Here’s the prologue with some of the ideas offered by others incorporated:
rologue: Underneath the Lantern
It was a fine March night as Herman Neidhoefer said hurriedly to his companions: “Got to go to Herr Zilger’s!” and ran through the streets in pursuit of a taxi. However a few blocks down on a rather lonely street he noticed two people standing underneath a lantern in some sort of a romantic encounter. Immediately thinking of that immortal song, Neidhoefer steadily got closer for a better look while remaining unnoticed. As he looked closer he thought the tall man looked familiar. It took a minute or two before it registered with that unmistakable brown hair, and the gray and humourous eyes it was his history professor Hans Zilger.
As Herman recovered from the shock of his professor being a passionate lover he wondered-who was the other? Herr Zilger was not married nor had ever been but Herman was pretty sure he was not homosexual or bisexual. That idea proved correct as Herman confirmed the other was a woman. She had long dark hair, a rather large nose, was wearing spectacles and was also about half the age of his professor. Looks Eastern European-Hungarian perhaps or Greek possibly with Jewish admixture- for that matter she does remind me of an intellectual version of Lena thought Herman.
Herman couldn’t hear what they were saying but he could see what was happening-presently the professor and the lady had locked their lips together. Our dear professor seems to have finally gotten himself a girlfriend and a rather attractive one at that Herman smiled to himself-a sympathetic smile and quickened his pace as he spotted a taxi.
Johann Gratz smoked a cigar as he checked his gigantic portrait of Otto von Bismarck for any blemishes and stains. He did the same for small, autographed photographs of Hindenburg and Ludendorff and also a flag of the German Empire from a Jaeger unit at the Battle of Tannenberg. Finally he examined the collection of the Imperial weapons and memorabilia. He turned on the radio and immediately heard Lena’s “Satellite” blearing out before Johann turned the station to a one playing a symphony by Mozart.
Damn modern rubbish Gratz thought as he helped himself to a pastry and read a bit of a psychological journal before he noticed the watch and got up.Many thought him a neo-Nazi or insane for his monarchist tendencies and nostalgia for the old German Empire of the Hohenzollern Dynasty. Especially suspect was his overwhelming preference for the Imperial flag over the current one of the Federal Republic-the former which had become suspect itself due to its use by the DVU. Johann thought all this panic about him nonsense.
Going into his BMW FO1 Johann turned on the radio to discover to his disappointment the Mozart symphony was over to be replaced by a piece by Tchaikovsky. He decided to listen to some news instead and after some reports of the war in Afghanistan groaned loudly as the voice of the Chancellor came on. That damned idiot again? My God! He had already been horrified when he heard that the Social Democrats had won the largest number of seats in the Bundestag but even more when they formed a coalition with the Greens and the Left. Even worse, the current Chancellor was a virtual nonentity and had easily been the most radical German government.
Presently Johann’s cellphone rang and he answered “Who is this?”
“This is Hans-are you coming today?”
“Yes-I’m leaving right now.”
“Well we have a new member joining today.”
“That’s nice to hear. See you there.”
As he got on the autobahn Johann felt he could not hear the news anymore and groaning changed the station back and to his delight found that they were playing a piece by Wagner.
Liselotte Stolz was hurriedly packing up her stuff in the offices of the Der Spiegel. The chief editor of the periodical, Georg Manstein lit a cigarette as he studied Liselotte. Fine lady, the best on the staff- wonder why she never married though… Manstein coughed slightly and then hesitated a bit as he prepared to speak.
“Liselotte?” he began
“Yes, Georg?” she asked
“I don’t mean to enquire into your personal life but…”
Liselotte said rather kindly “Oh, Georg, you know better than to blubber like that with bullshit. As for your question, I haven’t ever married nor have had a lover-either a man or a woman. I’m just not interested.”
“Umm…then who’s that man who picks you up on some nights? You said you didn’t have any siblings.”
“Oh. That’s my friend-just a friend-Johann Gratz. He takes me to meetings of the Spenglerian Society.”
“Spenglerian-as in the historian Oswald Spengler?”
“Yes, we discuss his theories and their application to reality.”
“Hmm…I’ve always been meaning to read his works. Do you have a copy?”
“Yes-I’ll give it to you tomorrow. By the way, is Alicia going to interview Muller tomorrow?”
“The schedule got confirmed yesterday. I can’t stand that son-of-a-bitch Muller though. I’m a Social Democrat myself but it disgusts me how the Chancellor is so spineless in giving into the demands of the Left Party and especially that Muller-the former Stasi bastard. Maybe I’ll vote FDP next time.”
“Good for you” Liselotte replied as her phone rang, than she said “Oh, hello? Yes-I’ll be right down. Georg, I’ll be going. Have a good night.”
Liselotte went down the elevator and saw Johann’s BMW parked right by. Johann was standing outside, readjusting his spectacles.
“Fine day?”
“Yes, although Georg seems to be thinking I’m your lover.”
“Ha-ha” laughed Johann in an archaic, aristocratic manner, “Let’s get going. We have a new member today.”
Far away in Berlin, in a luxurious apartment not far from Potsdamer Platz a certain conference was in process.
A man said sarcastically “Welcome to Berlin. Now take a cigar if you’d like.”
Five of the individuals did so-two did not. The first man treated one for himself as he also got out a stack of documents.
“So everything’s ready now-the target, the equipment, the men?”
“Yes, we’ve confirmed,” the second man said now with a sneer “that Herr Lapp we’ll be going there on Friday. He will happen to get more than just some excellent Indian cuisine.”
“Also, are the plans for Stage 2 ready?”
“Yes, our men are scouring for places in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt, Cologne, Dusseldorf, and elsewhere.”
“Good-they once said we were discredited and an extinct species. Now we shall see our triumph.”
