The .50caliber roared along with Patrick’s yell. Fire spit from the end of the barrel ripping havoc in the field 300ft away. Jack jumped in his seat when Patrick let loose. He watched the Nazi troops run for cover those that weren't cut down. Patrick never let up; the machine gun roared filling the field with lead.
"Ease up! Ease up damn it! Your shooting at nothing, they've taken cover!" Jack yelled from the cockpit.
Patrick let up on the trigger; his eyes glanced from the smoking end of the barrel to the distant field. He heard Jack yell but didn't comprehend the words. His body was tense and he was running on pure adrenalin.
"You OK?" Jack called from the cockpit.
"Y...yeah, I'm fine, you see any of them?" he said staring out the bay door.
"No, they hit the ground as soon as you began firing. They're probably circling around, trying to outflank us," Jack said looking at the other side of the cockpit.
"Other side?" Patrick looked up in surprise.
Racing to the other door he pulled it open. Grabbing the other door gun he swiveled it around. Through his nigh vision he clearly saw the approaching soldiers. His gun roared the shells ripping the woods and cutting down the approaching threat. From out in the field came a rumble. Jack watched as a tank rolled its way out of the forest clearing a path as it went. His finger clicked on the mini-gun, a whine erupted along with a flash from the end of the multi-barreled weapon. In the distance flashes lit up the night as the 30mm shells hit home destroying the advancing monster. From behind another tank pushed its way up. There came a flash in the distance then the earth exploded just outside the right bay door. The concussion knocked Patrick onto his back dazed. Jack let loose the forward gun again destroying another tank. A third quickly followed again shooting as soon as it cleared the woods. The ground exploded in front of the helo, shrapnel ricocheted off the windscreen, one large chunk of metal hit and penetrated embedding itself just above the pilots view.
"Damn that was close, one direct hit and this baby is finished! " Jack mouthed to himself.
When he looked up three more tanks rolled in behind the one that was already advancing. Glancing down at the screen, he gasped. Unseen yet there were armor coming in from three sides. There was no way to defend against them all with just the mini-gun. Climbing out of the copilot’s seat he rushed into the cargo area. Laying on the floor motionless was Patrick.
"My God, Patrick!" Jack said kneeling down next to him. He then stood up and looked out the right bay door at the advancing Germans.
"Bastards! I'll take you all with us, I only wish it was right in the middle of Berlin!" Jack snarled and moved toward the reactor. Grabbing the gloves from his radiation suit he climbed on top of the unit. Gripping the handle to the control rod he hesitated, looking back at Patrick.
"Don't worry buddy, you won't feel a thing." 
Suddenly there were a series of explosions. The night became day in a series of flashes. An explosion hit just outside the helo knocking him off the reactor onto his back. Jack gasped trying to regain his breath. Staggering to his feet he peered outside. From the sky came a series of flashes arcing down into the field. Explosions quickly followed and he watched the Nazis scattering in all directions.
"Yes!" he gasped.
 A noise came from the cockpit; gripping his pistol he turned ready to repel the invaders. To his surprise the serious faces of Steve and Maggie greeted him.
"Go ahead, go ahead and call me late for this one! Go ahead!" Steve said smiling.
"God buddy you’re a sight for sore eyes, and right on time!" Jack smiled.
Maggie grabbed a medical kit and knelt down by Patrick. Removing his helmet she checked his vital signs, his pulse was strong. Grabbing his arm she began to haul him up. Steve reached down and helped her.
"He going to be OK?" he asked.
"He'll be fine just a concussion that's all. Nothing a little rest won't cure," she said laying him down on the bunk.
"Steve come look at this," Jack motioned him to the bay door.
Steve walked over and grabbed Patrick’s helmet. Slipping it on he watched as the cobra chased the fleeing Germans machine-gunning them into the forest.
"He got a vendetta?" Jack asked.
"What do you mean?" Steve asked.
"They've chased them away for now, why is he going after them with a vengeance?" Jack asked.
"I don't know, could be because they’re Jews," Steve said softly.
"Jack, where's Dana and John?"
"I don't know. Dana left about mid afternoon, she never returned. John and Patrick went out looking for her when they spotted them. Patrick returned, John didn't, the only one that's going to tell you what happened out there is unconscious," Jack said thumbing over his shoulder.
Steve watched as the cobra finally swung around and landed close to them. Alvah climbed from the cockpit and ran towards their helo. Reaching the bay door he looked up at Steve.
"We need to move, find a new place to land for the night. They will be back, probably before morning," Alvah said.
"We'll follow you, we have two crewmen missing and will have to return here in the morning. Let's head 10miles south?" Steve said.
Alvah nodded and ran back towards the cobra. Steve went forward and sat in his seat. Flipping on all the correct switches he began powering up the helo. Jack leaned against the bulkhead, beads of sweat running down his forehead.
"How long have you been perspiring like that?" Maggie asked.
"About an hour or so," he said taking a deep breath.
"Have you lost any hair yet?" she asked.
"No" he replied."
"What about vomiting?"
"Nope, just real tired that's all," he said shaking his head.
  "Have you eaten anything?" she asked.
"Had a cup of coffee and an MRE packet," he said nodding.
"Those are all good signs. Get up in the upper bunk and get some rest.
 There's nothing for you to do now but rest, we'll call you if we need you,"
she said patting him on the back.
"But Maggie," he began to say.
"Doctors orders, remember I out rank you. Now get into bed so I don't have to get ruff with you," she smiled.
Jack nodded and climbed the few steps to the top bunk. Rolling over onto the bed he felt exhausted and closed his eyes letting sleep overtake him. Steve gently lifted the helo off the ground. The cobra was already in the air waiting. Through his night vision he watched as it turned sharply heading south. Nosing the helo down he followed.
The old man had led Dana and John outside to his barn. He had told them that if the Nazis came again they would most certainly check the house first. In the barn they could hide up in the loft, possibly avoiding contact. Dana lay back in the hay; the old man had given them two blankets for the night. John laid across from her near the lofts entrance his rifle by his side. They laid there in silence until John finally spoke up.
"I sure hope they're still there tomorrow."
"John, do you think we'll ever get home?" Dana asked softly.
"Sure, I mean why not?" he said sounding cheerful.
"Truthfully" she replied.
"I...I...really don't know Dana. We're in a place where we don't belong. The things we do now may be causing massive changes in the future," John said sullenly.
"We may never see home again, huh?" she said staring up at the roofing beams.
"I don't know Dana, but look at the bright side. Your not alone," he said looking at her.
"I know and I'm glad. Can I ask you something, something personal?" she asked changing the subject.
"I guess so, ask away," John said.
"How come in all the time that I've known you, I've never seen you with a girlfriend or for that matter even a stray?" she asked.
"I...I...I've been saving myself for someone," John said feeling his throat tighten.
"Is she pretty?" Dana asked.
"The most beautiful woman in the world to me," John replied smiling.
"How long have you been waiting?" Dana asked.
"Almost two years, I can't do anything until I get my bars," John said softly.
"She's in the military?" Dana said surprised.
"Yeah, I met her two years ago. When I saw her it was all over, I loved her from that moment on," John said softly.
"All this time and I never would have guessed you had a girl," Dana said sadly.
"Is she someone I know? What unit is she in, what's her name?" Dana asked feeling the pain building in her heart.
There was a long pause. The only sound was the soothing sound of crickets. Dana waited for Johns reply but all that greeted her was silence.
"John? Are you OK?" she asked.
"I'm fine Dana, just fine," John replied.
"I'm sorry for prying, if you don't want to talk about it I'll leave you alone," she said sadly.
"That's OK, you'd find out sooner or later. Do you really want to know what her name is?" John asked.
"Yes"
"Her names Dana, Dana Jenkins," John said feeling his heart pound in his chest.
Silence again permeated the air. John this time listened, wondering if his words had destroyed what he'd been fighting so long and hard for.
His eyes tried to see her face but the interior of the barn was pitch black. Suddenly he felt a pair of very moist soft lips touch his. Her hand came up and touched his face her fingers running through his hair.
"John...I ...always knew, from the first time I saw you I knew that someday we'd be together," Dana whispered in his ear.
"Dana, you're Lieutenant, I'm still just a sergeant, we have to wait until I get my bars so we can do this right," John said wrapping his arms around her.
"That's 57years from now. I think for tonight we can forget our ranks," she said kissing his cheek.
John ran his hands up over her breasts. Grabbing the zipper to her flight suit he slowly unzipped it. Dana grabbed his and did the same, a few minutes later they were entwined naked with each other upon the blanket their passion driving away all the dangers outside.
Steve brought the helo down in a small clearing, the cobra landing as close as possible. Steve shut off all the power sitting in the seat until he felt the rotors slowly come to a stop. Climbing out he went in back, Maggie was sitting at her desk her eyes glued to her medical PC.
"Reading? Aren't you tired?" Steve asked sitting down next to her. Glancing up he looked at the computer screen. She was reviewing all the information she had on radiation poisoning.
"How's he doing?" he asked softly.
"Medically he showing no signs yet, maybe in a day or so, I don't know. I was sitting here when I noticed this laying on the floor over next to the reactor," Maggie said handing Steve a radiation badge.
Steve looked down at the badge; it was a vermilion color showing that it had been exposed to a lethal dose of radiation.
"Jacks?" he said sadly.
"At first I thought it was an extra and that the reactor had a crack in it. I checked all around it with a Geiger counter, there's nothing. That badge is Jacks, he must have pulled it off before we could see it," Maggie said crossing her legs.
"Why did he try and hide it?" Steve asked looking again at the badge.
"Because none of us wanted him to come on this mission in the first place. He didn't want to worry us probably. There's something else too Steve," Maggie said leaning forward.
"This don't look good," Steve said taking notice to her mannerisms.
"No, it isn't. I reviewed his disk on the Aurora, did you know that there was a 50/50 chance that whoever the engineer was they would receive a fatal dose of radiation?" she said.
"The bastards knew! They knew and didn't tell him, didn't tell us! That's why the major was so quick to agree to scrub Jack from the mission," Steve said gritting his teeth.
"There's more, it also said that in the event we couldn't get it back or if it was going to fall into the wrong hands, his orders were to detonate the reactor. Steve, if we don't bring that thing back we're supposed to stay with it and die!" Maggie said, bitterness clearly in her throat.
"Why? Why didn't they trust us with the information, why hide it from us?" Steve sat back dumfounded.
"I think they did it because if we all knew it was very possible one of us, to save our own skin would stop it from happening. Steve we were totally expendable," Maggie said shaking her head.
"That's why were in the military honey, to give our lives for our country," Steve said sullenly.
"They still could have told us the truth," Maggie said. "I would have thought Jack would have told us."
"He was under orders Maggie, you can't blame him," Steve said.
There came a knock on the bay door. Steve got up and slid it open, Daniel and Alvah both stood there.
"We have secured our helicopter. We were wondering if you had any supplies, food, water?" Daniel asked.
"Yeah, come on in we have plenty," Steve said closing the door behind them.
"Alvah said you were missing two of your crew members?" Daniel said sitting down on the floor.
"Yes, two of my crew are missing. I have one that is unconscious that will hopefully provide us with information when he wakes," Steve said handing them two MRE packets and two canteens of water.
"Captain, what is the large gray box that sits over there? We saw you pulling it from that crashed plane," Daniel said opening the packets.
"It's the drive unit of the plane," Steve said not lying.
"You would not care to reveal its secret, would you?" Daniel smiled.
"Fraid not," Steve smiled.
Maggie watched them eat, she wondered if they'd feel so confident, sitting there eating next to a highly radioactive 8-megaton bomb. Grabbing a packet herself she took the entree and slipped it into the special heater packets that came with each meal. Moments later she pulled her hot meal from the packet. Sitting back in her chair she poured herself a cup of water and settled back to eat her dinner.
"Captain, what are your plans now?" Daniel asked between bites.
"First things first, I'm going to find my crew then I'm going to blow the rest of that plane up. After that, I guess we'll go home," he shrugged.
"Do you know where home is?" Daniel asked. 
"57 years into the future my friend, I only hope the door back is still there," Steve said as he began to eat. "If you like you can follow us back."
"No my friend our paths lead in different directions," Daniel said smiling.
"Different directions? Your from the future too, what way can your path lead but back there with us?" Maggie spoke up.
"Alvah and I have been discussing the situation. I think the history of our people speaks all to well for itself wouldn't you think?" Daniel again smiled.
"You mean the holocaust?" Maggie said sitting up.
"What else?" Daniel grinned.
"I don't understand Daniel, what are you talking about?" Steve said sitting his food down.
"Ah, you Americans can be so blind sometimes. I thought surely you would have guessed by now. Let me ask you this, what would you do if over 6 million of your people had been exterminated in the past. Then all of a sudden you find yourself thrust into the past before it even happens, what would you do?" Daniel said grinning.
Maggie began choking on her food. She took a swallow of water and continued to cough. She looked at Daniel a shocked look on her face. Steve looked up; her color was almost drawn from her.
"You can't be serious!" Maggie said coughing further.
"And why not?" Daniel countered.
"Hold it right there, you aren't thinking of doing what I think you’re going to do, are you?" Steve's eyes began to open wide.
"You have not answered my question. That is because you would do the same thing. You would try and stop it from even happening!" Daniel stated.
"Do you realize the outcome?" a low voice came from behind them.
"Is saving 6 million lives or even 10 lives worth it?" Daniel quickly replied.
"That's not what I asked. Do YOU realize the outcome of your actions?" Jack said slipping off the bunk.
"The outcome is to save many of my countrymen's lives," Daniel said his voice becoming defensive.
"Did it occur to you that by saving your countrymen the future would drastically change? Your country may not even exist! How can you even hope to accomplish this?" Jack threw out many questions.
"Simply by stopping the war before it even starts! I will go to Berlin and kill Hitler!" Daniel snapped.
"How! There is just two of you, and one helicopter, how are you going to do this?" Jack pushed.
"There are enough weapons on our helicopter to accomplish this mission. What you seem to forget is that we have technology on our side, plus a more important weapon, surprise," he again smiled.
"My God man, if you stop the war before it begins you'd be changing the whole outcome of the world! How do you know that even if you kill Hitler, somebody like Himmler, won't replace him as Chancellor? Maybe instead of 6 million of your people dieing there will be 8 or 12 million!" Steve stated bluntly.
"It is a chance Captain we will have to take," Daniel said his grin fading.
"You’re crazy! All your going to do is get you and your copilot killed!" Maggie stated flatly.
"Again doctor, it is a chance we have to take," he said rising to his feet.
"Daniel, please, don't do this. Wait and come back with us tomorrow. Forget this madness, go home and live for the future," Steve said grabbing his arm.
"By all rights Captain, I should kill you all too. You have murdered my countrymen also. But, the greater task at hand takes precedence. As of now, we are peoples from two different countries. If we meet again I hope it will be as friends, but if you try and stop us it will be as foes," Daniel said, then turned and jumped from the helo.
Alvah stopped briefly and stared into Steve eyes, saying nothing he turned and followed his commander. Jack walked up to Steve and sat down against the wall were the Daniel and Alvah had sat.
"Do you think they'll pull it off?" Steve asked seriously.
"I don't know. They'll get into the city, that's the easy part. They'll probably destroy many of the buildings. Will they get Hitler?" Jack shrugged.
"Still a direct hit anywhere in the city will change the outcome of the war," Steve stated.
"Possibly, possibly not. I'm sure that the history books will change a little, maybe even the lines of a few families," Jack shook his head.
"Jack, Wilma's German, this could even alter her family line, right?" Maggie asked.
"No, I don't think so, Maggie’s family is from Munich. I don't think anything will affect them there," Jack said shaking his head and yawning.
"But can he succeed?" Steve again asked.
"He is right on one thing, he does have the element of surprise, plus the technology. There is another asset he forgot about also; he has the firepower to accomplish it. There is enough firepower on that bird to raise some major havoc!" Jack said again yawning.
"They also have firepower of their own," Steve said leaning back against the bulkhead.
"Don't forget Steve, this is sometime in the 1940's, maybe even earlier. Technology was really just beginning; their armaments are pop guns compared to what he's carrying. He's got missiles that will drive 20ft into the ground then explode, a 20mm cannon that will pierce any armor the Germans have. I know I easily stopped two tanks tonight with ours! He's got thermal recognition sighting systems plus early warning radar, Steve he positively has the firepower," Jack said tilting his head back.
"So what do we do now, kill him?" Steve said throwing his hands up.
"There are other things more serious to worry about," Jack stated, his eyes closed.
"I know I have to find Dana and John then destroy that damned plane!" Steve sighed.
"No, what I mean was Daniel there isn't stupid. Why do you think were asking about the reactor? Now imagine what would happen if he detonated it over Berlin?"
"My God! He could possibly end the war before it began!" Maggie gasped.
"There's something else too. In all the confusion of the day, we all seem to have forgotten one little thing," Jack said shaking his finger.
"What else?" Steve said sadly.
"A Russian MiG Fulcrum, remember it went through the doorway earlier," Jack grinned.
"Oh no! Now we have to try and find that too? What if it flew back through again? Maggie croaked.
"Do you want to hear the worse case possibility?" Jack again smiled.
"Jeez, haven't we had enough tonight?" Steve slumped back against the bulkhead.
"It is very possible that the MiG made it through, just as we did, and not knowing flew for home," Jack stated almost laughing.
"If the Russians get hold of that plane? It could change the whole outcome of the war! They'd have jet technology long before it was developed by...by...the Germans," Steve’s voice faded.
"It is possible the Germans have the MiG, and it's also possible that time is fluid. Remember what happens may be what is suppose to happen anyway," Jack stated, and then yawned again.
"Come on, that's the third time you yawned like that. Get back into bed. We're going to need you tomorrow, so get as much rest as you can," Maggie ordered him.
Jack nodded and sluggishly climbed to his feet. Moments later he was up in the bunk snoring. Maggie looked at Steve a worried look on her face.
"You'd better get some sleep also," Steve said to Maggie.
"What about you?" Maggie asked.
"I'm going to post guard duty for the night. Somebody has to make sure we don't have any unwelcome guests," Steve smiled.
"I'll help you, I don't think I could sleep with that snoring anyway," she said standing up.
"You really should get some sleep Maggie," Steve said.
"I will, out there with you. You can wake me up in three hours or so and I'll spell you, fair enough?" she said grabbing two blankets.
Steve nodded and grabbed a rifle and two extra clips along with his night vision helmet. Sliding open the bay door he lowered the fold up stairs. Stepping out into the cool night air he hesitated a moment and listened. All that reached his ears were the sound of crickets. Maggie stepped out also; she looked up at the clear sky and smiled. She always liked staring at the stars as a child and tonight would be a perfect time for it again. Steve gently closed the bay door and sat down on the upper step. Maggie sat between his legs on the next step down. She unfolded the blankets and covered them both.
"Isn't the sky beautiful?" she said softly.
Steve raised the visor on his night vision helmet and stared up at the sky with its multitude of blinking stars.
"Not as beautiful as you," he whispered into her ear.
Maggie shifted her head looking into his eyes. She then pressed her lips firmly against his. Their kiss was passionate and long, long overdue.