"Stephanie. It's a rather nice name, though I admit that it will take a while for me to think of you as anything other than Doctor Bergen. Are you a real doctor as well or was that also part of the persona? Given your skills with chemistry I imagine that you must have some formal education along those lines." It was not the first time that Lupin had tried to start up a conversation with his compatriot and it went as well as the rest. The woman he had known as Freya Bergen did not even bother looking at him as she focused on her cigarette and journal. From the brief interrogation they had undergone so far Lupin had learned that her actual name was Stephanie. He did not think it wise to ask after her surname.
They were sitting in a tent many miles to the south of where they had been captured, far past where any German assault could be expected. Lupin did not think that they would remain here long. Already the American forces around them were buzzing with activity. So far they had been kept in the dark as to how successful the German push had been but Lupin could only suspect that it had come as quite the shock to the Allies. After the demonstration he had given to a group of officers while Stephanie was off trying to get through to her handlers in London there was no one on the ground here who did not take this new turn of events seriously. Enough so that men armed with the American version of a panzerschreck circled the tent that they were seated in.
A rustling at the door drew Lupin and Stephanie's attention. In stepped the American who had taken over most of their questioning so far, a Major Sumner. As professional as the officer was Lupin was somewhat embarrassed to admit that he had a hard time following the man's drawling accent. Taking a seat facing them Sumner held up a glass cylinder a little over an inch in length. Suspended in the buffering solution within was a small piece of glowing red crystal. A piece of Catalyst.
"So this here is what made you bulletproof son?" The Major addressed his question to Lupin, who nodded in affirmation. Before he had a chance to speak Stephanie had already begun.
"I hope that none of your men have opened any of those vials. Or touched anything else that was packed away in those cases." Finally looking up from her journal the woman was as icy as ever. What Lupin had thought to be a front put up to help hide her activities from the Nazis was quickly revealing itself to be her actual personality.
"Why is that?" Sumner asked her. It had been clear from the beginning that he did not think much of spies, a position which Stephanie's tone and attitude only helped to harden.
"The Catalyst degrades very quickly when exposed to regular air. Plus it only reacts positively to about one in five thousand humans it comes in contact with."
"And the other four thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine?" Sumner did not seem to appreciate the game that Stephanie was playing.
"For them the Catalyst begins the process of activating them into an ubermensch but lacking whatever it is that is present in positive candidates the process inevitably fails. This causes severe seizures followed by the failure and eventual liquification of the organs and muscle mass," Stephanie took a drag from her cigarette. "All told the process takes about a hour if someone does not step in to end the subject's misery."
That had been the origin of Stephanie's nickname among the German panzermensch. When the activation process began to fail she had been quick to put a bullet through the unlucky candidate's skull. Some of the men she had written off as failed activations might have only been to cover her covert attempt to make sure that there were a few less panzermensch coming into the world. From the other rumours that Lupin had heard about her it would hardly be the worst thing that she had done during her time under Sankt's command.
For his part Sumner took a cautious glance at the little vial in between his fingers. Carefully he rose and walked over to Lupin, handing the vial to him.
"You just hold on to that for now," He added before sticking his head out the tent flap, having a quick conversation with one of the men outside. When he returned Sumner looked far more sombre. "No one will be going anywhere near that stuff without supervision, don't you worry about it.
"That would be best. Though I hope that you didn't come here just to ask more questions about the science. Has a decision been made about my travel arrangements?" As ever Stephanie was not one to beat around the bush, at least when it came to her own goals. She was singularly focused on getting back to Britain.
Lupin was content to stay silent in the background, not protesting Stephanie's lack of concern over his own circumstances. From the discussions so far he was somewhere above being a prisoner without being precisely a free man at the moment. That was likely the best outcome for now, at least until he had a chance to prove that he was committed to seeing his own nation defeated.
"There has been. The British want you back as soon as possible but General Eisenhower would like for you to stay with our forces here on the continent for a while. If the threat of these ubermensch is as bad as you say then they want to use the materials you brought out with you to get testing started right away so we can get some into the field ourselves. As soon as we have a team trained then you two can head off to Britain."
"That is unacceptable," Much like a boulder rolling down a hill Stephanie looked ready to bowl through whatever objections the Major could raise. Somehow Lupin doubted that it would be as simple as she thought. "There is a very brief window before the Germans realize that they no longer have a monopoly on Catalyst creation. Every day that we are not producing Catalyst of our own will be far more costly than having a few less panzermensch to meet them directly now."
"The decision has been made ma'am so you'll just have to deal with it." Sumner appeared ready to get up and walk away from this meeting, satisfied that he had gotten the upper hand in the end.
"Sir, if I might interrupt?" Lupin said as he finally felt that it was time to enter the conversation. Once Sumner's attention was on him he continued. "It won't be necessary to keep both of us here. I can stay and train your people while Stephanie continues on to Britain to get the production started."
"Lupin, would you-" Was all that Stephanie was able to get out before Lupin continued on over her.
"This is what makes the most sense and you know it. Not only have I received training on the testing and activation procedures but I've lived through them. I can even help with the field training. It would be the best use of both of our time." What the Americans would have to say about that was beyond Lupin's control. At least he had tried his best.
Both Sumner and Stephanie went very silent. In her case it was obviously to contain her simmering anger while for him it was more contemplative. Finally the Major got up and approached Lupin. "Lets take a walk."
Lupin rose to follow, seeing that Stephanie had flipped open her journal again and was already losing herself in her notes without a glance at him. At the very least if this worked then he could have some space from her. Outside the Major waved for the men surrounding the tent to keep their positions, leading Lupin far enough from the tent and everyone else that they could talk privately.
"I didn't want to undercut you in front of the lady, figured she's gotten enough licks in on you for one night. But I need to know, you telling me the whole truth?" Sumner asked Lupin.
"I am," There was no point in holding off on the rest of this any longer. "Though I have one request in exchange for my assistance."
"I'll listen, just be careful now. The higher-ups are still pretty shaky with where exactly you stand at the moment."
"My parents live in Bremen. I can get you the address of their house and my father's firm, hopefully they should still be in the same place. I know it will be difficult but I need someone to get word to them to get out of Germany, maybe even help them do it. Then get them as far away from this war as possible. I have a brother and a few other family members but its been so long that I'm not sure where they might be. The more we can get out before the Nazis figure out what I did, the better." Lupin tried to keep as calm as he could but it was difficult. The last letter he had received had been months ago. With the communication black out at the camp getting that had been difficult enough and sending one out had been an impossibility. Whether his parents were still alive and residing in Bremen was unknown to him.
"That's all? Get your family out safe?" Sumner's face was difficult to read.
"Do that, even just try your best, and I will do everything in my power to make sure that you have a panzermensch force as soon as possible."
"I think this is going to work out just fine. You just told me everything I need to know, for now at least. I'll have to get someone to sign off on it, you want to wait in the tent or should I have someone find you a bunk?" Sumner smiled and clapped Lupin on the back. It came as a great relief.
"A desk and a typewriter would be better. I can start typing up the testing protocols for distribution to your forces."
"I don't know about in Germany but that kind of spirit will take you far America." Sumner called over a few men and instructed them to find Lupin a secure place to type.
So Lupin found himself in another tent under the watchful eyes of a few well placed soldiers. Once the typewriter was in front of him he lost himself in the clicking of the keys. No more worrying about Stephanie, or Sankt, or anything else. At least not for a few hours. For the first time in a long while Lupin was able to truthfully say that he believed was doing the right thing.
It had been a few hours since Klaudia had begun her assault at the bridge leading into Strasbourg. The accumulated fatigue of not eating or resting properly on the journey here and the exertion of the attack was taking its toll. Her plan was coming together perfectly. Out here in the countryside she had gone out of her way to draw in more American forces. Rather than destroying them outright she picked off a tank or artillery piece here and there, leaving ample signs behind her as to which way she had gone. Just as she had hoped they had taken the bait, drawing forces away from Strasbourg and towards herself. Now all that remained was to get an answer to her question: was it even possible for her to die?
Tossing a truck and its unfortunate passengers off of the road Klaudia began to take heed of the numbness in her legs. Whenever Sankt had experimented on her he had made sure that she was at peak condition. Even if he only considered her a test subject he did not care to lose a Battleship if he could help it. After feeling how weak she had been the night before Klaudia knew that if it were possible for harm to come to her, now would be the time. Letting off a few last distortions she stopped to inspect her work.
Unlike a panzermensch's halo, that would burn away material and twist some of what was left, Klaudia's often left behind patches of a strange substance. It had some properties of both stone and metal simultaneously and seemed to form twisted shapes without rhyme or reason. Sankt had tried to figure out exactly how the process worked but had never come very far. Another one of the many mysteries surrounding what she had become. Whatever it was at the very least it formed a fine trail of breadcrumbs to lead the Allies straight to her.
A little further down the road Klaudia noticed a small clearing. It was a picturesque little spot, some trees beside a frozen brook and a small shed. In the summertime she had no doubt that it was the kind of place that would draw lovers and families alike to enjoy the beauty of nature. She had always been more comfortable in the city but Leon had loved going on little outings. Not only had they shared many picnics but the seclusion of some spots had been perfect for other things. Looking around for a moment she reached up to her neck, for the necklace that was no longer there. Before leaving the camp Klaudia had left the chain and her ring in the drawer of her nightstand.
Even if she met her end tonight she would rather that last piece of who Klaudia Hoch had been not be destroyed.
A quick look in the shed revealed that is was abandoned save for a few tools piled in the corner. Taking a seat against one of the walls there was enough room for Klaudia to stretch out her legs at least. Leaning back against the wall she waited. Rather than let her memories consume her once more Klaudia lost herself in imagining all the things that she would never get to see. Holding on to her firstborn son, looking at little eyes that were so much like his father's. Calling Leon and their children inside for dinner from outside where they played in the grass. Standing at the top of the Eiffel Tower, Leon holding her in his arms as they looked out over Paris. The pain of these daydreams was enough to keep her awake.
It did not take long for Klaudia to hear footsteps approaching the shed. Closing her eyes she pretend to lay there asleep. The door creaked open a crack, followed by a suppressed curse and slow, quiet footsteps in retreat. For a while it was so quiet that Klaudia worried that they had abandoned the chase after all and that this would have all been for nothing. Then she heard it. There was a low rumbling of engines in the distance. More footsteps carefully approached the shed, this time followed by the sound of heavy packages being lain on the ground all around. Keeping track of the seconds as they passed Klaudia could hardly contain her anticipation.
Fire consumed her world.
From all sides at once Klaudia was buffeted by the force of explosions, the shack and her uniform pulverized. Neither pierced her skin so she struggled to her feet to present a better target. Over the initial roar she could hear something above, the whine of a shell descending. Not a direct hit but the force was enough that she was sent flying off to the side. Still she was unharmed.
Come on, I am standing right here. Just do it! Klaudia thought to herself as she stood upright again, taking a look at what surrounded her.
Machine guns opened fire alongside tanks in the distance. Bullets and tank shells whistled through the air. Her vision was slightly blurred but that seemed to be from the fatigue more than any of the blows. Not a single cut or bruise could be felt along her skin. As more artillery shells fell around her the trees shattered and the ground split open. No lovers would ever find solace in this little corner of the world again.
"Just fucking kill me already!" Klaudia cried out as she felt her anger rising. They had been able to kill the man she loved, could they not show her the same courtesy?
As Klaudia walked forward they obliged, or at least attempted to, as the night was split by a cacophony of explosions. The machine guns might as well have been the breeze against her skin for all they managed to do. Between the big guns the direct hits from the tanks at least could cause her to sway if she did not brace herself against them and the artillery could actually knock her over when they exploded in the air above her. None of it succeeded in harming her.
Stumbling forward Klaudia threw her arms wide open, standing naked amidst the flames. There, in front of her was a tank. Lining herself up with it she could almost stare down the bore of its gun. Another crack and Klaudia had enough time to register the shell speeding towards her before her head snapped back, her body slammed down onto the ground.
Laying there Klaudia looked up at the sky. Between the smoke and the clouds she could still see a few stars twinkling far above, almost mocking her. She had her answer. There was only one thing left to do now.
Slowly she rose up a final time. No point in rushing towards this next part. Once she was back on her feet Klaudia summoned her halo. Forming as large a distortion as she could manage she spun around, forming a circle of destruction around herself. Again, further back this time. It was all that she could do to not keep going, tearing apart the world around her until the strain broke her. This was enough.
The guns were silent now, aside from one last artillery burst that fell a ways off. It was not silent for long though. A few screams began to fill the night. Klaudia tried to block them out.
Walking along she noted that waves of the strange material now rippled out from where she had stood. It made the going a bit rough, her feet constantly catching and breaking through the bits that stretched up out of the rest. Passing near to a still running tank, the barrel melted away and the tracks fused to the ground, Klaudia saw a slight movement from the top. The hatch shifted a bit, as if someone had been looking out from it. Steeling her stomach against what she might find inside Klaudia made her way over to the stuck vehicle. Sinking her hands into the steel she managed to tear a good sized hole open in the side.
Within frightened but still living faces looked out at her. Snapping her fingers Klaudia motioned for all the men to get out. Soon enough the crew stood facing her. A few of the men were praying, another with his eyes shut waiting for the blow to fall. The last simply stood staring up into her eyes. She decided that there had been enough killing for one night.
It was in that moment that Klaudia realized that she was standing completely naked, staring down at a group of strange men. Even through her pain and anger the absurdity of this moment struck her. Staring back at the one man who actually met her gaze, almost daring him to look at the rest of her, Klaudia decided to try and salvage some of her dignity at least.
"Your coats, give them to me." When a blank stare met her demand Klaudia began to make the motion of removing a jacket. Eventually all of the men figured out what she wanted. When one made to remove his pants as well Klaudia motioned for him to stop. Not only did she not care to see any of them naked from the smell most of the men had soiled themselves in fear.
With a bit of effort Klaudia was able to fashion some basic covering for herself from the confiscated jackets. There was no way to just wear one, her arms would not have even fit through the sleeves now. Satisfied that she could return without being totally humiliated she began to make her way back to Strasbourg.
That the prospect of feeling immodest still concerned Klaudia actually comforted her in a way. It meant that some part of her still survived under all the pain and anger. Though compared to the latter it was a very small part indeed.
It was slow going. Fatigue was now setting in worse than Klaudia had ever felt before, making it a struggle just to put one foot in front of the other. Still she forced herself to continue on. In time she made her way back to the outskirts of Strasbourg.
The streets around her were abandoned, people likely choosing to hunker down in their homes rather than trying to flee in the confusion of the darkness. In the distance Klaudia could hear the echos of gunfire and if she looked closely she could see what had to be the flashes of halo distortions flickering in and out of existence. Focusing on those she made her way towards them. As she came closer the gunfire became louder and more persistent. Coming around a corner she found herself face to face with a group of soldiers. Not Germans either.
After staring up at her in shock for a moment one man aimed his rifle and fired a shot at Klaudia. Without thinking she back handed the man, out of annoyance more than anything, sending a spray of blood and bone fragments over his companions as his skull disintegrated. While the other soldiers made a quick escape, none daring to fire upon her, Klaudia stood there trying to shake the blood and bits of flesh off her hand. At this point she was too exhausted to even feel sickened by it. Squatting down to use some snow to clean the rest of the mess off of her Klaudia realized that she was very close to the cathedral. Looking up, straining her vision to make out the flag above in the dark, she saw that it was still the Tricolor. They had held out for this long at least.
A few streets over Klaudia finally found some Germans, cautiously advancing along. Still barely able to care where exactly they were taking her she followed along as they lead her through back alleys and along secured boulevards until they were finally on the eastern outskirts of the city. Here German forces seemed to be firmly in control. In the end Klaudia found herself in the new German headquarters, men rushing around to bring her blankets to cover herself as well as rations and water. That was where Alois met her.
"Well you certainly held their attention." Alois commented as he sat across from her. He looked tired, not nearly as tired as Klaudia felt though. Taking spoonfuls of the paste in she waited a while to respond.
"How is the attack going? I see there are still Allied soldiers in the city."
"French soldiers. The rest have already started to pull back to where they have artillery cover but a decent sized French force is holding around the cathedral. They seem determined to fight until the last man," Alois sighed. "The next panzermensch shift should be able to break them. Not a single panzermensch casualty so far and even the regular soldiers have had few losses. Whether it stays that way once you are gone is debatable."
"Where am I going exactly?" Klaudia had no intention of leaving her seat any time soon, much less the front.
"The Leader wants all three Battleships moved to Berlin. While all this was going on the Allies launched another bombing raid on the capital. He has declared that not another bomb is to reach the city." Alois was looking at her cautiously, waiting to see her reaction.
If it had just been an order to return to Berlin to sit and wait while the generals tried to figure out a plan Klaudia would have disregarded it. However the chance to stop another bomb from shattering another person's life was something that she could not pass up. Even if she felt as though she was about to fall over then and there.
"When do I leave?" She asked, forcing down the last of her meal.
"There is a car waiting in Kehl but if you want to rest first I am sure that a few hours would not make that great a difference..."
"I can rest on the way to Berlin." Klaudia replied, forcing herself to her feet. Alois got up himself, running off to get a hold of her escort. It took about twenty minutes but soon enough Klaudia found herself crammed into the back of a car. While it was far more elegant looking than the trucks had been she found herself missing the space. Laying back the best she could she closed her eyes and tried to sleep.
In her exhaustion all the events of the last few days began to collide together in Klaudia's dreams, her mind unable to keep things separated into their proper order. Fantasies mingled with reality, horrors and triumphs masquerading alongside one another. At the centre of it all sat the diminutive figure of what she had once been, still clinging to the memories of a dead husband and an impossible life. Around that was the larger form of the seething weapon that wanted to destroy the world that had created it. For now in her dreams Klaudia let the weapon take over her, taking solace in its strength. Once she awakened she would enter the struggle again but at the moment submitting was more comforting.
The world had extracted a dire toll from her and she intended to do the same to it.