Alfred Zeitel

Colonel Alfred Zeitel First Class Passenger
Biographical information
Title(s)	Colonel
Physical information
Gender	Male
Hair colour	Brown
Aboard the Titanic
Class	First class
Cabin	C-59
Accompanied by	Willi Von Haderlitz
Affiliation
Occupation	German colonel, inspector of German embassies in the US

"Intellectuals aren't smart enough for espionage."

—Colonel Zeitel

Colonel Alfred Zeitel is a German agent reportedly working for the German Government on the business of inspecting the German embassies in Washington, Mexico City and Havana. 

Story

Zeitel's telegram after decoding

British Secret Service agents, Frank Carlson and Penny Pringle have been set a mission to watch the German colonel very closely during the Titanic voyage. He boarded the ship with a young protege, Willi Von Haderlitz. Zeitel is suspected of being involved in the theft of the Rubaiyat. While onboard the ship, Carlson intercepts Zeitel's secret coded telegrams to discover the whereabouts of the Rubaiyat.

At the time, Zeitel was also in close contact with a Serbian art dealer named Sasha Barbicon. The two had an agreement to trade a particular painting for the Rubaiyat from Zeitel. A stowaway and associate of Barbicon, the Serbian Vlad Demonic, would retreive the book from Zeitel's hiding place and give it to Barbicon. Zeitel left Sasha a secret message in the Turkish Bath regarding the Rubaiyat.

Colonel Zeitel and Sasha Barbicon, in a picture by Eric Burns.

In the event that the Rubaiyat cannot be found because Carlson moved it, Zeitel sends out a telegram saying that "something is wrong". All the same, he sends Willie to the Cargo Hold to fetch the painting. Regardless of whether Carlson gets the painting first, or whether Willie gets the painting and hides it for his true Russian friends, Zeitel begins to suspect him. In an optional event, Carlson can eavesdrop on a converstation between Zeitel and Sasha during which he mentions he has discovered Willie's true intentions and that he will be of no further trouble. Sasha will also inform him of Carlson. Soon afterwards, Willie is electrocuted to death in the Electric Bath and Penny immediately suspects that Zeitel is responsible.

Zeitel, if spoken with in the D-Deck Reception Room he instructs him to stay away of German business, and also provides subtle hints that Germany is preparing for war against Britain and France. Shortly after this, Zeitel discovers Carlson's true identity and follows him up the fourth smokestack, armed with a pistol. When Carlson retrieves the notebook, Zeitel pulls the gun on him and reveals that he knows exactly who Carlson is and instructs him to hand over the notebook. This tense stand-off is briefly interrupted when the fateful event occurs; the Titanic hits an iceberg. At this point, Zeitel begins to panic and demands the notebook from Carlson one final time. Two scenarios can occur:

Zeitel locks Frank Carlson in his cabin.

Zeitel's briefcase bomb and cabin key

• Carlson can give Zeitel the Gas Pen, which will knock Zeitel unconscious. He then flees back down the smokestack with the notebook, but as soon as he reaches the Engine Room, he is ambushed by Vlad who knocks him out cold with a giant wrench and steals the notebook.
• Carlson hands over the notebook to Zeitel. Zeitel takes it, and then shoots Carlson anyway. Note that although they seem bad, neither scenario results in a Game Over.

Later, as the now stricken Titanic is sinking, Zeitel plants a bomb in his cabin to entrap Carlson. If Carlson enters the cabin, Zeitel will follow and torment him before locking him in the cabin, Carlson must free a spare key to escape, the catch being that the key is inside a briefcase that contains a bomb. The bomb is notoriously difficult to defuse without a guide. If the bomb explodes, it blows a huge hole in the side of the sinking Titanic and kills Carlson, however it does not result in a Game Over, you can simply "Give Up" and be given the key anyway. If Zeitel possessed the notebook, it will be on his bed and Carlson can then take it from the cabin with him.

Surprised and rather annoyed by his escape, Zeitel reveals he has another trick to try and foil Carlson - he has poisoned Georgia Lambeth. Zeitel offers the antidote, but only as long as Carlson hands over the painting. Refusing to do so will result in Lady Georgia's death. If Carlson complies, he can go to Sasha's cabin A-14 and give Georgia the antidote, saving her. (Note this event is not needed for the perfect ending, only the four key items matter). Zeitel is last seen standing on the Boat Deck unable to find a lifeboat. At this point, if Carlson traded the painting for the antidote, he can trade the painting back by giving Zeitel the Lifeboat Pass obtained from beating Buick Riviera at Blackjack. Thinking he would prefer to be a "living rather than a dead patriot", he accepts the offer and flees the ship without the all-important painting.

If the Georgia poison sidequest is not undertaken, then both she and Zeitel fail to escape from the Titanic. Zeitel is last seen standing on deck at the very stern of the ship moments before it sinks, and dies in the freezing waters of the Atlantic.

Notes

• Zeitel had cabin C-59 on the same deck as Carlson.
• Zeitel forgets his pipe in the Café Parisian where he is known to spend a lot of time with Willi, "nibbling pastries".
• Zeitel was played by William Bensen, a TV producer for NASA who won 10 regional Emmys for his direction of a children's science show called "NASA CONNECT." He also is famous for playing PA in the hit horror classic, "Redneck Zombies."
• The name "Colonel E. E. Zeitel" was given on the now defunct Cyberflix website, a partial transcript of which can be accessed here.

The Titanic - Adventure Out of Time Wiki has a quotes page pertaining to Alfred Zeitel.