Have I been asleep?

How long?

How come?

And what is this...pain?

With great difficulty, Prinz Eugen managed to force her eyes open, if only slightly; that was all she could think of doing. Before she had wished to go back to that long slumber just so the pain would go away, but she could not.

Her vision is in a blur, but she knows there is someone that is currently fiddling with her left arm as she lay on the bed.

Odd, she realized, I can't feel any sensation there.

"Sto-stop that."

To her dismay, her voice was weak, but the person did leave her arm alone. He examined her entire being for a brief moment before turning to another occupant of the room.

"She's awake." That's all the man said, his voice indifferent.

"Hmm, good. What about the extent of the damages?"

"Frankly, I'm still unsure; need to run a few more tests, but now that she awakens, perhaps you need to talk her into going along with it. Maybe a psychiatrist could help too. Oh, one more thing, make sure she doesn't try to move that left arm too much, or my work would be ruined."

"Very well, doctor. You may go."

Test?

Damages?

By the time the other man left the room, Eugen has regained her eyesight. The first thing she noticed is that she is in what seemed to be a hospital ward, which is noticeably empty; she also noticed that parts of her body are covered in bandages.

And lastly, she saw a man - a naval officer judging from the uniform he wears, and a high-ranking one at that - though he seemed too young for that position, she thought. But then again, promotions like that are not unheard of.

Eugen followed the man's every movement with her eyes as he walked towards her bed. She watched as he took a seat by the bedside, took his officer cap off and set it aside at the end table, before turning his attention towards her.

"Ah, hello. I'm sure you don't know me..."

Well, of course, I don't; I don't even know where I am.

"I'm Captain Jeremiah Halsey, Union Navy, the commander of this naval base." The introduction, Eugen noted, surprisingly lacked that sort of self-important tone she so very often heard from career officers - at least the ones she had the misfortune of knowing so far.

"Right now I'm sure you have many questions, am I right?"

Damn right I am.

She waited for him to speak further, and when he did not she realized he was expecting her to ask something. Well, in that case, she had plenty.

"Aren't you too young to be a captain, herr kommandant?"

If not because of the pain, Eugen would have laughed at his somewhat surprised face, as if he didn't expect her first question to be something like that. He recovered remarkably quickly, though.

"I got that a lot. But really, fraulein Eugen, I am turning forty-six this year. I suppose you can say I aged well."

"Heh. Why did I even ask that; damn old habits die hard. You say this is the Union Navy base? How did I get here?"

"True. This is Naval Station Pearl Harbor-"

"Ah, the one that the Empire attacked..."

"...Sadly, yes. But let's not talk about that. Now, as to why you are here..."

"No-Wait. No. It's not important. Tell me. Where is he?!"

Even with the sudden shift, Halsey was hardly surprised.

"Your...captain, was it...?"

"You...You know...?"

"News travels fast, fraulein Eugen, despite the ongoing war. What your captain did, even we in the Pacific knew."

"Then you tell me where he is! Ugh..."

"Please, don't move around too much. Your body has not fully recovered yet, it seems."

"Don't tell me what I already know! Tell...me...where my captain is..."

Seeing that Eugen is on the verge of breaking down, Halsey reached forward and held her hand, gently. He doesn't know if the gesture would calm the woman before him, but it's worth a try. After all, it seems to work for Enterprise even after the hell that is Midway.

"I'm sorry; I wish I could tell you..."

Damn those Royal Navy bastards, was all Halsey could think of at that moment.

It took a while, but Eugen finally calmed down - or at least appears to be. She did stop trembling; however, she is yet to stop staring blankly at the door. Halsey held her hand a little longer for good measure.

"He is dead, isn't he?"

"Well, not necessarily; let's not make a hasty assumption like that."

"...And to think, he always said, 'Oh, you'll be the death of me someday, Eugen.' Haha."

"If only I hadn't begged him to take me along, he wouldn't have...he wouldn't have...to..."

"Fraulein, stop. He might not be dead, okay? I will try...I will try to locate his whereabouts, alright? Stop beating yourself up for it; it'll help nobody."

Eugen turned her gaze away from the door to the man beside her. She looked skeptical, but for just a moment, there is a glint of hopefulness in her eyes. He wondered if it is the best course of action; to make promises like that. From what he knows of her situation, he assumed even his friends in Great Britain would not be able to help him on this matter.

Then again, he only promised he would try, not a success. There should be no harm in that.

"...Why would you do so much for someone like me? Why..?"

Halsey withdrew his hand and rose from his seat, then walked to the window, casting his gaze to the open sea. He was silent for a moment, before finally speaking.

"Oh, well, I suppose that's because I just sympathize with you."

Eugen blinked, just blinked. That would be the first time she heard something like that in years, and she honestly doesn't know what to make of it. Sympathy? For her? Before, she would just dismiss that as a bad joke, perhaps she will respond with her own sarcastic retort; but he did sound sincere about it. Infuriatingly so, even.

"Oh, don't look at me like that, I am serious."

"Oh. Sorry. It's just..."

"Not a lot share the same sentiment, yeah? I know. I'll be honest with you. With this...war over, my colleagues, my superiors, hell, pretty much the majority of people in this country, believed the Siren threat to be over. And with that, there is a growing sentiment that you...KANSENs like you are no longer needed. That you pose as much of a threat like the very beings that you were born to fight."

"But what does that have to-"

"Let me tell a little story. Twenty years ago, I had the honor to meet three girls who...let's just say they changed me, so to speak. Perhaps you know about Yorktown, Enterprise, and Hornet? KANSENs just like you. I was just fresh out of Annapolis when the first war against the Sirens broke out; they eventually put me in the Pacific Fleet, along with them...the so-called ' secret weapons,' humanity last hope against them But the problem is, the more I spent time with them, the more difficult it was for me to see them as...well, that. They'd sometimes cry; they'd at times laugh; they can feel pain, no different than me."

"...You are saying you see KANSENs as human beings...?"

"Exactly. Otherwise, do you think I would fly across half the country, stroll through the front lawn of the OSS, and take their prize, namely you, while I might face court-martial?"

Halsey waited for a response, but all Eugen gave to him was a derisive snort; she just can't help it, even though that simple action caused jolts of pain running through her body.

"Look at me; Everything I ever cared about was gone. And now here I am, awaken in a strange place, covered in wounds I don't know from where...and have to hear such sweet lies from someone I've never met. Life is as strange as it is cruel."

Eugen turned again towards Halsey, expecting him to look offended, but to her surprise, he did not, or at least he hid it well. "Well, I can understand if you feel that way. But I'm not lying; I'm not a politician, you see."

"Ha. Then surely, you...want something in return? A kiss, perhaps? Or..."

Halsey made a note to call the base psychiatrist later, before shaking his head. "No, that wouldn't be necessary. But..." he stroked his chin for a moment, hesitating. "...If in the future I will need your aid, while you consider it? That's all I ask."

"Aid...you say? As in, in war, is that it?"

"As I said, I believe the Siren threat is far from over."

Eugen gritted her teeth to endure another bout of pain."Patch me up, and you might have a deal." she finally said.

"You sure know how to bargain. I take it I have gained your trust now?"

Returning the smile with a smirk of her own, Eugen replied, "...Maybe. At the very least, I won't give you a hard time."

"I see. Thank you. Perhaps you want to know something else before I leave? Sorry, but I need to go in a moment." Said Halsey as he returned the pocket watch he was looking at earlier back to his breast pocket.

"...You said something about the OSS earlier...What are they?"

Halsey leaned back on his chair; this might take quite some time to explain. Still, he could afford to be late a little.

"Office of Strategic Services, the Union intelligence agency. They are established for a variety of purposes, among them is assisting the Army and Naval Intelligence. Among the allies, their closest partnership is with the Military Intelligence, Section 6. Sounds familiar...?"

"...The British Intelligence...?"

"Correct. Here's where you...and Captain Reiner entered the picture. You don't remember anything from the past year, don't you?"

"Eugen pressed her right hand to her forehead and realized she did remember nothing.

"No...But how...? I remember coming along with Kapitant...he...we...are planning to defect to the British to try to broker at least a truce...and then...and then what?"

Halsey let out a sigh, unsure whether she would take what he wants to say well, but he decided to do it anyway; she deserves to know, he told himself.

"Does Denmark Strait ring any bell?"

"...!"

"Yes, fraulein. The Royal Navy has many excuses to screw you over. In particular, Operation Rheinübung. You know what they did? Their Directorate of Naval Intelligence arranges for the MI6 to hand you over to the OSS as a prize when the war was over."

"But how? I would've known..."

"Not when you are in what is basically a coma. I'm unsure how, but the MI6 managed to render your Wisdom Cube inert for over a year. Thankfully, our civilian collaborator managed to devise a method to reverse the process, but you might feel a little weird for a few days."

Oh. That explains it. Why I don't remember anything, can't feel anything before I woke up. Do I want to know how I got these wounds, though? Somehow I got an inkling how, but...

"...And what about these...wounds?" Eugen noticed Halsey hesitating again, before continuing.

"While the OSS ostensibly supported the war efforts of both branches of the military, they also, in secret, conducted research for the Army. On how a KANSEN operates. The Army wants to make their own version - a battle doll, so to speak. And the British, not wanting to get their hands dirty, expect you to be dissected and eventually, dismantled." Halsey finished, noticing Eugen gripping the bedsheets, and the fury in her eyes.

"...I see. I've been wondering just what is that strange feeling I have since I woke up...So it's really a feeling...that I've been violated...those schweinhunden... And you...how did you..."

"Let's just say It helps to have friends in the right places; I'm sorry, I have to go now. I will arrange for the Nurse Corps to attend to your needs; don't be shocked if Dr. Keppler comes to check on you; he's a bit...odd but you can trust him. I hope you rest well." Halsey said as he rose from his seat and put his officer cap back on, before taking one last look at Eugen; she seems fine for now, possible trauma notwithstanding. From the way her lips quiver, it's apparent she's struggling to say something; Halsey gestured for her to get a rest, and left without another word.

Now left alone, Eugen felt a little regretful that she didn't get to thank him before, but she will say it anyway; she will rest easier that way.

"Vielen dank, herr kommandant."