The men stared back at Düring blankly. One spit on the floorboards and the guard shook his head slowly. One rolled his head back against the canvas and continued to regard Düring and the guard as they bumped and bobbled their way towards camp. Some of the men were quietly cooing. Like doves.

“Ratten,” one whispered.

“Sleep,” sushed another.

“Where we’ve been, my Afrikagengenen bother,” rasped another as he leaned forward towards Düring, “What we’ve seen cannot be described as war.” He reached a finger slowly out and waved it among his rank. “What we are, cannot be described as soldiers. What we’ve done, cannot be described as battle. No, you rat. What we bring is death to your camp. And we carry it in here.” He rapped his chest as the soldiers began to chuckle softly amongst the cooing. They were madmen. All of them. Düring’ throat tightened and he gripped the side railing harder as the truck bounced against the frost heaves of the White Mountain Valley.

Loren spoke but did not turn to the man wedged between him and the driver. Sgt. Tripp followed ahead in a Jeep. “Why were you sent to my camp, Lieutenant?”

“My men.” The Lt. spoke and stared across the landscape as they drove forward. “My men and I have been thorough a lot, Captain. We are sick. We are tired. A little sleep is all.” He hesitated. “And treatment, of course.”

“Our physician. And the German medic Julius,”

“Breuer.” The Lt. Replied.

The Captain turned to Zimmer.

“You expect treatment from Breuer, then.”

“Dr. Breuer is known to us, yes, Captain. And he may want to examine some of our men. All of them, and your camp doctor, too. And yes, we were sent from our confinement at Devens, specifically to your camp…Stark.” The Lt. Col’s. voiced trailed off and he continued to gaze out at the frozen landscape. “What a fitting word.” He returned to his thoughts. “And Breuer has asked to see us. Or, I should say, Breuer shall not be surprised by our arrival, nor will your colony of criminals and communists, as we are sent to your Camp on higher authority than you or I would care to know. Though I do not think it will do any good, nor will any reasonable diagnosis be returned.”

The captain eyed the Lt. “Are we gonna have trouble, Lt.?”

“In these times, such men are useless. They should never have crossed the ocean as prisoners. They should have been trampled to dust. The Fatherland has no use for them, which is why they were gathered, in secret, against the protests of the entire Wehrmacht. Trouble, you ask. This is not for me to say, Captain. This is not a question meant for us.” He turned his head and returned the Captain’s gaze. The truck rounded a steep bend and Captain Loren imagined the Lieutenants body tumbling down the ravine and into oblivion.