SWNOVELS Chapter 15
The first act of the musical passed without Olaf having paid attention to anything but the music. The score had become for him a background of noise to provide an atmosphere within which he could think, plot, and further refine his strategy. When the lights went up at the end of Act One, Olaf’s mind was employed in closely scrutinizing the movements of the men in Hitler’s box. With a careful eye, he observed closely as, every bodyguard, save one, exited the box, presumably to stretch their legs. This left the faux-Hitler with only his four companions and the one guard. Olaf knew that this was in no way an accurate depiction of what would occur in Paris, but he would use this to his advantage in this particular instance. His men, in the hallway should have made themselves scarce as the lights came up so as to not attract the attention and scrutiny of those who were taking advantage of intermission. Once people returned to their seats when the beginning of Act Two was signaled, Olaf planned on meeting David and the others to deliver to them their final orders.
What William could not have factored into his scenario, Olaf surmised, was the complex hand signals he used to communicate with Kalf. It was a variation of these signals he had taken great care and patience to conceive a variation of with his son’s assistance. Over the last two weeks he had taught them to his men in private, including David and Major Penbrooke when the decision was made to add them to the mission. These simple visual instructions would turn the tide and give him an edge over their instructor’s devices. They also figured heavily into his overall strategy for the completion of the real mission. He had purposefully made certain to see they were used subtly so that anyone who espied them would see them as normal everyday gestures. Not only they would allow him to set almost every aspect of their strategy into motion at once from his place in the box; they would also enable his men to communicate with one another silently and efficiently. No one would be alerted that their attack had already begun because Olaf would be pretending to be absorbed in what was happening on stage.
The lights flickered and a few minutes later they dimmed once again for the start of Act Two. Olaf stepped briefly out of the box, saw that his men were where they should be, and signaled their orders to them by simply scratching his head and then applying a finger to his left eye as if wiping away a tear. It took no more than a few seconds to communicate what he desired before he was back in his seat, smiling at the action of the stage, and consulting the printed program. If William had noticed anything from his undisclosed vantage point, Olaf ventured he would have little, if any, inclination toward the intended purpose. The second Act passed quickly, and with its end set actions into motion that could not be rescinded.
As the lights came up for the second intermission, Olaf stood and stretched his back, putting first his right arm over his head, and then his left. He then returned to his seat and again looked at his program, only this time it was upside down. He looked over his shoulder at Theobrand, speaking as he did so. The two of them broke out in laughter as if over some shared amusement. From that moment on, he sat and waited with a contented smile on his face. When the lights flickered the imminent start of Act Three, he rose and exited the box, followed by his companions. The hallway was just starting to fill up with people returning to their seats, with no sign of the four men who Olaf had stationed outside. Instead of heading in the direction they had come, Olaf and his escort continued down the hallway past faux-Hitler’s box and disappeared around the corner.
What transpired next was pure pandemonium. The men who had left the Fuhrer’s box returned, entered the box, and almost immediately came rushing out. Inside were the unconscious bodies of two Nazi officers and the lone bodyguard dressed in Hitler’s clothing. Faux-Hitler himself was nowhere to be found. Loud shouts caused an alarm to arise throughout the fake opera house. The performers who had just started Act Three, tried to continue on with the show, but were soon unable to even hear themselves as people scrambled all around the theatre. Nazi soldiers, who were supposed to be guarding the exits from the theatre, were found senseless and bound in an upright position to appear as though still at their posts. The audience members, unsure of what to do, began to meander around among the seats calling out to one another in an effort to learn what was going on.
An intensive search of the fake opera house turned up neither faux-Hitler nor the Norsemen. For all appearances it would seem that the men had melted into thin air. No evidence was found of them in any of the public areas or the myriad of backstage areas built especially to imitate the actual production facilities of the Palais Garnier. It wasn’t until someone had the thought to look outside of the mock opera house, that they discovered, in the staging are, to the consternation of all, the group of thirty-one Nazi impersonators standing proudly with the bound and gagged Hitler double at their feet.
The sound of clapping was heard overhead. The crowd lifted their heads to see William, Colonel Brundige, and a handful of other officers standing on one of a series of catwalks suspended from the ceiling. It was from this vantage point that their assessment of the operation must have been conducted. William, clasping his hands together over his head in a sign of victory, shouted down to them.
“Well done, Olaf. I must say that I am flabbergasted. Even from my vantage point I am not completely sure how you were able to accomplish what you just did. I had every certainty of your inability to complete the scenario. I apologize for my lack of confidence in your abilities.”
“There is no need for apologies, William,” Olaf answered. “Your planning was helpful to refine my strategies. Now at least we know that there is a possible successful outcome to what we are about to embark upon however impossible it may appear on paper.”
“You all should get into the lorries outside and return to the bunker. We will follow you shortly and conduct a briefing. Again, congratulations, Olaf.”
Olaf nodded and ordered his men outside where they climbed into the back of the already waiting lorries for the ride back. The mood among the Norsemen was light hearted and lively. They had just completed a training exercise that gave them a refreshed determination to launch the actual mission. They were excited to help their new found friends overcome an evil from which they previously were resigned to a long, drawn out struggle against. It warmed Olaf’s heart that they may be able to play a part in bringing that struggle to a premature end. The Norseman took great care to reserve his celebration until their true mission was complete. Only then could Olaf feel a sincere sense of exaltation.