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Camo Rat Blog Entry |
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August 19, 2022, 3:00:09 AM 8/19/22: r/SketchDaily theme, "Free Draw Friday." Ahhhh late! This week's character from my anthro WWII storyline is Sergeant Camo Rat. He's the first sergeant of the Trench Rats; I figured since I already drew his corporal (Drake), love interest (Anna Julian), and primary antagonist (Otto Himmel), I should check him off my list. There'll be more about him later in my art Tumblr and Toyhou.se. Not much to say regarding his design. The ear nicks and scars on my characters, BTW, might actually be located on the opposite side, since it's impossible they've all had the left side injured. (I see no theme for tomorrow, so I'll have to go off theme and probably just draw another character, sorry. 😕 ) TUMBLR EDIT: I loosely explained my "Trench Rats" storyline evolution in the Anna Julian entry. An additional curiosity of this story is that it's told rather out of order, though all one would have to do is transpose the first two intended sections of the story to make it chronological. I don't know why I did it like this but it isn't even written so it doesn't matter much. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Anyway, the story sections are referred to, in chronological order, as "Genesis," "Reborn," and "Reunion," though "Reunion" runs long and could possibly be divided itself. ("Reborn" originally was the part simply known as "The Trench Rats" as it was the main part of the story, but given that the "original" order of presentation was Reborn-Genesis-Reunion, it's since gained a clarifying subtitle.) Additionally, there's an intended "sequel/epilogue" called "Ultima Thule," which wasn't originally intended as part of the main storyline though by now it may as well be. And most recently, a PROLOGUE story, "Weltuntergang," has emerged. (This is more accurately not part of the main storyline as it predates the formation of the Trench Rats.) So as things currently stand, in chronological order, the story goes Weltuntergang--Genesis--Reborn--Reunion--Ultima Thule. This means that when the "official" story starts, Sgt. Black Rat and Cpl. Gold Rat have recently assumed leadership of the Trench Rats First Battalion (I know, sergeants don't lead battalions, most of this was childhood error that I've since attempted to retcon an explanation for). Additionally, a bunch of new recruits have arrived to take the place of the loss of approximately a third of the battalion. Although next chronologically would be "Reunion," after "Reborn" the story instead skips back to "Genesis," the creation of the battalion at the start of the US's involvement in the European war (which takes place much sooner, and for different reasons, in my story). Camo (short, of course, for Camouflage, though this is never given as his actual codename, so I assume Camo IS his codename) is the first leader of the battalion, with Drake as his corporal. Their capture by the Nazis is what ends this part of the storyline and leads back to where "Reborn" starts (though in the telling, it instead jumps forward to "Reunion," the story where they end up reunited with the battalion--confused yet?). The actual formation of the battalion is still hazy. Initially, it was meant to be Camo's idea, though I think now it's his superiors' idea to send troops to Germany to attempt both the rescue of an American soldier, and the collection of Nazi information regarding a mysterious medical experiment. The Trench Rats aren't primarily intended for combat, though they'll fight if they need to. As the plot currently stands, Camo is a Great War veteran (recent plot development) who's still actively serving in the military. (The Trench Rats were previously described as Marines. However, they have a medical unit, and I think I heard Marines don't have medics? I'd already dropped most mention of the Marines as I don't feel comfortable basing them directly on distinct branches of the US military, so I think from now on their actual affiliation will be kept vague. The presence of lance corporals may be a giveaway, though.) Prior to story events, he was married and had a young daughter, but the family was involved in an automobile accident which left wife and daughter dead (I have a thing for grieving single fathers/widowers, it seems) and Camo seriously injured with a broken neck and possibly other spinal damage. (I have a thing for seriously injured war veterans too, it seems.) He wasn't expected to survive; then, when he did, he wasn't expected to regain function of his limbs. He defied all the odds, practicing moving his arms and hands when he was alone, then relearning to walk, first with assistance and then eventually without. He makes a near-total recovery but is still in constant pain so gets hooked on morphine; he's good at concealing this, so it presents little problem, and even those who know about it look the other way. Similar to Capt. Otto Himmel on the opposite side of the war (though for different reasons), Camo decides to throw himself into his work since he has little else to turn to. News starts reaching the US military about ominous goings-on in Europe; when a member of a tiny American contingent of soldiers who've been sent along early to collect intel is captured by the Nazis and reports stop arriving from the others, they decide to get involved. Tentative plans for a larger group are made. Among those doing the planning are somewhat older (circa 2000 or so) characters Maj. Dupries, Gunnery Sgt. Evans, Sgt. Maj. Revell, and Sgt. Irene Beaudry. These characters and their British counterparts, who assist the Rats when they arrive in Germany, have been left largely undeveloped, so info about them is sparse and iffy. What I do know, based on the 2002 version of the character list, is that: Dupries is skeptical of the entire thing, but comes around; Evans is the most instrumental in getting things going; Revell is an unstable a-hole who's actually opposed to the operation and likely uses underhanded means to try to derail it; and Beaudry, the token female character, is also helpful, though her assistance is contingent on Evans sleeping with her. (In the mildly updated version of events, Evans is gay but in the closet, and is attracted to Drake, though all they do is share a kiss.) So...yep. These are the people Camo works with. Also brought on board to help plan things out is Drake, whom Camo first "meets" when the truck he's riding in runs Drake's little motorcycle off the road, leaving the corporal dusty and somewhat battered, needing to walk his damaged motorcycle the rest of the way to the military headquarters where they're all meeting to discuss things. Camo doesn't know yet that Drake is involved, but he rebukes the driver, who brushes it off as a joke. Most of the others Camo is coming to work with know that Drake is Jewish and some of them occasionally subject him to mean-spirited "pranks" which he pretends to ignore though the truth is he's getting pretty irritated and cynical. So when he and Camo are introduced, he already has a bad impression of the sergeant, (mis)assuming he was part of the "joke" involving running him off the road (a joke Camo would never participate in, due to his own past experience). Camo is unaware of most of this, so he doesn't quite understand why Drake seems to hate him. BUT, they both learn they're going to be working together, so they have to set their differences aside. Regarding what exactly is going on in Europe, Drake has a bit more knowledge than Camo, and helps fill him in. So far reports are hazy but there's some unpleasant business involving "camps," and a big medical experiment intended to give the fledgling Nazi government an advantage on the battlefield. The Americans suspect one of their own was captured to participate in this. This can't be allowed to go unchallenged, so the plan for a bigger group to head to Germany and hopefully connect with local resistance movements to free the captive and collect intelligence proceeds. They start recruiting others for the effort. Securing a surgeon/chief medical officer proves trickiest, as most of those available outrank Camo, who's intended to be the battalion's leader. They're in luck, though, when they approach a particular second lieutenant whose medical skills are quite well known; oddly, he has a phobia of splashing/spraying blood, but doesn't let that prevent him from doing his job. When offered the chance to work with the Trench Rats, unlike his fellow surgeons, he accepts, and despite his rather sour temper, he has no problem with essentially being subordinate to a sergeant and even a corporal; all he's interested in is medical work. He even has no problem immediately shipping out with them. The newly forming Trench Rats decide upon an identification system involving color-coded nicknames (a very few of them, like Drake, don't go by this convention), and the surgeon is codenamed Burgundy. Turns out Burgundy just found his wife cheating on him with his own brother, which is why he has no problem immediately shipping out; he has no further business to take care of in the US. (Burgundy discovers something that Drake suspects but has no direct proof of: Camo's morphine addiction. Although he doesn't approve of it, he takes charge of allowing him a strict dosage every day so that he won't overdose, and doesn't report on it.) The Allies come up with an unusual ruse with which to introduce the Trench Rats to the German military: They'll be disguised as German soldiers of the Great War, with vaguely German-style uniforms and Pickelhaube helmets. The Nazis are known to be highly superstitious, so this ruse might buy the Rats a little time to get settled in, as well as obscure their purpose there, and their true identity. (The color-coded capes they don don't come along until after this ruse falls apart; instead they wear simple colored armbands.) Their mission is to meet up with the small group of Americans already there, scout out a location for headquarters, make contact with the known resistance movements in the area, and start collecting info on the Nazi medical project, while attempting to rescue their comrade. Upon arriving they meet with a few members of the British military--First Lieutenant Donovan Bradford, Maj. Titus Ellroy, Sgt. Thomas "Harrier" Harricks, and Liam Morgan (no rank given yet)--who give them further information as well as connect them with an American liaison, Corporal Anna Julian, who helps them locate various other helpful sources. The primary resistance movement in the city--which the Rats plan to avoid at first--is known as the Diamond Network, while the two best-known partisan groups in the countryside, where the Rats are focusing first, are a mostly French group led by Sgt. Maj. Champere, and a larger, more militant mixed group led by a Romani woman named Didrika. (A weird tidbit here. The story features two main casts of characters who were meant to interact more in older versions, but in the current version keep mostly separate--Sgt. Gerhardt is the primary character shown interacting between the two groups. These are the canine cast, and the rodent cast. Like I said, they mostly don't interact, just go about their parallel storylines; a good example is the canine Lt. Hesse and the rodent Capt. Himmel. There are lots of similarities between the two even though they live in separate parts of the storyline; these similarities weren't intentional, though I've decided to play them up to show how two characters with such similar lives end up taking such different paths. (I like to describe Hesse as the wolf in sheep's clothing, and Himmel as the sheep in wolf's clothing.) Anyway, Champere's and Didrika's groups apparently only have rodent versions (there ARE other partisan groups on the canine side, just unnamed so far), but the Diamond Network has both canine AND rodent factions, even though it started out on the canine side. This is likely due to Champere and Didrika being the concrete leaders of their particular groups, while the Diamond Network, despite nominally being led by canine Josef Diamant, has a more decentralized structure that doesn't directly depend on him to keep going. I'm not sure how the rodents caught wind of the Network and got involved, yet they must have done so early on. Another thing that ends up having both rodent and canine aspects is Project Doomsday, which starts out with the rodent Dr. Kammler and spreads to the canine side, involving Dr.s Arzt and Mengele. I have yet to determine if any successful canine test subjects exist--oooh plot idea!--though I think Lukas Mettbach may have had it tried out on him, as a former test subject of Mengele.) The Rats keep their eyes open for these people when setting out to find the small American contingent already there, with whom they lost contact some time back. Drake manages to locate this group, practically stumbling upon them sheltering in an old trench. They're startled to see him, especially in his odd Prussian uniform. This little group consists of those who are to soon be nicknamed LC Battleship Gray (BG), LC Blue, LC Copper, LC Indigo, LC Silver, PFC Teal, and LC Turquoise. They're a little battered, half starved and running low on ammunition, but otherwise okay. After Drake hastily introduces himself, they confirm their last relayed information, that during an encounter with a Nazi unit, one of their number was captured, and until recently they were pinned down with no means of communication. Drake attempts to lead them back to the others, but gets turned around and confused; curiously, Turquoise takes the lead, and successfully finds the way back to Camo. (Drake assumes he has good tracking skills. Turns out he's clairvoyant. But anyway.) Their reaction when Camo explains the situation is...rather unexpected. Indigo and Silver get quite huffy to learn that Camo and Drake are in command now, since they were the two with the combined highest rank and experience/time enlisted, prior to now--in their opinion THEY should be promoted and placed in charge. Camo quickly shoots down this argument to try to avoid a conflict; when Indigo ends up with a medical post alongside Burgundy, he mellows out, though Silver carries his grudge with being passed over for quite a while, and never really gets along with Camo or Drake. He does come to serve the Trench Rats well, however, as his physical skills and stealth make him the ideal party to sneak into German buildings and confiscate documents. He soon earns the nickname "Der Silbergeist," or the Silver Ghost, for his habit of entering Nazi facilities unnoticed, snapping the necks of any Nazis who get in his way, and exiting just as silently, with nothing but dead bodies and missing papers to show for it. Silver really DOES trigger the Nazis' superstitions about ghosts and supernatural powers, and becomes one of their most-wanted targets. (He's up there with other esteemed parties like Diamant and Didrika.) The Rats start looking for the best spot to construct headquarters, which will be partly aboveground but mostly submerged and camouflaged from above. Thing is, they don't know they're being watched: Papillon and Jean, two of Champere's men, notice them while scouting, and report back about the strange newcomers. They're instructed to keep them under observation, but avoid making contact. This becomes unavoidable, however, when Jean is struck by a stray bullet and badly wounded; Papillon, a bat, flies off after where he last saw what he assumes was the Trench Rats' medical unit, as their leader had a red cross on his helmet. He hails Burgundy when he spots him, and manages to convince him to accompany him back to Jean. Jean has lost too much blood, however, and Burgundy can't help him; Papillon thanks him anyway, and leaves with Jean's body. Champere isn't happy about this turn of events (neither is Papillon--he and Jean were lovers), but Papillon does have a new piece of information to share: He now knows where the newcomers hail from. The surgeon spoke English with an American accent. Papillon and the Rats make contact a second time when he spots Camo and Drake scouting and notices a German soldier in Drake's vicinity; he swoops down and tries to grab Drake by the shoulders and carry him to safety, except Drake is too heavy for him, and he ends up dropping him in a mud-filled trench. (I forgot to mention how, during special training they went through before leaving for Europe, Camo and Drake practiced Camo swooping down upon a raptor's back and picking Drake up; it didn't go well, and afterwards Drake adamantly refused to continue the routine, saying that he planned to keep his feet on the ground and if God had intended him to fly he would've been born with wings.) Papillon lands and hurries to the site to make sure Drake is okay, finding him crawling out of the mud; he offers his hand and the Trench Rat reluctantly takes it. Camo arrives and he and Drake merely share a look--despite their differences, they've become good at nonverbal communication. Papillon introduces himself and finally reveals that Champere's men have been watching their movements; Burgundy confirms Papillon is the party he met previously, and that he'd hailed them in French and then English. The Rats aren't happy about this information either but decide it's time to officially establish contact. Champere withholds the info that he knows where they've started constructing their HQ. He doesn't seem to care much about the Americans, but promises aid when it's needed. Papillon offers to introduce them to the other partisan group known to be in the area, led by Didrika, a Romani woman. The idea of an all-male resistance group led by a woman is a strange one--the Nazis disparagingly refer to the sharpshooter Didrika as not just the "Scarlet Gypsy" but as "Flintenweib" (Rifle Broad)--and she has a reputation to match, with a well-known tendency to attempt to seduce the men she comes into contact with. Papillon has some advice: Treat her with respect, but rebuff her advances. It's odd advice but Camo and Drake take it. They're allowed entrance to Didrika's camp with Papillon leading them, though every gun is trained on them as well; these partisans, made up largely of escaped prisoners and former Red Army soldiers, are especially suspicious, and not easy to make contact with. Didrika herself is an ex-teen prostitute who was banished from her clan after being raped by a gadjo (non-Gypsy); she took the money she earned and eked out a living for herself in the woods, learning to shoot and eventually gathering a following devoted to attacking Nazis and sabotaging their efforts. She cuts an interesting and unusual figure when the Rats meet her, a slim attractive brunette dressed in a loose (cleavage-revealing) blouse, jodhpurs, tall boots, big gold hoop earrings, and a skull-and-crossbones necklace, with an eye tattooed on the palm of her left hand. (NOTE, I'd previously described it as her right hand, but I've since changed my mind.) She's rather superstitious, but also thinks nothing of using others' superstitions against them, and the Rats' tactics to psych out the Nazis intrigue her. Just as Papillon had warned, she flirts with and talks suggestively to the two, soon focusing her attention primarily on Camo, though they pretend not to notice, and after a while she quits. Papillon had also instructed them that any attempts at an alliance with Didrika will be treated as a business transaction: "She'll try to...how do you say?--screw you over?...so you better be ready to haggle," and again, just as he'd said, Didrika wants to know what's in it for her if she allies with the Rats. They eventually reach an agreement to provide each other with necessary supplies whenever they request the others' aid--the Rats can offer medical supplies and ammunition/weapons, while Didrika's people can offer food and services--while both groups promise to provide combat support against the Nazis. Didrika startles Camo by taking a knife and slicing her hand open before offering it for a handshake; he hesitates before pulling his own knife and doing the same. After they shake hands Didrika tells him the bloodletting was completely unnecessary for the agreement, she just wanted to see what he'd do; she hadn't expected him to actually follow through. "I think I like you, gadjo," she adds, and laughs. At last the effort is made to free the American prisoner of the Nazis' Projekt Weltuntergang. Intel informs them that the project is helmed by a man former prisoners have nicknamed Dr. C (it turns out his name is actually Dietmar Kammler), and is being funded by the Schutzstaffel, a paramilitary group that now rivals the Wehrmacht, Germany's actual military, in terms of military force, and is in charge of intelligence and security itself. SS members can often be identified by a double lightning bolt rune they wear on their collar or Stahlhelm, and/or a Totenkopf--death's head--they display on their caps. The military branch, the Waffen-SS, dresses in gray, while the intelligence and record-keeping branch, the Allgemeine-SS, dresses all in black except when out in the field (when they dress similar to the Waffen-SS); a third branch, the SS-Totenkopfverbände, is in charge of the camp system, and although aligned with the Waffen-SS their members also wear black. The Rats learn more about this camp system from the former prisoners they come into contact with, and learn that while some camps focus on providing cheap slave labor and others are intended purely for mass extermination, in the end they're all basically death camps, in that they lead directly or indirectly, quickly or gradually, to the death of their inmates. Medical experimentation takes place in the camps as well as outside, with some camps providing test subjects when requested. Dr. C has made good use of the nearby camp run by Sturmbannführer Konstantin Klaus (NEW CHARACTER ALERT!) and gone through a great number of victims in his pursuit of the perfect serum that will create a Nazi "übermensch," or superhuman, who can provide a distinct advantage on the battlefield. Despite his efforts, however, his luck has been minimal--the serum works only on a very rare blood type mutation, so rare that Dr. C has apparently located only three successful test subjects so far: a Jewish camp prisoner, a mentally disabled man from an institution, and the American prisoner of war. (The first two were located via checking the results of slews and slews of blood tests; the third was pure coincidence.) Given the "subhuman" status of the first two, the POW is considered the first true success of Projekt Weltuntergang. Somehow the Rats manage to recapture the POW--but Teal Rat is captured by the Nazis instead. Unable to immediately retrieve him, they're forced to leave him behind for now, as "Subject Doomsday" is top priority--a decision that wears heavily on Camo and Drake, who've been taught to leave no man behind. As for the soldier now known as Doomsday, things are a bit...weird. For the most part he refuses to communicate with them, even his old companions, whom he doesn't seem to recognize. He would seem to be catatonic if he weren't obviously aware of what's going on around him. He doesn't respond to his old name or any other cues that should be familiar. The situation changes only when he's brought to Burgundy for a checkup of his physical health, since the serum is known to be incredibly painful for some subjects. Doomsday watches with a sort of detached curiosity while Burgundy looks him over, finding signs of extended torture, though they're mostly healed by now. He theorizes that physical and psychological torture, combined with use of the serum, was used to make and keep Doomsday compliant. As Burgundy is checking him out, Doomsday finally speaks--in German--a language Indigo insists he didn't know before. He points to the red cross on Burgundy's helmet and says, "Ein Arzt?"--doctor? Burgundy says, "Ja," and Doomsday requests his orders. Burgundy is beyond confused, but careful questioning soon reveals that Doomsday has been "trained" to respond only to orders given by "Doktor-Vater," or Doctor-Father, the name by which Dr. C insists his subjects refer to him. Camo suggests that Burgundy declare himself "Doktor-Vater" now, an idea which he finds reprehensible--"I'm not going to perpetuate this so-called 'experiment'!"--but on being convinced this may be the only way to get through to Doomsday he yields, and says that he's Doctor-Father now, so Doomsday answers to him. When Doomsday again requests his orders, Burgundy first says he has none, but then quickly corrects himself, and orders Doomsday to give them information on the project. Doomsday promptly starts talking, and answers every question Burgundy directs at him (he refuses to answer whenever Camo, Drake, or Indigo ask anything). All in perfect German. He gives lots of specifics regarding how the project works and what his role was intended to be, but regarding the moment of his capture, and his life before he became a test subject, his memory is woefully vague. No amount of questioning brings further details to light and it becomes clear that Dr. C's programming has effectively wiped Doomsday's conscious memory; Burgundy suggests that scattered memories might return slowly over time, though he may never fully remember his life before. The Rats do a few preliminary tests to see how effective the serum is; Doomsday exhibits immense strength unlike what he possessed before, easily snapping several sets of metal shackles placed on his arms, and lifting a large piece of medical equipment (but only when ordered to by Burgundy); he holds his hands in a bucket of ice water long enough that Burgundy finally makes him stop. Likewise, he effortlessly answers several complicated math equations written on the blackboard (Indigo confirms he was never particularly known for his mathematical knowledge). Even as they interact with each other, he starts tentatively repeating words in English. Over the next several days he not only regains his use of the language but learns how to repair various electric devices (another skill he never previously possessed), becoming so adept at this that plans are made to install him as chief engineer in charge of wiring headquarters and getting all the necessary equipment set up. While checking out some old trenches that lie at the edge of the woods, Camo is startled to see a silhouette standing atop a ridge of earth, dressed in a Stahlhelm and greatcoat, wearing a sword, and carrying a gun. The two of them just stare at each other for a minute, long enough for Camo to make out the sig runes on his helmet--this isn't a member of the Wehrmacht, but of the SS. Camo gets a look at his face and he seems familiar; he doesn't quite believe it's possible the stranger is who he looks like, but the sword and gun show that he's lefthanded, and he seems to recognize Camo as well. He turns and disappears before Camo can catch up with him, but by now Camo is just about positive. He came across the same person while fighting in the Great War, except he was just a teenager then. Camo had tried several times to shoot him, unsuccessfully, while the stranger refused to take a shot and left, just as he did now. Although the stranger didn't reach headquarters, Camo is rattled by the experience. Camo and Drake become more familiar with Cpl. Anna Julian, the American liaison among the British. She occasionally visits Trench Rat Headquarters to consult with them and share information, but since she isn't a Trench Rat herself, her access to HQ is limited; like all other visitors (even Papillon, who knows the HQ location already), she's required to wear a blindfold and headphones and ride in the back of a covered truck, or in an enclosed compartment upon one of the transport dogs, to be brought to HQ. Eventually she and Camo grow close and develop a discreet romantic relationship; Camo doesn't provide her with any confidential information (to her credit, she never asks), though he does inform her superiors of how trustworthy and helpful she's been to the Rats, keeping them informed of developments in the area and assisting in connecting with local resources. The British take the recommendation up with Camo's superiors in the US, and clearance is given for Cpl. Julian to officially join the Trench Rats as their first female member. She's accordingly granted her own room at HQ, although she continues to divide her time between there and the British outpost. Meanwhile, Silver Rat is instrumental in obtaining secret information on Project Doomsday, and the Rats start to make plans to raid project headquarters in the hopes of not only grabbing further documents, but perhaps liberating at least some of the test subjects as well. They never get the chance, however, as the Nazis suddenly launch an unexpected attack on Trench Rat Headquarters, targeting them from several directions at once in a massive, strangely coordinated effort. Headquarters itself is bombed from above before being attacked by troops on foot; a second group attacks the Rats stationed in the old trenches near the edge of the woods, while a third attempts an ambush of another company of Rats passing along a forest road. The two companies in the trenches successfully fight off the Germans with minimal losses, and the company passing through the woods avoids attack completely. The two companies remaining at Headquarters, led by Camo and Drake themselves, don't fare nearly as well. A large number of Rats are killed in the initial bombing which destroys the aboveground entrance and completely collapses one of the underground wings, trapping most inside to either be crushed or suffocate to death. The Germans pick off some of the Rats who manage to escape the half-collapsed complex, but then start taking prisoners. Camo, Drake, and Julian are taken slightly battered but alive; as they're roughly bustled away, they manage to catch snippets of conversation that indicate the Nazis are following a detailed plan which includes taking the most important Trench Rats alive. The three are on this list; included also are Doomsday, Silver, and Burgundy, though the latter two weren't at HQ during the attack, and from the looks of it they've all avoided capture. (Doomsday, or D-Day as he's since been re-nicknamed, plays an important part in assisting in the rescue of Rats still trapped in Headquarters.) Despite their own dire circumstances, Camo and Drake try to take hope in this fact, and are shuttled off by the Germans. As they're being transported, the Germans themselves come under attack by snipers hidden in the woods. The captives don't know, but these are Didrika and her men, who learned of the attack only belatedly but set out almost immediately to offer aid. They, too, manage to kill off some of the German troops and rescue a handful of Rats, but they're unable to prevent Camo and the others from being taken away. Papillon also arrives to offer assistance, but conspicuously absent are the rest of Champere's men--they're sent out only after the German attack is repelled. They do offer aid in rescuing and tending to the wounded, but Champere himself is harshly rebuked by Didrika, who calls him a coward for not intervening sooner. (Champere brushes her off as a "whore who doesn't know her place.") Relations between his men and the Rats sour even further when it's revealed they had advance warning a Nazi attack on Trench Rat Headquarters was coming, yet didn't share or act on this information. Champere defends his decision by claiming they had no way to verify the info, part of it seemed suspect so he doubted it would be believed, and it wasn't his men's job to provide protection for the Rats anyway. When asked why he thought the intel wouldn't be believed, Champere replies that the rumor is the information came from the inside--the Trench Rats have a leak. The only potential leak the remaining Trench Rats can think of is Private Teal, who's still in Nazi captivity and has doubtlessly undergone extensive torture; of course this would be strong motivation for him to tell the Nazis what he knows. Privately, however, the Rats can't help but suspect Champere's men, despite Papillon's insistence they had nothing to do with it. There's nothing to be done about it, though, other than tend to the wounded and pick up the pieces to rebuild again, which the Trench Rats do, Champere's men assisting in the repairs while the Rats strengthen their defenses in case of another attack. They report the situation to their superiors in the US, and efforts to recruit new Rats step up. Camo, Drake, and Julian are transported, arms restrained, to a Nazi-run facility, made to kneel, and confronted by a German in a black uniform, a sword on his right hip and a pistol in his left hand. Camo immediately recognizes the stranger he spotted previously at the edge of the woods, and before that, during the Great War. His name is Otto Himmel, and he's a captain in the Allgemeine-SS. He seems to have been sent there to question them, though he asks few questions, seeming more interested in observing their reactions. He aims his gun at each of them in turn before focusing his attention on Drake, who's wearing a Star of David necklace, and who's already been the subject of several comments by the other Nazis present, who theorize he may be a good test subject. Finding the gun pointed between his eyes, Drake closes them, saying nothing. Capt. Himmel pauses before aiming the gun at Julian instead and shooting her in the forehead, killing her instantly. Drake jerks back in surprise to still be alive, Julian's blood spattering him. Camo launches himself at Himmel, trying to attack him despite his arms being restrained; Himmel seems surprised as well, taking a step back before the other Nazis tackle Camo and shove him back to the floor. He sees Drake attempting to see to Julian, who isn't moving, before Drake is struck in the back of the head and knocked out; he catches a glimpse of the look on Himmel's face--strangely dismayed--before he too is struck unconscious. Camo awakens to find himself in a small cell, someone urgently whispering his name. Drake is in the neighboring cell, trying to get his attention. Camo goes to see him, still disoriented and confused, especially by the fact that the corporal is now dressed in stripes with a tattoo on his arm and a yellow-and-pink star on his shirt. He belatedly realizes he's wearing a similar outfit, except he has no tattoo and has a red upright triangle. Drake's eyes have been blackened but he claims he's otherwise all right. Camo asks why they've been housed next to each other, which lets them communicate; Drake replies that this is likely the reason, to see if they'll share any information. He expresses worry over what their change of outfit could signify. At that point a door in the hallway opens and in comes a man in a white coat and glasses, flanked by Nazi guards. He introduces himself as Dr. C and says that they're at Projekt Weltuntergang headquarters, and they're both going to be interrogated; the treatment they receive afterward may depend on how helpful they are. Both of them refuse to reply, so Dr. C gestures and the guards unlock Drake's cell and reach for him. Camo grabs Drake's arm, but Drake simply pulls loose, meeting his eyes--"One of us has to stay alive," he says--and goes with the guards without resisting. "I'll see to you later," Dr. C says, and leaves Camo alone. Camo has no way to know what's become of Drake, though the comments the Nazis had been making while they were with Himmel give him an idea. Guards eventually arrive to transport him to a medical suite where Dr. C is waiting; he's restrained to a bed and an IV stand is prepared. Although his blood type isn't a match (presumably, his blood was drawn while he was unconscious), the doctor decides to try the Doomsday serum on him anyway. The IV is placed and the others retreat to a nearby room to observe. A good deal of time passes before Dr. C returns, seeming perplexed and peeved. Camo assumes at first that he was given a placebo, but the doctor's attitude soon makes it clear he was in fact given the serum--he just experienced zero reactions. The serum was extremely painful for Drake, whose blood type is also not a match. Hearing this makes Camo extremely angry, and when he's uncuffed from the bed he manages to hit one of the guards before being struck himself and restrained again; Dr. C demands that he not be mistreated, and he's taken back to his cell. Over the next few weeks Camo is given a series of injections yet apparently none have any effect. He's also interrogated; he provides no information, but for some reason, aside from a few blows he receives, he isn't tortured. As he sits in his cell one day, the prisoner in the cell across from his--a tall, hulking man the Nazi guards seem to be afraid of--tells him in halting English that the red upright triangle on his shirt makes him "special," a Sonderhäftling, who will likely not be too badly mistreated; Camo asks him what his own badge, a black triangle with the word "Blöd" on it, means, and the prisoner replies that it means he's "stupid." Camo expresses surprise that someone should be imprisoned for being "stupid," when a voice tells the prisoner, "Don't talk to him," and Capt. Himmel steps in. He and Camo glare at each other as the Nazi guards nervously unlock the prisoner's cell and step back, clubs and cattle prods at the ready, but Himmel is apparently not afraid of him, and the big prisoner exits his cell and leaves with him peacefully. Himmel glances briefly at Camo again as they exit the hall and Camo decides he has to come up with a plan to escape. While examining the next cell he ends up in, he discovers that the mortar between the bricks around the room's one tiny window has softened from moisture over the years, and can crumble apart if dug at. He uses one of his shirt buttons to slowly pick at the mortar and manages to pull a brick loose. Not long after, he's placed in a different, newer cell, and finds that the mortar is too tough to dig through. Strangely, however, a day or so later he's moved back to the old cell, and starts his work anew. Every night before he goes to sleep he returns the bricks and crumbled mortar to their place, moistening and placing just enough mortar in the cracks to give the illusion it's filled in, though every day the hole gets bigger and deeper. He reaches the outside of the wall, a few feet above the ground, but puts off his escape until he's sure he won't be immediately discovered; he's studied who passes through the yard and when, when the lights shine near his window, where people come and go from, everything. One night when all the conditions seem right, he crawls out the hole, then reaches in to loosely replace a few bricks so the hole isn't as obvious. He tears the red triangle off his shirt, rubs dirt on himself to somewhat obscure the stripes and blend in to the darkness a little better, and sets off at a jog with his head lowered, keeping out of view of the lights that occasionally sweep the yard. It takes some looking around as he's not entirely familiar with project headquarters, though being transported between buildings a few times has given him some rough impressions, and at last he manages to crawl through a fence into a narrow alley behind the complex. Project headquarters is located in the city, so it's some further tricky navigating for him to reach safety. He knows the Diamond Network operates in the city; the Trench Rats had made limited contact with them, though not nearly as extensive as their alliances with Champere and Didrika. The Network trusted the Rats enough to tell them the location of one "safe point" where someone can wait for a Network member to arrive and help them out, though it's somewhat old information and he's not sure if the point is still in use or is compromised; after stealing clothes from a line hanging from an apartment window, he heads to the safe point to wait and see what happens, peering out from the nearby alley every so often. It's still very early so not many people are out; just before daybreak, however, an old truck pulls up and the driver asks if he's looking for work. Camo knows he looks rather indigent, and isn't sure if he should go along until the driver claims to be "a friend of Jack's." The leader of the main faction of the Diamond Network, Josef Diamant, is nicknamed the Jack of Diamonds, so Camo gets in the truck. He's taken to a Network safe house where he's informed that the safe point has indeed been compromised and phased out of use, it was pure luck that a passing Network member spotted him there and decided to check on him. They're amazed to learn that he's the sergeant of the Trench Rats--according to contact they've had with Didrika's network, he's been presumed dead, along with Drake and Julian--yet when Camo mentions his plans to return to Headquarters, they strongly discourage him from doing so. Camo is dismayed to learn from them the extent of the devastation of the attack, but is also a bit hopeful: Dr. C had repeatedly told him the battalion was wiped out, something he now knows was a lie intended to demoralize him. A good number of the Rats are still alive and working on rebuilding HQ and recruiting new members. This is still very much in its beginning stages, though--it'll be a long while before the Rats are fully operational again--and the Network insists that right now, Camo is a liability. HQ is still badly damaged and compromised, the Rats are thinned out and overstressed, and as soon as the Nazis learn of Camo's escape, he'll have a huge target on his back. They aren't as motivated to attack HQ a second time just yet since security was stepped up, but if they know Camo has returned, that could very well give them the motivation to take the risk. Plus, a new sergeant and corporal--Black and Gold--have arrived from the US, so he could be redundant right now. In short, if Camo really wishes to help the Trench Rats, he'd be best off doing it from afar. Camo is unhappy with this development but accepts. The Network recruits him and decides to try a tactic similar to that the Rats attempted first: They put Camo in a German uniform and gas mask to conceal his identity and throw off anyone, Allies or Axis, who might come across him. Unlike most of the Network members, he'll operate in the country, in the woods not too far from Trench Rat Headquarters or Didrika's camp, and help provide safe passage to Allied parties passing through, guiding them to safety while fending off any Nazis who appear. This is a risky move with neither the Rats nor Didrika's or Champere's men being aware of his affiliation or purpose--Didrika's men are especially territorial and trigger happy--and Camo has a few close calls. As time goes by, however, they seem to begin to understand which side he's on, and although still suspicious, start to let him be. The Trench Rats, especially, appear to consider him a sort of kindred spirit, and although it pains him to never be able to let them know who he is, he knows it's for the best. This entire time he also tries to think of ways to liberate Drake from the project, but neither he nor the Network can think of much to do, especially considering that project headquarters security is significantly amped up following the escape. Also, the Network is well aware of the number of test subjects Dr. C has requested from the camp, as well as the number of bodies that have left project headquarters to be cremated; given the circumstances under which Camo last saw Drake, chances are high that he's no longer alive. Camo keeps a distant eye on the Rats as he performs his new job, but never talks to them during their occasional run-ins. Several parties, Allies and Nazis alike, refer to him as the Ghost of the Woods, appearing seemingly out of nowhere to assist people or ward off Nazis and then disappearing again. In truth, he returns to a small but well-hidden shelter constructed with the aid of Network members; using what he knows of Didrika and her men, he places particular symbols on a few trees not far from it--they're easy to miss unless someone is looking for them--in the hopes that Didrika's superstitions will keep her people away, and by extension, other Allies will keep away as well. He has no way of knowing for sure whether the tactic works, though it seems to help, and no one ever locates the shelter. He does run into Papillon now and then, and can't help but think Papillon suspects who he is, but Papillon never attempts to blow his cover or compromise his position. He himself suspects that Papillon and Drake were closer than they let on publicly, and rather wishes he could let him know the corporal was captured alive, but can't do so for various reasons. Well after the re-formed Trench Rats Battalion has established itself and resumed its relations with Didrika's and Champere's men--though the latter relationship is rather strained, due to Champere's hesitation aiding before or during the attack--word reaches Camo of coordinated attacks against the Nazis, which first result in the capture of Kolten, a test subject of Project Doomsday, who due to his excessive strength is regarded as a sort of "superweapon"--Camo recognizes, from his description, that this is the big prisoner the Nazi guards seemed to fear--and then lead to the start of the end of Project Doomsday itself, when project headquarters itself is captured and Dr. C--whose real name is Dr. Kammler--and Capt. Himmel are captured. Private Teal and Corporal Drake are also rescued, in rough shape but still alive. When Teal is brought to the same room as Dr. Kammler to be temporarily held while the Rats finish searching the complex for documents and information, he first expresses distress at seeing the doctor captive and restrained, but after learning the project is officially ended--even Himmel confirms this when Teal looks to him--his mood abruptly shifts, and in a blind rage he stabs Dr. Kammler to death in front of everyone else, spattering the startled Himmel with his blood. He's eventually restrained himself, and drops the makeshift knife when a Rat verifies that Kammler is dead. Everyone returns to Trench Rat Headquarters, where Himmel is locked in a cell and Teal and Drake are taken to the medical ward. They both exhibit multiple signs of longterm torture and neglect, though Teal's injuries are older; as they wash Kammler's blood off of him he explains that, as a Sonderhäftling, he was given preferential treatment by the doctor, but only after a long period of torture and experimentation; the turning point was when he betrayed Lance Corporal Silver Rat to the Nazis, yelling to alert them to his presence on one occasion when he sneaked into project headquarters. (This incident resulted in Silver's temporary capture and brutal torture before another test subject, Wolfstein, helped him escape.) The irony is that Silver, although surprised to find Teal alive, would have rescued him if Teal hadn't betrayed him first; when asked why he did this, Teal can only reply, "Better him than me," hinting that he underwent the same sort of particularly sadistic treatment Silver received. After this incident, Teal's own torture ended, and Dr. Kammler appointed him as a sort of personal assistant with more freedoms than the other prisoners; he was still subjected to Kammler's hair-trigger temper and occasional violent whims, but it was much preferable to what he'd experienced before. Despite this treacherous behavior, however, he's adamant that he had nothing to do with the Nazis' attack on Trench Rat Headquarters--never once has he offered up information on the HQ location. He expresses resignation that the Rats won't believe him, and asks Burgundy if he can at least give Silver his apology for what he did. When Burgundy says Teal will have the chance to do that himself, Teal replies, "No...I won't," and before Burgundy can stop him, stabs himself in the neck with a scalpel. Corporal Gold Rat--who's temporarily assumed command of the Trench Rats and slightly later is promoted to sergeant--and Lance Corporal Mahogany Rat, both from the second recruitment of Trench Rats, take Teal's body with them into the woods in search of a final resting place that should remain undisturbed. Camo runs across them and, uneasy at the sight of the wrapped sheet on the cart they're pulling, indicates that he wishes to see it. He's dismayed to see that Teal is dead, but he wants more information. He points at Gold, then at his corporal's stripes, and then at Teal. It takes a moment for Mahogany to figure out that he's asking if "the other corporal," Drake, is dead or alive. Gold confirms that Drake is alive (although Burgundy has placed him on an informal suicide watch following Teal's actions, Drake--who witnessed the entire thing from the neighboring bed--promised he wouldn't attempt the same), but wonders aloud how this stranger even knows who Teal and Drake are; of course, Camo refuses to answer. The other two mention their purpose carrying Teal through the woods, and Camo gestures for them to follow him. He leads them on a rather difficult trek to a waterfall, and points out a good spot for burial; he even assists in digging the grave. After they place Teal in the ground and cover him again, Gold comments about how arduous the trip was, just to get to a waterfall. Camo finally feels the need to speak, telling them that Teal was the one who originally scouted out the waterfall and had expressed awe on inspecting it. He removes his gas mask; Gold just stares at him blankly, but Mahogany gets excited, telling Gold that he recognizes the stranger from his military photo in the Trench Rats' files--it's Sergeant Camo. Gold--and the rest of the Rats, when Camo returns to HQ with them--are stunned that he's still alive; even Drake hadn't known for sure if he survived long past his escape (an incident Dr. Kammler told him about to try to demoralize him about being left behind, yet Drake had merely laughed), and embraces him when they're reunited. Camo is grateful to be back, but something still weighs heavily on him; knowing that Capt. Himmel was captured alive, he requests to be present when he's questioned. He needs to know why the SS officer so coldly murdered Cpl. Anna Julian. Gold, Drake, and Camo go to speak with the imprisoned Himmel. The captain is completely uncooperative at first, speaking little but expressing a sort of bitter amusement when he does; even Kammler's death seems to have had little effect on him, and the Rats pick up hints that, despite Himmel overseeing Kammler's project, there was no love lost between the two. When directly asked why he executed Cpl. Julian, Himmel refuses to answer beyond saying that he doesn't think they really want to know. Camo's temper gets the better of him and he attempts to threaten him, but Himmel just smiles. The Rats start arguing among themselves under their breath about the best way to proceed; one suggestion is that they relocate him to the countryside like they did with Kolten. At the mention of Kolten's name, from the corner of his eye Camo sees Himmel's smile abruptly vanish. They again attempt to question the captain about the project and Cpl. Julian, but he still refuses to speak; Camo pulls his gun on him and points it at his head, exclaiming, "Maybe you'll talk if you know exactly how she felt." Before he can pull the trigger, however, Himmel blurts out, "Eight burning lamps!"--and to everyone's surprise, Drake immediately knocks Camo's gun aside. The corporal seems a bit flustered by his own actions, but tries to explain: While he was imprisoned, one of his guards took pity on him, and would occasionally perform small favors, such as bringing him extra food, or a change of gauze after Kammler had his teeth removed. One day the guard merely brought him a spoken message--"Eight burning lamps"--with no explanation for what it meant or whom it came from. Himmel using this phrase now is evidence that he was aware of the guard illicitly helping out a prisoner--and he didn't report it. Making him complicit in the guard's efforts to assist Drake. Although upset by Drake's interference, Camo once more demands to know why Himmel shot Julian. This time, Himmel's reply is much different: He promises to answer this, as well as tell the Rats everything he knows about Project Doomsday, but they have to take him to visit Kolten first. The request is perplexing--why would an SS officer be interested in a mentally disabled person?--but Himmel refuses to explain or to say anything further--"Take me to Herr Kolten, and then I'll tell you everything you want to know. But only then." Further attempts at questioning and threats result in nothing but silence, so the Rats make arrangements for Himmel to be taken to the country homestead where Kolten has been placed with an elderly couple who've been caring for him since his rescue. This couple, the Albrechts, are anxious when the Rats arrive with Himmel in the back of a covered truck--blindfolded and headphoned just like Cpl. Julian used to be when transported to Trench Rat Headquarters--but when the Rats reassure them that Himmel is restrained, alone, and seems to have no interest in harming Kolten, they allow them in. Himmel is led to a large sitting room that's been converted into a sort of "playroom" for Kolten's use--despite his age and his considerable size and strength, Kolten pretty much has the mentality and temperament of a child, and although he's prone to destructive temper tantrums when upset, his violence is usually unintentional. Far from being the superweapon the Nazis intended, he prefers to spend his days drawing, looking at picture books, and making elaborate structures out of wooden blocks. They find him preoccupied doing this when they enter; he shows no interest in or even notice of the group, just continuing to work on his latest building. Frau Albrecht explains that Kolten tends to react with rage and distress if anyone interferes with his projects, so they let him be while he works on them. Himmel's reaction on seeing him is subdued but curious; his eyes light up and he takes a step toward him. Gold halts him and removes the restraints from his wrists; to their surprise, Himmel murmurs, "Danke," and goes to sit down across from Kolten, who ignores him and continues building. Himmel watches him for a while before selecting a block and setting it in place within the structure; the others tense up, expecting an outburst. Kolten halts in the middle of placing a block himself, staring at the piece Himmel placed, before looking at Himmel and saying, simply, "You didn't come to visit me. Were you sick?" The Albrechts and the Rats are stunned by the odd reaction, but Himmel seems to have expected it. He explains that he wasn't able to visit, though he wanted to. He adds that he would have brought candy, but it was confiscated when he was searched. (Frau Albrecht whispers to the Rats that Kolten is fond of small candies and chocolates.) As the two talk, it becomes obvious they're very familiar and comfortable with each other, and Kolten even allows Himmel to place several blocks, something he never allows anyone else to do; he says he's made some drawings, and fetches an art pad which Himmel browses through, admiration plain in his eyes. As he pages through it, Camo catches a glimpse of a sketch of Himmel himself--it's astonishingly realistic. (Frau Albrecht says that Kolten is incredibly skilled at drawing things from direct observation and memory, though he can't draw things just from his imagination.) Himmel and Kolten converse for a brief while. Himmel: "You seem happy here." Kolten: "The Albrechts are good to me. They aren't you, though." Himmel: "They treat you well?" Kolten: "They give me pencils and paper to draw whatever I want with. Herr Albrecht gives me all the wood blocks I want and they let me build as big as I want and they don't tear it down. Frau Albrecht gives me books with pictures and she reads the words. She lets me have a candy sometimes, but not too many so I don't get sick. They let me help with the chores but they don't make me, I want to. They don't yell at me. They don't stick things in my arms. They aren't you, though...how long will you stay?" Himmel: "I can't stay...some things have changed, and I may not be able to come and see you again." Kolten: "You won't visit me anymore...?" Himmel: "I wish I could, more than anything. But I have to take responsibility for some things. I'm not sure what's going to happen to me. If I can come back, I will, I promise. But I don't know if I can." Kolten: "Am...I going back to Doktor-Vater, then...?" Himmel: "Nein. Doktor-Vater is gone now. The project is over." Kolten: "He's gone...?" Himmel: "You don't have to worry about him anymore." Kolten: "Then...am I going with Hauptsturmführer-Vater, instead...?" This time everyone--Himmel included--reacts with shock. "Hauptsturmführer" is the SS equivalent of Captain. Kolten is Himmel's son. Himmel himself wasn't even aware that Kolten knew this. As the two continue talking the situation becomes clearer to the Albrechts and the Rats. Himmel: "You--you know?" Kolten: "I always knew." Himmel: "But--how? The doctors told me to never tell you. They said it would confuse you. You were just a little thing when I left you there, you can't possibly remember. And then they wouldn't let me see you anymore. But all this time you knew? How?" Kolten: "Some people at the hospital taught us about families. About mothers and fathers and children. They said mothers and fathers love their children un-con-di-tion-al-ly. That means they love them no matter what they do. You were the only one who did that. You came to visit and you said you were sorry when you couldn't. You liked my drawings and my buildings and you never tore them down when they got too big. You read me the words in the books. You brought me candies even though Doktor-Vater didn't want you to. You never got mad at me or yelled at me or called me stupid even though I am stupid. Everyone else looks afraid when they see me...your face always smiles. A father does this, ja...?" Himmel: "Ja...this is what a father does. But...you can't come with me. You have to stay here. They treat you well, ja? You like it here?" Kolten: "I do...but they aren't you." Himmel: "I wish I could take you with me. I promise I'll come back, if I can. But I don't know for sure, or when it'll be... I have to go now. Promise me you'll be good?" Kolten: "Ja, Papa." Himmel: "No matter what happens to me I want you to remember I'll always love you. And you've never once disappointed me." Kolten: "I'll remember, Papa." Himmel: "Tschüss. I love you." Kolten: "Tschüss. I love you, Papa." Kolten embraces Himmel, which seems to surprise him (they haven't hugged since Kolten was a child), but he hugs him back and then turns to the Trench Rats. "Vielen Dank," he says quietly, and offers his wrists to be shackled again. He's blindfolded and headphoned and brought to the truck, and transported back to Trench Rat Headquarters. Again in a cell, Himmel requests water--"I expect I'll be talking a long while, and my voice doesn't last long." Gold takes over questioning him first, not wishing a repeat of the last time; they get the basics out of the way, such as what Himmel's exact role in Project Doomsday was--he provided oversight, reporting results back to his superiors so they could determine funding--and what his exact relationship with Dr. Kammler was. "He's--" Himmel says, then, "He was my brother-in-law." When Gold recounts what he was told about Himmel laughing at Kammler's gruesome death, Himmel curtly says, "We weren't close." He reveals how Kammler was responsible for forcing Kolten into Project Doomsday against his wishes, and that this scheme involved an attempt on his life; he undoes his collar and shows them an ugly, ragged scar across his throat, the reason he always speaks so softly. When asked why he participated in the project if he was against Kolten's inclusion, Himmel bitterly says, "Because that was the only way I could stall progress until you people could find the time to destroy it. Took you long enough!" Turns out that Himmel's entire SS career was a ruse originally intended to protect his son, whom he knew could become a target of the Nazis' euthanasia program years ago; he'd assumed that Kolten would be safe from harm if his father was SS, something that seemed to work initially when Himmel showed up at the institution where his son had been staying since he was a toddler, when Himmel had been forced to relinquish him--the doctor, who had repeatedly put off "Hauptmann Himmel's" efforts to see the boy, quickly relented when Hauptsturmführer Himmel showed up in uniform instead, and promised the staff had no intentions of harming Kolten. Himmel had been ensured his rank and a smooth entry into the Allgemeine-SS if he agreed to take a relatively dull desk job in the office of Sturmbannführer Ludolf Jäger; not long after, Jäger had appointed him to oversee a new medical experiment led by Dr. Dietmar Kammler. Jäger had recognized Kammler's name from Himmel's personal file, which named his deceased wife as "Dagmar Himmel-Kammler"; he surmised the two could either work together or at least, once Himmel explained their volatile relationship, keep each other in check, to keep the project on track. Kammler frequently had blood samples taken of camp prisoners and institutionalized patients, and Kolten's results were a match; when Himmel refused Kammler's request to enter Kolten in the project, Kammler attempted to have him killed to gain custody of his son. Himmel miraculously survived with the help of the Diamond Network, who tended to his wound and provided advice on how he could sabotage the project. Kammler and the SS were stunned when Himmel returned after going missing for a couple of weeks; Himmel confided in Jäger that Kammler was involved, but requested to remain in his position, though he didn't elaborate why. Thus, Himmel overseeing the same project that had victimized his son: He's been sabotaging it this entire time, by making sure all attempts to create a modified serum fail. When the Trench Rats arrived and it became clear that ending Project Doomsday was a primary motivation, Himmel incorporated them in his plan, knowing he couldn't pull it off on his own. Further startling details become clear. Himmel recognizes Sgt. Camo from the Great War and from their brief encounter previously; he's also read his file, kept by the Allgemeine-SS, as his job consisted of typing, checking, updating, and organizing such files. He was responsible for ensuring Camo's escape by requesting he be moved back to his old cell--after Camo was moved, he'd noticed the loose brick under the window. Although only somewhat successful, he'd attempted to protect Kammler's test subjects--not just Kolten, but Jakob Wolfstein, Teal, and Drake--from Kammler's worst treatment, in an effort to keep them alive until they could be rescued. (As the one mentally sound Aryan with the right blood type, Doomsday had been treated relatively well compared to the rest.) And he constantly gaslit Kammler and thwarted his efforts to improve the serum, putting the project in constant jeopardy of being defunded. Camo finally cuts in. Even if Himmel never truly abided by the tenets of the SS--something he doubts, but for the moment doesn't question--what was the point of murdering Cpl. Julian? Somebody who posed no harm to the SS in general or Himmel in particular, as she'd been restrained and unarmed? Himmel hesitantly says, "I'm not sure how much you would like to know about her," at which Camo snaps, "I already knew her." "I read her file," Himmel says back, "and I don't think you knew her much at all. Of course she posed no harm to the SS, because she was working for us." The Rats are dumbfounded. Himmel explains that Kolten made him a drawing of a strange woman he'd seen visiting project headquarters--a woman in an American uniform. The same woman visited once while Himmel was present, and had used the phrase "useless eaters"--Nazi terminology for mentally disabled people, like Kolten, who contribute nothing to society and so are slated for euthanasia. Julian had used the Nazi salute. And after reading her file, Himmel knew she'd been recruited by the Waffen-SS to infiltrate the Trench Rats and give up the location of their headquarters--something she'd succeeded at only after seducing Camo, which her SS handler, a British soldier who'd also been recruited, had ordered her to do. Similar to Himmel's efforts in Project Doomsday, Anna Julian had been sabotaging the Trench Rats from the inside. "That poor Sonderhäftling you were all so quick to blame?" Himmel adds, referring to Teal, "He had nothing to do with it. He was just your perfect scapegoat. All those years loyal--for nothing. You rewarded a traitor instead." Camo refuses to believe an SS officer--and an especially duplicitous one, to boot--over Julian. Drake, however, isn't so quick to brush Himmel off. He later reminds Camo of an exchange they had not long after meeting Julian, when Drake had mentioned he had the feeling she disliked him. When Camo had asked why he thought this, he'd shrugged it off as his imagination; but Julian's tendency toward antisemitism is included in her SS file, and Drake's gut feeling wasn't wrong. There's lots of other evidence, too. Kolten's drawing of Julian--eerily realistic--is still in a sketchpad in Himmel's office at project headquarters, confiscated when the Rats take it over. Wolfstein, who had been liberated previously, is shown Julian's photo and confirms that he saw her visiting while he was incarcerated there, and he also confirms her disgust toward him: "That woman looked so warm, but she had ice in her heart." After the Allies, who've finally entered the city, seize Allgemeine-SS headquarters, they find Julian's file in the archives--as well as Camo's, Drake's, and the other Rats who've had files compiled by the SS--and the entire plot to have her attempt to seduce Drake, then Camo, then to give up the Trench Rats' location, is laid bare. Not only are Teal--and Champere--exonerated, but Himmel's unprompted execution of Julian is looking no longer so meaningless, as she was not only responsible for the deaths of a third of the Trench Rats, but Himmel feared she would also end up getting yet more innocent people killed, including his son. The "useless eaters" comment, which she tossed out so casually, was what cinched his decision that he had to take action, for Kolten's wellbeing. "Everything I've done, my whole life, has been for my son," Himmel says. "You, you had a daughter yourself," he adds, to Camo. "Would you not have laid your life down if it meant she would live? If you're a father, you understand. This is what fathers do for their children. I didn't want to take a life but I would do it again if I had to. For my son." He finishes, "Believe me, or don't believe me, I no longer care. Kolten is safe and this is what matters. Ask me again and I'll swear the same. My heart is clear now." Shortly after the war's end, Himmel is tried by a hastily appointed military tribunal, and swears by his original story; the testimony of numerous witnesses confirms most of the details. Additionally, Himmel claims sole responsibility for his actions, and promises to accept whatever verdict and punishment the court deems fit. The worst Nazi offenders are often executed, while lesser offenders often receive at least ten years in prison--the punishment that seems most likely for someone like Himmel. However, the court surprises everyone--Himmel and Camo especially--by simply finding him guilty of belonging to a criminal organization--the SS--and stripping him of his military rank and honors, and prohibiting him from serving again; they remove the insignia from his uniform and confiscate his service weapons, but decline to sentence him to prison or fine him. Despite the obvious illegality of what he did to Julian, the court finds that he was justified in thinking Julian would only cause more deaths, given the number of Trench Rats killed in the attack on Headquarters, and how she'd been radicalized by the SS. If Himmel hadn't killed her, she likely would have been executed for treason. This doesn't excuse Himmel's actions, but sentencing him to prison and seizing his remaining property seems pointless, especially given that he has his son to care for; he's allowed to go free. Himmel is offered a final ride to the destination of his choice, and he chooses the Albrecht residence (which Gold has to provide directions to). On his way out of the makeshift courtroom, Himmel has to pass by Camo, who stands to confront him. No words come. After a moment Himmel murmurs, "I know you cared about her. I'm sorry you had to find out this way," and leaves, his head lowered. Camo--who had resumed command of the Trench Rats along with Gold, following Black Rat's death--is left feeling rather bitter and disillusioned. He still can't bring himself to believe Himmel, or that he was fooled so easily, but he knows everyone else--especially Dr. Kammler's other victims--can't be wrong, and he feels almost overwhelming guilt at being partly responsible for the deaths of so many of the battalion. He decides to remain in Germany to help with the post-war cleanup effort. The handful of Trench Rats who stay behind--including Gold, Burgundy, Lyndsey Skye, and Mahogany--take over Project Doomsday headquarters as their new base of operations and set to work assisting the rest of the Allies in going through the records the SS left behind, as well as coordinating with the members of the now-defunct Diamond Network to help former prisoners and refugees obtain medical attention and housing/jobs. One of these ex-members is a former camp inmate named Helena Urbach, who was liberated and processed by the Trench Rats much earlier; she had asked Mahogany about the location of another prisoner, whom Mahogany tracked down and found out was deceased. This was Helena's husband. Upon learning of his death, she decided to join the Diamond Network to help other prisoners reach freedom. She resurfaces at the newly established Trench Rat Headquarters and offers her services. This brings her into contact with Camo, and the two frequently work together going through files and organizing efforts to get aid to others. After some time Helena expresses interest in Camo; he's very reluctant to get involved with her, given what happened with his last two relationships, but she's patient, and he gradually warms to her. I'm not sure what role exactly Camo plays in the final story arc, Ultima Thule; originally he was going to be one of the group which heads into the mountains to the Alpine Fortress, but I'm not positive about that now, since Himmel accompanies the group yet I feel his and Camo's further interactions are limited until a while later (beyond the official storyline). He might instead remain behind along with Helena and maintain radio contact while trying to dig up further information about the newly discovered "Project Ultima Thule." Somehow, the remaining Rats catch wind of what seems to be a new Nazi project, which makes no sense, as the Nazis were defeated and both Project Doomsday and its creator were terminated--so what could this be? They start reaching out to the others remaining in Europe for their assistance; Drake and Papillon arrive from France, Ratdog--who ended up siding with the Allies and assisted in killing General Schavich--returns from his old home in the woods where he now lives with Didrika following the deaths of Private Klemper and Boris, and Ratdog reaches out to Himmel, who after reuniting with the Albrechts and Kolten, took up residence in an abandoned mansion nearby. Given that the group that gathers at HQ served on both sides and represents all different factions--Americans, British, French, Germans, Russians; Wehrmacht, SS, Red Army, other Allies; Christians, Jews, atheists; Aryans, Roma, and others--it's rather awkward trying to work past their numerous differences and biases, yet they try. Camo and the other Trench Rats, who've taken temporary custody of SS records in preparation for handing them over to the proper authorities, set out photos of SS members and auxiliaries who went missing after the war, for identification; as Himmel was responsible for keeping track of such files, he's requested to point out who he knows and what became of them. Himmel's reluctant to rat out (no pun intended) his former associates, but claims to know little about what became of most of them anyway; he agrees to ID who he can. He identifies many of the female auxiliaries, including Rosina Kestler, whom he insists was "a genuinely good person, she would have nothing to do with this," but not as many of the men, explaining that his office consisted of mostly women. He pauses over one man's photo and stares at it uncertainly before asking, "He's missing?" The name on the back of the photo is Major Ludolf Jäger. Himmel confirms that Jäger was his boss in the Allgemeine-SS, and Jäger was the one who would relay Himmel's reports on Project Doomsday's progress to the SS leaders in charge of funding. Whenever Dr. Kammler needed extra funds, test subjects, resources, or favors, Jäger was the one who could grant or deny the request. Despite describing himself as merely "a small cog in the great war machine," and Kammler privately deriding him as a "glorified pencil pusher," he wielded a great deal of power, and was highly instrumental in keeping the project going. Himmel had no idea what had become of him following the war, and is uneasy to learn that he's officially missing. "He was good to me, he even knew about Kolten but didn't use that against me; I like to think we were friends," he murmurs, to which Gold points out that despite this, he hasn't described Jäger as "a genuinely good person," the way he did Kestler. It seems to take everything Himmel has to say quietly, "That's because I do not believe he was." Jäger, he explains, was a true believer in the Reich; although polite and well educated and for the most part disdainful of violence--earlier in the storyline, he harshly rebuked the Einsatzgruppen for committing a massacre on land under his jurisdiction, and expressed disgust over the concept of mass killing in general, preferring the option of relocation--he was still slavishly loyal to the Nazi cause and to the SS in particular, displaying an almost fanatical devotion on more than one occasion. Various papers related to Project Doomsday went missing toward the end--mainly, all the material regarding the serum's "recipe" or exact chemical composition--and Himmel reluctantly admits that Jäger was the one most likely to have taken these, as he visited project headquarters not long before the attack. Plus, once when Jäger was wounded, Himmel got a look at a tattoo he had on his right shoulder: a design known as a broken sun cross swastika, the emblem of the esoteric Thule Society. If Jäger is indeed alive and free, he's almost certainly involved in this project, which is likely just a reboot of Project Doomsday. Armed with this knowledge, the Rats get in touch with their canine allies, who confirm that the medical experimentation which started with Dr. Kammler continued with input from Dr.s Arzt and Mengele and the project has expanded in an even more ominous direction. The surviving Nazi doctors, and possibly Jäger, are believed to have fled to the Alpine Fortress, so the two groups set out in an attempt to end the project for good. At some point following the events of Ultima Thule, Camo likely meets with Himmel again, because he still wants closure and to work through his anger and grief; likewise, Himmel wants to work through his guilt. I'm not sure how that part goes, yet. [Camo Rat 2022 [Friday, August 19, 2022, 3:00:09 AM]] |