Chapter 5

Von Blucher Military Base, outside Greydorf

“Hideo Sasaki, what sewer did a piece of scum like you crawl out of?” Kurt asked with a tone of contempt in his voice.  Sasaki smiled “I’d asked the same thing of you half-breed dog” he chuckled.  Kurt knew that he was goading his anger, it was one thing Sasaki always tried to do to Kurt.  Being called a half-breed was the greatest insult that Kurt could never ignore, even as a boy he always got in trouble for attacking kids that called him that.

Kurt’s father, Albert Holden, was one of the first German diplomats to enter Japan when the country finally opened itself up to the west after over two hundred years of isolation from the outside world.  It was then and there that he met the women who would become the mother of his child.  Her name was Hitomi Matsudo, the daughter of a small merchant family. Her family found it most profitable for themselves, because they were in a strong position to improve their fortunes by letting their daughter marry a Gaijin, in doing so; his mother’s family was able to develop trade relations with Prussia and make a tidy fortune

But such decisions didn’t come without risks.  For at the time, Japan was a nation divided between those who wanted to keep the shogun in power and those who wanted the emperor to take over.  The pro-shogun factions didn’t look too kindly on the Matsudo family’s trade relations with a foreign power, let alone a Japanese woman marrying a Gaijin.

The story that Kurt had been told that his father, mother and her family had been systemically slaughtered by assassins that were paid to eliminate foreigners like them.  He witnessed the slaughtered and it haunted him, he was only six at the time and he thought he would die then and there.  No such thing happened, for just as a cruel eyed assassin was about to kill him, he suddenly died.

An individual without a mask over his face came up to him and told him that he was there to save him.  He remembered being scooped up by the man and was being carried off into the mountainous regions of Japan.  The man told him that he was his uncle from his mother’s side, that his side of the family came from a long line of ninjas and that Kurt’s family was being killed just because they had dealings with a westerner, Kurt’s father.  From that day on, he was taught the ways of the ninja by his uncle and he often would go with him on missions to help take down the corrupt shogun and establish a new form of government.

“Your one to talk Hideo, a piece of trash like you throwing yourself in with scum like Fallion and his lot, I’d always thought you would stoop to a new low” Kurt spat back.  Hideo grinned “You talk big as usual Kurt, let’s see if your words are as fierce as your style.”  With that said the two ninjas dashed at each other with swords drawn.

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Helga had let Ulrich go his merry way, so that she could regroup with Sheila and take secure the area from any hostiles when she saw an individual dressed in what look like a divers suit spray a group of soldiers.  The soldiers coughed and convulsed, then died.  Helga had known who this scumbag was.  “Plague Master, why am I not surprised he is here?”  She shook off any notion of disgust for the individual and aimed her crossbow at him, then fired.

Four bolts struck Plague Master in the chest.  They would have killed an ordinary individual, but Plague Master was no such person.  He looked apathetically at the bolts that struck him and without so much as lifting a finger, he breathed heavily and the exhaled, then the bolts just popped out.  Plague Master looked up at Helga.  “Helga Von Braun” he said in a slurred voice “So very nice to see you.  You’re looking quite well” he said mockingly.  “You’re still disgusting as hell when it comes to your methods you sicko” she sneered.  He laughed “If that be the case, then take this” he lifted his left arm and fired what looked like a grenade.

Helga ducked out of the way knowing full well that it was one of Plague Master’s viral bombs, which caused paralysis and death.  She leapt off the building onto the next.  Switching her crossbow to full-auto, she fired a stream of bolts into him until her magazine clicked empty.  Plague Master didn’t seem fazed at the fact that he had become something of a pin cushion.  Once more he breathed inward and exhaled, only this time with great force and the bolts were flying everywhere.  Helga thought that he would be pissed off royally by now, but instead he just laughed.

“You’re a fool little girl.  The time you’ve spent trying to kill me, my friends Steel Monger and Mad Ivan are probably having fun killing your lover and his friends” he laughed cruelly.  Helga went pale with fear “They’re trying to kill Heinrich, maybe even Bruckner.”  Just before she could snap out of it, Plague Master took a giant leap upwards and landed on a nearby roof.  “Foolish girl, letting your pitiful emotions getting the best of you, it’s pathetic.  I’ve had enough fun and games with you, I must join my friends.”  With that he laughed and jumped from roof to roof towards until she could see him no more.  She immediately forgot about Plague Master and began running towards the city center.  “I have to help save Heinrich” she said to herself panicking as she went.

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Bruckner and the troops were engaged in close-quarters combat with the Blood Knights in an alleyway that lead to docks and he was having too much fun doing it.  “This is how it’s done boys!!!!” he shouted as he rifle butted a Blood Knight.  “That’s right sarge let’s give’em hell” Wolfgang replied as he skewered a Blood Knight with a bayonet.  The rest of the troops that came with him were either taking pot shots at any of the Blood Knights or engaged in some sort of close-quarters combat with them.  Many of the Blood Knights began retreating.  “That’s right you pussies run, run back to your whore-mothers” he shouted as he was laughing, his troops began whooping victory cries and laughing as the Blood Knights fled.  Corporal Wolfgang approached him with a salute, Bruckner returned the salute.

“Corporal you take some men and keep pushing them back, I’ll head back with the rest to the city square and see how things are going.  Understood?”  The corporal saluted “Ten of you with me, let’s send these fuckheads back to hell where they belong” he ordered the troops.  As Wolfgang and his squad started chasing after the retreating Blood Knights, Bruckner assembled the rest of the troops and jogged towards the city square.  Just as he and the troops arrived, he saw the giant abomination of steel and flesh engaged in a fight with a giant-man, but what caught his eye was the unconscious form of his captain.  A group of cavalry men were trying to save him, but they were trying to avoid the fight between the man-giant’s duel with the foul beast, as well as potshots from remaining Blood Knights.  “Come on you dogs, the captain needs saving.”

Just as Bruckner and the troops were entering the market area, a wall of fire consumed the area and encircled them.  Those caught in the fire died screaming in pain, while the rest were trapped on all sides.  A loud, yet horrible laughter was heard and a figure emerged from the fire. “Hot enough for you?” the man laughed.  He was wearing some kind of medieval suit of armor with some kind of device strapped to his back and what looked like fire was coming out of his hands.

Before Bruckner could bring up his rifle, the man shot a stream of fire at him and Bruckner was forced to duck out of the way.  Two more soldiers got hit by the fire and died screaming.  Bruckner was getting pissed off at this guy and wanted nothing more than to have a piece of him.  Just as the laughing fire-moth was about to spew death at him, shots started ringing off the armored fire-thrower.  Bruckner looked up to see where the shots were coming from and very slim figure on the roof were taking the shots.  The figure jumped from the one building onto the one that stood next to Bruckner and then when figure jumped down from the roof, Bruckner had noticed why the figure was slim.

 It’s because the figure was a women.  She turned around and Bruckner was blinded by the women’s beauty.  Her skin was tan colored and she wore strange looking pants that covered a slim waist and probably nice thighs, a cowboy hat that sat upon long flowing ruby red hair that was tied in a knot and her eyes, her eyes were a shimmering sea green that made Bruckner felt like he was lost her eyes.

“What’s a woman looking like you doing here dressed like?” Bruckner replied as he snapped back into reality.  The gal smiled “This hot mama’s trying to save your handsome butt, pardner.  So why don’t you go and help your friend, okay hon?” she winked.  Bruckner was dumbfounded by her response, but he she was right in saying that he should save the captain.  With that he picked up his fallen rifle and leapt through the fire.  With that done, Sheila dropped her rifle and drew out a pair of custom made revolvers that her father gave just before he left to fight Union troops during the Civil War.  She began aiming for the sensitive points of the armor in an attempt to throw the armored man off and circle around back.

The armored individual was getting annoyed and he started failing his arms about as if he were swatting away a fly.  When Sheila finally had faced the man’s back, she holstered her irons and then pulled out her shotgun, which she personally sawed off and began to fire.  With that the fuel tanks on his back began leaking fluids and the armored man was suddenly engulfed in flames.  For some reason the individual wasn’t screaming, but instead was laughing even more.  A loud noise came from Sheila’s back and she jumped out of the way before she got hit by whatever it was.  She was able to see that it was the same kind of armored vehicle her friends in the Wulfkorp had, but only more vile to look at.

“You may have won this time whore, but I’ll be back” With that said the armored man disappeared into the armored behemoth and it sped away.  Sheila picked herself up and dusted herself off “That bastard” she cursed “I’ll get you later, but for know, I gotta go help that handsome devil.”  With that, she took off to help the troops help fight that monstrous devil.

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Fallion and Duchess had no trouble getting into the facility, there were a few individuals who tried to stop them, but with Duchess’s knife abilities and Fallion’s cold-yet-calculating marksmanship, they were able to continue unchallenged.  The top-secret research department was straight ahead, but just as they were about to enter, a scientist walked out.  He didn’t notice the two until they bumped into him.  Duchess put a knife to his throat.

“You will take us in there now” she said coldly.  The scientist nodded nervously.  She removed the knife from the man’s throat and pointed her gun at him, Fallion did the same.  Just as they walked in scientists were burning files and soldiers were standing by just as the three walked into the room.  Before the soldiers could even raise their rifles, Duchess threw her knives at them with lighting speed and the soldiers went down before they knew what hit them.

The scientists cringed in fear when Fallion pointed their guns at them “You will show us to the weapon.”  One of the scientists crawled to Fallion and remained on his knees “Please we don’t know what your talking about” with that Fallion shot the man point blank in the head and the other scientists squealed.  “You know exactly what you’re talking about, now you will take us to the weapon and take us now” he pointed his gun at the other scientists.

“Okay” one of them wept “we’ll take you to it.” Fallion lifted the one scientist who was weeping to his feet, while Duchess remained behind to ensure that the other scientists remained in their place.  Fallion motioned for her to come closer; he began to whisper in her ear.  “When we’re through here, kill them.”  With that said, Duchess gave a cruel smile and Fallion left with his gun pointed at the scientists back.

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The clashing of swords could be seen in the night between Kurt and Hideo, Harbin could see that clearly.  He would have loved to have gotten himself involved, but he’d know Kurt would be upset with him about it.  Whenever he was asked by Kurt to train with him on the finer points of close-quarters combat he would always tell him that a one-on-one fight between rivals was supposed to be an honor duel and the getting involved would be foolish, if not stupid.  So Harbin formed up his squad and began searching for more Blood Knights, when he noticed a wounded man in a lab coat stumbling out of the main building.

“Medic, we need a medic over here” Harbin shouted.  Three of the Wulfkorp troopers came to tend to the man’s wounds while the rest of his squad kept there guns pointed at the entrance where the scientist stumbled out from.  “He’s bleeding badly, put some pressure on the wounds while I apply the powder” the squad medic said.  Two troopers were trying to make the man as comfortable as possible while the medic did his work.  Harbin was looking around to see how the base was.

Here and there, medical tents were set up for wounded personal; a command post was set up right near the main entrance to the base on account of the fact that the main facility and some of the other buildings had not yet been secured.  The barracks were secured after the bloody firefight at the main gate, which was now being used to secure the captured Blood Knights.  It was a surprise to him that there were any Blood Knights to capture.  Many of them would either die fighting or kill themselves when cornered.

“A strange ploy for these men to allow themselves to be captured” Harbin said out loud.  “Might be new bloods sir” said one of the troopers.  Harbin shook his head “I doubt it.  Even the most devoted members of the group kill themselves for the cause.  I remember when…” before he could finish the medic came up to him.  “The man has been stabilized, but he’s still very weak.  I am having brought to the medical tent.  You can talk to him, but not for very long.”  Harbin nodded and began following the stretcher to medical tent.  “Sir” he said to the scientist “My name is Harbin Wolfiwitz, I am scientist and can you tell what happened?”

The scientist weakly looked up at Harbin “An albino with a ghost women attacked the lab, killed the troops and the other scientists, I barely escaped with my own life” he said between coughs “They were searching for some kind of weapon” he said and then fainted.  The doctor checked the man’s pulse “He’s still alive, barely, let’s put this man in the operating room, stat” with that the unconscious scientist was removed from Harbin’s sight.

After what the scientist said sent Harbin into an unpleasant mood.  He known what the scientist meant by albino and ghost women, and he knew what kind of weapon the scientist was referring to.  He noticed a platoon of soldiers sitting around doing nothing, along with Kruger.  “Captain Kruger gather your men, we need to enter the main facility” Harbin ordered.  Kruger nodded “Alright you little girls, you heard the man, max out your ammo and let’s move in” he shouted.  The troops were in a flurry of activity getting ready to move in and secure the building. “Mind telling me what’s going on sir?”  Harbin was gathering up his things just as he was asked that question.  “For now the only thing you and the men need to know is that what’s in there could mean the end of Prussia Empire and maybe even the world.”

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The duel between the two ninjas felt like it had gone on for hours, instead of thirty minutes.  Both were sweating hard and gasping heavily, but even so, none were willing to let the other take advantage.  “This has been most interesting Kurt, perhaps maybe we should do it again sometime” Hideo smiled cruelly as he sheathed his sword.  Just as Kurt made a slashing motion with his sword, Hideo took a gigantic back-flip and landed on the wall of the base.  “Temperamental as usual Kurt, not exactly the right way to win a fight, especially with a sword drawn.  We will meet again, of that I can assure you.”  While laughing he took another gigantic back-flip, Kurt flipped himself forward onto the wall to pursue him, but he disappeared in the darkness.  Kurt sighed to himself and sheathed his sword.  He leapt back down the wall and just as he was heading to the main entrance, he ran into Harbin who had Kruger and several men in tow.

“Kurt” Harbin said “Are you all right?”  Kurt merely grunted in disgust “Nothing serious, are you off to secure the main facility?  Harbin nodded “Yes, and it’s a matter of life and death if we don’t catch up to Fallion and Duchess”  Harbin “Why am I not surprised at the fact that sadistic bitch is here, and what do you mean life and death?  All our missions have been like that.”  Harbin sternly gazed at him “Remember the last mission where we attacked the Blood Knights and what they were experimenting on?”

Kurt looked concerned “You mean, there here for that thing?”  Harbin nodded.  “Then what are we waiting for Harbin, let’s go and stop them from getting that thing.”  Harbin smiled as he and Kurt drew their sidearms.  “Let’s move” Kurt ordered.

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Helga had made it to the city center where she could see Sheila, alongside a Prussian soldier, charging after retreating Blood Knights, Ulrich trading blows with Steel Monger and as for Heinrich….”Heinrich, where are you?” she scanned the area looking for him and saw an unconscious soldier near the fountain and recognized him.  “Oh God, Heinrich no!!” she cried out as she ran to him.  Remaining Blood Knights were trying to shoot her down, but to no avail, but what it did was give Sheila the time she needed to get a bead on their location and shoot them down in return.  Helga kneeled over Heinrich’s unconscious body in exhaustion. “Heinrich!!!!” she began shouting at him “Please wake up, please” she said shaking him “Don’t die on me” she said while tears were forming and falling on Heinrich

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While unconscious, the last thing Heinrich could remember was that enormous monster knocking him off his horse, after making a series of successful strikes at his non-metallic parts.  He could faintly hear someone shouting his name and sobbing.  “Heinrich…Heinrich…Please don’t die on me” the sobbing continued “Please Heinrich, I never got to tell you that I am sorry.” That voice it sounded familiar to Heinrich and when his began to open the face become as familiar as the voice.

“Helga!!!!” he said while trying to ignore his headache and wounds.  Helga’s face lit up like a Christmas tree “Heinrich, oh thank God you’re alive” she hugged him while sobbing tears of joy “I was afraid you were dead.”  Heinrich returned the hug despite the surprise “Glad to see you too” he said quizzically.  Even though Helga never wanted to let go, she know he needed medical attention, two troopers with a stretcher appeared and put him on, Heinrich motioned for them to stop “It’s nice to see you again, but tell me this.  What the hell is going on here?”

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The fight between Steel Monger and Ulrich was monumental, probably more so than the battle between Hector and Achilles during the Trojan War, at least that’s what Ulrich thought while he was planning his next move.  Just as Steel Monger looked like he was about to make his next move he suddenly looked out towards the rising sun and he suddenly charged off into the direction of the sea.  “Come back here you ugly bastard” Ulrich howled “We’re not finished yet, you cowardly scum.  I almost had you” he cursed.  Monger looked back at him with what looked like contempt and then it made a noise as if it were spitting in disgust.  He then leapt into the ocean and when Monger resurfaced he was swimming towards the horizon.

Ulrich wanted to make chase, but Sheila laid a gentle hand on him.  “You aren’t going to beat that ugly looking thing in your condition” she stated.  Ulrich didn’t seem to notice how wounded he was until Sheila pointed it out, he was a mess of cuts and bruises that would have killed any ordinary man and he didn’t notice until now that he a broken rib or two.  He began to cringe in pain as Prussian sergeant came to help Sheila out with carrying the man-giant to the nearby hospital tent.  “I owe you one for saving my life back there” the sergeant stated.  Sheila smiled “That mighty polite of you to thank me for saving your handsome butt and helping me out with this big oaf” she grunted under Ulrich’s weight.  “My name is Hans Breckner, as you can see I am a sergeant. Might I trouble you for your name and where you’re from?”  Sheila giggled “It’s nice to know you’re as polite as you are cute, very well then, since you asked nicely my name is Sheila Horton and I am from Texas, which is in the United States of America.”

Americans were somewhat narrow minded in terms of intelligence and thoughtless when it came to manners, at least that’s what Bruckner had thought Americans were like.  But when it came to Sheila, he could not stop looking at her.  It was as if she was some kind of Valkyrie out of Norse mythology or some Celtic queen.  “Maybe not all American are bad” he said smiling to himself as he helped her carrying the man-giant named Ulrich.

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Harbin and Kurt were racing down the hallway ignoring the dead bodies all around them, when they reached a set of stairs where there was a sign saying “Top Secret, Unauthorized personnel will be executed.”  “This must be the place” Harbin said.  With pistols drawn they went downstairs and walked stealthily down the adjacent hall.  When they reached the end of the hall, they came across a blood stained door.  Two troopers came forward; ready to open the doors when told so.  “On my mark” Kurt said.  Harbin, Kruger and the troopers ready their guns as did Kurt. “Go” he commanded.

They burst into the room so suddenly expecting a gunfight that they didn’t know they would walk right into what looked like a butcher’s shop.  “Oh my God” Harbin said trying not to be sickened.  Some of the troopers covered their mouths, while others looked in horror and one of them went to a corner to puke.  It was the most disgusting sight that Kurt had ever seen.  A solider or what was left of him had the lower half of his body sliced off while being hung by his innards.  Another one had his chest cut open as if some was trying to rip his heart out.  There were three scientists; one looked like he was shot in the head while two others had their eyes, ears, nose, tongues and testicles removed.

“What sort of savagery is this?” Kruger spat in disgust.  “It was Duchess” Kurt sneered “Only she would be this sadistic and cruel, it makes me wonder if they were still alive when this happened” he continued with a grim look.  Harbin was trying to shake off the disgust when he heard a noise coming from the corner.  The soldiers snapped back to attention, trying to ignore the butchery around them and aimed their guns at the corner.  A bookshelf slid away revealing a secret passage and a half-dead looking scientist.  Harbin immediately raced to the scientist’s side “What happened to you?” he asked.

When the scientist looked up his eyeballs were cut out, his ears and nose severed, he was in the process of dying.  “Th…th…they got it” he said gasping.  Harbin wasn’t going to let him die without answering his question “What did they get?”  The scientist gasped for air again “The weapon you took from them, they got it back” and with that the scientist died.  Harbin let go of the scientist’s corpse and ran in towards the corner door that the scientist collapse out from.  It was a hallway and Harbin began to run like hell until he found the room he was looking for.  When he entered the room he went pale.

Kurt and Kruger had followed him and looked around the room.  “What’s the matter Harbin?” Kurt asked.  Harbin collapsed to the floor “We’re too late” he sighed “It’s the end of everything”