Assistance (Rolf)

[Annabella Auerbach]

It was her first day on the job. It wasn't very exciting for Annabella. She was actually rather nervous and scared. She was going to be surrounded by Nazis. She was a Jew. She knew she did not belong here, but what could she do? This was the only job she could get and it paid quite well compared to others. She decided to make the day go on as quick as possible and she did not need any trouble. It felt very uncomfortable to be surrounded by a bunch of fascists who thought of her race as nothing but swine. It was a good thing she was disguised as a Catholic or she would've already been sent to her grave.

She was dressed in her best. A knee-length, tight-fitting gray skirt. A white button-up shirt and a gray, working coat. Her hair was in it's usual presentation, yet it was neater than usual. She inhaled. She straightened her skirt. She took one step toward the building. Two step. Three step. Four step. She stopped, her eyes staring at both of the guards standing near the door leading inside the building itself. Both men stared at her but remained in their usual spots. Standing straight up with confidence. She was nothing like that. Anna lacked a lot of confidence due to her past events. She nodded toward both, however, they just kept their gaze on her. It was very uncomfortable. She rushed in, pushing on door open.

She bit the bottom of her lip. She was in. In the hell-hole. It was a long, dimly lit corridor. It was cold. The place felt terribly depressing. She continued her way down the corridor, passing many officers. She kept her face straight and her pace normal. She was going to put on a good presentation that day, no matter what happened. She walked over to the front desk. A slim woman, with short, neat blond hair and gray eyes sat behind it. Anna gazed at the woman for a bit. The woman's eyes lingered onto Anna. She felt a lump form in her throat. "Kann ich Ihnen helfen?" asked the woman. Anna breathed in. "Äh, ja. Ich bin Annabella Auerbach. Ich habe als Sekretärin zugeordnet," Anna replied, with a small smile inching across her face. The woman smiled softly. "Ach ja, Miss Auerbach. Schön, dass Sie über die Zeit auf Sie sind am ersten Tag. Sie zugeordnet wurden zur Unterstützung von Herrn Jager heute. Sein Zimmer ist gerade, und dann Ihnen überlassen sind. Zimmer sechsundsechzig."

[/i] Anna nodded, the woman glanced back down at her papers. "Danke, Frau...?" The woman glanced back up. "Frau Bremann."[/i] Anna nodded, and left. [Translations: [1] May I help you? [2] Um, yes. I'm Annabella Auerbach. I've been assigned as a secretary. [3] Ah, yes, Miss Auerbach. Good to see you on time on you're first day. You have been assigned to assist Mr Jager today. His room is straight, and then to you're left. Room sixty six.]

As she walked down the dimly lit hallway, she couldn't help but remember the woman's voice. It was quite smooth and angelic. Were all the woman like that? She sighed, moving down the hallway, glancing at each door's number. Number sixty-three, number sixty-four, number sixty five... Ah, number sixty-six. She stopped in front of the door. What was the man like? She waited for a bit until she finally lifted her trembling arm up. It reached the door. She waited for one last second. Then she knocked. She gazed at the door in front of her. Was the man there? May be he wasn't? She closed her little conscience. She only stood there for five seconds and her conscience began to ask such questions. This day needed to go smoothly well or else she would find herself fired and back to her original state, which wasn't good.[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Rolf Jäger]

The days of Helga Thalmann were filled with the constant sounds of typewriters tapping, phones ringing and the heels of jackboots hitting the polished floors of the office complex. To her it had become a comfortable background buzz which seemed to calm her down and she would proudly admit that she was an office worker to blood and core. The blonde woman, now in her forties, governed over the younger secretaries with an iron-hand and she was the one making sure that the wheels of Reich bureaucracy in this particular office were kept constantly rolling. Helga had just finished typing a report in, when her ears first registered the sound of someone, most definitely a female, making her way towards her table in the corridor. Her cold, blue eyes raised up from the typewriter and she saw a young woman in neat clothes making her way towards the space occupied by five other secretaries. Helga's gaze followed the young and apparently nervous woman, observing as she stopped behind one of the doors and after some spot of hesitation, raised her hand to knock carefully on the door. Helga's eyes squinted slowly and her lips pursed with distaste - that woman looked green around the gills! What did they expect from Helga, anyway? She had neither the time or interest in teaching all the new secretaries what they should be doing.

With a heavy sigh, Helga rose from her seat and raised her voice. "Der Hauptmann ist nicht hier, er verspätet sich ... als immer," the woman added more quietly. "Sie müssen der neue Sekretär sein, den sie, richtig sandten? Kommen Sie hier, Mädchen," The older woman was already walking towards a neat, unoccupied desk and she patiently awaited until she had the young woman's attention. "Es war Annabella Auerbach, wenn ich nicht verwechselt werde. Hier ist Ihr Schreibtisch. Schreibmaschine. Stifte. Papier. Anrufen. Alle Dinge brauchen Sie. Ich hoffe, dass Sie lieber als das vorherige Mädchen tun, das sie sandten, sie dauerte für länger nicht als eine Woche hier," there was more than just a hint of loathing in the older woman's voice and apparently she was not going to be very friendly towards the newcomer - not until she had proved her skills, at least. "Für jetzt können Sie nur sitzen und warten. Wenn Sie irgendwelche Fragen haben - hoffe ich aufrichtig, dass Sie tun nicht - dann fragen mich. Wenn Sie müssen," Helga stated coldly, eyeing the young brunette. She seemed jumpy, she would not last here very long. Things at the office were very hectic and the girl had been assigned to a officer who could sometimes prove quite difficult to communicate with. Not only did his schedules have the habit of changing ever so often - he was eccentric to say at least.

Helga had hardly finished with her rather unceremonious speech, when the sound of jackboots sounded from the corridor - a rather young Luftwaffe officer was making his way towards his office. He was wearing the blue-gray uniform of the Luftwaffe, although the tunic was now covered with a black custom-tailored leather jacket decorated with the soaring, swastika-grasping eagle of the German Air Forces. There was an arrogant swagger to the man's step and he hardly seemed to notice any other people around him - the sight alone made Helga expel a tired sigh, it was so very characteristic to Hauptmann Jäger, indeed. The man's sandy hair was now covered by the peaked officer's cap and he was carrying a pair of leather gloves in his other hand, his chin slightly tilted up in a gesture of superiority.

Rolf Jäger was quite aware of the fact that his demeanor was both egoistic and vainglorious, but he hardly cared if other people disapproved of his manners. As long as they showed him proper respect and did what they were supposed to, their opinions mattered little to the Luftwaffe Hauptmann. Besides, right now he was in rather high spirits, even after being forced to yet another session of instructing new pilots. The weather was pleasant and he had been able to arrive at the offices on his motorcycle, Mitzi, which explained the leather gloves he carried with him. He had already plotted a way to make his stay at the office as brief as possible and figured that taking care of paperwork would take two hours at most. The man, ever so graciously, nodded at some of the secretaries, but frowned once he saw the cold, disapproving stare of Helga Thalmann - what a witch! The older woman seemed to always carry that sour, unfriendly scowl on her face and Rolf hated seeing her each time he visited his office. However, this time she was, accompanied by a younger, lithe woman, one Rolf had not seen around the office previously. His interest now peaked, the man passed by the door to his office and flashed a roguish smile at the timid young female, the man's steel-grey eyes locked on her even when he was addressing the head secretary. "Guter Tag zu Ihnen, Helga. So gut, zurück am Büro wieder zu sein. Und ... der könnte dieses ziemlich kleine Ding sein?" Rolf asked, removing the peaked cap from his head and placing it under his arm as Helga again pursed her lips before answering the man's question. "Herr Hauptmann, ist hier der neue Sekretär, um den Sie baten. Annabella Auerbach. Sie kam eben erst an."

"Oh, ist das so? Begrüßen Sie dann, Fräulein Auerbach," the man extended his hand to shake hers, his eyes glued to the young woman in an almost invasive manner. The new secretary was pleasing to the eye, although did not quite fill the standards of a proper Aryan with her brown hair and eyes. Still, she had a pleasantly lithe body and two large, almond-shaped eyes decorating a delicate, well-defined face. Definitely so much better than looking at the horrible hag that was Helga Thalmann - oh indeed, so much better! "Ich bin Hauptmann Rolf Jäger, gut um Sie zu haben hier, Fräulein Auerbach arbeitend. Tatsächlich glaube ich, dass ich die erste Job-Anweisung für Sie bereits habe! Ergreifen Sie etwas Papier und einen Kugelschreiber und kommen Sie zu meinem Büro bitte," Rolf released the woman's hand very slowly and flashed a brief smile at her again. Helga merely grumbled as she returned to her desk, leaving the young secretary on her own.

With long, arrogant strides, Rolf was already walking towards his office and he opened the door, leaving it open for Annabella. The Hauptmann's office was either kept painstakingly neat by the office staff or the man rarely spent time in the simple, white-walled room. Either way, it had hardly any decorations besides the mandatory picture of the Führer and a few photos of horses and fighter planes set on the walls. A draped window opened up to the street on the other wall and besides that, there was only the office desk with two wooden chairs on both sides, a nearly empty bookshelf, a coat hanger and an extra desk with a typewriter next to the wall. Rolf set both his leather jacket and his peaked cap on the coat hanger and walked to his desk, turning the stack of papers and folders around with two of his fingers. He grumbled low under his breath - he hated paperwork, he hated offices and most of all, he hated being confined inside these dismal walls. He would have so much preferred being outside, doing anything else but sorting through a bunch of papers, but it seemed that responsibility and rank came with several monotonous and annoying tasks such as this.

As the new secretary made her way inside his office, Rolf was pleasantly reminded that, at least this time, he had something to distract himself with. She seemed enjoyably jumpy and unsure - something which, Rolf had found out, could provide him with various opportunities for having fun. The man regarded Annabella from under his brows and gave the woman a rather disturbing, predatory smirk. "Bitte, nahe die Tür und setzen Sie sich," Rolf pointed at the simple wooden chair in front of the desk. "Es war Annabella, Recht ..? Ich hoffe, dass Sie nicht achthaben, wenn ich Sie gerade Anna nenne, ist das dieser Weg so viel leichter." This, of course, was not really a friendly question so much as a statement and Rolf continued before the woman had time to answer. "So, Anna, werde ich viele von Ihnen außer dem Wissen nicht fragen, wie man tippen wird und sehr vorsichtig und schnell mit den gegebenen Aufgaben zu sein. Ich bin nicht sicher, wie viel Helga Ihnen erzählte, aber ich viel Toleranz für Fehler nicht habe," the man pushed the folders away from himself as he talked, walking around the desk and sitting on it's edge casually to regard the young woman. He rested his other hand on his wrist, his grey, sharp eyes locked on her and a sly, maybe even dangerous smile slowly appearing on his lips. "Der letzte Sekretär, den sie hier sandten, hatte sie Schwierigkeiten, einfache Regeln als diese und ... zu verstehen so, wie Sie sehen können, arbeitet sie hier mehr nicht. Aber ich bin sicher, dass Sie Ihre Aufgaben viel geschickter behandeln können als sie. Sind ich Recht... Anna?"


Translations:

"Der Hauptmann ist nicht hier, er verspätet sich ... als immer."
"The Hauptmann is not here, he is late... as always."

"Sie müssen der neue Sekretär sein, den sie, richtig sandten? Kommen Sie hier, Mädchen."
"You must be the new secretary they sent, correct? Come here, girl."

"Es war Annabella Auerbach, wenn ich nicht verwechselt werde..."
"It was Annabella Auerbach, if I'm not mistaken. Here is your desk. Typewriter. Pens. Paper. Phone. All the things you need. I hope you do better than the previous girl they sent, she did not last for longer than a week here."

"Für jetzt können Sie nur sitzen und warten..."
"For now you can only sit and wait. If you have any questions - I sincerely hope you do not - then ask me. If you must."

"Guter Tag zu Ihnen, Helga. So gut, zurück am Büro wieder zu sein. Und ... der könnte dieses ziemlich kleine Ding sein?"
"Good day to you, Helga. So good to be back at the office again. And... who might this pretty little thing be?"

"Herr Hauptmann, ist hier der neue Sekretär, um den Sie baten. Annabella Auerbach. Sie kam eben erst an."
"Herr Hauptmann, here is the new secretary you requested. Annabella Auerbach. She arrived just now."

"Oh, ist das so? Begrüßen Sie dann, Fräulein Auerbach."
"Oh, is that so? Welcome then, Fräulein Auerbach."

"Ich bin Hauptmann Rolf Jäger..."
"I am Hauptmann Rolf Jäger, good to have you working here, Fräulein Auerbach. In fact, I believe I have the first job assignment for you already! Grab some paper and a pen and come to my office, please."

"Bitte, nahe die Tür und setzen Sie sich."
"Please, close the door and sit down."

"Es war Annabella, Recht...?"
"It was Annabella, right..? I hope you don't mind if I just call you Anna, it's so much easier that way."

"So, Anna, werde ich viele von Ihnen außer dem Wissen nicht fragen..."
"Well, Anna, I won't ask much of you, besides knowing how to type and being very careful and fast with the tasks given to you. I'm not sure how much Helga told you, but I don't have much tolerance for mistakes."

"Der letzte Sekretär, den sie hier sandten..."
"The last secretary they sent here, she had trouble understanding simple rules as these and... well, as you can see, she does not work here anymore. But I'm sure you can handle your tasks much more skillfully than her. Am I right... Anna?"

[Annabella Auerbach]

The first thing the young girl heard was the voice of a woman. She turned to gaze at the woman for a few lingering moments, examining the woman's details. She was a big one with blond hair. Much more larger than the previous secretary at the front desk. She gazed at the woman, concentrating on the way she looked rather than what she spoke of. The woman looked like a cow. Ah, maybe her thoughts went too far but it was the truth. She couldn't help but work up a small smile due to her remark. It quickly faded away as the woman continued to speak. Words. Words. Words. Agh, why wouldn't the woman just be quiet? One thing that really irked Annabella - talkative people.

Before Anna could have had a change to take any action, she heard sound of boots. That was when she turned around, gazing at a man with sandy blond hair. He looked quite respectable. Very professional, yet, he looked slightly tacky in such uniform. She had always thought military uniform was tacky but of course, she would keep that remark to herself. She kept her gaze on him for a few seconds. "D-Danke, herr," she said, softly. He extended an arm, gesturing her to shake it. Was it safe? She exhaled softly, shaking his hand. His grip was slightly firm. It was unsurprising for a man like him.

Hauptmann? That was quite a high rank indeed. The man asked her to get a paper and a pen and follow him into his office. Maybe he didn't really ask her, maybe it was an order, and the order had to be followed if she wanted to last here. At least for the first hour of her first day as a secretary to a respected military young man. She quickly rushed towards her desk, her four-inch heels making sounds as she hassled. She took grip of the nearest pen and paper, almost tripping on the chair. She held her balance, gazing up at the woman, apparently called Helga. The woman gave her a disapproving look. She was starting to dislike the woman.

She walked in, closing the door as told. It was then, that the young Jewish lady felt a lack of severe comfort. Her hand slightly trembled but she let it slip. She turned to gaze at the man with a straight face on. She silently walked over to the wooden chair he directed her to sit in and sat down. She placed both the pen and paper on her weak lap. Anna? Well, she didn't really mind, but well, it was a nickname only the closest called her. "Nein, Sir. Ich habe nichts dagegen. Ich stimme ganz, Annabella's einen Schluck," she said softly, with a small smile inching across her pale face. She listened to his next speech. Her eyes slightly trailed away, glancing down at her lap. She picked up the pen, tapping it a few times on the piece of paper. This is what she usually did when she was in a severe case of nervousness. She gazed up, watching the man walk around the desk and sitting a little closer to her. The uncomfortable feeling grew even more. She kept her mouth closed and her eyes steadily on his. She nodded at his next set of words and replied, "Ja, Sie haben völlig Recht, Sir. Ich bin sicher, ich kann keine Aufgabe, die Sie mir geben, auch wenn sie's jumping off Mount Everest oder sogar feuern mich Griff ... Ach, es tut mir leid. Ich neige dazu, ziemlich viel, Geschwätz Herr, als ich bin .. er, nervös." she slightly chuckled at her statement, her wrist slightly trembling. She gazed back up at him. [Translations: [1] No, sir. I don't mind. I do quite agree, Annabella's a mouthful. [2] Yes, you're quite right, sir. I'm sure I can handle any task you give me, even if it's jumping off mount Everest or even shooting myself... Ah, I'm sorry. I tend to babble quite a bit, sir, when I'm.. er, nervous.]

[Rolf Jäger]

Rolf watched as the woman's slender fingers curled around the pen, her hands trembling ever so slightly as she did so. A small smile inched it's way on the woman's lips and she carefully locked eyes with Rolf. It was now that he noticed how pale her skin was, a strong contrast to her dark hair, almost as if she had not been feeling too well lately. For a moment it seemed as if the woman would bolt from her seat, burst into tears or do something else equally dramatic, but then she answered the Hauptmann's question in a small, soft voice. Rolf listened to her and a languid, interested smile lingered on his lips - he was already imagining how effortlessly he could push her around, just to see how easily she would break. It was a game the man had found himself immensely enjoying, another way of imposing his power upon others, playing with them like they were mere objects. That was what other people were there for, anyway - to be used, experimented on, to be toyed with. And she seemed like such a sweet object for just such games, so delicate and fearful. All it would take was a nudge and then... The possibilities were endless, now weren't they?

The man listened as Annabella, or naturally just Anna to him now, spoke carefully, saying how she was ready to handle any task Rolf gave her, be it either jumping off Everest or shooting herself. Rolf, still sitting on the edge of his desk, suddenly burst out laughing and his grey eyes became squinted, the sound of his laughter echoing from the wooden walls of the office. It was a relaxed laugh, although it carried a hint of foreboding to it - enough to make the listener doubt if the man was genuinely amused or not. "Sprung vom Everest! Ich bin sicher, dass es dazu nicht kommt, Anna der Sekretär!" Rolf managed to mirthfully point out in the middle of his guffawing.

Then, very suddenly, the laughter ended without a warning and only a lazy smile was left lingering on the man's lips. He had heard Anna's words about how she babbled when she was nervous and noted them. The man raised his eyebrows slowly, leaning towards Anna from his desk to regard the young woman better, enjoying the fact that he could look down at her. "Nervös... Warum jemals würden Sie hier, Anna nervös sein? Sie sind unter Freunden hier," the man tilted his head to the side to emphasize his statement, although the soft, slow way the man spoke the words in seemed dangerous somehow. His steely, cold grey eyes stared at the young secretary for a good while, as if the man had meant his words as a threat after all, as if he was just waiting to see if the woman would bolt if he only stared at her long enough. Then the man sat up straighter and slapped his knee as he got up from his seat. "So, genug Spaß zu haben, wollen wir eine geleistete Arbeit bekommen," the uniformed man stated casually, walking towards the window as he pondered something. "Ja.. Schreiben Sie das nieder und bekommen Sie es Recht das erste Mal. Ich werde diese Dinge zweimal nicht sagen. Für den General Hans Geisler, Kommandeur der 10. Flieger-Division," Rolf said slowly, clearly already thinking about his next words. "Der Bericht auf dem Fortschritt der Ausbildung der 1. Luft unterstützt die Jagdgeschwader Lehreinheit der Gesellschaft, Berlin..." the man's next words seemed to fade away as he turned around slowly, still staying in front of the window.

His steel gray eyes were now squinted, as if in deep thought and Rolf raised a finger up, pointing it at Anna and shaking his head as he walked back to stand next to the heavy oaken desk. He delayed his next words for a moment, waving his finger about, his mouth slightly open as if the words were just trying to find their way out. Of course, he deliberately wanted the woman to grow worried of his next words. "Ich begriff gerade. Sie sehen vertraut aus... Sind Sie nach Stuttgart gewesen? Heidelberg? Ich bin sicher, dass ich Sie vorher gesehen habe... Woher kommst du, Anna? Ich habe die Zeit nicht gehabt, um Ihren Hintergrund offensichtlich zu studieren, wir brauchten einen neuen Austausch so schnell," the man muttered his last words, placing his hand in his pocket and stroking his chin thoughtfully with the other. "Vielleicht kenne ich Ihre Eltern?" the man suggested with a raise of his eyebrows, staring almost obtrusively at the pale-skinned female.


Translations:

"Sprung vom Everest! Ich bin sicher, dass es dazu nicht kommt, Anna der Sekretär!"
"Jump off the Everest! I'm sure it doesn't come to that, Anna the secretary!"

"Nervös... Warum jemals würden Sie hier, Anna nervös sein? Sie sind unter Freunden hier."
"Nervous... Why ever would you be nervous here, Anna? You are among friends here."

"So, genug Spaß zu haben, wollen wir eine geleistete Arbeit bekommen."
"Well, enough having fun, let's get some work done."

"Ja.. Schreiben Sie das nieder und bekommen Sie es Recht das erste Mal..."
"Yes.. Write this down and get it right the first time. I won't say these things twice. For General Hans Geisler, Kommandeur of the 10. Flieger-Division."

"Der Bericht auf dem Fortschritt der Ausbildung der 1. Luft unterstützt die Jagdgeschwader Lehreinheit der Gesellschaft, Berlin..."
"Reporting on the progress of training of the 1st air support company's Jagdgeschwader training unit, Berlin..."

"Ich begriff gerade. Sie sehen vertraut aus..."
"It just struck me. You look familiar... Have you been to Stuttgart? Heidelberg? I'm sure I have seen you before... Where are you from, Anna? I have not had the time to study your background, obviously, we needed a new replacement so quickly."

"Vielleicht kenne ich Ihre Eltern?"
"Maybe I know your parents?"

[Annabella Auerbach]

The atmosphere was severely tense. It was if the next minute, the poor Jewish woman would break into sobs. The atmosphere twisted due to the outbreak of the Luftwaffe. His laughter rang through her ears. She kept her gaze on the man as he kept laughing on and on. She slightly flinched and her eye twitched. The man's laugh was haunting. Disrupting. Insane. Remorse. All of the above. She just stood there staring at the man, waiting for his laughter to finish. It was as if her eyes were glued to his and they just couldn't free themselves from his.

The laughter stopped. She breathed out a small sigh of relief, although she hoped that was unnoticeable. "Sprung vom Everest! Ich bin sicher, dass es dazu nicht kommt, Anna der Sekretär!" A small smile appeared across her face. "Man kann nie wissen, Sir, könnte es passieren," she replied, softly. His next set of words stung her like a bee. She wasn't expecting his words at all. "Nervös... Warum jemals würden Sie hier, Anna nervös sein? Sie sind unter Freunden hier." The young woman just gazed at the man for a few seconds. Ah, aber natürlich, bin ich noch hier neu. Ich habe die Chance nicht gehabt, viele zu treffen." [Translations: [1] You never know, sir, it could happen. [2] Ah, but of course, I'm still new here. I haven't had the chance to meet many.]

Then the work began. She placed the tip of her pen at the beginning of the paper. She watched Hauptmann Rolf walk over to the window and gaze outside. She wondered what the man was thinking. His speech began. Before she could think another thought, she began trotting down words on the piece of paper. She believed he was sending a letter to a man called General Hans Geisler. She made sure she wrote each word with perfect spelling, for perfection always led to success. His last words trailed off. She stopped writing. The tip of her pen was standing next to 'Berlin'.

The next thing she knew, she was gazing up at the man shaking his head and pointing at her. Pointing was awfully rude but she let it slip. She watched him walk over to the oak desk. She felt slightly confused at that second. When the man referenced to Stuttgart and Heidelberg, she shook her head, "N-Nein, mein herr," she let the man continue to speak. "Ich bin von München, Herrn," she replied to his question. Then he referred to her parents. That made a lump form in her throat. Her parents. Her past came back to her now. It haunted her. The gunshots. The screams. The terror. "Ich bin nicht wirklich sicher, wenn Sie sie wissen, aber, leider wurden meine Eltern in der Bombardierung vor ein paar Jahren getötet. Bombardierter ... durch die Französen." she lied. The girl's parents were really shot by the Nazis. [Translations: [1] I'm from Munich, sir. [2] I'm not really sure if you know them, but, unfortunately, my parents were killed in bombing a few years ago. Bombed... by the French. ]

[Rolf Jäger]

There was something to the girl's nervousness and fear, something which caused the young Luftwaffe officer to peer his eyes as he watched her reactions unfold. It was understandable, of course, for a young woman to be nervous on her very first day of work, surrounded by all these strict and important German officers, but still... Rolf tilted his head slightly as he listened to Anna, the girl's words only barely finding their way out of her mouth in one nervous stumble. She said she had not been either to Stuttgart or Heidelberg and that her parents had died just a few years ago. Rolf arched an eyebrow and shook his head in apologetic manner.

"Tot? Oh, ich bedauere so schrecklich, das zu hören, Anna," the man said in a softer tone of voice, although his eyes betrayed the man's true emotions. He cared little for Anna's parents - war killed people each day and Rolf simply had little if any sympathy for most of them.

He had never experienced the loss of a loved one himself and did not have the slightest clue how it must have felt. Then again, love was an almost foreign feeling to him, anyway. Naturally he cared for his parents, they had demanded a lot from him, but had been as kind and loving towards their coltish son as they could. He also cared deeply for his horse, Lotti, back in Donzdorf, one he had raised and trained from a mere filly all on his own. Besides those three, he had cared very little for anyone or anything so far. He had a very cold, practical relationship with his fiancée Elsa and had not seen the young woman for a long time. He doubted if he really wanted to get married and had really no idea why he had agreed to get engaged with Elsa in the first place - it had seemed like a practical thing to do after he had settled into studying law in Heidelberg. Certainly, he liked the girl, but love...? Being shackled by such a foolish feeling seemed like an absurd idea to him. On many occasions he had figured that he should call the engagement off since it was certainly not going anywhere, but had just postponed the whole process due to having more important things to do. Maybe she would grow tired of Rolf's indifferent attitude soon and make the decision on her own, saving him the trouble.

So, no. Rolf could not find even an ounce of sympathy for Anna's loss and even though his tone of voice was masked as being regretful, this faked feeling failed to reflect from the man's cold, grey eyes. "Ich bin zu München ein paar Male gewesen, aber... ja, vielleicht stellte ich mir gerade Dinge vor. Vielleicht erinnere ich mich nur an jemanden, der ähnlich Ihnen aussieht," Rolf admitted casually and seemed to grow quickly bored of the discussion. Then some new thought seemed to surface itself as the young Hauptmann's eyes glinted with new-sparked interest. "Also, haben Sie sogar einen Mann dann, Anna nicht? Ist nicht es sehr schwierig für eine junge Frau, alle selbstständig in einer großen Stadt wie Berlin zu leben?" the man asked, obviously not bothered at all by the fact that he was being very obtrusive and rude with his various personal questions. It was his goal, anyway, to push and prod the young woman and see how she would respond to being quizzed so closely. Would she be on the verge of tears soon? How important was this job to her? Was it important enough for her to put up with the Hauptmann's troublesome questions or would she give up and leave before her very first day at the office was through?

Rolf decided to change his approach slightly and he smiled that relaxed smirk of a predator playing with his prey. Once again, he settled into sitting on the edge of his desk, the other hand still in his pocket and the other resting casually on his thigh. "Ich finde, dass es hart glaubt, dass solch ein hübsches Ding als sich selbst Anspruch auf Herzen eines jungen Soldaten noch nicht gelegt hat," the man complimented, his voice suddenly low and husky. He was fully aware that his words, so casually said by a complete stranger, might instill anxiety in the young woman, but this naturally just served his original purpose of making the poor little secretary feel uncomfortable. He enjoyed the look in her confused brown eyes as she frantically tried to find the proper answer. Her fear gave him power over her and the feeling of having such a strong grip over someone's reactions filled him with an euphoric bliss.


Translations:

"Tot? Oh, ich bedauere so schrecklich, das zu hören, Anna."
"Dead? Oh, I'm so terribly sorry to hear that, Anna."

"Ich bin zu München ein paar Male gewesen, aber... ja, vielleicht stellte ich mir gerade Dinge vor. Vielleicht erinnere ich mich nur an jemanden, der ähnlich Ihnen aussieht."
"I have been to München a few times, but... yes, maybe I was just imagining things. Maybe I'm only remembering someone who looks similar to you."

"Also, haben Sie sogar einen Mann dann, Anna nicht? Ist nicht es sehr schwierig für eine junge Frau, alle selbstständig in einer großen Stadt wie Berlin zu leben?"
"So, have you not even a husband then, Anna? Isn't it very difficult for a young woman to live all on her own in a big city such as Berlin?"

"Ich finde, dass es hart glaubt, dass solch ein hübsches Ding als sich selbst Anspruch auf Herzen eines jungen Soldaten noch nicht gelegt hat."
"I find it hard to believe that such a pretty thing as yourself has not yet laid claim on some young soldier's heart."

[Annabella Auerbach]

It stung her to be in a room with a man such as himself. It wasn't an honour, it was a disgrace. She couldn't defeat his gaze. Her eyes just locked on his. She felt trapped. Her thoughts were now flowing. She wanted to run off but she did not want to lose this job. This job meant the world to dear Anna. It was growing a bit stuffy and hot in the room. All she could see was this man. This dreadful man. This utterly confusing man. If she ran off, she had no other place to get a new job. This job was all she could get so she had to endure this man's actions, even if she had to die trying to! Yes, she was going to cope with the man, even if his remorse choice of words surrounded her day by day.

Remembering her parents just made her life even more of a living hell. The event stung her like a bee. The gunshots and screams. That's all poor Anna heard. All she saw that day was blood spluttering all over the barn walls. It was disgusting to look at. She had to run. She couldn't bare watching such a thing. Her eyes watched the man confusingly. What was he getting at? He sat down at the edge of the table again. She felt a cold shudder trickle down her weak spine. Her hands couldn't lift themselves off her lap. She felt so lifeless and senseless at that single moment. Her mouth couldn't open. She was a few inches in front of a man who was part of the Nazi party. A man that would kill her in less than two seconds if he found what she really was. A Jew.

"Also, haben Sie sogar einen Mann dann, Anna nicht? Ist nicht es sehr schwierig für eine junge Frau, alle selbstständig in einer großen Stadt wie Berlin zu leben?" This made Annabella blink a few times. A husband? Wasn't she a bit too young to get married? She was twenty-three and she wasn't thinking of marriage just yet. She wanted to live her life first. If she were to marry, she would marry a decent man, and nowadays, you didn't find many of those sorts of men. She chuckled nervously and replied, "Ehe? In diesem Alter, Herr? Ich möchte auf ein bisschen warten. Ich bin noch dreiundzwanzig." [Translations: Marriage? At this age, sir? I'd like to wait for a bit. I am still twenty-three.]

She noticed the man's facial expression. This made her grow even more uncomfortable. Now she felt hot and very uncomfortable. This was so horrible. She glanced down at the pen and paper, both sitting very neatly on her lap. She tried her best not to keep contact with that smile of his. It looked disgustingly creepy. She wondered what was going in the man's head. "Ich finde, dass es hart glaubt, dass solch ein hübsches Ding als sich selbst Anspruch auf Herzen eines jungen Soldaten noch nicht gelegt hat." She gazed back up at the man, a little bit alarmed this time. "So, es ist ziemlich hart, einen anständigen Mann heutzutage, Herrn zu finden." her words just slipped out. [Translations: Well, it's quite hard to find a decent man nowadays, sir.]

[Rolf Jäger]

Rolf was able to sense how quickly the mood in the room had changed from the somewhat neutral feeling of a regular office to that resembling a Gestapo interrogation room. The air was thicker and heavier, almost depressing in a way. Rolf could almost imagine the sound of the young woman's quickly beating heart even though he could not actually hear it. He drank in the powerful feeling, his eyes closing slightly and a small smile lingering on his lips. Even Anna's small chuckle seemed nervous and fearful - people often laughed when they were unsure, maybe to relax or give others the illusion of inner serenity. Her brief laughter was followed by cautiously placed words. "Ehe? In diesem Alter, Herr? Ich möchte auf ein bisschen warten. Ich bin noch dreiundzwanzig," the dark-haired girl answered, her gaze kept on the Hauptmann. "So, es ist ziemlich hart, einen anständigen Mann heutzutage, Herrn zu finden."

Rolf's ominous smile forced the girl to look away and Anna's eyes fell to her hands instead. Forcing someone to eventually look away was something of a victory to the young Luftwaffe officer and the muscles on his shoulders and his back relaxed slightly. He did not want to see the girl break down too fast - that would be way too easy. The sandy-haired man shook his head slightly. "Anständige Männer? Oh, es gibt viele anständige Männer in zu findendem Deutschland, ich bin sicher. Vielleicht sollten Sie einer Parteisitzung beiwohnen, ich bin sicher, dass jemand Sie gerade nach dem ersten flüchtigen Blick Ihrer hübschen Augen aufraffen würde, Anna. Ich sollte Sie einem eines Tages bringen," Rolf said somewhat politely, although the way he said the words appeared almost mocking. He was naturally referring to the only political party that could arrange public meetings these days - the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei.

Rolf had joined the party soon after he had started his law studies in Heidelberg and thanks to this, had soon also taken interest in flying, joining the National Socialist Flying Corps. He still fondly remembered those days of riding his motorcycle to the airfield and experiencing the exhilarating feeling of piloting the Stamer-Lippisch SG 38 glider for the first time. If it hadn't been for the party and the NFSK, he might have ended up in the Waffen-SS. Crawling around in dirt and marching through snow in the dead of the winter seemed so much less appealing than piloting a fighter. No feeling could possibly match that of taking up to the skies, racking in fame and glory and eventually, adding a fresh kill mark to the tail of his Messerschmitt, which he quite affectionately, had named Lola. The mere thought made the man tilt his chin up with pride and he felt that familiar fire burning inside his veins once again, the lust for excitement and adventure. If he only could have left these dreadfully boring chores and escaped outside to get rid of all this extra energy. To fly a fighter, to ride a horse, to drive his motorcycle, to go hunting - anything that would get his blood flowing!

He was promptly brought back to reality as he realized that he was still, indeed, inside his musty office and that the young secretary was most likely waiting for Rolf to say something instead of just sitting there on the edge of his desk and staring at the door blankly. The man raised his eyebrows and blinked at the young woman, trying to appear more composed once again. "Wo waren wir? Oh, Recht. Ausbildung .. und Berlin," Rolf said with a sigh, getting up from the edge of the dark oaken desk and rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he walked slowly back towards the window. He had obviously forgotten about torturing Anna, at least for the moment, giving the woman a moment to gather her wits once again. "Ja, wollen wir von dort fortsetzen," the young Hauptmann nodded, mostly to himself, before continuing. "Fast alle Mitglieder der Gruppe, die zurzeit dem A/B Schule beiwohnt, haben ihre Studien erfolgreich abgesehen von drei Personen vollendet, die alle gescheitert haben, die erforderlichen Präzisionslandungen ohne Fehler und denjenigen zu erreichen, der gescheitert hat, den Langstreckenflug erfolgreich zu vollenden..." Rolf's speech was quite monotonous and he spoke almost inattentively, obviously not very interested in the contents of the report himself.

As Rolf dictated the contents of the report, he walked around in the office, peering at the photographs set on the walls and sometimes out of the window. In the middle of his speech, he never turned around to glance at Anna and the young secretary was, fortunately, given the chance to work in peace. "... Hauptmann Rolf Jäger. Das ist alles. Sie tippen es, und später werde ich unterzeichnen und darauf stampfen. Und bitte, lassen Sie mich nicht Sie bitten, es wieder zu tippen. Ich bin sicher, dass Sie es Recht das erste Mal bekommen werden," Rolf finally turned around to regard the young brunette. He tilted his head as he watched her, approaching the desk once again. "So, wir sind hier fertig, Sie können gehen," the man motioned towards the door with his hand and continued towards it to open it for the woman.

However, as Anna got to the door that was now slightly open, Rolf's hand pushed the door shut again with a very loud slam, effectively preventing the woman from leaving the office. That familiar, languid smile appeared on the man's lips again and Rolf's steely eyes bored into Anna's. The man kept his hand pushed against the door and he leaned almost uncomfortably close to the dark-haired woman, bringing his face close to hers. "Ich vergaß zu sagen, wie gut es Sie haben soll, hier, Anna arbeitend. Wenn Sie irgendetwas überhaupt brauchen, erinnern Sie sich gerade... Hauptmann Rolf Jäger, Büro sechsundsechzig. Und ich meinte, was ich über die Parteisitzung sagte. Ich werde informieren, wenn es Zeit gibt, hmm?" the man arched his eyebrows, once again giving out commands instead of requesting politely. For a moment it seemed as if the man wanted to trap the poor secretary in the office, but then he pulled away, casually opening the door once again for Anna with a roguish smile.


Translations:

"Anständige Männer? Oh, es gibt viele anständige Männer in zu findendem Deutschland, ich bin sicher..."
"Decent men? Oh, there are a lot of decent men in Germany to be found, I'm sure. Maybe you should attend a party meeting, I'm sure someone would just snatch you up after the first glance of your pretty eyes, Anna. I should take you to one some day."

"Wo waren wir? Oh, Recht. Ausbildung .. und Berlin."
"Where were we? Oh, right. Training.. and Berlin."

"Ja, wollen wir von dort fortsetzen."
"Yes, let's pick up from there."

"Fast alle Mitglieder der Gruppe, die zurzeit dem A/B Schule beiwohnt..."
"Nearly all members of the group currently attending the A/B Schule have completed their studies successfully, except for three individuals who have all failed to achieve the required precision landings without errors and one who has failed to successfully complete the long-range flight..."

"... Hauptmann Rolf Jäger. Das ist alles..."
"...Hauptmann Rolf Jäger. That is all. You type it and later I will sign and stamp it. And please, do not make me ask you to type it again. I'm sure you will get it right the first time."

"So, wir sind hier fertig, Sie können gehen."
"Well, we are done here, you can go."

"Ich vergaß zu sagen, wie gut es Sie haben soll, hier, Anna arbeitend..."
"I forgot to say how good it is to have you working here, Anna. If you need anything at all, just remember... Hauptmann Rolf Jäger, office sixty six. And I meant what I said about the party meeting. I'll let you know when there's time, hmm?"

[Annabella Auerbach]

The man spoke his words. His ominous smile gave her an eerie kind of feeling. She gripped the sides of the chair very tightly, not wanting to let go. She bit her bottom lip, listening thoroughly to his words. "Anständige Männer? Oh, es gibt viele anständige Männer in zu findendem Deutschland, ich bin sicher. Vielleicht sollten Sie einer Parteisitzung beiwohnen, ich bin sicher, dass jemand Sie gerade nach dem ersten flüchtigen Blick Ihrer hübschen Augen aufraffen würde, Anna. Ich sollte Sie einem eines Tages bringen," She gazed at him for a while after his words. A party meeting? A Nazi/Fascist political party meeting? Is he being serious with her? She couldn't go. She wouldn't go. "Das, würde Herr ziemlich nett sein." she replied. [Translations: That would be rather lovely, sir.]

She watched the man. The atmosphere grew silent. It was so frightening. Thoughts were running all over her mind. She sat there for a few minutes, gazing at the man, wondering where he was. He then snapped back to reality and decided to continue with his letter. She picked up her pen and began jotting down whatever he was saying, listening to every word, hoping she would not have to ask him to repeat a word. Her wrist slightly trembled as she wrote. What if she made a mistake? What would he do, fire her? The young woman felt tense while writing. Tension only built up mistakes. She tried to relax herself by breathing out after she wrote down the last sentence of the letter.

She nodded when he told her to type it up. "So, wir sind hier fertig, Sie können gehen." Those words. She was dying to hear those words. It meant freedom to her. It meant she would leave this office without a single trace of harm on her. She would leave it happily knowing that her job wasn't at stake. She quickly pulled herself off of the chair. She gazed at the door. Her one-way ticket to freedom. She watched as the Hauptmann walked over to the door and opened it. She nodded and made her way towards the door, expecting herself to just walk out there with confidence.

He closed the door. No, not closed, slammed. She gazed at the door in front of her. Her eye pupils grew smaller than usual. No. No this couldn't be happening. She was dead for sure. She just stood there silently, gazing at the door. At the corner of her eye, she saw the Hauptmann moving in very closely. Now, this was severely uncomfortable. She listened to his words. His first few set of words weren't that bad, although, however, his second set of words almost forced her heart to skip a beat. She was going to the party meeting whether she liked it or not, and, she was not going to like it one bit. "J-Ja, herr." she softly replied. He opened the door once more and she quickly stepped out. Where was her confidence? She walked over to the woman's bathroom. She opened the door and quickly walked in, trying her best to hold back her ghastly tears. She moved towards a stall, opened the door, and sat down on the toilet seat. Out came the tears. They strolled down her pale cheeks, one by one. Was this nightmare ever going to end? She had no idea. She sat there, as motionless as a tree, waiting for her tears to stop.

[Edward"Butcher"McMillan]

Moderation Post:

The following CP has been issued:

Auerbach - 7CP, granted you had more posts, they were shorter.

Jager - 8CP

-JT