MaruMA:SideStory01:Chapter 7
Chapter 7 - Lindau
There are only two roads leading into the island.
Since the other end of the bridge over the water route is connected to the metal train bridge, and the gate has been lowered, there is actually one route they can use.
“If they set an ambush there, things will get dangerous.”
But reality is the exact opposite of what Regent was worried about. This city, quietly awaiting the arrival of the evening, doesn’t have any sort of customs at all.
The little island that can be walked around in one hour is known as the ‘Pearl in the Lake’. There are three islands south-east of Bodensee, and Lindau is the city built to connect these three islands. Since Austria and Switzerland are just on the other side of the lake, it used to be easily traversed by boat.
Even those soldiers with their scenery-ruining uniforms seem much more cheerful on this island. There’s a relaxed air of a lakeside city here, unlike the killing atmosphere in Berlin.
“This place is so peaceful, so quiet, it makes you feel like the hustle and bustle in the other cities isn’t real.”
Sitting on the back of the lorry and watching over the haystack, April unknowingly voices her true thoughts.
“Although their property was confiscated, but the Jews can still leave through the land route and air route. Even if those routes are prohibited and they can’t move freely, they will still definitely use this lake as an escape route. Then the country will send people to watch it closely, and this lake won’t be able to maintain its beauty.”
“Will something so cruel really happen?”
A shadow flashes across Deuter’s silver-shining eyes, and he replies half self-condescendingly,
“If no one comes out to stop it, then it’s highly possible.”
“But I still find it hard to imagine.”
The French doctor who got out of the front passenger seat helps April down as he looks behind him
“Why would the pursuers make the wrong deduction? Technically they should easily be able to guess the group who took away the Box, and our destination.”
“It’s actually very simple.”
Dressed as an officer, Deuter brushes the hay off the surface of the Box, and then lightly pats away the bits stuck to his sleeve.
“They probably think that we would fly the cargo plane directly to France, since that’s the simplest way. But they only want to use the Box, so they can’t imagine that we would sink that thing we worked so hard to get into the bottom of the lake. But thankfully for their greed, we’ve bought ourselves some time.”
“Are we really going to sink it? Sinking it to the bottom of the lake, is it really okay?”
Regent nods, looking at an uneasy April,
“That’s why we’re here for, April.”
April touches the part of the cover that’s revealed, moving her fingertip across the decorative parts carved with words and symbols. Sealing it forever before deciphering this part, is that all right?
Actually they have already come to the conclusion of sinking ‘Mirror’s Depth’ into Bodensee, that’s why they came to Lindau.
This Box must never fall into any more evil hands.
To prevent the worst case scenario, the best way is to sink it to the bottom of the lake where no one can reach it.
Regent and Deuter agree on that.
The difference is whether or not to destroy it.
Deuter maintains a soldier’s point of view, and thinks that it’s best to deface it until you can’t see its original shape at all, but according to Regent, destroying it seems to carry a certain risk.
If that impact accidentally opens the door in the Box, thereby releasing the sealed power…
“The original ‘Key’, which is the owner of the ‘pure water’ hasn’t been born into this world yet, in other words no one can control this power now. If tragedy strikes and everything is engulfed in water, all anyone can do is watch from the side helplessly.
Deuter is convinced by his argument, and decides to just sink it.
As evening approaches, Lindau Harbor is extremely quiet, there’s just the slow orange ripples on the surface of the lake.
After they walk past the old streets and arrive at the old dock, Regent once again speaks up,
“Although this time we successfully threw off our pursuers, but this doesn’t mean we’ll never be found. For all we know, they may already have chased us to this vicinity.”
“That I know, that’s why we must get this done as soon as possible. Try to find a speedboat… Ah, never give something like this to Richard to handle, that man will do something those horrible customs officers.”
“How many times do you want me to say it, I’m not called Richard!”
The French doctor pushes his glasses up his nose, interrupted their back-and-forth argument,
“It’s not just that, I think we should split up.”
“Split up? But there’s only one Box!”
Deuter ‘mnh’s once, and then turns around to tear down two ‘卐’ banners beside him, borrowing a wooden box from a deserted market and wrapping it up with the red cloth.
As long they wrap up the real Box with cloth as well, they look just like two coffins lined up next to each other.
“Like this the real and the fake are both completed. Although it’ll never stand up to close scrutiny, but from afar it should be impossible to differentiate, then everything should be good to go. Bur, who will take the real Box? Basically we can’t tell which side will be more dangerous…”
“Truth is both are dangerous, let me take the real…”
“I’ll transport the real one.”
DT, annoyed since he was called off the plane, glances at April.
“Because I’m the owner of the Box, Grandma asked me to bury it.”
“Then I’ll go with April…”
“No.”
The heiress’s partner's brows droop unhappily at Regent’s prompt objection.
“What—I am still April’s partner! Even Hazel handed her to me and asked me to take care of her—!”
“Mnh, but this time I think it’s better for her to partner up with Richard. DT, you said so yourself that Hazel handed her granddaughter to you, is precisely because April is still imperfect. Personally I feel that right now what she needs the most isn’t a helicopter pilot that can help her escape, but the true owner of the Key.”
“What?! Richard is the true owner of the Key?”
“Ah, but listen to me, DT, the Key Richard has isn’t the Key to the Box, but the left arm passed down through the generations in Richard’s family.”
“…You guys… are getting it wrong on purpose…”
Finally, April and Deuter ride on the boat with the real Box, while DT and Regent take the one with the normal wooden box.
On the speedboats that weren’t taken by force or bought at a high price, there are cargos wrapped up in cloth with the ‘卐’ sign.
The atmosphere is like that of a child’s funeral.”
Regent unties the hemp rope connected to the old jetty as he asks Deuter casually,
“Have I met you somewhere before?”
“…Why? Is this some new pick-up line?”
“No, I’m asking you in all seriousness. I seem to have seen those eyes of yours that shine silver before. If the person I saw wasn’t you, maybe it was your parents? Have they participated on the front lines in some war?”
“My old man isn’t a soldier.”
Regent cocks his head suspiciously, making the pose of someone frustrated, and then looks at Deuter’s eyes again, this time cutting to the chase.
“Or could you be the descendant of some man from far away?”
“If you’re talking about the man who fell from the sky soaking wet, then I had no choice but to be his descendant.”
“I see… Then Richard, you are Berard’s…”
“This isn’t a particularly happy topic of conversation, I personally try to avoids mentioning it.”
He shows the expression of someone who doesn’t like being interrogated. As the boat quietly leaves the old harbor, the sky and the streets have been dyed red.
Even the Alpines in the distance turn red, and the reflection of the twilight horizon is reflected shakily on the surface of the lake.”
April sighs, feeling it deeply. She finally understands a little the feeling of those people who love this land passionately and would sacrifice their lives for their country.”
“I think eventually this will become a battlefield too.”
“But it’s so beautiful here…”
“Although we’re desperately trying to prevent that from happening, but we really are forced by the circumstances.”
Although he’s wearing the uniform of an SS officer, neither his body nor his heart belongs to the Nazis. Those in the minority opposition rarely get the fruits of their efforts, and their fate is more than likely to fail.
“Looks like Hitler will still complete his empire, and be hated by the entire world as a dictator.”
“Don’t say such despairing stuff!”
April grabs the oars from him, and rows with all her might, closing the distance in one go.
“I’ll row! After all, your dislocated shoulder has just recovered.”
Deuter just watches her quick and agile movements quietly. The speedboat hasn’t reached the deep waters yet, and April looks around distractedly.
“We probably won’t be heard if we start the engine now?”
“…Ah, that’s right.”
She pulls the oars back into the boat, and then pulls the strong on the motor, but the motor just makes a coughing sound, then it doesn’t budge at all. Then her gaze, looking upwards, suddenly stops.
“…I didn’t think that there’d be a lion statue here too.”
Deuter turns around to follow her gaze, there’s a stone lion on a cliff in the east, sitting firmly on a pedestal about five to six feet tall and looking down.
“That’s a Babylonian lion statue.”
April has an indescribable feeling of reassurance, as though a great weight was lifted off her shoulders. Looks like this is the right place, they can’t go wrong sinking it here.
“If it’s here, maybe it won’t be lonely anymore.”
“What do you mean, lonely? Don’t tell me you’ve grown feelings for the Box?”
That part of soldiers always ruins the mood.
“Because the pictures engraved on the metal part of the Box is a lot like the lion on Ishtar’s door. I was just thinking that if there are two lions, then they shouldn’t be lonely anymore. But thinking about it, that day I actually wanted to see the lion.”
“That should be in the new museum next door, right?”
“That’s right. But if back then I had really gone to see the lion, then I wouldn’t have met Richard.”
“I’m not called Richard…”
Deuter purposely lowers his head and avoids looking at April, hiding his not unhappy pained smile. He carefully changes positions with April on the boat, and then takes the starter string for the motor.
“Let me start it, if we continue like this it’s no different from a hand-rowed boat, and the other team has started up their motor already, too.”
Looks like he’s really well-versed with this, he just has to pull it once to start it, but the smooth sound of the motor is interrupted by the sound of propellers from the evening horizon.
“Crap, those guys plan on an aerial strike.”
Before Deuter can finish his words, two double-engine scouting plans have appeared.
The sky is quickly becoming dark purple, they can’t tell what kind of plane those are by the shadows alone, but they can be sure that they’ve become the targets.
Because the plane heads towards DT and Regent’s boat, still visible, and even tosses down a detonated bomb.
“DT! Regent!”
The place where her comrades are is replaced by a large upward splash, and for a moment April cannot control herself.
“Is it real? They really deployed the air forces? Their target is just a box, an unassuming normal box! They haven’t even confirmed what kind of shocking power it has, why have even the air forces appeared!?”
“Calm down, Graves! That was a detonated bomb, so they won’t be blown to pieces, after all the enemy still wants to get back the Box. They just plan to blow us upside down before we land, and then take the chance to get the Box back… Wait a sec! Why would those guys be so sure we would pass through Switzerland? Hey, turn off the light! Otherwise we’ll be the best target!”
But the other plane, upon turning back, has discovered April’s boat. Sure enough, it isn’t sure which target to aim for, but maybe because the other plane has started to attack the other ship, it starts heading their way. Even if the bombs won’t explode, but if the boat is directly hit it will still shatter.
Although they haven’t been hit yet, with all the ammo luckily landing around the ship, but they had still better take this chance to row the boat to the middle of the lake, and sink the Box as soon as possible.
“Do you think we can make it to the dead center?”
“It’s not a matter of can or not, we must. If we simply sink it in the shallow waters, all they have to do is send a hundred divers to look for it, and they’ll pull it up in no time.”
April stares in the direction where they saw the silhouette of the boat just now, but maybe it’s because the sky is getting darker, now they can’t see a single boat at all.
“What to do, I can’t see them! Are DT and Regent okay!?”
“Do you still have the time to be worried about others? The plane’s coming, Graves!”
A metal block falls from the sky and hits the side of the boat, causing it to rock dangerously.
Although the Box that they had fixed firmly beforehand is fine, both April and Deuter are thrown off board. It could be that they splashed water into the boat as they fell, causing the motor to die out with a ‘phshh’.
The surroundings are getting darker and murkier, so they can only confirm each other’s safety with their voices.
“Are you okay!?”
“I’m fine, it’s just that water got into my nose.”
“Tsk, you sound relaxed. Hold on tight, I’ll push you into the boat.”
“There’s no need.”
“Now isn’t the time to be stubborn!”
“I’m not being stubborn. I just think that rather than let me get back onto the boat, why don’t we first settle the Box, don’t you think? See, another plane is coming, this one even has a really bright spotlight. If we’re shone on by that thing, what do you think will happen to us?”
The third plane is equipped with a powerful spotlight that can illuminate large sections of the lake, and it’s hovering above the area where DT and Regent were.
Maybe it was attracted by the light, because the plane that just attacked them is flying that way too.
“The way this is going, the place we throw the Box and the whole process of it sinking will be noticed, and then it’ll be pulled up real fast. It must not happen, we must avoid that happening at all costs, so we must finish this before that light approaches this place.”
Deuter is silent for a few seconds, then he puts his foot on the side of the boat, and pulls his soaking wet body onto the boat.
He throws his fallen army hat far, far away, and tosses the life jacket to April, while he takes off his own heavy, drenched coat.
Having caught the life jacket, April rubs her eyes, bleared by the lake water, with her fist.
She can’t see Deuter clearly.
“Graves, listen up! I’m going to cut the rope on the Box now, then I’ll kick the rope overboard. Be careful not to get caught in the rope!”
“Got it.”
“And then, I’ll quickly send this boat into that bright area and blow it up. If you want to see the Nazi symbol on the Box burn, I’ll show you.”
“You said blow it up? How are you… Lieutenant, don’t tell me you never got rid of those explosives!?”
“How could I simply throw away something so dangerous? Graves, you be careful, I’m cutting the rope on the Box now!”
Not long after the sound of fiber being cut, there’s the feeling of something large and light being thrown into the water.
At first it was still floating and rocking on the surface, but before long it started sinking just like Regent said, maybe it was the water flowing in from the cracks.
“Richard, it’s sunk.”
“Very good, now all that’s left is to perform an explosion for you. If we’re lucky the enemy might think that we gave up and blew ourselves up with the Box.”
Just then there’s the rustling sound of a plastic bag, and April knows that Deuter has taken out the explosives.
A match instantly lights up Deuter’s face, the silver light in his eyes twinkling like stars.
After Deuter lights the long fuse, he pulls the string a few times to start the engine.
But since it was practically soaked in the water, the motor refuses to start.
That’s when Deuter stuffs a rectangular leather suitcase at April, holding onto the side of the boat.
“I’ll figure out how to solve this problem. Graves, I’m handing this to you.”
“…This is the left arm! Isn’t it?”
“That’s right. Before a… a suitable person comes for it, I hope you can keep it somewhere where no one with ill intentions can reach it.”
“Who do you mean by ‘a suitable person’?”
“I don’t know, I didn’t ask. Maybe it’s me, maybe it isn’t.”
When he touches April’s hand, he casually mentions something from before.
“How’s your leg? It doesn’t hurt anymore, does it?”
“Why are you mentioning something from so long ago? That recovered ages ago!”
“…That happened just the day before yesterday, April.”
“I say, Richard, if you don’t start the engine now, the fuse will finish burning!”
Deuter replies softly, “That’s true.” And then he pulls the string again.
The sound of the motor isn’t that smooth, but the speedboat does start moving forward slowly.
“Can you swim to Switzerland? I’m sorry I couldn’t carry you onto shore.”
“What are you talking about? Get off the boat, quick! What if it explodes!?”
“No, I can’t get off yet. The speedboat is too unstable, there’s no guarantee the engine won’t suddenly go out. If the fire is extinguished by the waves, then wouldn’t our plan be in vain.
“Richard! I never agreed to such a dangerous plan!”
“The problem is that we’ve always been doing that, Graves, and I’m afraid we’ll have to continue fighting like this from now on.”
“Richard, Lieutenant! The mission was over a long time ago, wasn’t!? Since the situation in Germany is getting worse and worse, why don’t you go to America? Come to America, come back to Boston with me!”
But the speed of the boat falters suddenly.
Deuter throws away the armband signifying his position, and tosses his shirt and tie into the lake too, replying on the top of his voice to the black night, almost as though to himself,
“There’s still something I can do in this country!”
April holds out her right hand, and believes that he will take it with his left.
But the boat recovers and starts roaring as it speeds up.
“Richard!”
By the time she habitually counts to five, the enemy plane illuminates a huge ball of flame right underneath it.
Eventually April endures the waves for a while, but she never got that grasp on her cold right hand.
April Graves swims back towards the shore.
At first she is so slow she barely advances, and after she got used to the water, she gradually increases her speed, until she finds herself confident that she can swim to shore.
On the way she nearly sank several times out of exhaustion, but thanks to the life jacket she’s wearing and her own strength of will, together with the buoyancy of the leather suitcase, she managed to avoid drowning.
Before she can embrace her companions waiting on the shore tightly, all she can do is continue swimming on her own.
But the cold weather and her decreasing body temperature, caused her to almost accidentally fall asleep more than once.
When that happened, though, she would have the same dream, and halfway through that dream she would wake up and continue swimming.
She dreamt of herself floating underneath the blue water, hugging someone’s left arm.
That left arm was very warm.
Different from the cold, pale arm in the suitcase.
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