Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Young Adult Books #12: Trapped in Time Page 5

  It was a simple plan.

  Brigitte had learned through her Resistance sources that a German colonel was taking a captured Englishman to Paris on a train later that same evening.

  Jake was sure that the Englishman had to be O’Brien, and he suspected that the German colonel was actually the Changeling. Why they were going to Paris, he wasn’t certain, but he knew it had to be part of the Changeling’s plot to alter the outcome of the war.

  They needed to rescue O’Brien and capture the Changeling. Brigitte, who had quite a knowledge of guerrilla tactics, explained how they would accomplish the task.

  She pointed to a spot on the map, while explaining that it was where the train had to cross a narrow bridge spanning a river on its journey to Paris. Brigitte explained that it was the best place to make their ambush. The place was not very far from them. The lowlands around the marshes had been flooded by the Germans as part of their defense. They now formed a lake that led into the river. They would take a boat partway, then go on foot the rest of the way to the bridge.

  “What kind of ambush do you have in mind?” Nog asked.

  “There are thick woods on both sides of the bridge,” she explained. “If a tree should accidentally fall across the tracks, the train would have to stop on the bridge.”

  “We’ll sneak up onto the stalled train from beneath the bridge,” Nog said. “And rescue Chief O’Brien.”

  Jake considered the plan. It was simple and daring. They were certainly no match for the Germans in number, but the element of surprise might be enough. It had to be.

  It turned out to be not quite as simple as Brigitte had laid it out on the map. There were two German soldiers patrolling the bridge, watchful for saboteurs. They had to get them to the far side of the bridge in the direction the train would be coming from in order for Uncle Maurice to plant a small explosive charge.

  Uncle Maurice explained that the explosion must be just enough to topple a tree across the tracks but not powerful enough to alert the Germans. It must seem like an accident so it would not cause an alert. Surprise was their only real weapon.

  Brigitte volunteered to decoy the German soldiers away from the bridge. She would pretend she had fallen and hurt herself in the hope that the soldiers would come to her aid, or at least come to investigate. But it was dangerous. If they suspected her, she would be arrested. Jake didn’t like it.

  “I have done this before,” Brigitte told him. “It has been my role in aiding the Resistance.”

  Jake still didn’t like it. But they had to lure the soldiers away from the bridge if their plan was to succeed.

  It was late afternoon when Brigitte, Jake, and Nog set out in the boat to cross the lake to the point where it entered the river. Uncle Maurice had already left to make his way through the woods to the bridge.

  When they reached the river entrance, Brigitte instructed them to pull the boat into the weeds and hide it. It would be their means of escape later that night, if all went well.

  The bridge itself was not far away. They would wait until sunset, then make their way along the shore.

  Jake looked at Brigitte as she stood at the edge of the lake. Seeing her silhouetted against the gray sky overhead, he wished she were someone he might have met in another time and place. For a moment, in spite of the terrible war that surrounded him, he almost wished he could remain there and get to know her better.

  Beneath that youthful face and slim body was a girl who had been forced to grow up much too fast. That much they had in common, though their enemies—the Nazis and the Borg—were light-years apart.

  “Do you come here a lot?” Jake asked.

  “I used to. Even before the war. We were poor, and I wanted to do my part to put food on the table. So I set out snares to capture rabbits.”

  She stopped. From the faraway look in her eyes, Jake knew she was remembering those times, before the war.

  “On the way to school,” Brigitte continued, and Jake had the feeling she was sharing a special secret with him, “I would check the places where I had hidden my snares. For several weeks my snares lay empty. Then, one morning, I discovered that I had caught a beautiful rabbit by the neck in one of them.”

  Brigitte paused, and her eyes moistened as she recalled the event. “He was beautiful, his coat soft and silky—and he was dead. I suddenly burst into tears. Ever since then, I’ve never been able to take any animal’s life.”

  Jake reached out and touched her hand. “All life is precious,” he said. “There was someone who once said, ‘Every man’s death diminishes me.’ I think I’d change man to creature.”

  “I think I would, too,” Brigitte said, making no attempt to break free of Jake’s touch. “It’s what I dread most about the invasion that will come—so many lives will be lost. So many young lives that have just begun to live.”

  Jake looked over at Nog and wondered if their own young lives might be among those lost if things didn’t go the way they hoped.

  CHAPTER 9

  Earth, Occupied France, Normandy, June 2, 1944

  Jake and Nog had crept along the bank on the opposite side of the river toward the bridge. It was damp and muddy, and it took them considerably longer than Jake had estimated.

  But now they were cautiously clinging to the wooden underside of the bridge as they inched their way toward the center of the span. The dank smell of the creosote-soaked timbers mingled with his own sweat.

  Jake was afraid. But he was also strangely eager to test his courage in a dangerous situation. It was a surreal feeling. This must be how it is when you go to war and are about to face the enemy, he thought.

  Ahead of him, in the gloomy darkness, he could see the faint light of the locomotive coming toward them. It appeared to be the eye of some prehistoric dragon moving out of the mists of a primordial landscape. They were knights preparing to challenge the monstrous beast.

  “Only a few minutes more,” Jake whispered.

  “If Uncle Maurice does his part,” Nog answered.

  And if Brigitte does hers, Jake thought. He still didn’t like the idea of her being with the German soldiers when the train stopped. They might suspect something and arrest her. But it was a chance she had been willing to take, and there was no way he could have prevented her. This was her time and her war.

  Jake’s foot slipped as he took a misstep. He grabbed onto a beam to steady himself. It was not much of a drop to the river below, but the noise could alert the soldiers. And it was a bit chilly for swimming, though they might well have to do just that before this night was over.

  Behind them, on the far side of the bridge, there was a sharp noise, like the crack of a Jakardian sonic whip. It might have been an explosion, or it might not. The sound was muffled. If Jake had not been listening for it, he might not have heard it apart from the other night sounds. Then there was the thud of something falling, and Jake was certain.

  It was the tree that Uncle Maurice had toppled. He hoped it had fallen where it was intended to fall.

  They would know that soon enough. Jake felt Nog’s hand on his shoulder, and he turned to see the black iron locomotive bearing down on them as it came onto the bridge.

  The timbers of the bridge shook as the train rumbled onto it. Jake had to steady himself to keep from tumbling off. The train did not seem to be slowing down. He began to panic. Their plan hadn’t worked. The train wasn’t going to stop. It would cross over the tree and continue on its route to Paris.

  Then, suddenly, the massive brakes of the locomotive screeched and howled, tossing off sparks, as the train slowed and slid to a stop—right on top of them.

  There were angry shouts in German. Jake heard footsteps jumping out of the train and running across the bridge away from them.

  Jake waited a moment as the footsteps faded. He looked over at Nog. For better or worse, this was their moment.

  “Let’s do it,” Nog whispered.

  Together the two of them quickly climbed up onto the bridge tracks
. They pressed themselves tight against the train to avoid being seen. Up ahead they saw the German soldiers who had gone to deal with the obstruction.

  While pondering the next move, Jake suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder. He whirled about to see Nog. The Ferengi put his fingers to his mouth, then pointed to the second train car back from where they were.

  “I’ll go first,” Jake whispered.

  He crept toward that train car.

  Jake had almost reached it when a door opened. A German soldier climbed down onto the tracks. Jake and Nog ducked under the train as the soldier passed by them.

  After giving him a moment to get farther away, Jake quickly leaped up onto the steps of the car. The door to the inside of the compartment was still open. Without thinking of what was on the other side, Jake burst through.

  He saw Chief O’Brien. He was tied to a chair at the far end of the compartment.

  “Chief,” Jake whispered loudly as he ran forward.

  “Jake!” O’Brien yelled frantically. “Look out!”

  Realizing that in his rush he had made a mistake, Jake turned to see a tall German colonel standing near the door. He was holding a pistol—and it was aimed at Jake.

  “Good evening, young Sisko,” the colonel said.

  “You’re—” Jake began.

  “The Changeling,” O’Brien finished. “He’s on his way to Paris to tell the German high command all about D day.”

  “Chief O’Brien here can be an asset to my plan.” The colonel smiled at Jake. “Unfortunately, you present more of a liability.”

  Jake watched in slow-motion horror as the colonel raised his pistol.

  But he never finished.

  Nog came through the door in a rush and hit the colonel with a pipe. The blow sent the German crashing, unconscious, to the floor.

  Quickly Jake untied O’Brien, while Nog used the same ropes to bind the unconscious Changeling’s hands behind his back.

  “What if he wakes up?” Jake wondered, thinking that he could suddenly change into another shape—a bird or some other animal—and escape.

  “That could be a problem,” O’Brien admitted. He thought about it for a moment, then went to the window and tore off one of the frayed curtains.

  Jake noticed that O’Brien was limping, but at least he seemed able to walk. Jake was grateful for that. One thing he and Nog hadn’t anticipated was how to carry both O’Brien and the Changeling from the bridge to the boat.

  “Blindfold him,” O’Brien said. “He won’t know where he is, and that will at least slow him down.”

  While Jake tied the curtain around the colonel’s eyes, O’Brien reached inside the German’s coat. He found what he was looking for: the time portal device.

  “This is our ticket home,’o O’Brien said as he looked at the device.

  “We should use it now,” Nog said. “Return to the future, with the Changeling.”

  “Good idea,” O’Brien replied. But as he studied the device, he began to frown. “Unfortunately, it’s going to take me some time to figure out how this gadget works.” He looked at the unconscious Changeling. “And I don’t favor the odds of him telling us how it operates.”

  Outside there were footsteps and voices, and they were coming toward them.

  “Time we were going, lads.” O’Brien tossed the device to Jake. “Take care of that. Or we’ll end up dying here of old age before we’re ever born.”

  Jake put the device inside his jacket. Nog helped O’Brien carry the colonel to the door of the train car.

  German soldiers were returning from the far end of the bridge. From the sound of their voices, they had removed the blockade. They were also not in much of a hurry, so apparently they did not suspect sabotage.

  With as much stealth as possible when dragging something large and heavy, O’Brien and Nog carried the dead weight of the Changeling colonel along the tracks, keeping the train between them and the soldiers. Their plan was to pull him under the train and to slip down off the bridge near the riverbank. Then they could use the thick weeds to hide their escape.

  But the best-laid plans do not always go as expected.

  Jake was so intent on watching O’Brien and Nog’s progress that he failed to notice one of the German bridge guards approaching.

  “Halt!” The command was loud and in German, but there was no mistaking the intent.

  Jake was too far away to do anything. The guard raised his rifle. Jake wasn’t sure if he had orders to shoot first and ask questions later, but that appeared likely.

  Now, from the opposite end of the bridge, he heard the shouts and running feet of the other German soldiers. They were about to be surrounded.

  “Halt!” The German guard shouted the command again. This time Jake had no doubts about whether or not he would shoot O’Brien and Nog.

  Then, out of nowhere, Brigitte came running head-first into the guard, knocking him off balance so that his shot went wild.

  “Go!” Brigitte shouted.

  O’Brien and Nog did not hesitate. They pushed the unconscious Changeling down the bank at the edge of the bridge. And leaped after him.

  Where he was, between the train cars, Jake had not yet been seen. He had a moment of surprise. Seeing Brigitte struggling with the German guard, he knew he had to help her.

  But before he could move, Brigitte broke free of the guard and started to run.

  For a moment, Jake watched as she ran along the tracks. Then, as if he were trapped in a slow-motion holosuite drama, he watched as the guard retrieved his rifle, raised, aimed-and fired.

  It was as if the bullet had struck him as Jake saw Brigitte freeze in place from the impact. Then, slowly, she stumbled another step to the edge of the bridge.

  Horrified, Jake saw Brigitte fall over the edge, plummeting into the dark waters of the river.

  CHAPTER 10

  Earth, Occupied France, Normandy, June 2, 1944

  Jake came out of his hiding place like a shot. He dived off the bridge into the dark waters.

  He swam toward the spot where Brigitte had plunged into the river. Around him he could hear shouts and sharp echoes of bullets being fired. But he was oblivious to everything but the single task of reaching Brigitte.

  He was a good swimmer and crossed the distance to where she should be in good time. But she wasn’t there. She hadn’t emerged from the murky void.

  Jake dived beneath the surface.

  The night and the dark swirling waters made it impossible for him to see. He was becoming frantic. How long has it been? She’ll drown if I don’t find her soon.

  He reached out frantically. He had dived without taking a breath. His lungs were almost bursting. But he wasn’t going to give up.

  Suddenly, he felt something. It was a leg. No, it was an arm. It was Brigitte’s arm.

  Jake reached out, grabbed the arm. Now his lungs were bursting. Slowly, or so it seemed, he pulled Brigitte toward the surface.

  Why is it so far away? The river shouldn’t be this deep. For a tense moment, Jake was confused. In the darkness of night there was no bright sunlight to lead the way.

  Then, with a final gasp, he broke through the surface with Brigitte. He swallowed the air in deep, urgent gulps. It tasted wonderful.

  Brigitte? He looked at the slim, unconscious girl in his arms. Is she breathing? He couldn’t be certain. He had to reach the shore. But which way is it?

  Suddenly, he was not alone. Chief O’Brien had swum up beside him. Without a word, O’Brien took Brigitte’s other arm and started off. Jake followed alongside, trusting that the chief knew where he was going.

  The riverbank was closer than Jake had thought. O’Brien pulled Brigitte up onto the damp weeds. Jake immediately bent over her and began mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

  There was a long, terrible moment. Then Brigitte stirred. She spit up water, coughed, and began breathing. She looked up at Jake and smiled faintly. It was the most wonderful smile he had ever seen.

  “I thoug
ht you were shot,” Jake said’ He looked for a wound but could find none.

  “So did I,” Brigitte said. “But the soldier missed, or he was firing a warning shot. I tripped and fell.”

  “We can discuss this later,” O’Brien whispered, with a pat on Jake’s shoulder. “Right now we’d better be gettin’ away from here.”

  In the frantic chaos of the last few minutes, Jake had almost forgotten where they were. Now the sharp sounds of rifle fire from the bridge brought him back to reality.

  “They’re shooting at us,” Jake said.

  “No,” O’Brien said as he looked across the river toward the bridge. “It’s the French Resistance. They’re shooting at the Germans.” He looked at Brigitte. “Seems they must have heard about our troubles, and came to help.”

  “uncle Maurice,” Brigitte said. “He must have told Monsieur Jean.”

  O’Brien looked confused at the mention of the unfamiliar names. “I’ll explain later,” Jake said. “Right now, we’d better follow your advice and get out of here.”

  They moved through the weeds toward the place where Nog was guarding the unconscious Changeling. O’Brien led the way. Jake followed, helping Brigitte, who was still exhausted from her ordeal.

  “I’m sorry,” Brigitte said when she stumbled and nearly caused Jake to fall.

  “It’s OK,” he replied. And it was. He didn’t mind having her this close to him. He only wished the circumstances could have been more pleasant.

  Up ahead O’Brien had stopped. “Nog should be here,” he said.

  But as Jake approached, he saw that the Ferengi wasn’t in the small clearing in the marsh. And neither was the Changeling.

  “Maybe he went on ahead to the boat,” Brigitte suggested.

  “Not dragging the Changeling with him,” O’Brien said.

  “The Resistance might have come along and helped,” Jake said. He didn’t believe that, but he would have liked to. The alternatives weren’t pleasant to comprehend.

  “Where’s your boat?” O’Brien asked.