After hours of traveling Klaudia was feeling the limitations of her enhancements. While rested she had strength and speed beyond anything she would have thought possible. Once hunger and fatigue set in it was a different story. Eight hours was what had been determined to be the safe limit for any of the ubermensch to operate for and so far the best any of the Battleships could manage was four. Exertion beyond that period had lethal effects in the panzermensch, effects that should have manifested hours ago for Klaudia. With greater strength must have come a greater stamina. Not that it comforted her much. Her skull felt as though someone was driving nails through it, her stomach as if it were about to collapse in on itself. Everything else took its turn sending complaints along. Trying to close her eyes only brought forth memories of the last few days.
The horror of losing her husband and seeing Dresden in ashes. How satisfying it had been to watch those Allied planes fall from the sky, how good taking revenge had felt. Followed by Klaudia's revulsion at how much she wanted to do it again. A whirlwind of emotions that threatened to consume her. She did the one thing that she could to survive, she gave in.
Rage. The coals of the roaring fire that had coursed through her mind earlier still lingered. Piece by piece Klaudia fed them her revulsion, her sadness, her pain. Soon enough all that was left was her well kindled anger, ready and waiting to be unleashed. Klaudia knew exactly who she planned to sacrifice to it. What exactly Klaudia would do to the unctuous bastard she was not sure other than that it would be unpleasant. As the truck jostled over a rut in the road another shot of pain lanced up her aching back. Her fist shattered through the wall beside her, sending splinters of wood out into the darkness. From then on the ride was smoother.
Caught up in her own mind Klaudia was able to ignore how long it took to reach the camp. The truck passed through the gates after a hurried conversation that she did not care to listen to before finally coming to a halt. Resisting the urge to just burst through the wall Klaudia made her way out of the back.
It would be dawn soon yet there were more men awake and in the yard than there should have been at this hour. More vehicles than she remembered as well. Not that it mattered much, Klaudia had already locked her gaze upon the building where Sankt kept his offices and quarters. Men and panzermensch alike took one look at her face and moved out of the way. Reaching the front door part of Klaudia remembered breaking it off of its hinges after meeting with Sankt days before. That part took some satisfaction in tearing it loose again. Tossing the door off to the side Klaudia ducked through.
Most of the buildings at the camp had been built without knowing how tall the various ubermensch would become. The panzermensch were only around seven feet and could still fit in most places comfortably. Standing closer to nine feet herself Klaudia now always felt terribly claustrophobic indoors. Sankt had forced her to come in here anyways, likely to use her discomfort against her. Tonight she stood up straight inside, her head just missing the ceiling. There were more people inside the building than there should have been. Most froze in place, with only two making a sound.
"Klaudia?" Lupin asked, almost dropping his papers in shock, at the same time that the woman across from him let out a far less enthusiastic, "Klaudia."
The pair were, in Klaudia's opinion, the embodiment of everything right and wrong with the camp. Both were administrators, both were panzermensch. Lupin Schultz was one of the few people here that Klaudia cared to converse with. A bit fussy at times but his heart was usually in the right place. Anita Scheele, on the other hand, was an ice-blooded bitch on top of being Sankt's personal adjutant. It had always struck Klaudia as odd that with so few women at the project she could not stand any of them. Something about the work they did must have drawn unpleasant characters in.
Klaudia held out her arm as she passed them, resisting the urge to drive it through Anita's face. She needed to stay focused on her goal. Sticking her head into Sankt's office Klaudia could see that he was not there though a half-dozen men were, digging through every drawer and shelf. Then into Sankt's bedroom. He was not there either, though the room had been thoroughly ransacked.
"Where is he?" Klaudia asked as she turned back to Anita and Lupin. If she had to tear through the rest of the camp she would but asking would probably be the faster way to locate Sankt.
"The General was recalled to Berlin some hours ago. The Leader wanted to personally question him about the success of the project." Cold as ever, Anita was the first to reply. As if Klaudia would trust one of Sankt's lackeys.
Silently Klaudia turned her gaze to Lupin for confirmation.
"He was apparently dragged out and shoved into the back of a car. It seems that the High Command was rather cross with him." Lupin was being diplomatic but Klaudia understood his implicit message.
Everything she had just walked through suddenly became clear. All of the extra men and vehicles were here to take control of the project. Sankt's rooms were being torn through to see if any evidence of his treachery could be found. Klaudia realized that she was laughing. Whatever physical pain she could have dealt to Sankt would be nothing in comparison to the wounds that would be dealt to his body and ego in Berlin. A fitting end to the man. However learning that he was beyond her grasp left Klaudia's rage without a target. The coals that she had carefully stoked for hours went cold, leaving behind only flickering embers. Their time would come but for now all that Klaudia could feel was how exhausted she was.
"I'm going to bed." Klaudia announced to no one in particular as she stumbled out the door. Her head broke through the frame on her way out. Against the migraine she already had that barely bothered her. She had only made it a few steps when she realized that she was not alone.
"God in Heaven Klaudia, you look ready to collapse," Lupin said as he fell in beside her. "Just tell me if you feel like you're going to fall over, I'll help you make it the rest of the way if you need it."
"I'm fine," Klaudia tried to wave Lupin off, all the while ignoring the spasms in her thigh muscles. Instead he caught her hand and began to lead her. Too tired to make any more fuss Klaudia gently squeezed his hand. Even if she could not admit it, she really did need someone right now. "Have you ever been in love Lupin?"
"Love? Not quite. I was married though." From what Klaudia could see Lupin looked taken aback by the question.
"What happened to your wife?"
"She loved another man more than she loved me. Requested a divorce about six months before the war started. We had been married for four years." Lupin ended that with a sigh, obviously looking back at his own memories.
"Maybe that was for the best." If morose thoughts were going to overtake her she might as well share them. After that they finished the walk in silence.
The building that housed the three Battleships was a plain affair. Three bedrooms, a washroom and a communal dining room all built of the same whitewashed wood. It was still Klaudia's favourite building in the camp. Between the height of the doors and ceiling and the size of the furniture it was the one place where she felt like she fit. Werner was waiting for them there.
"I'll take it from here Lupin," Werner nodded in thanks to the panzermensch before holding the door open for Klaudia. Once they were inside he continued. "Markus is out showing off to some of the officers they brought in so no worries about him disturbing you for now. I've got some rations prepared if you want to change into some clean clothes."
Werner continued on to the dining room while Klaudia entered her own quarters. A bed and nightstand, a wardrobe and a mirror. The sum of her worldly possessions. Catching sight of herself in the mirror Klaudia realized just how worn out she looked. From the state of her uniform to the dark circles under her eyes it was clear that the night had taken its toll on her. Mechanically she stripped out of her tattered uniform, which tore even further as she removed it. Using the remnants to clean the mud from her feet Klaudia was tempted to draw a bath. Maybe in the morning if there was time. Checking that her necklace was still intact she went to the wardrobe to fetch a new outfit.
Inside were six identical copies of the uniform that she had just removed, one for each day of the week. None of them fit particularly well. Klaudia was certain that she was the first woman that the camp's tailor had ever made clothes for. It seemed so long ago that she had been able to pick between different cuts and colours. She doubted that those days would ever come again. Balling up the rest of her old uniform she set it off to the side. Years of rationing had left their mark, even if the uniform was beyond repair someone might be able to use the scraps for something.
By the time that Werner returned carrying a large wooden bowl Klaudia had sat down on her bed and begun to work the braid out of her long blonde hair. It was tricky as her hair was every bit as tough as the rest of her. Combs tended to bend or break as soon as they hit a bad tangle so she was forced to use her fingers. Klaudia left her hair half undone and accepted the bowl when Werner offered it to her.
"Thank you father." Klaudia said sarcastically before beginning to eat, eliciting a small chuckle from Werner. As much as she had hoped that it would be something else the bowl was filled with the yellowish glucose paste that all of the ubermensch were forced to eat. Something about increased energy requirements, no one had ever really explained it to her properly. All Klaudia knew was that the paste was as sickeningly sweet as it was devoid of texture. It was also in short supply. This bowl held a double ration which Werner must have had to twist someone's arm for. Before she had left the camp the main concern had been buying, begging and stealing as much plant matter as possible to continue paste production. Most of the panzermensch only got half rations regularly.
While Klaudia was occupied eating Werner retrieved a chair and sat down across from her. "Were you going to kill Sankt?"
That was certainly not the question that Klaudia had expected first. She knew that Sankt had spent the most time with Werner out of all three of the Battleships but she had never taken him for one of the man's flunkies.
"Probably. Maybe. I don't really know. Why do you care so much? The man was a complete ass."
"That he was, but he was also the commanding officer of this mess and the only one who really knows what is going on with all of this Catalyst nonsense," Werner folded his hands as he looked for the right words to say. "We are still at war Klaudia. If we start turning on one another then we are going to lose."
Poor Werner. Still following the ideals of a soldier. Obey your orders and everything would turn out all right in the end. Klaudia had seen how well that worked out.
"We already lost the war Werner. The Allies bomb our cities freely, the Soviets are about to waltz right into Berlin and the worst we can do is spit in their faces on our way out."
"I know that you don't really mean that Klaudia. They told me about Leon. You're hurting right now but you have to remember how much we've all had to sacrifice to get this far. We can't just-" Werner was speaking very quietly, intending to sooth her, when Klaudia sent the bowl flying past his head to shatter against the wall. He remained annoyingly still.
"My husband is dead, Werner. Dead! I spent the last year and a half hoping, praying for a miracle and what do I get at the end? All this power and I wasn't even there to save him, from the fire and..." It took the last of Klaudia's energy to keep herself from crying. Werner might be a friend but she would not let him see her in such a state. No one had ever seen her cry since she was a child.
"Your family, your other friends? Surely there must be some people left in Germany worth fighting for."
"I've made more friends at this camp than I have in my entire life," Klaudia returned to undoing her braid as she spoke. At least pulling the knots out helped her keep her voice steady. "As for my family they told me to choose between them or Leon. I chose Leon."
This conversation was obviously not going the way that Werner had hoped. He chewed his lower lip as he considered what to say next, which he only did when he was stumped. In the end as much as Klaudia had found Werner to be a good and decent man there was always a distance between them. Not just because he saw everything through the eyes of a soldier. Personable as he was Werner managed to keep the details of his life largely a mystery.
"We are all soldiers Klaudia. We have a duty to Germany." If that was the best that Werner could come up with then he was obviously not as convinced about the possibility of victory as he seemed.
"You are a soldier Werner, a good one too. Markus is a soldier, even if he is an idiot. But me? Do you see any rank on this uniform?" Klaudia motioned to her lapels. "No. Because I was always the experiment. Sankt activated me first to make sure that he didn't screw it up when he went to activate you two. He put me through all those trials so that if he accidentally killed or maimed me, he would know how to avoid it with you."
"Then look at it this way. We are all weapons. A gun, a tank, a knife, it doesn't matter," For just a moment something in Werner's demeanour changed. A crack appeared in his mask. "Every weapon exists to destroy. You don't ask your gun how it is feeling or what its opinion on the war is. You just point it and pull the trigger. In war that is how you need to think if you want to survive."
This had happened before, though infrequently. Klaudia suspected many things about Werner. He was always vague when talking about his past before the war and even before coming to the camp. In moments like this Klaudia got a glimpse of the true Werner Frei. Whether he realized it or not he was agreeing with her. The only difference between them was that he was able to suppress the knowledge that the war was as good as lost. There just was not anything that Klaudia could really say in response. They just sat there in silence, looking at one another.
"What are you going to do?" Werner asked once his mask was back in place.
"Now? I'm going to sleep. After that go west and kill as many of those Allied bastards as I can. There is something I need to find out." If Klaudia let on what she truly intended then she knew that Werner would certainly try to stop her. Best to keep it vague for now.
Seeing that there was little point in furthering the conversation Werner rose from his chair and walked to the door. With his hand on the knob he paused and looked back at her.
"I've been where you are Klaudia. Just remember, make yourself into a weapon. You can always become human again later."
With that he was gone and Klaudia was alone once more.
Stretching out along the bed Klaudia fished her necklace out from under her collar. A simple chain bearing her wedding band. Turning the ring over in between her fingers Klaudia could hardly believe that it had ever fit her. Maybe Werner was right on that count. With all that had happened maybe Klaudia Hoch did not really exist anymore, just a weapon that looked like her.
Closing her eyes sleep came to Klaudia quickly. The world could wait for now.
Leaving Klaudia's room Werner had to hold back the urge to curse. He had handled that conversation poorly. If he had been talking to another man then perhaps that might have been more successful. When it came to dealing with women Werner had always been hopeless.
Lupin was pacing outside of the building. He took one look at Werner's face before asking, "That bad?"
"Yes." Werner had always had a difficult time figuring out Lupin as well. Technically the man outranked him but he had never actually been in combat. He was certainly friendly enough but Werner could never bring himself to see Lupin as a true fellow soldier.
"Well, maybe once she has had a full rest cycle things will be better."
"Somehow I doubt that," Werner knew that once Klaudia made up her mind about something she could be unreasonably stubborn. There were other things he had to attend to tonight. "Where was Anita when you last saw her? I need to ask her about something."
"She was heading back to her office. I'll stay here for now in case Klaudia needs anything." Lupin went back to leaning against the door frame. He might not be a true soldier but he was a good man.
Anita's office was in the building next to Sankt's. As he passed the main building Werner could see men trying to repair the front door. Tearing the door off a building was not an action that Werner would condone but he could understand Klaudia's frustrations. He had enough of those on his own. Getting in to see Anita was easy, though she hardly looked happy to see him. Her desk was practically overflowing with notebooks and file folders.
"The child has finally finished her tantrum I take it?" Anita asked. Werner had never figured out why she held such a dislike for Klaudia. Nor did he appreciate her taking her frustrations out on him.
"That's not helping. Am I the only one who remembers that we are all on the same side here? Besides, that is not what I came here to talk about. We need to decide what to do about Sankt." Werner replied out of exasperation. He could hardly be the only one still keeping the big picture in mind.
Out of all the people at the camp Anita was one who should have been more sympathetic. She was as caught up in Sankt's schemes as Werner was. There was little doubt in Werner's mind that Sankt would be in for torture at the very least when he reached Berlin, even less of a doubt that Sankt would turn on them all in a heart beat to save his own skin. Anita and Werner would both be as good as dead if that came to pass.
"What do you propose? A daring jailbreak to see him installed as the new leader of Germany? The Allies might at least think that we've all gone insane and take some pity on us." Anita's response was in a much more measured tone than before. She might have her moments but she was level-headed most of the time.
"I think we need to go farther than that. Installing a new government right now seems ill advised," That was particularly painful for Werner to admit. He had little love for Hitler but what Germany needed now was stability and getting rid of Hitler meant cutting a bloody swath through the existing power structure. "And it isn't like either of us would be able to get to him without being noticed."
"Luther?" Anita asked.
"Luther." The last major member of Sankt's conspiracy was another of the General's experiments. As it turned out the Catalyst was good for much more than just making people stronger.
"You'll likely be the one to see him first. Hagen wants me to put together a comprehensive report about the project," Anita swept her hand across her overloaded desk. "He didn't outright say it but I think they want something to check against whatever they get out of Sankt. I am to leave in a few hours. In the meantime you had best sort Klaudia out. We don't need her rocking this boat more than she already is."
That was something Werner was not sure of how to do. In the end the simplest solution might be the best.
"She wants to go pick a fight with the Allies. I'm going to try and make sure that she has some support. Hopefully once she has had her fill of vengeance she will fall into line." Not much of a plan but it was the best that Werner could think of at the moment.
"Or you and Markus could give her a little convincing. Even if she is a bit further into her maturation than either of you it is still two against one."
"Even if it is two against one if she decided to fight how much of this camp do you think would be left?" Just when Werner thought that he had been making headway Anita had to backslide on him. "That wouldn't just be rocking the boat, that would be breaking the boat into pieces then setting it on fire."
"She doesn't want to be saved you know. Since the day that she came to this camp she has had one foot in the grave. If you aren't careful she will drag you down with her."
"Have a safe journey to Berlin Anita. And good luck." Werner left the room before she could get another barb in.
At the very least that conversation had gone better than the one with Klaudia had, if not by much. All Werner could hope for at this point was that Hagen would be receptive to his suggestion. If their earlier interview was anything to judge by then it should go smoothly, though tonight Werner was not about to take anything for granted.
"As far as plans go this isn't one of the better ones I've seen." Bergen said as she finished checking over her pack. Hidden within various mechanical casings and chemical bottles was the entire trove of Catalyst that she had managed to pilfer over the months. Seeing it all laid out at first had shocked Lupin. There had to be enough to make over fifty panzermensch if not more. He was surprised that Bergen's efforts had been so successful.
"If you have a better one I am all for it. Besides, you wanted quiet. We are about to be driven directly to the front under Hitler's orders. What more could you ask for?" Lupin replied as he went over making sure that the contraband in his own cases was well concealed.
"Not escorting one of the most powerful weapons in the world to attack my own side." There Bergen did have the point. This plan was the best that either of them could come up with. That it involved following along with an attack on the Allies was not comforting.
When Lupin had heard that Werner was looking for volunteers to go along with Klaudia to the west he had known that it would be the best chance that they would have of getting out of the camp undetected. Already the chaos was dying down as more troops and officers arrived. If they were to get their load of stolen materials and research to the Allies now would be their best chance. As for how long the ruse would last afterwards was anyone's guess.
Nothing that they had taken would be missed outright. Research notes, translations and copies of pages from the source Codex had all been carefully transcribed with the originals left untouched. The Catalyst had been trickier to get but in the end Bergen's position in producing it had given her ample opportunity. Drawing on the stores of improperly made Catalyst from the project's early days she had been able to slowly swap it for the good stuff without anyone ever noticing. Finally there was the tests to see if a person could become an ubermensch, taking a large number of those had been simple. No one paid much mind to the tests at all seeing as they were useless without the Catalyst itself.
It was everything that the Allies would need to set up their own program, with the advantage of already knowing where the Germans had misstepped. Lupin had spent months getting to this stage but now that he was here looking over it all made him nauseous. Up until now he had been committing treason, that was for certain. It had just seemed more academic, almost harmless. There was always the hope that things would fall apart and the war would end before anything here was put to use. A fools hope, Lupin knew. This was always the way that things were going to turn out. At least in betraying his country he might be giving better nations the ability to fight back. Or so he prayed.
Latching the travel cases shut Lupin picked up the load as Bergen held the door for him. Outside the sun was up, it was hard to believe that it was almost noon now. Even though he had only been doing light physical work Lupin would have to try and complete a rest cycle during the drive to the front. He did not fancy joining the ranks of the panzermensch who thought that they could push past their limits.
Trucks were waiting for them along with eighteen panzermensch. A decent showing all things considered. Werner and Colonel Hagen were conversing with some of the gathered soldiers, likely informing them of just what they were walking into. Finding the space that had been assigned to them Lupin put the cases up into the back of the mostly empty truck. Lighting up a cigarette Bergen looked suspiciously inside.
"An awful lot of room for just the two of us."
"That's the thing," Lupin had been able to avoid mentioning this so far but there really was no more time to hide it. "The men are apparently uncomfortable with the thought of riding next to you or Klaudia. Mostly you. So we all get our own vehicle. Think of it as extra legroom."
Bergen arched an eyebrow but did not comment further. Already a few of the panzermensch were giving her sidelong glances. She knew full well what they thought of her. If anything it would give them more room to slip away once they had reached there destination.
Silence fell over the gathered soldiers and Lupin could see why. Klaudia had emerged from the Battleship quarters looking better than she had during the night but still carrying an air of grim determination. She approached cautiously, even with Werner waving her over. Looking around Lupin realized that this could easily be read as an ambush rather than an escort. At the very least Klaudia seemed to be giving them a chance to explain.
After Werner exchanged a few words with Klaudia she seemed to relax, taking a place standing next to him. That must have been the cue for Hagen, who drew himself up for a proper speech.
"Men! And women," He added after a moment. "Today you will be writing new chapters in the history of Germany and the history of warfare. During the early years of this war the French and the British found themselves helpless against our tanks. They were not prepared for the new face of war. Eventually they learned and through their treacherous ways dealt us terrible blows. No longer! You will show them that war has changed again and this time there will be no chance of them regaining the upper hand. From this moment on we march towards Germany's inevitable victory!"
A short cheer went up from the watching soldiers, with Lupin joining them. Some of the men were ardent believers in Nazi ideology. Others cared more for upholding Germany's honour. Almost all just wanted to be on the winning side again. What would Hagen think when he found out that in the very mission that was to show Germany's unbeatable weapon had delivered it to the Allies? Lupin had no intention of being anywhere nearby when he found out.
"Today you will march on Strasbourg and join our forces there. With them you shall reclaim what is rightfully German soil from the hands of the invaders! The Leader himself has ordered this mission and personally told me that with you rest the hopes of Germany! Do not fail him! Hail Hitler!"
It had been a rousing little speech for certain, if inaccurate. Hitler very well may have ordered the mission, but only after he was told that Klaudia had been set upon attacking westwards anyways. That would have been a sight to see, the great leader forced to acquiesce to the whims of his weapons. It struck Lupin that this would be the way of the world from now on. Those with power, not just traditional power but tangible almost godlike power, would dictate the terms to everyone else. If there was even the slightest bit of justice in the world they would act responsibly once the war was settled.
With the speech finished everyone began getting into their assigned transports. Klaudia gave her farewells to Werner and Hagen before making her way over to their truck. From the way that she looked at Bergen Lupin knew that she was hardly pleased with the arrangements. Reaching them she stopped for a moment before getting into the truck.
"I don't smoke." Was all that Klaudia said, calmly looking down at Bergen. In reaction Bergen took the half-finished cigarette from her mouth and nonchalantly extinguished it against her forearm, returning a calm look of her own to Klaudia. All of the sudden Lupin greatly feared for his chances of leaving Germany alive.
"I heard about Leon. You have my deepest sympathies and I will be certain to add him to my prayers." Lupin said quickly, trying to salvage the situation. He worried that reminding Klaudia of her dead husband might not have been the best move until she placed a hand on his shoulder.
"If you hadn't told me that Dresden was bombed then who knows when I would have found out. So thank you, Lupin. For everything." With that Klaudia made her way into the truck, just in time to miss the look that Bergen gave him. Lupin was certain that he would be hearing more about this later.
Getting himself and Bergen inside as well Lupin folded his legs and tried to find a comfortable position to rest in. He could hear Bergen pulling out her notebook, followed by the all too familiar scratches of her pen.
"It will be a long journey Klaudia. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions? With Sankt having hoarded away all of the secrets of developing Battleships the rest of us are scrambling to catch up." Bergen's request sounded much more like a demand.
That caused Lupin's eyes to snap back open. When Klaudia looked over to him he gave her a sympathetic smile. It was even genuine. Just how had he gotten himself caught up in this?
"Why not? I'll answer as best I can." Klaudia's reply to Bergen was hardly warm. Not that the chemist seemed to mind as she began to rattle off questions that she must have been sitting on for months now.
Leaving the other two to their conversation Lupin tried to find rest again. So far as he could see there were two possible futures for him: one where he got very little rest at all for the next while and one where he ended up resting eternally. Silently he prayed for the former, however tempting the latter seemed.