Chapter 7!

Will have more insight on Richtofen...so prepare for it!


Special Thanks

xMechaSheikx - Your question will be answered this chapter. WHERE IS THE CHILD?! Lol that made me laugh.

richtofenking95 - :) Thanks for the dedication! I hope you like where my story is going!


VII. I'm Coming Home.

The sky was darkening, the clouds becoming ominous where they hung lazily in the sky. The sun was probably setting but it was impossible to tell with the constant cloud cover. They gave nothing away of what was going on in the sky.

Edward Richtofen walked outside the main hut to the small area outside that was fenced off with a wooden gate to the road where the Verrückt scientists were walking toward him, being led by a soldier. They came from the direction of the Fishing hut. One of the traps, a large spiked flogger hung above the road, eerily silent.

The general greeted the men as they reached him with words of welcome and spoke to them.

"This swamp is just ridiculous." Muttered Dr. Peter McCain in annoyance once the niceties were done.

"It's been...wet...getting here." Dr. Rafael Groph agreed.

Dr. Kline Schuster sighed. "I really thought it would be better than this."

"The swamp's never good." Edward smiled grimly.

Peter nodded and then walked towards the main hut's door that Richtofen indicated.

Groph said, "Despite the eerie sadness that seems to emanate from this place, I think that having such ready access to the element will prove a blessing for us."

"I agree, Doctor." Richtofen responded. Groph went inside behind Peter.

"Kline, it is good to see you!" Richtofen gave him a hearty hand-shake.

"Dr. Richtofen! A sight for sore eyes indeed. This place is retched." Said Kline as he accepted the handshake gratefully and walked to the hut.

The four men gathered around a small table inside near a window overlooking the swampy lands.

Richtofen was pleased to see that the Verrückt scientists were all there now. All except Dr. Harvey Yena. When he asked about the American, Groph stated that he'd gone back to Der Riese to work on the Project Wunderwaffe.

What was now at the Rising Sun Facility was Project Verrückt.

"So he thinks he has a weapon idea?" Richtofen asked in a competitive voice.

"He seems to think so." Peter replied. "I don't know for sure though because I can't get him to hold a conversation for more than ten seconds."

The others laughed at that, thinking of the quiet American.

"How many insane were spared the Elemental 115 tests?" Richtofen asked curiously after a moment as the amusement died down.

"I have no idea." Groph responded to the question. "It's probably better this way. I'm only surprised that Dr. Maxis let us come here in the first place."

"Yeah, he didn't seem too happy." Added Kline.

Richtofen waved his hand in the air. "He's never happy with anything." he responded.

The members chuckled in agreement. Just then, the scarred officer, who'd been tasked with checking up on the Japanese scientist. walked in.

Richtofen took notice and said, "now, if you will excuse me, I must go talk with a...guest. I will have Sgt. Will Flocke here show you to your quarters...if they can be called that. You will have to get used to this place, it's not very comfortable."

"I could have guessed that." Kline said.

"Come with me." Said Flocke calmly, his narrow face speckled with a brown beard that seemed to twitch as he spoke.

"I will come speak with you soon." Richtofen told them.

They agreed and left towards the stairs leading up to the top floor, following Will Flocke.

Richtofen waited until he could no longer see them and then stood up. He prepared himself for what was to come and then left for the doctor's quarters, AKA medical room. He walked up to the door where two soldiers standing guard allowed him into the smaller hut.

The medic who'd helped Richtofen survive his injuries looked up from a 'patient' strapped to a table. It was actually the head scientists for the Rising Sun that was strapped down.

"General!" he exclaimed, glancing up. "Thank goodness! He is very adamant on not speaking! Not one bit! It's very irritating!"

"Is the translator here?" Richtofen asked, ignoring the man's irritation.

"Yes, s-sir." Said the translator from earlier, walking forward, his young face nervous. He looked like he expected Richtofen to pull out a gun and shoot him.

"Come on." Richtofen said.

With the translator in tow, Richtofen approached the restrained Japanese man, who began to speak swiftly in his native tongue, eyes on the general.

"Translate!" Richtofen snapped to the translator when he was done.

"H-he says he w-won't give anything up to betray his emperor..." The young soldier responded. "He says...we are lost...that the demon element will k-kill us all."

Richtofen thought about the response for a moment, a sinking feeling in his gut. The Japanese scientist's eyes were shining with knowing. He forced the feeling away.

He sighed. "It's obvious to me, that these men have all lost their minds. They have been in these swamps for far too long...Anyways, tell him that we can't help that problem unless we know more about the element."

The translator spoke carefully, as if trying to find the right words for it.

The Japanese nodded his head, eyes sad as he spoke. Suddenly, tears were rolling down his cheek. The medic raised his eyebrows in surprise at this, adjusting his glasses on his short face.

The translator spoke in a calm and deadened tone after the Rising Sun scientist was done. "He says the element would take over the minds of his men, they'd claw at their heads...their eyes. They spoke proverbs after proverbs and seemed unresponsive to anything. Those who were affected would eventually kill themselves. They'd hang themselves from the nearest tree, screaming about terrible voices in their heads. He says the element is a demon in disguise, come to kill us all. He says it will if we mess with it."

"You don't believe that nonsense do you?" Asked the medic impatiently at the general.

Richtofen silently eyed the man on the table. It was obvious the scientist believed what he said. He just couldn't figure it out.

How could the element...?

Suddenly it hit him and he almost gave in to a second of panic. Images of zombies pouring out of the ancient catacombs filled his mind. France.

A demon to destroy you all.

It couldn't be the only purpose...the only thing for the element. With careful use, it could be utilized for great things. It was the future. The promise of tomorrow. Right?

At what price?

Karl's zombie face appeared before his eyes.

Kommer. Hans Schuster. Men like them. that would be the price, he knew.

He couldn't stay there any longer in that tiny hut, staring at the despairing face of the Rising Sun scientist. He couldn't think about the past now. Richtofen spun on his heel and stomped out of the room. There was no way he was going to do this. Maybe the man was right. Maybe they should leave the element be.

"Sir?" Someone called after him in a questioning tone.

He ignored them.

He made it to the main hut and walked quickly through it, mind swimming in thousands of ferocious thoughts. Group 935 was a mistake. It must be. The element's careless use. This was not what it was made for. It was made for something greater.

A teleporter design flashed in his mind.

"That's right!" He said aloud, gathering his thoughts together in neat rows.

Weapons. It was not made for injections, for skin contact, for foolish acts of idiocy. Most likely, the Rising Sun scientist's dumb men didn't wear gloves while handling it. After all, some of them had been fine.

Only a few had killed themselves according to the man. None had turned to zombies, either.

Richtofen had always worn gloves when handling the element, actually he'd only ever had to hold a piece with just his hands only once. Usually he'd have tongs or something similar.

He took a deep breath and relaxed.

France was a long time ago. He told himself. It can't happen again, not with the knowledge we have now.

He heard footsteps and turned his attention to Sgt. Flocke who was approaching from another room.

"Kill the remaining Japanese scientist, it'd only do him a favor." He ordered the officer quietly.

"Yes sir." The man didn't even flinch at such a prospect.

Richtofen hesitated, then said. "And order the workers and soldiers to start mining the element. Make sure they all wear gloves and use tools to handle it. I don't want any accidents. Start immediately."

The man nodded and left, he turned and marched away quickly.

The general made his way through the main hut and outside, where the overcast sky was steadily darkening. He went out to the communications hut. He hurried through doors to the rooms within, allowed in by soldiers there.

He radioed the one person he dreaded contacting most.

"Maxis," he started when the man picked up. "Everything is in order here. I have the scientists here to study the element. They don't like it much but I think they will-"

"Edward," The man interrupted. "I want Kline and Rafael to return with you. Do you understand? I need my best men here now that these projects have really kicked off so well." He sounded pleased.

Richtofen was shocked. The scientists had just arrived at the Rising Sun! Now Maxis wanted them back to Der Riese. He suddenly understood; Maxis wanted to throw it in their faces that they couldn't stay when they probably begged to go and work directly with the element.

Swallowing his anger he muttered, "...what about McCain?"

"He will stay there until further notice." Said the Group 935 head scientist arrogantly.

Maxis was pretty much dictating the entire operation, leaving no say-so for his men. Richtofen fumed. Talking to Maxis simply set him on edge, the man's voice was enough to infuriate him alone. And now all of these stupid decisions.

"I see...I will inform them." Richtofen ground out, managing somehow not to sound murderous.

"Good, how is the facility?" Clueless to his men as always.

Richtofen breathed deeply a few times, allowing himself to calm down, then said, "the element is being mined and stored in crates now. We will soon have crates ready for shipment. All of the prisoners have been...dealt with. No word will reach their emperor since this was an entirely secret operation, they had no outside contacts. Their superiors in the military didn't even know about it." He'd found that out from some papers that had been translated.

Richtofen finished, "also, I'm ready to pass command of the outpost to one of my officers, a Sgt. Flocke, he will do well." He allowed a hint of pride to enter his voice.

"Is there any other information that I need to know."

Richtofen hesitated. He remembered the ominous words: Demons...to destroy you all. But he wasn't about to tell Maxis about that. He'd scoff and ignore it. But he decided that there was something he wanted to tell the man about.

"Yes, Maxis. I also wanted to inform you that the Wunderwaffe DG2 is now complete."

"That is good news. I'm pleased to here nothing but good news."

Of course you are, Richtofen thought moodily. "That's all, Maxis." He said.

"Excellent! That means we can get you and the men back soon."

There was a slight pause.

"Expect a helicopter at the landing zone in about a week's time. That should give you sufficient time to get ready. No spies or enemies will be alerted to the take over, either. The helicopter will be at the base there."

"Danke, Maxis. I will be waiting." He hung up and stretched, suddenly tired. He hadn't realized how late it was. The dismal grey sky never changed much to indicate the time of day, it was always heavy in deep clouds that only darkened and lightened to show the passing of time.

"It's been too long since I've seen the sun properly." Richtofen muttered to himself as he walked along the planks back to the main hut. He glanced at the miserable sky. A rain droplet hit his nose.

"Schiza."

He had about two seconds before the sky opened up. He dashed forward and lunged into the main hut, glancing back as the rain began pelting the wooden planks. He sighed, gratefully relieved to have escaped the sky's wet wrath.

He made his way upstairs where the other scientists would be, probably trying and failing to sleep in the miserable wet heat. The roof tended to leak up there too.

He walked up the steps and to his surprised, found the three scientists on the floor playing cards in firelight from a lantern.

He approached and they glanced up.

"Aw, Richtofen, do you want to join us?" Groph offered.

"Nein, I have news for you, though." Richtofen declined.

He told them what Maxis said.

Peter sighed crestfallenly. "Great...I'm going to be stuck here with these men I don't even know. In this retched place." he added.

Richtofen shrugged an apology.

Groph jested, "I wanted to work with the element more out in the field! I didn't get to be the head of any good discoveries!" He seemed greatly disappointed, though, but smiled at the joke anyways.

"I'm just glad to leave this place. I'd only be too happy if I never did field work again." Muttered Kline. Richtofen felt sorry for the young man, who'd been so eager to do field work, he'd volunteered at the first opportunity. The opportunity being Project Verrückt.

Richtofen, surprising himself, wanted to help them.

"If you want, Dr. Groph. I could make up a story that would allow you to stay here. The chopper won't wait around anyway for no one. That way you and Peter can have a better situation." Richtofen offered his friend.

Dr. Groph sighed. "I wouldn't want you to have to lie for me. It's not right." He sat down his hand of cards on the floor beside him.

"It would be a favor. You know Maxis can make an ill-judged call or two. This is one of them. All I have to do is tell him you came down with a fever and are recovering." Richtofen tried again.

Dr Groph chuckled, "I sure hope not."

Peter spoke up. "I like his plan and agree with it. That way, I won't be left to navigate this place on my own."

Rafael Groph smiled, "I see. Yes, tell him that. I will stay...but only for Peter's sake."

"Hey!" exclaimed Peter.

The men laughed at him.

"Well, since that's been decided. I will go ahead and try to sleep." Richtofen said, starting to feel very weary.

The men bade him goodnight and he made his way to the other side of the room where sleeping mats had been rolled out for the men. He readied for sleep and sprawled on his own which had been there first. He listened to the night swamp sounds, rain, and the others talking quietly and felt strangely comforted by it. He soon fell asleep.


Richtofen stumbled in a dark space, his hands reaching out for support. But there were no walls, nothing to hold onto and balance himself. He struggled not to fall forward or backward and felt fearful. He froze in place, straining his eyes to see anything. Finally, he spotted a tiny red light in the distance. He carefully made his way to it.

He kept walking towards it, but it never got bigger or closer. He turned his gaze around to find more dots of light appearing around him, burning blood-red. He watched as they started moving in pairs, hundreds everywhere. It was only when they got closer did he realize what they were.

Hundreds of burning-red zombie eyes. He felt great fear and turned to escape. There was no where to go though, only harsh fiery eyes in the dark every which way. He took a step and stumbled. He tripped and fell, but he didn't hit the ground. He fell through it.

For a long time it seemed he fell, and then suddenly, he was in a field of flowers that stretched endlessly in all directions. He glanced around, staring at the sun sinking slowly on a horizon, having no idea what had just happened.

"It's sad isn't it, Edward?" Asked a female voice behind him. Richtofen jumped and spun around to find familiar green eyes gazing into his own.

"The way everything dies...but eventually it is reborn...and then there is hope again." Murmured Emily, who was sitting in a patch of white lilies.

Richtofen was speechless as he stared.

"Unfortunately, we only remember the sunsets, not the sun rises and high points. Do you know why?"

He shook his head, bewildered, unable to utter a single word.

"Because that's when we experience the most pain. That's when we hurt the most. No one remembers that which doesn't leave an impression." She sighed, holding a flower to her nose and inhaling its scent deeply, sighing out with contentment.

"Emily..." he started.

"What?" She asked softly, lowering her flower.

"Will the sun ever rise for us again?" He took a step forward hopefully.

She stared at him contemplatively.

"Not there...not with 935." She answered, suddenly the sun disappeared quickly beneath the horizon and an icy cold wind blew across the meadow, coating the flowers in frost and causing them to wilt.

Richtofen ignored the temperature drop and moved towards his long-deceased love, feeling desperate.

"You must find the sun again...or you will be consumed." She whispered fading into bright dust that was swept away by the fell wind just as he reached her.

"EMILY!" He yelled, falling to his hands and knees to tear through the dead, brown lilies. He felt the wind now, it was cold in his heart. It felt like he was freezing over completely.


Suddenly, Edward jerked awake from his sleep, sitting up quickly and shivering despite the hot night. He dragged the covers to his body, shaking slightly.

He took slow breaths, trying to relax as he sat there, feeling the icy cold seep from his soul with the warm air.

Beside him, on one of the other mats nearby, he heard a faint voice. "You okay, Dr. Richtofen?"

It was Kline who was sitting up, concern on his young face.

"Yeah...yeah...I'm fine." Richtofen responded in a whisper.

He laid back down, trying to shrug away the dream and the terrible feeling it brought.

"If you don't mind me asking...who was she?" Kline asked, barely audible.

Richtofen silently cursed, he must have said something in his sleep. He was glad the darkness hid his embarrassment.

"I don't mind," Richtofen sighed after a moment. "Her name was Emily...she was once a part of Group 935 a long time ago. If your father was still alive, he'd remember her."

"What happened? Again, if you don't mind." Kline whispered.

Richtofen hesitated. He'd never told anyone before.

"I guess I don't," Richtofen said back, just as quiet. "She and I were married not long after I returned from France. At the time, inflation struck the Deutschland hard and she was also pregnant with my child. There was little work and even less money. We both wound up in a small shack for all our efforts, with hard bread and cabbage as the daily meal. There were riots on the streets, anger and misery everywhere."

He sighed, sorrowful for once in a long time.

"But...when...she...went into labor," he choked out. "She...was too frail to survive the birth of her son."

He paused, and silence pooled in the room.

"And the boy?"

"Her father was enraged by her death. He believed it was my fault and took the child as an 'apology'. I have not seen him since." The quiet words were sour in his mouth. "At least not as my son."

"What?"

"He signed up for the army and is under my command now...not even knowing it."

"Woah...Who is it?" Kline asked softly, unable to stop his curiosity.

"Sergeant Will Flocke," Richtofen sighed. "Emily's full name was Emily Flocke before we married."

Kline was nearly speechless. He managed, "that rough-looking fellow from earlier?"

"Yes."

A pause.

"I'm sorry for what happened." Kline murmured.

Richtofen continued his tale, not sure why though. "After her death, I fell into despair for a while and then joined the army. I had no other way to survive. Over time, I managed to work hard enough to forget my misery. I was soon working so hard, they promoted me for my service...and my smarts." Richtofen chuckled at the thought. "At either rate, the past is the past...I can't change it. But maybe I can change the future so that nothing like this ever happens again in the fatherland. No one should have to work every second and still have hardly anything to eat. To lose that which they care so deeply for..."

Kline sighed. "It seems I was lucky enough to survive the hardships of the depression, but it took it's toll. Also, unfortunately, I can't remember my father anymore."

"He'd be proud indeed, Kline. You are so much like him. Sometimes I forget that he's...well, about the incident."

Richtofen could not bring himself to tell Kline that it'd been his fault his father was dead.

"Now try to get some more sleep, we have work to do tomorrow."


Six days later.

An army truck bounced its way down the soggy path in the swamp, bearing five men in its back. The scientists Kline Schuster, Edward Richtofen, and three soldiers from the German military camp up ahead. The general's mind wandered as he gazed at the swaying vines in the trees above.

Edward had ordered Will Flocke, his son as Kline now knew, to take command of the outpost, still unaware of what Richtofen was to him. Richtofen had asked Schuster not to disclose the information to anyone and the man had agreed with understanding, staying quiet on the matter after that. Then, he and Schuster had left for the road leading back to where a truck would pick them up some three miles away. They'd made it to the truck and were now here.

Richtofen had taken his newly made weapon in a case where it was hidden in some of his clothes onto the truck. He was still wary of telling anyone of its existence, though some of his men had seen it in action. But he was their leader, they'd listen to his order of silence.

Finally, the truck made it to the landing zone, which was a German military camp based in Japan for emergencies on Sakakilo Beach. Richtofen was glad to see the sun shining here. It was as if the clouds only hovered over the swamp. Almost as if it were cursed.

A fully decked, military helicopter sat unmoving near the beach.

"I suppose that's our ride. Fancy." Kline noted.

Richtofen nodded. The men were led to a tent where they were introduced to their pilot, who said he'd be ready to go in fifteen minutes. After the time had passed, the helicopter was started up, its rotors spinning. The two men boarded it quickly, the only men to return home.

"Wasn't there supposed to be three getting in?" Asked the pilot through the cockpit window.

"Nein. It's just us." Richtofen informed him.

"Okay." The man responded and started working the controls. "Ready?" The pilot questioned.

"Yes." Came the two replies in unison.

The helicopter lifted, blades roaring in the sunny morning sky, taking with it Richtofen and Kline. It made a course for the open sea. Richtofen was glad to be leaving the swamp and Japan behind...hopefully for good.

A small part of him regretted leaving Will in the swamps, but it was for the best he figured. Besides, the man seemed to have been pleased to have command.

For Richtofen, his regret was outweighed with happiness. He was ready to get back to his homeland.

I'm coming home now, Maxis, he thought. You can't stop me.


End of chapter 7.

Hope you all like! Yay, now we are out of the yucky swamp... for now, at least :)

Reviews? Suggestions? Comments? I love to hear from you readers! See you next chapter!