Case file:

A.     Karowyz

Location [redacted]

Date [redacted]

Subject was apprehended on [redacted], at [redacted]. Subject will be cross examined by A Karowyz, [Redacted], of the  [Redacted] . All footage and recording of this examination is deemed security level Alpha, Zero, Zero, Zero, Thetha, One.

The metal door flew open, and with a loud bang it hit the grey, cold concrete wall. This had not been the first time it had been treated roughly,  as a light grey indent had been left from its misuse over the years, decades who knew of men and women forcefully entering the room, and with that a bright light in the ceiling came on like the brilliance of a sun, leaving sharp shadows on the single metal table and set of chairs bolted into the cold hard floor.  Two men in black overalls, entered the room and with black truncheons made their way to the quivering man chained by wrist and arms to the chair that had it’s back facing the door and began to beat him savagely. Before departing and the lights turning off again, plunging the room into the kind of darkness that one rarely encounters, when there is truly no source of light.

Karowyz, opened a black engraved leather notebook, and scribbled some notes. “The technique of placing the subjects back to the door, was increasing the subjects sense of uncertainty.”

I squint as the light came on, closing my eyes against the sudden pain. The muscles in my body tightening trying to prepare for the physical onslaught that always came. I barely hear the door as I tried to concentrate on anything but what was to come. My bare feet, connected to the ground beneath me, I clenched my toes feeling them scrape across the not so smooth service. I could feel bumps and scratches, marks left by those who have come before me, or by me. I can feel my feet, although cold and yet hot with pins and needles through lack of use they are filled with a dull numbing cold ache. A dry swallow, when did they last give me something to drink. I clamp down on my jaw, my teeth have surely cracked from the pressure. The air from the opened door hits my skin, desperate for the fresh oxygen it screams through my sweat drenched clothes for more.

“Hello”

I open my eyes, the man opposite me is well dressed but in clothing, I don’t recognize. Not like the others. He has an unusual haircut, strange that his hair would be the first thing I would notice. It’s long and tied at the back, with the sides shaved. His grey suit has no markings on it so I can’t ascertain his rank, his hands look soft not a grunt, probably intelligence office. Funny how after all this time, my training still takes over. I look down at my own, broken nails, dirty hands covered with my own dried blood, I try to open and close them the movement seems alien to me and it causes some difficulty. Then tendons relax unclenching the fist that have been held so long.

“Can you hear me?” the man repeats.

“My name is Karowyz” he says as he opens a beige folder in front of him.

“I’ve been studying your case for a long time now” he picks out a few pages and puts them in front of him.

“Long time?” I rasp

“Oo yes” he says with a grin.

“You must be thirsty” He beckons to the side behind me and another man walked in with a paper cup of water with a straw. His black books squeaked on the floor, his grey camo gear fitted his muscle body well, but he also had a peculiar hairstyle, that stunned me. His head is shaven, with a spiked tuft sticking out of the back of his head in bright red colors. As the straw hit my lips, I drank gratefully as the liquid rushed down my through burning and soothing as it flowed.

“I see you’re in awe of my colleague's traditional mohawk appearance”  Karowyz nodded to the man and he left.

The hum of the light filled the room, I felt like I was returning to my senses.

“Shall we begin with some facts to bring you up to speed?” He pushed a paper towards me, it was a photostat of a newspaper.

Date May 8, 1945

GREAT WAR ENDS

Paris, May 8 - (By United Press Release) – the allies and Germans signed an armistice at 11 o’clock this morning. The Germans took Reims before the armistice became effective. Hostilities cease at 2’oclock this afternoon.

I looked up at him, “a trick”

“not all”, Karowyz continued producing more news articles about the war and the aftermath.

I read them, looking for signs of editing. I couldn’t get my thoughts straight, it didn’t matter they were fakes.

“Lies” is all I said.

“hm” Karowyz said thoughtfully. “I suppose I should have expected that someone in your position, who had undergone such a lengthy incarceration would have trouble believing”. 

“But” he said cheering up again somewhat, “that is why I’m here to help”.

“Ha!” I barked in laughter, it surprised him as much as it did me. That I still was able to have a sense of humour after all that had happened that I could still find joy in the ridiculous. It was more than a small comfort, that I still had something left.

Karowyz’s smile faltered as he picked out another document.

“You worked at the Svanvik factory in 1932”, he said somewhere between fact and question, looking up at me for an answer.

“Yes, you did” he answer for me, as I looked on impassively remembering my training to not divulge any information.

He continued reading “Your commander there was Dr. Bethe”, Karowyz probed again.

Silence

Karowyz, looked up. “Now, I do hope you will talk to me otherwise this will be a very un-interesting experience”

“If you already know this information there is no need to confirm or deny it” I retorted.

“True, I suppose I wanted to ease into the conversation” he said.

He open a briefcase by his feet took out a black journal and fountain pen. He set them out in front of him at precise right angles, to each other. He pointed to the ceiling.

“The conversation is, of course, being recorded but I like to make notes” he said as unscrewed the fountain pen.

“So, we shall begin” Karowyz on.

“Could you tell me why senior officers such as yourselves, didn’t object to the procedures being carried out at the facility?”.

“I don’t know what procedures you are alluding to?” I said, compartmentalizing my thoughts and to ensure I wasn’t divulging anything through mannerism, wince or eye movement.

“Come now, No need to be so coy” he exhaled and sat back into the very uncomfortable chair.

“It’s all very clearly written in the post-war reports” He pushed the cap back onto his pen.

Karowyz raised an eyebrow, closed the file in front of him, packed up his things and made for the door and turned.

“I’ll send you a guest who might be able to help, jog your memory” and with that he signalled for the door to be opened and he left.

I don’t know how many more days, weeks past. The darkness, the light, food it all rolled into one. Until her.

I opened my eyes from the screaming light to see her in the chair to my left. Her hair covered her face, but I could see from her chest she was breathing deeply, so she was alive.

Light, dark and then her scream woke me with a start.

Case file:

A.     Karowyz

Location [redacted]

Date [redacted]

Subject [redacted] has been introduced to [redacted], at [redacted]. Subject will be monitored for [Redacted]. All footage and recording of this examination is deemed security level Alpha, Zero, Zero, Zero, Thetha, One.

Out of breath, her throat cracking she finally stopped screaming. Her dark hair stuck across her face, it was hard to see her features, but he could make out her full red lips that although chapped and dry had parted to suck in the warm air.

She moved wiped her cheek on her shoulder to brush away her hair and get a better look at him.

“Who are you?” she said suspiciously

“I cannot say, mam?” I said flatly not being able to assess the situation this point.

“Ha!” she barked out a laughter. “A good ol’ army boy”

I looked straight ahead, trying to think of what kind of ploy this was.

“You look kind of old to be in the army” she sneered

I didn’t respond.

“I suppose they’ve put us together to show me what will happen to me if I don’t talk”. She said beginning to raise her voice.

“Well I don’t give a FUCK!” she shouted at the sky as wrung her hands against the metal shackles that gauged into her wrist opening up old wounds, covered in dry red bloody marks. Her whole body shook her chest heaved.

She caught my gaze.

“What are you looking at?” she suddenly stared intently into my eyes. “you filthy piece of shit, you don’t think all the guard have..” she stumbled on her words “had their turn..” she whimpered before silently crying.

“I’m sorry” I said, I calculated. It’s only a name and it did not need to be my real one.

“I’m Ben”

She sniffed a little before replying “Stephanie”.

They sat in silence

“What faction are you?” she asked

I looked at her blankly this time.

“It’s OK, it’s not some big secret” She said with a sly grin.

“I’m part of Fox Rebels, they picked me up in Wilna” she said proudly

I looked at her genuinely confused. “Where is Wilna?”

“Ah!” she scoffed, “you are dumber then you look that you don’t know the capital of Lithuania”

“But..” I started, bit my tongue and thought. Was this compromising information it was not. “Vilnius, is the capital of Lithuania”

This time it was her turn to look at me quizzically “No it’s not”.

She thought a moment, until a thought registered across her face. “how old are you?”

Again I wavered thinking could this information be used in some way to harm, me, my friends or my country. I decided it could not. “28 I said”.

She began to laugh hysterically, obnoxiously, infuriatingly long. I couldn’t take it.

“What?!” I barked.

She stopped and looked at me, still stifling his glee. “You are not 28, I’d guess 58 perhaps, but it’s cute of you to make me laugh especially in a place like this”.

I was in shock, a lump in my throat appeared. I’d been here 30 years? No, it can’t be.

“Hey! You okay?” she woke me out of my thoughts

“Yeah, fine.. fine” I said, racking my brain. Trying to ascertain time, moments gone, people alive now dead.

They came and took her away, after a time. She screamed and tried to fight but a few quick blows and she slumped into their arms.

I drifted light, dark, light, dark.

She was back, in the chair next to me sporting a new black eye and cut lip.

“You should see the other guy” She said laughing and wincing at the pain in her chest that caused her to cough.

“What do these Basterds want?” I asked.

“From me, they want to know everything” she said eyeing him deadpan.

“From you, I don’t know. Maybe they want to find out what it was like before fire was invented” She giggled at her own joke.

“I’m not that old” he said more to himself than her.

She eyed him “Who’s the current president of the United States?”

I thought, public knowledge “FDR”

“nope” She said, with a loud pop. “Who is the leader, the chancellor of Germany?” she teased him

Public knowledge “Hitler”

“nope” She said, again emphasizing the p.

“Now for the final question for 10 thousand Reichsmark’s what year is it”

I thought, and was interrupted

“Ok, Ok. Let me make it easier what decade are we in 2 guesses”

“1930’s” I said not so confidently.

“nope” she quickly followed, prepared for my answer to be wrong.

“1940’s” I said, nervous of what was to follow.

“Nope, 1954” she said with a grin

I stared in disbelief

“I know right nearly a decade since we lost, the war” She said scoffing. “But we’re still fighting”

“You can’t keep us down you PRICKS!” she shouted into the air laughing.

She noticed I hadn’t spoken

“They really did a number on you, huh?!”

I looked at her, not willing to ask but, “how did we lose?”

“How does anybody lose”, she said. “bad planning, bad generals, bad soldiers?”. “but seriously, I think the tipping point was when they took Moscow”.  “The Russians, just had enough of all the rich communist leaders sending their sons and daughter to die”.

I knew the Russians had been allied with the Nazi’s so it must have been a surprise attack. I calculated that It had a vast and growing industrial base east of the Ural Mountains, well out of reach of German forces. And in Joseph Stalin it had one of the most ruthless leaders in world history—a man utterly unlikely to throw in the towel because of the loss of any city, no matter how prestigious.

“What of Stalin”, I asked

“Stalin evacuated the government 420 miles east to Kuybyshev, north of the Caspian Sea, where he was removed from office by his generals, if you know what I mean” She said with a wink.

The door was opened behind me.

Stephanie once more screamed and fought as hard as she could.

Her sobs rang in my ears for I do not know how long after she’d been taken.

Light, Dark, Light Dark.

My eyes red, and my head spinning from days, weeks of unanswerable questions from Karowyz. My head lulls on my neck as I try to focus on my surrounding, on my body. Moving my fingers, my toes which are still attached and functional.

I see Stephanie, next to me. Her head hang down.

“Hey, Stephanie. How are you doing today?” I say with slight jest, to lighten the absurdity of our situation.

She grunts, but doesn’t meet my eyes.

“Hey Stephanie, come on now”

She fidgeted in her seat and moaned in pain, moving her thighs slightly left and right. She was shaking and not from the cold.

She took a few deep breaths to compose herself, and lifter her head. She looked different, I couldn’t put my finger on it..but she was.

“Ben” she said. “Tell me about how things used to be, before all of this.”

“I remember it all to vividly.” I began. “We were fighting for our freedom”. “freedom to love who we wanted, to not be persecuted for where we were from.”

“We knew that we, were fighting for our way of life”. I was getting emotional.

“I remember we had thousands of men die, trying to hold trenches in the middle of nowhere for no reason”. Swallowing, I thought about my friends.

“The captains would blow their whistles alerting the enemy and over we went, ready for them to shoot us to pieces.” It put a smile on my face the ridiculousness of it all.

“Sorry” I stammered, I felt that I be telling a more of a positive story.

 “We had liberated, many cities in France and were preparing for a big push with a new weapon that would have changed everything, the A-Bomb. It was all going to happen on the 6th of June 1944”.

I sighed heavily “but I guess we never made it”

She began to smile and the smile turned into a grin. Her posture changed, he features everything as she started laughing hysterically, maniacally .

“Are you ok?” I hazarded.

Just at that moment, I heard the door behind me open.

*clap clap clap*

“Well done, I’m in awe of your skills” Karowyz said

“What?” Looking around I tried to see who it was.

He came over undid Stephanie’s restrains and they kissed passionately.

- The End-