Cogs Of Fate

The Extreme

1948

Flynn followed Quinn and Wyatt through the run-down brownstone building, searching for the apartment where Abba Kovner and the others were meeting up inside. He tried to stay focused on the task at hand but his mind kept wandering back to the truck that nearly took Wyatt out moments before.

Rufus glanced over to see Flynn lost in thought. Elbowing the tall man in the side, he asked, "Hey man, you okay?" Side-glancing over to Rufus, Flynn nodded curtly but remained silent. Rufus blinked at him before muttering, "Good talk."

The group reached the top of the creaky wooden stairs to the fourth floor. The once beige carpet had turned black from heavy traffic, peeling and fraying along the baseboards. There was a single light bulb left swinging in the middle of the long hallway, casting dancing shadows along the wall. The groaning of the building settling as the wind blew against it sent chills down their spines, making them wonder if the structure was sound or if it should be condemned.

Quinn's dark eyes darted down the length of the hallway before noticing a small shadow moving along the floor on the far end. He pointed, speaking in hushed tones, "Down there."

Rufus whispered, "How do you know? What if it's a neighbor or something?"

Wyatt shook his head. "No, it makes sense," he started. "That apartment would overlook the bakery and the prison...it's definitely them."

"What's the plan here?" Rufus asked, glancing between the two. "Just go down the long creepy hallway and knock on the door?"

Quinn and Wyatt exchanged glances before nodding. Quinn began to meander down the hallway as Wyatt turned back to Rufus. "Unless you have a better plan?"

Rufus sighed. "Oh no...I love barging headfirst into danger...builds character." Wyatt rolled his eyes, following Quinn. Rufus and Flynn turned to one another before trudging along behind.

As the four neared the door, they heard scuffling on the other side. The moment they stopped walking, the door flew open and they were greeted by three men, all armed with rifles aimed at them. The time team raised their hands defensively as they stared down the barrel of the guns.

"We were wondering how long you'd take to find us," Abba Kovner stated, pushing his way through his armed men. "What do you want?"

"We mean ye no harm," Quinn said, eyeing the guns aimed at them. "We've come to warn ye."

"Warn us?" Abba repeated. "What could you possibly have to tell us? Did you notify the authorities about our whereabouts?"

"Should we have?" Quinn challenged. When Abba didn't immediately respond, Quinn continued, "We've come to warn ye that yer plan will fail."

"Liar!" one of the armed men behind Abba shouted. Abba raised his hand to silence his man before motioning for Quinn to continue.

Quinn licked his lips. "We know ye've got a large dose of arsenic to kill quite a few of the prisoners at Langwasser but ye won't succeed."

Abba sucked his lower lip into his mouth, eyeing the men before him. He released his lip with a pop. "You'd better come inside. It's not safe, even in this abandoned place - ears are always listening."

The team exchanged glances before entering behind Abba. The armed men kept their weapons trained on them as they closed the door securely behind.

Abba walked over to the table in the middle of the nearly empty room. There were half a dozen people crammed inside, all awaiting orders. Placing his hand on his hip and another on the table, Abba's eyes drifted to the papers strewn on the top. "We've had men on the inside of the bakery for months." He lifted his gaze to the team. "We've been sneaking in a lot of the poison needed to lace the loaves of bread going to the SS held within Langwasser...but you say that it won't work. How do you know?"