Loss

As the sun setting sun disappeared behind the trees and buildings on the other side of the lake the light became too dim to read by, so Hans went back inside. He hooked up his hot plate to his fusion batteries and let it warm up. While he waited he cut up some fish he descaled earlier in the day and put the meat in a pot. He pulled down a can of Cram, removed the lid, and put it on the hotplate. A swig of water was enough to sate him for the few minutes it'd take for the Cram to heat up to temperature. When it was ready he removed the can, turned up the heat, and put the pot of fish on the plate.

He fished around for the least-bent fork he had, stirred up the Cram, and began to eat. Cram was salty beyond belief, so he considered himself lucky that the lake wasn't so dirty as to make his purification tablets useless. Rads were always a concern, considering the nuke that hit Berlin landed in the eastern side of the city, but imported Rad-X did the trick. Failing that, traditional iodine pills would work in a pinch. He finished off his current bottle of water and opened up a new one. He placed the tip of his dosimeter into the bottle and waited. After a minute it beeped and he looked at the readout: 3.6/s

Not great, not terrible, he thought. A few tablets of iodine would be enough. He set the bottle and dosimeter aside, fished out a bottle of iodine pills, and put it next to the bottle. He took the pot of fish off the hotplate, switched it off, and disconnected it from the fusion batteries. While he waited for it to cool he reached for the iodine, inadvertently knocking it off the desk. He sighed and bent down to pick it up, which is what saved his life.

*Crash!*

The window to his left exploded in a shower of glass, the sound drowned out by the echoing boom of the rifle report. Hans dropped to the floor and suddenly there was a torrential outpouring of gunfire, raking the cabin and smashing everything from pots to bottles to books. Hans crawled over to the door, barred it, and grabbed the CAWS.

Oh what the Hell is all this now, he thought, sure that it was the soldiers from earlier getting revenge for turning down Colonel Hoffmann's offer. A calmer part of his mind reminded him that if it was the soldiers, they'd have showered the house with lasers and missiles and he'd be dead already.

He checked the shotgun and eased up to the window, banking on the attackers assuming he wouldn't pop up from the same window he'd just been standing by. There was still enough daylight left to illuminate the road and trees beyond it; at a glance there were five attackers, though he knew there could be more. One was crouched by the Volkswagen outside, a grenade in his hand. He lobbed it through the window, where it clattered off Hans' bed frame and landed on the floor next to him. He picked it up and returned it to sender, where it blew up right over his head and killed him.

The remaining attackers shifted fire and peppered the window, forcing Hans to crawl across the floor to the other window. He waited for a lull in the shooting to peek up and return fire, the CAWS booming harshly in the enclosed space. Whether he hit anyone Hans couldn't tell, but it at least forced them to keep their heads down. He kept his up for a second longer, watching.

Four in the tree line. They're in uniform... Any more?

The soldiers returned fire, two of them staying in place while the other two moved. Their fire was accurate, forcing Hans to stay down. He crawled across the floor to the backdoor, opening it up as little as possible and squeezing out. The attackers kept up the fire, shredding what little remained intact in the cabin.

A flare of fire to the right caught his attention and, before he realized what was happening, a Molotov was flying through the air. It landed on the roof of the cabin and suddenly the whole roof went up, burning brightly. Oh God damn it, Hans thought. The soldiers from the right signaled to their comrades and then moved up to the back door of the cabin. They stacked up outside, each to a side, and that's when Hans realized they were professionals. He waited for one to open the door and move into the frame before he fired, blowing out most of the man's lower organs.

His partner figured the shot came from inside the house and blind-fired inside, holding his rifle against the side of the door frame. Hans fired again, blasting away the man's upper chest. He dropped to the ground, dead. Hans reloaded the CAWS and remained still, watching as his house began to burn down. The glow from the fire would illuminate the house, but it would also mess with the attackers' vision. Hans weighed his options and then rushed back into the house.

The two remaining attackers pressed their advantage, emerging from the tree line. One ran for the Volkswagen and the other went left, around the other side of the cabin. The attacker at the car opened up on the house to keep Hans pinned while his buddy flanked, leaving Hans stuck between the two of them.

Damn, Hans thought. They're good, I'll give them that.

Hans stuck the shotgun out the window and blind-fired, forcing the man by the car to duck. He rose into a crouch and fired again, the buckshot punching through the Volkswagen's decaying body. If it hit the man on the other side then he was wearing armor, because he didn't so much as flinch. Hans aimed more carefully and fired again, hitting the upper part of the frame by the man's head and forcing him to the ground.

Stuck in a fixed position between two mobile assailants could go great or it could go terribly, and considering that Hans' current position had four windows, two doors, and a fire he considered his situation to be on the terrible side. With few other options he ran to the backdoor, peeked it, and was about to go out when automatic fire hit the frame from the shore. As he expected the attackers had him sandwiched, meaning he'd be dead within minutes.

So much for dying peacefully.

Hans returned fire and then shut the door, barring it before crawling back towards the bed. Another grenade landed on the floor and Hans tossed it back. It exploded just outside the window, ripping the frame apart and sending toothpicks flying through the air. If they were cooking the grenades then the next one would be Hans' last. He fired out the window and was about to fire again when the shotgun failed to respond. Cursing, he brought it down and looked at it. The empty shell had failed to extract properly, leaving it stuck in the ejection port and held in place by the bolt. A simple jam, but he didn't have time to fix it.

He dropped the scattergun and grabbed his Mars, clutching it tightly. The handcannon thundered almost as loudly as the shotgun, the flash illuminating the inside of the cabin. Both attackers were holding their positions, content to just keep him down and let him burn through all his ammo. His remaining options were to jump on one of their grenades, shoot himself, burn, or make a break for it. He was about to pick the last option when there was a flash of light outside to the left, forcing the man by the Volkswagen to turn.

*BOOM!* *BOOM!*

The car suddenly erupted in a fireball, sending shards of glass, steel, and body parts through the air. Hans dropped to the floor and covered his head as the shockwaves battered the house, sending flaming debris to the floor all around him. "Christ, it never fucking ends!" he shouted to himself, crawling away from the door. The remaining attacker fired into the darkness, away from the cabin, and Hans eased up to the window. He peeked over the sill and tracked the man through the muzzle flashes of his gun as he moved. He ran around to the right side of the house, putting himself outside of Hans' field of view. Outside, over the fire, Hans could hear heavy thumping.

*THWOCK!*

There was a brilliant flash of bluish-white light as a gauss gun discharged, the hypersonic blast powerful enough to bend the flames inside the cabin. The mystery attacker returned fire, the sound of bullets hitting metal audible even through the exchange. Hans heard an energy gun spool up and then suddenly his attacker was running again, making a beeline straight for the shore. The laser bolts followed him all the way, slamming into his back. One of the bolts speared through his upper back and then suddenly the man exploded in a shower of ash, glowing red. His sandy remains splashed into the water and were washed away, erasing him from existence.

Jesus Christ...

Before Hans could make his next move his front door disintegrated as a Panzertrooper rammed into it. The light mounted to his helmet was on, bathing the cabin's interior in white light. He saw Hans lying on the floor and approached him, carrying his Gatling Laser with one hand. He picked Hans up and carried him outside, dropping him on the pavement next to the smoldering remains of the Volkswagen.

Hans sighed, rolled over, and sat up. "Christ's sake," he said, rubbing his head. He looked up as the roof of his cabin collapsed, bringing the walls down with it. The fire continued to burn, devouring the wood and books and clothes inside. "So much for that," Hans said as he stood. He dusted himself off and looked at the machine men as they assembled around him. The lead man, with the green chest plate, removed his helmet, revealing his bald head.

"Panzertroopers," Hans said. "Great."

"You're welcome," the man said.

"Guess I got lucky again, huh?" Hans said.

"Guess you did. Our CO saw the fire and ordered us to go take a look. Looks like you had it under control, though."

Hans ran a hand through his hair. "Those last two had me pinned good, so if you hadn't come by then I'd be in Hell right now, reuniting with my wife, so thanks for that."

"I could always send you there myself if you want to reunite that badly."

"Gonna pass, thanks," Hans said. He sighed and rubbed his head. He was left with nothing but the clothes on his back, the shoes on his feet, and the pistol in his hand. He reloaded the gun and put it back in his holster. "Who the Hell were those guys, anyway?"

"Soldiers from the NDM. Guess they saw you leaving the marina and thought you'd joined up with us. Followed you back here and then waited until nightfall to attack. Probably thought you were easy pickings. Guess it's your lucky day."

"Oh yeah, some luck. I guess this is the part where we all go back to the marina?"

The man put his helmet back on. "It's either that or you go live in the woods. Or swim across the lake to Friedrichshagen. Your choice."

"What, is your colonel not gonna let me borrow a boat? Maybe he'll take me across the lake himself, actually. Wouldn't that be nice? Him up in the pilothouse, steering the ferry, while I hang out in the dining room and eat chicken sausages."

"It's not as luxurious as you think," the man said. "We're going back to the marina. What you do next is up to you."

Hans pinched the bridge of his nose, sighed, and gestured down the road.

"Let's go, then."