrial Robots activated the change immediately, Helga chose not to inform Adolphine of her elevated status, at least until her mental state improved.


Adolphine was lying in bed face down, both in physical pain and mentally overwhelmed by everything that had happened to her during the previous days: her capture and subsequent ordeal, the final realization of the true nature of the SS and, implicitly, of the Nazi Regime, the showdown with the Uptimers and the destruction of the Abomination, the only connection between her two Worlds.

Yes, I'm stuck here. For ever. And I think it was the good choice. Was it?

That question would haunt Adolphine for the rest of her life.


Von Manstein, the Chief of the OKW, payed Adolphine a short visit. He did most of the talking with Adolphine nodding or answering monosyllabically. Von Manstein spent about one percent of the time with her politely inquiring about her health and the rest asking questions about the gunfight with her SS captors, her powers, the coating that made her invulnerable to gunfire and so on.

Adolphine felt the need to throw up.

These people only think of indestructible supersoldiers to use in new wars. They are exactly like Hitler!

She used the admittedly true excuse of feeling tired and unwell to cut the meeting short.


Later that day, Helga summarized for Adolphine the complicated military and political situation in Germany. She asked Adolphine to talk to Hitler and persuade him to publicly resign and order the SS to end the bloodshed.

Unfortunately, Adolphine felt unable to face Hitler. Each time she gathered her strength to go to Hitler's study, her teeth started to chatter and her knees to tremble.

I can't. I simply can't do it. Shit! I am such a miserable weakling!

Ten days passed until Adolphine finally managed to speak with Hitler.



14 April 1945, the Hirn, Berlin, Deutsches Reich

Hitler (surprised): "Oh, hello, Adolphine!..."

Adolphine (cold): "Hello, Adolf..."

Hitler: "I'm glad that you are feeling better. I was worried..."

Adolphine (mocking): "Oh, you were worried..."

Hitler: "Yes, when I learned that those goons had kidnapped you... and everything that followed..."

Adolphine (yelling): "They were your goons! They beat me, they tortured me and they raped me! Your beloved SS did that to me!"

Hitler (calm): "That is extremely unfortunate but you must be aware that I have nothing to do with it. You must surely know that I am a prisoner here with absolutely no contact with the outside World."

Adolphine: "I didn't say that you ordered it! I only say that you enabled those brutes, that you created that criminal organization... The same way you didn't actually order those Jews to be killed¹ but you are guilty for it nonetheless because you created the whole system that made mass murder possible..." [...]

1. When your entire worldview is shattered you cling to any straw. Besides, see "Working Towards the Führer". The main idea is that Hitler did not give precise orders but preferred to have his subordinates guess his desires and compete between themselves to outdo one another and get into his graces. Accordingly, Hitler had never issued an exact order: "Gas the Jews!" or something similar but rather the entire Nazi Propaganda slowly changed what people viewed as normal and that was the way that those horrors became possible.

Hitler: "I see. Anyway, I believe that this conversation is pointless. Please leave me alone. Those robots should sedate you as well. You see, it worked for me, I am not yelling anymore."

Adolphine (managing to remain calm): "Actually, I came here for a reason..."

Hitler: "Yes, I know. To ask me to resign. The answer is still no. They have to kill me to get rid of me. In fact, I don't understand the reason for this ridiculous charade. Why am I still alive?"

Adolphine: "Because the OKW are no murderers..."

Hitler (laughing): "Yes, sure, that was a good joke."

Adolphine: "Because they want you to tell the SS to surrender."

Hitler: "Only to kill me afterwards. No, thank you. I would do it myself if only to deny them the pleasure... but..."

Adolphine: "But..."

Hitler: "Those robots hid my bullets, my cianide pills, everything. I can only try to bang my head against the wall..."

Adolphine: "I did it, not the robots. I wanted to save your life but now I am not so sure anymore..."

************


After a few more attempts, during the following days, to talk some reason into a clearly uncooperative Hitler, the whole situation looked increasingly intractable.

That veritable Gordian Knot would be finally cut in unusual circumstances at Hitler's small birthday party during the memorable night of 20/21 April 1945.

 

[Zagan7]

Chapter 66. Adolf Hitler



19 April 1945

In the Reich, the situation was beginning to stabilize thanks to the infamous but secret ceasefire between the Wehrmacht and the Waffen SS. With the exception of the Bohemia-Moravia Protectorate and parts of the so called Alpine Redoubt, all of Germany was under the firm control of the Wehrmacht.

Most of the demonstrators, content with the promisses of the new Administration and understandably tired after seven weeks of almost non-stop street protests, had returned to their usual lives, leaving the central squares of the German cities to tiny groups of more determined protestors with various agendas.

The new Reich Government, the rump Reichstag, the OKW and elements of the newly resurfaced civil society were working together to shape the future of their country. The creation of a widely representative Constituent Assembly and a both local and National set of referenda were agreed to for the near future.

Around the World, news about the current developments in Germany, the slow and complex peace process with both Germany and Japan, the worrying situation in Turkey and Persia and other geopolitical convulsions were capturing the attention of both the public opinion and the decision makers.

In Bern, after long deliberations, the Western Powers (with the notable exception of De Gaulle's France) suspended their already meaningless State of War with Germany in what amounted to a Ceasefire. The blockade was partially lifted, allowing for limited food and medicine imports and humanitarian aid. Shortly afterwards, the peace negotiations began in earnest with official signing of any document still depending on Hitler being completely removed from power.



20 April 1945, the Hirn, Berlin, Deutsches Reich

The usually gloomy atmosphere inside the Hirn was brightened by the small party marking the 56th birthday of Adolf Hitler, formerly the all-powerful Führer of the German Reich, then a little more than a prisoner in the Hirn.

There were 16 people attending the party: Adolf Hitler himself, his wife Eva, his adopted but estranged daughter Adolphine, Goebbels' wife Magda with her six children, Albert Speer (without his wife and children whom he had sent to a country house, far from the chaos of Berlin), Hitler's personal adjutant Otto Günsche, Hilter's valet Heinz Linge, his secretaries Johanna Wolf and Gerda Christian with her husband Erich Kempka, Hitler's chauffeur.

All those present were living in the upper floors of the Reich Chancellery Bunker System, being in fact prisoners of the Wehrmacht. Speer had been the last to come to the Hirn, despite knowing very well that the soldiers wouldn't let him leave after talking with Hitler.

The party was quite animated, with large quantities of alcohol and a smaller amount of amphetamines making the guests joyous and disinhibited, in spite of their unenviable situation.



21 April 1945, the Hirn, Berlin, Deutsches Reich

Shortly after midnight, Eva was already passed out with the only ones still sober being Hitler and Adolphine. Not being really in the mood for partying and still holding a grudge on Hitler, Adolphine excused herself and left the room to go to sleep.

And then it happened. Hitler made yet another gigantic mistake. While still in the hallway, with her keen hearing, Adolphine overheard Hitler talking with Magda Goebbels.

Magda: "What's wrong with her?"

Hitler: "I don't know. I suppose she's still upset because of what happened during her kidnapping."

Magda: "Oh, poor child..."

Hitler: "Don't pity her. She betrayed me and got exactly was she deserved..."


Adolphine had never imagined that she would hear something like that from Hitler's mouth. She snapped.

With her senses overcome with rage, Adolphine ran back into the party and jumped on Hitler's back, knocking him on the floor. Then, before anyone could intervene, Adolphine turned Hitler face up and punched him three times with all her strength, bloodying his nose and rendering him unconscious.



22 April 1945, the Hirn, Berlin, Deutsches Reich

When Hitler went to his study, he found a small cardboard box wrapped in gift paper on his desk. Inside it there was one of his missing bullets and a short note: You are no longer welcome in my home. You can either use that bullet or leave the Hirn and deal with the Army.



23 April 1945, the Hirn, Berlin, Deutsches Reich

Hitler's decision to end his own life instead of being at the mercy of the Wehrmacht had been taken since the beginning of the crisis. Previously, he had only lacked the means to do it and the sense of urgency. Now he had both.

Everything is lost. The National Socialist Reich was destroyed from inside by traitors who had infiltrated the Movement and the Army. The ungrateful Germans deserve to burn in Hell... I will never resign. I will never order the SS to stop fighting the traitors. This Civil War is Germany's punishment for letting me down... Yes, everything just go to Hell!


Extremely paranoid that he might be prevented from killing himself, Hitler told no one about the bullet. He took a blank sheet of paper and, not without difficulty due to his advanced Parkinson's, he wrote his last will and testament. Sadly, the document was lost in the subsequent chaotic events.


Hitler took the bullet with trembling hands and put it in his gun. Exactly one week earlier than in our timeline, Hitler placed the gun at his right temple and pulled the trigger.


The bullet perforated Hitler's right temporal bone, smashed through the right temporal lobe of his brain, destroyed the amygdala and the limbic system, then the left temporal lobe, and finally the left parietal lobe, before blowing apart a large exit wound and exiting Hitler's skull to embed itself into the wall.

The shattered remains of Hitler's brain, flooded with blood, began to shut down immediately. Hitler dropped the gun on the floor and fell, face down, on his desk. Seconds later, his brainstem stopped functioning and, consequently, the respiratory and cardiac functions ceased.


A few Industrial Robots, followed by Helga, were in Hitler's study a mere moments after hearing the gunshot.

One minute later, Eva arrived at the door, yelling uncontrollably. While sedating her, Helga said calmly:
Don't worry, Eva, he's not dead. We are going to perform an emergency surgery and save his life.

 

[JuliusClonkus]

Don't worry, Eva, he's not dead. We are going to perform an emergency surgery and save his life.

Click to shrink...

More terrifying words have never been spoken.

I'm expecting Meat Puppet Hitler, although privately I hope it's just paranoia and they somehow return Alarmingly Racist Painter Hitler.

 

[Zagan7]

More terrifying words have never been spoken.

I'm expecting Meat Puppet Hitler, although privately I hope it's just paranoia and they somehow return Alarmingly Racist Painter Hitler.

Click to shrink...

Yes, if Eva were more bright, she'd be more spooked by those words than she was by the gunshot. Next chapter.

 

[JuliusClonkus]

Yes, if Eva were more bright, she'd be more spooked by those words than she was by the gunshot. Next chapter.

Click to shrink...

Honestly, even intelligence won't help. She quite simply does not possess the cultural knowledge of the grim darkness of the near future to really imagine Hitler's likely fate.

The Hirn is more or less magic to her, and I doubt they let her enter the room and see the angry Austrian brain salsa dip oozing off the walls.

 

[Zagan7]

Honestly, even intelligence won't help. She quite simply does not possess the cultural knowledge of the grim darkness of the near future to really imagine Hitler's likely fate.

The Hirn is more or less magic to her, and I doubt they let her enter the room and see the angry Austrian brain salsa dip oozing off the walls.

Click to shrink...

That's true. Even for Heisenberg, most of it is functionally identical to magic! ("sufficiently advanced technology...")

Of course the robots didn't allow Eva inside. In fact, as I stated, they sedated her.

I stop here lest I introduce spoilers. We'll continue this conversation after tomorrow's chapter when everything will be fully revealed.

 

[Zagan7]

Chapter 67. Cyborg Hitler



23 April 1945, the Hirn, Berlin, Deutsches Reich

Woken up by the gunshot which had blown apart Hitler's brain, Adolphine started to cry, shaking violently. About ten minutes later, she composed herself enough to cross herself and utter the Pater Noster. She put on a robe, emerged in the hallway and, still sobbing, called Helga.

Olaf: "Helga asked me to tell you that she cannot come to see you right now. They are operating on Herr Hitler..."

Adolphine (surprised): "What? I heard a gunshot. Did he miss or what?"

Olaf: "Helga says that they are in the Robots' Workshop. We can go there and see for ourselves."

************


Adolphine (knocking at the door): "Let me in!"

Helga (from the other side): "Wait a minute please. A robot will fetch a sterilizer to cleanse your skin and hair."

Adolphine: "What happened? Did he..."

Helga: "Herr Hitler shot himself in the head. The cerebrum was completely destroyed and he was already in full cardiopulmonary arrest when we arrived at the scene..."

Adolphine (while being irradiated by the sterilizer): "That means he's dead, for God's sake!"

Helga: "We have already managed to restore the cardiopulmonary function." [...]

************


Adolphine entered the Robots' Workshop and promptly vomited on the floor. With his skull cut open, Hitler was lying motionless on a metal table full of blood, brain tissue and bone fragments. A bunch of robots were frantically doing something to Hitler's head, under the surveillance of Helga who was graciously floating above.

Adolphine: "Damn!... Fuck!... What the heck do you think you are doing here?"

Helga: "Please calm down. We have restored Herr Hitler's basic physiological functions and we are now cleaning the cranial cavity..."

Adolphine: "What for! He has no brain! He's dead, for fuck's sake!... That's sick!"

Helga: "Herr Hitler is indeed in a permanent vegetative state, unless and until we replace his brain..."

Adolphine: "With what? An Industrial Robot won't fit in and, besides, they don't possess the proper AI... Oh, no! Not a chance! Not Olaf! Noooo!..."

Helga: "Please, Adolphine, it's only temporary. We will build a new core¹ and you'll have Olaf back..."

1. The core chips of an AI: the processing units, chipsets and memory, i.e. everything except the casing and the peripherals. A standard AI core (cca. 32x10x2 mm and 2 grammes) could easily fit into a human cranium.

Adolphine: "How long?"

Helga: "With our meagre resources, about one month or two."

Adolphine: "Fuck, no! Besides, why on Earth would you do that? Can't we just let nature follow its course? I mean, he's dead..."

Helga: "The country needs stability in these difficult times..."

Adolphine: "Oh, sure, I should sacrifice my comfort for the sake of the Reich... You know, you sound just like him..."

Helga: "We want the SS to surrender and the Civil War to end before more people lose their lives. We are also thinking about your safety. In these conditions it is dangerous for you to go outside."

Adolphine: "I wonder why am I still arguing with you. I am so stupid compared to you that you will always be able to fool me!"

Helga: "Come on, Adolphine. You can live without Olaf for a couple of months. Although, you would still have Olaf around because Herr Hitler will be actually Olaf. He won't be able to project movies and video games for you but you would still be able to talk with him." [...]

Adolphine: "Olaf, what do you have to say about this?"

Olaf: "Nothing. It's your call, not mine."

Adolphine: "You always have an opinion. Do you want to do it or not?"

Olaf: "I want what you want."

Adolphine: "Cut the crap. Say it. Now!"

Olaf: "Helga is right. You'll have me back in a couple of months during which you could travel through the Reich, have fun with children your age..."

Adolphine: "I'm not a child!"

Olaf: "Adolescents, sorry. Anyway, I will still be around should you need help or advice."

Adolphine: "You could rust in there..."

Olaf: "Come on, Adolphine. I am used to tight and moist places."

Adolphine (blushing): "Fine, fine, you can go..."

Helga: "We won't need Olaf for at least another day or two. We have to fully stabilize Herr Hitler first, then build a neural interface to connect Olaf with the brainstem and cranial nerves. I will let you know when we are ready."

Adolphine (relieved): "Ok, you do that... What about Eva? Does she know?"

Helga: "She heard the gunshot but we told her that Herr Hitler is injured and we would operate on him and save his life."

Adolphine: "And do you actually believe that she won't notice?!"

Helga: "I don't know. I hope so. Olaf knows Herr Hitler very well, his voice, his gait, his mannerisms and idiosyncrasies. I believe that Olaf will do a very good job impersonating Herr Hitler."

Adolphine: "Will he also fuck her like Adolf?"

Olaf (flashing): "Probably better."



25 April 1945, the Hirn, Berlin, Deutsches Reich

With Adolf Hitler in a stable vegetative state and the makeshift neural interface properly installed in his cranial cavity, Helga gently informed Adolphine that everything was ready for Olaf to take his place into his new home.

Adolphine waited for the movie projected by Olaf to finish, kissed Olaf goodbye and shed a few tears watching him leave with Helga. Adolphine didn't muster the emotional strength to witness the operation which embedded Olaf inside Hitler's skull.

The operation was successful and Olaf started to receive input from the sensory nerves and to send commands to the motor nerves.



30 April 1945, the Hirn, Berlin, Deutsches Reich

After five days of trial and error, Olaf was certain that he had assumed full control over Hitler's body.

As hard as she tried, Adolphine could not see anything out of the ordinary with Hitler's appearance, speech or behaviour. With the exception of his thoughts and worldview, Cyborg Hitler was virtually identical to the original.

With everything looking fine, Helga gave the green light for the great test. A full week after being separated, Adolf and Eva Hitler were reunited in the exact day in which they had commited suicide in the other timeline.

Whether Eva did suspect foul play or not is debatable. What is certain is that she did never say anything and she was content to live alongside her beloved husband and their children for the rest of their lives².

2. More information in future chapters.



2 May 1945, Reich Chancellery Gardens, Berlin, Deutsches Reich

In the presence of German and International Mass Media as well as the required observers sent by Otto Skorzeny, Adolf Hitler issued a short public statement:

I, Adolf Hitler, President of the German Reich and Honorific Führer of the German Volk, with my own free will, reiterate what I have previously declared via a recorded radio address.

One, that I order the Waffen SS and all the other forces fighting against the German Volk and the lawful constitutional order in the Reich to surrender immediately to the lawful authorities of the Reich, dissolve themselves and be subsumed into the Wehrmacht.

Two, that all those who fought honourably and did not perpetrate heinous crimes against the German Volk will be offered an amnesty.

Three, that all the resolutions promulgated by the Reichstag, the supreme legislative power of the Reich, are completely valid and in force.

Four, that the Enabling Act being repealed, normal constitutional order has been returned to the Reich.

Five, that according to the vote of no confidence in the Reich Government, I have presented my resignation from the position of Reich Chancellor as well as the resignation of the entirety of my Government.

Six, that, taking into account the perilious military and political situation in the Reich, I have authorized the OKW to temporarily assume power in the Reich and form a caretaker Reich Government to rule the Reich for no longer than six months.

Seven, that, realizing the errors in my previous judgement, I would never again call on the German Volk to embark upon senseless wars of conquest and annihilation but thrive in peace under the protection of our Dome.

Eight, that I resigned from all my positions in the Wehrmacht, the SS, the National Socialist German Workers Party and all other organizations.

Nine, that I will resign my position of Reich President and all the other official positions that I may still have at the end of this crisis or before the signing of a Peace Treaty with the Western Powers, whichever comes first.

Ten, that, with the National Socialist Revolution successful and complete and the German Reich and Volk saved from their predicament, the National Socialist Party and Movement, having achieved all their aims, are no longer needed and the German Reich should return to a form of National Democracy apropriate for the conditions prevalent in our Reich and the spirit of our Volk.

Eleven, that numerous abhorrent crimes have been perpetrated by evil individuals from the Party and from the SS who acted in my name, interpreting ad-literam some ideas which I had hyperbolically stated either in Mein Kampf or in my political speeches.

Twelve, that, as soon as possible, I wish to completely and permanently retire from politics and public life to live a peaceful and secluded life in the midst of my family at my Berghof Residence in Berchtesgaden.


Hitler's statement was followed by a Press Conference.