Sacramento – Pacific Resistance Outpost, 11:47 AM
The dirt road curved into a hidden ravine tucked between rusted rail lines and forest overgrowth. Leo slowed the truck as they passed two men in civilian clothes holding bolt-action rifles.
The resistance checkpoint.
Sarah leaned out the window and showed a tattered resistance signal card. The guards waved them through.
Beyond the treeline, camouflaged tents, old pre-war bunkers, and patched-up vehicles filled the valley. Resistance fighters moved with purpose, nodding as Leo parked the truck near the main command tent.
"This is it," Leo said.
Sarah stepped out, brushing off dust. "Not much to look at."
"Neither are we," a woman called out, approaching in a flannel shirt and cargo pants with an old Marine patch on the sleeve. "Name's Kenzie. Welcome to the last real fight on the coast."
As they walked toward the bunker to unload, Sarah warned, "This part of JPS has stricter controls. Curfews are enforced. The Japanese patrol hard near the border."
"I know," Leo said. "But I've never seen it up close."
Sarah looked at him. "You will now."
SS Headquarters – Manhattan, 2:00 PM
Lucy Highmen stood alone in her assigned quarters, ornate and cold. Every piece of furniture was carved oak and brutal functionality. She unpacked quietly—placing files on her desk, her uniform blouse across the chair, a small mirror leaned against the wall.
Without Imel around, the building felt colder.
The SS corridors echoed with boots and clipped voices. Even inside her office, the pressure was constant. Everyone watched. Everyone whispered.
But Lucy had changed.
She was no longer just a schoolteacher. Imel had begun feeding her real intel—operations against the resistance in the Pacific, courier intercept protocols, sensitive communication decrypts. He trusted her judgment, even requested her analysis on neutral zone outposts.
She knew what he was grooming her for: Berlin.
Elsewhere in Headquarters — SS-Obergruppenführer Adam's Office
Adam had grown suspicious. He was high-ranking, veteran, and had connections buried deep in the Reich's bureaucratic machine. When he'd first heard of Imel's transfer, it didn't sit right.
Now he had names, papers, dates. Hidden authorizations. But not a motive.
He stared at his desk map, thinking… until a knock.
An SS-Obersturmbannführer entered briskly, saluted. "Two messages, Herr Obergruppenführer Imel."
Imel stood by the window. "Read them."
The officer handed him two envelopes, black seals.
He opened the first slowly.
"From SS-Obergruppenführer Krüger," Imel began. "His agent—Voss—confirmed dead. Wants swift action. He also informs us that the Japanese Crown Prince and Princess will be visiting the Japanese Pacific States. Our attendance at the embassy is required."
Adam narrowed his eyes. "And the second?"
Imel broke the seal and read silently. His expression shifted.
He looked at Adam, then passed the letter across the desk.
"From the Reichsführer himself."
Adam's eyes scanned the page. Then stopped.
He blinked. Tapped the wood desk. "Mein Gott…"
He rose, suddenly tense. "Call a car for Obergruppenführer Imel. Now. Also… inform Lucy Highmen to pack a suitcase. And summon Obersturmbannführer Felton to the front gate—immediately."
"Jawohl!" The officer sprinted out the door.
The SS headquarters erupted in motion—officers shouting commands, boots pounding in every hallway. Secretaries were rushed out of rooms. Radios crackled with rapid relays.
Downstairs, Imel stepped out into the rain, coat flapping in the wind. Lucy stood with her suitcase, shielded under a black umbrella held by an SS corporal. Her face was unreadable.
Felton was already there in his black leather trench coat, calm but focused.
"Lucy, get in the car," Imel ordered. She obeyed, silently.
He turned to Felton.
"You're retasked. Plan a state dinner—honorably—for the Crown Prince and Princess in San Francisco. I don't care what it costs. Make it immaculate."
Felton nodded, lighting a cigarette in the rain. "Understood."
Imel stepped into the back seat. Before the door closed, he leaned out one last time.
"You're also taking over all resistance operations in the Pacific and Neutral Zones. From this moment forward."
Felton snapped to attention and saluted.
Imel returned the salute just as the door closed. The convoy of three armored cars roared down the boulevard, sirens wailing, cutting through the rainy streets toward the private SS airfield outside Newark.
Meanwhile – New York Daily Press Headquarters
Military trucks screeched to a halt outside the newspaper building. Hundreds of SS troops in black uniforms stormed inside, securing all levels. Employees scrambled. Phones rang. Typewriters stopped.
In the main editorial office, a confused managing editor stood frozen as an SS officer walked up.
The officer handed him a folded paper.
"Print this. No edits."
The editor read the page. His mouth dropped open. He looked around as if unsure whether to laugh or collapse.
"Get me Ingrid on Channel 3. Tell her it's breaking news. National broadcast."
Across the Reich – Televisions, Radios, Loudspeakers
Within an hour, it was on every screen.
From the eastern districts of Berlin to the Japanese-occupied cities of the west, every man, woman, and child heard the same words:
"The Führer has returned to Berlin. His car was seen arriving outside the Chancellery an hour ago. This marks the first time Adolf Hitler has left the Wolf's Lair in nearly two years. Speculation is already mounting over what this unprecedented return means for the Reich, and for the world."