The Monster of Munich

Hans and Klara returned to the Residence to find it populated only by a skeleton crew, the normally bustling palace somewhat empty. The two of them proceeded directly to Kommandant Wolfgang's office, where he sat reading over some reports. His desk and cabinets were nearly empty, their contents no where to be seen.

"Ah, Herr Eckhart, it's good to see you. How did everything go on your fact-finding mission?" the Commander asked once he and Klara were seated. "What did you see? What did you learn? Anything that might give us an edge?"

"The Bavarian Coalition isn't very large. At least, the force at the Nymphenburg wasn't that large, but they use exclusively energy weapons. Might be worth it to hand out combat armor to your soldiers, if you have any suits to spare. I've heard metal armor works well against laser weapons, not that I've ever tested it" Hans said, and handed the Commander the technical manual he'd recovered.

Wolfgang waved his hand dismissively. "I'm not concerned about that, but what's this?"

"Some kind of technical manual for the Natursturm device. I don't know where Ademar found it, but it might be useful. You might also like to know that Ademar has his eyes set on the replicator and that he knows it's being held at Berchtesgaden."

Wolfgang nodded. "Berchtesgaden's expendable, but the replicator is at the Eagle's Nest itself. The place is practically impenetrable, but you'll see that once you get there. Chancellor Dietrich has ordered that all chapters of the Final Order be recalled to Berchtesgaden to defend Projekt Natursturm. I won't deny that having additional reinforcements will be nice, but I don't think it'll be necessary."

"How so?"

"Like I said, you'll see once you get there. I'm asking you and your team to accompany the Order to the Eagle's Nest, to see the fruits of our collective labor. And, of course, to provide extra security. We'll be leaving later on the last vertibird, so you've got some time gather up the rest of your team. Maybe even get in some rest, but you'll all be given a chance to rest at Berchtesgaden. Tomorrow's when Projekt Natursturm begins" Wolfgang explained.

"Very well, then" Hans said, and stood. He and Klara headed for the door, ready to go look for Paul and Hilda, when the door opened. A man stepped into the room and was passing by the two of them when he paused, looking at them. Hans felt like he'd seen the man before, but he couldn't remember exactly where. Then it hit him: Hamburg, at the Rathaus. "Director...Jaeger?"

"Herr Eckhart? It's good to see you again. I'm glad to see you've stayed with us, to help us achieve our goals. Coming with us to Berchtesgaden?" Jaeger said, and Hans nodded. "Good, glad to hear that, too."

"How are things back in Hamburg?" Hans asked, and Jaeger scoffed.

"The Hamburg chapter doesn't exist anymore. At the request of our esteemed Chancellor the chapter in Hamburg and our Fieldmen in Berlin were recalled to Berchtesgaden to defend Projekt Natursturm. An unnecessary waste, if you ask me, but the old wolf always gets his way," Jaeger said. "But, what's done is done. Now if you'll excuse me I have some business with the Kommandant here."

"Go ahead."

Otto Jaeger stepped past them and the two of them walked out into the hall. "Go find Paul, if he's still here. I'll try go find out where Hilda is" Hans said, and Klara nodded. She took off in the direction of the wine bar, which made Hans smile, and he got moving. With the size of the Residenz being the way it was she could be anywhere, but if Hans knew her the way he liked to think he did then he expected to find her in one of Residence's nicer rooms.

Hans entered the hall directly opposite the door to the Kommandant's office, knowing it ran from one end of the building to the other. The walls of the long hall were lined with countless windows, looking out on two courtyards. The left courtyard was nondescript and practically empty save for a few patio tables and chairs. The courtyard on the right was much bigger, stretching over a hundred yards. There was a stone mezzanine running around part of the courtyard, a staircase leading down into the yard. There were a few dozen Final Order soldiers there, standing around. By the staircase was a wall of sandbags, six or so people standing in front of it, opposite a machine gun nest. Hans stood by a window and watched as the person on the gun mowed the people down, splattering the sandbags with blood.

Frowning, Hans made his way over to a spiral staircase that led down to the ground level. From there it was a short walk through a narrow hallway to the courtyard, a faint smell of gunpowder in the air as he approached. As he got closer Hans realized the people were ghouls, sane ones, rounded up from some settlement somewhere. Maybe even lured to the Residenz by the promise of the Natursturm device. The bodies of the ghouls were quickly dragged off to a nearby pile and another six marched out. Hans watched as this group was also cut down, the MG-34 echoing harshly in the confines of the courtyard, and then another six were brought out.

*Rataatatatataat*

Hans was about to walk away when he caught a glimpse of the gunner, and his blood turned to ice. Standing with the stock pressed into her shoulder, her stance wide, was Hilda. She waited patiently until the ghouls were marched into position and then she let loose with the machine gun, the air around the muzzle shimmering from the venting gases as the rounds tore into the people.

*Ratatataaatatt*

Of course, they weren't really people. That was why they were on the list of Operation Atomsturm's targets. Ghouls may have once been human, but were no longer so, despite what people like Friedrich Ademar said. Rovers, Croakers, Wanamingos, ghouls, and God knows what else were all abominations, remnants of The Bomb and reminders of the horrors it had wrought upon Germany. Maybe even the world. Ghouls, while bearing a resemblance to humans, just weren't. They were practically immortal and healed from radiation, something no human on Earth could do. Hence why they had to be eradicated. Hans knew that.

*Ratatttataat*

Some small part of him still had sympathy for them, however. They were true victims of The Bomb and the radiation that still lingered. It must've been horrible, to survive the nukes only to be turned into this horrific monster by the effects of radiation. Stripped of your humanity and turned into this undying creature. It was a tragedy, unlike the abominations that had been made in labs.

*Ratataataataat*

It was difficult, even disturbing, work, but it was necessary. Hans knew that. In order for Germany to truly heal abominations like ghouls had to be exterminated. Projekt Natursturm could solve all of Germany's material problems, the hunger and thirst, but so long as the threat of a ghoul going feral or a Sturmutant party raiding a settlement still existed then Germany would never be safe. She would continue to suffer the darkness she'd been suffering for the past twenty years, unable to heal from the horrors The Bomb had inflicted on her.

*Rattataatat-click!*

Hilda set the MG-34 down and began to reload, and that's when Hans approached her. She had just finished reloading the weapon when he put his hand on her shoulder. She flinched and looked at him, her angry expression melting away when she saw who it was. "Hans!"

She set the MG down and hugged him, and he returned her embrace. She pulled back after a moment and looked him over. "I'm glad to see you're OK. How did it go? Where's Klara?" Hilda asked.

"Klara's around, hunting down Paul. We learned a bit, but I don't know how much help it'll be. The Coalition had a few armored vehicles, but the good news is they'll no longer be a problem," Hans said with a wink, and Hilda grinned at that. "We're going to be leaving for Berchtesgaden later, so you might want to pack up anything you left in our room."

Hilda nodded. "OK. Check this out," she said, and unslung her weapon, an MP5 with a telescoping stock and built-in flashlight. "Pretty cool, right? I never thought I'd find a gun better than the Erma, but this gun's way better. The stock's a little uncomfortable, but the flashlight still works!"

"Good, we might need it some day. It's probably better than the flashlights we've got clipped on to our belts, too" Hans said, and Hilda nodded. She slung the SMG over her shoulder and took hold of Hans' hands. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. She opened her mouth to say something and-

"Hey, smoothskins, why don't you get a room! No one wants to see your mushy shit, you damned Nazis!" one of the ghouls said, and Hilda looked over her shoulder at him. She broke away from Hans, briskly walked over to the MG-34, and fired. The ghouls all fell to the blood-splattered ground, and Hilda stitched another burst into their limp bodies.

"Fuck you, zombie!"

Hilda set the machine gun down as Final Order officers quickly dragged them away, and walked back over to Hans. "Let's get going, then. To Berchtesgaden. I can't wait to see the Natursturm device." The two of them walked back towards the Residenz, the sound of machine gun fire behind them as one of the Order's officers took up the slow task of removing ghouls from the world.

Once back in the Residenz they headed back to the dorms overlooking the Hofgarten. With the place so deserted it felt almost tranquil; peaceful, even, if it weren't for the faint echo of gunfire. Hans and Hilda walked into their dorm, the few vertibirds remaining slowly lifting off into the sky outside, their thrum not quite enough to drown out the rhythmic bursts of gunfire from the courtyard.

Hans heard the door close behind him and he turned to look at Hilda, who stared back at him with a look he didn't recognize. She gently grabbed his hands again and he let her rub her thumbs on the back of them, staring into his eyes. "Before you left, you said you didn't know how you felt about me. Do you now?" Hilda asked.

'It looks to me like you're coming around to the Order's thinking' Walter's words echoed in Hans' mind. 'I'm old enough that I was around before The Bomb. I remember what I was taught in school, about the Nazis and what they did to the people they vilified. Tell me that's not who we'll become.'

"I do," Hans said, and kissed Hilda. They stood there, silent and unmoving, locked in each other's embrace. Hans stared into Hilda's sparkling green eyes, and she stared back into his, her thumbs still rubbing little circles on the back of his hands.

'What's a Nazi?'

'See? See?! She doesn't even know why what she did was wrong! She's incapable of seeing how similar this is to a past that should've stayed buried and forgotten.'

Hans drew his hands away from Hilda's and wrapped his arms around her back, holding her tight against him. She smiled at him again and let out an affectionate hum, her hands on his arms. He could feel her squirming in his grasp, little motions and movements travelling through her body.

'I'm worried that thinking's starting to seep into our group, and at what cost?'

Is there any cost too great?

Hans broke the kiss and licked his lips, savoring the moment. Sunlight danced across Hilda's pretty face, highlighting all the dirt and grime and scars that Hans ignored, choosing to focus instead on her freckles and the way her green eyes sparkled in the light. Her hands travelled up his arms, feeling him as they went and stopping at his shoulders, holding him tightly. She shoved him against the wall and kissed him again, aggressively. Hans held her by the waist, feeling her nails dig into his shoulders.

No. No, there is not.

There was a knock at the door, and Hans and Hilda broke the kiss. "Come in" Hans said, and the door opened. Paul looked at them, saw the way they were still embraced, and nodded.

"This is clearly a bad time, but I'm afraid we have work to do. The Kommandant wants to see us" Paul said. Hans frowned and looked at him. What could Commander Wolfgang want now? Hilda let him go and began picking up the few things she'd left in the room, which left Hans free to talk with Paul.

"Did he say why?" Hans asked.

"Yes. There's one final piece missing from Projekt Natursturm. The Commander said it was mentioned in some ledger you brought back from Nymphenburg?" Paul said.

"Yeah, Ademar had this book that contained some information on the Natursturm device, back when it was created, before the war. I was afraid of this." With their things collected the three of them began the trek back through the Residenz to the the Kommandant's office. "It seems like we hardly get rest. There's always this or that we're asked to do, or retrieve."

"I know how you feel, but if you think it's bad now, just wait" Paul said. "Restoring Germany will take years of work, most of it difficult and dangerous. It's going to get worse before it gets better."

They were silent the rest of the way to the Commander's office, for there was very little to actually discuss. Soon enough they were at the door and back in the office that Hans had become so familiar with. Kommandant Wolfgang and Director Jaeger were still there, looking at the ledger Hans had recovered, as well as some files. Klara was there as well, sitting in a chair. She and the two Order officers looked up as the group entered. Standing next to Wolfgang's desk was a heavily-armored machine-man, silent and immobile. Hans recognized him by the insignia painted on the right pauldron: a square of red with a white circle in the middle. In the center a black skull, eyes glowing red, an Iron Cross on the forehead. The panzertrooper they'd seen at the Genetics Institute.

"Good, you're all here," Wolfgang said, and set the ledger down. "Time's brief, so I'll just come out and say it: Projekt Natursturm won't work. We have the device, the purifying machine to go with it, and our scientists have got it running again. Trouble is, we can't test it. The machine is missing a critical component, something referred to only as Item 224."

Wolfgang handed the ledger to Hans, who thumbed through it. It was a pre-War technical manual, describing the function and maintenance procedures for the Natursturm device. Someone, probably Friedrich Ademar, had written in it. Every page had some kind of note scribbled in, questions about its design history and function. Towards the end the manual mentioned Item 224, described as some kind of fuel source. There was nothing written about what it was or how it fueled the machine.

"I don't understand," Hans said, and returned the manual to Wolfgang. "The Natursturm device is a replicator. It shouldn't need a fuel source, all it should need is energy, right? You power the machine up, place the item you want copied inside, and it does everything for you."

"Apparently, Herr Eckhart, that is not the case" Jaeger said. "We don't know what Item 224 is, or what exactly it does, but the manual was clear: the Natursturm device will not work without it."

Hans blew out a sigh. "So, we need to find this fuel, Item 224, to make the Natursturm device work?"

"Correct. Herr Jaeger and I have been going over the files we recovered from the Deutsches Historische Museum, as well as the technical manual you recovered from Schloss Nymphenburg, and we have a pretty good idea of where some of this fuel might be," Wolfgang said. He laid a map out on the table and pointed to a spot near the Residenz. "The manual mentions a nearby military base, Installation 14, and that samples of Item 224 are allegedly stored there. I know what you're thinking: the replicator was a private concern, developed jointly by Porsche and IG Farben. Why would samples of this unknown item be held at a military base? Well, according to the manual, Item 224 is slightly volatile and potentially dangerous if handled inappropriately. What that actually means, what Item 224 actually is, and what Item 224 actually does, the manual does not say."

Hans thought about it a moment, shared a look with the others, and rubbed his chin. "What's the catch?"

"The Bavarian Coalition knows about it, too. Probably, at least" Jaeger said. "Seeing as how you recovered this manual from their headquarters, we have to assume they'll go after it to keep it out of our hands. They may already be there. The base may still be occupied by remnants of the pre-War military or government. Certainly it'll have automated security, like turrets."

"The BMW museum didn't, and they did work for the Bundeswehr."

"I wouldn't count on getting lucky twice, Herr Eckhart," Wolfgang said. Hans frowned. "I don't think the mission will be as dangerous as the mission to the BMW offices, but I still must advise caution here. We're prepared to offer support here, if you think you'll need it."

"What kind of support?" Hans asked.

"Him," Wolfgang said, and gestured to the machine-man. "Erich Braun here has a similar job as you fine folks; go in to the places most men fear to tread, and come back alive. Panzertroopers are...cut from a different cloth, as I'm sure you'll learn, but their Semi-Powered Armor Suit offers them protection unlike anything else in the wasteland. Your team will be taken to Installation 14 via vertibird gunship, and infiltrate."

"Will the gunship stay on site to support us, should we need it?" Hans asked.

"We're not sure what kind of resources the Coalition will throw at this, seeing as how they want to challenge us directly at Berchtesgaden, but if we don't have Item 224 then Natursturm won't work. The gunship will stay in the area as long as possible, so long as the Coalition allows it to. If they have any more armored vehicles to throw at us I imagine they're saving them for Berchtesgaden," Wolfgang said. "We're prepared to pay your team 2,000 Marks for this mission."

"Two? You mean five."

"Herr Eckhart..." Jaeger said, his tone cautious. "Surely... Surely you can't be serious?"

"I can," Hans said. "And I am. Projekt Natursturm is the key to saving Germany from the horrors of the Great War. Without Item 224, it won't work. At all, according to you. In addition to automated turrets I'm sure there'll be more than a few Panzerbots roaming around, plus the Coalition will likely be there. Not everyone came back from BMW, and there were a few times there where it looked like none of us would be leaving alive. I won't put myself or my friends at risk for bum pay any longer, regardless of the mission's morality."

Jaeger looked at Wolfgang, who was rubbing his temples, his eyes closed. "Very well, Herr Eckhart. Five thousand it is. But if you don't find Item 224 then don't come back at all."

Hans nodded, satisfied. "When do we leave?"

"Tonight."