"So, what did happen down in Mexico?" he asked, returning his attention to Straizo as the pair of them began making their way away from the remains of the café.
"It's a rather involved story," Straizo said, folding up his tattered cloak and draping it over his left arm.
"Tell me."
And so, Joseph heard the story of what had happened down in Mexico, even as he himself had been taking the time to accustom himself to the ebb and flow of life within the city of New York. There were quite a few exciting moments: Straizo and Aunty Alice combining their strength to throw over one of the large transport trucks, Gramps slamming a Hamon-powered punch into the ground and using the shockwaves to knock the soldiers assaulting them on their arses, Aunty Alice using her steel-bow to destroy the engines of the trucks; and, even near the end of the battle, after the soldiers had brought out a large UV light in an effort to disable both Aunty Alice and Straizo, Aunty Alice had been able to shelter behind her umbrella, and destroy the light by throwing her sword deep into the lens. That was all Straizo had been able to observe, however, since Aunty Alice had ordered Straizo to leave the battleground and make contact with him in New York.
Still, knowing that Gramps, Aunty Alice, and Speedwagon were all captives of the German army…
"Billie Jean, New York Post!" blinking at the cute, short-haired blonde girl with honey-brown eyes that had all but jumped in front of him while he'd been mulling over Straizo's words. "What do either of you two know about the mysterious shooting incident that took place not a few hours ago tonight?"
"Uh," he responded, feeling about as awkward as he ever had. "No?"
"Come on, you must have at least heard something," the reporter smiled slyly, then. "Or, were you and your girlfriend too busy to listen to anything that might've been going on?"
"I am not a woman, madam," Straizo said, as Joseph tried not-very-hard to hold back a burst of laughter.
Grinning at Straizo once the reporter had left in search of someone who'd actually tell her something about the scuffle he and Straizo had gotten into not so long ago, Joseph pointed at his Auntie's retainer. "The next thing you'll say is: you're insufferable, Joseph Joestar."
"You're insufferable, Joseph Joestar," Straizo said, then harrumphed at him.
"Anyway, before we end up getting interrupted again, what did you, Speedwagon, Gramps, and Aunty Alice all go down to Mexico for?"
"We were searching out a means of destroying the man within the pillar," Straizo said, eyes narrowing slightly in thought. "It was likely, if we'd not been interrupted so soon as we had, that your grandfather's Hamon would have meant the end of the creature."
"A pillar man?" he echoed, thoughts already turning toward just how he might be able to rescue his family from the Germans.
If there was anything that he could find to do, Joseph was certain Straizo would help in every way he could manage.
=BT=
Looking back at the trio following reluctantly behind him, Rudol von Stroheim found his gaze almost naturally drawn towards Frau Brando. The Führer hardly approved of her, but then the Führer was a fool in most aspects; anyone who would deny advancement to fully half of their population simply because they had unreasonable hang-ups about the proper position of the sexes was clearly not in full possession of their senses. Every time he found himself thinking about all of the potentially brilliant engineers, doctors, and scientists that the Führer's foolishness was depriving them of, Rudol would find himself clenching his teeth in annoyance. Getting ahead in life was not a matter of sex, it was a matter of strength.
One had only to look to the accomplishments of Frau Brando to see just what kind of strength a woman could possess.
"Now, Herr Joestar, I think you underestimate us," he said, turning his attention back to the British Hamon Master who had come to them from Tibet. "This entire complex is the product of German science, the finest in the world!"
"You've little enough experience with vampires, and now you seek to take possession of a creature that seems to have been involved with the very creation of the Stone Masks," Herr Joestar said, his expression one of clear worry and disapproval. "You're risking the lives of all the men under your command if that pillar man escapes his binds!"
"Herr Joestar, you've no cause to worry," he said, smiling calmly back at the man. It was fascinating, the strength that Hamon could grant to those who used it, granting even a fifty-year-old man the means to fight at a level even his elite soldiers could not quite manage. "This bunker is in the middle of the desert; even if that pillar man was to escape, he would find no place to hide from the sun. Unlike your sister, he has no means of shielding himself from it. Now, if you'd be willing to excuse me for a few moments, I must attend to some business."
"I certainly hope that this business of yours doesn't involve those poor, shrieking wretches I heard through the walls when we came in," Frau Brando said, red eyes narrowing as she studied him. "I'd hate to be forced to throw a train at your head."
"You heard them?" he asked, intrigued all over again by the vampire woman trailing slightly behind him.
"You have no idea how well sound carries through steel walls, do you?" Frau Brando said, a tight, small smile settling upon her lips before fading almost as quickly as it had appeared.
"Is that true, sir? Are you truly holding people against their will in this complex of yours?!" Herr Joestar demanded, his disapproval of the situation clear in every line of his weathered face; truly, the Hamon Master had the kindest of hearts.
Stroheim could respect such a man: Herr Joestar's kindness was just as much a part of him as his courage, but it was a known fact that such men often needed to be shielded from the true nature of the world, lest they spread themselves too thin in a vain attempt to combat it.
"It's nothing for you and yours to be concerned about," he said, nodding calmly to the three of them while making a discreet motion to his soldiers. "These men will escort you to the viewing area. I myself will be joining you once I have secured the materials for our experiment."
=BT=
Eyes narrowed upon the man's back as Stroheim swiftly departed their company, Jonathan turned his attention to his and Dio's sister; she was, after all, the one with holdings in Germany and hence was far more likely to have had dealings with the sorts of men that Stroheim represented.
"Alice, what dealings have you had with these men?" he asked. "I've seen they way you look at them, and it's clear you've little patience for the lot. Also, I don't fully trust the avarice in their eyes," he said, leaning in slightly co that he could speak in a lower tone.
Alice had said, and he'd learned well, that whispering tended to draw more attention than it deflected.
"You'd be right not to," she muttered, carmine eyes narrowing as they took in the men hustling from place to place within the complex they had been taken into.
"What do you mean?" he asked, feeling a chill that had little to do with the re-circulated air within the complex.
"This isn't really the place to get into that kind of thing," Alice said, the same, icy calm that had descended upon her once she had realized just who it was that had taken such an interest in them; the calm that only gripped her when his and Dio's sister was truly infuriated. "Still, if you do want all the gory details, I'll tell you what I've found out."
Her words did nothing to reassure him, quite the opposite, in fact; still, like as not, Alice knew these Nazis better than he did. He would trust her judgment, though he misliked the look of every one of the men in this complex.
"I'm glad to see you all made it without incident," Stroheim said, making his way over to the door the three of them had come to a stop just in front of. "I've prepared the supplies for the blood-feeding experiment, so now the four of us will be able to observe the results in safety and comfort."
"This creature was found surrounded by Stone Masks, and clearly has some kind of clear connection not only to them but to vampires as well, and you wish to risk awakening it with blood?!" he demanded, grabbing the foolish man's shoulders and spinning him about so that the pair of them could face each other squarely. "Have you taken leave of your senses?!"
"This is something that must be done," Stroheim said, his tone harsh.
A short, sharp laugh drew his attention to Alice. "The greatest atrocities in the world, and they all start out as something that just needs to be done," his and Dio's sister narrowed her eyes.
"My sister has the right of it," he said, when Alice did not seem apt to say any more. "This mad scheme of yours will bring only disaster to the world! You must allow me to destroy that creature!"
"Commence with the blood-feeding," Stroheim said, turning away from the three of them and making his way over to a pair of lab-coated scientist manning some form of controls.
"Stroheim!" he exclaimed, all but throwing himself forward.
The ominous sound of weapons being readied was a harsh reminder that, for all he or Alice would be able to protect themselves from the weapons that these men could bring to bear against them, it was Speedwagon's life that would be at risk if he were to do anything foolish.
"This is not something that can be stopped, Herr Joestar," Stroheim said, the cold determination in his eyes chilling Jonathan to the core; this was not a man they would be able to reason with.
=BT=
The feel of Straizo's icy cold chest pressing into his back made their trip across the desert a whole lot easier, but there was still something nagging at his mind.
"Is that presence you've been feeling still out there, Straizo?" Joseph asked, as he guided the motorcycle the pair of them were riding deeper into the Mexican desert.
"Yes," his Aunty Alice's retainer said after a moment's pause; though he sounded slightly annoyed. "I still haven't managed to determine just where they plan to strike. For a human, they're both swift and agile."
"Perfect," he muttered, rolling his eyes. "I'd hoped that we wouldn't end up having to fight, particularly in a place like this, but it's starting to look like we don't have a choice."
Straizo hummed softly, and Joseph knew what he was thinking: as a vampire, he'd need to stay under his hood in order to make sure that none of the lethal sunlight bathing this entire desert fell on him, so there wouldn't be much he could do if it came down to a fight against whoever it was tailing them. Still, Straizo had never been the kind of person who could just stand aside if someone threatened those who he saw to be under his protection. Much as he didn't want it to happen, it looked like they were going to have to deal with whoever it was tailing them before they could see about rescuing Aunty Alice, Gramps, and Speedwagon.
"About how close would you say they are now, Straizo?"
"Drawing closer, but whatever they're wearing dampens the vibrations that I'd otherwise use to sense them," Straizo said, and if the two of them had been able to face each other, Joseph knew that he would have seen the vampire's eyes narrowed in annoyance.
"And I can't exactly use Hamon-sensing with you on my back," he muttered, thinking aloud for both their benefits. "It looks like we might have to stop for a bit."
"Yes, it seems you're right."
Sliding to an easy stop, Joseph turned his motorcycle so that it wouldn't tip over when he and Straizo climbed off, then stepped down on the kickstand to prop it up. Turning to look back at his Auntie's retainer as Straizo stepped down from the other side, Joseph chuckled softly as he caught sight of the wrappings that Straizo had pulled up under his hood. It was one of the many ways that Aunty Alice had designed to shield her, Uncle Dio, and Straizo from the sun, but it was still kind of strange to see such a thing put to work.
Usually, after all, the three of them would be carrying those interesting umbrellas of theirs.
Narrowing his eyes as he caught sight of a tattered cloak drifting on the breeze – Straizo had left his own back in their hotel with Smokey and Granny Erina, so Joseph knew that it couldn't have been his – Joseph braced himself for whatever was to come next. Whatever was to come turned out to be a tall man with a long, thin face, dressed in desert colors and armed with what seemed to be only a single knife.
"So, you managed to detect me even while I was employing my stealth skills," the man said, bringing the knife up so he could run his tongue across the blade; Joseph pulled a face, not even a minute speaking to this guy, and he was already doing something that weird. "I suppose I should have expected as much from the vampire Straizo! My superiors were concerned when you departed from the battlefield so suddenly, but it seems that you were acting under orders after all!"
"Enough stalling," he barked, starting to become annoyed. "Tell me, why were you following us, and who the hell are you, anyway?!"
"I am SS Special Forces Commander Donovan!" the man said, flourishing the blade he'd just been licking in a particularly disturbing manner. "And my purpose here, is to capture you and bring you under the control of the German Army, Straizo! However, I think my superiors would be far more pleased to have the two of you brought to them, rather than just one!"
"Oh, really?" he sneered, gathering Hamon to him as he took a stance; behind him and just slightly to the side, Joseph could see Straizo doing likewise.
Of course, without channeling Hamon, in Straizo's case.
"Oh? You're planning to challenge the power of SS Commander Donovan?" the man asked, flourishing his knife and running his tongue across the blade once again. "Very well, if the pair of you would rather be beaten down before you bow to the might of the German army, I'll just drag your unconscious bodies into our base!"
Taking a stance, Joseph carefully positioned himself directly opposite Straizo so that he wouldn't end up catching the vampire with any attack he made with Hamon. He could see Straizo doing the same, circling behind Donovan so that he wouldn't be caught in range of any attacks that Joseph found himself needing to use. It wasn't like either of them would need to worry about what Donovan was going to be doing, after all.
Laughing as Donovan's knife skipped across Straizo's left shoulder, Joseph continued to carefully position himself. "Did you really think that puny little knife of yours would be able to penetrate the bulletproof clothing that my Aunty designed?"
"I've heard all about your Aunt; Frau Alice Brando," Donovan grinned, lightly tossing his knife from hand-to-hand. "Our army is very interested in her!" The amused expression on his face melted away. "What are you doing just standing there, little boy?"
Joseph grinned. "I'm distracting you so he can shoot you!"
Donovan barely had time to turn his head, before Straizo's Space Ripper Stingy Eyes, well ripped right through his left bicep and caused him to drop the knife he'd been so clearly enamored of.
"Why, you-!"
"Oh Herr Donovan!" he called, grinning cheerfully at the man as he tried to whip around, clearly thinking that Straizo was the current threat. "Would you like to know what else I'm doing?"
"What are you-?" the German paused in mid-sentence, clearly taken aback by what he was seeing. "Hey, what's going on with this cactus?"
"Why don't you take a closer look, Herr Donovan?"
The Hamon-filled cactus that he'd been standing just beside exploded with the full force of a grenade, and Joseph smiled as he saw Straizo pulling down his hood and curling over defensively as the few bits of cactus-shrapnel that hadn't imbedded themselves in Donovan's face or chest bounced harmlessly off of the armored clothing that Aunty Alice had designed for everyone who did dangerous work as a part of her organization.
"Well, at least we know what he wanted," he said, flashing an amused smile at Straizo as the vampire straightened himself up and finished brushing himself off.
"I suppose," Straizo said, as Joseph finished tying Donovan to another cactus and the pair of them climbed back atop their motorcycle.
Waiting for a moment for Straizo to get settled again, Joseph smiled as he felt the familiar cold of Straizo's chest pressing into his back. Nudging the kickstand back into place with his left foot, Joseph sent them roaring across the desert once again. They would clearly need to find some way to get into the base that Donovan had been blathering about, but Joseph knew that he'd need more information than he currently possessed in order to start formulating even the basics of a plan. Everything else would have to wait until he could make an actual assessment of what they were facing.
=BT=
Alice had fallen almost-completely silent when the three of them had been escorted into this viewing room that the Nazis had set up for their mad experiment, and Jonathan knew – beyond any doubt – that his and Dio's sister was at her most dangerous in such a state of mind. While Dio's fury may have been the more obvious, Alice's was all the more lethal for the fact that it could so easily be mistaken for something harmless. If Dio's fury was fire, then Alice's could only be described as a glacier made of black ice.
Clenching his teeth, Jonathan forced his attention to return to the present; back to Stroheim's mad scheme, and his own vain effort to stop it.
"How many innocents did you kill to extract the blood you're feeding to that creature, Stroheim?!" he demanded, eyes narrowing; he could feel the same kind of fury that had long since taken hold of his and Dio's sister building up within his own heart.
Only, his fury would not be nearly so calm as her own.
"You are a superior type of man, Jonathan Joestar," Stroheim said, chuckling softly; Jonathan clenched his teeth. "Still, even you cannot deny the advancements we will be able to make from studying this creature-"
"You already have three of them, I don't see what one more is going to provide for your people," Alice said, in that soft, deceptively calm voice that signaled her fury to those who were not too foolish to take note of such. "Aside from getting you all killed, of course."
"We would not be able to awaken those three under any kind of controlled conditions, Frau Brando," Stroheim said, a smile beginning to stretch across his face. "I hear you're something of a scientist yourself, so you must know the value of controlled conditions when conducting an experiment."
"I also know the value of acquiring consent when you're dealing with someone who's not only capable of independent thought, but also of ripping this entire facility down around your ears," Alice said, a plainly unimpressed expression upon her face.
"Come now, Frau Brando, this facility's walls are fifty centimeters of iron, and the room itself is equipped with flamethrowers, machine guns, and enough explosives to blast that pillar into powder," Stroheim said, the grin on his face far too calm for the mad scheme he was masterminding. "Advancing science requires a combination of caution and courage. We have taken precautions, so now it is time for courage!" Stroheim held up his right hand, clenching it into a fist as he allowed his madness to continue. "That was hardly called for, Frau Brando," Stroheim said, turning slightly in response to what had, like as not, been a particularly unkind epithet in German.
"Oh, then please, allow me to clarify that," the next thing his and Dio's sister said was a German phrase that, while it seemed to be less outright insulting, still appeared to have some variety of negative connotation.
"Stop panicking and turn on the sprinkler systems," Stroheim commanded; Jonathan forced himself to breathe steadily again, knowing that his Hamon would soon be required in order to fight whatever kind of horrible creature was about to emerge from the pillar before them. "Now, Frau Brando, we will see just who is the walking dead around here."
Steadying his breathing once more, Jonathan returned his attention to the pillar in the center of the room. The blood that had been fed into it – Jonathan shuddered, and took a moment to apologize and to pray for those poor souls who had been forced to give up their lives to feed Stroheim's mad ambition – was now fountaining out of nearly every crevice between the stone of the pillar and the shell of the man bound within it. The blood itself was swiftly washed away by the action of the sprinklers, but the man…
"Look, he's breaking out!"
Clenching his fists as he looked down into the walled chamber – he'd seen both Alice and Dio shatter steel after sheathing it in ice, so unless these walls had been made of some kind of cold-resistant metal, all of them were now in even greater danger than they had previously been – Jonathan forced himself once more to breathe steadily. Hamon was the greatest weapon he possessed, and while Alice was far from helpless, it would not have been in any way fair to force his and Dio's sister to battle this creature on her own. Particularly since she had not been the one who'd been fool enough to tamper with such a horrible thing.
"His outer layer is transforming! It looks like it's turning into flesh!" And indeed, Jonathan could see that very transmutation taking place before his eyes; far under them, rather. The scientist, clearly unnerved but seemingly determined to carry through with his work. "He's trying to move!"
"Well, he'll need a name, now that we know he's alive. I know, I shall name him after the Mexican winds: Santana!"
"Stroheim, this creature is not a pet for you to name at your leisure!" he snapped, unable to hold his silence in the face of Stroheim's continued madness.
"Three of your dearest friends are vampires, Herr Joestar, so I hardly see why you're so eager to dispose of this one," Stroheim said, grinning calmly but for the madness Jonathan could see in his eyes. "Still, if you haven't the stomach for these kinds of procedures, than you can just look away while we take care of things."
"Look, down in the chamber," one of the scientists called, drawing their attention back to the center of all the horrors that had been happening on this terrible day.
"What?" Stroheim muttered, as the three of them stepped over to the large windows. "Look, he's attempting to smell his way around, he's-" Stroheim gagged, finding himself cut off by a vein from Alice's pointer-finger that had wrapped around his neck.
"Please, if it wouldn't overtax your tiny brain, do try to think of how you would react after waking up in such an unfamiliar place," Alice said, her eyes narrowed as she unwrapped the vein she'd deployed from around Stroheim's neck.