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Teal Rat Blog Entry |
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April 14, 2023, 5:00:07 AM 4/14/23: r/SketchDaily theme, "Free Draw Friday." This week's character from my anthro WWII storyline is Lance Corporal Teal Rat. He's one of the most unfortunate characters in the story and gets a really raw deal from his comrades. There'll be more about him later in my art Tumblr and Toyhou.se. Regarding his design, well, I wanted him to look at least a bit different from all my other rodent characters, so I tried a unique color pattern...couldn't think of much else. TUMBLR EDIT: Firstly, I just noticed in my character list, Teal is named as a Private First Class. I guess I've decided to change this. *shrugs* Anyway... I was reluctant to draw Teal yet as he has a lengthy story within the plot (ugh these take me forever and I really owe someone an e-mail), but also, because as of my drawing him I still didn't know his backstory. He wouldn't reveal it to me so aside from his history within the story, he was a blank slate. I expected to write this without knowing much about him as a person, despite him being a major influence, from the background, on the main plot. Yet not long after I drew him...his backstory emerged. I don't know why. My own characters' motivations in how/why/when they share with me is a mystery. It's obviously still rough and developing, but here we go. I didn't know Teal's life before, or his motivations for, joining the military; he's one of the small original group (see Indigo's entry) who are selected to be sent to Germany to gather info on the Nazis, and although he has reservations about getting involved, he of course follows orders. I'd started to learn his character flaws which made his later experiences in the story doubly tragic and ironic: To put it bluntly, Teal is an antisemite. He never comes out and says it, but his reactions give him away, especially his later interactions with Corporal Drake Rat (Drake is obviously sensitive to such things, and picks this up from both him and Cpl. Anna Julian), and his initial reluctance to getting involved in whatever's going on in Germany. He doesn't wish ill on the Jews, but he doesn't sympathize with them, either. It's more of a "Oh well, not my problem" reaction. So he's a bit rankled that the military decides to MAKE it his problem, yet grudgingly obeys. When the first person who shows up to rescue them turns out to be Jewish and is going to be their boss, well, that stings. I developed this angle intentionally, as I said, to lend irony to Teal's later situation in the story. But what made him this way in the first place? This info was a mystery until I drew his portrait. He's another character from a broken family, in a story that's full of broken families. (Seriously, what's my thing with broken families? I'm not technically from one, myself, so I don't get it. Anyway.) As a child and adolescent, Teal (under his original name, obviously, which I'll give later) lives with his maternal uncle. For some unexplained reason, mother and brother have long been estranged and have little to do with each other; there are obvious bad feelings. Which means Teal's mother must have been especially desperate when she brought her baby to him to raise. Despite the bad blood between the two, Uncle agreed to take him; and Teal grows up under his roof without ever meeting his mother or father. That doesn't mean he's unaware of her, or of why he lives with his uncle; his uncle makes it pretty clear every chance he gets. He's an angry drunk and a loudmouth, and is especially full of spite; he doesn't abuse Teal, like Godfrey Klemper's drunk father abused him--he never lays a finger on the boy, doesn't neglect him, doesn't even tear him down emotionally. But he does wear him down with the hatred that constantly oozes out of his pores. It isn't aimed at Teal, isn't even aimed at his sister (Teal's mother) with whom he's not on speaking terms. It's aimed at Teal's father and those like him. For, as Uncle makes sure to frequently inform Teal, his father is a "dirty Jew" who forced himself on Teal's mother, and that's the reason she wanted nothing to do with her own son, and abandoned him here. This opens up an angle that the characters attempt to ignore, not quite successfully in Teal's case, and which is outright covered up later on: Teal himself is of course half Jewish--not through his mother, but still. His uncle never brings that up and never treats him as "dirty" by association--he reserves his hate for Teal's father. That doesn't stop Teal from internalizing the hate and aiming it toward himself, anyway--I mean, what else would he do? But similar to his uncle, he also externalizes that hate by aiming it at his unknown father and those like him. When you grow up with the only influence in your life constantly reminding you of all the reasons why you should despise someone, of course that gets ground into you. Teal learns to resent Jews the same as his uncle does, though he has what he views as a concrete reason: One of them mistreated his mother, and she rejected him because of it. He grows up with increasing desperation and longing to meet her. Maybe, if he just gets the chance to talk to her, let her know he's nothing like his father (about whom he really knows nothing), she'll accept him, will love him. His uncle isn't technically abusive but he isn't loving, either--Teal grows up in a household with no hugs, no affection, no praise or validation or even basic family feelings. His uncle just provides for his physical needs and that's it. Teal wants so badly to be wanted, to be loved. He's sure that if his mother gets to meet him she'll come around, but his uncle does one thing for his sister, he keeps his promise not to reveal her identity or location to Teal. Teal reaches young adulthood never knowing her, and yes, he grows to resent his uncle for withholding this info. When his uncle dies, Teal rifles through all his belongings, seeking anything to tell him how to locate his mother. He finally finds out her name, and after asking around a bit, tracks her down. He repeatedly recites in his head everything he's going to say, all the reasons he's come up with to convince her he's not his father's son, she should take him back, he'll make her proud. Nervous yet hopeful, he goes to her place and knocks at the door. He knows without having to ask that it's she who answers, and the two of them stare at each other for a few seconds--all his recited words flee his mind, he's just struck dumb to finally meet her. She apparently has no idea who he is, however, and asks with mild confusion, "May I help you...?" He swallows the lump in this throat--of course she wouldn't recognize him--and stumbles to introduce himself. Everything he planned to say is gone, and all he can tell her is that he's Aaron--the name she gave him, the only thing she gave him. Instantly her face goes white, then flushes--"What are you doing here?" she hisses under her breath. Before he can reply--if he can even find his voice--another voice from inside, a girl's voice, calls out, "Mom?--who is it?" Teal blinks, suddenly mute. His mother calls back, "It's nobody, hon! I'll be in in a minute." Then turns back to Teal--the words It's nobody are already sinking in hard. "You shouldn't be here," she whispers sharply, though not quite as sharply as before--he gets the feeling she's trying to tone herself down. "I have nothing to say to you." Teal takes a step back, lowering his head and hastily mumbling, "I'm sorry--I'll go. Sorry to bother you," turns, and hurries back down the steps, burning with shame. He notices how she opens her mouth and takes a breath as if to say something else, but she cuts herself off and he doesn't stick around to hear anyway. He's seen everything he needed to see. He can tell somehow that his uncle had lied to him all those years--there was no rape--he just wasn't wanted. He leaves his mother's household and never looks back. In the following days he pokes around discreetly, digs up a bit more info. It clarifies yet confirms his suspicions. His mother is married--NOT to a Jew--and has a family which doesn't include him. He manages to finally determine the likely identity of his father, a man with whom his mother had a brief affair, breaking it off presumably after finding out she was pregnant. Teal can easily guess the rest; the man who SHOULD have been his father agreed to mend things between them, if she gave the baby up once it was born. She handed Teal off to her estranged brother, and resumed her family life with her husband and, eventually, their legitimate child. Teal's uncle, meanwhile, already being a big ol' antisemite, just amplified those feelings by making up the story that Teal's father forced himself on his mother. Who knows, he might have come to believe his own lie, which he only came up with in a misguided effort to spare Teal's feelings, to not make him blame himself for his mother abandoning him. It's probably the only kind thing he ever tried to do for his nephew, yet it failed miserably; the truth slaps Teal in the face, he still ends up blaming himself for his mother's rejection, and oh yeah, now he really hates Jews for absolutely no reason. Thanks, unnamed uncle. Teal makes no effort to contact his Jewish biological father. He's had enough of family. He changes the spelling of his name, from the Hebrew Aaron to the Irish Erin (both a girls' and boys' name), and cuts off his last direct connection to his parents; when he enlists in the military, he deliberately lists no next of kin, and no religion. It's basically a fresh start...it's just rather lousy luck for him that he soon after ships out to Germany as part of a clandestine project to spy on anti-Jewish activities, gets pinned down with the rest of his unit, and is then rescued, with the rest of them, by Jewish corporal Drake. Talk about a sign from the universe. Still, he keeps these thoughts to himself, does his job. He avoids getting friendly with anyone--it doesn't seem worth the effort--and so the others mostly avoid him as well, picking up on his standoffish attitude. He isn't very well liked, mostly because people just don't know him, and he mostly goes unnoticed. Which is fine by him. The little unit is incorporated into the new battalion, everyone gets codenames (Teal is of course Teal, his fellows end up nicknamed Battleship Gray, Blue, Copper, Indigo, Silver, and Turquoise), and plans are made to rescue the last member of their unit who was captured by the Nazis when they were initially attacked. The Nazis are running an experimental project called Weltuntergang--"Doomsday"--and their captured comrade might very well be a test subject. A raid is organized, the other soldier (who ends up nicknamed Doomsday, or D-Day for short) is indeed rescued, but Teal misses out on everything that comes afterward, including D-Day's slow recovery and description of what he went through, as he himself is captured instead. The Trench Rats rescue one, only to lose another; Teal ends up in D-Day's place, in the hands of the Nazis. He's knocked out cold in the attack and only comes to afterward when someone waves smelling salts under his nose. Blinking in confusion, head throbbing, he finds an unfamiliar man in a white coat and glasses and incredibly unpleasant facial expression in front of him; behind him and to the sides are other men in field gray uniforms and caps, obviously Wehrmacht troops. Teal's heart sinks as he realizes what happened. He doesn't get time to mull it over, however, as the doctor--for that's obviously who this guy is--snaps at him, "Sprechen Sie Deutsch?" Teal shakes his head. He figures that's the end of it, but the doctor then says, "You make me lose my Versuchsperson. My best Versuchsperson! (Teal has no idea WTF that means.) Meine harte Arbeit! Gone! I need one new now. Start all over! I do not care if you are wrong. You are the Versuchsperson!" He snaps his fingers at one of the soldiers and says something; the soldier steps forward, gives Teal a look he really does not like, then says something to the doctor, just a few words, inquisitive. The doctor gives a short reply that seems to disappoint him a bit, then in English, obviously for Teal's benefit, "Give him a little lesson. Is all." Next thing Teal knows, a fist is slamming into his face. He gets the s**t beaten out of him before he's dragged off and slammed in a cell and left there; he just lies there for a long while, every bit of him hurting, but he figures, at least they don't seem interested in killing him. Yet. (This guy here is Sgt. Kaspar Lange. Teal doesn't realize yet just how lucky he is that the doctor said to teach him only a LITTLE lesson.) Someone, another doctor or lab assistant, arrives at one point to draw blood; two soldiers keep tight hold of him while he does so although Teal doesn't fight. He's confused--why do they need his blood?--but asks nothing, doubting he'd understand anyway. A while later, he's bustled out of his cell and down a hallway and into a room with a metal table/bed, IV lines, medical equipment. NOW he understands. The doctor who confronted him earlier is obviously the one in charge of the medical project, and he's pissed off to lose Doomsday, his best test subject. Teal might not fit his criteria, but he'll have to do. He assumes the blood sample was to determine this. He's put on the table and in restraints, and only then notices the two people already there, standing off to the side: the doctor, and a man in a black uniform, with a sword on his hip. He has lightning bolts on his collar tab and a little silver skull on his cap so Teal knows exactly what he is, and his unease grows. The Rats had already determined that the Schutzstaffel are the ones behind Project Doomsday, so this just confirms that whatever the doctor's intentions for him are, they aren't good. As a couple of assistants start pulling out equipment and getting things ready, Teal witnesses something strange. He can't understand most of what is said, so can judge only by the tone and facial expressions of the two men what might be happening. The SS officer has an unpleasant expression fit to rival the doctor's when Teal first spots him, but as Teal is placed on the table he very briefly furrows his brow, then says something to the doctor; it sounds like a question. The doctor curtly responds--then the SS officer's expression turns truly nasty. He starts talking quickly and in a more forceful tone--something which seems a bit difficult for him, as his voice is soft and hoarse to start with, as if he has a cold. The doctor retorts, then there's a heated exchange--the two are obviously arguing. Teal hears the word Jude and knows exactly what that means--he panics briefly, yet it seems like the word is used in the negative. The SS officer points at him and says something to the doctor--again, Teal doesn't understand much, but he hears the word Amerikaner and the phrase "Er ist ein Sonderhäftling," and knows that whatever "Sonderhäftling" means, it refers to him. For some reason this comment really angers the doctor; he rants loudly, the SS officer replies, then starts to leave. The doctor gets close to him and says one more thing that sounds like a threat. The officer gives a very short reply, meeting his eyes--whatever was said to try to intimidate him, it didn't work. His own reply seems to make the doctor waver a little; after the officer steps out, he snarls and throws up his hands, obviously frustrated, and snaps at the lab assistants. They seem perplexed, but obey--pushing the IV stands back, removing Teal's restraints, getting him down; soldiers escort him back to his cell. He's confused as well; whatever the two of them said, he won't be going through with whatever this is today. He's figured something out, however: The doctor and the SS officer have some sort of connection--and despite it, they hate each other. This is the first of many uncomfortable interactions he witnesses between Dr. Dietmar Kammler and SS Captain Otto Himmel. Himmel: "What is this?" Kammler: "This is me, improvising. They took my test subject, I take one back." Himmel: "Take one back--? This is some sort of stupid revenge thing for you? I saw the blood results. No match! He's not fit for this experiment and you know it. This isn't science in the least and you have no excuse. You're just being a child!" Kammler: "A child! You'd know!" Himmel: "You're the one who pretends to be such a scientist. At least I don't play at something I'm not. You can get away with only so much. Don't even try to tell me you don't know how this will turn out!" Kammler: "As if I care what happens to him! He deserves it for taking my test subject!" Himmel: "I'm not talking about him! I'm talking about you, us, this asinine project of yours! There's no way you'll pull off this stunt. Not without bringing all Hell down on us. You want that? I won't cover for you, couldn't even if I wanted." Kammler: "What are you whining about? I can make use of him even if he's not a match." Himmel: "Is he a Jew?" Kammler: "What?" Himmel: "He's NOT a Jew, is what you're saying. Not a Slav, not Zigeuner, not a mental deficient, not an Untermensch." Kammler: "So what?" Himmel: "So you have no legal grounds to do this. He's an American. An American soldier! He's a Sonderhäftling (special detainee), and you can't use him for this. One time, you get away with it, you can call it a mistake. They forgive you since he was a match. Twice? I won't cover for you this time." Kammler: "This is MY project! NOT yours! Who cares about this 'legal' s**t! I can do whatever I want with a prisoner!" Himmel: "A SPECIAL prisoner. And no, you can't. We fund this project, you follow our laws whether you like it or not. You lucked out last time, but not this time. I saw the blood results. Remember who holds the purse strings. I can pull them shut whenever I like." Kammler: "I'm going to your boss tomorrow, see what he says!" Himmel: "Go ahead and try." Another thing Teal doesn't realize. Over the next several years, Himmel is going to be the main reason he stays alive. Although he really is in the SS, he joined solely to try to protect his mentally disabled son, Kolten, from being killed by the very regime he serves. This action drew him into direct conflict with Dr. Kammler, who wanted to use Kolten in his project: Kolten has the right blood type mutation, and Dr. Kammler even tried to make the argument that being a test subject--a Versuchsperson--would benefit somebody who is blöd, "stupid," like Kolten is. Needless to say this argument didn't go over well and Himmel refused. Kammler is so fixated on his project that he took out a hit on Himmel to gain custody of his son; this attempt failed, though Himmel was seriously injured (the reason he can't raise his voice--his throat was slit). Kammler gained custody of Kolten anyway while Himmel was recovering, and entered him in the project. As fate would have it, Himmel's supervisor, Maj. Ludolf Jäger, placed him in charge of overseeing Project Doomsday and reporting results back to him, so he can determine whether to continue or cut funding to the project. Jäger was quite displeased to learn Kammler had used an American soldier, D-Day, as a guinea pig, but found out only after the fact; as D-Day had the right blood type, he ended up giving Kammler a pass. Teal does not meet the requirements--there's no rational reason to use him as a test subject. Kammler's gotten bolder and more reckless, however, so he does what he threatened to do, and appeals to Jäger. Himmel argues against. Jäger hears them out, then says, "I understand your frustration, Herr Doktor, yet this is another American prisoner of war, and you can't even make good use of this one. I know how to read blood results. I'll do what I can to accommodate subjects who match but this isn't one of them. You know full well a Sonderhäftling has certain rights, and this time you're going to recognize them. If not, then we can no longer justify funding your project." He waves dismissively when Kammler tries to protest: "Either you have proper grounds to use him, or you don't. I see no factors that justify granting you permission so I won't grant it. Find another subject." So, Himmel wins this argument...for now. He can tell from Jäger's careful phrasing that he's willing to make another exception if Kammler can find a reason, but for now, Teal is officially protected from being entered in the project. Thing is, now Kammler is even more incensed, and he takes that out on Teal in various ways. Sonderhäftlinge are meant to be specially protected, but application of rules regarding POWs is rather lax here; Kammler interprets Jäger's words to mean that he can't test the serum on Teal, and he can't have him killed, but most other stuff is still on the table. And Himmel can't really argue, as Jäger isn't too interested in day-to-day dealings and has no patience for constant complaints. He knows that if he wants to make sure Teal doesn't end up "accidentally" dead, he'll have to keep an eye on him himself. Teal is in Dr. Kammler's custody throughout almost the entire story, so most of the major events occur in his absence, and he witnesses bits and pieces of them from the enemy perspective. He isn't aware at first of just how badly things end up going on the Allied side; given how D-Day was rescued, and they're supposed to have a policy of leaving no one behind, he just assumes this is what will happen with him, his comrades will come rescue him eventually if he can just hold out long enough. And indeed, the Trench Rats start making plans. Obviously, however, security has been stepped up at project headquarters, and although one of the Rats, Silver, manages to gain access to the building multiple times--even killing a few of the guards on different occasions--he never succeeds in getting into the medical part of the building. This is a source of great frustration not just for him, for failing, but for the Nazis, who nickname him Der Silbergeist for his ability to enter and leave undetected. Silver quickly becomes the Trench Rat most wanted by the Nazis, dead or alive, and it's assumed that the one who leads to his apprehension or death will be generously rewarded indeed. Yet nobody claims the honor. The Trench Rats' sergeant and corporal, Camo and Drake, are connected with Cpl. Anna Julian, an American working with the British; she eventually gains their trust (well, Camo's trust...Drake has uncertain feelings about her) and, being officially included in the battalion, is granted access to HQ. The location of HQ has remained a closely guarded secret, the only one who discovered it being French partisan Papillon, who associates with Drake. When German forces stage a coordinated attack on HQ and the different Trench Rats companies (only Copper's company escapes completely unscathed), killing a large number of Rats and capturing Camo, Drake, and Julian, of course accusations start flying. Papillon insists his people had nothing to do with it, despite his commander apparently catching wind of the attack ahead of time; the fact that he didn't warn the Rats obviously upsets Papillon, who's been a reliable ally so far. There's only one other possibility they can think of: Teal, the one Trench Rat still in German custody, may have sold them out to protect himself. Given that the Germans start spreading rumors of having an inside source, this idea gains traction, and despite their vow to never leave a man behind, the Rats begin to second-guess their plans to rescue Teal. For all they know, he's been turned, and is a spy working for the Nazis by now. Shortly after the three captives are hauled into German custody, an odd but alarming event occurs. Capt. Himmel stops in to see them, and after pulling his gun and appearing ready to shoot Drake--whose Star of David necklace is visible--he instead pivots and abruptly executes Cpl. Julian. The incident is taken as a sign of the brutal and unpredictable nature of the SS and Himmel is quickly targeted by the Rats the same way Silver was by the Nazis. Out of sight of all of them, however, it's a completely different story. Once the seemingly cold-blooded Himmel is alone, he nearly breaks down--he hated committing the act, he's only ever killed anyone while in combat, he's never murdered anyone before--even his SS job consists mainly of sitting behind a desk doing secretarial work. He's not coldblooded, he's not a killer, but he just killed someone anyway. It takes him a bit to settle his nerves, though he starts having nightmares, racked by guilt. The only one who picks up on his distress is Kolten--the reason he committed the murder in the first place. For Himmel got word of the truth, plus confirmation: Anna Julian was in fact the spy. She'd been turned by a British recruit of the Waffen-SS, and after gaining access to Trench Rat HQ, gave the SS the information, and they then informed the Wehrmacht, which staged the attack. Himmel learned of their plans shortly ahead of time, and Kolten himself confirmed Julian's identity by making a drawing of her (he has an eidetic memory and excellent drawing skills for things he's seen previously) and telling Himmel he'd seen her in project headquarters, giving the Nazi salute. This is bad enough--but he reports that he'd also seen the way she looked at him when told he was the "idiot" involved in the experiment--and that when she thought he couldn't hear, she'd used the phrase Unnütze Esser--"useless eaters." This final detail is what made Himmel panic, and after she was brought into custody, he killed her. He's certain that if she'd managed to report back to the Waffen-SS, possibly countless "useless eaters"--mentally disabled persons, including his son--would've ended up eradicated. So, he acted first. Himmel of course can't explain the truth behind his actions without giving his motivations away, so he simply accepts his bad reputation; if anything, it helps give him cover (even Kammler is shocked). He gets in trouble with the Waffen-SS for killing their spy, but Jäger, his boss in the Allgemeine-SS, smooths it over (while privately expressing his own exasperation over Himmel's uncharacteristic behavior). Kammler, meanwhile, takes advantage of the situation: He informs Teal of the attack, tells him a massive number of his fellow Rats were killed, his sergeant and corporal have been captured, and he'll be blamed for it. He finishes his announcement with the gloating claim that now, nobody will be coming to rescue him. Teal tries not to believe it, but Kammler provides him with proof--he allows him to catch a glimpse of Drake being transported between facilities. (Contact between most project subjects is usually strictly limited, to minimize the chances of them collaborating; during both their time in captivity, Teal and Drake see each other a few times, but never get to communicate.) For the first time, he feels something: empathy. He never liked Drake, for obvious reasons, but now they're in the same situation--and it makes no difference that Kammler knows Drake is Jewish, yet has no idea about Teal. He may be a Sonderhäftling but his special status isn't doing him many favors. During his lengthy time in Nazi custody, Teal is subjected to all sorts of creative efforts of Kammler's to get around the restrictions his special status places on him as a potential test or torture subject. He may not be allowed to be an official part of Project Doomsday, but Kammler has lots of other ideas. D-Day had been put through the wringer even outside the context of the project; when he was rescued, he spoke only German (despite not knowing the language before), and responded to orders only from Burgundy; it soon became clear he'd been taught to obey commands given by a doctor, whom he referred to as Doktor-Vater (Doctor Father). He was obviously conditioned to do this, and needed to be "deprogrammed." Despite this, according to his own reports, he wasn't treated horrifically--he endured being administered the serum (an extremely painful procedure), and intense psychological conditioning, but aside from that, was not extensively tortured. (Granted, his self-report might not be accurate.) With Teal, it's different. Kammler is still steaming over the loss of his best test subject, and as Kolten is off limits for such treatment, Teal bears the brunt of his anger. He can't give him the serum but he tries a bunch of other things that are about as bad. Technically he shouldn't get away with it, but Himmel knows he can report only so much to Jäger before getting brushed off--as long as he's not being experimented on, mutilated, or killed, there isn't much they can do. Result, Teal experiences some of the same conditioning D-Day went through, with Kammler insisting he start addressing him in German, and referring to him as Doktor-Vater. Teal refuses the latter; the former, he simply doesn't know how. Kammler striking him a few times as he tries to get him to repeat and understand German phrases doesn't exactly help. A few times after these fruitless sessions, one of the Wehrmacht soldiers Kammler keeps on hand as occasional guards--the same one who gave Teal his beatdown--seems to ask Kammler the same question he did the first time, and Kammler always responds with a negative, but a few times again says in English, "A little lesson!"--which always results in a beating. After one of these sessions, Kammler hurls a book at Teal--"Learn! Or more lessons!"--and storms out. Teal looks at the book--a German dictionary. It seems pointless but he's getting discouraged by the beatings, so he starts poring over it and trying to learn the best he can. Some time later, Himmel stops by his cell. This isn't their first meeting. Following one of Teal's earlier, especially brutal beatings, he'd appeared late at night and unlocked the cell, letting himself in and holding out a canteen; when Teal refused to take it, he took a drink himself, and held it out again. Teal drank it nearly empty before somebody else entered the hall and Himmel left. He's shown up a few other times to offer Teal food. Teal can't figure out why he's doing this, but decides not to question it. Himmel's actions are the lone small bit of kindness he's experienced in his life, and no matter what his motivations might be, Teal is grateful. This time when he stops by and enters, he sees the book Teal's holding, and takes it from him, giving it a disapproving glance; Teal thinks he's angry that he seems to have stolen a book, when Himmel says, "Did you learn English from reading a dictionary?" Teal is stunned; Himmel speaks near-flawless English himself, unlike Kammler's broken stilted speech. (Himmel speaks near-flawless English, French, Polish, and Yiddish, and passing well Russian and Romani as well as bits of a few others. Unlike many of his fellow Party members, he loves books, and owns a few he really shouldn't.) He starts visiting Teal's cell with a different motive: Each time they meet, he drills the Trench Rat on speaking German, in effect giving him a crash course. He saw D-Day go through the same thing, except D-Day had the benefit of increased intelligence from the serum; Teal is of average intelligence. Still, both of them know the seriousness of the situation, so Teal works hard to memorize and learn. The lessons are of course brief and sporadic, but he finally starts to understand the basics of the language. Several times as well, he gets to interact, however fleetingly, with Kolten. This is rather a big oversight on Kammler's part, in having Kolten temporarily placed in an adjacent cell; he probably assumes they can't communicate. Unbeknownst to him, however, Himmel has taught Kolten English, and although he's not so good at speaking it, and he can't read, he understands hearing it. Kolten is also, despite his learning disability, very intelligent--thanks to the serum--and very observant. He watches everything that happens around him, and reports it back to Himmel on their visits. (BTW, both of them know who the other is, but Himmel isn't aware that Kolten knows he's his father. It's complicated.) Despite the serum's influence, Kammler still regards Kolten as "stupid," and this serves Kolten well in effectively spying on everything and keeping Himmel informed. Not only does he reveal Anna Julian's affiliation to him, he also fills him in on what's going on with Teal. After one of Teal's beatings, as he sits huddled in the corner of his cell, Kolten carefully creeps toward him, catches his attention, and whispers, "Best call him Doktor-Vater. Smaller beating." When Teal looks at him, surprised again that he speaks English, he says, "Doktor-Vater has big head...pride. Make him angry when disobey. Call him Doktor-Vater, less beating." He adds, "Soldat who beat you...bad man, very very bad. Small lesson best...do not want big lesson. Call him Doktor-Vater." Teal isn't sure what to make of that, but does think to ask Kolten something that's been on his mind; Himmel and the doctor, how do they know each other?--why do they work together? Kolten seems reluctant to answer that (he's hesitant to communicate at all lest he get in trouble), but finally replies. Kolten: "Herr Hauptsturmführer and Doktor-Vater, are like...Brüder (brothers)? But not Brüder. Herr Hauptsturmführer wife, Doktor-Vater's Schwester (sister)." Teal: "Brothers-in-law?" Kolten: "Do not know 'brothers-in-law.' But Herr Hauptsturmführer's wife die long ago...Doktor-Vater not happy. Not his fault, but always blame him. (pause) (slowly) They do not like each other." When Himmel finishes his German lesson for the day, Teal ventures to bring it up: "You and the doctor...he blames you for your wife dying?" Himmel blinks, obviously caught off guard; then he nearly scowls and says, "This is none of your concern." He lowers his (already low) voice and adds, "You and I?--we are not friends. Don't act as if we are, and mind your business." So--there are limits on exactly what Himmel is willing to do for him, and boundaries not to cross--Teal learns he's not an easy mark, though he still isn't sure why he's helping him. For his part, Himmel has nothing against him, but he has to maintain his facade in order to protect his son, his highest priority. If he seems TOO friendly, it could jeopardize this. So he keeps a distance between himself and the prisoners he's attempting to help, which also include Camo and Drake. In fact, he's directly responsible for Camo's successful escape attempt, though security around Drake is too tight, and Drake has too few opportunities, for him to pull off the same thing. Another thing Teal picks up on, that has far-reaching consequences: When Kammler focuses his attention and anger on Drake, he's not focusing it on him. Kammler's prisoners, like those in the nearby camp (he draws some of his test subjects from there, such as Jakob Wolfstein), are dressed in standard striped clothes and given ID badges denoting their status; he would've had them tattooed as well, just out of spite, but the camp commandant, Maj. Klaus, refuses his request, not out of any sense of morals but because it would mess up the numbering system his camp uses. Only the Jewish prisoners, such as Wolfstein and Drake, receive tattoos. Wolfstein wears the yellow star, Drake wears a yellow and pink one based on intel the Nazis received about him, Kolten wears a black triangle with the word "Blöd," and Camo and Teal receive the same badge that D-Day had worn, an upright red triangle denoting them as POWs with special protected status. Camo, Teal, and Kolten (Kolten based solely on a promise Jäger made to protect him), in theory, have exceptional rights the others don't; which makes Wolfstein and Drake Dr. Kammler's primary targets. Drake's status as an American POW doesn't exempt him like Camo's, D-Day's, and Teal's. Kammler shifts a lot of his spite from Teal to Drake after his capture, and especially after Camo's escape; he's subjected not only to torture but to the experimental serum (Camo had also received this, though I'm not sure how--it had no effect on him, anyway). None of Kammler's many prisoners but D-Day, Wolfstein, and Kolten have the right blood type, so a lot of his experimentation is done purely out of malice--it's unnecessary, it's pointless, it serves no purpose but to hurt. (Kammler DOES try tweaking the serum to work with a broader range of subjects, but Himmel sabotages it so this never works.) Teal isn't a monster, but he's human (well--rodent, but anyway); every moment Kammler focuses his rage on Drake is a moment he's not focusing it on him. He feels guilty about it, of course, but also relieved to not be Kammler's primary target anymore. This isn't to say he doesn't still get put through the wringer; really the only one of Kammler's subjects who doesn't is Kolten, because Himmel has the power to bring all Hell down on him if he messes any further with his son, who wasn't even supposed to be part of the project. Kammler just strikes more at random now; every frustration is an excuse to take it out on his prisoners. Drake pisses him off like little else, and not just because of his particular dual prisoner status; when Kammler tries to demoralize him by telling him of Camo's escape, gloating about how Camo left him behind, Drake just laughs. He speaks German, but refuses to call him Doktor-Vater. He puts up with both the exceedingly painful serum infusions and with the rest of the torture Kammler tries out on him, and Kammler tries out a lot. Kammler sticks him in a sort of sensory deprivation tank (albeit with icy water rather than lukewarm) for hours and hours at a time, which especially messes with Drake's mind, yet he still doesn't break. Teal is both relieved that this isn't him, and envious of his endurance. He doesn't know that the sole thing keeping Drake holding on is that he has things to hold on for: The entire time he's held in the water tank, he recites both prayers, as well as something Papillon had told him while they explored an underground lake and cave system together: "The dark won't last much longer." He's slowly wearing down, but holding out much better than Teal would. One day, for some reason, Teal sets Kammler off--likely still his refusal to refer to him as Doktor-Vater, combined with Kammler's lack of success breaking Drake, his repeated failures to improve the serum (thanks to Himmel), the persistent stress of debasing himself to the SS to keep funding his project, a million other tiny irritants all together--he throws a fit and strikes Teal several times himself, shrieking so loudly that even the hulking Kolten, who can easily hurl the Nazi guards across the room, retreats to the far corner of his cell. Teal puts up with it--Kammler isn't very physically strong, the blows aren't much. He ignores Kammler's demands and threats, doesn't respond to him when spoken to, because what else can he do. Kammler cuts off his attack, glowers over him for a moment, then yells for the nearby guards. He tells them to remove Kolten from his cell and take him elsewhere. This confuses Teal--what does Kolten have to do with anything?--but Kolten seems to pick up on something he doesn't; as he's shackled and led away, he casts Teal an anxious look, but says nothing. Teal only realizes Kolten in fact has nothing to do with this when Kammler calls one of the soldiers standing off behind him--the same one who does the beatings. He steps forward, nothing special, but then Kammler says, "A big lesson." Even the soldier looks surprised by this and asks if he's sure; Kammler replies, "You heard me," and turns to leave--"Just don't kill him," he adds as he goes. The others go with him, leaving the hall empty. The lone remaining soldier looks at Teal and smiles--a particularly nasty smile. Teal suddenly knows something truly awful is about to happen, if not what. Sgt. Kaspar Lange is probably the most malicious, least redeeming character in the entire series, and yes, that's even including Lt. Col. Dannecker and Gen. Schavitz. At least those two prove useful to the good guys, and do decent things a few times, when it suits their purposes. Lange, he's absolutely nothing but hatred, sadism, and violence. He'll be getting his own entry soon so I'll wait until then to (maybe) figure out his background. But he's already made a lasting mark on the plot, with his many victims, at points before and after this, including Boris, Ratdog, Silver, and Klemper. Klemper, oddly--the least physically imposing of them all--is the only one who succeeds in fighting him off, partly because he's been similarly victimized in the past and by now would rather go down fighting than let it happen again, partly because he's cranked up on meth--Lange temporarily gets the better of him, but Klemper manages to get him to let his guard down long enough to knee him in the groin and headbutt him with his helmet and then beat the s**t out of him in return before Lt. Dasch arrives to break things up. Usually, though, Lange easily subdues his victims--he's well built, really strong, and well trained, as well as a dirty fighter--and beats them black and blue before having his way. (Klemper might fend off the rest of his attack, but gets so severely battered in the process that the others are stunned when they see him, his nose and mouth bleeding and both his eyes blackened.) Lange is a sadist, pure and simple--and he enjoys it. While his behavior could get him expelled from the Wehrmacht under any other circumstances, Kammler quickly caught on to how effective Lange could be as a torture weapon in his own right, and struck an agreement with him to "guard" part time at project headquarters when he's not in the field. Mostly, he just delivers brutal beatings, which he's good at; but every once in a while Kammler uses him for other purposes. Lange doesn't even require extra payment, he likes the job so much. Kammler had only ever told him to mete out "small" punishments on Teal before...but today it's different. Kammler leaves the two alone, and Teal learns exactly how far he's willing to go to break down even a Sonderhäftling. Himmel goes to visit Kolten some time later in the observation room where he builds things with his blocks. He's puzzled to find Kolten simply sitting and staring at the blocks and not building anything. Kolten won't meet his eyes, and seems cowed and discouraged when Himmel tries to talk to him. Himmel: "Kolten...? What is it? Why aren't you using your blocks?" Kolten: (silence) Himmel: "Something's upset you? Did something happen?" Kolten: (silence) Himmel: "Bitte, Kolten, can you tell me...? Did somebody do something to you?" Kolten: (peers up briefly and back down again) Himmel: (peers back in that direction, sees Lange standing guard, turns back; shifts his seat to block Lange's view) (whispering) "Did he do something to you, Kolten...?" Kolten: (shakes head) "Not to me." Himmel: "What happened?" Kolten: "Doktor-Vater got mad at the Sonderhäftling. Hit him. Yell. Sonderhäftling wouldn't obey. Doktor-Vater had them bring me here. I see nothing, but..." (puts hands to ears) "I hear. Far away, but I hear." (whimpers) "So much screaming." Himmel: (peers back at Lange) Kolten: "Bitte, Herr Hauptsturmführer, don't let him do anything to me--? I'll be good, tell Doktor-Vater I'll be good. No trouble. No lesson. I promise. Bitte, don't let him come for me...?" Himmel: "He won't touch you, Kolten, I promise." Kolten: "I'll be good, honest." Himmel: "I know you will. Don't worry about him. Build me something with your blocks, bitte--? And I'll come back to look at it when you're done. Everything will be fine." On his way out, Himmel makes eye contact with Lange and halts beside him to whisper, "Lay one finger on him, and I'll slice your throat from ear to ear as slowly as I can. I can tell you how it feels." Lange averts his eyes--Himmel's execution of Julian is well known, he really does have the clout to pull off such a thing--and Himmel goes to Teal's cell. Teal is seated huddled within, staring ahead; he's bloody and bruised but seems lost in a world of his own. Himmel enters his cell, kneels and stares at him for a moment; Teal's eyes are vacant and he doesn't even seem to see him, until Himmel tries to gently touch his swollen eye, at which he abruptly jerks his head back. He doesn't speak or acknowledge Himmel in any other way, so Himmel gets up to leave. As he hears the cell door, however, Teal suddenly says, "Tell him--" but cuts himself off; Himmel turns to look back. Teal still doesn't meet his eyes, but says, "Tell him I'll do anything he wants." A brief pause, and he echoes, "Anything." Then falls silent again. Himmel continues staring at him for another moment but he says nothing else, so he leaves. He hides his own discouragement at realizing the truth: Despite his efforts to protect Teal, Kammler finally succeeded in breaking him. Himmel goes to Kammler and asks him what he's done; Kammler curtly replies he just put the prisoner in his place. "He's a Sonderhäftling," Himmel argues again, "you can't do this!" Kammler loses his temper, reasserts his authority, and they end up going to Jäger's office to again plead their case. By now Jäger is exasperated with the whole thing--"Ugh, the Sonderhäftling again!"--but wearily hears them both out. When Himmel reiterates his argument, Jäger is even more blunt: "He is alive? In one piece?" Himmel says he is, technically, but tries to argue about the obvious psychological harm; Jäger cuts him off with the statement that there's nothing in the law that specifically prohibits this. As long as Teal's general physical safety is ensured, and he's not subjected to experimentation, Kammler is operating within the law. "The two of you need to settle this between yourselves, I'm not getting involved again," he adds. This isn't the end of it, however. Kammler plans to enter Teal in the experiment despite it clearly being proscribed by Jäger. Himmel catches wind of this, threatens him not to try it, but Kammler insists he's still within the law; he goes to Teal's cell (Himmel right on his heels), and produces a document and pen. Makes a point of appearing to give Teal the choice of getting involved or not; when Teal hesitates, he adds, "I suppose there are other options for what we can do with you," at which Teal immediately signs the form. He scribbles something out while doing so. Kammler smugly shows Himmel the paper, a document agreeing to participation in Projekt Weltuntergang; Himmel notices that Teal started to sign "AAR" before crossing it out and signing "ERIN." Once more to Jäger they go; Kammler gives him the paper and claims the prisoner agreed to participate in the experiment, while Himmel insists, "He's a PRISONER! He can't agree voluntarily, he only did so under duress!" Jäger seems nonplussed by the document, asking, "This is a legitimate signature?--you didn't forge it?"--giving Kammler a pointed glare. (Kammler had forged Himmel's signature to make it look like he granted permission for Kolten to be entered in the project, after Jäger had promised Himmel he'd protect him from such things.) Kammler replies that it's legitimate, he even has a witness--Himmel. Himmel is dismayed to have to admit this, realizing he's been tricked. Upon hearing this Jäger says the document stands, the prisoner has consented to participate (whether under duress or not doesn't matter much--Himmel also has to admit there was no physical force involved), and there's nothing more he can do. As the other two turn to leave, however, he addresses Kammler one more time: "Herr Doktor--I'm keeping my eye on you. I know you didn't obtain this willingly. If I find at any moment you've overstepped our laws by the tiniest hair, and believe me I'll find out, I'll do everything in my power to make sure you never run a project again. Plus legal consequences, if applicable. Kamerad Himmel will report back everything I need to know. Don't. Push. Me." Kammler is cowed by the threat, but not much. He again brings Teal to the table, hooks him up to the IV, starts the drip. The serum's effect is agonizing for certain subjects; as Teal's poor luck has it, he's one of them. It also doesn't work, just as expected. Kammler is a tad disappointed but shrugs it off; the cruelty is the point, anyway. There's a distinct difference in Teal's behavior now, however; he speaks his stilted German, keeps his head down, and most of all, calls Kammler "Doktor-Vater." Kammler constantly waves the threat of further punishment, especially at Lange's hands, over his head, and gaslights him every chance he gets, reminding him how he "willingly" signed himself over, and it all takes a toll on him. The tactic that wears on him hardest, however, is Kammler telling him he's the reason Teal is even alive, he's the only one who cares for his wellbeing, because even his fellow Trench Rats believe he's a traitor and they aren't coming for him. Considering that it's true, none of them seem to have even made the effort, Teal begins to believe that Kammler is the only one telling him the truth, the only one who cares, even a little bit. Eventually, Kammler even starts to reward Teal for his obedience, improving his living quarters, giving him more and better food, and even letting him out to help him with small errands. He makes sure to keep Teal on a pretty short leash, but by now Teal doesn't care--just the food and considerably fewer beatings is enough to earn his loyalty. He's been so worn down that a lack of cruelty strikes him as kindness, and he'd do almost anything to maintain it, since nobody else is bothering to help him. Then, Silver arrives. "Der Silbergeist" already has a bad reputation of frequently breaking into Nazi buildings--project headquarters in particular--stealing documentation and snapping the necks of any guards who get in his way. Similar to Josef Diamant of the canine side of the story, his constant frustration of the Germans' efforts to apprehend him earns him the top spot on their most-wanted list. Whoever kills or, preferably, captures him alive will be considered a hero. The guards have mixed feelings of longing to be the lucky one who apprehends him, and not wanting to be there at all, as he can kill them and vanish, so easily, before they even know he's there. One evening, he drops into headquarters and begins scouting around, as usual. What's NOT usual is that this time, Teal is in this part of the building, and Kammler has temporarily left him unattended. Silver's never found a way to safely enter the medical part of the building to gain access to Drake or anyone else; in fact, the Rats pretty much assume by now that Drake, and especially Teal, must be dead. (Rumors of Drake's death have been deliberately spread.) So, when Silver accidentally crosses paths with Teal, his old teammate from the little unit the Rats rescued, he's struck dumb with disbelief. Teal is equally stunned to come face to face with a fellow Trench Rat, and the two of them stare at each other a moment. Silver's mind starts racing as he tries to think up a plan to squirrel Teal out of there undetected...when Teal opens his mouth and starts screaming, "Der Silbergeist! DER SILBERGEIST!!" Guards immediately come running. Silver is so startled by Teal's behavior that he hesitates just briefly, not wanting to leave him behind, but it's long enough that it seals his fate--he's captured before he can escape, and taken into custody. When Kammler returns, Teal begins babbling and pleading with him--"I saw him, Doktor-Vater, Der Silbergeist, I called the guards, I did the right thing, I did it for you, Doktor-Vater, I did it for you"--like a child trying desperately to gain an adult's approval. Kammler seems angry, which terrifies him, but he assures Teal he did do the right thing, before sending him back to his cell temporarily. Teal sits alone and anxiously bides his time. An outline of what Silver goes through in the meantime is HERE. Long story short, he too is introduced to Sgt. Lange. He remains in Nazi custody only briefly, however--he manages to escape with the aid of Jakob Wolfstein (Wolfstein had made himself a small but sharp shiv, fashioned from a scrap Himmel deliberately dropped near his cell, and gave it to Silver to cut his restraints), and just like that, Der Silbergeist again disappears. This all happens so abruptly--I think Silver is in custody for merely a day or so--that Kammler doesn't even get time to return his attention to Teal before his advantage is lost. Once he realizes this--that he's lost not only Silver this time, but Wolfstein, another successful test subject--he's INFURIATED. His shrieking at the Nazi guards can be heard all down the halls. Of course, by the time he finally settles himself enough to stop by the cell, Teal is petrified with terror; he covers his head with his arms and pleads with Kammler that he really did his best, he did. Kammler, obviously, is not the sympathetic sort--most of the time his reaction would be like what it was already, to take out his rage on someone who isn't even to blame. For some reason, though, something about Teal's entreaties gets through to him a little--Teal calls him Doktor-Vater as if his life depends on it, which frankly it does. But, it's hard to explain; by now Kammler has lost some of his prize "creations" (there's a reason Himmel's favorite book is Mary Shelley's Frankenstein), Drake (and Wolfstein) is just a "dirty Jew" who refuses to call him Doktor-Vater, and Kolten will never really be his. Teal, literally, is the closest thing he has to a "son," in a twisted way. So when usually he would be at the height of rage, Teal's pleading actually mollifies him a little, and he doesn't take out his anger on him. He actually coos at Teal to settle down, he's not in trouble, don't be afraid, he won't be punished. "This isn't your fault," he says; "You did very well. Very well. I'm very proud of what you did." He calms Teal down, and promises things are going to be a little different. That fills Teal with dread...but this time, "different" means a new, clean, dry cell near Kammler's office...a warm bunk...decent food...and no more beatings from Lange. It seems too good to be true, yet there it is. He's finally treated as a Sonderhäftling and granted special privileges. Don't get the wrong idea. He's still effectively Kammler's slave, NOT his equal or even his servant. Kammler does NOT love him like a son--I'm not sure he's even capable of such things. (The only person he ever seemed to genuinely care for was his sister Dagmar--Himmel's wife--and even that was a rather dysfunctional relationship, with him being excessively clingy, jealous, and dependent on her.) He'd still be willing to off Teal in an instant if it suited his purposes and if he could get away with it. But right now, it's more convenient for him to let Teal live. Teal knows this, and he especially knows the alternative, and so does everything he can to remain in Kammler's good graces. He earns a spot much similar to Isaak Schindel's on the canine side of the story, in that Kammler sets him up basically as his flunky, doing menial chores for him and being on hand simply to cower whenever Kammler is in a mood. He never flatters Kammler, and talks to him only when spoken to; most of the time he's silent. Flattery doesn't work a whole lot on Kammler, but knowing that he's feared and respected does, so that's a big reason he keeps Teal around. He comes to trust Teal enough that he doesn't confine him to his cell anymore, but Teal stays there or in Kammler's office, not touching anything, when not needed elsewhere--he causes no trouble, keeps to himself, does nothing suspicious even when the guards aren't paying attention. He's completely obedient. Just like when his first reaction to Silver, who would have rescued him, was to immediately turn him in, he shows zero inclination to make a run for it. It's the same reason he never bothered seeking out his birth father: He sees no point in the risk. The Trench Rats obviously don't want him. Where would he run to? Himmel watches this all from the sidelines, saddened by the turn of events; he'd tried what he could, but it wasn't enough, and now he doesn't know what he can do. Teal doesn't need his protection anymore, and yet won't accept any help either, without potentially outing Himmel's activities to Kammler; so, all Himmel can do is move on and turn his focus toward Drake and Kolten. (If this part hasn't happened already, Kolten doesn't remain much longer in Kammler's custody anyway, as he too ends up captured and liberated by the Trench Rats while en route between locations. Himmel sorely grieves this loss, yet does nothing to try to get him back, as he knows Kolten is in far better hands now.) Teal remains in Nazi custody until the climax of the story when the Trench Rats finally storm project headquarters, using intel provided by D-Day, Silver, Wolfstein, and Kolten. Drake is rescued separately by Gold Rat, while Himmel, Kammler, and Teal are taken into custody. Himmel is well known and despised by the Rats for his role in Anna Julian's death, and so he's quite a high-profile prisoner; they intend to put him through extensive questioning. Kammler, likewise, is well known as "Dr. C," the mastermind of Project Doomsday; he's not as notorious as Himmel but his capture almost certainly ensures an end to the project, which is what the Rats were aiming for. Himmel and Kammler are both brought to a study, in restraints, and made to sit on the floor near each other under the watch of a few Rats. They start trading a few barbs under their breath, then louder, not caring whether the Rats understand or not; even the ones who don't speak German quickly catch on that there's bad blood between the two. Teal is then brought to the study. He would normally have been hustled along to Trench Rat Headquarters as Drake is, except that they find him cowering in Dr. Kammler's office, speaking German just as D-Day once did, obviously not imprisoned like Drake was, plus they still suspect he's the one who betrayed them to the Nazis. They don't restrain him, but they bring him to the study where Himmel and Kammler are. As soon as Teal spots Kammler seated on the floor with his hands behind his back, the Rats witness something bizarre: Teal cries out, "Doktor-Vater!" rushes to Kammler, drops to his knees and throws his arms around his neck. He starts sobbing and babbling, still in German, though the Rats catch a bit of what's going on: He's apologizing and begging for mercy, insisting he had nothing to do with the raid. This is weird enough; but then Kammler responds, murmuring in a soothing voice and obviously trying to comfort him. Himmel, meanwhile, just looks disgusted. To the Rats, this seems to be all the proof they need that Teal is a turncoat who's been working with "Dr. C"; yet the moment one of the Rats tells Kammler his project is over, things change. In between all his crying and babbling, Teal overhears this, and pulls back from Kammler a bit, looking at the Rats. "Over--?" he echoes in English, then in German, to Kammler, "The project is over?" Kammler, assuming he's dismayed by the news, responds confidently that yes, Projekt Weltuntergang may be over, but not to fret, this setback is only temporary and they'll rebuild it even better once the war is won. Teal doesn't seem to even hear anything Kammler says once he admits the project is done with; he just stares at Kammler, his aggrieved look very slowly shifting into something different. Himmel's own disgusted look, and Kammler's confident one, shift as well, into uncertainty, then unease. The moment a glint of hate enters Teal's eyes, and he lets go of Kammler, Himmel jerks aside, gasping, "Knife--!" His voice breaks, and the Rats don't hear him clearly, so they don't immediately react. Everything happens in a matter of seconds--Teal's hand goes up, and in it, he's holding a shiv--the same one Wolfstein had left behind after Silver freed himself, the one Himmel had helped provide for him. At some point, he must have spotted it and concealed it from sight until a sure chance came. Teal lets out a bloodcurdling scream and has already stabbed Kammler repeatedly before the stunned Rats belatedly react. A few pull him off the doctor, fighting and restraining him and trying to confiscate the blade, Teal struggling and screaming incoherently and still trying to get at Kammler the whole time; one sees to Himmel, who's gasping and spattered with blood but unharmed; while another checks on Kammler. They'd hoped to interrogate him, but the few seconds Teal had to act were more than enough; the Rat checks Kammler's pulse, looks at the others, shakes his head. "He's dead?" one of them asks; at the Rat's nod, Teal suddenly relaxes, dropping the shiv. He puts up no further resistance. Himmel does start laughing, though. The Rats have no idea what's going on but need to get back to Headquarters; Himmel and Teal are separated just in case, Kammler's body is collected, and they leave. Himmel is taken to a cell for later interrogation while Teal is brought to the medical ward, obviously in shock and with cuts on his hands, as well as Kammler's blood all over him. He ends up in a bed beside Drake, who was brought in just before by Gold; "Teal...?" Drake whispers, stunned--Teal looks at him and sees how awfully thin he is, his teeth missing, but says nothing. Nurse Skye starts tending to Drake while another nurse washes off Teal the best she's able, and then Burgundy arrives. He, too, is alarmed by Teal's appearance before realizing most of it isn't Teal's blood; someone briefly informs him of what happened before he starts treating Teal's injured hands, then checks him over. Teal is silent for a long while before he finally speaks. Teal: "Doktor-Vater--" (cuts himself off) "He's really dead...?" Burgundy: "He is." Teal: (long silence) "I didn't think I could actually do it. All the times I could've, but I didn't." (long silence) "I didn't do it, you know." Burgundy: "Kill him?" Teal: "Nei--no. I killed him...I didn't tell them where to find Headquarters. I know nobody believes me, but it's true." Burgundy: "You'll have the chance to talk about that later. Right now try to get some rest." Teal: "I did tell them about Silver. When he showed up I told them. I admit that." Burgundy: "Why...?" Teal: (softly) "...Better him than me." (Burgundy goes to the other end of the room to look for something) "You'll tell him for me? That I'm sorry? I need somebody to tell him. (voice breaks) I'm sorry I got him hurt." Burgundy: "I imagine you'll get the chance to tell him yourself." Teal: (pause) "No...I won't." Something about the resignation in Teal's voice gives Burgundy pause; then he turns around. Teal grabs a scalpel from the bedside tray and jams it in his neck before Burgundy can even yell; the commotion catches Drake's and Skye's attention and they get a glimpse of the gruesome sight before Burgundy yells for Skye to pull the curtain closed and help him, which she hurries to do. He grabs Teal's wrist to try to stop him from pulling the scalpel out, but Teal puts his free hand over his; Burgundy looks him in the eyes, sees how sure he looks. Teal shakes his head. Then yanks the scalpel back out despite Burgundy's attempt to stop him. Burgundy and Skye work on trying to stop the flow of blood but Teal fades away and at last falls still, no longer breathing; Skye has to stop Burgundy from working on him, murmuring, "He's gone." "He looked right at me," Burgundy says. "He didn't want me to save him." He curses repeatedly and slams the tray aside anyway, before trying to settle himself; he instructs Skye to see to Drake and make sure he's all right, then calls Amaranth to find someone to dig up Teal's personnel file, to figure out what they should do with his body. The rest of this part of the story is HERE, in Mahogany Rat's entry. Teal's file is located, but there's nothing there to help them decide what to do with his body--no religion to tell them what funeral customs to use, no next of kin to inform. They decide to bury him near a waterfall he'd found in the woods, reuniting with Camo along the way. Himmel, meanwhile, despite being informed that they know he speaks English ("They tell me you yelled 'Knife' instead of 'Messer,' or whatever," Gold Rat says), refuses to answer the Rats' questions until being granted a meeting with Kolten, during which the Rats are surprised to learn the two are father and son--and Himmel is surprised to learn that Kolten's known who he is all along. After seeing his son is all right, he returns to Trench Rat custody and answers everything they ask him, including what connection he had to Kammler (Kolten's explanation had been accurate), and especially why he'd killed Julian. Himmel's attitude turns mocking, so much so that Camo threatens to shoot him until he repeats a phrase a guard had once mentioned to Drake--revealing he was the one who passed the message along. It abruptly becomes clear Himmel's been playing both sides, but he'd especially been invested in sabotaging the same project he oversaw, and had tried to help Kammler's test subjects in what small ways he knew how. As for Julian, Himmel tells them with obvious disgust, SHE was the turncoat who betrayed them to the Nazis: "That poor Sonderhäftling you were all so quick to blame? 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 has difficulty believing Himmel's claim, but as the war comes to an end, Himmel faces trial, and the Rats go through the records the SS left behind, more and more evidence emerges that he told the truth--and so did Teal. Despite all his time in custody and everything he went through, aside from alerting the Nazis to Silver breaking into project headquarters--an act that obviously consumed him with guilt, and which partially contributed to his suicide--he never turned on the Rats. It takes a former Nazi to tell them the truth. The remaining Rats find themselves feeling guilty over their decided lack of action to try to rescue him--ironically, Teal thwarted the only one who was about to make the effort--and also over how very little they actually knew him, despite him being one of them. He kept to himself, for his own reasons, yet they didn't exactly put in much effort to reach out to him, either. It turns out the ones who knew him best were his captors. The war may finally be over, but Teal's ultimate fate becomes a source of great shame for the Trench Rats, and is considered their biggest failure. That's about where the main story ends, though there is some more after that. Several Rats remain in Germany following the war to help go through the SS records and try to reunite families with loved ones who were confined in camps or exterminated. They repurpose the old project headquarters, as many records and notes are located there anyway. (I'm not entirely sure but I think this building is part of the Allgemeine-SS complex where Jäger's offices and the main records building are also located.) Mahogany Rat, who located Teal's file and along with Gold had handled Teal's burial, is one of these parties. One day a bespectacled, middle-aged man is shown to his makeshift office. He's obviously American; he says that he'd gotten in touch with military officials in the US, and was directed to the Trench Rats. He's looking for Aaron, AKA Erin, AKA Teal. He introduces himself but Mahogany has no idea who he is until he mentions that Teal wouldn't have gone by his last name, he used the name of his (Teal's) mother's brother when he joined the military. This is Teal's biological father. He explains that not long ago, he and Teal's mother ran into each other and talked a bit, then argued, before she revealed that he had a son. He'd never known until then. She wouldn't tell him much, but he managed to find out his son's name, and then that he'd enlisted; there was some confusion when he asked the military officials about him, as he'd signed up with his mother's maiden name and had changed the spelling of his first name. Once that was cleared up and Teal's identity, as well as the name of the tiny, pre-war unit he'd joined, were figured out, the bad news came: Teal was reported as killed in action. With no next of kin listed, he was buried in Germany. The military official gave him the contact info of the remaining Trench Rats and he departed for Germany to try to find whatever information he could about the son he'd never known he had. Now, here he is, looking for answers. Mahogany tells him what he knows of Teal's final moments with the Trench Rats (doing his best not to give an insensitive amount of detail, considering) but admits that none of them knew him very well; he shows Teal's father his slim personnel file ("This is the first time I've ever seen him," he says, looking at his photo; "He doesn't look at all like I imagined"), then takes him out into the woods to the waterfall by which Teal was buried. Teal's father is briefly overcome. Mahogany, seeing his grief, hesitantly mentions that there is one person who might be able to tell him a little more about his son, if he's willing. Teal's father asks that he introduce them, so Mahogany takes him to a large old mansion out in the country. A woman named Johanna answers the door and addresses Mahogany in English with a German accent; Mahogany introduces Teal's father by name, and asks if they can speak with Otto. Johanna lets them in and leaves the room. A moment later, now dressed in civilian clothes rather than a black uniform, and walking with a stick and a limp, Otto Himmel comes in to greet them. The military tribunal, while finding him guilty of lesser offenses, had cleared him of major ones, concluding that even his shooting of Anna Julian had likely saved lives; following being stripped of his rank and set free, he moved out to the country to be near Kolten. He seems puzzled when asked about Aaron and then Erin--"I'm sorry, I don't know anyone by this name"--but realization dawns when Mahogany mentions Teal, and he remembers seeing him sign his name. He's surprised to meet Teal's father, stating that he'd been led to believe he was dead. "He was Jewish...?" he adds, growing even more perplexed; "Half Jewish," Teal's father says, and clarifies that they never knew each other; he again asks for info, yet Himmel grows hesitant now. "I'm not sure how much you would like to know," he cautions; "Your son...had a difficult time here. I doubt it's how you'd want to remember him." Teal's father persists, though, so Himmel excuses them and they go to talk in private. Himmel has to reluctantly explain how it was he knew Teal in the first place, through his job in the SS. He very carefully outlines Teal's time in Nazi custody and why he was there; Teal's father asks for more details, which he provides, pausing to make sure he wants him to continue every time he wipes tears from his eyes. Teal's father insists on the truth, no matter how unpleasant: "I feel I owe it to him to listen." Himmel can't offer much about Teal's death as he wasn't present, though he does mention Kammler's death, making it clear he feels Teal simply snapped, and wasn't a murderous sort; "It's hard to explain the things people would do to survive then. The world went mad for some years, your son was as much a victim as anyone who ended up in the camps. I'm sure he just wanted to live, but didn't know how to handle it at the end." He adds, "Your son wasn't a bad person. He tried his best to do good. He was just surrounded by the worst people and circumstances." Teal's father tries not to break down again, murmuring, "I wish he'd come looking for me. I wouldn't have turned him away. He deserved more. I wish he could've known someone loved him." Himmel replies that he's not sure if it helps, but he believes Teal knows this now, and he's sure the two of them will meet again someday. "You believe in God?" Teal's father asks, getting the implication; "I do," Himmel replies. Teal's father asks if he'll pray for Teal with him despite them not sharing the same faith; Himmel agrees to do so. He starts reciting the prayer and is surprised when Himmel joins in; afterward he says, "You know the words," to which Himmel says, "I sort of have to," and gestures; "Johanna, and her brother Jakob, and three of our children"--since the war, he and Johanna Wolfstein have adopted seven children, who live there along with his son Kolten. He gestures for Teal's father to follow him and introduces him to Kolten and the other children, showing him around the property and inviting him to stay for supper; Teal's father declines, but thanks him for his efforts to help Teal: "I'm glad he knew at least a little bit of kindness." Himmel says he wishes he could have done more, obviously feeling guilt over his failure to protect Teal, though Teal's father reassures him he did his best. As they're saying their goodbyes, Kolten reappears with a tentative look and a piece of paper; when Himmel acknowledges him, he shyly gives the paper to Teal's father, murmuring, "I made this, I thought you might want it." He hurries away before Teal's father can say anything; he looks at the paper and finds a realistic sketch of Teal. Himmel explains that Kolten has a savantlike ability to draw things from memory; Teal's father wipes his eyes again and thanks him for the gift. Himmel invites him to visit again should he ever return to Germany: "Everyone is welcome here like family." Teal's father promises to take him up on the offer, and they part ways. [Teal Rat 2023 [Friday, April 14, 2023, 5:00:07 AM]] |