Worlds Collide [The Man In The High Castle]

1

My taxi arrived at the SS Headquarters. It was chaos. I tossed a handful of marks at the driver and shouted, "Keep the change!" before hopping out of the vehicle. I ran down the stairs and into the building. The lobby was crowded, and the sirens outside were deafening. Finally I found the man I was looking for in front of the elevators, spattered in blood. I ran towards him and threw my arms around his neck. "Daddy!"

He stood there for a second and then hugged me back tightly. "Charlotte." The moment was short lived. He grabbed my shoulders and held me at arms length. "Why aren't you at the hospital?"

"They brought Erich in, I knew he was in your car," I told him. "Dr. Porter let me leave early to find you."

"You should be in that surgery," he reprimanded.

"I wasn't in the right headspace," I said defensively. "He's in very capable hands. I'm just a surgical nurse; there are dozens of people just like me on hand." He gave me a look that said a lecture was coming.

"Obergruppenführer," an officer said, getting my father's attention, sparing me for the moment. "We've identified the Semite you captured, he goes by Doc."

"American Resistance?" I asked him.

The officer looked from me to my father. "Charlotte asked a question," my father said.

"We, um, don't know, sir," he said. He shifted uncomfortably. "He hasn't told us anything yet."

"Then make him." Dad shook his head. The elevator doors opened and we both got on. "I vary my route every day, and yet this Semite found us."

"How?" I asked.

"I don't know, but I intend to find out."

"Are you going to put Athena on the case?" I asked him. The other two officers in the elevator glanced at me briefly at the mention of Athena. When I met their gaze, they quickly looked away.

"No, I'll handle this myself." The doors opened on his floor and we got off.

"This is exactly what she's trained for," I said as we walked down the hall. As soon as we were in his office and the door was closed behind me, I rephrased my statement. "This is my area of expertise. Someone leaked your route to terrorists, let me find out who."

"In your last four years with the SD you've uncovered a half dozen traitors in our ranks. The SS is grateful for your work," he said. "But you're not needed on this case."

"Why bother creating Athena if you're not going to use her when it matters the most?" I asked. "Someone tried to assassinate you, dad."

"I am quite aware of the situation, Charlotte." He shook his head. "If these terrorists are targeting me, they won't be above targeting my family too. I'm not putting you in the crosshairs any more than necessary."

I shook my head. "You're impossible."

"You came by your stubbornness honestly," he said with a hint of a smile, but it was quickly wiped away. "I want you trained for field surgery as soon as possible. I would feel better knowing you can take care of yourself out there."

"What do you think I spend my spare time doing? I definitely don't spend it cooking and cleaning. You know mom actually got me a subscription to Good Housekeeping for my birthday? I'm about as far from their cover girls as you can get, though I suppose that was the point. You should be counting your blessing you're finally going to marry me off."

He tilted his head. "You must be even better at your job than I thought. That boy is serious about marrying you. You don't take a job working for your girl's father unless you're really ready to put a ring on her finger."