Worlds Collide [The Man In The High Castle]

4

I was tucking Amy and Jennifer into bed when I heard the car pull up outside. I didn't look outside, but I knew it was the SS for Rudolph. Downstairs I could just hear my parents wishing him a good night. I felt neither relief nor sadness at the knowledge I'd been the one to seal his fate. Years of similar situations had trained me well. This was hardly the most morally ambiguous.

I read to the girls until I heard my parents retire to their room. I joined Joe in the living room. I walked over to the shelf and retrieved the cabinet key from its hiding place. "Now, what are we looking for?"

"Your dad brought home some files, I think they're related to the case I was working," he explained. "They say Grasshopper." I was suddenly on high alert. The Grasshopper Lies Heavy was the title given to the series of Resistance films. I'd gotten my hands on films through the SS, but never on any official basis. I'd never read any files on them. My job was to root out traitors, not track down films. Maybe an SS file on the films was the missing piece I needed to finally solve that mystery.

I unlocked the cabinet for Joe. He dug through the files until he found the one he was looking for. But when he opened it, it was empty. I knew immediately we'd walked into a trap. The lights flicked on. Joe and I whirled around to see my father standing in the doorway. "Dad, I can explain."

"No need, Charlotte." He shook his head. "I really wanted to be wrong about you, Joe. But here we are, in my office, in the middle of the night. You even dragged my daughter into it. I know you've been lying to me. Now it's truth time."

"What do you want to know?" Joe asked quietly.

"Tell me about the girl."

Joe sighed, but didn't hesitate. "Her name was Juliana Crain, she had a film. She thought the SD agent was her contact. When they met, he tried to kill her, but she put up a fight. He fell over the bridge. I helped her hide the body to keep my cover intact. That's all."

"The body burned to a crisp in the car, that was her?"

"No," Joe choked out. "We wanted it to look like it was her."

"You wanted to protect her, why?"

"She reminded me of Lottie." My father glanced at me, then back to Joe. "But she didn't know what she was getting herself into."

"Get your things, both of you."

"Dad, please-"

"Charlotte, get your things," he snapped. He turned and headed into the hallway. I reached for Joe's hand and intertwined my fingers with his. My father opened the front door and an SS officer stepped in. I recognized him from the office. He'd always looked so condescending. If only he knew who I really was. Now he looked at me and smirked.

I tightened my grip on Joe's hand. "He always wanted it to end like this," I whispered. "But I won't let him take you."

"Don't do anything stupid, Lottie," Joe whispered. "I did this to myself. You're his daughter, he won't hurt you unless he has no choice."

"Joe-"

He cut me off. "No matter what happens, just remember I love you."

OoOoO

I spent three hours waiting outside my father's office. To say I was a mess would be putting it lightly. I only held out hope because as long as Joe was in that office, I knew he was alive. Unless there was a secret back exit I didn't know about. I wouldn't put that past my father.

Finally the doors opened, the condescending officer appeared. He smirked again. I wanted to sock him in the mouth and wipe it off his face. "Obergruppenführer wants to see you."