Chapter Two Thousand Six Hundred Three
14th January 1977
Mitte, Berlin
Perhaps it was misplaced pride or just pigheaded foolishness, but despite having decided months earlier that her time in the Medical Service was coming to an end Kiki had still reported back to Pfullendorf when she had been recalled just after New Year’s Day. It was only for field recertification in the FSR, a process complicated by her holding the rank of Oberstarzt, comparable to the Oberst who commanded the Parachute Search and Rescue detachment in Pfullendorf. Kiki managed to smooth that out but explaining to him that she was the Administrator of a small hospital in Southern Bavaria that mostly dealt with skiing or mountaineering accidents depending on the season. She was also never going to get another promotion because of politics. The Oberst had thought it hilarious that the Reichstag worried that she might someday lead a coup if she were promoted to be Chief Surgeon of a major hospital in that capacity. What followed for Kiki was several days of learning about the latest developments in field medicine and being introduced to new technologies that had been introduced. She would have been lying if she had said that she didn’t find it interesting. Kiki listened to the others complain about the schedule and the food with a lot of amusement. It was obvious that most didn’t have children, she was able to get more sleep here than she had in ages at home. Nina also had the strangest tastes that had needed to be accommodated, so Kiki didn’t mind the bland, but filling food served in the mess hall.
Then word had come that something big had happened in Berlin and volunteers were needed that instant. Before Kiki had even had a chance to think about what she was doing, she was on one of the Al30 Hurricane helicopters as it was lifting off and flying north at the fastest possible speed. She had already plugged into the radio when she had boarded the helicopter and when it got into radio range with Berlin, she was hearing what could only be described as a jumble as the City Fire Brigade, Police along with the 1st and 2nd Field Armies were talking at each other. It was unclear exactly what had happened, but there was a fire in the Alexanderplatz Station. Kiki knew the area and knew that it was a key center for Regional Rail, Tram, Bus, S-Bahn, and U-Bahn. If anything happened there it wasn’t in the least bit surprising that the result was an unholy mess. Kiki had pulled rank, contacted her brother, made threats, carried out some of those very threats, called in favors, and did everything else she could think of that could be done over the radio as they approached Berlin. It took time but she managed to impose something vaguely resembling order in the radio communications.
“Making final approach Frau Oberstarzt” The helicopter pilot said as Kiki was aware that buildings were rushing by as they raced at low level through the city. “Glad you don’t have any issues with us.” He said that last part with a laugh. Kiki realized that the pilot and co-pilot had been listening in the entire time she had been on the radio.
“Thank you” Kiki replied as the helicopter flared and landed in the middle of Alexanderplatz itself. As she unplugged the headphones in her helmet from the helicopter’s intercom/radio and plugged it into her own radio she saw that the other members of the FSR were removing the gear they had brought with practiced ease. Almost as soon as she stepped off the helicopter, it lifted off and the next one was on approach.
The scene that greeted her was like something from a Hieronymus Bosch painting. Smoke pouring out of the station entrances as she saw members of the Fire Brigade helping people up the stairs. Those already out looked dazed, and Kiki saw signs of obvious injuries and they must have inhaled a lot of smoke. The windows of the hall that made up the above ground portion of the station had been blown out. Had this been a bombing? Kiki had heard about the strange, attempted hijacking of an Aegean Airlines flight by Turkish Nationalists in Hamburg a couple months earlier. Was this connected to that?
Then she saw men who she recognized from the 1st Guard Army based on the patches of their uniforms just standing there gawking, they had rushed here from Potsdam, and this is what they were doing?
“Don’t just stand there!” Kiki yelled at them, “Can’t you see that these people need help?”
“Who the Hell are you supposed to be?” One of them, a Feldwebel asked. All he saw was a red coat with Notarzt in reflective letters across the back, he clearly failed to see her name, rank, or FSR patch. “We were told to keep order and we’re doing that.”
“That is nice” Kiki replied in a tone of voice that could have frozen water. The men around the Feldwebel, realizing that one of their own had just spoken out of turn, stepped away from him as Kiki keyed the microphone of her radio. “I have a Feldwebel…” She paused looking at his nametag, “Haas, correction, Schütze Haas here who needs his orders amended.”
The other members of the FSR were passing through and it was obvious the deference they paid Kiki as they passed. She doubted that demotion would stick, failing to recognize a Superior Officer was the sort of thing that could be explained away as an honest mistake. That got the message across though as word quickly spread of her presence. It took several minutes to find out where the Chief of the Fire Brigade was, shockingly he was inside the station, directly supervising the firefighting effort. Looking at all the emergency vehicles coming in from all over the city. Kiki knew that she was in for a very long night. With an exasperated sigh, she started yelling orders at anyone within earshot.