“Mobilize the teams immediately. Code names: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta,” the Templar Lord directed his four Templar Lieutenants. “As a last-ditch effort, add Epsilon—for Eugenio Pacelli.” The inclusion of the pope was a desperate move by the Templar Lord, a drastic measure to end World War II. He was aware that targeting the pope would incite the Vatican to full-scale retaliation against the Knights Templar. Taking out the pope would be a measure of last resort if all else failed.
“The primary targets must be eliminated by May first. Is my directive clear?”
“Yes, my lord,” the four echoed in unison.
“Alert your teams.”
12 April 1945
Thursday, 12:53 p.m.
Washington, DC
Elizabeth Shoumatoff, the renowned portrait artist, was poised in front of her easel, meticulously crafting a likeness of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. FDR sat opposite her, playing the willing subject for his portrait. The day before Friday the 13th was devoid of any significant events for the president. FDR, a man of superstition, never scheduled any important journeys on Fridays, and he held a particular aversion for Friday the 13th—he always ensured he was safely ensconced within the White House on such calendar days. The president of the United States of America was indeed a man haunted by superstitions, with Friday the 13th warranting the most suspicion of all.
So it was that Delta Team, employing a sense of poetic justice, had deliberately chosen the day before Friday the 13th to execute President Roosevelt. FDR, who was in constant communication with Pope Pius XII throughout the war, was deemed unworthy to die on a day that held significance for the Templar’s ancestors when their brethren were executed in 1307. The president’s fears led him to isolate in the White House, unwittingly setting the stage for Delta Team to execute their lethal mission.
A White House servant with a subtle French accent entered the Oval Office to serve the president his lunch. “Mr. President, it’s time for your polio medication,” he instructed, his voice carrying a hint of authority.
“You must be new,” Roosevelt observed, his tone amiable, as he was known to be kind to all his staff.
“Thank you for noticing, Mr. President,” responded the Delta Team leader masquerading as a member of the White House kitchen staff.
Franklin Roosevelt popped the two pills into his mouth and washed them down with a glass of water. He placed the glass on the table beside him then resumed his pose for Ms. Shoumatoff.
The Delta Team leader retreated towards the door, positioning himself out of the artist’s and the president’s line of sight. His eyes remained fixed on Roosevelt. He waited.
“I have a terrific pain in the back of my head,” Roosevelt declared moments later. He suddenly slumped forward in his chair, unconscious.
“I’ll fetch the doctor,” the Templar announced, swiftly exiting the room.
Delta Mission Accomplished.
Δ Team
28 April 1945
Saturday
Dongo, Italy, Near Lake Como
“The road is blocked. We will have to take a detour, Il Duce,” the driver informed Benito Mussolini and his mistress, Clara Petacci, who were both nestled in the backseat of the sleek 1939 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Sport Berlinetta. Disguised as a Spanish diplomatic vehicle, this car led a four-vehicle motorcade, a desperate attempt by Mussolini’s loyalists to flee Italy.
“Just ensure we reach Switzerland and connect with the air transport,” Mussolini retorted, his voice laced with tension.
They veered off the main road and journeyed another twenty kilometers into a desolate area just outside the quaint village of Giulino di Mezzegra.
“Il Duce, there’s a military roadblock ahead. They don’t appear to be Nazis, but Italian military. What’s our course of action?”
“Proceed. I doubt they’re searching for us,” Mussolini commanded, his voice steady.
As they approached the roadblock, the driver rolled down his window, his heart pounding.
“State your purpose,” the military officer, the Beta Team leader in disguise, demanded.
“We’re en route to Switzerland,” the driver responded, struggling to keep his voice steady.
“Exit the vehicle,” the Beta Team leader ordered.
Suddenly, twenty Templar assassins masquerading as Italian officers of the 52nd Garibaldi Brigade emerged from the roadside brandishing machine guns. They swiftly surrounded the vehicles, ordering all passengers out.
The fifteen Fascists were corralled towards a stone wall. Mussolini and Petacci’s faces were etched with terror as they faced the officers, who aimed their machine guns at them with deadly precision.
With a subtle nod from the Beta Team leader, a hail of bullets erupted, mowing down Mussolini, his mistress, and the entourage of the Italian Social Republic party. The Beta Team leader approached the lifeless bodies and delivered a final kick to Mussolini’s head to confirm his demise. He turned to his second-in-command. “Make an anonymous call to Colonel Audisio. Inform him of Il Duce’s location.”
Colonel Walter Audisio arrived half an hour later and walked up to the stone wall where the fifteen Fascist Party members’ bodies lay in a gruesome tableau. Audisio claimed the execution of Mussolini and his party as his own work. He then had the bodies loaded into a van and transported to the Piazzale Loreto in Milan. There, the bodies were subjected to the wrath of the local villagers before being hung upside down on meat hooks from the roof of a gas station.
Beta Mission Accomplished.
β Team
30 April 1945
Führerbunker, Berlin
In the chilling depths of the Führerbunker, three members of the Alpha Team successfully restrained Hitler, Goebbels, Eva Braun, Stumpfegger (Hitler’s personal physician), and three Nazi officers. Joseph Goebbel’s wife and children were bound and confined in a room of the Vorbunker, which was situated on the first floor of the Führerbunker.
“I will rip you to shreds!” the Führer screamed, spewing venomous threats. “Goebbels, do something!”
But the Minister of Propaganda had been rendered powerless to follow his leader’s commands; he was bound to the chair adjacent to the Führer and his newly wedded wife. Hitler and Braun had exchanged vows the previous day, sensing the impending doom of the war.
The Alpha Team’s leader, a figure of authority and control, sat at the table, meticulously drafting Hitler’s last will and testament as per the Templar Lord’s directives. Hitler’s last will and testament distinctly outlined the following appointments:
• Goebbels as the Reich Chancellor.
• Karl Dönitz as the Reich President.
• Martin Bormann as the Nazi Party Minister.
• And most crucially, Hitler named no successor as Führer or leader of the Nazi Party.
The Alpha Team leader then composed a second document, demanding Hitler openly confess his allegiance to Pope Pius XII. With Hitler’s hands untied and the cold barrel of a Walther P38 Ruger pressed against his temple, the Alpha Team leader commanded, “Sign both of these documents.”
Hitler bent over the first document, his eyes scanning the words. He picked up the pen and signed his last will and testament. The Templar swiftly seized the signed document and passed it to his second-in-command. Hitler perused the second document, a confession of his instructions and guidance from Pope Pius XII.
Hitler spat at the Alpha Team leader, his face contorted in disgust. “I refuse to sign this! This is heresy!”
