Inside a blacked out Schloss Wewelsburg MI6s team of enhanced are investigating the activities of their German counterparts, the Wolfenkorps. The team consists of Mademoiselle Mimi Dubois, La Résistance fighter and mistress of skills; Miss Madeline Forsyth, SOE operative and a living shadow; Sven Hyse, Norwegian Resistance soldier and shapeshifter; and Franklin Fort, hard bitten soldier and teleporter.

Wewelsburg Village, Germany, November 1942

For a few seconds, by the light of the match, we can see that we are in the spartan office of the Oberst’s secretary and that everything is as we left it. It then goes dark once more as the match burns out. Frank turns on his torch and once again the office is illuminated. Frank and Sven hold up in the office, with Sven letting us know that if he does venture out then he will take the form of a Wulfenhund and will identify himself to us by saying;

Sausages!

With that image in our heads, Madeline and I head out in shadow form to scout the Schloss further.

We slide under the secretaries door and Madeline turns right, heading for the two administration offices at the end of the corridor, and I turn left towards the door at the end of the corridor and the rest of the Schloss. I pause on the threshold just long enough to reach out with my senses and confirm that all of the enhanced that I had previously sensed are still in their original locations, and then slide up to the ceiling and slip through the top of the doorway.

I find myself in a large room with a single door clearly leading into the tower at this end of the building and a set of double doors that seem to go through to the wing between the two smaller towers. The room seems to contain a number of items of grand furniture in keeping with a building of this stature, but the furniture does look like it may have been removed from some of the rooms off of the corridor to make space for the office furniture. I slide across the high ceiling and slip my head through the doorway into the tower, the tower room is very similar to the tower that we entered through. However, the spiral staircase here goes up to the towers upper levels but also descends unlike the staircase in the other tower.

At the other end of the building Madeline slides underneath the door of one of the administration offices, she finds herself in room with four desks for a secretarial typing pool as well as multiple filing cabinets. A quick glance confirms that the filing cabinets are organised under the same headings as those in the Oberst’s office, but there is far more detail here. Madeline quickly begins to leaf through the documents within to try and find the information that we are after.

I slip back out of the tower room and approach the double doors, I slide my head slowly through the top of the door and can see that the space between the two towers is a single large room. There is a large, sweeping staircase that heads down to the first floor below as well as a very grande writing table set up opposite the staircase. But none of this captures my attention more than the cage set high upon the wall on the far side of the room. Within the cage I can see a large owl looking out across the room. I believe that I have found one of the other enhanced creatures, the ones that can sense enhanced by sight. That is all the encouragement that I need to quickly retreat back to Sven and Frank.

With a number of files spread out across the typing pool desks Madeline believes that she is finally piecing together the story of the Wolfenkorps and their use of the enhanced chemical derived from cobalt 60. The effect of the rare isotope of cobalt 60 was first noticed during the nineteen twenties but it wasn’t until November 1941 that the first laboratory produced sample was manufactured. Wolfenkorps Beta was established to test the effect of this chemical on human subjects and its application to the war effort.

The original source of the cobalt 60 is identified as the Erzgebirge mountain range on the boarder of Germany and Czechoslovakia, the documents go on to say that a research facility was set up under Kohnstein alongside the research facility for Wolfenkorps Alpha, but that this facility was destroyed during an Allied bombing raid. At this point Madeline spots a reference note that cross references to a Wolfenkorps Alpha report on the destruction of their testing facility during October 1942. 

Madeline’s search also reveals a report on a large amount of low grade enhanced chemical that was diverted, and subsequently lost on route to Berlin in March 1942. Madeline guesses that it was that batch they gave us our enhanced powers. There are also details of the full refinement process of the cobalt 60 and the subsequent processes for creation of the enhanced chemical. She also discovers records detailing the process for application of the chemical to human subjects. It involves the injection of the chemical into the subject followed by a complex series of x-rays to trigger a reaction.

Inside the Oberst’s secretaries office Frank and Sven have made themselves comfortable, but as the seconds have lengthened into minutes boredom has started to take its toll on their patience. Fortunately at that moment I slide back in under the door and transform back into myself. I explain what I have discovered and I describe the caged owl, Sven instantly identifies it as a screech owl. They both then set to discussions as to how best to assault the Schloss creating as much of a distraction as possible. Leaving them to their planning I slip along the corridor to find Madeline and let her know what I have discovered. I find her stood on top of a desk taking photographs of a number of documents laid out across the floor of the room. Realising what she is doing I quickly start to help out and we capture mass images of all of the relevant documentation.

Just as we are returning all of the files to their correct filing cabinets the silence of the night is broken by a piercing trill. That can only be one of the enhanced screech owls, and our first thought is that Sven and frank have started to assault the Schloss. Madeline quickly darts across to the administration office that overlooks the inner courtyard and can see torchlight within the large room on the first floor. In the torchlight she can make out a small group of wolfenkorps troops following a Wolfenhund through the office.

We finish replacing all of the files and head back to the secretaries office. We find sven and Frank on guard within and we let them know that a patrol is heading through the Schloss and we believe that it is time to leave. They agree, and so Frank heads across the corridor into the Oberst’s office where he has a clear view of the woods outside of the perimeter fence. A second later and Frank disappears, reappearing just inside the tree line. Madeline and I retreat back to the secretaries office to find that Sven has transformed himself into a skunk and is spraying the four corners of the room to remove any trace of our scent.

Somewhat dumbfounded, Madeline and I wait for him to finish. He then transforms into a thrush and flaps out through the open window. Madeline and I then shut the shutters and the window making sure that the room is sealed and looks undisturbed, if somewhat smelly, and then we slide out and leave the Schloss as far away from the main gate as possible. As we are sliding out it is obvious that the number of patrols have been increased, but we easily avoid them. By zero four hundred hours we have regrouped at the observation point and agree that it is time to retreat back to our vehicle.

We hunker down for the day and take turns on watch while the others rest fully, as fully as you can on the floor of a forest in November with no fire. The daylight hours pass quietly and uneventfully, and by nineteen hundred hours we are once again positioned in our observation point with eyes on Schloss Wewelsburg. It is very apparent that they have fixed their generator, as the Schloss is once again lit up like an emblem of German superiority. Sven heads in to scout out the area as a small thrush. When he returns thirty minutes later he informs us that the Germans have brought in what looks like a mobile generator, which is parked up inside the compound, and that it is obvious that security has been tightened.

Madeline and I manage to convince the others that we should be allowed time to scout out the Schloss fully. They begrudgingly agree to give us two hours from the time that we are dropped off by Sven in his sea eagle form, if however, we do not make the pick up rendezvous then Sven and Frank will begin to attack the Schloss. With the deal done we transform into shadows and slide onto the sea eagle and by twenty hundred hours are winging our way high into the night sky. Once we are over the Schloss it becomes apparent that almost every light within the castle is still lit, and due to the light streaming out we agree to retreat back to the observation point.

Two hours later we try again, and this time discover the Schloss with lights being switched off as we approach. Sven takes us in high and drops like a stone towards the darkened courtyard in the centre of the Schloss, at the last second he extends his massive wings and brings us to a stop atop the inner gutter. Madeline slides left and I right and seconds later a small thrush flaps off of the roof and into the night sky.

I push out with my senses and discover that what we assume to be enhanced security owls are all still in place, however, the enhanced with the Wolfenhund seem to be on the move on the ground floor. We head for the second floor of the large tower and slide in through the window, we turn right and head under the door of the lower wing. We find ourselves in a large, well appointed drawing room. We quickly move through it and under the next door finding ourselves in what appears to be a boardroom, complete with a large boardroom table and all of the trappings.

I push out with my senses once again and discover that the three enhanced beings on the ground floor are carrying out a full sweep of the rooms. Aware that time is against us we swiftly continue our search, pausing at every doorway to confirm where the enhanced beings are. Using this method we discover the offices of Wolfenkorps Alpha on the first floor of the upper wing. Madeline searches the filing cabinets while I am pushing out with my senses to check on the progress of the search party. They are moving up the upper of the small towers and then begin to move towards us along the first floor.

Madeline discovers that Wolfenkorps Alpha are engaged in using the power of the enhanced process to split the nucleus of an atom, the concept of which I struggle to understand to this day, to create a devastating weapon. I look on interestedly as Madeline is relaying the information and when she finally pauses for breath I point out that we need to hide as the search party is only two rooms away from us. We quickly slip behind some beautiful tapestries adorning the walls and seconds later hear the door to the office open. There is the heavy panting of a large dog and the voice of a young German says;

Warum müssen wir diese suchen immer noch durchführen?

There is a moment's pause and then an older man replies;

Mach einfach weiter mit deinen bestellungen!

The search party quickly moves through our room and out through the larger of the towers. I push out with my senses and can tell that they are moving into the first floor of the lower wing.

We push onwards and discover the offices for Oberst Krathlow and Oberstleutnant Schliefen, a quick search of the Oberst’s desk drawers reveals a similar set of orders with regards to the demonstration of the Wolfenkorps abilities. However, Madeline also discovers a report detailing that the project has suffered a significant setback due to the destruction of the delivery system facility under Kohnstein. The setback is so significant that they may not be able to take part in the demonstration.

Just as we are moving under the doorway into the next room, which appears to be a sitting room, we hear the unmistakable sound of a screech owl. I push out with my senses and discover that the patrol is moving back through the large room at the front of the Schloss towards us. Madeline and I quickly hide once again and the patrol passes through the sitting room and up the spiral stairs to the second floor. It is clear that they are doing a full sweep of the Schloss. We head downwards.

Heading along the upper wing of the ground floor we discover the offices of Wolfenkorps command, and in particular those of Generalleutnant Heinrich Gotz,  Kommandant Wolfenkorps and Generalmajor Helmut Kahl, Stellvertretender Kommandant Wolfenkorps. Madeline slips into the Generalleutnant’s office while I keep watch and discovers yet another copy of the orders, but this time also finds a copy of the reply suggesting a non-specific area near to Schloss Neuschwanstein as the site for the demonstration.

We continue forwards and discover an office and a large stationery cupboard, I steal a notebook and Madeline grabs a handful of blank Wolfenkorps paperwork to use for forged documents later if required. Moving ever onwards we find the Schloss’ radio room in the base of the larger tower and note down the frequencies for the next few days from their code book. We move along the ground floor of the lower wing and discover a kitchen, pantry, dining room, and stores. Of more interest, however, is the room of records that we discover. It contains mostly financial records, including those pertaining to personnel enlisted with Wolfenkorps. We note down as many of the names as possible, focusing on officers and scientists, and while searching we discover a note stating that all records with reference to test subjects of Wolfenkorps Beta have been moved to Schloss Neuschwanstein.

With that information we know that we cannot complete the missions second priority, ascertaining how many enhanced the Germans have created and what their powers are, and so we can now focus on priorities three and four. Madeline and I head for the lower wing of the first floor, as we had not been able to search it while the patrol was moving through, and discover two laboratories that appear to be being used by Wolfenkorps Alpha. A quick search of the notes in these rooms reveals that they are working with something called uranium-235 to effect the weapon of mass destruction.

Believing that we have searched all of the areas that are not guarded by the screech owls and Wolfenhund, Madeline and I retreat back to the roof and await pick up. It is now twenty three forty five hours and we are running out of reasons not to attack the Schloss.