Since their attack on the peace negotiations between the Central Powers and the Latin-Arican allies, Réveil de France had once more been driven underground.
Kept alive by wealthy patrons from within France and Switzerland with an anti-German agenda. They had only managed to evade the Swiss Federal Police and their ruthless pursuit thanks to such aid.
But over a year had passed since then, and the Swiss Confederation was facing a wide variety of issues. This allowed them to re-surge, and grow exponentially.
From the perspective of the French-speaking minority. Switzerland’s downward trend was the result of covert German hostility.
And while they had no hard evidence to support the idea that Germany was actively undermining the Swiss Confederation in an attempt at annexation. The rhetoric was enough to convince many of those affected by Switzerland’s economic and political spirals to their cause.
Currently, Réveil de France, or at least one cell of its cancerous structure, was gathered in an abandoned warehouse.
Its leader was a young man; he did not appear old enough yet to have reached his mid twenties. And yet, he was one of most veteran mbers of the organization that was still breathing.
But those around him were even younger, naïve young adults swept up in their ultra-nationalist and revanchist rhetoric as their material conditions grew worse, and their politicians failed to stem the tide of decay that was overcoming the nation.
His na was Philippe Zabelle. He was most noticeable by the maroon scarf wrapped around the lower half of his face. Everything else about his appearance scread dreadfully average.
Other than the submachine gun slung across his back. It was an old Mauser C96 "Trench Carbine" that had survived the better half of a century. The orthodox cross engraved in its stock, along with the Cyrillic below suggested it had been used during the Balkan Wars decades prior.
The weapon appeared to have been modified over the years with a crudely manufactured barrel shroud and an extended magazine that looked as if it were two magazines soldered together.
Whether this was done by Réveil de France or an earlier user, only Philippe would possibly know the answer.
He stared at the mbers of his cell, looking personally into each and every one of their eyes before sprawling a map out on the table.
The map included marked locations across the city. These locations were governnt facilities.
"Tomorrow a major operation is being undertaken by all the cells in Zurich. Those German bastards have made their stance clear: any attack on German citizens will be considered an act of war. But they never said anything about property owned by Germans.... Our comrades have made extra clear that none of the employees in these buildings are German citizens. So when those bombs go off, we won’t accidentally drag the Reichsheer into this."
Each of the cell mbers looked at one another. So of them were more ideologically committed than others.
But a few of them had joined up to vent grievances and to act like they were actively doing sothing to combat the vague, abstract threat that was "German influence in Switzerland."
Now that it ca to actively plotting and committing an act of terror against local businesses that had financial ties to Germany, so had second thoughts.
One man in particular raised his hand. This clearly caught Philippe’s attention who narrowed his gaze at the man, his voice dripping with impatience.
"What, Jacque?"
Jacque retracted his hand sharply upon receiving such a vicious response, and ultimately hesitated to continue before stamring over his words.
"I... It’s... I just wanted to know... When you say these businesses are owned by Germany. Do you an that the German governnt possesses these properties? Or private German citizens? "
Philippe rolled his eyes, the disdain in his pupils visibly rising with each passing sentence.
"What difference do you imagine it makes?"
Jacque however pointed at the map, at the store in particular that was marked.
"Well... This store in particular, Schleggi-Egge... My mother used to take there when I was a little boy. And I know the owner, he’s not a German citizen, he was born and raised in Switzerland. So what do you an it’s owned by Germans? Do you an to say that the German governnt owns the building? Owns the company? That the landlord is a German citizen, or are you saying that we are attacking our own countryn because they are ethnically German and not French?"
The temperature in the room instantly beca ice cold, as the mbers of the cell began to eye one another with suspicion.
Fighting against Germany was one thing... But targeting Swiss-German citizens. Many of them had signed up to combat foreign influence in their country, not ethnic or sectarian violence.
When Philippe realized that he was losing the room, he was quick to spin whatever lie he could co up with that would most appease them and still accomplish the task he had been given by the higher ups.
"It’s not the sa store you knew when you were a child. The recession has seen a lot of businesses and property bought up by the German governnt. We won’t strike when our own people are in the stores. We’ll strike at night when everybody is ho sleeping. If anything, the destruction of the store will allow the rightful owner to beco rich from insurance. Now, do you have anymore questions? Because we only have so much ti to prepare for the operation!"
Jacque fell silent.... While others around him seed cald by the explanation and refocused towards the group’s aims. He suspected that Philippe was lying through his teeth to justify sothing far nastier than what he had thought he was getting into.
Even so, there was no going back now. He knew too much, and those who went to the police after having second thoughts usually ended up dead or missing. No doubt killed by mbers of the very organization they had once pledged their undying loyalty.
Philippe watched Jacque longer than necessary, making a ntal note that the man would need to be spoken to after this was all over.
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