Cryptonomicon

"Natürlich. U-553 was Göring's treasure ship. Its existence was supposed to be a secret. When you, Sergeant Shaftoe, turned up on board Bischoff's U-boat, talking about this thing, Göring was very concerned for a few days. But then everything settled down, and there was no Detachment 2702 traffic through the late spring and early summer. Mussolini was overthrown in late June. Then the troubles began for me and Angelo. The Wehrmacht was defeated by the Russians at Kursk--absolute proof, for those who needed it, that the Eastern Front is lost. Since then Göring has redoubled his efforts to get his gold, jewels, and art out of the country." Rudy looks at Bischoff. "I am frankly surprised that he has not tried to recruit you."

"Dönitz has," Bischoff admits.

Rudy nods; it all fits.

"During all of this," Rudy continues, "I received only one message intercept in the Detachment 2702 code. It took my machinery several weeks to break it. It was a message from Enoch Root, stating that he and Sergeant Shaftoe were in Norrsbruck, Sweden, and requesting further instructions. I was aware that Kapitänleutnant Bischoff was also in the same town, and became interested. I decided that this would be a good place for me and Angelo to escape to."

"Why!?" Shaftoe says. "Of all the places--"

"Enoch and I had never met. But there are certain old family connections," Rudy says, "and certain shared interests."

Bischoff mutters something in German.

"The connections make a very long story. I would have to write a whole fucking book," Rudy says irritably.

Bischoff looks only slightly appeased, but Rudy goes on anyway. "It took us several weeks to make preparations. I packed up the Leibniz Archiv--"

"Hold on--the what?"

"Certain materials I use in my research. They had been scattered among many libraries, all over Europe. Göring brought them all together for me--it makes men like him feel powerful, to do these little favors for their slaves. I departed from Berlin last week, on the pretext of going to Hannover, to do my Leibniz research. Instead I made my way to Sweden through channels that were quite involved--"

"No shit! How'd you manage that little stunt?" Shaftoe asks.

Rudy looks at Enoch Root as if expecting him to answer the question. Root shakes his head minutely.

"It would be too tedious to explain here," Rudy says, sounding mildly annoyed. "I found Enoch. We got a message to Angelo saying that I was safe here. Angelo then tried to make his escape in the Messerschmidt prototype, with the results that we have all seen."

A long pause.

"And now, here we are!" says Bobby Shaftoe.

"Here we are," agrees Rudolf von Hacklheber.

"What do you think we should do?" asks Shaftoe.

"I think we should form a secret conspiracy," says Rudolf von Hacklheber offhandedly, as if proposing to go in together on a fifth of bourbon. "We should all make our way separately to Manila and, once we arrive, we should take some, if not all, of the gold that the Nazis and the Nipponese have been hoarding there."

"What do you want with a shitload of gold?" Bobby asks. "You're already rich."

"There are many deserving charities," Rudy says, looking significantly at Root. Root averts his eyes.

There is another long pause.

"I can provide secure lines of communication, which is the sine qua nonof any secret conspiracy," says Rudolf von Hacklheber. "We will use the full-strength, uncrippled version of the same cryptosystem that I invented for Göring. Bischoff can be our man on the inside, since Dönitz wants him so badly. Sergeant Shaftoe can be--"

"Don't even say it, I already know," says Bobby Shaftoe.

He and Bischoff look at Root, who's sitting on his hands, staring at Rudy. Looking oddly nervous.

"Enoch the Red, your organization can get us to Manila," von Hacklheber says.

Shaftoe snorts. "Don't you think the Catholic Church has its hands sort of full right now?"

"I'm not talking about the Church," Rudy says. "I'm talking about Societas Eruditorum."

Root freezes.

"Congratulations there, Rudy!" Shaftoe says. "You surprised the padre. I didn't think it could be done. Now would you mind telling us what the fuck you're talking about?"

Chapter 59 HOARD