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same.”
    The girl saw the lined-up newspapers. The headlines of each were covered by a thick layer of dust. She reached for the first newspaper. She blew the dust free and read. She knew very little of the English language but Moira knew instinctively that the headline was not a good one. “American Fortress of Corregidor Falls to Japs.” She retrieved the paper with the scrawled signature of Heinrich Himmler next to the bold print and turned toward the doorway.
    THE MÖHNE DAM
    Squadron Commander Gibson brought the giant Lancaster to within fifteen feet of the surface of the reservoir as his assault charged through the front door of the German antiaircraft defenses. This was the second run against the dam. He had braved the first just to make sure that the level of the waterline had not gone down as they had to skip their payload over the two anti-torpedo nets that spanned the waterway in front of the enormous dam.
    â€œSpeed, two hundred thirty knots. Altitude, sixty feet, Gibby, for God’s sake let her go!” the copilot screamed as the Lancaster bore in on the dam’s angled facing.
    Gibson knew they only had one shot at this. If the attack failed the industrial might of Germany would be unaffected, and the research involving the development of hard water would continue.
    â€œI hate to say this, but we’re so bloody close to the water we see fish!” came the voice of the starboard machine gunner as the Lancaster roared in, climbing to sixty feet over the shining waters of the Möhne.
    â€œNow!” Gibson cried as he saw the white face of the dam grow like a wall of destruction in his windscreen.
    â€œUpkeep away!” called the bombardier.
    The cylindrical Upkeep hit the water just as Gibson pulled up on the stick with all the strength he and his copilot could muster. It felt as though the twin-tailed bomber was going to strike the top of the Möhne Dam but at the last moment the great bomber cleared it by a mere six feet. The force of the bombers’ wash knocked over five German soldiers on the walkway as it passed. The Lancaster climbed free as the five-foot-long, barrel-like bomb started its magical skipping action toward the dam. It bounced over the line cable of the first torpedo net and then the second. There was nothing to stop it from striking the dam now.
    Six times the Bouncing Baby Boy struck the water and then rose back into the dark night sky. Soon the sheer weight of the giant bomb slowed her advance to the point that the nine-thousand-pound bomb was only traveling at 100 kilometers per hour when it struck the reservoir side of the dam. It hit with a force that knocked more German soldiers from their feet as they scrambled to watch the attack. Then gravity took hold and the Upkeep settled and quickly sank into the frigid waters of the Möhne reservoir. It sank, spinning and bumping against the reinforced concrete and then crawled along the face as it was designed to do with the backspin of the launch. It fell directly where it was supposed to fall—right to the base of the fragile system.
    *   *   *
    Himmler watched and waited. He never suspected the subject of the test, the Traveler, would fail to return. After all, as long as she had the hope of saving her brother she would finish what the experiment called for.
    â€œI assume you have retrieved the evidence of your travel, so return to the doorway,” Thomsen said into the microphone as he watched the anticipation on the Reichsführer’s face. “Charge the doorway, one hundred and ten percent power.”
    The doorway started to spin at a fantastic speed and the sparks of color returned. The connection was made once more. Soon Himmler would have the proof he needed. His grand escape plan was now a viable option to his hanging at the hands of his enemies, the allies.
    â€œPower output at one hundred and fifteen percent!” the technician called into the loud void