Anna looked at the captain. She did not really like the look of him, but perhaps that was because he was in uniform; she had an innate dislike of men in uniform. But then, she also spent most of each day in uniform, as required by Elsa. If hers did not consist of tunic and breeches and jack boots, the regulation ‘school’ uniform, her hair in a tight bun on the nape of her neck, was far less glamorous. For the rest he was not unattractive, no taller than herself, and slightly built, with crisp yellow hair and equally Aryan features, boldly handsome. Now he clicked his heels and gave a brief bow.

  ‘If you are ready, Fraulein.’

  ‘You will remember what I have told you, Herr Captain,’ Elsa said.

  ‘How could I forget?’

  ‘Will I be coming back here?’ Anna asked.

  ‘This is your home. You will be back . . .’ Elsa looked at the captain.

  ‘That depends upon how quickly she completes the course to our satisfaction, Fraulein. If she proves to be an apt pupil . . . a week.’

  ‘She is an apt pupil,’ Elsa assured him.

  ‘Then there should be no problem.’

  ‘A week?’ Anna cried. ‘But . . .’

  ‘I have packed a bag for you.’ Elsa held up the valise.

  *

  Once again she was on the back seat of a Mercedes saloon, beside an officer and behind a uniformed chauffeur.

  ‘I don’t suppose it will do me any good to ask what is going to happen to me now?’ Anna ventured.

  ‘As I said, Fraulein, you are about to complete your training.’

  ‘I thought my training was just about complete.’

  He smiled. ‘Your training to be a woman of class and breeding, and perhaps some sophistication, yes. But you will soon be leaving the world of women, and moving into the world of men. This world will welcome you, because of your beauty and that apparent breeding and sophistication, but it can be a lonely and brutal place. The Reich will protect you whenever possible, but there will be times when you will have to be on your own, outside our orbit, as it were. Then you will have to depend on yourself alone, your skill, your courage, and your determination. And your understanding of the people – that is, the men – with whom you will be dealing.’

  ‘You make it sound as if you are going to train me to fight for my life,’ Anna said, determined to keep it light for as long as possible.

  ‘Yes, Fraulein,’ he said. ‘That is exactly what we are going to do.’

  *

  Their destination was only a few miles outside the city, and they were there in a few minutes, much to Anna’s relief. She had spent the second half of the drive trying to come to terms with what he had said. Certainly she had not felt like asking any more questions, nor had Blassermann volunteered any more information; he obviously understood that he had already shocked her.

  But now they were entering a military camp, and this was definitely a world of men. There were male guards on the gates, male squads marching to and fro on the central parade grounds, a group of men obviously just returning from a route march, sweat-stained and exhausted. Blassermann suddenly squeezed her hand.

  ‘They are not going to eat you, Fraulein. Even if they may wish to.’

  Anna withdrew her hand and the car stopped outside what appeared to be one of the barracks. Blassermann held the door for her and she got out, went up the short flight of steps into an office. He followed, carrying her valise. Two men sat at desks; both stood to attention as the captain entered. Neither could stop their eyes straying to the woman.

  ‘At ease,’ Blassermann said. ‘You have accommodation for the Fraulein?’

  ‘She will have to be in a barrack, Herr Captain,’ the sergeant said. ‘We are very crowded.’

  ‘What?’ Anna inquired.

  The sergeant smiled. ‘You will share with the other woman, Fraulein.’

  ‘What other woman?’

  ‘She is in there now. I will take you.’

  Anna looked at Blassermann; suddenly he had become her dearest friend.

  ‘I’m sure you will get on very well. Now, you will attend luncheon at twelve sharp. Your course begins this afternoon. I will see you then.’ He clicked his heels and left the office.

  The sergeant was waiting. He had made no attempt to pick up her bag, so Anna lifted it and followed him along the corridor. She had her usual sensation of not being quite sure her feet were on the ground, of being uncertain when she would come down with a thump. Then the sergeant stopped walking and indicated a door.

  ‘This is your barracks.’

  ‘You said there was only one other woman here.’

  ‘Don’t you like company, Fraulein? It is still a barracks.’

  Anna swallowed and opened the door, stepped inside, her valise held before herself like a shield, and gazed at the girl seated on one of the several beds arranged along the wall. Beside each bed there was a locker, and at the far end, to her great relief, the door to a toilet and shower area was open; at least there was some privacy. On the other hand, the windows were set high up in the wall and were barred.

  ‘Anna?’ asked the girl, getting up.

  ‘Karen?’ Her heartbeat quickened, and then slowed again. She and Karen had never been the least bit close, and if Karen had not taken part in the attempted rape, as was to be expected in view of her record, neither had she made any attempt to help her.

  But now she was advancing for an embrace. ‘Am I glad to see you! I’ve been scared stiff.’

  Anna gave her a perfunctory hug and then released her. ‘How long have you been here?’

  ‘About an hour.’

  That was disappointing; Anna had hoped for some information on what might be going to happen to her. ‘Which bed is mine?’

  ‘Help yourself. I think it’s all ours.’

  Anna chose the bed exactly in the centre of the row and looked around her. She would unpack later. She gestured at the bars. ‘Looks like they mean to keep us in.’

  Karen giggled. ‘I think they’re meant to keep others out. Or even to stop them looking in.’

  ‘There’s a point. So . . . are any of the other girls here?’

  ‘I don’t think so. They took me out of there only three days after you left. There was the most tremendous fuss. I think poor Hilda was sacked. Certainly she was sent somewhere else.’

  ‘And what happened to the other girls?’

  ‘They were all whipped. One after the other. They were lined up, made to undress, tied to the table and given twelve strokes each. Oh, how they squealed. It was terrible.’ But her eyes were glowing as she spoke.

  ‘But you were not caned?’ Anna suggested.

  ‘Well . . .’ Karen flushed. ‘I had suffered before. You knew that.’

  ‘Yes,’ Anna agreed. ‘Do they hate me?’

  ‘Oh, yes. You know, one is supposed to fit in, be part of, well, whatever goes on. Not turn the whole place upside down.’

  ‘Did they ever have a go at you?’

  ‘Oh, yes. It’s not half as bad as you thought it was going to be. I found it rather fun.’

  ‘That’s fine by me. Just remember that I don’t think it’s fun, and we’ll get along very well.’

  ‘And if I don’t, you’ll break my arm, is that it?’

  ‘I think we’re here to learn to break bigger things than arms. Do you have any idea what time it is?’

  But at that moment a bell jangled.

  *

  They ate in the central mess hall, in the midst of some hundred men. But they sat at a table to themselves, and although everyone stared at them and some attempted eye contact, the room was overseen by a posse of NCOs, and the only conversation was permitted in low mutters.

  ‘They’re all dreaming of getting their hands on us,’ Karen whispered.

  ‘Is that all you ever think about?’

  ‘What else is there to think about? And it’s going to happen one day, you know. Even to you.’

  Anna couldn’t think of a reply to that, because she suspected Karen was right, and perhaps sooner than later. They finished their meal, but there was no indication that they, or anyone else, should leave the tables, until the bell rang. As it stopped, all the men stood up. Karen and Anna did also, but a sergeant spoke through the loudspeaker.

  ‘Ladies will remain seated.’

  They sat down again. ‘I don’t think they mean to let us get too close to those chaps,’ Karen grumbled.

  Which was a relief, but as the soldiers filed from the room an inner door opened and Captain Blassermann came in. Hastily they stood up again, ‘Did you enjoy your meal?’ he inquired.

  ‘Yes,’ they chorused. Actually, the food was surprisingly good.

  ‘Excellent. Now, you will commence work. Do not worry; there will be nothing physical until you have had time to digest. Come along, now.’

  Just as if we were children, Anna thought. But perhaps to him they were. They followed him through the private door, along a corridor past the kitchens, out into the bright summer sunlight, and across a quadrangle to another building, again attracting glances from the various men they passed. Karen couldn’t resist smiling at them, and this was observed by Blassermann.

  ‘I think you should understand,’ he said, ‘that as long as you are in this camp you are subject to military discipline. Sexual activity, at any level, is strictly forbidden, and will equally be strictly punished.’

  Karen gulped.

  Blassermann led them into the building, which consisted of a single room, something like a schoolroom, with a blackboard on one wall behind a desk, in front of which were several individual chairs and tables. But on the other side it resembled a gymnasium, with parallel bars, a trapeze ring, some weights, and a large, thick mat on the floor. Seated behind the desk was a heavy-set bald man, who, to Anna’s surprise, was not in uniform. At the rear of the school half of the room sat another man, this one very young, and wearing what appeared to be a dressing gown.

  ‘Sit down, Frauleins,’ the man behind the desk invited, and they did so, in the front row as indicated. ‘I am Dr Cleiner. It is my business to complete your education in the task you are about to undertake. So listen to me very carefully, and do everything I tell you to do immediately and to the best of your ability. You will only leave this camp in one of three ways. One is in a van to be taken to prison, where you will spend the rest of your life; you will be sent there if there is any disobedience or insubordination. The second is to go to an SS brothel, where you will spend the rest of your lives, servicing perhaps a dozen men a day, until there is no more use for you.’

  I cannot possibly be hearing this, Anna thought. I have got to be having a nightmare. She glanced at Karen, who was staring at the doctor, face rigid.

  ‘That will be because you have failed the course,’ Cleiner explained. ‘The third way will be as a member of the SD, with a glorious career ahead of you in the service of the Reich. As of now, I am the sole judge as to which of those it will be.’

  He stared at them for several seconds, and they stared back.

  ‘Very good,’ he said. ‘Now, up to this moment you have been trained to be well-bred, sophisticated, extremely attractive women. Your business is therefore to attract . . . men. But I am told I may assume that neither of you knows a great deal about your objectives. I should hope not, such innocent young girls as yourselves. Our first business is to introduce you to your . . . adversaries. Johann.’

  The young man rose and came to stand in front of the desk, while Anna bit her lip.

  ‘This disturbs you, Anna?’ Cleiner asked.

  Anna caught her breath. ‘No, Herr Doctor. It is just that my father’s name is Johann.’

  ‘Well, then, you should find it easy to remember. Johann.’

  Johann shrugged the dressing gown from his shoulders and let it fall to the floor; he wore nothing else. Now both girls caught their breaths, and Anna could feel a rush of blood to her cheeks. She dared not look at Karen. Johann was a perfectly proportioned young man, and even as she watched, his penis was starting to become erect.

  ‘I am afraid that not all, and possibly only a few, of the men you will encounter in the course of your duties will be as handsome as Johann,’ Cleiner warned. ‘However, they will all have the same basic attributes, and they will all believe themselves to be handsome, or at least, sexually attractive. Your first duty, in each instance, will be to confirm that belief. Your task will be to make your subject enjoy your company, relax in it, and talk to you. The more attracted he is to you, and the more you can persuade him to drink, the more likely he is to be indiscreet. Indiscretions are what you are seeking. How much you yourself drink is up to you, but you must never become drunk.

  ‘But far more important than drink, a man finding himself alone with you will seek some sexual contact. Let me say right away that you will not find yourself alone with any man unless he has been selected or at least approved by your controller. However, the situation will arise often enough. Now there are four levels of sexual relationships. The first will be the conversation and drinking I have mentioned, and will probably be followed by mutual fumbling and kissing. You may permit tongue kissing.’

  Anna swallowed.

  ‘I may say that this low-level activity is often very productive,’ Cleiner said, ‘and is quite permissible without authority, if you feel it may accomplish anything. A good deal of heavy breathing is a useful asset in these circumstances. At the other end of the scale, the fourth level, there is sexual intercourse – that is, actual penetration. This is absolutely forbidden under any circumstances, unless it is expressly commanded by your controller. I am informed that you are both virgins. Stay that way, or risk severe punishment.’

  Predictably, Karen raised her hand.

  ‘You have a question, Karen?’

  ‘If I may, Herr Doctor. Would not actually . . . ah . . .’

  ‘Fucking?’

  She flushed. ‘Fucking, lead to even more indiscretion on his part?’

  ‘Our scientists have determined not, for several reasons. Firstly, men do not talk about anything except sex when they are having sex, if they speak at all. Secondly, a woman is not receptive to receiving information while performing sexual acts. Thirdly, she may even, inadvertently, come to a climax. I am sure that, for all your apparent innocence, you have both from time to time masturbated yourselves to orgasm. Then you will know that in the throes of that passion you are no longer in control of yourself, and are therefore at risk of being controlled by any partner who may be present. The fourth point is the most important of all. As a general rule, men who have climaxed immediately lose interest in sex, and their partners, for some considerable time; this applies especially to older men, who will be your more usual companions. What is more, regrettably, their interest does not return in circumstances we may describe as casual encounters. The man has a goal; he achieves it, and then, as he will undoubtedly have a wife and family waiting for him in Paris or London or wherever he will be returning to, he is heartily ashamed of himself, and does not wish to see his erstwhile partner again. There are exceptions to this rule, but not enough to make it worthwhile. So all of your spadework will have been a waste of time, and if you were to become pregnant, well, your career would be over, and you know what that would mean.’ He smiled at them. ‘Why are you looking so glum, Anna?’

  Anna started; she had drifted off into a daydream as she gazed at Johann. She licked her lips. ‘It all seems so cold-blooded, Herr Doctor. Suppose we . . . well, form a genuine attachment to the man?’

  ‘That would be a grave, and possibly fatal error. You are being employed to be cold-blooded. Any sign of, shall I say, immature romantic notions will be severely punished. Now,’ he said brightly. ‘Let us move on to the two other stages of sexual relations. The first is where the man wishes you to fondle him. This is the easiest part of your task, and may even be the most enjoyable. The second is when he seeks to fondle you. This may require more careful . . . handling.’ Another bright smile. ‘But this is what we are going to teach you.’

  *

  ‘Wow!’ Karen threw herself on to her bed. ‘That was something.’ She raised herself on her elbow. ‘Didn’t it have any effect on you at all?’

  Anna sat on her bed. Any effect at all! She felt . . . but she didn’t know what she felt, save that she would never be able to look at a man again without blushing. ‘No,’ she said. ‘I thought it was disgusting.’

  ‘Well, it’s something you’re going to have to get used to. I thought it was heavenly. Didn’t it feel like velvet? And when he came . . .’ She gave a heavy sigh. ‘And tomorrow they’re going to start on us. I can hardly wait. In fact, I can’t wait. So if you’re really not interested, do you mind ignoring me for the next five minutes? If I don’t do something right this minute I’m going to start eating the sheets.’

  Anna took off her tie and released the top button of her shirt, then kicked off her shoes and lay down on her side facing away from her companion, and put the pillow over her ears. She felt like eating the sheets herself, but was that sexual frustration? Rather it was despair at the increasing sense of loneliness, of utter isolation in a world full of people. That had nothing to do with her not being German. It was simply that they all seemed to be living in an amoral, hedonistic society totally alien to anything she had been brought up to believe in. The most upsetting thing was that she knew she was going to join them, whether she liked it or not. The pressures being brought to bear, both emotionally and physically, were simply too severe for her to resist for very long. She had already joined them, without wishing to, simply by obeying Cleiner that afternoon.

  But soon enough she would wish to. It might be possible to convince Karen that she hated what she had been forced to do. But she could not so deceive herself. She felt as if she were hanging from a precipice, dangling above a huge foetid swamp in which she would not drown, but from which she would not be able to escape, and instead spend the rest of her life wallowing in its filth. She desperately wanted to regain the clean land and air above her, but her fingers were slipping, making it increasingly difficult to hold on, and all the while a voice at the back of her brain was whispering, Why not let go, plunge into the mire, and wallow contentedly with the rest?

 

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