[Just arrived in detroit] >Honey, please be ready with the 240 “Of course, Lily” This wasn’t really a normal thing to say to each other in a relationship. Then again, this wasn’t much of a normal relationship. Most of all, Lily wasn’t a normal girl. But maybe, just maybe she could be. With a little help. “Alright, i want everyone to close up your hatches. Cameras if you really need to see outside, but make sure the hatches are closed. I don’t want anything to get thrown in” ‘Got it’ The loader sitting just behind you takes a final draw on his cigarette and makes very sure to toss it away from the vehicle. He did once drop the cigarette butt on top of the superstructure and ended up on the receiving end of a very one sided five minute discussion with Lily. He did not repeat that mistake But for now, he slides down into his seat and closes the hatch above him with an authoritative clunk. Lily nods and does the same herself. You were now the beast’s eyes and ears. You couldn’t afford to miss anything. Anything on a rooftop. Anything on the road. Anything in a doorway, and you had to see it. But truth be told, there was nothing here. It was all quiet. No people, no cars. Not really anything. Which, when you caught yourself yawning some time later “Lily, could you come up here please?” She opens up her hatch and sits down next to you “Remind me, what is doctrine for sleeping while in a city?” >You want to sleep now? Again? “Yeah” >Close to the vehicle, at all times. One awake and keeping watch at all times An hour later the Jagdtiger has been reversed into a garage in an abandoned two story house. Of course the vehicle was far too large to fit inside completely, but you pushed a very, very sad looking pickup truck in front of it, in a futile attempt to conceal it a little. One man sat by a window overlooking the street. The large MG rested beside him. Resting next to you was Lily. She was not especially fond of getting too close when there were other people around. She had a reputation to uphold, apparently. But the rest of the crew knew how close you were, and after playing cold for a little while, she yawned once and fell asleep in your arms. You followed suit not long after ‘Anon’ You are woken from you calm sleep by the man keeping guard. ‘Dude, get up, now. We got company’ “What, uhm… what kind? You stumble towards the window where the M240 was left earlier. A real shock awaits you on the street outside. You expected a group of old Escalades and 300Cs with 22 inch rims, and HiPoints and TEC-9s out the window. But the four cars parked in a neat row outside were as far away as humanly possible from the ones you expected. Four large, jet black Mercedes S-classes, complete with tinted windows and men in suits standing outside, all looking very… professional. And at the same time, foreign. “Get that thing pointed at them, if the draw, you shoot” ‘Got it’ In this short time, Lily has moved up to you, weapon drawn. You nod a little to her and peek out the door “Can i help you with anything?” ‘I believe you can. We happened to see a rather unusual vehicle sitting in your driveway. And i don’t mean the Chevrolet’ “Yeah, you don’t see those everyday” ‘Judging by the track marks leading up to it, it’s in working condition’ “Fighting condition” ‘And excuse me if i am jumping to conclusions here, but you have the new modular engine installed, correct?’ His english wasn’t without flaws. Definitely not his mother tongue “Suppose i do. But i am getting curious as to why you are asking” ‘My employer thinks you can help him’ “Your employer?” ‘Yes. To the point, you have managed to get an ancient, 75 ton vehicle moving in a relatively short time span. And using mostly modern parts. And you have experience with large cannons of a certain design. Would you be interested in helping my employer with a similar project? Well compensated, of course’ “Of course, given that i am nearby a tank garage, with free time, during wartime, sure, i’ll gladly help” ‘Thank you. We will be in touch’ Not even 10 seconds later, all men have gotten back into their cars, and set off >What the fuck was that “I have… no idea. At all. I’m speechless” ‘Anyone else picked up that accent?’ Your driver had just woken up “Yeah, can’t really say what it was though” >Something east european? “Might be, anyway what time is it?” >About 8. Let’s get going But you didn’t. Instead some water was taken from the tanks, and made into instant coffee. You offered Lily some, but she absolutely detests it. She threw in a comparison (and an insult) to american beer as well. So she just stuck to water, and a few slices of chocolate, which she thought she ate without anyone seeing A little later the big machine wakes to life and sets off towards the Packard plant. And it seems that was the only thing in the entire city that was alive. But it was a life feeding of death. Many blocks before you even got there, many different vehicles in various state of disassembly. Mostly Humvees and MRAPs. Many, many of them with horrible scorch marks. Some were just a body. No wheels, engine, interior, lights, anything. They were just empty. Closer to the plant itself, the vehicles got heavier. MRAPs, a few M1128s. One of them had received a horrible hit. The entire front end was a big hole, and all of the interior was charred black. No one inside could have survived that Lily looks undaunted, and the heavy machine slowly crawls towards the plant. And just as you see an M1 tank at a corner, you reach a fence. Its a 7 or so feet tall steel fence, crowned with barbed wire. Not like the Jagdtiger couldn’t roll over it like as if it were a wooden fence, but you order the vehicle to a halt anyway. Two very nervous looking armed guards look up at you, peeking your upper body out of the very intimidating machine “Hey guys!” The two guards look to you and one of them shouts back ‘This area is off limits to-’ Before the sentence is finished, Lily has played a little more with the wastegate system. Three loud bangs resonate from the stubby exhaust pipes, accompanying the two feet flames “Sorry, i still have a little issues with the turbos” The man blinks heavily and taps his ears. Lily opens up her hatch, smiling a little and then looking down on them >Come on now, do we look like peasants or civilians? We’ve been all over the damn country looking for spare parts. And we’ve heard there is another tank similar to this one here ‘As i said, this area is off lim-’ >Driver, right turn The massive machine slowly turns to the speaking guard and Lily points the 128mm gun towards his chest >You go find someone in charge or i’ll flatten you like the Wehrmacht flattened France. Move! The old rule was “Don’t mess with a guy carrying a rifle”. This was a very good rule, since it got you out of harm. Today’s world was a little different, and while “don’t mess with people in a Tank destroyer” isn’t a saying, it’s still something good to do. So the man scurries away, leaving his friend alone. He tries to look scary, with his big helmet, assault rifle with lots of rails on it, and plate carrier with many things on it. And yet, he knew it was a futile act. Because at the end of the day, the Jagdtiger was presenting armor up to 10 inches thick to him, and had a gun that would make even an M1 blush Not that a tank could ever blush, of course Luckily you didn’t have to think too much about this question, since a man joined the nervous looking guard, which pointed at the Jagdtiger, yelled and then went away, leaving a rather confused looking boss. ‘Uhm…’ >Do you like this gate? ‘Wha?’ >Do you want me to flatten the gate? The more important looking man is unable to speak or even respond to the pretty little woman on top of a very menacing looking machine >Open the damn gate! As if woken out of a trance, the man stumbles a little and walks into a little hut not very far from the gate. Soon, the old metal bars slide to the side and open up wide enough. The side skirt added even more width to the vehicle, making it wider than most vehicles that went on roads. Well inside the rumbling engine dies down and Lily jumps down in a practiced series of jumps and skips ‘So, you're turning that thing in? I can give you a real good price babe’ >That doesn’t even deserve criticism. I need to look at an inventory list ‘Oh sure princess, this isn’t a serious place or anything, i’ll just give you the menu. Want any sides?’ >If you’re gonna be an up nosey little shit i’m going to have to do it on my own. And it’s not like my friend over there… She points at the Jagdtiger, and getting more irritated as she speaks >....won’t even notice a Humvee under its tracks. So the faster you speak the less collateral damage might get caused. And don’t pick a fight with mountains when there is gravel on the street As Lily finishes her verbal assault, you shuffle ever so slightly towards the large, cold machine gun. Just in case something has to happen. But it didn’t. The man understood this was one of those fights were best if they never happened. He asks for a little patience and returns after a few minutes with a few sheets of papers ‘Right, here you go, that’s what we have. What is that thing anyway?’ Lily smirks like an idiot, for another chance at saying her favourite line >It’s a Jagdtiger. The best we have. Now give me that Lily nonchalantly takes the paper from the man and flips through it. She mumbles while looking through it all, probably not realising she is even making sounds. It was kinda cute and you found yourself smirking a little. She gets more and more annoyed the further she goes, and them fold the papers and looks at the man. >There is no Panzerjäger section, and neither is there on for Jagdpanzers ‘what are y-’ >Shush. So i assumed americans were clueless and put it, incorrectly, under the tank destroyer section. But it’s not ‘What isn’t? What are you looking for’ >Sonderkraftfahrzeug 184, Panzerjäger Tiger (P) ‘do i look like google fucking translate?’ >Augh… The Elefant! ‘The fuck, that’s not even a tank’ >Unglaublich… THE MASSIVE BOXY THING WITH RIVETS ON FRONT ‘I’m not wikipedia either. Look under the miscellaneous section’ >Just… leave. Please Lily seems to be very close to completely losing her shit and screaming her irritation into the man’s face. But she manages to keep her cool and keep looking through the pages looking for clues on the lost tank hunter, and then looks with an interesting expression, being somewhere between “disappointment” and “I’m not surprised” >These guys… “What’s up with them?” >They can’t keep an inventory for shit “Swearing is un-ladylike” At this point you expected her to tell you to piss off or have intercourse with a cactus. But she didn’t. She stopped herself a little and turned to you >You’re right. I apologize. Anyway, they have several vehicles in the miscellaneous section labeled with “Unknown fighting vehicle” and then a number “No problem, sweetie. How many are them anyway?” >Just under 50. And don’t- “Call you sweetie? And miss the chance to see you all flustered?” >S-shut up… “Okay, you guys split up in two and go look for it. Keep your phones on, first to find calls others” ‘Yeah, got it’ You wait for the other two teams to walk away a little before you take her hand, and she drags you along in the big, machine-graveyard. Many slaughtered vehicles were here, many in the process of being cannibalised to keep their brethren alive. But then again, such is how it works when something can no longer serve your intended purpose. It gets a new purpose assigned to it. “Do you not feel something?” >What do you mean? “You know, walking around in a place like this?” >Not really. I mean, I was a normal girl after all. Okay, i studied very much. But, i was still normal. And guess what, i will be again soon. Because you promised “I did. And as i have said, i’ll stand by that” >Good. It’s not that i doubt you, but it’s just… “Nice to hear?” >Reassuring You keep walking around, still not really finding what you were looking for. But it’s an easy walk, a stroll. Something that should take place in a park a warm afternoon in June. But it was November, and destruction littered the path you walked. But then, Lily suddenly stopped, getting a firm grip on your hand >Damn… “What is it?” >This is not going to be nice. You trust me, right? “Lily…?” >Please. Do you trust me?” “Yes, i trust you” >Okay, just follow me “This feels a little sketchy hone-” ‘heeeeelp…’ A very, very weak voice could just be heard “Who said that?” >Augh... ‘please…’ You couldn’t tell anymore than the voice came from somewhere “over there” “I can hear you, where are you?” >Anon, we can’t… “Can’t do what?” >Augh… help ‘please!’ The voice was still silent, but it sounded a lot more desperate this time ‘Help me’ A head poked out of the drivers hatch of an M60. Lilly tugs your arms sleeve just a little and whispers >The longer we stay the harder it will be to leave. Please, let’s go ‘Wait, please! Wait, you’re like…’ >Like you, yes ‘Where are you from’ >Never mind that ‘Okay, why are you here then?’ It’s at this point that the figure in the M60 was desperate for any sort of interaction at all >I’m looking for family ‘Who?’ >Don’t know her name ‘Last name?’ >Augh… Nibelung ‘There is one here. So you are the other one…’ >Yes ‘that one…’ >I said yes ‘I’ll tell you where she is, but you have to do me a favor’ >And that would be? ‘I’m out. Engine, transmission and parts of the suspension are gone. I’m not going back into this war’ >No. No. Nonono. We are on the same side in this war ‘I know who you are. I’ve heard the stories. March 1945. That little village in-’ >Silence! Where is she? ‘Pencil’ You dig out a pencil from a pocket in your jacket, really hoping this discussion doesn’t go where you think it will, and toss it over The figure takes it, and writes something in her hand ‘There. Come on now, Nibelung, this has always been your purpose’ >Cut this out, right now. We’re not enemies anymore ‘So make this one for mercy then. Fall to a Nibelung would be an honor, you know. Not in combat, but it can’t be helped’ >Stop it ‘That march morning’ >Don’t go there ‘It was the 12th, right?’ >Seriously, stop Lily unholsters her pistol ‘You’re still a legend for it, you know?’ >Shut up! ‘Of course, no one never knew your name, because all information was from the receiving end’ >I didn’t have a fucking name then, and i was deep in insanity, now stop! ‘Twenty two vehicles…’ >Please stop… ‘In seventeen minutes’ >Shut up!! Lily raises her pistol to the woman’s head, and then stomp the ground a little as her eyes are pleading ‘All by yourself. Or maybe there was one man in the crew left?’ >Dieter was ill and was had a broken leg, but he could still load the projectiles. BUT WHY DO YOU BRING THIS UP!? ‘Please, Nibelung. If i am not your enemy, then please help your sister in arms’ >... ‘It’s written in the palm of my hand. Better read it before the sweat fades it out’ “Lily…” >P-please stay out of this… ‘So that is your name… Lily. Like a pretty, white little flower’ >Just a nickname ‘A cute little nickname for such a dangerous girl. Anyway, why were the rest of the crew not there? D-’ BANG A single 9mm projectile leaves the barrel of the black handgun, travels about five inches before meeting the woman's forehead, and then making sure the lower part of the gun mantlet and a little bit of the turret ring gets painted with the inside of her head. The little shell casing hits the ground and bounces twice with that characteristic ringing noise. Then there was absolute silence. Lily exhales sharply, returns her Luger to her holster and then jumps up on the front of the tank. Seemingly untouched, she crawls up, and opens the woman's left hand. It just has a single word written on it Behind ========================================================================================================================================== >Behind “What?” >That’s the only thing it says here?! Behind! “Means behind either you or her, right? Take a look around” It didn’t take long to find it. The Elefant was, just like the figure had written, just behind her M60. And there was some good and some bad news The good was the vehicle was actually restored in 2007 to 2008. Sadly, it was to display condition, and not driving or combat condition. But the wheels and tracks moved and the suspension was remade. Sadly, the gun barrel was badly bent and was way beyond repair. And it was standing very dug in. The M60 in front, vehicles on the sides and on top. Space was so limited lighter vehicles was lifted up on top of heavier ones . But for now, that didn’t bother you much “Lily…” She doesn’t respond to your soft words. Her breathing become more erratic “Hey, Lily...” She breathes heavily >What was i supposed to do… She still had her back turned to you. All her posture was gone. Her shoulder were hanging, and her gaze that was always scanning and observing was was pointed to her feet. “Shhh… it’s okay” You don’t really know what to. So you just walk up to her and wrap your arms around her figure “It’s okay Lily” You can’t figure out anything else to say to her. You considered something along the lines of “it’s what she wanted” But that would probably just make everything worse >She begged for it. And then provoked me. What was i going to do? I’ve killed before, but this… this is disgusting. This whole situation is just… disgusting Somehow, her grief and sadness turned into anger in about four sentences >Fuck this, let’s… excuse me. Ehem. Let’s just find her, okay? It seems she really took the no swearing thing to heart “Yeah, let’s. Do we sorta, dig it out, or just… knock on the hatch?” >Let’s get the Jagdtiger here Surprisingly, Lily wasn’t interested in actually walking to it and driving it back, but rather just… getting it here by herself. Suddenly, the night awoke to the big, angry engine, somewhere far away. It took her just a few minutes to get the machine here. There wasn’t enough space to actually dig the Elefant out without removing several other vehicles before, so Lily left it just in front of the M60. She squeezed herself in the narrow gap between the tank and a ruined M2 Bradley next to it. The Elefant, was despite being similar to the slightly heavier Jagdtiger, rather unlike it. The Elefant looked presentable, having proper mudguards, a good paint job and so on. The Jagdtiger still looked rough and rugged. Flaked paint, rust, DIY Schürzen on the sides and the big scorch mark on the upper casemate. The difference was the Jagdtiger looked that way because it was a fighting machine. Underneath, everything worked. Gun, engine, gearbox, radios, hydraulics, optics. The elefant, on the other hand was a display piece. While it looked good, it lacked most fighting and automotive components Unlike most tanks, the Elefant has two fighting compartments, due to its mid engine construction. In the front, a driver and a second crewman. Called assistant driver, bow gunner or radio operator. Behind these two was the engines and the generator. And behind and on top of that, the rear, primary fighting compartment, with the commander, gunner and two loaders, sitting two on either side of the main gun, the 88mm Pak 43. Lily climbs on top of the superstructure, around the Humvee someone had lifted up on top with a crane. She banged the commanders hatch twice >Anyone there? Hello? Lily bangs the hatch and shouts a few more times, without result “She isn’t there?” >Could be. Could be sleeping as well. I slept through most of the 50s “A decade…?” >Yeah. Was a pretty bad time to be german in the US “But… you’re not” >Tell that to them “Oh…” >Anyway, going into someone else’s tank is considered a bit of a taboo. Not that it can be helped. Come up here and help me with the hatch, honey? Lily was a fair bit more slender than you were, so getting in between the vehicles was a little trickier for you. Lily naturally finds this a little amusing and giggles to herself. Well on top of the Elefant, you assist Lily in prying the hatch open. It takes a bit of work, and finally it snaps open with a metallic banging noise. “So, taboo, right?” >Yeah Uhm... Please? “Alright, alright. Not like anything dangerous or time consuming can happen if you crawl into a german WWII tank destroyer” >I’d take offence to that, but you were smiling “I still am” Down into the dark machine you go, illuminated by your weak cellphone flashlight alone. Not that it took very long time to see that there wasn’t anyone here. At all. You report up to Lily, who frustrated go to check the driver’s compartment as well. Empty. “No one there either?” >No! You stand with just your head poking out of the commanders hatch. Lily was visibly upset with things as they were -GOTTVERDAMMTE SCHWEINHUND Something hard hits your leg. Hard. You fall down to the floor of the fighting compartment. A moment later the gun breech hits you in the side of your head. You faintly hear Lily screaming outside before you pass out In another place, far away, a small and fragile looking figure crawls down from a tank. She polishes her glasses a little before she gets going. It is the middle of the night and freezing cold, but despite that, the tiny orange glow of a cigarette could be seen. She walks towards that. But before she gets there, a voice meets her ¤ Miranda? + Yeah, that’s me ¤ For someone your size, you make a lot of noise + I-it’s these pants! Anyway, what are you doing up this late… uhm, early. No wait, i mean- ¤ I could ask you the same + I j-just woke up! A-and then i saw t-the light and- ¤ Slow down, little one. Come up and sit with me Natalya stretches out a hand to Miranda who heaves herself up, and sits on top of a blanket, laid out on the gun barrel ¤ What’s worrying you? + You are. Well, you are worried about something ¤ The gun + Gun? ¤ Yes, the gun. It is well past the expected barrel life. And the accuracy is getting worse with every shot fired. Mechanically, this used to be a 1.5 MOA gun, you know? + Huh? ¤ 80% of rounds fired at 2000 meters fall in a 60 cm circle + Oh ¤ But not anymore. At some point something really bad will happen. Worse case is a breech detonation. Or having to install an M68 instead Natalya shudders + Can you fix it? ¤ Realistically, no Miranda couldn’t answer anything, so she just shuffled a little closer. She was worried, concerned. Even if it was Natalya who was faced with a bad issue. The main gun was in a rather poor state. The problem would have to be addressed soon. In one way or another. She exhales another puff of gray smoke. It disappears into the night air, like the prayers of a lonely soldier under artillery bombardment. No one ever knew it existed, and thus, nothing was done. Because if there was a god, he stopped listening long ago Natalya swears softly and tosses the cigarette butt on the ground. Miranda had since long fallen asleep against her side. It left her little more choice than carrying her back to the Starship. up on the engine bay. One of the crewman, a younger man, or older boy even, with very sad looking facial hair. He nodded, said thanks and carefully put Miranda under the blanket. Good, Natalya thought. The little one needs all care she can get. Herself? Not so much. No one was to help her. Far away from there, you were starting to come to your senses. But slowly. You had a headache likely measured in Kilotons. For an unknown amount of time you hear talking. But no matter how hard you concentrate… nothing makes sense. Somewhere in the sludge of syllables, you pick out a word you recognize. Motor. You heard it a few times, but even that word sounded strange. And the melody of the speaking was strange. It was almost a song. It went up and down, up and down, up and down. What exactly went up and down? You’re not sure. Volume? Tone? At this state of mind you couldn’t tell Something moves the bed you are on. You didn’t know you were in a bed. It probably wasn’t Lily. She would have… done something by now >What were your plans for getting the Elefant moving? It was Lily! You could recognize her voice anywhere “Uhm… twin LS engines or cummins diesels, and then generators and electric motors?” The Elefant was a hybrid after all. The petrol engines powered generators, and then electric motors on the rear drive wheels >Good Someone else was in here as well. It was Lily, and… another figure. You had no idea who that was. But if Lily trusted her, so should you >Now, say we need a 200 ton machine moving, with limited space available. Preferably with dual outputs 200 tons!? Wow, that’s a lot, you think to yourself. And in your groggy state you remember something you read of wikipedia one late night when you had nothing else to do “Dual? uhm…” You disappear in thought for a second. Lily remains silent “Napier Nomad” >Go on Lily was talking in a weird way. Why was she… cold? She is usually warm in a both literal and figurative way “Turbo compound engine. Flat twelve diesel on top and a turbine beneath. Could be made to another output shaft” The other person in the room looks at… something for a minute or two and then says something. This time you were sure it was not english. Then, a sigh. A heavy, decided one. and a black bag put over your head “Wait, Lily…” But then you get lifted up from your bed. You head starts hurting immediately, even more than it did before. there isn’t much else to do than to groan in pain, and feel your limp body being dragged outside. It was cold outside You mostly stumbled. Got no grip on the ground. Couldn’t see where you were taken, what was going on Shortly after you fall to the ground. Your head is still pounding, pulsating with pain synchronising with the ever increasing beating of your heart. Lily was taking you somewhere safe. You had just hit your head and she helped you “Lily…” Bang The sound of a gun. Probably not a big one. Handgun maybe? Lily has to be defending you Bang Strange, her pistol would have to be fired several times to kill any creature, apart from the smallest ones. But they wouldn't be in detroit… Bang Because that is what she is doing. Right...? Bang “L-lily?” -Halt Was that the other voice >Was ist los? -Ein messer für diesen hier >Warum…? -Weil du ihn liebst. Beeile dich That was them talking. One of the voices was definitely Lily. Weirdly, it sounded like she was not on the upper hand of this conversation. Attentive voice, versus a condescending one. Very out of character for her And then the pain comes. Directly to your chest. It was far worse than what you had been through before. And with the confusion and head injury since earlier, you had absolutely no idea what happened. You probably screamed. It was so focused, into a single point, right down the middle. Wait, was that something wet? Lily lets go of the knife, seeing the red liquid slowly form a wet spot. Five men lay in front of her. The crew, she used to call them. four dead, one dying An older woman standing beside her slowly stroked her shoulder a few times. ======================================================================================================================================== People say a mental wound hurts more than a physical one. Likely those who haven’t been stabbed. It wasn’t bleeding much anymore, but the knife was still there. You thought it would be cold, but it just wasn’t cold anymore. It had been warmed up by your body heat. A simple sheath knife, maybe with a 4 inch blade. At the very least two and a half of those were now in your chest It had to go out, you knew that. This was Detroit after all. No one was going to come and save you. You wanted to take two deep breaths to brace yourself, but it causes more pain from the knife Quick or slow? Quick would be painful for a shorter time, but would risk further injury. Slow would be safer, but… Just like that, you remember some words of your father. You came back after school one day with tears streaming down your face. He said something that sounded stupid then, and always had sounded stupid. That was because these feeling were completely new. he told you “if someone punches you in the face, you bit back with broken teeth You’ve never felt a lust for revenge before, or not like this anyway. For the first time ever, you truly understood why English had seven words for revenge and two for forgiveness. Or something like that But first, a knife. You can do little else but getting a firm grip on the red, plastic grip and pull. Another wave of pain grips you and you whimper like a little girl. The knife hits the colt tarmac beneath you with a metallic pinging noise. Finally you could take a vew deep breaths to steady yourself, and not the awful shallow ones Your hands were shaking. The cold weather? Physical pain? The other pain…? Next step was to get a grip on your surroundings. You were still inside the graveyard, in a far away corner among the vehicles that would never leave this place. There was nothing left of value here. No food, water or weapons. Surprisingly, she had not taken your cellphone from you. It was still resting in your pocket. You carefully pull it up, and press the little power button. Lily’s face. Before you could do anything you had to change background. Anything would do, anything at all. At the very bottom of the photo roll was a dozen pictures of when you visited that museum, you pick one at random, resulting in an old F-4. It would have to do for now There was no missed calls. No texts, no notifications at all. The date and time says this is the morning after. Battery at 43%. And with that, you just stopped. What the hell were you going to do now? Was this one of those moments you had to take a life changing decision? No, you had to get more information. You tumble slowly towards the spot the Jagdtiger was last seen. What awaits you there is another surprise. The Schürzen lay there, is if they were just cut off. And so did all external storage bins, as well as a lot of the crew's personal items. External storage bins…? You rush forwards to the two rearmost ones, and snap the little lock open. The presents were here. Both of them. Why would anyone leave a nuclear weapon behind? Because of how extremely expensive these things were, most people would probably bring them along, even if they wanted nothing to do with them Another “Why” you had to figure out Next step… would probably be to inform the others. Natalya. She might understand. You knew her number by heart, as with most numbers in your phone book Having no idea what to expect you press the little green button and put the phone to your ear ¤ So the traitor shows his face? “Wait what? Natalya, what's going on?” ¤ Maybe you can tell me? Don't think I haven't spoken with Lily “Fuck! Natalya, you have to listen to me-” ¤ I should listen to someone who has killed his own crew? “Natalya, no. Please, listen. I woke up with a knife in my chest” The other end of the line went silent “Please, let me just explain” ¤ ...talk “So after the technical evaluation we… shit. So you know I was going to unbind Lily, for a normal life?” ¤ Noble gesture Natalya was indescribably cold in her voice “But we needed a blessing” ¤ A blessing from a friend and steel from an enemy, I know how it works You keep explaining everything you can to Natalya who attentively listens to what you have to say. Her conclusion is the one you truly fear ¤ We have to consider the Jagdtiger hostile The words hurt a little. But not as much as the hole in your chest. Both the literal and figurative one “Yes” ¤ And you are planning to do what? “I have no idea. None at all” ¤ Anon… “Yeah?” ¤ I would offer you the commander's seat in a heartbeat, but… “But…?” ¤ The tank has issues. But let's leave it at that. I'd suggest you call tell Benson guy. “Will do. I'll stay in touch” The phone clicks as the call ends. 37% battery. A plan forms in your head. You have to find out why Lily did as she did. What would happen after that? You had no idea. But you had to find out. Best chance you had was probably to get back to the rest of the company of tanks you had been a part of for half a year now. But before that, food. A body can't heal if it isn't given nutrition. Lily didn't even bother to empty the storage bins, and had left a good amount of supplies behind. You ate a lot, a lot more that what you wanted to do. It felt bad, but appropriate. And this stuff. It was far more than you could carry. And leaving nuclear weapons unattended felt bad. A child could find it! So, pick up your trusty old AK and head towards to the closest source of working transportation you could find: the staff parking lot. All staff cars. Big pickup trucks, that you now needed damn permits to drive because the military needed them. A 300C with 20+ inch chrome rims, a police car, a minivan in a god-awful condition and a lightly riced Civic You sigh heavily, causing another jolt of pain in your chest of having to choose. And then, two men jog around the corner, completely ignoring you, and… They were actually breaking into the minivan. Very skilled as well, not damaging it in the slightest, just slipping a shaped piece of metal into the lower door. A decision is made to not let this talent go to waste. You raise your AK and starts walking towards them. You swallow and bite down hard, readying yourself for whatever might happen “Good morning guys” You manage to keep your voice low, trying to make them not scream or start shooting. And just as you wanted, he drops his tool and raises his hands ‘Yo, bro, i just-’ “Yeah, good. Open up the little red one next to you and i won’t say anything, i need a car too” ‘Y-yeah, sure bro, no problem, right Jamie?’ ‘Course, we cool’ The second man agrees, and just like most people under a sight post, they set to work. Didn’t even take them five minutes to open up the little car for you. They even were kind enough to show you how to start it without a key. You wait until they have left the parking lot in the old minivan before hopping into your new car. It smelled surprisingly nice for a early-mid 90s shitbox. Must have been properly taken care of. The little engine purrs to life and you head back into the graveyard. Fold up the rear seats, and fill the little hatchback with food, water, three empty jerry cans, a left over M240 and a pair of small nuclear warheads. As you close up the hatch you think that this truly must be the first time anyone has put nukes in a Honda But there is a first time for anything And so, alone, cold and hurt, you set off west to hide and to seek. You hide from thugs, the military, anyone who wants the nukes and Lily. You seek medical attention, fuel, redemption and answers to why Lily did… that The first task was getting out of Detroit. The little Honda would have been a well handling machine, had it not been ladened with a little too much weapons suitable for a hatchback. And the tiny engine didn’t do it many favors either. Even if this particular one might have been a little tuned. Not that any of that would stop bullets. So you kept a rather high pace up, going straight west But on the road leading out, there was a blockade. And if the sandbags, guard towers and machine guns didn’t dissuade you, the M2 Bradley did. You slow down to a crawl, but keep driving towards the checkpoint. A soldier raises a hand and you stop the car at once and cut the engine There is a frightening number of automatic weapons pointed at you, so you really have to play this carefully ‘Anything in the vehicle?’ “Two nuclear warheads, ten pounds of crystal meth and a seventeen year old redhead that i’m gonna have a go with later” ‘You have no idea how many times i’ve heard that joke’ “Sorry man, ex stabbed me and i’m tryna get the fuck out of here” ‘Stabbed?’ “Yeah man…” You pull your shirt up and revealing the would ‘Fuck, you should get that checked out man’ “Yeah, no shit. That’s why i am leaving” ‘Still gonna have to look through your car’ “Fuck, I can’t take booze with me, can i?” ‘Nope, sorry’ “Come on man, i don’t have any painkillers and this hurts like a motherfucker when i sleep” ‘You know i can’t’ “Not even for three bottles of scotch?” The man steps back a little, looking at the little red Honda and then back to the blockade ‘I’m gonna turn away for 30 seconds. Three bottles, in a plastic bag, 30 seconds’ You jump up from the driver’s seat and back to the trunk, three bottles of way too fucking expensive booze was handed over to the man, and then waved to his friends to open up the gates “No fucking way that worked” you repeat to yourself a few times over, watching the barricade keep getting smaller in your rearview mirror “No fucking way…” ===================================================================================================================================== Even before that worrisome radio transmission, Natalya had a lot her plate. First it was the decision of whom to trust. Two people call her both and call the other one a traitor and a murderer. Would she solve this issue alone, or get others involved as well? The only other person who had any idea on what had happened would be the old man, Jake Benson. He would surely have ideas on his own, but he was biased, since he needed Lily for his own agenda. She was a Nibelung after all Then there was her own problems. Neither the time nor the fighting had been kind to the old IS-3, and it was rusting, badly. Worst of all, however, was the issue with the main gun, and then there was all the little issues that kept nagging her. The electrical system, track-links repaired over and over, a drive sprocket that kept losing teeth and how it never kept the rain out. Not that she planned on giving up But further complicating things was information of a very large aircraft about to land somewhere in the US soon. It was to contain “fighting vehicle(s) over all others” She wondered what it could be. A very heavy vehicle, from the east. Probably one of the remaining IS-4 tanks. That was one of the last heavy tanks used by the Soviet Union. It was little more than an uparmored IS-2, just like the IS-3 But then… there was the king, the IS-7 prototype. Natalya drifts off into deep thoughts The IS-7 was last hurrah to the heavy tank. A 70 ton, 1050 horsepower, 60 kph, 130 mm gun armed monster. She exhaled heavily and smiled. The speed of a T-54, the gun from a light cruiser, more machine guns that a shock division, and frontal armor to resist any tank gun in the world. Including the 128mm PaK 44, it was a machine like nothing else. Natalya looked like a little girl thinking about her crush. And just like a little girl thinking about her crush, jealousy sets in soon afterwards. Someone else has been tasked to take care about this glorious machine And the she sighed. A long, heavy sigh. Thought like this would destroy her. Jealousy, wishing. She had a task. Take care of the IS-3. As long as that thing worked, man had a little higher chance of winning this war + Nat…? ¤ Yes? + You’re thinking again? ¤ Hard not to + But you disappear. You just sit for an hour, looking at a wall a chair or the open sky, and just… think. ¤ Life is not as trouble free as you make it out to be + I do what i can. No point in worrying about what i can’t do. ¤ Miranda, you make your world a little more narrow than it actually is + Yep ¤ Augh… Natalya stumbled a little with her words, not quite sure how to go on ¤ You came for for a reason? + Oh. Right! Uhm… Miranda takes her phone up. It’s one of the last prewar models, very powerful one, could get a signal almost anywhere and had a good camera. Of course, Natalya had no idea about any of this. She was handed a post from a somewhat sketchy looking forum. At the very top was a blurry image of a very large plane. She knew exactly what it was, but decided to play ignorant ¤ I am a farmer’s daughter, Miranda. What is this? + So this one russian guy who posted the picture. And that is an, uhm…? ¤ A big plane? + Yeah, but it’s like… the biggest! Miranda had interesting ways of expressing herself. She even stood on her toes when trying to describe the size of the plane. ¤ That’s great. And you’re telling me this… why? + Oh. Right! Helen wants to speak with you, something about moving tanks here. Like, big ones! Natalya finds it very interesting how Miranda uses plural. That would mean it is more than one. Could be just something she slipped on, or she is uninformed? But interesting still ¤ Good. Could you come along? + I can The two walked away from the makeshift cafeteria and towards the Conqueror. Helen sat on the engine deck, waiting for them. Helen is not as precise and as on point as Natalya wished she would be. Lots of stories and information that simply didn’t matter. And then telling her to keep eyes and ears open. She already did that. She knew way more the Helen did. And if anyone else was in charge of proceedings here, Natalya would have informed right away. But she simply didn’t trust Helen. Once again that trust issue. Natalya didn’t really trust anyone right now, especially after last night A man and a woman who had been deeply in love had turned on against each other, both of them claiming the other one had committed betrayal and murder. Or so they said. Natalya couldn’t even be sure either was speaking the truth. So for the time being, she would not speak to anyone else, and keep all information to herself … People have always had a problem with understanding people from other places of the world. The words are different. But if you put words aside, there are always three languages any human can understand. The languages of the fist, the heart and the coin. Everyone understands a gun pointed at them. Everyone understands a kiss, and everyone understand money Something along these lines bounced around in your head. You didn’t have much money, so that’s that out. You did have a large collection of weapons. A pistol, an AK, a large belt fed machine gun and a pair of nuclear warheads. Good mark there. But, no matter how much you tried to be angry and spiteful, you just felt rather down. You missed falling asleep to something soft and warm breathing in your arms. Or did you? Maybe you were just… searching for an answer. Why did she do all this? Whatever the reason was, someone else had something to do with it. The Lily you knew would never… then again, signs point that the Lily you knew was very different from the Lily others knew. She had always shown a bit of a double personality. Cold outwards and warm to you, and a few of her new friends. And you have a hard time believing anyone was this cold. Probably something her “school” years put into her You still wanted to know which Lily was the true one. Because there was still something in you still wanted her back. Just ignoring what happened, so you could have her here. Did you still love her? You shouldn't. You know you shouldn't. But then again, you’ve done a lot of things you shouldn’t have done Can you forgive her? As you feel right now, no. No way. But then again, this was Lily. She would always have some damn explanation for everything that happened, something that made sense. Problem was, right now you really couldn’t see it Suddenly, the realization that you’ve spent way too much time being awake and thinking about Lily hits you. You get your phone from the floor next to the mattress you were laying on. 01:42. Sleep comes a while later The next morning you are rudely disturbed by an obnoxiously loud engine. A malfunctioning one. You roll around a little on your “bed”, trying to make the sound go away. It won’t. You sit up, still fully dressed. The mattress underneath you had no sheets, and you had no cover. You had spent the night in a makeshift motel, which was really just a barn with small rooms and bunk beds. But it was better than the little hatchback at least. You take your heavy rucksack containing the most valuable things and wobbled down to the lobby The man behind the counter explain that they don’t have any coffee, causing you even more irritation, so you decide to leave. Sadly, the source of the annoying noise that woke you presents itself. And old truck, a CCKW. You had lots of experience with these things, and since the thing was parked in front of your car, it had to go away before you could leave. This particular one had a new diesel engine, probably taken from a civilian vehicle, and it seemed like the old radiator had trouble keeping it cool. Especially if you didn’t remove the four decades worth of junk stuck in it. Little cleaning out and new coolant fluid should fix the overheating issues ‘you’ “What, me?” A voice over your shoulder. You turn around to find a child, maybe 15 years old. He wasn’t here before ‘Yes’ “Yeah?” ‘You’re Anon. I know you’ You have never seen this kid before “Highly doubt it” ‘I have. Where is your tank?’ “Never had a tank” ‘The big and boxy one with a big gun. With the rest of the old tanks. Dad said that it kills monsters’ “It did. Not sure where it is now. And it’s a tank destroyer by the way” ‘Have you lost it?’ “It lost me… Anyway, what has gotten you so interested?” ‘Dad says you’re a hero’ A hero? You’ve considered yourself many things, but not a hero “Not really” ‘Hmm… can i borrow your phone?’ “My phone?” ‘Yeah. There is an entire forum that track you guys with pictures and everything. I could totally say if we find anything’ “That’s just a little bit creepy. But i suppose a little information never has hurt anyone. But for the moment, keep this between us, and don't tell anyone you've even seen me, alright?” ‘Okay!’ The child snatches the phone from your hands and seemingly does what he has to do in a matter of 15 seconds. A little later, both he and the old truck is moved out of the way and you can get back into the little car and set off. It truly was a vast country. You could drive for an entire day and still not be halfway to where you were going. The scenery changed, the rows of military vehicles going one way, and the odd civilian car going the other. You were seemingly the only civilian going west. You weren't even sure why you were going this way. Meet up with Natalya? See if you could find another tank to command? Would any of that even matter after Lily? The very unpleasant sound of the Tire going on the shoulder reminds you that real life goes on, regardless if you are thinking about Lily or not. Every damn time you had her in your head. And this time nearly driving you off the road. Why would it be so damn hard to just speak with her? But as you thought that, you realise it wouldn't. She probably still had her phone. Technically, you could send her a text. And yet, somehow… that just didn't feel like the right thing to do. Felt like cheating. But nevertheless, the phone laying on the little storage bin under the dash felt so tempting. You picked it up, went to messages and… had one in the inbox. Short one from the kid, received just 10 minutes ago. An M24 Chaffee light tank had some issues, and he wondered if you could help. While this truly was someone else's issue, and you would probably not get anything back from it, it wasn't like you had anything better to do. The little engine sings as you work it up the gears, heading for a new adventure. You spent the next few weeks touring around in a few states, just helping out where you could. Your mechanical knowledge and familiarity with the LaMES engine earned you not only food and a roof over your head wherever you went, but also not insignificant amounts of money. Not that you needed it much. The only thing you paid for was fuel for the car and food for yourself. Lily didn't call. Natalya didn't call. Almost like that time was forgotten. Well, not really. You still thought a lot about Lily. Way more than you should have, probably. And despite telling yourself that she thinks you are dead, there was something about that cut. The blade went between your lungs, not puncturing either, and just below the heart. And the fact she forgot the knife in you probably saved your life. But then, a Saturday afternoon when the snow fell, the phone rang again. You picked it up, and for the first time in three weeks, you recognised the number “Hey there” ¤ Hello Anon, this is Natalya “Long time no see. To what do I owe the pleasure?” ¤ I'd like you to come back “ Just like that, out of the blue?” ¤ You understand I am not proud to make this call, it should tell you how necessary it is “ That makes… sense, strangely” ¤ We will be stationary for a few days. Do you have access to a car? “I do” ¤ Good. I will send our position in a message. Please don't delay “Alright. See you” And so the line went silent. Natalya was usually hard to read, but her voice betrayed how much she didn't want to make that call. And if it was that bad, it was probably really important. Not even 30 minutes later, the little red Honda was heading east. You had been on a few long journeys with mom and dad before. He could drive 16 hours per day if he had to. Few hours of sleep, some food and some water, and he could go on like a machine. You didn't inherit quite the same stamina as he did, but 12 driving hours per day was still possible. Even if the distance wasn't that big, you needed two days on the road, mostly because the bad weather slowed you down. But that Sunday, approaching midnight, you rolled slowly into the little town where the group of old tanks were waiting. It was quite a surreal sight, seeing this little town, looking like any sleepy little town, but half of the usual SUVs and trucks were swapped out for at least half half a century old tanks. The crew's were probably given housing by the people that still lived there, or took a house from one of the families that had escaped and seeked refuge in the safer, eastern parts of the country. The little car crawled up the main street, looking for any sign of Natalya. She was waiting for you after all. And in one seemingly abandoned house, Red paint faded from the sunlight and rain, that familiar dome shaped turret and the long gun with a big muzzle brake appeared. And just next to it, barely illuminated by the miniscule orange glow from from a cigarette, a slender figure. She didn't turn her head towards you until the car had completely stopped, and the engine died down. ¤ Hey Anon... “Good evening. You said you had to see me, so I figured I'd come over. That phone call hurt a bit of personal pride” ¤ Yes. But it is a matter far too serious to be discussed on empty stomachs and tired heads. I will tell you everything tomorrow. “Fair enough” ¤ I've made you a bed in this house. It's owner left some while ago, and I guess he won't mind if we borrow his beds “I'm sure he won't ” She led, and you followed. There was a little food, and enough warm water for a shower. The quietness of the night was calming, and the time for bed was long passed. You left your room, just to check with Natalya a last time before you went to bed. You entered the room just as she was pulling her shirt off. Despite the darkness, her milky pale skin still reflected a little more light than the surroundings did, and you could just see her She was very pretty. Not as well endowed as Lily was, or as curvy, but a little taller. ¤ I'm happy you're back, Anon... The rest was inevitable. A man betrayed, and a woman starved of affection. It didn't stop with the soft touch, the short, unassuming kiss. Or the one after. And certainly not after the longer, deeper one. Not much could have stopped it. And the kept being quiet, apart from some soft cries, moans and deep breathing You remember it clearly when you wake up. Not a single drop of any alcohol was involved. It was a conscious decision, nothing to blame. You knew exactly what you were doing. What you had done. Natalya didn’t sleep on you, like Lily usually did. Maybe she moved in her sleep. Maybe she was too warm. Maybe she… didn’t think it was her place. And then, at some point in the early morning hours, just when you had turned away from her, to rest one shoulder a little, she opened her voice. The words that left her lips was by far the coldest thing you had heard in years. Metaphors of siberian snow and ice came to mind. ¤ Imagine i have a gun “...okay” ¤ And the gun says “Choose these words EXTREMELY carefully” “Which words” ¤ The ones that will answer the question that follows “Understood” ¤ What is it that you want, most of all Natalya was not looking for just an answer. She would be very, very upset if you get this wrong. You knew, maybe she knew. And speaking about a woman, just after you spent the night with another… “Lily” ¤ Good Natalya said that with a tone a million times lighter, and even a bit cheerful ¤ Now you know what you are fighting for