In Emden, Wilhelm was standing out on the wharf gazing out at the sky that was shrouded in dark rain clouds. The salty smell of the vast ocean flowed across the cool breeze. Wilhelm felt a slight chill spread across his skin and placed his hands in his pockets. Eventually, he heard some slow and measured footsteps creaking on the wooden boards behind him. Turning around he saw Lennard Bain standing there with a small smile on his face. Lennard wandered over to Wilhelm and stood beside him and Wilhelm turned back to looking out at the ocean.

"Are you alright Mr. Hartmann?" Lennard asked.

"Just worried about what Albert Thalberg might be doing," Wilhelm replied. "He almost killed Koralins brother. And who knows what he might do next."

"Well, I doubt that he will target you he only targets communists. As long as you don't support communists he won't target you,"

"I would never support communists. I prefer democracy,"

"Now you are sounding like an American,"

Lennard placed his hand on Wilhelm's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. Wilhelm glanced over at Lennard and saw the same haunted look in Lennard's eyes that he saw yesterday when Lennard mentioned Himmler. Wilhelm went back to looking at the ocean and watching the waves crash against the shore, not wanting to ask why Lennard felt uncomfortable when he mentioned Himmler yesterday. Lennard glanced over at Wilhelm sensing that Wilhelm wanted to ask him something.

"I can tell that you want to ask me something, Mr. Hartmann,"

"Did Himmler do something bad to you?"

"Not me specifically but it's a long story a story that I never told anyone," he said while he placed his hand in his pocket to search for something.

"But I'm guessing that what he did made you feel hurt,"

"Yes," he said as he pulled out a small photograph that he unfolded.

Lennard handed the picture to Wilhelm who looked at it. In the picture, there was a younger version of Lennard and to his right, there was a teenage boy with a wooden cane in his hand. To Lennard's left, there was a man who looked slightly older than him. All three of them were wearing suits.

"Who are those two standing beside you?"

"They are my brothers.
"My older brother's name is Hermann. He was a Captain in the SS. A terrible man.
"My younger brother's name was Josef. A smart boy even though he was blind and struggled to walk,"

"Was? What happened to Josef?"

"He died,"

"How? He looks healthy in this picture. Other than what you said about him struggling to walk he looks healthy,"

Lennard lowered his gaze and he was now staring at his feet. Tears welled up in his eyes and he tried to hold them back but they slowly streamed down his face. All Lennard could feel was a deep sadness inside himself as if he was drowning in an ocean full of his sorrow. Wilhelm glanced over at Lennard and saw the tears slowly streaming down his face. Upon noticing this Wilhelm wondered what might have happened to Josef that had made Lennard so upset. Wilhelm decided to wait for Lennard to calm down before asking more questions. Lennard closed his eyes took a deep breath and wiped away his tears.

"Hermann killed Josef," he said while still wiping his tears away.

"Why would Hermann murder his brother?"

"I didn't know it at the time because all I saw was him shooting Josef. But Hermann just told me that he was following orders,"

"Who's orders?"

"Himmler's orders..."

Lennard closed his eyes again as he felt the tears streaming down his face again. All he could remember was the sound of Josef crying and pleading for Hermann to not hurt him. Before Hermann shot Josef in the head killing him instantly the sound of the gunshot that killed Josef was fully engraved in his memory. Lennard removed his hand from Wilhelm's shoulder and tightly clenched his fists to the point that his nails were digging into his skin. Eventually, he unfurled his fists placed his hands behind his back and gently squeezed them together. Opening his eyes Lennard glanced over at Wilhelm and his gaze wandered down to the picture that he had given to Wilhelm.

"Where is Hermann now?"

"Hermann is living in Switzerland. In a place near the Swiss Alps,"

"I thought that he would possibly still be in Germany,"

"No, and when he found out that Berlin was lost to the Soviets he managed to escape.
"Hermann is also against communism just like Albert Thalberg. And he is also very fanatical.
"But he can stay in Switzerland and away from me for all I care,"

"I'm guessing that you don't like him anymore,"

"No, I don't and what he did was terrible,"

Wilhelm handed the picture back to Lennard who grabbed it and stared at it with tears still glistening in his eyes. Wilhelm gently wrapped his arm around Lennard. Who looked at Wilhelm and back at the picture.

"I wish that Hermann didn't murder Josef,"

"I understand that," Wilhelm replied as he gently rubbed Lennard's back with his hand.

Lennard placed the picture in his pocket and looked at Wilhelm with a small smile on his face.

"I feel a little better now that I talked to someone about what happened,"

"That's good,"

"I should be returning to my home now. I might talk to you later Mr. Hartmann,"

"Alright, I shall talk to you later then,"

Lennard walked away from the wharf leaving Wilhelm alone with his thoughts.

***

Lennard arrived at his home opened the oak door of his cottage and entered the house closing the door behind himself. Wandering down the small hallway the wooden floorboards quietly creaked as he walked down the hallway. Entering a small lounge area he walked over to the only seat in the room and sat down. The leather of the armchair felt cold against his body yet it was comfortable. Lennard sat in silence the only sound in the room was his breathing. He could hear the birds chirping outside the single window in the room in which a faint amount of sunlight filtered through. He glanced around the white walls of the room until his gaze landed on the only picture in the room. The picture was of him and his two brothers. Hermann was in his SS uniform, Lennard was in his army uniform and Josef was in a suit.

***

Lennard is angrily marching down the dark streets of Berlin with tears flowing freely down his cheeks and his fists are tightly clenched. Eventually, he reaches a black wooden door of a two story building stops in front of the door and violently kicks it down sending the door crashing down onto the wooden floorboards.

"Hermann you bastard come down here!" Lennard yells his voice full of rage.

Lennard stands in the doorway staring into the dark hallway and up at the wooden staircase. A man with emerald eyes, short messy blonde hair and a neatly trimmed mustache carefully navigates his way down the staircase. The man is wearing a light grey robe which he is hastily tying up. When he reaches the bottom of the staircase the man stares at Lennard with shock.

"Lennard, what is the meaning of this?" Hermann asks.

"You murdered Josef!" Lennard replies.

"You saw that? I thought that you weren't in Berlin,"

"I came back to Berlin to see a friend of mine who was injured.
"Then on the way to the hospital, I see you shoot and kill our brother!
"Why did you shoot him!?"

Lennard approaches Hermann his fists still tightly clenched. Hermann nervously backs off and raises his hands slightly. Lennard stops about a metre away from Hermann and glares into Hermann's eyes which are filled with fear.

"Hermann, why did you shoot him?"

"I had orders. We all had orders to kill those who were considered  subhuman,"

"Who's orders Hermann?"

"Himmler's orders,"

Lennard approaches Hermann again and grabs his arms and roughly shoves him up against the wall and continues to stare directly into Hermann's eyes.

"You are a disgrace to this family and I hope to never see you in my life again Hermann,"

"Lennard please I'm sorry. I truly am sorry but I had to follow orders or else who knows what might have happened to me,"

"I don't care what would have happened to you. You shouldn't have murdered our brother,"

"Lennard please..." Hermann said with tears filling his eyes.

Lennard let's go of Hermman's arms backs away from Hermann and turns to leave the house. Hermann lowers his arms down to his sides and takes a couple of tentative steps towards Lennard.

"Lennard I'm truly sorry please forgive me. Please don't be like this,"

"I can't forgive you for what you did Hermann. I will never forgive you for killing Josef,"

"Lennard–"

"I suggest that you just go back to bed and forget about this conversation. We are done, Hermann I don't see you as my brother anymore,"

Hermann places his head in his hands and quietly sobs. Lennard turns around and stares at Hermann who slowly sinks to his knees and continues sobbing. Lennard turns his back to Hermann once more ignoring his brother to not give him any pity.

"Goodbye Hermann,"

Lennard exits Hermann's home and out into the darkness of the streets of Berlin.

***

Lennard felt tears running down his face as he continued to gaze up at the picture. He put his head in his hands and loudly sobbed to himself his sobs echoed throughout the empty house.

"Why did it have to be him?
"Why couldn't it have been someone else?
"Why?"

Lennard removed his hands from his face and got up from the armchair and wandered over to the picture on the wall. Grabbing the picture off the wall he threw it onto the floor in front of him and stomped down on it with one foot shattering the glass that was holding the picture in the frame. The glass shards scattered across the wooden floor Lennard wandered back over to the armchair slumped down into it placed his head in his hands once more and sobbed his shoulders shaking as he wept.

***

A few hours later in a dark empty street in Munich that was only lit up by streetlights a man with short blonde hair and icy blue eyes was standing in a yellow phone booth. The man was wearing a black suit, a white blouse with all the buttons done up, black trousers, black shoes that had been recently polished, a black tie and a black fedora. The man put his hands in his pockets and searched for some coins. Eventually, he grabbed a few coins out of his pocket and put them in the coin slot of the payphone. The man then placed his hands in his pockets again and grabbed a small piece of paper with a phone number written on it. He put the phone number into the phone picked up the phone and held it up against his ear listening to the dial tone. Suddenly he heard a male voice on the other side of the line.

"I see that you decided to call me," The man on the other side of the phone said.

"Yes, Captain Bain. I need your help with something important to me," The man in the phone booth replied.

"What do you need my help with Captain Thalberg?"

"I need your help with dealing with a certain communist,"

"Who is this communist?"

"Otto Assing a politician in the East German government. I need to get some answers out of him,"

"Always wanting answers aren't you Captain Thalberg very well I shall be in Munich tomorrow.
"Meet me at the train station at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning.
"Goodnight Captain Thalberg I shall see you tomorrow,"

"Goodnight Captain Bain,"

Albert Thalberg put the phone receiver down opened the glass door of the phone booth and wandered out into the street closing the door behind himself the sound of the door being closed echoed throughout the empty street. Albert walked down the street placing his hands in his coat pockets shielding them from the bitter cold.