Joe aimed his punch her chest, but Erika easily deflected it to the side, and retaliates by punching his chin hard. Joe recoiled back several steps, and after regaining his focus again, he tried to punch her again, but she dodged it, and Conti got punched in the midriff for his effort, Erika hitting his stomach with her knee.
Jones cringed at the sight of his friend getting beaten like that. He's one of the Company's best fighters, and he's being beaten by a girl. A girl that's probably still a teenager. And he's a full grown adult. That's not how it's supposed to happen. But it's happening.
"Do you think he could survive for at least a minute?" The Grenadier behind him asked to the others.
"No, I don't think he could, seeing how he's being beaten like that right now."
"He's fighting our Kommandant after all. That's expected to happen."
"Yeah, that's what supposed to happen, after all."
Jones's blood boils hearing their conversation, while Joe got hit in the chest, stomach, and nose consecutively. Before he could back up to give him some space between him and her, Erika grabs his temple, before pulling him to his knee. His nose got another hard hit, and blood is coming out from both nostrils as the result.
"Sergeant!" MacKay yelled in worry, seeing how his second in command is getting beaten like that.
Joe falls to the ground after Erika releases his head, letting gravity do its job. When he falls down to the ground, he just lays there, unmoving. She kicked his head once, and he didn't respond. She then stomped his head, and she got no response again.
"Oh, he fainted." Erika said in disappointment. "That's disappointing. I thought you would be strong enough to fight me for at least a minute."
'…she's not taking him seriously…' Jones angrily thought, glaring towards Erika. He then glanced to his back, calculating how much distance he has with the German behind him. When he finds out that the distance is far enough for his liking, he waited for the right moment to do his plan. A risky, but rewarding plan.
"Well, guess that's it. Show's over." Erika declared, and then looked to MacKay. "You could take him back. I'm finished with him. That also counts as a punishment for spying on us."
"…that's a punishment?" Mackay asked, and every American except Jones thought.
"Yeah." She shortly answered. "I won't do that if you just showed up immediately, even if you were to start shooting at us in that instant." She then turns her back on them, giving Jones the chance he had been waiting for.
He pulled out the knife he had from its holster, shocking the German that's guarding him. The German sprinted forward as Jones raised his knife, and pushed him to the ground just as he was about to throw the knife, throwing his aim out from the American's intended target. The knife then hits the Erika's shoulder.
"Yeow!" Thud! "Jones!"
"YOU! HOW DARE YOU!" The German angrily shouted as he pushed Jones's head to the ground with the muzzle of his Kar 98K, his finger ready to pull the trigger. Jones cursed his bad luck for not knowing that the German could close the gap that fast. "You're going to pay for what you just did! Now, prepare to-"
"Wait." Erika said suddenly, stopping the German from pulling the trigger. "Let him life."
"K-Kommandant! Why do you want-!"
"Because I want to."
"But he tried-!"
"Just do my order, Albert."
"Y-Yes, Kommandant." The Volksgrenadier pulled his rifle from Jones's head.
'…Okay, why did she do that?' Jones asked himself, not moving even an inch from his current position.
"Hey, lucky bastard, look up." The Volksgrenadier ordered. Jones did as the order, and sees Erika looking towards him with a smile, squatting just a few centimeters from his face.
Jones's first thought was, '…damn, she's wearing black shorts inside her skirt. What a rotten luck.'
"Disappointed, American?" Erika asked, having already used to such a thing. "My face is up here, you know. Also, don't do anything to him. I know you're thinking of the same thing too."
The Volksgrenadiers that's pinning Jones down winced once.
Jones looked up a little higher, and sees his blade lodged on her left shoulder. "So, what do you want, bastard?" Jones then asked.
"My, how rude. I thought I'd get some condolences from saving your life." Erika said, her smile faltering slightly. "Well, I want you to continue on living, that's what."
"And I can see that already, you idiot."
"Okay, you want to get straight to the point." Erika's smile widens slightly, a smile that makes Jones suspicious. "I want you to become the representative of the Americans…no wait, Allies, to join my army." Before Jones could say anything, she put her index finger on his lips. "And no, you don't get to say no. You have to join us."
Then she looked to MacKay. "It's not a problem for you, right Captain?"
'Please say no, please say no, please say no!' Jones thought in desperation, giving his captain a pleading look.
MacKay thought about it for several seconds, and seeing Erika asking him…politely, makes him don't think too long about it. "…it's not really a problem to me." He answered cautiously.
Erika smiled wider hearing his answer, while Jones eyes widen in both shock and horror. "Thanks, Captain! Now, knock him out cold!" She said.
"Wait, wha-"
BAK!
Jones's head falls to the ground, after being hit behind his neck to make him unconscious.
"Put him on the Kugelblitz. Oh, if you can, put him near the spot where I always sit at." Erika ordered, and then stands up. "Also, get me the medic kit inside the tank, and then help me heal this wound."
"Jawohl!" Albert answered vigorously, before he started doing his task.
"And you." Erika continued her order, pointing towards a Pioneer that's not guarding anyone. "Bring...uh... this unconscious American with you. The rest of you, except Karl, escort the others back to the beach. "Make sure you give their weapons back, and tell the other Americans that you're there to help."
"Jawohl, Kommandant." The Germans all answered, before they did as they're ordered to do. The Pioneer brought Joe with him, sack of potato style, the others escorted the Americans back to the beach, and Karl stayed on the field, which's guarding MacKay.
"So…what do you want from me…Kommandant?" MacKay asked, looking cautiously to Erika.
"I need your help, Captain. I need you to do something for me, and I will give you two things if you can do it." The Kommandant of OKO answered.
"Two…for one? Do you want me to do something that's…hard to accomplish?" It makes sense to him. One does not ask you to do something, and they'll give you more than what you actually do for them. So he guessed that the help Erika needed is going to be hard.
"Well…yes. Of course it is hard if the others don't believe me that easily. You're one of them right now." Erika told him. "I need you to…" She paused for several seconds, making MacKay nervous. "Help me convince the Allies to not attack us."
MacKay flinched hearing the task given to him. Convincing the Allies to attack her group, when she's siding on the Germans? That's going to be a daunting task for him. "That's…really hard, you know." He told her.
"I know. That's exactly the reason why I don't give you our part of the work: To convince the Allies that we need their help." MacKay flinched again after hearing what she just said, but it quickly turned to confusion. "It's a simple thing to do to me. Tell them not to shoot at us, and if they listen, you'll be rewarded with the two things that I told you just earlier. Tell them not to shoot anyone that has this insignia." She pointed to the Reich eagle on her cap. "Most of us have this insignia all around us, so don't worry of mistaking which one are the Nazis and which one are us."
"I…see. But why do you need our help?" MacKay asked again, being confused as to why she needed their help. "Why do you want our help? You're fighting against us earlier. Wouldn't that be counterproductive if you need our help? Furthermore, why don't you just ask us directly if you need our help?"
"I'll answer those questions one by one. First, let's see your situation. You're here to free Europe from the Nazis. Just imagine that we're the one of the troops that's sent to Europe, but have to do it secretly, without the Nazis noticing." Erika answered, lifting one finger up. "Second, is simple. We want to eradicate those Nazi bastards from the world. Fourth, if we do that, the Nazis might notice us trying to get your help, thus ruining our cover."
"And the third question?" MacKay asked, noticing that she didn't answer that question, and skips to the fourth immediately.
"The third?" Erika asked, raising one eyebrow up.
"The 'Counterproductive' question."
"Oh, that." Erika said, her face turning sour suddenly. MacKay didn't like that sight at all. "We do everything we want to achieve what we wanted. Betrayal, backstabbing, spying…we'll do that if that lets us achieve our goal. However…that's to an ally. To my own army and soldiers? Never. I will never betray them."
"O…kay." MacKay said with a slow nod.
'I didn't like that at all.' He continued in his mind.
After he thought that, he shakes his head, after realizing one part of the sentence he just noticed, asks, "Wait…your own army?"
"Yeah, my own army. What, you don't recognize that Kommandant means exactly Commander?" Erika asked him, her face turning confused in that instant. "You don't know it all this time?"
MacKay didn't know what else to say, so he just said what first appeared in his mind. "It's related, but I thought it was something else."
Silence. Erika just stared at MacKay, a dumbfounded look on her face, while the Captain stared back at him, not changing his expression. "All…right. I…think we're detracked from the focus of our talk."
"Yeah, you did, Erika." Karl chimed in.
"Okay, back to the focus of our talk." Erika coughed once, and her expression turned to a sad smile. "MacKay, help us fight the Nazis. Tell the other Allies to not shoot at us. We don't want this war to go longer. Our secret channel from our network of Vampires is not undetectable by the Nazis Vampires and radio experts. We have to do this as discreet as possible. This is the safest option that we will take: Telling it directly to you.
"We are veterans that survived the losing war on the Eastern Front, and we moved all the way here, in hopes to change the course of war. We will change it by helping the allies, without the Nazis knowing anything about it. We are helping them, but we are making plans to hunt them, and kill them all later. We will backstab them in the fiercest way possible, taking them completely by surprise so that they can't react to it fast enough that we will gain a huge advantage...just like how operation Barbarossa affected Stalin. We want to delay them knowing about it for as long as possible, before they know about our betrayal.
"We don't want more people to be killed by this stupid war. The Nazis are losing, yet they are persistent that they still could win, when it's clear that they won't win with their current situation. We want to end this useless war faster. If we can end this war sooner, more lives can be saved, but for that to happen…we need your help. We need the Allies' help. And, for that to happen…we need to convince them, and you can help us. You can help us by telling the Allies to not shoot at anyone that has this insignia on them." Erika finished, taking one long breath. "Will you help us achieve our dream, Captain?
Silence falls between them again as MacKay considered her question. On one side, it wouldn't be a good idea for him to accept what she just said, because she can be just making that up, and then betray them later. But on another side, this is a precious help for them. Having an insider from the Nazis would certainly give them an advantage of knowing what they're planning, since they can listen to their plans. And she probably had the German tanks that notoriously known to be fear inducing. He considered it hard, until three P-47 Thunderbolts flew above him, snapping him out from his focus as he looked up to the war planes. They then dived down, probably seeing some Nazis on the ground.
Then concentrated AA guns brought all three of them down before they could even fire a single shot.
"See, Captain? That's the Allies losing airplanes that could be useful later. And you know who brought them down? That's not the Nazis." Erika told him, looking to the planes that're plummeting down to the ground. "That's my AA guns that took them down. They do that because they're threatened to be fired by the planes, not when the planes are still flying."
After hearing what she just said, MacKay started thinking again. Her army is only firing the Allies if they're under threat of being fired, not when they were visible. That's something that made him more convinced to help them, but still being wary about them. With that can be used as a reason if she betrayed them later, he finally comes to a conclusion, and said, "I will try to help you as best as I can."
The answer he gave her made her smile widen, happy because of the answer MacKay gave her. "Thanks, Captain. I won't expect it to happen in a flash, but I at least appreciate your effort. So, again, thanks for the-"
"ERIKA!" A thunderous shout cuts her sentence, surprising everyone on the field, and making them turn their heads to where the shout came from. They see the crews of the Kugelblitz marching towards them, with a furious Tank Commander in the lead, and a tired and sweating Albert following them at the back.
"E-Erich! Why did you-" She started, but then she remembered that the tank is locked whenever the Tank Commander, Erich, is outside of the tank with the crews. "Oh, right. You always locked the tank when you're away." She deadpanned.
"Damn right I always did!" Erich replied with a shout. "And whenever I'm not around, somehow, SOMEHOW, you always managed to HURT yourself!" When he reached Erika, he grabbed her hands, and pulled her with him. He only managed to pull her for two meters before she planted her feet firmly to the ground, not wanting to go any further. "Come on, Erika, we have to heal your wounds! We can't let the bleeding to continue!"
"The bleeding is blocked by the blade that I haven't pulled out yet, Erich. That helps to lessen the blood that came out from my body." Erika told him sternly, glaring to the Tank Commander. "And I'm not going until my business with the American is finished."
"But-"
"Not. Going."
'…is she that serious on getting our help?' MacKay thought while seeing the two Germans glaring to each other. After ten seconds of none of them budging, he continued his thought, 'Okay, she's serious.'
"…really, Erika? Really?" Erich asked.
"Not really, Erich. I will." And Erika answered.
"…Fine. I can't deny orders from you."
"You can, if you have the right reason."
"But you're-"
"And it can be healed later. This chance might not happen later."
'…that's some resolution she has. And not only does she has the authority to command him, she also has the physical strength to back her up…amazing, for a teenage girl. How old is she, anyway?' MacKay then sees Erich hanging his head in defeat.
"Be quick. I want to heal it. The faster, the better." Erich stated, before he goes to the Kugelblitz.
"I will." Erika nods her head once. She then put her hand on her skirt pocket, pulling something from inside it. She then walked to MacKay, grabs his hand, and opens it. There, she put the thing she pulled from her skirt-pocket on his palm, and closed it immediately, balling his hand into a fist. "I hope you can do my task, Captain. May luck be on our side." She then turns her back to him, and runs to the tank. "Karl, escort him back to the beach!"
"Jawohl!" Karl answered with a nod. "Let's go, Captain."
MacKay answered with a single nod, before he turns to follow Karl to the beach. He took his gun on the way, and kept on thinking about his earlier conversation before. The task he had to do is a daunting task. To convince an army not to shoot at her army would be difficult, partly because they're Germans, and…well, they're going to fight them if they are under threat. Self-defense it might be, the Allies won't listen if they immediately fired upon them. He heaved out a sigh, and shakes the thought out of his mind. He can think of that later.
When they reached the beach, they saw Joe being held back by two Riflemen, who's shouting profanities at a Fallschimjaeger that just looked towards the Sergeant with bored face. Hearing their footsteps made the Fallschimjaeger to turn his head towards them.
"Ah, Captain, you finally arrived. Can you tell him to shut up? I'm going to be deaf if I heard him shouting that many profanities in one conversation." He asked.
MacKay agrees immediately with the Fallschimjaeger. "Sergeant, shut up. It's annoying."
"They took freaking Jones with them, Captain! I can't just-"
"And how many times do I tell you he's in good hands?" The Fallschimjaeger doesn't let Conti finish his sentence. "How many?"
Conti finally shuts up after hearing the Fallschimjaeger's question, although begrudgingly.
"Thank you." The German said with a small smile, and looked towards Karl. "So, are you going to stay here for long?"
Karl shakes his head. "Nein, I will be here only for a short time. I need to give something to Erika."
"I see." The Fallschimjaeger then turned his head towards the Captain. "I will be taking my leave, Captain. I've have to finish my mission first." He didn't waste time as he walks away from them, leaving the group without saying another word.
"I will also take my leave, then." Karl immediately chased the leaving Fallschimjaeger. "Warte auf mich!"
The Americans simply watched as the two Germans turns at a corner, before they dissapeared from their view. MacKay then looked towards Conti. "I guess you need an explanation now, Conti." MacKay said matter-of-factly.
"You don't say, Captain," Replies Conti with an eyeroll.
MacKay nods his head once. "Leave us alone." MacKay ordered. Both Riflemen nodded once, Released Joe from their grasp, and goes to the beach again.
"So, what the Hell is going on, Captain? The Riflemen's have been telling me and the others not to shoot at the Germans that have the Reich Eagle insignia. Is there something important that I need to know?" Conti immediately asked, crossing his arms in front of him.
MacKay sighed once, before he answered his question with everything that he knows. Jones being brought with them as the representative for the Allies, the deal he made with Erika, the story that she told him, the reason of this sudden event...basically everything he was doing earlier, he told him now.
"I don't believe every single bit of it." Conti told him firmly. "It sounds too made up to be believed."
"Me too, Conti. I'm taking a big risk here, but we have to get every help we can, so that we can end this war faster. And they're on a big risk too by trying to get help from us." MacKay replied. "If they decide to betray us later, they'll be right in the middle of us. They're going to face both us and the Nazis if do they betray us. That's a very big risk, don't you think?"
"It is." Conti agrees with a nod. Then he looked towards his fist. "What's inside your left hand, Captain?" He then asked.
"I haven't seen it yet. She didn't gave me the chance to."
"Then let's see it, Captain."
Nodding, he brought his left hand in between them, and then opened it. On his right hand is a crumpled piece of paper, with something written on it. Raising one eyebrow in confusion, MacKay slung his SMG to his back, and opens the crumpled paper. "So, I got a note, and this." He lifts a badge shaped as a Reich Eagle, grasping an oath with a star just like the has Americans inside it. "...it looks like they really want to gain our trust."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. What's written on the paper, Captain?"
Putting the badge in his pocket, he then starts reading the note out loud. "If you are a random American that got this note, then please, give this note towards you highest in command. But if you already are, then good. Know this: I will be in Carentan the next time you see me. That's a pretty important town that's going to serve as you crossroad to connect the allies, right?"
"...how did she know that?!" Conti shouted the question.
"I know, as a matter of fact, that the Paratroopers, or Airbornes that landed here in the earliy morning are going to take that city from the 6th Fallschimjaeger squad, and hold it until you reached the city, right? That is, if they can regroup first and get their equipments. And clothes. Those things are strewn all over the place when I was on my way to your location."
"Okay, seriously, how did she knew all that!?"
"If you're wondering how I know all this...let's just say that one of my troops found the file about it after we defended ourself from them on the way. When you are on your way to the city, my forces will be near the main road, so please, I beg you, do NOT shoot them.If you could do that, I would be very grateful and appreciate it, and also, give you two things for just that. If you can't, well…I can only hope that you already tried. I'm going to only hope for the best, and appreciate everything you did…if you actually do it. With regards, Erika von Gabrielle, the Commander of High Command East, also known as The Winter Eagle." MacKay then folds the paper. "Well, that's what's written inside it."
"…okay, the note looks serious enough, but we still can't believe it immediately."
"I know. But she's really expecting us to do it, though…we could at least give it a try, right?"
"I'm not sure about that, but…well, it's your choice, really."
"If that's what you said, then we have to tell the others about it. Let's head back to the beach, Conti."
"Okay, Captain, lead the way."
After that little conversation, they made their way back to the beach leisurely. As they made their way to the beach, they could see that some of the Germans is talking to the Americans as if they're old friends, laughing and chatting at them with their weapons slung to their back, while the Americans keep their weapons at the ready. On their way there, they see a halftrack with a flat-bed antenna, but didn't bother to go there, as they are not interested to it. Then he could hear a German shout happily,
"Ja! Jetzt haben wir den Wüstenfuchs in unserer Armee!"
Any Germans who could hear it all shouted in excitement, and it soon follow to those who couldn't hear what he shouted earlier.
He let out his breath as he put the headphone down onto the metal table, followed shortly by the laryngophone. The Radio Operator of the Funkwagen Halftrack is now outside the halftrack, shouting victoriously to the others outside the truck. Shaking his head, Erwin Johannes Eugene Rommel wondered if this decision is going to be worth it.
"Hey, why the somber look, Commander?" A grenadier asked, putting his hand across his shoulder. "Come on, cheer up a bit! Be happy that you can now take part in the fight to throw that stupid man now!"
"I was wondering if my decision is worth it or not." The Desert Fox told him, closing his eyes. "I know that my leading skill is renowned even to the Allies, but to think that I'm going to be one of her Generals in that instant…"
"Like I said, Commander, cheer up! Be happy to get that rank in your first day! Most would kill for that rank, seeing they're Erika's most trusted subordinates!"
"…Well, I suppose you are not wrong. I've seen too many of those kind of envious look, though they did not dare to do anything for I have my experience and the army I control following me."
"That's the spirit!" The Grenadier then pats him, before leaving him alone. "I'll see you later, Commander!"
Erwin looked to the leaving Grenadier with a ghost of a smile, before the sound of rumbling tanks could be heard from his back. Turning, he sees the Kugelblitz going towards them, and his face flushed the instant he sees what Erika and Erich is doing. He was about to ask if she has no sense of shame, but someone else beat him to it. And not in the way he expected it to be.
"God damnit, Erika, you got injured again? Over that American that you want so badly to fetch?"
"Oh, shut it you. I didn't expect him to throw a knife when I turned my back." Erika replied with a smile, though it turned into a pained expression when Erich puts pressure to her wounds. "Erich, that hurts!"
"And that is not something that you can say with a smile." Erich told her while he keeps bandaging Erika's wound.
"You're no fun." She pouted, before then she banged the tank once. The Kugelblitz stopped immediately with the command. "Anyway, how's our legend doing over there?" She asked, looking towards Rommel. "Feeling great that you joined my army now?"
"I can't say for sure, Kommandant." Rommel then lifted his peaked cap up, and looks to the insignia resting in place where Nazi Reich Eagle once place. "I'm still new here, so I still have high hopes right now."
"And you will get even higher hopes once you see what my army can do." Erika boasted proudly, not missing a beat. "Anyway, everyone, get ready, we're going to our next destination; Carentan!"
"JAWOHL!"
Rommel was surprised that her army would response with such vigor, unlike the usual kind of just shouting it as if it's a standard thing to say, before they started going back to their respective vehicles.
"Haha! I've got to ride this now! Screw you, walking!"
"Hey, I sat there before!"
"Seat's full, boys! NO more riding on this thing!"
"Damn it! I have to walk again! This is the fifth time I have to do this shit!"
"You've got nothing to ride on, Commander?" Erika asked, and as if everyone heard her question, everyone stopped what they're doing, looking intensely towards Rommel, who finds himself uncomfortable that now he's suddenly the center of attention of everyone, and most of them are not filled with good intention.
"Say yes, say yes, say yes…"
The murmurs serves only to further make him uncomfortable, seeing that everyone was giving him death glares while doing that. "Um…I can on this this Halftrack." He said slowly and uncomfortably.
"Hmm…yeah, no. How about you join me, and we have a talk together?"
The murmurs stopped immediately, and Rommel nearly flinches when he felt the aura of death coming from everyone. "Ah, no no, I insist. I still have to plan what I'll do when-"
"We can do that together, yes?" Erika asked with a smile, while Erich behind her lets out a sigh.
"But I have to-"
"They'll be informed through the radio. Now please, take a seat beside me."
"WHAT!?"
Rommel flinched hearing the roar of disbelief everyone shouted, while Erika herself stifled a giggle that fails to turn into full out laughter. "Yes, yes, I insist! Come on, sit beside me, we have many things to talk about. Oh, that's an order."
"Seriously, Erika? Seriously?" Erich deadpans.
"Yes!"
Erich lets out another sigh, and gave poor Rommel a look that tells him, "I know how you feel, but orders are orders." Which he tells anyway.
"…I suppose there is no way of getting out of this, isn't it?"
"No."
Rommel lets out a sigh, and then made his way to Erika's side. When he was about to climb the tank, there was an American sleeping on his space, with Erika's lap as the pillow. "Uh, Kommandant…the American you got is sleeping on my space, and... are you okay that his head is on your la-"
"WHAT!?"
Suddenly, the aura of death that could very well turn into the manifestation of Death could be felt directed to the American that's still unconscious.
"Oh, don't mind him. Just sit there, and put his leg on your lap."
Erika's nonchalance makes him even more uncomfortable, but he did what he was told to do anyway. Before he could say anything, Erika knocked the tank twice. "Whoa! K-Kommandant!" He shouted while grabbing one of the tank's cannon.
"Off we go! To Carentan!"
Well, I finally managed to bring myself to update this, through sheer willpower of pulling myself out of the black hole that is internet.
Anyway, this chapter and the next is kind of introductory to the German characters, I suppose, but next chapter is going to be focused more on Erika and Jones, but that's not to say that they won't get some action, mainly with the airbornes that still doesn't know Erika's army. I think there's going to be Russian scenes as well, but I'll see if I can do that to the next chapter. Did I surprise anyone with Rommel taking part in it?
As to why Erika's curbstomping Conti...well, let's just say that fighting Russians needs lots of power.
I thank you for the support you guys make! I hope you guys enjoyed this one, especially the last section. And that's going to be a recurring theme.
Also, I'll go with Kommandant from now on. Feels much better with the tongue. For me anyway.
Next Chapter: Knowing Is Half The Battle
See you all later.