Not since Jack had he felt protective of another human being. And Jack, too, kept rearing up in Nemo’s mind. Where was he now? A Black man in his thirties in America who had grown up with no family, no permanent home—life was probably not great for Jack, but if Ingrid Weiss and her ilk got their way it would be even worse. As he felt the plane beginning its descent, he tried to push thoughts of Jack out of his head and focus on the task at hand. Even if Projekt Alchemie was nothing but a conspiracy theory put forth by the obsessed acquaintances of people like Alex Lansdowne, that did not change his desire to put an end to Ingrid Weiss and her plans.

Ruthie squeezed Patton’s hand as the plane bounced against the grass landing strip. She had been waiting so long and now she would finally have a chance to show Patton what she was made of. Now everything would be different.

june 1944

Helmut Werner pored over a pile of papers on his desk, checking to be sure everything was in order before he tossed them into the fire. He had been working on Projekt Alchemie in secret now for six years. Helmut had a small office in Wewelsburg Castle where, as far as anyone else knew, he toiled away at the monotonous task of processing the paperwork with which the Nazis were so obsessed. Reports in envelopes marked “Top Secret” arrived at Helmut’s office every day. No one seemed to notice that none of those reports ever left the room in which Helmut toiled alone. He had retained the rank of section leader because, Himmler had said, promotion might cause suspicion. But Himmler rewarded Helmut well with fine food, fine cigars, fine brandy, and, above all, a close personal relationship with the Reichsführer—something no money or rank could buy.

Helmut pushed back his chair, picked up the stack of papers on his desk, the contents of which he had reduced to a few carefully memorized facts, and tossed them onto the fire, where the flames jumped up eagerly to consume the secrets of Projekt Alchemie. Just when the fire was at its most intense, the door behind him opened and Helmut turned to see Reichsführer Himmler striding across the room.

“Heil Hitler!” said Helmut vigorously.

Himmler returned the greeting but without enthusiasm. He looked exhausted, with dark circles around his eyes and his skin almost sallow.

“What’s wrong, my friend?” said Helmut. “Are you not well?”

“The Allied invasion has begun,” said Himmler. “At Normandy. We will repel them, but many men will be lost. Many have been lost. And the Eastern Front grinds on.”