The mountains in Southern Bavaria stand tall, cold and dark as midnight ushers in the beginning of 1945. Two men sit, thinking, unaware of the elements outside. They are pondering the impossible. The greatest illusion of all recorded history. On the left, is the imposing six feet four inch frame of SS Major General Otto Skorzeny, chief of Nazi Germany's commando units. On the right, wearing an expensive but shabby looking dark grey suit, white shirt and black tie adorned with a small 1939 campaign button, is Skorzeny's leader, Adolf Hitler.

     Now Adolf Hitler, the man who believed himself ordained as the savior of the German people, the man who had reached the pinnacle of supreme and unlimited power, had degenerated into a pitiful caricature of himself. He looked on the edge of death. The fire, however, still burned bright in his eyes. The fire of the glory of the greater German Reich. Skorzeny looks deep into his eyes and sees that the man he loved like a father will not go so easily.
     "Mein Fuehrer," he asks," How can I accomplish such a task? What you are asking is an impossibility. To make you vanish before the eyes of the world and to convince that world that you are dead is surely beyond the capabilities of an ordinary man." "My dear Otto," replies Hitler. "If I asked this of an ordinary man I realize that my suggestion would be unrealistic. You are however far from ordinary! You are without doubt the only person alive capable of performing this task. Do not underestimate yourself. You will find a way."

     With a display of nervousness, which would have been unthinkable just a few months previously, Hitler rises to his feet and begins pacing the room. Suddenly he reverts to the role of consummate orator for which he is famous and, with the gestures of old, the posturing and histrionics known throughout Germany and the rest of the world, he launches into an impassioned and vigorous speech. "You must surely know, Otto," he says, "that the war is lost. Our enemies advance towards us like a plague of locusts and we are powerless to stop them. Even my trusted friends have abandoned me, tried to kill me. I know I am beaten and I am afraid. Afraid of defeat, afraid of death, and terrified of what our enemies will do to me. They must not find me, dead or alive. They must not be permitted to extract their revenge. I will not be displayed like some freak in a circus. I was the greatest figure in history, greater than even Napoleon and Frederick the Great. I must survive!" Skorzeny ruefully shakes his head and, gazing at his feet rather than the pitiful figure before him, he mutters, "Perhaps the death of a defeated but honorable leader. A shot in the head and you will remain forever an unexplained enigma, a leader so great that, although defeated, although overwhelmed by the combined forces of the world, you can even leave the impression that, if you had remained, if you had persevered, it may have been different. Others have done it." "No!" screams Hitler. "I do not want to die! I want to live! Don't give me ways to leave this world. Give me ways to survive in it. Give me my miracle, my salvation. Give me life!"
     The pitiful scene of his beloved and respected leader on the verge of mental collapse causes Skorzeny to slump in his chair with tears in his eyes. He loves this man with all of his heart but he can envisage no plan, no scheme which can save him. If Germany is finished, so is its leader. Such is the way of war.
     Hours pass by in complete silence. The Fuehrer has been asleep now for quite some time. As he sits by the candlelight sipping on a cognac, he begins to fiddle with a small box, laced with gold artwork. Its sheer beauty awes Skorzeny. He remembers that this box was an artifact sent back to him by General Goering from North Africa. "Ah, what a marvelous piece of art," he thinks to himself. "For what reason would someone be so inclined to create such a simple yet intricate object?" Suddenly, he remembered Goering writing about this box being the key to eternal life. He shuffled frantically through stacks of letters. Yes, here it was. The Letter that came with the box from Goering.

     Dear Otto,

     The African campaign has showed us many spectacles. This land is truly beautiful and steeped in history. Upon a routine patrol of the Desert, one of my tank commanders noticed this lovely box glistening in the hot sun. He returned it to me and asked what should we do about it? I brought the box to an Ethiopian village and asked of its origins. The natives are too wrapped up in superstition; most of them wouldn't go near it. They claimed it was a messenger of evil. One of the elders, however, came and spoke to me. He told me its origins were from a French missionary, and that it was brought to Africa about 100 years ago. He spoke of a story in which anyone who solved the enigma of the box would be granted eternal life. I thought you would find it interesting. Perhaps, you can send it to England, and have someone give it to Hess. Hess had always been kind of a fanatic when it came to mythology and folklore.

Alles Fur Deutschland

H.G.

     Could this be the key to saving the Fuehrer? Could this puzzle box be the salvation of Germany? Could a 100-year-old story be hope? Skorzeny thought to himself; "Any hope is better than no hope. Even if it is a 100 year old myth." He would bring forth the idea to Hitler in the morning. He was well aware of the Fuehrer's interest in the occult, so he knew he would have no problem passing along the idea to his beloved leader.
     The sun gave way through the clouds the next morning. After a modest breakfast, Skorzeny met with Hitler alone in their war room. "Mein Fuehrer, I believe I have the solution to our dilemma." Skorzeny anxiously said. Hitler's head slowly rose like a phoenix from the ashes. His eyes widened with awe as he gazed upon the golden box his loyal servant placed before him. Skorzeny then began to speak of the legend of eternal life that the box could bring. Hitler held the box in his frail hand. He could feel a warm, pulsating force running through his body as he stared at its beauty. "This box was something magical", he thought to himself. Within moments, the feeble old man felt his youth and vigor returning to his very soul. "I will begin the puzzle immediately. You must leave me to my thoughts", Hitler said.
     The weary leader sat alone in the center of the war room. The meeting table had been pushed to the side. Four SS troops stood guard outside the door. Slowly, he circled his fingers around the design of the box. Twisting the shape of the box, he felt powers unlike he had ever felt before. Suddenly, the box jumped out of his hands and landed on the center of the floor. The lights grew suddenly dim as a bright blue light shone through the cracks in the walls. The box then began to configure itself into an odd star-like shape, and then back into its original cube form. Now the light had gotten brighter, breaking through the mortar and brick. The blue haze began to shine like the sun as a large hole formed in the bare wall of Hitler's war room. The Fuehrer felt like he was blinded by the light, when suddenly he saw the dark sillouhette of a tall, slender man with long protrusions from his head walking out of the light. The form grew closer until finally, The supreme ruler of the German Reich was brought to his knees as be gave witness to a man unlike any man he had ever seen before. A tall man with pale blue skin, lacerations across his face and long steel pins embedded in his head. He wore what appeared to be a long leather vestment, much in the traditional style of priests. Only this was no priest. Hitler knew what stood before him was no messenger of God. Hitler quickly yelled, "What in God's name are you?" The being looked down at him with his cold, black eyes. A deep resonating voice responded in a thunderous tone; "God.... Has nothing to do with what I am!" Hitler ran desperately towards the door, and as he reached back to pound for help, a large black chain flew out of the darkness, wrapping itself around Hitler's legs, preventing him from moving any further. The chains yanked him to the floor, and the once glorious leader looked up at the pinheaded figure. "Who are you? Why are you doing this? I wanted life, not this!!!"
     Chains flew from every which way. Each one, embedding a hook into the flesh of the Feuhrer. The tall, hellish figure began to speak. "Ahh, the great leader, now a cowering fool. The great philosopher reduced to a trembling mass of ignorance, pleading for life. Men live and men die. Such is the glory of war. I know the very thing you want. You have called for it, and I shall give it to you. Your body longs for eternity, your soul cries for punishment. Your spirit has been overtaken by your power. Now, it is time to show you OUR great empire. Come, partake in our kingdom." "And what kingdom is that?" Hitler cried. The Figure responded; "The Kingdom of Pain!!"
     Seconds later the body of the Fuehrer was torn to pieces, the chains, light and pin headed figure faded back into the darkness. Hitler woke in his private chamber along side his new bride, Eva Braun. The war was over, Germany was over. He knew it would be just a matter of time before the Allies would get into the bunker. He gave a black cyanide capsule to his bride, and then simultaneously bit into one, and pulled the trigger of his gun, rendering him dead and forever infamous in history.
     Hitler woke in his private chamber along side his new bride, Eva Braun. The war was over, Germany was over. He knew it would be just a matter of time before the Allies would get into the bunker. He gave a black cyanide capsule to his bride, and then simultaneously bit into one, and pulled the trigger of his gun, rendering him dead and forever infamous in history.
     Hitler woke in his private chamber along side his new bride, Eva Braun. The war was over, Germany was over. He knew it would be just a matter of time before the Allies would get into the bunker. He gave a black cyanide capsule to his bride, and then simultaneously bit into one, and pulled the trigger of his gun, rendering him dead and forever infamous in history. The Kingdom of Pain now reigned supreme in the Fuehrer's world. His hell was the loss of all that was Germany. Now doomed to lose it again and again for eternity.