Mussolini lowered the smoking gun. "Arivederchi mein fuhrer," he said. The twisted form of Germany's one-time leader lay sprawled in a pool of blood.

Mussolini broke for the door. Stormtroopers were coming even now attracted by the sound of the gunshot. He quickly ignited a MNolotov cocktail and threw it at the elegant tapestries of the secret bunker.

"Jawol! Schnell, das kapitalderfallenschristte!" came the alarm cry. The door opened. Brownshirts!

Mussolini leaped up and grabbed the chandeleir. He swung and the toes of his feet made contact with the points of the Nazis' chins. As they crumpled unconscious, he made his way out of the flaming bunker.

Outside, a U2 spy plane was waiting. "Quick! Start her up!" he cried as he climbed on board.

The author's nimble fingers quickly pushed Open-Apple-4. Kevin J. Anderson's latest alternate history novel, What if Italy had been the Good Guys, was going well.