Last Updated on June 3, 2024 by Tom Kane
Chapter Nine
The Black Chamber
Poznań Army Command, Poland, May 1937
“What we have here is information that would be useful if we had a complete machine to work with,” the Polish military commander of the Black Chamber said, pointing to a table and chairs where several piles of documents waited to be examined.
The commander and three students stood inside a dimly lit chamber at the command centre in Poland. The students, two young men and a young woman, stood at the other side of the table, looking down at the pile of papers. Their spokesperson, Marian Jankowski, nodded his head slowly.
“What we need here is a lick of paint. This place is awful. We can’t work in a hole like this. It needs brightening up, we’re mathematicians and cryptologists. You can’t expect us to be inventive in a dump like this.”
The younger man and woman with Jankowski nodded in agreement.
“It’s called The Black Chamber for a reason,” the army commander said, somewhat indignantly.
“Which is nothing to do with the paintwork. If you want us to build an Enigma machine from scratch, we need to be working in a bright and clean environment. So, my statement still stands. What we need is a lick of paint,” the young man said, stabbing a finger at the piles of papers. Jankowski grabbed a dilapidated wooden chair and sat down.
The chair was not happy, creaking loudly. “And we need chairs that will stand a lot of punishment.”
“Punishment?”
The young woman giggled. “Marian likes to lean back, a lot, in his chair. Helps him think, so he says.”
Jankowski and his two companions had been given the task of reconstructing, sight-unseen, a Nazi German military Enigma cipher machine. It was, Jankowski admitted, a daunting task, but one he knew they could complete. But he refused to work in an environment that didn’t help with the flow of his of their creative juices. “If you want us to build the machine, then we demand a better working environment. For a small amount of money, you will certainly be more than happy with our work.
The army commander was not used to dealing with civilians, let alone civilians that, according to his superior, were vital to the inevitable conflict looming with Nazi Germany.
“We could do it ourselves. All you must do is supply the materials.” Marek Babiuch smiled as he spoke. Jankowski turned and looked aghast at the younger man. Zosia Chowaniec giggled at the thought of painting, but Jankowski’s angry stare made her raise her hands in despair. “At this rate, we will never get started,” she said.
“Very well. Come back in two days and you will have a room painted in a white and green, with new and sturdy wooden chairs. But I want results from that day onwards and I want them quickly. Do we have an accord?”
“Yes,” Zosia hissed, slapping Jankowski on the back.
Marek clapped once. “Let’s celebrate. Where’s the nearest bar?”
Marian Jankowski shook his head, then nodded. “Very well, commander. We have an accord. And as my young friend said, where’s the nearest bar. He’s buying.”
Copyright © Tom Kane 2022
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Chapters 1-2: http://fictionbooks.online/walking-away-from-midnight-sample-chapters-1-2
Chapter 3: http://fictionbooks.online/historical-fiction-walking-away-from-midnight-sample-chapter-3
Chapter 4: http://fictionbooks.online/historical-fiction-walking-away-from-midnight-sample-chapter-4
Chapter 5: http://fictionbooks.online/historical-fiction-walking-away-from-midnight-sample-chapter-5
Chapter 6: http://fictionbooks.online/historical-fiction-walking-away-from-midnight-sample-chapter-6
Chapter 7: http://fictionbooks.online/historical-fiction-walking-away-from-midnight-sample-chapter-7
Chapter 8: http://fictionbooks.online/historical-fiction-walking-away-from-midnight-sample-chapter-8
Chapter 9: http://fictionbooks.online/historical-fiction-walking-away-from-midnight-sample-chapter-9
