SIDE-LINED NO LONGER

 

Major Richard Blaine has an unexpected and unwelcome guest for Armageddon -- General George S. Patton.

SIDE-LINED NO LONGER

“The Lord God is subtle, but malicious he is not.”

 - Albert Einstein

 

Sentient laughed merrily in mymind, inordinately pleased with herself.

‘This Tribal Chieftain was justbemoaning to his subordinates how he chaffed at being sidelined on this, themost important day of the War.’

I felt a light kiss on my cheek.It floored me. Sentient was certainly in a mood. Maybe when I disappeared fromher consciousness, she believed she had lost me forever.

‘The Tribal Chieftain obviouslynever read “The Monkey’s Paw,” or he would know to be careful for what youwish, for you just may receive it.’

General Patton was six foot twoinches, but the way he held himself made him appear taller. Contrary to hisnaysayers, he didn’t hold himself ramrod straight.

Actually, he stood with hisshoulders hunched slightly forward.

His force of will projectedoutwards not upwards. He was a force of Nature as so many falsely thought ofme. I knew the truth and felt embarrassed by the talk.

Did Patton feel the same?

No.

One look in those haughty eyessaid he and I were galaxies apart in how we thought of ourselves.

But I felt saddened by theknowledge gained from my surfing the “Tides of Times” that he would soon bemurdered by the machinations of “Wild Bill” Donovan, head of the O.S.S., toprevent the popular general from running for president in 1948.

I idly wondered if he had beeninvolved with Eisenhower’s use of the two O.S.S. assassins, Fred and Manfred,to murder me in my hospital bed.

Maybe if I survived this war, Imight look up Donovan and ask … diligently.

Patton stormed up to me. “MajorBlaine! I should have known you were behind ….”

The general frowned, “You suddenlylook so sad. Damn it all! I don’t care why. Just bring me back!”

His surroundings suddenly hithim. “Gods! What happened to this place?”

“Reinhardt König, General.”

“That Kraut pinhead? He’s just theSS’s quack theorist.”

“Not so much a quack as a lousystudent of math. His theories were pretty much correct. His calculations not somuch.”

He cocked his bullet head. “Blaine,do you have any idea how ridiculous you look wearing that Spartan helmet?”

Rachel laughed, 

“Speaks the manwearing an antique Colt revolver on his hip, flaring riding breeches, and sparkling,gaudy rings on his right hand, looking nothing so much as a militant Sultan insearch of dancing girls.”

With a wordless guttural cry, he wheeled,raising his riding crop to hit her, but since the Tunnel, Rachel was no longeras she had been.

She was stronger than three men,faster than four, and more flexible than an Olympian gymnast.

Rachel spun around, pulled his armtowards her, heaving him off balance.

Placing her bottom into his hips,she bent quickly over, squatted, and lifted the man easily as he wailed.

Rachel rolled the general off hershapely hip easily. Proving he had been off the field of battle a long time, Pattonhit the blackened cobblestones with a loud “WUFF!”

She put the heel of her combatboot on his throat and laughed, “General, you have let others do your fightingfor you far too long to be that cheeky.”

Rachel smiled thinly. “Next time,you would do better to sic your dog, Willie, on me.”

I restrained Theo who was aboutto lunge forward with a gentle hand.

“Your fiancée has hurt his pridein front of soldiers. Let that be enough, old friend.”

Rachel and Theo both glared atme, and I shrugged, “I just stated what has been unstated for too long.”

Proving I wasn’t as smart as Ithought, Helen murmured within my mind,

‘It is not only that, Richard,but that thee called him “old friend” for the first time.’

Now, it was my time to bestunned: Helen could talk to me mind to mind.

‘Ever since thee invaded my mind,you oaf.’

‘I like it when you talk dirty tome.’

Patton growled, “Is someone goingto help me up?”

“Of course, Tribal Chieftain,”laughed Sister Ameal,

 adding to his discomfort by lifting him up to his unsteadyriding booted feet by the hand as if he were but a toddler.

I bent, picked up his ridingcrop, handing it to him.

As I did, my eyes flicked acrossthe holographic image of the village’s courtyard filled with horrendous scattered corpses of the innocentvictims of SS science gone amok.

“I hear you want to get into theaction, General. Let me help you.”

As I gripped his arm and willedthe two of us into one of the few clear spots in the courtyard, I heard Helen, SisterAmeal, and Darael cry out.

“No!”

Have I ever told you I havetrouble with impulsiveness?