Many long hours later, Natalya lies in a pile of her own sweat on top of the IS-7s engine deck. Lily wasn’t in much better shape herself, completely worn out after a long nights of work. But her labor, or Natalya's suffering was not in vain. Natalya didn’t knew it at the time, in fact she had no idea about anything at the moment, but she was the first one in a very long time to have been moved from one tank to another, a feat Lily managed with a few tools, and what she remembered from her training, many, many years ago.

Lily had all reason to look very pleased with herself. She would like to do nothing but fall asleep now, but Natalya was in a completely defenceless state, the poor soul had lost all motor control or couldn’t even tell up from down. So, Lily would wait by her side.

She sat on the top of the jagdtiger, overlooking the Natalya and the entrance at the same time. Not that much was happening. Just a little warehouse with almost 200 tons worth of tanks.

What troubled Lily the most was more of an internal ideological discussion. The group she was all a part of now almost worshipped her, but she had mostly returned the favor by being grumpy and acting irritated. They were all a little too close. Poking in open wounds

Open wounds…

She slams the empty tin can once filled with pea soup into the top of the superstructure and buries her face in her hands.

She was very unhappy about the terms she parted with… Him. It was a necessity to part, for the time being, she knew that. Anon would never work with these people. Her orders were to kill and dispose of him. Luckily Irma was there and helped steer things in a better direction.

What even happened to her back there? She was injected something that wasn't her. She even held the gun up, and the only thing that stopped her was a bit off hesitation and Irma. Well, Anon was probably passed out anyway. He probably didn't know anything.
Lily took the tin can, and tossed it away. She immediately grabbed her rifle and had a little red dot in the middle of the can as soon as it stopped moving. She still had it.

She was very fond of the new rifle. It was another one of seemingly hundreds of half plastic tactical 5.56mm assault rifles. They were all light and all, but very few had the sturdy vibe that heavier things had. It would probably break if you hit it really hard in someone's head. She didn't even know why she was given it. To defend the tank, she had the main gun, the three M240s and the automatic Glock if things got really close. And her sidearm.

But after a moment her left hand starts shaking, and the little red dot dances around the tin can.

She puts the rifle down, knowing exactly what is going on. This is the early stages of whatever happened to her in the end of the last war. That time it took two months from the first symptoms until she was knee deep in insanity. One month left

That left her the question of Anon actually were. The last time she knew for certain, was when Miranda told her. But that was a long while ago. Perhaps it was time to ask her again? Miranda was a little girl, and rather weak both in mind and body. It would probably not be very to push her into giving up or finding information. Lily almost felt bad for how exploitable Miranda was

She really didn’t want to, but…

>Hey, Natalya?

There was absolutely no response from the soviet. She was unconscious, and had been for several hours now. It would probably take a little while longer for her to come to her senses

Lily brought her phone up, happily pushed away the missed call notifications and dialed in a number

+ uhh?
>Is that a way to greet a friend?
+ hi Lily

There was something in her voice. Something wasn’t quite alright with her

>You okay there, little one?
+ Yeah

She wasn’t
    >I’ve been out of it for a bit, seen Anon lately?
    + No… wait, you’re not with him?
    >No, not as such. I’m trying to fix that though
    + That means no one has seen him for a month
    >A month?!

    Miranda heard distant german swearing over the phone

    >I’m sorry to push this onto you, but with all your computer stuff, think you could ask some internet people where he is… or something?
    + We have a forum, you know
    >That was the internet thing, right?
    + Yes, do you remember the website at least?
    >Uhh… what’s a forum again?
    + Damnit, Lily. Just open for caretakers, strictly moderated, all- augh you’re hopeless. What was his last name?
    >Uhh…
    + Come on Lily, you want me to look someone who is of somewhat average build, height and named literally “Anon”
    >I see how that is going to be a problem, now that you mention it, but please, can you try at least?
    + I’ll do what i can-
    >Thank you!
    + IF!
    >If?

    Lily was prepared to give quite a bit for this information

    + T-tell me if…

    Mirandas voice trailed off, making the last part of the sentence inaudible

    >Speak up Miranda
    + Natalya. I have to speak to her. Please tell me if you see her

    Lily looked up at Natalya, lying 10 feet in front of her

    >She’s sleeping right now, i’ll make sure she-
    + She’s with you!?
    >Whoa, no need to scream. And yes she is
    + Where are you?
    >I’m afraid i ca-
    + YES YOU CAN WE ARE IN THE SAME BOAT

    The line went completely silent for a moment. Lily’s mind was a bit dulled, but she wasn’t clueless

    >Oh. Speak to you then
Lily deliberately hung up before Miranda could answer. Now, the little one would probably not call back unless she knew how things were. Lily didn't feel good at all about using Miranda like this.

She had an aura about her. A sort of clumsy fragility. Not the kind you would point and laugh at, no matter how funny it felt. It was more something you wanted to care for. More like a child. And if Lily had understood it correctly, most of this little “child’s” feeling were not targeted at the sleeping woman on the IS-7

How troublesome. And yet, it opened up even more possibilities for exploiting people. She could play with Miranda like a little puppet. Lily would probably not have any difficulties playing Miranda in a way that she wouldn’t even realise she was being used

Lily pauses a second, being somewhat sickened by herself, even considering doing this to Miranda of all people. Lily had done this a lot. But that’s what happens when many people in close proximity has to fight over a relatively small amount of vehicles. Lily had a lot of experience with playing dirty, but it just didn't feel right against Miranda.

~ ~ ~

‘So what is this thing for anyway?’
“LaMES engine. Same as the ones we have in the M60s and Sheridans. Well, the M60s has the V12 and the Sheridan uses a V8 configuration”
‘Yeah, and what is that?’
“I’ve actually heard about it before, a prototype H-block engine. 24 cylinders and 48 liters. Neatly topped of with four turbochargers”
‘That’s... a lot’

You and Wendy stood and watched as other people looted what was left of Benson’s private stash. Lots of books that were left, someone would surely be interested in them. Someone had taken it upon himself to crack the safe open. Which left you and wendy alone with an old supercar and a gigantic engine
‘What would even use such an engine? I mean, the Jagdtiger works well with an engine half the size. No one is stupid enough to build something twice as big as that is’
“Uhh… shit. Lily did ask me how to get something that weighed 200 tons moving, using electric transmission”
‘So?’
“Know what a Maus is?”
‘Yeah, of course i do. But that one is in russia. And the gatekeepers took a vow to keep it there forever’
“Wait, they did? Gatekeepers who?”
‘How have you not heard about this? The damn russians captured it, dragged it all the way to moscow and then cemented the tracks to the ground to make sure it would never move’
“That seems a bit excessive for something that weighs almost 200 tons”

Wendy stops talking and looks straight at you

‘Why do you think anyone went to measures that extreme to make sure the thing doesn't move?’
“No idea”
‘Augh, let’s switch it around. You know what Lily’s training was like’
“I have an idea”
‘Now, there was one Maus made. One complete anyway. Who do you think they put in it?’
“As a caretaker, like you?”
‘Yeah. They make one tank the size of a building, don’t you think they are going to bind someone important to it?’
“Oh. How important are we talking?”
‘I don’t think anyone apart from Lily actually knows. But could genuinely be the child of some party member’
“Child… actually, how come you’re all pretty young?”
‘About the caretaker, no one really knows. And people get more resistant to the binding process the older they get. So early to mid 20s is usually the sweet spot between that and physical strength, maturity and the rest of it that comes with age’
“That seems reasonable”
The two of you quieted down a little seeing the others haul anything of value away from the big room

“We’re totally bringing the engine”
‘Anon, come on…’
“Nono, totally. We get the Maus this engine, the caretaker, whoever it is will be grateful, and-”
‘It’s great, i can see the headlines already. “Man fixes giant german box, everything goes well”’
“Don’t be like that”
‘Please be reasonable, she did-’

Wendy got interrupted by her phone that started playing what sounded a lot like an old rock song

‘Heeeeeeello, Wendy speaking’

Wendy seemed happy to receive that call. She chats a little, much of it rather dull until her expressions changed from “somewhat amused” to “energetic”.

‘You’re wondering what’s going on here? I’ll tell you what, the King is dead and his queen is free!’

What an odd thing to say. But Wendy seemed happy and waved her closed fist around, as if she was cheering for something

‘Yes i did, with my own god damn boot. Until his head was just a mush’

Apparently the call broke after that, as wendy took the phone away from her ear and looked at the screen

“Did you seriously brag about killing Benson”
‘I never even mentioned his name!’
“What, you just assumed whoever you were speaking to knew who “the king” would imply? Who was it anyway?”
‘it was Miranda, i believe you brought her with you when you threatened to kill me the first time? And i'm pretty sure sure she know benson is. I mean, come on, Jake Benson?!’

You weren’t so sure about that. Miranda might have no idea who that is
“Whatever. But we're going to salt lake City. Bring the engine”
‘So you can get the Testarossa for yourself?’
“For the eleventh time, this isn't a Testarossa. It's a Countach. And the answer is yes”

Wendy doesn't look very happy

“If nothing else, you can barter with the Germans for it. And if that doesn't work, this engine should easily do 5000 horsepower. Imagine what that will do to a tank”
‘Imagine what that will do to a gearbox’

The shittalking goes on for another little while, now while actually being useful, and making the final preparations for the night. Loading up almost 80 tanks on trains was never going to be an easy job but two days for it all was ridiculous.

There was just over 30 M60s, most in the A3 configuration with some A1s. Backing them up was almost 50 M551 Sheridan light tanks. They had the same gun 152mm gun/launcher the M60A2 had. It couldn’t fire any AP rounds, that had proven to be so effective against these creatures, but the HE rounds weighed 22 kg, and it fired missiles

It sure was a lot of firepower heading northwest, but…

“Think it will be enough?”
‘What?’

Wendy was taken a bit off hand
“This is more tanks than the rest combined. But you know, how do we know how much they have. You are going to more than double the force when you get there. But how do we know we don’t need like…. ten times as many tanks?”
‘Man i don’t know. But we’re leaving tomorrow. Speaking of, what are you doing?’
“What do you mean?”
‘Pff. “An airshipman without an Airship is like a cavalry officer without a horse, said Ferdinand von Zeppelin, as he looked at his burned up creation. For he was both”. And you’re a tank commander without a tank’
“Rude”
‘I mean, i guess if you have nothing else…’
“What, i thought you had the commander's seat in the MBT-70?”
‘Bleh, i’m much happier as a gunner. I just don’t like being bossed over fuckboy who can’t tell his date for his sister’
“As strange as your tone is, i suppose i should be grateful for the offer. Not sure about anything yet though”
‘Man, you’re like least upbeat person ever. Train leaves at 6. Be up by 5’
“Sure”

You head back up to the sleeping quarters, make sure everything you own is backed into two gym bags and a cardboard box. A cardboard box that had remained unopened for a few months.

The next morning, the alarm in your watch set off at 04:45. After an unruly night of sleep you flew up, slamming the little button on the digital clock. Collect the your stuff, apologize to the guy sleeping in the bunk above you and head down to the garages. Because some fruit was too sweet not to steal. And some conflicts had to be solved.

Wendy was sleeping on the engine deck of her tank, as any self respecting tanker should. She woke up at exactly 04:59, when the scissor door of the Lamborghini slowly slid upwards. You weren’t really sure what kind of expression she had on her face. You didn’t look much. The bags were tossed in the passenger seat, where two jerry cans already waited

“See ya Wendy”

And if the alarms didn’t wake anyone up at 5 AM sharp, the countach did.
At the same time, Lily was laying on the roof. Three messages had gone to her phone, all from Miranda. The first one said “Wendy said the King was dead, and the queen is free, congratulations, Lily. Can i speak with Natalya now?”. The one after that one was “You didn’t like him anymore, right?”. Lastly, Miranda had sent “Please get in touch with me as soon as possible”.

Free? Poor little Miranda didn’t understand, or didn’t want to understand. This was now the opposite of free. The reins of the Jagdtiger was going to keep Lily tied down. Anon was gone…? Why did Miranda sound so unlike what she used to do?

Lily didn’t even want to think about it. She wasn’t really interested in anything at all. She actually thought mews like this would make her cry, but it didn’t. She wasn’t crushed by feelings or anything, far from it. More like empty

She was almost a little curious to this, an entirely new kind of apathy. Not the kind of bad feelings she got from being short on ammo or fuel, or the tank breaking down. Or being under air attack, or artillery bombardment, or trying to patch up the stomach of a 16 year old Volkssturm soldier. There was feelings involved in all that. But this, what she felt now, was just empty


=========================

Lily tried tried really hard to get her head around what she actually felt. Not much. But she did have a startling urge to get into a fight. Something she never had before. She didn’t actually like fighting that much. She was just too good at it to let the talent go to waste

But right now she would cherish the opportunity to get into a fist fight. Just to hurt, and get hurt. Just to feel something? Could she still feel pain?

What a stupid question. Pain was always there. It could never really go away. The little thorn she had in her stomach, the little thorn that reminded her she wasn’t quite complete. She still felt that. And she would probably feel getting hit. But for reasons she couldn't quite figure out, she wanted it. To feel something. Then again, the time to say what she wanted to say was past now. There was no use crying over a gravestone

She did the maths in her head. If she was to keep fighting, she would have about a month left until she would get to the same level of mental health she was at when she got captured by US forces in march 1945. With proper maintenance, maybe a month and a half. What she didn’t know what this would lead to. Death? Probably. She spent a few minutes speculating on how long that would actually take. Three months, or so. Meaning the goal was getting killed in combat before that happened. That was better than looking weak or vulnerable to the ones she was fighting with. She didn’t like most of them very much

A quiet burbling from her right told her Natalya was waking up. She climbed up on the engine deck, making sure she had some water with her.

>Easy there Natalya

Lily knew it was unpleasant to wake up from something like this, and wanted to help one of the alarmingly few people she actually trusted as best she could.

>Calm down now, I'm here
She sat down beside Natalya and gently put a hand on her cheek. Natalya stopped shuffling around a little and mumbled something in Russian. Lily reached down under the blanket and took her hand

>Just lie down and relax, you're weak and disoriented now, but I'll help you. If you can't see or can't move, that's okay as well, but you body needs a little time to readjust

Natalya was still murmuring inaudibly. But Lily could tell something wasn't right. She tried the best of her very limited vocabulary of Russian:

>Voda? 

Natalya stopped moving for a second and then nodded. Lily opened the cap on the bottle of water, and then gently raised Natalya’s head up, and used her leg for an improvised pillow. She carefully put the bottle to her friends lips and tipped it.

Natalya couldn't use her own hands, so she gulped down what she could with Lily's help. A bit of water got spilled and poured down her cheeks and neck, but to Natalya the crystal clear and cool water might as well have been directly from the heavens

She tried to move but her body wouldn't listen. She tried to speak but half was in Russian and the other half was just mumbling

>Shhh. Don’t worry Natalya. I’m Lily. You remember me, right? We’re friends

Hazy and unfocused eyes looked up at Lily

¤ Podruga

Was there even attempt at a smile? Lily didn’t actually have a clue what Natalya said, but it was said in a nice way. She was happy about it anyway

That left Lily with someone using her as a pillow, making moving an impossibility. What she did have time to do was pretend to be responsible and get in contact with Miranda. Lily had gotten used to her phone by now, and tapped away a message rather quickly. That was her part of the deal done with. Meaning she could relax a little. Not sleep, Natalya was still too weak to sit up, even less protect herself
As morning had turned into day, day had turned into evening and was approaching night. The sun hung low over the horizon, bathing the world below in orange light and the big engine behind you sang a long forgotten tune about italian hills and hard drugs. Things were good.

The Lamborghini was loud, cramped and drank fuel at a rate which would make even many trucks blush. One of the many fuel stops almost got nasty when people get a little too close. But, old car or not, it could still make fools out of most pursuers.

But now, it was heading north-west on route 40. Big busses filled with people headed in the other direction. People escaping this to-be battlefield. Few still knew exactly where they would land, but seeing as the creatures were mostly concentrating around the western parts of the country. East was safe, so people went there. And the people on these busses gazed upon an obnoxiously loud, vulgar and flashy 80s supercar heading in the other direction

Just the thought put a smile onto your face

It also started a chain of thought. A plan was formed. Strangely, it included a bicycle. The car was parked away from the city center, on the second floor from the top in a multi story car park. You even attempted to hide it behind the burnt out wreck of some SUV. While it will not stop a persistent thief, it will stop a lazy one. Or one who doesn't understand what a clutch pedal is. Getting a bicycle was rather easy. Just find one that is parked and has air in the tires and ‘unlock’ it will a well placed round of 9mm.
The bike was rusty and old, but it got you the last few miles into the city. And with the rising houses came tanks parked on the street. It still consisted mostly of M4 Shermans. It was also a little humbling to ride past the gigantic T28. And while you didn't look carefully, you couldn't help noticing you didn't see either the Starship nor the IS-3.

A few of the crewmembers recognized you and pointed you towards the makeshift HQ. You walked up the stairs, to what seemed to be just an apartment building and a few people working with papers. Predictably everyone else had gone to bed, and Helen sat at a desk with a stack of papers

“Evening”
‘Hell-wait, Anon?’
“Might as well be called Phoenix by now, but yes”
‘I suppose you would end up here sooner or later’
“Yeah. No Jagdtiger still?”
‘Nope. Not only that, Natalya disappeared a few days ago. And Miranda today. Her tank is still here though’
“Disappeared?”
‘They aren't here anymore’
“Shit… Doesn't sound like they are gone though”
‘As a pure speculation, try Wendover’
“What's that?”
‘small town just to the west of the salt flats. Natalya wanted to go there initially, as that was closer to the fight itself. But she was alone with that opinion’
“I can guess. And Miranda?”
‘If she knew Natalya was within driving range she would probably go there’

That was a little strange. Miranda seemed like someone that would go with a big group. She very much wasn't one to go away alone

‘You look confused’
“A little. It's an out-of-character thing for her to do. As far as I can tell?”
‘In confidence, I believe she has fallen for our Russian friend’
“Oh… I didn't even know that was, erm, how do I put it…”
‘It's unusual, but not unheard of’
“Huh. Oh, and Natalya would have probably corrected you to ‘Soviet’ or ‘Ukrainian’, not that it's much to you”
‘It is. I would want to be called… Scottish’

Helen frowned in disgust
“And I almost forgot. Reinforcements are on their way!”

It was now Helen's turn to look surprised

“About thirty M60 Main battle tanks, mostly in A1 and A3 configuration. Upwards to fifty M551 Sheridan Light tanks, and one MBT-70 prototype. Woman in charge is named Wendy. Just say you're a Friend of mine and you will get along”
‘Eighty…’
“Oh, and I should say they have more diesel than God himself”
‘i'm not often impressed, but this is very good news’
“Sure it is. But I've been on my legs since before 5am and I need some sleep”
‘This is an apartment building. Grab shotgun and kick a door down, most of them are empty’
“See you, then”

You took a rather modern looking shotgun, clad in plastic furniture and headed up a flight of stairs and found a room at the end of the corridor and fell asleep quickly on someone else's couch

~ ~ ~

Lily had sent messages for the last hour. Little Miranda was on her way. She knew how to get into the city unnoticed, what roads to get and what exact house to stop by. Some time later Miranda sits with Natalya's head in her lap and ask her all sorts of things. Miranda was a stuttering, blushing mess and Natalya was too far into the mists to notice a thing. Lily did have a few things she wanted to bring up, but neither of them was much for a conversation. But she did feel a little calmer knowing she at least had two friends that she could rely on. Well, miranda was never going to be that trustworthy, but that no fault of her own. She was just too soft and could probably be pressured to do anything.
Lily hopped off the IS-7 for her own tank and getting one of the boxes of chocolate inside. This was the drug laced one. It was just going to be that kind of a night. Of course, Miranda didn’t know. She might even not know what “drugs” is. But Lily did enjoy watching the pair as the methamphetamine took its effect. It probably wasn’t too dangerous in small dosages. Lily took a bit for herself, and went to sleep in the Jagdtiger. She knew this wasn’t quite good, but she didn’t much care. She didn’t think she had much time left.

~ ~ ~

Waking up in a place that wasn't home always felt strange. It was like-

Halfway through that thought you realize you don't actually have home. You don't really have… Anything. You haven't really seen any of your old friends since the war started. As for items, not much either. You start counting. A few sets of clothes. A handgun. An M14 “borrowed” from the depot and an old car taken from a dead man, plus the contents of a rucksack. That was it

And the cardboard box of course. But the contents of that box didn't belong to you. It was Lily's dress. Simple, classic design in red and white. She was to have it first summer day the war was over. But as much as you didn't like that, Lily felt like a closing chapter in the book of your life. And you couldn't keep it. It was hers after all.

But for today you had different plans. You head up, spend at least a little effort into washing yourself up and head into the office. Happily, Helen wasn't there. Meaning she at least has gotten a bit of sleep.

‘Can I help you with anything?’

A middle aged man who probably didn't recognize you sits where Helen sat yesterday
“Yeah, normal Gasoline, is there any here?”
‘What's wrong with diesel?’
“The La- uhm… scout vehicle needs gas”
‘Scout vehicle?’
“Yeah, I'm going to Wendover, across the flats to see what's up there”
‘...’
“Helen told me to look first thing in the morning. And I overslept. Please give me a hand here?”
‘Two blocks down and left. Just ask’
“thanks man”

You handed back the shotgun, deciding not to tell the man you held it like a lover through the night. Outside waits the bicycle and you are back to the Countach in no time. It caught a bit of attention at the fuel station, so much so people were taking pictures of it. And they even bought the “Fast scout vehicle” thing. Not long after, it's loaded up with a big rifle and a few Jerry cans

You stepped on the throttle unnecessarily much, making sound rivaling thunder and making the tires cry

Wendover was less than two hours. First it was just to get straight out of the city, heading west. There was some hilly areas just outside the city, with the road going in the valley. The hills might offer some protection from unpleasant things. Probably.

The road leading across the flats was completely arrow straight for over 40 miles, and perfectly flat. There was no hills, no water, no plants, no animal life. And absolutely nothing to hide behind

You reached Wendover soon, but immediately something was off. There were track marks on the ground. And none you recognized
The car, being the least discrete thing since the the 1961 Tsar Bomba explosion, was parked in the outskirts of the little town. You considered leaving the big rifle in the car, just bringing a handgun and trying to be a greyman. But the town was probably abandoned anyway, and since you would be the only one there, gray or not, the rifle went along. You didn’t have any actual gear, so you picked up the rifle and put a magazine in a rear pocket. That felt like it was enough for wednesday afternoon operating

There was some noise coming from the North...west?. Something engine, but you were too far to tell what. Happily, it wasn’t a very big town and just a short walk took you to source of the sound. You get into a building on the other side of the road and peek through a window

Three tanks. One of with you had no problem identifying as the IS-3. The two others looked similar, if slightly bigger. But you couldn’t tell for sure what they were. They did look quite impressive standing together. Strangely, no people were outside. There was some movement in the windows, but it was just silhouettes. It didn’t feel like this was a place to sneak around too much in, so you left and walked east a few streets down instead.

Another abandoned town, just like the the dozens you had passed through this last year. The lack of people was rather disturbing. Cars left behind, lawn furniture still outside. It must have been from the previous summer.

Caught in thought, you almost didn't catch the little figure moving in your peripheral vision. Almost. A man appears on the front sight post of your rifle. He was armed with an assault rifle of some description. Strangely, it didn’t look like anything you were familiar with. The man walked in a carefree manner, seemingly looking for something. Was he looting the houses? His uniform was strange as well, being dark grey, and-
It looked german. Did it have some connection to Lily? Would that mean she was here? It was too interesting of a lead not to follow up. But your lack of stalking experience meant you settled for waiting in the house opposite the one he was in. You saw him in the windows for a few minutes. The man really did take his time. And if he was out looting or scouting, why was he alone? It didn’t make sense

But problems arose as he quickly left his own house and headed for the one you were in. You really didn't want to be seen, and killing him didn’t feel much better. The master bedroom was furthest down the house on the top floor and you hid behind the door there. It was quiet for a minute, but you heard his damn footsteps soon. There was a round in the chamber, the fire selector was turned all the way to “fuck you” and the gun was pointed at the door in chest height. But… it didn’t feel right. As he came into the bedroom, his head was with considerable force introduced to the blunt end of the rifle instead. He falls to the ground and gets disarmed quickly

“Sorry about that, but i really don't want to get shot”

The man groans. You step back a little bit, making sure you have about three feet from him to the muzzle of the rifle. It would give you a fraction of a second to react if he tried something funny

“Interesting clothes, those, who gave them to you?”
‘F-fuck you’
“My intention was not to hurt anyone, be nice and i won’t change my opinion. Are there more out there with that uniform, yes or no?”
‘You will nev-’
“Mary had a little kneecap~”

You lowered the rifle and taunted him a little
‘NONOnono! please!’
“Yes or no?”
‘Yes there are others!’
“Here in Wendover?”
‘Y-yes’
“Tanks? Specifically a really big one?”
‘...’
“Jagdtiger, with the number 331 written on the side. Probably with a girl looking mid-early twenties, short dark hair?”
‘How do you-’
“I Built it. Is it here?”
‘y-yes’
“Thank you”

You take his rifle, lean it against a wall and cringe as you kick the receiver and bend the barrel making it unusable

“Right, here is your gun back. You fell”

He looks at it and you, with nothing but confusion on his face

“Piss off now. I’ll come and visit tomorrow. I’m just going to return something that doesn’t belong to me, nothing else. Alright?”

He is still confused

“Go home and keep quiet about it”

You send the man on his way, watching him as he disappears. Would he keep quiet? Maybe, maybe not. You just knew you would keep a low profile today, hide the car and confront Lily tomorrow. Because not having a closure to this had gone on for too long. This has to come to an end
~ ~ ~

15:41 the following morning, Irma decided to go into Lily’s room. Lily had come back to the base with the Jagdtiger this morning, in a rather unusual state. She had talked about someone she had lost. And strangely, Irma had seen the man just a month before, which was one month after Lily last saw him. Irma thought she could cheer Lily.

However, at 15:43 Irma realised that was a spectacularly bad idea.

>[You had him!?!]
-[P-please understand! i wanted to get him here! I sent messages and arranged everything!]

Lily was furious beyond what Irma could even imagine. Irma was scared. Nothing on the east front or in northern Italy was this close to killing her
-[Five black cars came and took him]
>[Yes. And i can tell you the registration number of all five. I saw them half a year ago. I know who did this. And you let this happen]
-[Erika, i’m sorry, i didn’t wa-]


The Austrian took two steps backwards, she felt a gunshot hanging in the air. She was very close to pulling the trigger on the last person on earth she shared a name with

>[your saving grace is technically you didn’t start this. Gudrun filled your head with this shit, and you did it to me. And i bought it, you fucking…]

Lily wanted to blame Irma for her inevitable death. But that would make Lily look weak. She didn’t want that. The plan was just to do something stupid, getting killed and be treated a hero. That was all that was left

>[Go. Just go. I’ll shoot whoever goes in this door]

Having stared death into the eyes, Irma left the room without a word

But it didn’t stop there. Just fifteen minutes later, there is a knock on the door. Lily was very, very, very upset. The man standing outside was young, can’t have been older than 19. He was scared shitless even before, and the gun barrel in his face didn’t help him either.

‘[s-s-sorr-]’
>[Why are you here]
‘[th-there is a man outside]’
>[And?]
‘[h-he w-wanted to speak to you]’
>[Don’t care]
‘[i-in a L-lamborghini]’
>[Shoot him. and leave me alone]
‘[E-even if he is… uhm, Anon?]’

You stood outside. The Elefant was already there, gun pointed at you. Plus about a hundred men armed with assault rifles. Your only weapon, the M14 waited in the passenger seat of the Countach, which you had left idling behind you. You were scared, no getting away from that.

But when the massive Jagdtiger rolled outside, with Lily sitting on top in black uniform, and the 128mm gun was pointed straight at you, it was especially bad.

In that outfit, she was really... No. None of those thoughts. Can not have those thoughts now. A man sitting next to Irma shouts at you
‘Why are you here?’
“As i have said. I have something that belongs to Miss Nibelung”

You could see how much she didn’t like being called that. By you.

On top of the old car was that cardboard box that had been unopened for a few months. In it was a dress. Simple design in red and white. You had it made when Lily got her new uniform. The plan was to give it to her the first summer day this war was over. But Lily was a closing chapter. And it had to be closed.

But as you walked for the box, shouts came from behind you. You turn around, and looked straight at Lily

“Could you reel your puppies in so i can get the box?”

A soldier from the masses shouted

‘You are addressing Erika Nibel-’
>Soldier, open your mouth one more time and i will weld it shut

You smirked. Lily still had that fire. No, dammit, none of these thoughts

“Thank you”

You take the box from the roof of the old car and take two steps forwards. You felt this wasn’t the day to walk into a wall of armed men, so the box is tossed on the ground

“I suggest opening it without spectators”

With those words and your heart beating much, much faster than it has done in a long time, you hop back into the Countach, turned it around and left Wendover as fast as the 450 screaming horsepower could carry you. That got way more emotional than it should have


============


~ ~ ~

You sat down with Helen in the office later that evening

‘Right, with pen and paper this time, who, and what?’
“First, auto shop northeast in town. Definitely Natalya’s IS-3. Another two tanks of similar design”
‘Bigger, smaller?”
“Similar size or slightly bigger. Assuming soviet made”

Helen sighs

‘Anyone else?’
“Yeah… North west part of town, some big buildings. Easily fifty guys with automatic weapons, maybe more, german looking uniforms”
‘What…’
“Yeah. Jagdtiger was there, so was an Elefant”
‘I know which one. I didn’t think it moved’
“It did”
‘Caretakers?’
“Yeah. Believe the Elefant had one. Blonde, pretty tall, fair skin. Probably called Nibelung as well”
‘Speaking of…’
“Yes, Lily was there as well”

Helen scribbles on her paper

“Hey, Helen, we don’t consider her an enemy, do we?”

She sighs again and lowered her glasses a little

‘As much as i want to, no. Not sure if i would say friend either’
‘I don’t get it man, why do you care?’

Wendy sat in the corner of the room and ate instant noodles

“I keep asking myself that. I really do. Not gonna be a problem after today i guess”
‘Wait, you spoke to her today?’

Both Wendy and Helen looked curious

“I think confronted is a better term”
‘Hashtag breakup’

You and Helen both looked at her with disappointment in your eyes

‘That was ironic’
“Sure it was”

After that the discussion went back to planning, getting resources from everywhere, trying to organise the defense and generally making sense of the other fighting forces in the west. You were not very good with the whole planning thing and opted to go to sleep instead. There was no time you had to be up next morning
But that next morning the atmosphere had gotten a lot chiller. You didn't even make it to the cafeteria before Wendy caught you

‘Anon! They need your help down in the garages’
“Already?”
‘Yeah, our time frame got shifted. News from the space wizards’
“... What”
‘NASA. We might get company as soon as four or five days from now’

With that is mind, breakfast could wait.

The garages were not actual garages, just some ad hoc metal structures next to a repair shop intended for cars. It wasn't much, and the biggest tanks didn't even fit inside. But for the purposes of what was being done, not much more was needed. Even someone who enjoyed glue for food could change an air filter, but even basic things that had anything to do with the engine needed someone with at least some knowledge of the realms of machines

Even something as changing, or in some cases, cleaning an oil filter took a lot of time due to how cramped everything was. Hydraulic leaks were not too bad with mow much spare parts were available. And for the first time in quite a while, you felt important, as someone else had made a plate of food for you, because you did something they could not.

Now of course, for every four people that tried to take care of their machine, there was always a fifth that for one reason or another, didn’t. Meaning you had the night to yourself cleaning out carburetors on a Ford GAA engine.

The garage emptied as you took them apart and removed all kinds of filth that shouldn’t be in them. Which did confirm that they didn’t like you as much as they liked what you did. Of course, it was nice to be appreciated, but when 10pm passed, most left for their beds.

And the appeal of a bed, or in your case a couch, was clear. But it somehow wasn’t as appealing as having yet another cannon pointing at those things.
Your thoughts wandered off. There was a very real possibility you wouldn’t be alive a week from now.

Was this the point where you think back on it all? No, that would be pathetic. That is for people three or four times your age.

The radio was playing some long forgotten music. It was a kind you haven't heard in a long while. You were even surprised anyone played it. And it managed to do what everything else had failed to do for a few months. It put a genuine smile on your face. But it didn't save you from the work that was left. The carburetors had to find their way back on the gigantic V8. At least access to the top of the engine was easy. Just a few bolts and a fuel line didn’t take too much time to do up. And then make sure the engine ran smoothly. Of course people were going to complain about the noise at this time of the night, but you were actually doing your job.

It ran smoothly, despite being made in the 40s. You listened to it a little while, and when you couldn’t see or hear anything off, you crawled back into the tank and turned the big engine off.

Out of the tank, to the workbench where the digital clock glared at you in angry red numbers. it said 23:17, which was depressing in its own right. Just as annoying was people were probably going to start pestering you before 8 with some kind of mechanical issues. You could always find somewhere else to sleep, but that would really just mean procrastinating.

Calling it a day, you reached for the radio to turn it off- but stopped. Somewhere, deep down inside you, that famous sixth sense tingled. What did it try to say? That something wasn’t quite right? Something bad was about to happen? You grab a sizeable wrench from the table and turn around.

No one there. No one but you

Being tired of the god damn deceptions you close the big diesel generator, which takes the lights and the old radio with it. Everything falls silent
Meanwhile, on the other side of the salt flats, Miranda had spent almost half an hour standing outside a door. A few days earlier, Lily had called and said where Natalya were. Miranda didn’t hesitate to take a car and drive over. Natalya had been completely out when Miranda got there. But she had valiantly stayed by her side. Made sure she lay comfortably, fed her, gave her water, and then that chocolate. Miranda didn’t know she had been fed what for all intents and purposes was methamphetamine. The rest of that night was completely black. Complete memory loss.

She had woken up in a place she didn’t recognize, among people she didn’t knew, that spoke a language she couldn’t speak. But Natalya came for her eventually and said these were the people she was working with now.

Miranda was allowed to stay the night, but had to leave in the morning. She was treated well, given a room of her own and proper food. The people here didn’t like her much, but they respected her. And Miranda didn’t care even the slightest about that

She was standing outside the door to Natalya’s room in just underwear and a T-shirt. She had her pillow tightly clutched to her chest. Normally, she would have spend another half hour in front of the door, and then gone back to bed. She had done it many times earlier. But the situation had changed with the news that the world might end in five days. there was nothing left to lose anymore

Her slender, pale hand hit the dull wooden door, on, two three times. And then it went silent again.

+ Natalya?

She almost shocked herself with how soft her voice was. There was fear in there, undoubtedly. But also determination. Undaunted by not getting a reply, she knocked again.

+ Please?

The door, and the room behind kept being silent

+ i’ll wait outside...
Miranda sat down on her pillow, back against the door. The concrete floor was much too cold to go barefeet on.

But what option did she have? She had to prove that she wouldn't fall apart because of some resistance. She had to-

The door behind her opens and she falls to the ground. Unprepared and arms flailing her head hits the cold, hard floor with a thud. She reached for her head and whimpered in pain

¤ What are you doing here? And dressed like that? It's late.
+ I'm sorry, but I can't sleep. Can I stay here with you?
¤ I don't have a spare bed

Miranda blushed deeply (not that anyone could tell in the darkness) and lowered her head. They both fell silent for a moment.

¤ My bed?

The little one nodded like her life depended on it. Natalya let her in, peeked in the corridor to make sure jo curious eyes had seen what what happened and closed it behind her. Miranda was already sitting in the bed. The tall Soviet was genuinely tired and fell down on the bed at once. But just after, she felt a little warmth getting closer to her

¤ What are you doing?
+ S-sorry, I didn't… Uhh-
¤ I didn't ask you to apologize. What were you doing?
+ I w-was j-just cold
¤ Turn around. Away from me

Miranda tasted defeat. She was simply unable to go against what Natalya had said. Her heart was beating just to taunt her at this point. Natalya didn't want her. Not like Miranda wanted her anyway. So she turned away from something that was so close she could smell it. The soft, sweet scent of… something good! Miranda didn't know what it smelled like, but it was good!

But it was a good that wasn't for her. She had chased a shadow for six months, unable to tell her anything about what she felt. Her heart was starting to beat slower.
At least it wasn't much left now. Four days? She could take it for another four days. Just as her thoughts had started to wander to the special warheads stored in her tank, she got the shock of her life. The bed moved a little as something behind her shuffled around. And before she knew it, she was warm. A soft, bare chest was pressed up against the back of her thin T-shirt, and a strong arm around her belly pulled her in closer. Her heartbeat quickened with her breath, sending warm blood around her whole body. Soon even her legs felt the silky touch of others, longer and stronger than her own. It was all as soft and pleasant as…

Miranda couldn't even think of anything that felt this good

+ Natalya…
¤ You're very warm for someone that says she is cold
+ You made me warm.
¤ Good. Are you able to sleep now?
+ N-no. I have to say something

Miranda breaks free of her grip, and looks Natalya straight in her eyes

+ S-something I have to say. That I've w-wanted to say for a while…
¤ Are you doing this again?

Natalya’s voice seldom carried much emotion, now was now exception

+ What!?
¤ Yes, confessing? You only do that once, you know

Miranda's roller coaster of emotions found a new direction to hurl her at. Confusion topped with fear

+ Whatareyoutalkingabout?!?
¤ You sweet little innocent thing… you don't remember last night for you?

Miranda had started crying. She didn't know what happened anymore. She was scared

¤ Come, lie down with me. I'll tell you what happened

And so they do. Natalya had to explain what drugs actually did, why the little one couldn't remember anything and how she had spent half an hour pouring her feelings onto Natalya.
Miranda was so embarrassed she wanted to sink through the floor. Down, away from everything and down to the core of the earth. To disappear. But Natalya didn’t seem to mind at all. Partly because of the compromised state they were in, and partly because she was really tired

Which left Miranda confused beyond words. She had never been this close, this warm , this… what did she even feel? Natalya didn’t reject her, they were in the same bed!

But Miranda didn’t feel quite accepted either. Even if she was sleeping just next to her.

Next to her…

Miranda was lulled into a soft, safe and above all, comfortable sleep.

~ ~ ~

However, there was someone else on the other side of the salt flats who wasn’t comfortable, or at all happy with things in general.

“Who the fuck thought this was a good idea!?”

You were back at the garages again, woken from your rest to help a tank crew that had been practicing. Which was of course good. But not only did they feel they had to wake you up then the engine started “sounding funny”. Sure, it was an ungodly hour, and you really wanted them to fuck off, but their Sherman was one of the few modified to carry the big 105mm gun with a gigantic muzzle brake. So it was actually important to keep it working. And then you saw the engine

“What the fuck is this even!?”
‘An engine?’
“Yes, i see that is an engine”
‘So…?’
“You don’t know much about engines, do you? Any of you?”

The whole crew stood silent in front of you. This particular Sherman didn’t have a caretaker
“It is not three engines that i thought at first. No, this is even worse. This is a 15 rotor, triple crankshaft rotary engine. I Cannot with words describe how unsuitable this is for a tank engine. It’s moody, maintenance intensive, needy. For a sports car, creat. But for a tank? This is retarded!”

And when you have emptied your lungs of frustration all falls silent.

‘Sorry Anon, we don’t know too well. We just wanted to help’
“Augh, not your fault. But it’s still retarded. Go to bed you guys, mechanics don’t need sleep”

And so, the time was now way past 1 am. The radio played happy tunes, and the lights in the ceiling were shining only for you. The plan was at least to get to a diagnosis today. Figure out what was wrong with it. Climb up on the back, open up the engine cover and…

There was that feeling again, The sixth sense that betrayed you earlier. That unsettling, deep down feeling you weren’t lone. And this time, you saw it. It was a shadow from the pale, cold fluorescent lamps.

A figure. It could be anything. Probably not a beast, judging by how still and quiet it was. The conclusion was a human. Someone that wasn’t the crew of the tank. Someone that was in the garage, alone with you in the middle of the night. You don’t have your pistol with you, but there was a sizeable axe that was included in the standard toolkit provided by M4 Shermans. This axe was brand new, with a yellow plastic handle. Not that it was less capable of making a mess out of someone.

You jump down from the engine deck, and land on the floor in front of the figure. It was a human.

A woman. A little above average length, probably nice curves, but covered up with rather unflattering clothes. Her hair was cropped short and light brown

>I figured i’d find you here. Hey Anon