Hamburg


The trip to Hamburg took eight days, fraught with the usual skirmishes and scavenging and resting in abandoned inns and derailed train cars. Ferals, marauders, a stray Rover; the team, now plus one, encountered it all. After days of walking, at long last, Hamburg was in sight. The ruined and decaying skeletons of the city's high-rises were shrouded in gray storm clouds, promising rain. From their position at Baderland Mid-Sommerland the city looked abandoned, desolate, and dangerous. The occasional ascent of vertibird helicopters from somewhere near the city center told the truth, however; Hamburg was populated, and whoever was recruiting from U-Bahn stations in Berlin was there.

Baderland Mid-Sommerland, for its part, proved a decent place for them to stop and rest. The pools and saunas of the quaint water park were long dry, filled with decades of debris and detritus, but the buildings were relatively clear, save for a few errant feral ghouls the team had avoided. Beyond the edges of the water park lied a lake, its water still and calm.

"What are these big pits for?" Hilda asked, and Hans turned to face her. She was standing by one of the empty pools, looking down into it. She kicked a rock into it, the stone cracking against the tile. Her shoulder-length red hair, dirty as it was, fluttered in the wind.

"They're pools. Before the war, people would come to water parks like this to relax. They'd swim in the pools, or relax in the hot tubs" Hans said. There was a body of a ghoul hanging over the rim of the pool, no obvious wounds on it. It'd likely starved to death. What was odd, however, was the pile of ashes next to it, glowing red. Hans heard a rumor once about laser guns that could turn people into ash; probably the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard in his life. Energie-gewehrs were extremely rare, but existed. Turning people to ash, though? Absurd.

"Was that safe?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes. Life before the war was hard, but not dangerous. At least, not in the ways we're used to now" Hans said. "Used to be you could walk the streets in relative safety, free from the risks we experience every day now. Once all the oil was gone and cars stopped running the streets became even safer. Fusion powered cars eventually manifested, but they weren't common, given how few we see in the streets today."

"Wasn't Germany really messed up before the bombs fell, though?"

Hans thought about this a moment. "The 2050's were a bad time for Europe, but life adjusted. Without oil, gasoline-powered cars couldn't run. Europeans had to return to electric-powered streetcars, trams, trolleys, and bicycles. This was sufficient, even preferable to the noise and pollution gas cars emitted. When the oil wells ran dry in the Middle East the war ended, and the European Commonwealth collapsed. The 50's, while bad, were nothing compared to the 2060's. Europe descended into a state of anarchy and infighting. Civil unrest, inflation, job loss, famine, all severe and uncontrollable. A place like this," he gestured to the pools, "would likely have shuttered before the bombs fell."

"If the bombs hadn't fallen, would Europe have recovered? Would life be like how it was before the wars?" Hilda asked.

"I don't know what life was like before the wars. All I know is that the nuclear bombs only added to Europe's misery and chaos."

Walter and Klara came out of the resort's main building, Walter hoisting a duffel bag. He dropped it next to Hans, who crouched down to take a look. Hilda hopped over some debris by the pool and walked over to join them, slinging her Erma. "Wasn't much in the way of loot in a place like this, unless you like soap. We took some anyway, but otherwise nothing really helpful" Walter said.

Hans rifled through the duffel bag, the contents sparse. Several boxes of soap, a few towels, and little else. He looked up and around, thinking. "If we could get the water running we could all take baths. Probably not safe, though." He zipped up the duffel bag and stood, and Walter picked it back up. "Ferals give you any trouble?"

Walter shook his head. "Hardly noticed us. Good thing, too. Not that I hate killing ferals, but shoot one and all the others come running too. Nasty little things. If you want a bath then the saunas and hot tubs inside are safe, so long as we keep watch for the ferals."

"It's worth a shot, I guess."

Together the four of them headed into the main building of the water park, the lobby done up to look like a lodge in the mountains. The walls were lined with faux wood logs, some of which had come off and revealed the brick underneath. The floor was carpeted with bear skin rugs and the walls had deer heads mounted onto them. Most of the doors were gone, torn from their hinges, and what few remained were open. To their left a pair of double doors hung limply from their hinges, the floor of the hall beyond sloped down. As they walked its length they poked their heads into the rooms, the dingy tiled walls of the saunas beyond. Hans stepped up to one of the hot tubs and turned the knob.

Nothing came out.

"Typical. No lucky break for us" Walter said, and Hans frowned.

"How did the upstairs look?"

"It's where most of the ghouls were."

"It's getting late, so let's clear the building and rest here for the night."

The four of them proceeded back out to the main lobby and up the carpeted stairs. The stairs led up to a balcony that looked over the lobby, the hall shooting left and right. A pair of double doors stood opposite the balcony railing, open. Inside was a lounge, the chairs and table all smashed or damaged. Down the left hall a feral stood, looking around at the ceiling. Hans aimed his rifle and fired, and the ghoul fell to the ground, crippled. It growled and roared as it thrashed around on the floor, and Hans fired again, killing it.

Howls from elsewhere in the building rose up to greet them, but there was no movement. Down the hall they went, the walls lined with doors. Hans checked the first one on the left, Walter the first on the right, and Hilda the second on the right. There was a ghoul inside the room, an office, and Hans shot it dead. He heard the thunder of Walter's M30 behind him, temporarily deafened by it. He turned around and watched as Hilda was thrown to the floor by a ghoul, the creature on top of her and clawing at her. She was fiddling with her holster, trying to draw her pistol, when the feral bit her on the shoulder.

Her scream of pain was the first thing Hans heard as his hearing returned, and Hilda's gun cleared the holster. She shot the ghoul four, five, six times, through the stomach, and then pressed the barrel to its jaw and fired. Her face and the floors were splattered with the ghoul's blood, and she shoved it off her and scrambled away, looking at her shoulder. She was already tearing into a first aid kit, fishing for the disinfectant.

"Tend to her!" Hans barked, and moved down the hall. The ghoul was still alive, its jaw blown off, and he reached down. He yanked the ghoul up by the head and shoved his knife into its throat, the creature gurgling as it died. He kicked down the last door, the room empty, and blew out a sigh.

Hans returned to the group, Klara tending to Hilda's bite. The wound foamed pure white at the touch of the disinfectant, and Hilda hissed at the sting. Klara applied more and more until it came away clear, then stuffed a bandage into it and wrapped it with tape. "She'll be OK, she'll be OK! I think. She's the one with medical experience" Klara said.

"We don't have any antibiotics, but with as much disinfectant you poured into it she'll make it. That probably hurt more than the bite to be honest" Hans said, and Hilda glared at him. She stood on shaky legs, brushed herself off, and picked up her Erma.

"Fucking hate those things. I get to kill the next one" she said. She took point down the right wing of the hall, only two doors on this side. To the right was a dining room with a rather nice view, through the smashed and dusty windows, of the hills outside. To the left was a kitchen, a single ghoul in here. Hilda took aim and fired, a short burst that ripped through the ghoul's torso. It crumpled over, croaking, and she walked over to it. It scrabbled weakly at her boot and she pressed her foot to its throat, choking it. Hans could actually hear its larynx and upper spine crush under Hilda's boot, the creature spasming as the blood vessels in its throat burst. It both bled and choked to death.

This was enough to satisfy Hilda, who sighed and looked the kitchen over. "Better see if we can find some antibiotics."

The four of them began rummaging through the kitchen's various cupboards, coming up empty-handed. A quick check of the rest of the building confirmed there were no more ghouls, and so they assembled by the lounge room to look it over. With most of the furniture smashed it wouldn't be of use, so they were left to set up their bedrolls. The large window at the back of the room was heavily cracked but still in place, looking out on the pools in the back and the lake just beyond. An awning hung below the window, tattered and filled with holes, but taut.

Hans sat in one of the room's few intact chairs, facing the door. He wasn't tired, so he volunteered for first watch. The rest of the team settled into their bedrolls and were asleep in minutes. Hans crossed a leg and sat there, thinking. There was no way to know what lied in wait for them in Hamburg. Whether the Final Order was a legitimate organization that could deliver on its promises, or your typical group of opportunists, Hans couldn't tell. They were clearly organized, efficient, and well-trained, but if there was a place in their organization for Hans and his friends he had to wonder what it'd be. Walter, Hilda, and himself were fairly good mercs, and there was always demand for mercs, but Klara had been a councilor for Pariser Platz for years. She could hold her own in battle, but her strengths lied in her negotiation skills.

One way or another, they'd find out tomorrow. Hans lied his rifle across his lap and leaned back, getting comfortable. He'd wake Walter in four hours to take over, but until then he could only count on his imagination to keep him company.


"Hans, there's a problem. Wake up."

Hans was awake instantly, and alert within seconds, Klara's hand on his shoulder. Her hair was down, hanging down around her neck and cheeks. She brushed it back, Hans sat up, and grabbed his rifle lying against the wall. "What's wrong?"

"It's Hilda..." Klara said, and trailed off. She stepped aside and Hans saw Hilda lying in her bedroll, Walter crouched next to her. She was alive, thankfully, but looked miserable. "She says she has an infection? She asked me to put my hand to her head and it was very hot. Hotter than normal, anyway."

Hans rubbed his face, stood, and walked over to Hilda. The bandages around her bite were still in place, but a little stained by blood and sweat, the skin underneath red. She sat up as he approached, her expression a little pallid. "Nausea, swelling, a fever, chills. It's pretty bad, Hans" she said.

"Alright, shit." He crouched down next to her. "We've still got a few miles to go, maybe three hours. Can you stand? Walk?"

Hilda nodded.

"OK. Hilda gets priority for anything we find or need. That means any extra water, food, and medicine we find go to her first. If we can get into Hamburg then maybe the Final Order will help her. If not, I'm sure we'll find some medicine in the city. Anything we need to do before we go?" Hans asked, and they all shook their heads. "Let's go."

The four of them wrapped up their bedrolls, grabbed their guns, and headed downstairs to the lobby of Baderland Mid-Sommerland, the warmth of the morning sun to greet them, the dead ground still damp with dew. With any luck they'd make it into the city by noon, and with any extra luck the Final Order would have doctors on hand to treat Hilda.

As they stepped outside into the parking lot of the resort Hans became aware of a distant thrum, and looked up. The thrum turned into a chopping sound, and a few seconds later the four of them watched as a vertibird helicopter roared overhead, the branches of the parking lot's trees whipping in the wind. The helicopter raced on without slowing or stopping, and soon disappeared from sight amidst the crumbling towers of Hamburg.

"If they've got vertibirds then they've gotta have doctors, right?" Walter asked, and Hans nodded.

"If they've got guys going into Dahlem to kill Rovers then I sure hope so."

And so they set out, walking along the parking lot and out to the streets. They took a left onto the street and followed it all the way out to the Hamburger Umgehung, the nearest freeway. The freeway had partially collapsed at some point since the war, creating a perfect, if only slightly dangerous, impromptu onramp. Up they went, the elevation providing a decent view over Hamburg in the distance. From this high up they could see all the boatyards, marinas, docks, and shipping yards that Hamburg was famous for. Many boats sat moored to docks and piers, dormant and unused.

"Think any of those boats still work?" Klara asked.

Hans shook his head. "Only the ones with fusion reactors, and only navy boats and ships had those. I guess maybe some pleasure yachts had them, if you were rich enough to afford one. When the oil started running out fusion engines became the new standard for cars, planes, and ships. Most cars you see today are fusion-powered imports from America. Any fuel left is for the vertibird helicopters."

"What do you know about them? I've never seen one before today."

It was Walter who answered. "Military helicopters, from before the war. Based on an American design. Fast and heavily armored, and can carry soldiers. I've always wanted to fly one, or at least ride in one, but they're rare. Can't fly anyway, but I'm guessing there are people who could teach me."

"If they're American, how'd they get here?" Klara asked.

"Loaned to us by the Americans, before the EC collapsed. I've heard there were multiple models, but I've only ever seen the one kind. I've heard there are German-made copies of the vertibird, with different layouts and specs" Walter said. Klara looked confused.

"What does that mean?"

"Did you see how the vertibird had two rotors, the spinning shit on the wings?" Walter asked. Klara nodded. "I've heard the German-made ones have just one rotor, on top of the vehicle, and I've heard of another model that has two rotors in a row, one at the front and one at the rear, with a bigger storage bay to carry more soldiers. Or cargo."

Klara nodded. "I'd probably be too scared to fly in one, but... It'd be better than walking."

Hans agreed. "What about the halftrack, though? Those Final Order soldiers outside Saint Michael's had that Hanomag. It'd probably be nice to take a ride in one of those. A lot safer than flying, too."

The four of them went quiet as they neared the river, an offshoot of the Elbe. The highway bridge was still intact, thankfully, and they slowed down as they passed over the river, admiring the view. The water was brown, polluted to Hell, and the partial hull of a sunken boat stuck up from beneath the surface near the bridge. As they neared the other end of the bridge they noticed a sign and a partial concrete wall spanning the width of the road, two unlit lanterns at either end.

'Willkommen in Hamburg. Follow directions to Hamburg City Center' the sign said, a map taped to the concrete wall below and protected by a sheet of glass. The map marked their current location on the Hamburger Umgehung highway, near the Friedhof Finkinriek cemetery, all the way to the Hamburg Mitte junction, where the marked route veered left along the A255 towards the Hamburg City Center. From there the route went all the way to the A4 junction, where it veered left again, going all the way to the Hamburg Rathaus. The Hamburg City Center was circled in red along the circumference of Glockengieserwall, the main thoroughfare that ran all around the City Center.

"That's where we're going?" Klara asked, and Hans nodded. They got moving again, more and more of Hamburg's districts coming into view. They passed by the Wilhelmsburger Inselpark, to the left. To the right, running alongside the A75 freeway, were railroad tracks, a few trains stopped in place along them. The freeway was completely devoid of vehicles, the roads in decent shape. Potholes were filled with sand, or sandbags, patches of road where the asphalt had broken away had been repaired with sheet steel secured with cement, and the road signs were still in place. The path was easygoing all the way along the A75 to the interchange, where the team paused, amazed by what they saw.

At some point, part of the interchange had collapsed, the turnoffs leading to the A255 freeway broken and in heaps on the ground. At another point, however, they'd been repaired. The old turnoffs had been used as foundation for the new ones, the supports made out of logs and rope, the road made out of expertly-placed planks and finished with grey paint to protect from the elements. The whole thing looked new, fresh, well-maintained.

"Incredible! This must've been quite the project" Walter said as the team walked along the new interchange, the wood road sturdy and sound. They had just made it onto the A255 and were passing over a lake when Hilda, who was in the lead so as not to be left behind, slowed down and stopped.

"Wait, wai..." she said, taking long, deep breaths through her nose. She wasn't quite panting, but clearly she was being strained by all the walking. It'd been more than an hour since they'd left Baderland, with only the one break to check the map, so Hans figured it was time for another break. He was about to reach for Hilda's shoulder when she collapsed to the ground.

"Hilda!"

Hans dropped to his knees and rolled her onto her side, and she looked at him through fluttering eyes. She was still conscious, but her condition was worsening. Hans quickly pulled out his canteen and stuck the nozzle into Hilda's mouth, and she drank greedily but slowly. She drank until the canteen was half empty, then nudged her head to tell Hans to stop. He set the canteen aside, Hilda now panting. "Thank you..." she said.

"Do you want anything to eat? Do you need to take some time to rest?" Hans asked.

"I don't want food... Don't think I'd be able to keep it down... We've got to keep moving though, it's not safe..." Hilda whispered, and she was right. They were out in the open, with a party member down from sickness. There was no sign of anyone else around but them, leading credence to the idea that Hamburg was safe, but there were no guarantees.

"Walter, pick her up. We're not far from the city center" Hans said, and Walter nodded. He helped Hilda to her feet and held her by her shoulder to steady her. She was swaying a bit, pale and sweating. She put a hand to her head and shut her eyes.

"Head hurts..."

"You're gonna be OK, little one. I've gotta touch you in a way you might not like, though, to pick you up. You gonna be OK with that?" Walter asked, and Hilda nodded. He stepped to the side, grabbed her right hand with his, and pulled it forward. He crouched down, stuck his left arm between her legs, grabbed her by her bottom, and lifted. Suddenly Hilda was suspended over Walter's back, stretched across it. He held his hands up by his head, one on her butt and the other grasping her wrist. "They called this a fireman's carry before the war. It's pretty stable for you, but I could switch to a piggyback ride if that'd make you more comfortable. It'd involve me holding onto even more of your ass, though."

"This'll be fine..." Hilda whispered. "Thank you."

With everyone set to go they got moving again, proceeding down the length of the A255 as it led into Hamburg proper. Endless amounts of dockyards stretched on all around them, boats and ships and yachts docked everywhere. They passed over the lake, over the Norderelbe river, and made it to the A4 interchange, where they turned left. As they entered Hamburg proper they saw fewer shipyards, the scenery replaced by the usual city fare. The route took them past a once magnificent theatre and performing arts center, the ceiling completely collapsed; ruined hotels, shopping centers, and the outer walls of the Comcave College all passed them by as they walked.

They rounded a curve in the A4 behind the college and that's when they saw it. In the distance, built around a railway overpass, was a concrete wall, stretching on in either direction, two guardtowers beyond. They picked up the pace, now so close to their destination. The A4 stretched all the way to the edge of the railway overpass, at which point it was blocked off by a fence, the offramps leading up to the gate. The offramps, Hans noticed, were also lined with concrete walls. The perfect killzone.

Hans stopped by the left side offramp and the others stopped as well. The guard towers were set up so that they each overlooked an offramp, and there were people in each tower, watching them. The towers had machine guns in them, but there was no blood or bullet holes on the walls around the offramp, which made him feel a little better. He slung his rifle, motioned for the others to do the same, and they proceeded onto the offramp. It led up all the way to the wall, where Hans noticed firing ports every ten feet. There was a phone on a pole next to the gate, clearly marked, and Hans picked it up. There was only silence on the other end.

"Hello?"

One second. Two seconds. A voice came back. "Hello. I am Oberfahnrich March. You're standing outside Gate A4 of the Secure City-State of Hamburg, the Final Order governing. Are you requesting entry to the city?"

"Yes. My name is Hans Eckhart. My friends and I are from the Pariser Platz U-Bahn station in Berlin. It's our understanding your organization is recruiting those willing to work. We're mercenaries, with experience in handling feral ghouls, marauders, and Communist partisans and Fifth Columnists. We have a party member who was bitten by a ghoul and is suffering from a severe infection. Will you please allow us to enter?" Hans said.

There was silence for a few seconds on the other end of the line before Sergeant March came back on the line. "Yes, Herr Eckhart. I have signed your entrance visa and will meet you at the gate. We'll get you on the U-Bahn to the Rathaus immediately. Welcome to Hamburg."

The gate opened, pulled open by chains on rotating poles. Hans replaced the receiver and they all tentatively walked into the gate. There was a large sign dead ahead, declaring them to be in the Deichtorplatz District. There was a map underneath showing them the entire of the Hamburg City Center, the districts and facilities marked. A man in a dark-green uniform met them by the left side guard tower, as promised. "Who's who?"

"I'm Hans. This is Walter Steinbatz, Klara Edmund, and Hilda Muller. We need to get her to a doctor, quickly" Hans said, and March nodded grimly.

"Follow me, please. Quickly. We're going to go down to the Steinstrasse station and go straight to the Rathaus to tend to your friend. Your visa" March said, and handed Hans a sheet of paper. "Don't lose it." The gate closed behind them and they followed Sergeant March as he jogged down the street to the U-Bahn station, a pair of armored guards standing outside it. Down they went to the platform, an automated handcar waiting for them. "Quickly, quickly."

They all got onto the handcar. Walter set Hilda down on one of the benches while the rest stood. March hit a button on the handcar and it began to move down the tracks. "You said a ghoul bit her?"

Hans nodded. "At Baderland, the water park outside the city. Got her on the shoulder. We disinfected and wrapped up the wound, but she woke up this morning with a fever. We've been on the road for a week."

Sergeant March nodded. "The Order's been recruiting from U-Bahn stations for a while now. You're mercs?" he asked.

"Hilda, Walter, and myself are, yes. Klara was a councilor, before your order recruited the entirety of Pariser Platz."

"I was not there, being a border guard myself, but I know of the initiative. People come to us every so often, having heard of us here and there. The Rathaus decided to go on recruitment drives to Berlin's U-Bahn stations, seeing as how they're the only settlements in the city. Why didn't you sign up when the Fieldmen showed up? Would've saved you a lot of walking" March said.

Hans shared a look with Walter. "We were out of the station at the time, Walter and I, on a job. When we came back, everyone was gone except for Klara."

The handcar slowed down as they neared the next station, a few guards keeping watch by the stairs. Sergeant March hopped off before the car stopped and pointed at the guards. "A stretcher, quickly! These U-Bahners have a wounded mate who needs to see a doctor." The guards rushed into a backroom and came back out bearing a stretcher. Walter eased the unconscious Hilda onto the stretcher, strapped her in place, and the guards rushed up the stairs. "She'll be tended to, and once you've all been introduced to the system I'll take you to see her personally. As the signatory of your visa it's my responsibility to guide you through our system until you've all officially been signed on, assuming you want to stay. Those with field experience are always in demand."

"Thank you, Sergeant" Hans said. They followed the Sergeant up the steps to the lobby, past another pair of guards, and up the stairs to the surface. As they emerged into the bright sun of the noon sky they took in the sight of the Rathaus, the massive city hall. The clock on its single tower still worked, amazingly, its green roof and magnificent outer walls clean and lined with banners: a base of green, with a white circle in the center. In the circle was the Order's main insignia, the winged Iron Cross with a sword in the middle. Lined up outside the Rathaus on the wide, stone courtyard, were four vertibirds, a pair of Hanomag halftracks parked nearby. Everywhere Hans looked there were people going to and fro, tending to their daily lives.

Sergeant March gestured to the Rathaus and smiled. A squad of soldiers jogged across the courtyard to one of the vertibirds and, after a few minutes, its rotors began to turn. The helicopter slowly rose and rose into the sky until it was clear of the buildings, at which point it turned, pitched forward, and accelerated away from the plaza.

"Welcome to Hamburg, Herr Eckhart. Welcome to The Final Order."