Since much of the knowledge in Lily’s head is based on what the world looked like in 1945, to her, Porsche makes tanks. Specifically, the VK. 4501 (P). You did a bit of reading up on tanks since you met Lily, specifically german tanks. The VK. 4501 (P) was Porsche’s competitor the Henchel’s VK. 4501 (H) in a heavy tank competition held by the Wehrmacht to create a new heavy tank. Henschel’s variant won, and would go into the history books as one of the most famous tanks of all time, the Tiger. Now, in a normal army competition, that would be the end of that. But Porsche was so sure of his design they they actually built almost a hundred of their heavy tanks before the competition was finished. So instead of scrapping, 90 vehicles were converted into heavy tank destroyers, called the Ferdinand, after the company’s founder, Ferdinand Porsche. And the heavy tanks were both built, and also later converted into heavy tank-destroyers in the austrian Nibelungenwerke manufacturing plant, also responsible for producing the Jagdtiger 18 months later. But despite what flew through Lily’s head, there was no family connection or a 65 ton tank destroyer in the garage. There was a mid 1990s sportscar that happened to be bade buy a guy working for the same company that made the 65 ton tank destroyer. “Lily, i am so sorry about this…” Confusion and desperation were glowing in her eyes. She stumbled a little, before taking a step towards you >What do you mean you’re sorry? “Porsche today isn’t the same now as it was back then, Lily” >So… i got worked up for nothing? “Well… it’s a pretty nice car. But not more than a car" Lily clenches her fists. Her mouth drawn into a thin line, and there is a hint of vibration in her lower lip, some watering building up in the bottom of her eyes. You expect a punch, and you almost feel you deserve it now. But no fist hits you. Instead, a head buries itself in the top of your chest, and her arms wrapped forcefully around you. Her breathing is fast and ragged. “Easy Lily, i’m here…” You answer the embrace, placing your arms under hers, at an angle so the barely meet behind her back. Your left arm goes as much around her back as it can possibly go, and your right turns up to hold the back of her head Her breathing is slowing down. You were going to say something, but then something happens. Unlike how tense she was earlier, she… relaxes and almost melts into you. Lily has completely submitted to your embrace, and she goes completely soft. The feeling is strange. The mess in your arms is something you have to protect and love right now, and it is the only thing that matters. The war around you falls away, the base, all machines and soon all off the hall you are standing in. It all disappears. Even the sounds fade away, all sounds. You are left with Nothing but Lily. Her body feel strangely fragile. But you cared little for that, you just felt you had to do what was necessary to keep her safe. To keep her with you How long did you stand there? No one could really tell, but finally some distance was created, Lily nodded and helped you get rid of the cars standing in front of the 911 >So, this is what a Porsche looks nowadays? “not really, this one is easily 20 years old, maybe 25” >But it will work? “Yeah, the flat 6 is a very reliable machine, and as long as the oil seals are good, and it has some basic maintenance done to it, it will run forever” >You have said similar things about other vehicles here, why do we dig this one up? “Because it’s fast” >That’s it? “Yep, that’s it. If you’ve never driven a fast car before, you’re going to love this” Lily wipes the last tears out of her eyes and clears her throat a little >So, plan for today? “Depot first, check how things are going there, and see how an eventual cooperation between the vehicles there and the guys from these government tank training programs, and stop by your Panzer IV friend on the way back, see if she has some spare tracks to lend us, see if we can make some new idlers out of that >I’m sure we could just use a drive wheel and mount it on the back instead. That should work “Yeah, might do. I didn’t even consider that” >Well, enough for now, let’s get going “We still need the keys” >I’ll get those, don’t worry “And leave me to carry the fuel cans? Well, i wouldn’t wanna get you over stressed or anything, keys can be exhausting!” You add an obvious tone of sarcasm in your voice. She should have understood with way less obvious hints, but she is german in their humor is based around “laugh at people that don’t follow the rules”. This backfired immediately >I’m Austrian, remember? She saw right through you. But she seems to have taken no offence in it since she is giggling like a madman at you “Alright, you get the keys, i’ll get the fuel” And as if all the pain in the world was brushed away, Lily skips away from the hall and towards the storage to have some friendly words with the man behind the counter. She really was amazing. Even if you usually ended up with carrying the heavy loads. The Porsche was likely a little thirstier than the other cars were, and it had a smaller fuel tank, so more Jerry cans were to be carried internally to compensate for that The car itself seemed to be in reasonably good condition. Sure, time might not have been easy on it. There are some scratches here and there, a hint of rust over one of the wheel arches, but it looks clean and healthy underneath, and that’s the important bit. Lily comes back a few minutes later, keys swirling around her finger >Look what i have here Anon! “Great, let’s see if we can get this thing started” Unless… The car remains silent when the button on the key is pushed “Well, time to learn how to jump start a car, Lily” It turned out she was rather surprised you could start engines like this with just cables and another car. A little later than what you were happy about, you sit down in the driver’s seat, and Lily slides down next to you and closes the door behind her. You sit quiet for a while, adjusting seat, checking the gauges and waiting for the engine to warm up a little. The interior is all black, and simple in it’s layout. The engine makes that typical Porsche sound you can’t really put your finger on. Just before you set off, there is a series of somewhat worrying numbers on the speedometer. 441659. You decide not to think if those are kilometers or miles, but it is in either case it has put a lot of road behind it. Somewhat daunted, you set off and head east. The muddy gravel road heading up to the base soon turns into a wider tarmac road, allowing the sleepy sports car to stretch its legs. The car was faster, and if everything would be going smoothly you could be home just in time to get some dinner. Then again, smoothly and wartime were two words that usually didn’t go very well in the same sentence. But the little orange needle was just tipping over into triple digits and all was well. For the moment. >How are the winters down here? “Down?” >All of the united states are south of 80% of Germany, if you look at a map. Even if i spent my last winter in Belgium “Depends on where we actually spend the winter. The northern parts can get very snowy, and i feel that the plowing won’t be very good this year. Further south it might not snow at all” >Snow isn’t that much of a problem actually. The wide tracks and the shape of the hull makes the vehicle rather good in snow. Problem if it is too deep, or wet. I know the old engine worked reliable at temperatures down to -15 or so. It was possible approaching -20 but anything colder than that and we had to warm up the engine bay “How?” >Simplest way is to just light a fire underneath or just behind the engine “Like, a campfire? Wouldn’t that be very…” >Yes, it is. But the vehicle has to be started. And when it’s that cold, any reason to be forced to start a fire is taken Lily has shifted her gaze away. Instead switching between the road and you, she is staring down into the floor “Hey Lily, are you okay?” She isn’t answering. This has happened a few times before, and it usually happens when she starts thinking about the war too much. Something is nagging her, something she didn’t want to tell you. For the sake of actually getting anywhere, you should keep the car going, and let it be silent for half an hour or so. Lily might have felt fragile half an hour ago, but she is all but. And yet, you decide to step on the brakes, pull over and get out. Lily doesn’t even seem to have noticed that the car has actually stopped. You go around, open up her door, unbuckle her and carry her out of the car “Come on now” Her body offers no resistance as you carry her off to the side of the road. You could try comforting, but that just doesn’t feel right at the moment. Instead, you lean your back against the car, and and place her on your legs. The car starts ticking itself cool, and you sit and listen to it for a while. “When all of this ends” This felt like a good start, but you find yourself having no idea where to take this. But you have likely caught her attention. She is listening, but isn’t saying anything. You decide on the first thing that pops into your head “When all of this ends. I’m gonna take you home. I have a shitty little house, in the outskirts of a not very interesting town. I’m sure it has been looted or whatever, but as long as there a chair and a table, i’ll put you in the chair, and make you some food” She is making an attempt at hugging you back now. You could easily say something to get her out of it, and go back in the car, but- “And in there, we are going to have a very important discussion, unless we’ve done that earlier. We’re going to speak about what we want our lives from that point and forwards. And we are both going to love that conversation. Where we are going to live. Move around, settle down. We don’t even have to decide. But if we are going to have that conversation, we have to get through this war. And while i look tough and all to the people around us, i couldn’t have done much of this without you Lily. I need you” Brown leaves are picked up around by the wind and blown around. Their calm rustling drowns out the sound of the exhaust ticking itself cool a few yards away. They way you sit places you staring directly into the sun, making a little tear roll down your cheek as you blink. It will end up being absorbed into Lily’s hair, now glistening with autumn colors in the slowly setting November sun. Her hair has always smelled of some kind of oil. Transmission fluid? Engine oil? Something along those lines. Normally this would have been off-putting, but with Lily, it seemed strangely fitting. Suddenly, you get that long awaited reaction. Lily forces herself out of your grip, still holding your shoulder and stare into your eyes. A hint of moisture has accumulated in the bottom of those deep, hazel colored wells. She says nothing, but forces a smile, nods a few times and stands up. She is hinting wanting to get going again, and you try to return the smile as you had back to the car. Lily enters a few seconds after you do, and she is soon greeted by the unmistakable clatter of an air cooled flat 6. “So, ready to go?” >Yes. I’m ready “You like that huh?” >It feels… exciting accelerating like that “This is a Porsche after all” >They make good cars? “Oh yeah. They’ve made great sports cars since the 50s. Or mostly at least” She goes silent for a minute before speaking again >Think you can teach me how to drive a car? “See, what you just said is what many people pray to hear” >What? “Maybe you just gonna have to figure out yourself” You add a little bit of a teasing tone in your voice. You get exactly the reaction you wished for. A light giggle. >But you’re still gonna teach me how to drive? “I’m not sure you need much learning. I mean, the steering wheel isn’t very tricky” >Ach, it’s not about me learning to drive the car you silly. I could figure out how this works and drive it on my own in a day or two. The point is that you teach me something. And we get to be together!0 “I’m not entirely sure what that was, but… Was that you asking me for a date? Lily is taken back a Little >Actually, yes. And that means you can’t say no! “Really think i’d say no to you?” The rest of the drive goes smoothly, and at a much higher pace than with the wagons. The depot is reached in a few hours. With the benefit of sunlight, you can see the vehicles much clearer now. Most of them look very rough on the outside, but if everything went much, much better than anyone anticipates, there will be a lot of people, at least partially trained on tanks here soon. The flat six clatter died down outside the tank hall, but you and Lily remained quietly in the car for a while “So, we mention the training program, and hint that the vehicles could be used?” >As much as i am not a fan of it, courtesies go first. Like checking everyone survived the attack last time we was here And after some looking around, it seemed that the attack did indeed have its victim. The second you saw Wendy it was obvious she was looking down. Victor had been hit, and while they did have an old machine capable of holding him “alive” his head wasn’t working and they didn’t have any food, or those liquid food bags they have in hospital, to actually keep him alive. It was a matter of days, and a few had already passed. Some polite words was exchanged and the the trio head outside ‘So now we are have no in charge here’ “What about that other guy. Chuck, right?” ‘No. He can do some mechanical work, but he is pretty much incapable of making his own decisions. Took us a week to teach him how to make his own food, and that is just with the microwave. An you have to tell, “go and eat”. If no one here does that, he will starve to death. I’d rather eat a hollow point that do that’ “So… you have any other ideas?” ‘Why do my ideas count for anything. I’m just supposed to care for a tank and a crew. And now, because i was on first priority on getting fixed, i’m being looked up to by everyone outside, as if i know what is going to happen. I have no idea’ “Suppose i make a decision” ‘Yeah. I mean if she trusts you’ Wendy leans her head towards Lily, who remains silent, but nods ‘Maybe i should as well’ “I’m still not entirely sure where this is going, but…” In the warming afternoon sun you and Lily explain to her about the program with training for tanks that were supposedly going to be restored and the idea of directing people towards the depot. How someone has forgotten it is still a little unclear. Because these things were still government property…. right? ‘So that just leaves with one issue’ “Explaining why there are people already here?” ‘Yeah’ And now, where you wanted there to be ideas flowing, there was instead silence. No one seems to actually have a good way to make this up >Well, this isn’t going anywhere. How is the prototype looking? ‘The MBT-70?’ Wendy looks a bit surprised. Lily usually calls the tank the “Prototype”. She she did this a lot, preferring to use names instead of designations. Like “Sherman” instead of ”M4”. The MBT-70 didn’t actually have a name beside some letters and numbers, so Lily just called it the Prototype >Yeah ‘Just some parts left. Say, ten hours of work if i have a good mechanic here. And then the software stuff that has to get working’ >We have someone that should be able to take care of that. Come think of it, we are trying to patch up several tanks right now ‘Several?’ >New crew for the IS-3, you and idlers for the Panzer IV, so- ‘Wait, Panzer IV?’ >Yes, why?’ ‘Is it by any chance a dark green-yellow-brown late model with the long gun and SS markings?’ >Ausführung G? ‘No idea. It had the long gun’ Lily sighs a little and spends a few minutes teaching wendy to identify late model of Panzer IVs from each other "So, what’s so special about this particular one?" ‘If i tell you, just remember i am the messenger, okay?’ Lily's eyes turn from from the glimmering almond-shaped wells they usually are, to very thin, dark, bottomless wells. Her eyebrows follow suite, moving downwards. She went from looking very friendly to somewhat intimidating in only a few seconds. And her voice was filled with venom "Understood. Go on" Wendy is now looking very concerned. She had been on the receiving end of an angry Lily earlier and was not at all thrilled be there again ‘If, and only IF that is the panzer IV in question, which we are not certain of-’ >Get to the point. Right now ‘i think it’s commandeered’ >Go on ‘The commander, was she tall, dressed in black, and with dirty blond hair?’ >Yes ‘Well, i think she isn’t the actual commander of that vehicle’ >What are you talking about? ‘Long story short, she’s just a… what is the term… wannabe? “Yeah” >What the fuck are you on about? “I think i understand what she means. The woman in the panzer isn’t... like you two, but rather more a normal person who for one reason or another really wanted to have a tank, or…” >Or what? “Someone who really wants to have that uniform” >Stolen valor… you know, i think i left the radio in the car, i’ll be back in a minute Lily hops down and walks towards the car. Every last bit of her radiated “angry”. How she walked, how she put her feet down, how she clenched her fists ‘You know she isn’t gonna get a radio, right? >Nah, she just needs some air. ‘You’re not gonna follow her?’ >Would you try to talk to her right now? ‘No’ >She walked away because she needed some space, don’t worry ab- You are interrupted by a car door slamming shut. That in itself wasn’t very bad. What was bad was the unmistakable clatter of an air cooled boxer engine “OHnononono, shit, LILY WAIT” You jump down from the chairs you were sitting on, and rush over to the old Porsche. But you weren’t fast enough. Just as you round the corner of the last M60 you eat a facefull of gravel from the back tires and any chance at screaming is drowned in the furious song of the Porsche. Wendy catches up to you a few seconds later watching the silver sports car disappear behind a row of parked main battle tanks “...shit” ‘This is bad. Has she done this before?’ “Gotten very angry or taken off?” ‘Either i guess’ “Well, she has gotten really angry once before, that ended with three people dead. What worries me is that she really hasn’t left me since i met her” ‘That’s bad. And what do you mean with “hasn’t left you”?’ “I mean that with very few exceptions, we spend all our time within an arm’s reach of each other” ‘Oh’ Neither of you manage to say anything else for a moment. You slip your phone out of your pocket, find Lily in the list of contacts and send away a short message. ‘Told her to come back?’ “Nope, told her that we needed the woman in the Panzer IV alive” ‘Just that?’ “...and that she should be careful” ‘Not gonna try to catch her?’ “What for. i haven’t seen a single working vehicle here. And even if i’m a better driver than she is, she’s in a Porsche” ‘Yeah’ Another few minutes of silence and not really knowing what to do. Those words echoing in your head. “i’m not leaving you”. You said that to her. and you planned on keeping that promise. It did feel very empty, staring at those back lights fly away. It felt almost like- “Fuck this, show me the tank, see if i can get it working” ‘Sure’ No major parts were much damaged or missing, but there was issues with the gearbox, and after about an hour of troubleshooting it appears it is a gearbox linkage that is to blame for the issues. And annoyingly, the issue seemed to be just at the gearbox itself, meaning it was very hard to access. Not as bad as the Jagdtiger with the tiny engine cover but it was still a tank. You spend the evening helping a very uneasy Wendy fixing the the gearbox linkage and looking at your phone every ten minutes. But it was in vain. The phone was silent when the sun set, and kept being quiet. You was a little worried at first, but as the hours went by, the sickening feeling grew bigger and bigger until it reached physical pain. Like a deep dark pit in your stomach. You have felt something alike this. When someone dear to you has been torn away from you. It is deep, lingering and frightening. But Lily was going to come back Right?