Foreword:
This is another repost, and the companion piece to "Night Falls: Whitechapel", which I recommend reading first. Like that one, this is pretty historically accurate, and is my spin on what happened during the last days of the war in Europe as the allies closed in on Berlin and Hitler's bunker. This is purely a piece of historical fantasy, and is not to be taken too seriously, kind of like "Inglourious Basterds". Just fair warning. Lol
And as always, I hope everyone enjoys the ride. :)
I.D.
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April 30th, 1945, 0400 hrs. Operation: Wolfbane Briefing
Presiding Briefing Officer: General George S. Patton. Location: Camp Victory, outside of Berlin.
Operative: 1st Lieutenant Colton Drake, detached from Bravo Company, 1st Ranger Battalion to OSS Special Warfare Division. Operational Codename: Dragon
General Patton chomped his cigar and looked over the file of the young lieutenant. Commendations from his time in France and Italy ranging from the Army Commendation Medal all the way up to the Silver Star, with damn near everything in between. His company had the lowest mortality rate and the highest kill ratio in the entire US Army Infantry, and COL Darby had put him in for the MoH (Medal of Honor) before his untimely death.
Then he'd been spotted draining a Nazi soldier of blood during a night raid against a line of bunkers. The German farmer had seen the carnage that the lieutenant had wrought single-handedly, and had reported it to the Commanding Officer of the first American unit he'd found. He had warned them that a vampir was in their midst, and that he would be the death of them all.
The investigation hadn't taken long, since Lieutenant Drake had been seen in the area. The second most disturbing thing was that his Thompson hadn't even been fired as no .45 Cal ammo had been expended.
The most disturbing thing was that the lieutenant hadn't even denied the charges. He had sat calmly while being interrogated by US Army MPs, and had answered their questions truthfully. The General looked at the transcript of the interrogation.
SGT Stevens: Lieutenant, what happened when you spotted the bunkers?
1LT Drake: I closed distance and attacked. I gained entry into each bunker and eliminated the enemy personnel.
SGT Stevens: Did you fire your weapon?
1LT Drake: No.
SGT Stevens: Then how did you eliminate them?
1LT Drake: Hand to hand combat. Look, Sergeant, I eliminated the enemy from that bunker line. Isn't that all that matters?
SGT Stevens: Not when we have an eyewitness who says you became a demon and ripped the enemy to shreds with claws and fangs.
1LT Drake: Talons.
SGT Stevens: Say again?
1LT Drake: Talons. My fingers become talons, not claws.
SGT Stevens: Holy shit!
1LT Drake: Well, now you see. I wouldn't be able to show you during the day.
SGT Stevens: What the hell are you?
1LT Drake: A loyal citizen of the United States of America, and an officer in the US Army. The fact that I have a condition that allows me to serve in combat more effectively than others should in no way lead to questions about my loyalty to my country or our cause.
The General nodded slowly, then looked up at the man shackled in front of his desk. He got the impression that those shackles were only still on him because he allowed it.
General Patton cleared his throat. "Lieutenant, why are you smiling?"
"Because night has fallen, sir. With all due respect, may I remove these restraints?" Drake asked.
The General sighed. "If I said no?"
"Then I would remain shackled, sir." Drake replied with a shrug.
"Hold on. I get the feeling that you would destroy them, so let me have that MP there unlock them." The General gestured, and the MP nervously removed the shackles from Drake's wrists and ankles.
"Thank you, sir." Drake said as he saluted. The General returned his salute crisply.
"At ease, Lieutenant." General Patton said, and Drake moved to the position of At Ease with his hands behind his back and feet shoulder width apart.
The General found the folder and looked through it quickly, then continued. "Lieutenant Drake, you are here because we need your help. And until I read this file, I wouldn't even have believed that you existed."
"Sir?" Drake raised his eyebrow in mild surprise.
"Read this, son." The general closed the folder and slid it across his desk, where Drake moved inhumanly fast to keep it from hitting the floor.
Drake looked at the title of the folder Under the EYES ONLY warning was the title. Operation: Wolfbane. He opened the folder and his eyes began to glow as he looked at the intelligence gathered.
"Nachtwölfe." Drake said simply. "Werewolves. Are we sure about this, sir?"
"British SIS is, and they already have an operative in place, codename Hellion." General Patton said. "Hellion needs backup, and that's where you come in. Your codename for this operation will be Dragon."
"Very well, sir." Drake looked at the file to find the rendezvous point. "Rendezvous is memorized, sir. When can I leave?"
"How does now sound, son?" General Patton smiled.
"Sounds good to me, sir." Drake extended his wings, tearing slices in the fatigues he wore at his shoulder blades. "I'll be there momentarily. Radio Hellion that I am incoming." Drake saluted crisply.
The General returned his salute, and just like that, the Lieutenant was gone.
*V*V*
Drake flew over the city of Berlin, checking the wreckage and rubble of countless bombings for the rendezvous point. He went unnoticed, flying so high that he could not be spotted from the ground below.
Once he spotted the landmark that served as the rendezvous point, he tucked his wings and dove for the ground at breakneck speed. The eastern sky was lightening with the imminent arrival of the sun, and Drake wanted to be inside before it rose and his abilities went away.
He alit and retracted his wings as the first rays of sunlight broke above the horizon, and he knocked on the door of the hideout.
"Ja? Wer ist es?" came the challenge in Deutsch from a female voice asking who it was.
"Ein müder Drache." A weary Dragon, Drake replied.
The door opened, and a well-manicured hand reached out and pulled him inside by the front of his olive drab fatigues.
It was dark inside, and the hand found his and led him through into a dimly lit room full of candles. "It's about bloody time I got some backup here!" The lady laughed musically. "SIS Agent Miriam Talbot, at your service, but you can call me Hellion. And you are?" The lovely brunette turned to look at him, and the smile froze on her face as her eyes went wide.
Miriam was stunned to see a man she hadn't seen in 57 years.
"1st Lieutenant Colton Drake, ma'am. Codename: Dragon." Drake responded with no trace of the English accent he'd had back in London as a Whitechapel CID Inspector.
"Cole..." Miriam whispered, and the light of understanding dawned in Drake's eyes.
"Marielle?" He smiled in surprise and pulled her close into a passionate kiss.
She responded, kissing him back hungrily. Her arms went up and around his neck, pulling him deeper into their kiss.
As they broke the kiss, Drake looked into her eyes. "It's been far too long, Marielle."
"Yes it has, my darling." She replied in a breathless whisper, and then pulled him down for another deep kiss.
As they came back up for air, Miriam cleared her throat. "Cole..."
"Colton, Marielle. That's my real name. Colton Drake is the name I was born with. I only used Cole Drayson as an alias while working in New York as a doctor, and when working for Scotland Yard and London CID." Drake explained.
Miriam smiled. "Colton, then. I would prefer if you call me Miriam, though... at least for now." She kissed him lightly and led him to a table. "Mission first, lover."
They sat down, and Miriam started the briefing on the situation as it now stood.