Kroenen felt somewhat guilty for telling Jacqueline what may lie waiting for her, but some things were a necessary evil. He knew that.

With her arms crossed and her head down, she walked back into the room with Kroenen following. She then stopped and stared down onto the floor. He could only imagine what was going on inside her head. But before he could wander into her state of mind, he held a gloved hand out to her. "I'm hoping you will be interested in a tour of the estate," he said.

She passed him a confused look. "I don't think now is a good time for a tour, Karl. After what you told me?"

"Come with me," he said, still holding his hand out to her.

She looked at his open hand with her brows down and a frown upon her face. Then, she took his offered hand.

"Thank you," he said, then pulled her to the door. "Come."

He stopped at the threshold and looked down the hall, checking for any fellow bodies.

All clear.

He turned back to her. "Now," he said, "don't run off. Promise?"

"Promise."

"Well, you won't get very far anyways. I am faster than you."

She tilted her head and narrowed an eye as she looked at him. "That's because you run from me. On the other hand . . ." She suddenly lunged for the doorway, but Kroenen grabbed her by the arm with a single hand before she could get past him, and pulled her back.

"I saw that coming," he muttered.

"Right," she said in a defeated way. "You are faster." She glanced briefly towards the balcony where he had proved his quickness earlier.

He smiled in an "I'm always right" way---but she couldn't see it.

She then closed her eyes and opened them again, leaving a quirk on her face and her hands on her hips. "Don't give me that look!"

He suddenly jerked. "How did you . . ."

"I can read you like a book, even with your face covered." Her voice was sharp.

"So you think."

"Liar."

He began to pull her. "Enough. Let's go."

She tried to resist him, but when they stepped into the hallway, she began to relax.

"Now, stay with me," he said. "Remember what I said." He leaned a bit closer to her and began to turn. "Now pay attention where we go and that will lead you to your exit. Understand?"

She nodded and locked her eyes forward.

"Follow this hall and turn down the first corner," he said as he led her. "Then go to the far end of this hall and turn left. Take these stairs down to the bottom." He led her down to the base and to the vast front room with black and white checkered floor. He then looked left and right. "Quiet," he mused. That's good, he told himself and finally made cautious steps to the double wooden doors ahead. He placed his hands flat on the surface, looked around, and then slowly pushed it open.

The grounds were covered in snow, but he had a feeling the falling snow wasn't through. The pathway to the front of the mansion was faint, and the two crouching lions guarding the iron gate ahead were dusted in snow, with their mouths gaped in a silent roar.

He noticed something above, and looked up. There, hanging above the doors was a large banner with a swastika on the center.

"Might as well put a sign up saying shoot me," he muttered in dull humor.

Jacqueline began to pull forward. "Why can't I go now?"

Kroenen pulled her back. "No. When I say run, you run." He leaned down closer to her. "We must be discrete."

"Like before?"

"What?"

"You and the other man."

"Mind yourself," he said, then looked around. "Inside." He didn't touch her this time and turned his back on her. He put his hands behind his back. "Now, you lead the way back."

She did, running ahead of him first, then slowed once she reached the halls. Kroenen kept close.

* * *

Jacqueline regained her composure---and confidence after their walk together, which was more than pleasant to Kroenen, despite its direness. Now that she opened her trust and eyes to him, she was becoming the Jacqueline he left behind. No, she had been her all this; she just had to wake up. And finally, she woke.

He no longer cared about what Rasputin wanted. His job was done here. But what would happen when he found about her progression? What then, genius?

I've got it handled, he said to himself. All I have to do is say run.

And then?

All right, maybe I don't have it all planned out yet. But I will think of something.

He looked down on Jacqueline who was seated on the sofa, watching every movement he made. She was more or less studying him than her situation. Her gray-blue eyes darted along when he paced. He didn't need to guess what she was trying to read. She said she could read him like a book, but that wasn't going to be so easy anymore. Things had changed. He had changed. And he didn't want her to know.

He stood still with his hands hooked behind his back. He stared out, his mind searching for an answer.

"Karl?"

He turned his head to her. He saw her begin to open her mouth to speak, but then quickly shut it when a knock came from behind the door. Then, it opened. "Kroenen, come here," a man said.

Kroenen glanced at Jacqueline, then bobbed a hand up and down, signaling her to stay seated. He crossed the room to the door. "What is it?" He already had a feeling what it was about.

"Come outside," he said.

Kroenen glanced outside the hall and saw Ilsa with the man. He was calmly interested, then.

He glanced back at Jacqueline, and then back to the two before him. He stepped out with them and closed the door behind himself. "Why am I being interrupted so often?" he muttered.

Ilsa glared at him. "You know why, Karl." She nodded to the door. "Let us see her." She began to step forward but Kroenen blocked her.

"There's nothing to see," he said.

"Then there's no progression," she said. "You said your theory was that the resurrected would recover at a fast rate of time. How long has it been now?"

"This if the first one, Ilsa. If you want another subject, fine with me. Although this one---"

"You know," she interrupted, "Well."

"That was the whole point. It may help to have a few soldiers Rasputin wants sane and capable of using their own minds. She may be no soldier, but---"

"Karl, move," Ilsa demanded, already growing irritated. "Rasputin wants to see---" She tried again to push through him but he blocked her way by putting one hand against the door. "Don't. She only trusts me . . ."

"Wait," the other man said. "If she only trusts you, then if we resurrect other loyal soldiers for the master they'll follow him. Well done, Kroenen!"

Now I feel stupid, he said to himself.

"I'll let Rasputin know about this. No, we will." The man turned and started down the hall. Ilsa walked after him. Meanwhile, Kroenen kept his hand braced against the door, watching them.

Ilsa stopped and looked at him from over her shoulder. "Karl, come."

I'm starting to feel like a dog, he thought, and followed promptly.

* * *

Grigori Rasputin watched from the corner of a hall while Kroenen was led out the room and away. Something was going on with the scientist. He sensed secrets, especially about the girl he had resurrected. He had told him nothing and avoided him when he had the chance. It was odd. Kroenen wasn't so evasive all the time, but lately . . .

What was he being so coy about?

He waited a few moments more before he stepped into the hall and walked to the door and gave the brass knob a slow twist.

* * *

She watched anxiously as Karl was pulled away into the hall and out of sight. She stared at the door afterwards, seated stiffly on the sofa with her hands on her lap. She waited for the door to open again, but it didn't.

"Karl," she whispered under her breath.

She could barely see the man she fell in love with but some creature in a mask with his voice. She couldn't see his face and his blue eyes that locked with hers. She couldn't see any eyes at all, just two yellow inhuman lenses. She couldn't stop but think of what happened to him, what would lead him to look such a way or even become apart of these people. Who exactly were they to have the power to change him?

She suddenly jumped when the door opened. She suspected Karl, but someone else, someone sinister entered the room like a phantom. In a split second, she vaulted behind the sofa in a surprisingly smooth movement and landed awkwardly on the floor as if someone dumped her there.

She laid there, then picked herself up and looked towards the door. When she saw who entered, her heart began to pound rapidly. She froze for a moment, then she came to again. The closest hiding spot was underneath the sofa. It wasn't the most dignified place, but she had no choice at the moment.

She went for it, crawling on her belly, and slid under it. It was a tight fit but it worked---until she would be spotted.

Her eyes widened when she saw the man Karl called Rasputin inside the room with her. He turned his head left and right in search of her like a stalking animal. He moved slowly and inspected the room thoroughly. He checked the closest place where she may be: Karl's lab.

Yes, yes, she thought to herself. Go in there.

He did. Jacqueline then began to slide out from under her hiding spot, then paused to check if he was on his way out. Nothing yet.

Now was the time to move. Keeping her eyes on Karl's lab, she climbed to her feet, removed her shoes, and ran for the door. She caught a glance of Rasputin as she passed the lab, but she hoped he didn't see her.

She ran into the hallway on bare feet, turning left first out the door as Karl had instructed her. She ran fast with her feet slapping against the carpet while her mind rewound back to Karl's instructions. She turned corners, left, right, downstairs. When she finally reached the top of the stairs that led the way out, she pounced down them; but one caught her foot and sent her on the floor on her backside.

She straightened her hat, then slid her shoes on while she was there, then ran the rest of the way. She shoved the doors open and ran down the snow-covered pathway to the iron gates ahead. She glanced back at the mansion to see if anyone was in pursuit of her. No one was there. Still, she picked up her pace and made her way out, taking a right turn and away down a solo sidestreet.

You better find me, Karl, she said as she ran.

* * *

She ran farther and farther away from the mansion as fast as she could. She looked back once in a while but saw no one following. Still, she ran as if there was someone on her heels. Ahead, she could see buildings reaching for the sky with lights decorating them. It looked vast and confusing, far larger than the cities she had been to in Germany. But perhaps it was be her only salvation.

She advanced towards it, away from the solitude---and madness of the mansion.

Madness. That was exactly what it was. And it was all because of her. She was dead but alive and to live with what was dead inside her. Now, she was surrounded by evil.

This is hell, she said to herself. I died and I've gone to hell.

She then screamed into the air: "THIS IS HELL! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!"

She ran into the city, and as she did, a sensation began to crawl across her skin. It stung and tingled. Then, she understood what it was: She was cold.

Karl was right. Her body and sensations had come back to her.

She wrapped her arms around herself and ducked her head as she continued to run. It wouldn't be long before her legs became too weak and too cold to go on. And then what? She couldn't cover up her tracks unless the snow fell harder. Once they noticed she was gone, she was certain they would pursue her like a dog.

The snowflakes brushed her face as they fell against her skin, but there was no caress when each flake touched her. This time, the snow seemed to be just as dark as the world she woke up to. It wasn't beautiful and pure. ---Like her. She wouldn't be surprised if it was poison.

Then let it be poison, she thought. Open your mouth and eat it!

Beside the streets, lined bumper to bumper were vehicles---strange looking vehicles half-covered in the snow. They were sleek and slender.

She looked at each one as she passed them. Then, at the corner of her eye, she noticed four men in her path. She skidded to move out of their way, but nearly fell. She stumbled a bit to get her balance, and then looked up at them. Two had a shaven head and there was a blonde who had his hair cut so short he nearly looked bald like the others. All of them were fairly young, in their twenties, at least.

She saw they were wearing a red band with a twisted cross on their sleeves, the same emblem she saw in the mansion. One even had a hat similar to Karl's.

She took a step back. "Are you with them?"

They smiled. "Looks like you're apart of us, right?"

One stepped forward and took her arm. That was when she finally let her rage come out. "Get off me you . . .Nazi!" She punched him across the cheek and pushed through him. She ran past the other three and down the street. She ran just as fast as she did when she first escaped the mansion. She glanced back at them, but they didn't follow, they just stood there stupidly.

Her lungs struggled now. She breathed deeply for air and they ached at each inhale.

When she tilted her head back for another breath, a those car came towards her while she was in its path. She gasped and hurriedly dodged to the side before either of them could collide into one another. They came inches from one another. Jacqueline felt wet snow splash against the side of her face.

She stumbled onto the sidestreet and hit her back against the wall. She stood there a moment before she began to scoot along with her hands pinned against its rough surface.

She glanced around for another danger, then followed the wall to its ending: an alley.

She went into it, and that was when she and her body gave in. She pressed her back against the wall and slowly slid down onto the ground with her knees to her chest. She then began to cry with warm tears falling like streams against her cold, almost numb skin.

She sat there, crying softly to herself while the snow fell on her. Her toes and hands began to numb first--- But she thought hell was supposed to be fire and brimstone.

She heard single footsteps approaching. Maybe it was Karl.

When they stopped, she picked her head up, but found it wasn't Karl. It was a black-haired woman in a duster. It wasn't a double-breasted duster like Karl wore, and she wasn't wearing one of those emblems.

The woman held an expression of concern on her face.

"I'm not homeless," Jacqueline said.

Without saying a word, the woman held out her hands out to her, palms up as if she was holding something, but there was nothing there. Then, by her surprise, a ball of flames formed in her hands. Jacqueline's eyes widened, but there was no fear in them. The fire was enticing.

Like a moth to a flame, she moved her hands towards it and held them there to warm herself.

* * *

"Kroenen! Doctor Kroenen! We have a problem!"

Kroenen stopped along with his two escorts when his name was called in alarm, and looked at a man running towards him.

"What is it?" he asked. He was getting tired of the others calling after him. He might as well change his name.

"The girl! She's gone! Rasputin checked the room while you were gone and didn't see her there."

So that's why they brought me out here, he thought.

He glanced amongst the group around him. It had been a distraction to break through his defense with Jacqueline, and they had done it at the right time. Damn them.

He passed them, brushing shoulders with one of the men as he did. He returned to the room where he shooed the others back who followed him, then went inside. The others hung near the door in curiosity but he ignored them and kept his back to them.

He stopped when he came to the middle of the room and listened. He heard nothing inside, but outside---

He turned towards the doorway and gestured a hand while he said, "Get back. Get back."

They did, and after they quieted, he looked about the room. "Jacqueline? Jacqueline, it's me. It's safe." He paused but there was nothing.

He then moved back to the door. "When did Rasputin notice she wasn't here?"

"He came here after you left. Did you know she wasn't here before you left? He said there couldn't have been a way---"

Without a word, Kroenen pushed through them and walked down the hall, and soon picked up the pace. Instinct told him what had happened. He had to check if what it was telling him was true. He hoped it wasn't true.

He ignored the fact he was being followed and wandered the halls until he came to the front doors.

Please don't tell me she---

He opened one of the doors, and that was when he saw it. Her footprints were in the snow, leading away from the mansion. He muttered, "I didn't say run, yet." He stepped down and studied the footprints in the snow. He suddenly burst into a run, but within a few strides, one of the Nazis grabbed him by the arm and stopped him.

"Kroenen, you crazy son of a bitch! Where do you think you're going? You can't go out there looking like that!"

Kroenen looked back at him. "I have to go after her." He elbowed the man who held him and was set free to chase after Jacqueline's footprints.