Plura Ater Nox

Chapter 26

She wanted to escape.  She didn't know how much longer she could keep her cover in this situation.  To survive, the women who were once united had turned and started turning in those who were wanted by the German government.  No one of them would risk their lives.  All was at stake now.  Even strong solidified friendships were being abandoned in a futile attempt to survive and get in good with the enemy.  No one wanted to be suspected.

That was something Angelique found out through silent observation.  Even though the French were strongly opposed to the German occupation of France, they were suddenly turning rat and abandoning ship.  She couldn't help but to wonder if the Vichy government had any form of influence.  Either way, she knew that she had to leave if she was to have a hope in getting out of this alive, if such a possibility still existed.

Life outside the confinements of this wall was but a dream now.  It had been so long.  Only a few women, such as Aimée, were allowed out.  She was the only one given free reign and the most privileges.  Angelique suspected it was because her then-friend now potential-enemy (she couldn't be sure) was getting rather friendly with the Germans, particularly the officer heading the occupation of the region.

At the moment, she was near a window.  She sighed.  She didn't have to wonder why her friend had turned on her.  Survival was the name of the game now.  It was personal.  To think of someone else was a proposition that would now never be considered.

She closed her eyes.  She still had memories of Johann holding in his arms a scantly clad form of Aimée who whispered words of love (it seemed to be from the man's expression) in German.  Some of it was in French.  Nevertheless the image was still there.  It was straightforward, the closest thing to being slapped across the face.

'Oh mon ami…pour quoi?'  Angelique sighed morosely, her sighed lustfully fixated on the clear sky above.  The world outside was now a dream.  The furthest she was allowed out, like many others were into the court yard surrounding the compound.  They were to remain stationed there and not leave because they had been declared an essential service.

She knew she was going to be faced with a horrible prospect soon.  With the chances of survival dwindling because each of them was only looking out got themselves and not any of the others, a united front to oppose their suppressors was now just a dream.  The once reality was now dust, blowing away in the northward winds, taking away the almost tangible freedom that hung in their sights.

Not only had most turned on themselves, but their once strong resistance crumbled to pieces.  It seemed to be strong, like it had a chance to make a difference.  Then the shattering news about the fall of the White Rose came.  Almost in sync with that, the resistance they had formed, headed by Aimée shattered.  Angelique had wanted to think that her friend's strange interest in the officer whose brigade was holding up this post had nothing to do with the fall of their resistance and the sudden incrimination of a few of the Jewish members of the resistance.

Clutching the Star of David that hung on the end of her thin necklace, Angelique sighed again.  It didn't seem right.  Why did the bullies of the world seem to always win?  Why weren't the allies of France doing anything?  Why did they continue to stall?

She then gazed around.  She knew the room was empty.  That shouldn't surprise her.  Everything had this barren feeling to it.  Life nearly ceased to exist.  The life now was nothing but a void and a dreary existence that many had given into.

Closing her eyes, she gasped, clutching her chest in pain.  With wild pained eyes, she looked around again.  'Ashitare got me once.  He tried to stop me and my friends from getting our goal.  This time it's the reincarnation of Tomo…

'I will not stand for it!' she declared to herself.  'One Seiryuu Seishi was my down fall.  I will not let another be that.  Of course, I was a fool and trusted Aimée.  Seems she didn't change.  She's the same as always.  A leopard never changes its spots.

'It does seem fitting that those two should have a sudden alliance.  Soi and Tomo were after all on the same cursed team.  I wouldn't be surprised if any of the other Seiryuu Seishi were also Nazis.  In fact, I would be shocked if any of them were part of the allies.

'If she did turn me in, it wouldn't surprise me in the least.  It would certainly hurt, but I would fail to be surprised.  With the way the war is going, if any of us (Jews) get out of this alive will be a miracle of Yahweh.'

Standing up, she placed her hands in her pocket.  'How nice it would be to have the freedom that is normal to many of the other French.  They may be under the control of that horrible man, but they can move around as they wish.'

Growling as she punched the wall, leaving a VERY noticeable hole, she decided there and then that she wasn't going to stay around.  She was strong enough to take on any German.  She knew they would be weaker than her.  That was actually quite amusing to her since the Germans under Hitler were supposedly the superior race of people and therefore, better at everything else.

She smirked.  'Imagine their surprise when I get away.'

Moving quickly, she spotted an on duty officer.  She grinned gleefully.  She would beat him up, take his uniform and gun.  That would provide her a bit of a disguise.  It also helped that this man was the smallest of the group.  True he was tough, but she had her inhuman strength.

In addition to her strength, she also had martial arts experience.  Her father was a master at Savate1.  He taught many women who to fight in the event that the men were unable to defend the town during the Great War, they would be able to.  They would be issued weapons, which would be used along with their adequate fighting skills.

After the Great War, he had continued to teach it to both men and women, wishing to be able to defend themselves.  He had learned it from travelling with his father as a lad to foreign places.  He had been taught it by deckhands, who explained that the techniques had originated in the Orient, but the art itself was purely of French origins.

From her father, Angelique had learned this.  She, nevertheless, had yet to use it in a real life situation.  Now seemed to be a good moment.  She moved quickly and ambushed the man.

There was a struggle, as she first wrestled the gun from him by twisting his wrist.  Once acquiring it, she placed it in her belt.  Part one was done.  Now she needed the uniform.  This would require her to beat him up, rendering him unconscious.

While she did get the gun from the man, she found her self landing promptly on her bottom.  Above her lurked the officer and the ceiling.  Things weren't going according to plan.  Oh well, she would just have to revert to street tactics and use the more aggressive moves.

Being on the ground required her to use a Coupe Main a Sol2.  Her hands were firmly planted behind her, providing her with balance, as she shot her leg up, keeping it straight, her foot flat, and the toes of her right foot being used as the striking tool.  She combined her position of striking upward; she aimed her kick for the groin area of the officer.

The lethal nature of the kick brought forth a yelp of surprise, as seconds later, the officer fell, clutching his crotch, writhing in pain.  She smirked and gracefully rolled back and sprang to her feet.  She was an advantage now.

Using her strength, she picked up the officer and balled her hand into a fist.  Reeling back, she let it propel forward at a great speed.  At this speed, her fist connected with the man's stomach.  Knocking the air out of him, she thus rendered him unconscious, fulfilling most of her sought goal.

Placing him down, she worked quickly to strip him of all external garments.  Once she had him in just the bare minimum, she picked him up again and threw him into a nearby room.  Holding the uniform in hand, she ran down the hall and slipped into another room, locking the door securely.

Wasting no time, Angelique stripped off her traditional French schoolgirl outfit and packed it into a bag she found in a corner.  The bag she found was a German military issued shoulder sling bag.  That was fine by her.  One more item to make her believable.   She packed her skirt, slip, tights, blouse and cardigan neatly in the bag along with her shoes.  Tying it up, she placed it next to the uniform, which had the matching knee-high boots sitting next to it.

Before dressing again, she took out the knife that she had taken in addition to the gun and sliced off her long braid.  She knew it was uncustomary for a German officer to have long hair and it was frowned upon.  She brought the knife up, slicing quickly.  This motion brought back a great barrage of memories.  Ironically, she was doing this for the same reasons, embracing manhood, even though she was cutting her hair for the purpose of disguising herself.

Letting the hair fall to the floor in a tangle mess, she replaced the knife and started to attire herself in the uniform.  She cringed in distaste, after all, she was adorning herself in the garment of those who were rounding up her people like so much cattle and herding them into these concentration camps in the middle of nowhere.

Doing up the last of the buttons and fastening the belt, she sat down and began to lace up the boots.  Now she would walk in them was beyond her.  She would have to test it first.  Lacing up, she tightened the boots, so they were on securely.  Standing up, she blinked.  She certainly felt like she had stable footing on the ground.  Walking would be the real test.

Standing up, she took a few steps.  Actually, this wasn't too bad.  The lacing was tight, but that would loosen up with some walking.  The balance was quite simple; after all, she was on flat heels instead of the elevated ones she wore prior.

With that, she picked up the final accessory, the hat.  Placing it on, she nodded.  It hid her feminine features nicely, she noted, as she gazed into a dusty mirror that hadn't seen the underside of a dust rag in quite some time.  Tipping it, she nodded at her appearance and picked up the shoulder sling bag and headed for the exit.

With basic German phrases in mind, she felt prepared enough to slip by and get out under false pretences.  No one would notice.  After all, she had made her move when no one else was in sight and took everything off and hid the body in a place that was no longer in use, well, at least for the most part.

Wandering down the corridor to the exit, Angelique came upon three other German officers.  She tensed, not knowing what they would do.  She immediate relaxed as they did something she never thought possible, they smiled!  That was surprising.  They normally seemed to be so stoned face and stoic, yet now here they were expressing such emotion.

She nodded.  "Ich gehe jetzt."3

"Ja?  An wo?"4 one of the officers replied friendly.

"An Stadt; an post ein brief eigenheim."5 Angelique replied.

"Viel Glueck, Herr."6

Nodding, Angelique promptly left after saluting the three officers.  Once outside, ecstasy consumed her.  She couldn't believe it, she was free!  It was too amazing for words!  To be outside was the most she could have ever wished for.

Moving quickly, she went straight for the town.  There she would surely find a ship that would take her across to the British Isles where she could seek refuge.  She knew the docks would be swarming with ships, mainly merchant ships, so she would have no problem getting aboard one and getting across the English Channel and landing in a place that was still allied territory instead of German occupied.

There was one thing she forgot, that being in this uniform meant she got a warm reception from all officers in the area, but dirty looks from the French citizens of the area.  She did realise with shortly and that the only way for her to get anyway would be to be a stow away on board.  She also knew that chances were she wouldn't get a large enough space and would be unable to change.

She didn't want to risk being spotted in case any of the officers who served at the post from whence she fled recognised her.  This put her in a rather nasty bind, hence, leaving her no choice but to sneak on board a merchant ship and try and get away unnoticed once landing.

It would be a great number of hours later before she saw light again.  However, that didn't bother her in the least, simply because this was a minor sacrifice all in the name of freedom.  She would tolerate being in such a confined area, knowing that soon enough she would be in a country that was in the hands of the allies who would surely free Europe from the clutch of the Nazi leader.

There was nothing vile in the compartment she was stowed away in.  It was only fabric and other goods that could be sold at the English and Irish markets.  In fact, she was able to make a comfortable bed out of what she found in the compartment in order to make her journey more restful.

In fact, maybe it was too comfortable, because she dosed off, only to wake up again at the sound of voices speaking.  She blinked away, registering the voices that drifted in.  At first she didn't recognise the language.  She focused more, her eyes widening in joy as she realised the people were speaking English.  Already had she landed in the British Isles!  Freedom was now within her grasp.  All she had to do was sneak off and find a place to change…

Once departing forth from the merchant ship, she believed she was unseen until two men, officers, approached her.  One man was adorned in the uniform of the British armed forces and the other in the uniformed that indicated he served in the armed forces of the United States of America.

The first one, the American, was a blond man.  He smirked.  "Look at this isn't this our lucky day.  We've caught a bloody Nazi."

"It is quite a joyous day." Remarked the British officer, who looked no doubt pleased over his companion's swift work.  "The general should be quite happy."

"Nien!"  Angelique cried. She didn't realise that she had used German until her hands flew up to cover her mouth.  She had no idea what they said, but could guess it had something to do with her.  She cleared her throat.  "Non! Je ne suis pas un officier allemand! Je suis une fille Juif-Française de Dunkerque! J'ai laissé chercher santuary! ...  Je suis Angelique St. Pierre."7

The blonde, better known as Captain Andreas snorted derisively, a cold smirk over his lips.  "Isn't this cute, the German bastard speaks French.  He's trying to weasel out of getting caught.  Seize him."

Nodding, the other, the British officer, Captain Stonewall grabbed the person who was presumed to be a German officer by the upper arm.  As he did so, a shot of lightening – electricity – lanced his form.  He shook his head.  'No it's not.  None of the Suzaku Seishi would have been reincarnated as a German, so it can't be Nuriko…'

"Where do you want me to take this bastard?" Captain Stonewall replied.

"Take him to General Marshall.  He'll probably have a good use for him.  Or, better yet, we'll keep the stow-a-way.  Possibly we might get answers from him, that is, if he doesn't play ignorant and avoid any of our questions." Captain Andreas replied, as he and Captain Stonewall escorted Angelique away…

~~~~

Wandering into Johann's quarters, Aimée approached him.  Sitting on the bed, she gazed over at him as he looked out the window.  "Herr?  I bring bad news." She began her voice quiet.

"Speak."  Johann requested, as he turned and moved to sit next to the girl, or rather woman.

"One of your officers was ambushed by a girl." Aimée explained, holding out the remains of the braid that Angelique had sliced off.  "She knocked him unconscious and stripped him of his uniform and fled."

"Which one and to which officer?" Johann replied, as he stood up.  He started pacing across the room, back and forth.

"Angelique St. Pierre ambushed Lieutenant Streisand."  Aimée explained.  She added.  "It seems that the ambush happened a few hours back.  I only learned of it because I hurt the lieutenant moaning in pain and went to see what happened."


"And of the girl?"

"She escaped on a merchant ship.  I saw what at first I believed was a German officer fleeing on an allied merchant ship."

"Verdammt!"

~~~~

Author's Notes: wow!  It's been so long since I've made another addition to this ongoing piece.  But at least I haven't forgotten about it.  I've just been busy with school.  I'm studying networking as my college major.  It takes a lot of work, so I don't have much time to write.  I will once the end of the semester comes.  I hope that I have the support of my readers still, even if I'm slow with putting out new chapters.  I apologise for my tardiness.  I hope you've enjoyed what you've read so far.  Email me at nikkesen @ hotmail.com if you want to make a suggestion for the plot.   Thanks =)     ~ Ai-chan

Notes

1. Savate is a French style of foot and fist fighting. Systematized in post-Napoleonic France, Savate is the only martial arts native to Europe that still exists in both sport and combative forms.  - http://mawn.net/his_savate.htm

2. Coupe Main a Sol - The term for any of the kicks done while one or both of the hands are on the ground. These kicks are techniques past down from Chausson and look very similar to the kicks of capoeira - a Savate street fighting technique - http://www.mmm.it/killerfra/street.htm

3.  "I'm off…" in the context of leaving for an errand.

4. "Yes?  To where?"

5. "To town; to send a letter home."

6. "Godspeed, sir."

7.  This part is not translated because Andreas and Stonewall do not speak French and therefore do not understand what she is saying.  It is meant be left untranslated for flavour reasons, as well as to reflect language barriers.