Upfall

"I don't get it. I understand the year backwards—that's stupid—but the word is just nonsense" said Yatom.

"Not really" said Perchansky in English, slipping into a school-marmish tone, not unlike Feldhandler's. "You know in Hebrew we say el al, to ‘go up’ or 'ascend'. An immigrant makes alliya, like Sergeant Bolander over there—ascending by moving to Israel." She smiled at Bolander and he grinned in return, like a puppy thought Yatom—a killer puppy.

"Okay, I get it now" grunted the sayeret leader. "We go up and fall at the same time. A righteous mission—at least as you see it—fallen into the past. Is that it Benny?"

"Close enough" said Feldhandler. "There‘s also some connection to concepts like negative energy and such—but it would bore you. Let's get the rest of the chemo in here."

Yatom climbed outside, and bid Bolander to come with him. Rafi lay on his stretcher at the foot of the capsule conscious but in pain. The rest of the sayeret survivors, minus Chaim and Shapira, stood behind him.

"Let‘s say our goodbyes quickly" said Yatom. "We likely will not see each other again Remember our fallen comrades. Pray for our missing men. Hope that our sacrifices—their sacrifices—have not been in vain."

The departing men hugged those staying. Yatom grabbed Mofaz and embraced the wiry Major.

"What shall I tell them Colonel—back home?"

"I don't know—the truth I think."

Mofaz turned away, and Yatom embraced the rest of his men, except for Rafi, who he patted gently on the cheek. He gave Perchansky a hug too.

When the men had secured Rafi, and finally themselves as best they could within the inverted capsule, Perchansky closed and sealed the door. Yatom, Feldhandler and Nir moved away several dozen meters, and lay down behind a large fallen oak. Inside the capsule Perchansky delivered the coded signal and a second later, with a rush of wind and a sonic boom, the capsule disappeared.

Chaim reached Biali three days later, having tried unsuccessfully to deliver a signal from the weakened radio. He looked like an escapee from a jungle prison, his face drawn, bearded, and scratched, his uniform torn, weapons dangling from his chest. Yatom greeted the exhausted commando on the outskirts, and hustled him away into his quarters. Yatom summoned Nir and Feldhandler. Over a hot meal and a glass of brandy, Chaim told them about his journey.

Twenty kilometers north of Belzec he'd run into a German patrol, and after a brief shootout, that used up the last of the Tavor's ammo, abandoned the staff car and set off into the woods on foot. Carrying one of the MP 40s, his Sig and a little food and water, he'd navigated his way back to Biali.

Then Chaim described the attack on Belzec, the bravery of the demolition platoon, and how well Roskovsky‘s jury-rigged charges worked He also told them of the terrible losses and the effective destruction of Sandler's unit. Chaim did not see the intrepid Sonderkommando after the final SS attack, and did not know if he survived. Finally he told them what he knew of Shapira. He knew that Shapira had likely left Belzec in the hands of the SS, battered but alive.

After Chaim finished, Yatom told him about the Battle of Biali, and the loss of Roskovsky. Then reluctantly, Yatom explained why the rest of the sayeret was not around to greet him.

"For God's sake Colonel, I figured that out two minutes after I got here" groaned Chaim. "Don‘t feel bad. I wouldn‘t have gone back anyway—not with Lieutenant Shapira in a German prison."

"How is your arm?" asked Nir.

"Sore but fine. Do you know if the rest of the sayeret made it back?"

Yatom shrugged. "How could we?" He looked over at Feldhandler who just opened his charred but healing palms.

"Chaim, you look half dead" said Yatom. "We should leave you to sleep."

"To tell you the truth, I'd rather we took walk, to where Roskovsky died, if that's okay."

"All of us?" asked Feldhandler.

“Why not?"

It was just after sunset when they set out, and the heat of the day had dissipated into a cool if humid evening. As they walked through the town Chaim caught sight of Norit, sitting alone under a linden tree, with Shapira‘s Ipod in her ears. He turned away so that she couldn't see him. He would deliver his news to her personally, later.

They took a farm path to the battle ridge. As they walked, the surrounding countryside echoed with tranquility, the only sound the shuffle of their boots and the hum of a thousand insects. It was completely dark by the time they reached the ridge, but under a new moon Yatom pointed to the place where Roskovsky fell. From the ridge they looked back at Biali, nestled into its little valley, the shapes of its buildings barely visible against the distant forested hills.

"Have we really accomplished anything?" asked Nir. "I still have a hard time believing any of this is real"

"We won‘t know really unless we see the future of this place ourselves" said Yatom.

"Shapira believed it was worth it—he gave himself up for it" said Chaim.