NationStates Jolt Archive

Mathias's mind ceased in its frantic conclusionless race at Charmaine's simple words, "…you, you are my lover."

Suddenly feeling nauseous, he wavered a bit on shaking knees. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head in his chest....he could not longer stand. His knees giving in, he slid down despite her arms around him, and sat on the ground, staring blankly at her feet.

He felt within him the love; he knew her words to be true, but he could not shake the overpowering fear and anxiety within him. He should have known these things; yet, he did not remember any of it. He felt like he had failed Charmaine, his lover......a lover he could not remember.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" he thought as he rested his arms overlapping each other on his raised knees, burying his head within them, staring at the floor beneath his legs....... "What the hell is wrong with me?"

“I’m not quite sure,” she said softly, kneeling down to meet him at eye level. She kissed his cheek, even knowing that he had no recollection of her. She stared into his eyes and saw that she wasn’t registering with him. She looked slightly troubled, but she was not a woman to break under extreme circumstances. She had a strong spirit, and was certainly a tough cookie. She reached her hand toward him, pulling out of his pocket a platinum bracelet with her rose emblem on it. She put it in his hand. “Try and remember. If I have to show you things you don’t want to see again, I will. It might jump start your memory.” She mulled the idea over.

“I wore this before last night. I had slipped it to you before you left my room. When I couldn’t sleep, I went to yours,” she paused. “Do you remember at all?” She would start again, all the way from the start. Time, it would take time to rebuild their love again, but she would be there. She was the only one who may be able to bring down his walls again.

Aiden chuckled slightly. “Don’t take offence to my words,” he smiled. “I know no better from what you have told me, and we have only just met. It is too early for me to know what you are insulted by, and I was not brought up to do the sort.” He lingered over the words, as if they had been honey, and waited for the last drop to fall. “This kind of viciousness involves that of the mind as well as a few physical details. I will play my part, to be sure. It involves that in breaking hearts, you see. For the well being of many, you see.” He crossed behind her, and trailed his fingertips across her shoulders, and let his hand fall back to his side. Vampires of the U.E. had always been very physical beings.

He took out a piece of paper, which was rolled up. “You see,” he began. “This needs to be set in a certain room on a certain bed, I believe you know the woman as Charmaine, though I do not know what room she is staying in. I need you to make sure that she returns to the room alone. As a vampire, it shouldn’t be hard to hide your thoughts. Charmaine is still young, and will think nothing of any barriers you may put up. Those are the only two things I need you to do if everything should work out as I expect. The one she is with, the one they call Mathias, must not be able to be found. He is to be left completely alive, just out of her reach for a while. I don’t care if you call a conference with him and discuss God knows what, but they can’t see each other for one night.”

Clutching the bracelet, Mathias felt the cool metal within in his hands. He opened his hand slowly, hoping for something, anything, to trigger a memory. The platinum shone like white silver within his hand, the rose emblem dancing in his mind, but that was all.....nothing had surfaced.

He quickly clutched the bracelet again, looking into his eyes with panic. He could not remember. He opened his hand slowly; looking upon the bracelet again, remembering nothing yet again.

He frowned heavily, his brow furrowing as he clutched the bracelet again.

"I can't remember her....."

But if anything had dawned on him, it was simply that she could respond to him. In fear, he quickly looked up to her. It seemed as if she was reading his mind and he could not understand how she had seemingly answered his thoughts if he had not said anything......or was he speaking outloud.

"Can you hear me?" he mouthed, his voice nothing but an eerie escape of air from his mangled throat. He was unaware that he had not spoken the words; for in his mind, he heard them clear as day......but not from his voice.....from his mind.....

He looked at her confused......wanting just to remember her. She was still standing with him; he knew that she had loved him to have stayed by his side, but despite that fact, he simply could not remember her.

She shook her head. “No, I can’t hear you from your voice. You can’t speak. I am the only one who can hear you that is present in this mansion, well, one of the two.” She paused, balancing on each side what she should do, and what she should let him see. “Mathias, you are going to be frightened after I show you what I am about to. Please, don’t run away from me, please don’t be frightened. Please don’t,” she pleaded, before doing anything. It would surely scare him off. She had to try though, for if he loved her for all she was, including the flaws, and if he had to learn to love her again, or reject her, he would need to know everything.

Her fangs extended behind her closed lips and she parted them, so that Mathias could view the sharp weapons. Her eyes had changed color flushing to scarlet. “I can hear your thoughts, “she said softly. “I am a vampire. The paleness of my skin, the coldness of my body, and the outrageously high dental bill all due to the fact that I am a vampire.” She delved into his eyes. Please Mathias, remember me.

"No offense taken." Erzsebet's words were true. "I was a bit surprised, but not insulted."

Even though Aiden touched her in a rather... suggestive... way, she gave no indication of noticing. She did not even shiver as she felt his cold fingers on her not-quite-as-cold skin.

"As for your request," she said, keeping a steady, casual voice. "It will indeed prove difficult, as I don't think Charmaine is especially fond of my company. And I have one question about the whole thing.... why?" Erzsebet left an intentional pause there. "Why will destroying the bond between Charmaine and Mathias help many?" She always appeared to be a hard woman, or had since... it... happened, but she did not want to destroy a love without a very good reason.

Mathias stared blankly, as if not understanding what any of it meant. "So you can hear my thoughts?"

At a soft nod from her, he winced.....unsure if she had been hearing his rant the whole while. "If you can hear me then......will you lay with me? I think....I really should.....lay down. I don't know anyone, but you're with me, and I'm....well...." his eyes lowered to the ground, ashamed of his feelings, "I'm.....afraid to be alone right now. I don't know where I am?"

“More than you could ever imagine,” he said softly, “more than I could ever express.” He bent down to meet eye level with Erzsebet, only inches from her face. “Charmaine, or should I say Sarah? Yes, her name is Sarah. She has deceived many people, including Mathias. She has played him from the beginning; her sole purpose here is to collect information on what is happening. No one can hear Mathias talk? So who would he be able to tell in a short period of time should she have realized? He has a major role in this war, so who better would it be to get information from. All she had to do was make him fall in love with her, a feat not so hard for a vampire of her kind, and a woman like herself. Who better to fall in love with than the only person who can hear you?” He stood up, and paced a bit, heading toward the door.

“Believe me,” he said softly. “It would be better if she left as soon as possible than drag him on any further. Being undetected will not be a problem. I will alert you if anyone is near. It is just that after our conversation, I would like to disappear, and make my presence purely for observation rather than intervention. I will, however, ensure your safety. Sarah has a lot of potential locked away in that mind of hers, it’s a shame she isn’t using it, but she doesn’t have knowledge of it. I need her to return to our nation, and I need her to leave Mathias behind before she causes any more trouble.” He looked at her intensely. "Will you help me for our nation's sake?"

You’re in your own house, she replied, keeping the conversation completely silent and confined within his mind. Come, she said softly, grabbing his hand and leading him back to his own room, closing the door behind them. She looked at the sunlight from across the room, and winced at the thought. She ushered him forward. Go ahead; I’ll be with you in a second. I just have to collect my thoughts a bit, that’s all. The light had been more intense that it had before, but it would be sunset in an hour or so, so Charmaine played with her options.

She eyed the light carefully. Why should she be denied such? A simple ray of light separating her from him. Only a short distance away she had ran once before, but when he was conscious of her, and when he would know how much it pained her to spin her around and protect her. She needed him to be strong, carry himself with conviction. She knew that he couldn’t be, not remembering anything was taking a great toll on the heart, even though hers ceased to beat on its own, and thrived on the blood of others.

"You do sound thoroughly convincing," Erzsebet said, sympathetically. "But you haven't answered my question yet." She remained sitting, still aware of her nudity. "If she is here to collect information, then I don't see what the harm is, though her method is deplorable." She did not entirely believe that Charmaine, or Sarah, was fully dedicated to her job. Erzsebet had seen the female vampire and the mute human together.

Mathias stopped; he did not know where to go......did not want to leave his comfort zone; the protection and security she offered. Although he had only learned who she was and her relation to him moments ago, she was the only person he would feel comfortable around at this moment.

He stepped toward her, his face concerned and afraid.... "What's wrong?...... Please come with me...... I don't remember....." his distanced mind placed together. His thoughts were evidentially becoming strained, further apart, almost as if it were painful to think. He faced showed no outward evidence of this though, as he kept a face of concern for Charmaine and none other. Perhaps it would not even have been that noticable, unless by a trained mind.....a mind assessing the depths of his problems.

“She is more precious to the nation than you could fathom,” he scoffed, not at Erzsebet, but at Charmaine. “That woman isn’t supposed to be alive, well, technically she isn’t, but she shouldn’t be walking this realm. Speak nothing of this, what I am about to say, because it shall remain unknown to everyone but yourself, am I clear?” With a slight look of approval, he continued. “Sarah Vaughn* is her last name. She is the daughter of that devil of an angel Ravelyn Shentavo and Michael Vaughn.” Ravelyn’s name had passed through many other nations, being known as the only angelic vampire in existence, and becoming a legend in the archives. Though some nations new the name only as mentioning it, while others could go in depth. He did not believe that the name would register immensely with her, though he would hope it did.

“The nation is facing something which I can not speak of at the moment,” he continued. “When she gets this letter, she will return home. I know, that if she does not get this letter, then she would take Mathias with her, and the man will die. Many vile people in our nation do not believe in a vampire and human unions. It is better to break her heart with words than with his death.”

“I can’t…” she said softly. “I can’t walk in sunlight.” She looked at the beams gloomily. “Please go on to the next room ahead of you. Don’t look back; I do not want you to see this, please…” Her eyes pleaded him to go. “I will be quite all right, I will join you shortly.” He couldn’t remember what happened, or who he was, or who she was for that matter. She was dreadfully afraid that his memory would never return. Perhaps it never would. She eased these thoughts. She had not scared him away. Her eyes had returned to violet, and her fangs had retracted. “I need you to be strong for me.”

And she did. “Just because you forget who you are doesn’t change your soul. You are safe here, and I am here. There is no reason for you to be frightened.”

"I don't want to leave you........" his mind begged. He did not want to leave her at all; she offered him something familiar in this unknown and chaotic hell of memory loss.

He reached out for her slowly, withdrawing his hand a few times before touching her face with a trembling hand. "You are so beautiful.....has anyone ever told you that?"

“Yes,” she replied softly, and closed her eyes. It was killing her softly inside, for him not to remember. She wouldn’t let that feeling take over her. “Go. I’m not leaving this room. I will be with you shortly. Please….please go. You can’t rely on me to restore your memory. As much as I love you I can not bare to see you unable to stand on your own two feet because you forgot how to do that as well. Please, just go into the room ahead of us, sit down, and don’t watch.” She was almost shaking. It was killing her. “Please, Mathias. Don’t hang on to me because I am the only thing that seems familiar. This room should seem familiar, your surroundings you’ve spent more time with than you have me.”

She withdrew from him. As cruel as it was, he needed a push. “I will be with you, don’t worry. Please. Go.”

Mathias stared at her back blankly until she disappeared from his vision. He stood there confused, wanting to follow her, wanting to bring her back, but he could not move from the very spot he stood.

After nearly ten minutes of unmoving and staring blankly at the doorway, he summoned all his strength to look about his room. He looked toward the doorway a final time; the notion dawning on him that she was not going to come back.

And like a lost puppy, he tucked his tail between his legs and sulked away into the room she had motioned for him to go before she had left. He sat on the edge of the bed and continued to stare blankly at the wall; his face devoid of emotion.....apathy taking over. Or was it?

After twenty minutes of staring at the wall, he stood up and walked toward the lengthy chest of drawers lining the wall in front of him. He opened many of the drawers, removing the contents and throwing them on the floor....as if looking for something that would trigger his memories to return.

And with that, he seized a handgun unlike any that have been used before by The Reich. He sat back on the bed holding the gun as if it were some sort of fragile object. He stared blankly at it, unsure of what to do.

He stared at the gun blankly; not remembering precisely why he had chosen this from the drawers and what he should do with it.

Charmaine’s head began to hurt intensely. She fell to the ground. She had not even left the room. Mathias had finally gone into the room ahead. She had not been able to move. She collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain. She was seeing memories that weren’t hers. Memories that were never told, nor spoken. Memories that she had no recollection of ever seeing before. Let the nightmares begin again.


Her mind is filled with fairytales. New ones every day, don't ask me anything now. I know what she’s waiting for the curtain to fall.

"We... we..." Sarah muttered, eyes still closed. "We are not really inside Cecilia anymore here. It's like... someone else... trapped here. These... these are this being's defenses... I think it's... I think..."

Her head fell backward and no breathe could be heard anymore. Sarah's life seemed to have gone. The heartbeat echoed more violently within the room, accelerating, erratic: an emotion. This was an emotion and it was coming from the other side of the door.

Names don't mean anything, hear the lady sing.. Have you heard the girl sing? She needs to handle the dreams of the day.

Qui lifted Sarah into his arms. "Hold on, little one." He looked around. He had no choice. he stepped toward the door, the chains around his wrists wrapped around the handle, pulling it open.

Rave looked back and saw him looking out the window. The ground shook as if it was an earthquake. The land had already started to die, as another mark appeared on her wrist. She looked down for a second, thoughts rushing through her mind. She looked back up at him, tears now visible in her eyes. It seemed as if the sky were going to fall. Ravelyn broke into a run towards him, running faster than she even had before.
Vaughn...

Kairi smiled softly. “Apparently, I wasn't needed. Now, how do we stop this land from going into oblivion?”

Enamarcia, though not present, responded. “We can't”.

You've hurt them many times, why apologize. They were the ones who were wrong, what are they waiting? Give them a vial.

“Sarah,” Rave repeated to Zacharian. “Your daughter.” Everything was moving so fast. Witz and Yakori appeared in the room. In a bit of shock, Rave immediately looked down, turning a way slightly from the man. She scratched her head uncomfortably with a bit of a chuckle.

"Oh, be my valentine", play along with an angel with silver tongue, play with a stranger.

Alright," she said, breaking the silent conversation with the man next to her. "This...may hurt." White wings had settled upon Ravelyn's back. It was beautiful, but Zacharian could see the blood slowly dripping from the source of those wings. They had emerged from her back. She looked toward him, and shrugged.

"Apparently it's necessary for me to get into this world..." She said in explanation, ignoring the searing pain that was shooting through her spine. She closed her eyes momentarily. A few minutes later, she opened them abruptly. Grabbing Zacharian's hand, she ran down the corridor, nearly pulling him across the floor as she had done earlier.

I never saw anything so white. Call me Ishmael, if it ain't a lie.

"Never heard this name before," Smith answered. "If you ask me, Vaughn sounds horribly wrong. Picture that: Ravelyn Vaughn, no really. Ravelyn Shentavo is so much better!"

I am blinded by your revealing smile.

She watched him leave. Vaughn... She called, trying to connect with him. She didn't like this place. On earth, she could bend things to her will, because she knew it's secrets. IN heaven, she never needed to. In hell, Vaughn had been the one to save her, but here..here she was...frightened
“
He doesn't answer, does he?"

The voice was coming from the left, very close. Smith was standing there. A few seconds before he was in the building, behind her.

"Does he?"

I can only be guilty of an innocent try.

"I know only what I'm needed to know," she said in reply. Her crimson eyes flickered. She tossed something two him, something crimson and small...as he looked up to her, she replied. " A jewel." She smiled. "And I never said I was an archangel, nor a vampire...but then again, we all have our secrets." She smiled, and turned to head down the stairs.

"Demon! Goddess! Whatever!" Smith shouted out loud, dancing around.

He stopped and stared at her going down the stairs.

"Truth is you don't know who you're working for or if what you're doing is the right thing. It's as if you were sometimes incarnated by another being in another world, comfortably sat, looking at you and putting words in your mouth."

He waved his hand.

"See you soon, character."

You think you are right, in a way. It is something I hear every day.

"Hello there!
- Err... hello who are you?
- Smith and you?
- Vaughn, Michael Vaughn. You're dead too?
- Vaughn... funny, that's the name the lady talked about.
- Lady? What lady?
- Rale Ten Ciao or something.
- Rave?!? Where?... No... she's dead too?
- Of course.
- Wait... who are you really?
- She was right there, I'd say half a mile away."

Vaughn didn't want to ask more questions. He ran, following the direction the bald man had pointed at.

I cannot understand you, to me you live in a world of chaos.

As Rave walked away, she heard something...footsteps. I mustn’t look... She stopped. Bloody hell... She remarked to herself. It's probably smith...he scares me sometimes... but slowly, she turned around. Her lips parted to speak, but there were no words to be heard. She stood there, her backless black satin dress hugging the curves of her body. Her crimson eyes looked up to meet his...

Life is a play you star on, to you it's all a game.

That can't be... but... if I see her as... then I must be... but if she's dead... and if I'm dead... and... and...

He took her violently in his arms, kissing her with the passion of a man who hadn't seen his love for a thousand years.

I outsmart you. I am wise, I defeat you any way I like.

He looked at her intensely.

"I tried to deny my feelings," he whispered. "You know why."

He stepped back. He was trembling. Tears appeared in his eyes.

"Now look where this folly has brought you!" he shouted with a movement of rage. "And this is all my fault! My enemies! My own problems."

He looked at her with a darker expression.

"My love is a poison that slowly drives the ones I touch into oblivion."

He looked up at the sky, arms opened.

"Whoever you are, I hate you! I hate you for what you've done to those I had the imprudence to love. Do you hear me? I HATE YOU!!!"

But you got me forced into a fall. I am your slave, down on the floor.

Vaughn's expression darkened.

"Yes, no telepathy. And no dark path here. At least I guess we're no more on the other side of the Barrier... bah... that's stupid of me: we are dead. This is obvious. This is not the paradise. So it could only be two things: Hell or Purgatory, right?"

He put his arm around her.

You think you are right, in a way. It is something I hear every day.

"You're wearing a kind of mask, aren't you?" he asked Michael. "That's not your true appearance, is it?
- No. This is like a separate part of myself, why?
- Oh, nothing. I just find that quite impressive. I mean, this is like a power isn't it?
- Not really.
- Hmmm."

Smith seemed to be puzzled by Vaughn's attitude. Rave could confusedly feel the bald man was searching his memory, as if he already knew Vaughn somehow.

I do feel stronger now, why am I still here with you.

"No," Vaughn replied simply. "I just don't like how he's looking at me."

Smith smiled at Rave.

"Oh... it's nothing, you know. Just have the impression I saw someone like your friends before. Someone with purely black eyes. Nothing important."

Vaughn's eyes widened.

"I... I beg your pardon?"

You and your silver tongue, why do I still play with you.

"I don't have an excuse for dying other than that if I hadn't have gone into hell to bind Mephisto, he would have been set free and kill everyone." She continued casually..."And did you know we have a daughter?" she asked shooting him a smile.

Vaughn’s jaw dropped. “WE WHAT?” O_O;

You think you are right, in a way. It is something I hear every day.

Ravelyn laughed, and nodded her head to herself, then looked to him. "We have a daughter." she repeated. "When you died, my tear...and then there was this light...and the shadows were gone. Then Azerdat turned prophetic, and she is the result of our love apparently. You always liked the name Sarah..." she smiled slightly. "Though I wish we had a chance to make her..." she laughed to herself.

I cannot understand you, to me you live in a world of chaos.

Charmaine’s eyes widened, and the pain persisted. She brought her nails from her right hand across her arm, the pain keeping her conscious and aware of her surroundings. “Stand up,” she said to herself, feeling extremely dizzy. She attempted, but fell. “Stand up…” She repeated to herself, more out of anger at her own failure than simply repeating it. She managed to get to her feet. The pain faded to a dull ache, and she heard a rather high pitched ringing in her ears.

After some time of mindless staring, he brought the gun to his head. His hands were shaking, but he could not understand why. His memory was gone and he could not understand that either. Silently within, it tore him apart; pulling ever so tightly on his weakening heart.

He was unaware of damage within; his body dying from within had weakened him beyond knowledge. The stress building on his straining heart promised to send him to an obilivious hell. And he sat there unaware of the internal hell being wrought by his own emotions and thoughts.

He looked toward the door a final moment, lowering his head in disappointment. He was a condemned man..... He positioned the gun to the base of his skull, aiming to pierce his medulla. It came by instinct and involved little thought.

Charmaine dulled the pain as much as she could, but it was still intense. Something was seriously wrong. She had promised she would be there momentarily, and had already passed a half an hour in the foyer. She broke into the run, the light causing slightly less pain than before, to the door to Mathias’ room. She still heard the ringing sound. She opened the door, and came upon a sight she never thought she would lay eyes on. She stood frozen for several seconds. She leapt forward, her eyes flushing red. Praying that her agility would be enough. His finger was already on the trigger. She tried to pull the gun from him. As she pulled his hand away she heard the shot.

Her eyes widened, and she felt the hot liquid seeping through his shirt, which fell loosely off one shoulder. Her head nearly fell backwards as she tried to keep conscious. She took in a few breaths, which were usually unneeded. She fell forward onto him, as if she were to hug him. Her arms tightened around him, as much as they could for her muscles had gone weak. It was a hot searing pain that had gone right through the bone. “Damn it Mathias,” she managed. “I asked you to be strong for me. If you…if you ever…pull a stunt like this….again…I’ll kill you for attempting it.” She smiled lightly, though the lights were fading in her eyes. She fought to keep consciousness, which she managed to do for a short period of time. “I don’t…want to...have to wake up…every night…knowing that the man…I love…killed himself, because he couldn’t remember anything…and he wouldn’t live for me.”

Turning slowly, as if possessed by a force unknown in this realm, he looked at her, a cold heartless look that would have probably hurt Charmaine had she not just suffered a bullet wound.

But it faded quickly as he realized what had just happened. Charmaine had returned......she had been shot.....she took his bullet....

Fear gripped his heart once again; straining ever so much on the quickly weakening muscle. She was losing consciousness quick. Without hesitation or thought, he lifted her up, as a father carries his sleeping child to bed, feeling his joints beginning to stiffen again. It hurt him to move, but he no longer cared, pushing his body beyond capacity.

With resolve set in his eyes, he pushed forward despite the aching in his back that had begun to spread toward his legs and knees. Moving fast for a man who usually took one step at a time, he practically ran down the stairs with haste while his face bore no other emotions except a hard cold resolve.

He pressed her closer with each weakening joint of his body, holding on to her life as if it were his own. Reaching the foyer, he turned right, heading toward the medicial facility. The doors that normally opened, operated by The Red Queen, did not function properly and remained shut as he approached. He shifted Charmaine in his arms and thrust his shoulder into the door to force it open, feeling the joint burst in pain.

The room was bright; the electric lights burning above. He squinted as he laid Charmaine on a cold hard steel table before turning away, preping to take care of her wounds; a profession he had long since neglected.

Charmaine would have fled the second she saw the room. Her avid fear of hospitals had sunk in as she felt her back against the metal table. The bullet wouldn’t kill her, but she couldn’t remove it herself. While the pain would have dulled to numbness, her flesh kept repairing itself, causing the pain to be rekindled in an endless wave of pain. She did not cry. Not one tear fell from her eyes. She grit her teeth, and noted the stiffness returning. There are four vials I had left you, on a side table near your bed, after I had written the letter…take one now, leave me for a bit. I can manage.

She managed a smile, but winced. It wasn’t from the pain, but from the blinding lights above her, and the steel on her back.

Mathias returned to Charmaine carrying a tray of tools and dressed accordingly to treat her wound. He disregarded the polite suggestion inside his mind; his body would last through this procedure.

His eyes bared down on Charmaine, the cold resolve set within him. His gloved hands immediately went to work, cutting off the shirt she wore. Making a precise incision, he began to search for the bullet, the small piece of metal proving to be rather difficult to find.

Long drawn out moments passed, Mathias beginning to sweat from the tension and stress on his weakening body, while he continued to intrinsically work on Charmaine. Finally, he found the bullet grabbing it with an instrument similiar to a tweezers, removing it from her body along with the small shards that had broken off of the bullet in the process.

As he prepared to stitch up her wounds, they were rapidly healing, a look of confusion spreading across his face. He stood back staring at her, the cold set expression diminishing slowly from his face. He smiled at her remarkable recovery and turned from her, removing the gloves and cleaning up.

Leaning over the sink, he felt his body stiffen further, while he rinsed his hands in the cold water. He let out an exhausted breath, running his hands under the water and rinsing his face painfully; a rush of memories coming back.

He did not move, the water falling over his hands as he stared at the sink.....watching the visions replay in front of him.

The pain began to cease as the bullet was removed. Charmaine’s mind remained in a complete panic, her eyes fixated on the light above her. The light above her remained as she closed her eyes. It took shape of a figure she could not recognize. She’d never saw anything so bright. Her mind had been thrown into chaos. All of it was because of Aiden. These memories, they were not hers, or his. She could not stop them from coming.


Ooooo.. Azrael, you always were the feisty one. I suppose you'd attempt to kill me and take the heavens, eh?

No, *she smiled* but i may put you in a head lock for quite some time.

I never thought you would anyway.

Kaos jumped down from a spire and landed right next to Ravelyn. He was tall with dark black unkempt hair and red eyes. He had a scar running across his face and looked quite young. He was quite the charmer, might even give Qui a run for his money.

“Wow, would have never recognized you Azrael…” he said, walking around her. “That lustrous auburn hair, those sanguine colored eyes, those flushed cheeks, those rose-colored lips. You know Azrael… you are beautiful when your angry at me.” Ravelyn shook her head and hugged Kaos. “It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”

“Mmmhmmm…” she said, muffled in his shoulder. “You didn’t change a bit.”

“Your wings don’t look so good,” he said in observance.

“Both were kind of torn off.”

“Oh yes, your apocalypse, how did that go? I was a bit worried about that.”

“It didn’t. You are damn lucky Vaughn was there, if not, he would have probably killed you afterwards Kaos.”

“He’d try. Well, do you want me to finish the job that it started on you?”

“Yes…it really does hurt.” With that Kaos reached behind her back, and his hand settled on her right wing. In a quick burst of power, he ripped it from her back. She didn’t let out a cry, only a tear from her left eye. As he had done with the right, he did to the left. “Bloody hell that hurt…” Ravelyn muttered as he began to heal her back.


And with every feeling of pain that had surged through Ravelyn’s body, it was felt upon Charmaine as well. While the angelic had handled the pain very well, Charmaine nearly choked, and she propped herself up. She reached to her shoulder, and felt a scalding heat coming from beneath her tattoo. She winced as the pain dulled. Why, were these memories coming to her? They were not even hers. They were her mother’s.

She looked at Mathias, and placed her hand to where the wound had been. It was now a deep bruise, but ached only lightly. She stood up from the table, all to eager to get off of it. Her mind was returning to reality, and she placed a hand on his shoulder, but she could say nothing.

Mathias flinched as his memories returned with full force; even to the extent where he felt him cutting into his own arm again. He looked to his arm, the sleeve of his shirt covering the quickly healed wounds of his arm, which had left their mark as scars. He could not believe what had happened, and he wanted nothing more then to embrace Charmaine.

He heard Charmaine get up and come toward him, turning as she placed a hand on his shoulder, taking her in his arms and holding her tightly. "I'm sorry Charmaine....I don't know what happened......I don't know what happened......"

He pulled her away from him, looking into her eyes deeply. "Charmaine.....what's wrong?"

“Nothing…” she said softly, wrapping her arms around him uncaring of her exposed flesh. “Nothing…” She repeated the word again, as if reassuring herself. I just need a bit of sleep, that’s all. So do you… She managed softly, before falling unconscious in his arms. It was strange for a vampire to fall unconscious, when no blood has been lost, and there are no outward forces acting upon her. Nothing appeared to be out of place, but the girl had lost consciousness, and let Mathias to speculation.

Mathias held onto Charmaine tightly, wincing in pain as he bent over to lift her into his arms, intending on carrying her to bed. His back creaked as he strained to straighten himself partially, but unable to fully do so, as he carried her out of the facility toward his bedroom.

He clenched his jaw tightly, taking each step at a time, slowly and painfully. Reaching the top step, he stumbled forward from his weak joints, falling onto his knees with a loud smash, cracking his right knee cap in the process. Struggling against his weakened body and the surging pain, he limped toward his room, laying Charmaine on his bed gently and covering her with the sheets.

Leaning over her, he kissed her on the lips softly, touching her hair lightly before pulling away. Lingering over her, he took in her beauty, giving into the temptation to kiss her a final time before turning from her. He limped his way out of the room and down the corridor, heading toward his labatory. He had work to do......work he needed to get done before it would be far too late to do anything at all. He felt the joints ache and weaken with each step.....his time was growing shorter with each breath and he feared that come time before war his time would be over.

She heard a heart beat. In every pulse, image reverberated before her. It was dark all around, and she could see nothing visible, just pure darkness. The bruise on her shoulder was gone, and the ground seemed to be damp, and there was the sound of water, dripping from a faucet or down a stream. She couldn’t determine where it was coming from. She stood up, and noticed the chains around her wrists. She took a step backward, and they all shattered, link by link. It occurred so quickly that she fell backwards, and was unable to catch herself with her hands. A loud thud emitted through the empty space, the chains were gone. Where am I? she looked around carefully, and tried to run, but she seemed to go no where. “Is any of this for real? Or not?”

Suddenly, the darkness faded into a open room she recognized to be one in the Shentavo mansion. Ravelyn was there, her long auburn hair falling freely over her shoulders in soft waves. Her crimson eyes sparkled in the sunlight. She took no notice of Charmaine. It had to be before she was born, for there was no tattoo on Ravelyn’s right shoulder, where a rose should have been.

“Ms. Ravelyn,” a voice called from the hallway. After the sound had passed to Rave’s ears had a young woman entered the room. She had long blonde hair and fierce ruby eyes. Genesis, Charmaine recalled the psion. Genesis Versai had been Ravelyn’s protégé for many years. She was very skilled in psionics, more so than any of them would have strived to be. “A representative from Phalanix is requesting time to speak with you.” Ravelyn turned her head in a playful manner.

“Is it Joshua?” Rave inquired. When she learned that it was not Joshua who was requesting her audience, she refused the conference. If it wasn’t Joshua who wanted to speak with her, than it was not important. After several minutes she heard another knock at the door. It opened without her rising.


I know that you're hiding things,
Using gentle words to shelter me.
Your words were like a dream.
But dreams could never fool me,
Not that easily.

“Damn it, Vaughn.” Ravelyn cursed, placing her hand down on the table beside her while addressing the man who was rubbing his forehead a few feet in front of her. He was a handsome man with light blonde hair and cold eyes. He wore his usual Armani suit, which complimented him dearly. “You are telling me that you may never come back, but it’s too dangerous for me so I’m staying behind? You must be mad if you think that I’m going to let you go alone. Cecelia is very strong, and I’m not having your life ended because you couldn’t take the help! I’m not going to have your death on my hands. You are such a fool, Vaughn. You know that nothing you could ever say would change my mind. The last thing I need is to lose you again. Do you seriously---“ Her words were interrupted as he had stepped forward and taken her in his arms, kissing her passionately.

There was no more conversation that night.
I acted so distant then,
Didn't say goodbye before you left.
But I was listening,
You'll fight your battles far from me,
Far too easily.

The scene faded quickly to another. Charmaine knew that Vaughn was a draconic knight. She had once been told that he had another image created for himself. It wasn’t just an image though; it suppressed and controlled what strength lay within him so his violent side would be kept under control. This mask he wore he called Michael. Zacharian was his true name. The two names are interchangeable for the same person, though refer differently to Vaughn. Charmaine had never seen Vaughn in his true image until now.

He was already awake, long black hair tied back and black eyes shining. It was quite a contrast from the short blonde hair he had only hours ago. Charmaine observed him carefully. He was picking up his shirt and putting it back on. She saw Ravelyn on the couch, wrapped up in the fluffiest white comforter she had ever seen in her life. Some how it had transported its way to the living room. She did not wake up, but remained safe within her dreams from what lay ahead, at least for now.

Vaughn looked at her one last time, and kissed her forehead. He nearly choked back tears. Vaughn wasn’t one to cry, but the delicate sleeping angel before him was what he was leaving behind, his one true love.

"Save your tears 'cause I'll come back."
I could hear that you whispered as you walked through that door,
But still I swore
To hide the pain,
While I turned back the pages.
Shouting might have been the answer,
What if I cried my eyes out and begged you not to depart?
But now I'm not afraid to say what's in my heart.

Ravelyn heard his voice inside of her head, awaking with a start. It was already daylight, and Vaughn had left her. She jumped up, and hurriedly got dressed. She wore long black pants, a white shirt, and a tan leather jacket. She grabbed the sword from above the mantel, and hurried downstairs. She knew where she was going. Vaughn had told her what he had planned to do. He never had any intention of taking her with him because of the danger. He knew somewhere deep within his heart that she would follow.

'Cause a thousand words call out through the ages,
They'll fly to you,
Even though I can't see,
I know they're reaching you,
Suspended on silver wings.
“Cecilia...do you think I'm joking?!" She had cut Cecilia's path off. "What's wrong? You killed me once, didn't you? Why not again?"

One thing was for sure...Ravelyn had acquired her old attitude back. She sounded somewhat like Qui at that moment.

"You want my fiancé for what purpose? Couldn't get any from demons? I understand completely, with a face like yours I'm surprised you weren't taken out back and shot. Now I know why there is a world shortage of mirrors...how many times do you have to look in one to understand why they shatter at your vile image?"

I take that back....She sounded very VERY much like her old self. There were no breaks between her sentences and a vicious fire in her eyes. "You also forget that Zacharian had given himself to a certain person. That woman standing before you, is what you have to get through to get him completely. Are you sure that you really want him now?"

Ravelyn was truly a beautiful, yet frightening sight at that point. The chains around her wrists possessed blade like structures on each ring, able to cut the skin without question. Despite her slender frame, Cecilia knew very well that she was strong. Her crimson eyes washed over the bitch in front of her.

Charmaine gasped, and looked at her own wrists. Those chains…those weapons of hers. There was nothing there, and no broken pieces on the floor.

Oh a thousand words,
One thousand embraces,
Will cradle you,
Making all of your weary days seem far away.
They'll hold you forever.
Cecilia smiled.

"Indeed, you are powerful, Ravelyn Shentavo," she said coldly. "Indeed, you have this raw drive. Too bad that's all you have."

She chuckled.

"You want him? Get him then."

In a burst of shadow, Cecilia transformed into Zacharian... or had she disapeared and was Zacharian in front of Rave?

No time for thoughts for this Zacharian had attacked Rave with his shadow blade.
Zacharian fell on the ground, a deep dark blood pouring from his abdomen. He made a strange noise as he hit the floor. Rave knew this sound. So many times had she heard Vaughn utter it when he was in pain. And as she looked more closely at Zacharian she saw the transformation, for it was Vaughn lying next to her, Vaughn she had wounded.

Oh a thousand words
Have never been spoken
They'll fly to you,
They'll carry you home
And back into my arms,
Suspended on silver wings.

The laugh burst inside the room. It was pouring from the vaporous walls. It was vivid, alive, yet cold and sharp.

"I have enough of his essence to bring him back. At least a copy so exact no one would make a difference. Except it would be as before. Before he tried to kill me."

Slowly, the room took a shape much known to Rave. It was her bedroom and Vaughn's body laid on the couch.

"I have no will to fight you, Ravelyn Shentavo. Your suffering is enough to please me."

The presence faded away.

"Farewell," Cecilia added, sarcastic.

And her very essence vanished.
And a thousand words
Call out through the ages
They'll cradle you
Turning all of the lonely years to only days
They'll hold you forever...

Ravelyn rushed to his side, and closed her eyes, tears falling. She held her hands to her heart, and tried to hold back the tears. She dropped to her knees and threw her arms across his body, resting her head on his stomach. In that moment, four beautiful white wings emerged from her back, two extending to either side. She gave a light gasp, and withdrew from him a bit. She watched as his eyes fluttered open in shock, and he sat up, grabbing Azrael within his arms and kissing her tenderly. Her arms wrapped around him, and she burying her head in his shoulder.

Mathias's heart beat slowly, coming to an abrupt, his body barely moving as he stopped before the broken glass windows that served as a decoy, a hidden doorway to the labaratory he worked so hard on concealing. He shook his head disapprovingly; he did not like the idea that others had been in his labatory snooping about by their own means.

He walked up the narrow staircase, stopping barely half way up to collapse, breathing heavily as his body refused to take him farther at the moment. He half laid on the stairs, half sat; his body aching, his heart racing, his breathing heavily labored. His weakening body was proving to be more difficult to work with then he had believed before.

More then a half of an hour progressed before Mathias regained the energy to continue up the remaining stairs. His stiff joints screamed as he stretched them out slowly, working them to loosen enough for him to be able to take the remaining stairs. With his body willing, he took the final stairs; his heart straining silently within his chest to push blood to his dying body.

As he reached his labatory, he walked into the massive vacinity, his eyes scanning over the darkened room. He placed his hand on a small black panel on the wall, the panel immediately responding reading his hand print.

"Welcome home Mathias," an official sounding woman's voice sounded, dim lights turning on, giving Mathias a comfortable working atmosphere he was accustomed to.

His first response was to the check the labatory, locating materials he would need for testing. He pulled out empty beakers, vials, and a vast array of tools and other equipment.

Withdrawing his blood next, he took five vials for chemical testing. If he wanted to save his life.....he would need to know where what went wrong in the first place. It was XGN T2 that had poisioned him after all, wasn't it?

Searching for a few specialized chemicals that he wanted to use for his initial testing, he noticed that a vial was missing.....a very important vial at that. Fear gripped his heart at once, but diminished quickly to wave of anger as his raged burned inside.

Before he could stop, his hand swept along one of the tables, glass crashing against the ground breaking into countless shards as the clanking of metal reverberated off the walls.

"Damn it!" he cursed in his head. He would need to locate that chemical before he was finished with his work, but for the moment, he decided that it would be best to continue with the blood tests before going into depth with the other chemicals.

Clenching his jaw tightly, his military demeanor taking control, his mind set itself on the task at hand. He would need a focused mind if he was going to find a reversal to this cursed chemical that had plagued his body.

Charmaine awoke, alone. It was getting late, and soon she would be able to roam freely without the worries of sunlight. She pulled the blankets over her head and refused to rise. She shivered lightly. The visions which plagued her dreams were as real as memories. Ravelyn Shentavo, and Michael Vaughn. She had heard the names countless times before, and had never thought upon the connection between the two, nor the rose on her back. She closed her eyes, trying to calm her thoughts. Another thought came into her mind, one which she wanted to forget. She needed blood. Too much had happened in the past few days, all of it which was strenuous on her body. Normally she would wait a month before she would ever need to, but to regenerate broken flesh, she needed the blood of others. She decided that this time, it would be Aiden.

She rose from Mathias’ bed, and slipped out of the room.

Mathias completed his blood tests, disappointed to find that they were inconclusive; the chemical that had penetrated his body and was destroying him from the inside was cleverly masked into his normal biochemistry. His forehead furrowed as stress and dejection settled within him.

Starting from the basics, he sat down with a pen and a notebook that had contained detailed tests and studies he had performed in the past. If he could pull of the reversal to his dying body, it would surely be one of his greatest accomplishments.

Scrawling down what appeared to be symptoms, he made note of the increasing lack of energy, fatigue, muscle and joint aches, and the fact that his outward appearence has not aged a day for longer then he could remember. He frowned at that thought......something was definately wrong here.

Taking his list of symptoms, he consulted a book which he had kept of the symptoms of the vast array of chemicals he had created......none of which matched the set he was showing. Frustrated, he threw down the book and notebook after two hours of intensive research. He stood up, his body unwilling, and crashed to the ground as pain seared through him.

He lost consciousness quickly as well while laying on the ground, his body reflexively curling up into the infamous fetal position.....was this a new symptom?......as he began to twitch periodically, his research materials sprawled before him.

“She is more precious to the nation than you could fathom,” he scoffed, not at Erzsebet, but at Charmaine. “That woman isn’t supposed to be alive, well, technically she isn’t, but she shouldn’t be walking this realm. Speak nothing of this, what I am about to say, because it shall remain unknown to everyone but yourself, am I clear?” With a slight look of approval, he continued. “Sarah Vaughn* is her last name. She is the daughter of that devil of an angel Ravelyn Shentavo and Michael Vaughn.” Ravelyn’s name had passed through many other nations, being known as the only angelic vampire in existence, and becoming a legend in the archives. Though some nations new the name only as mentioning it, while others could go in depth. He did not believe that the name would register immensely with her, though he would hope it did.

“The nation is facing something which I can not speak of at the moment,” he continued. “When she gets this letter, she will return home. I know, that if she does not get this letter, then she would take Mathias with her, and the man will die. Many vile people in our nation do not believe in a vampire and human unions. It is better to break her heart with words than with his death.”

"I see," Erzsebet said seriously. "That's really a shame, vampires and humans very often have relationships in my country. Many even get married, and nobody thinks anything of it. Except the parents of a male human, if he's with a female vampire, as then the man's parents will have to live with the fact that any grandchildren they may have will be vampires." She paused, wondering how much she should let this stranger know about herself. "I was actually going to get married to a human myself, until events overtook us. He was my best friend for practically my entire life, and later became my main donor and a bit more than a friend."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry to hear that things are not that way in your nation." She up from her seat, quite gracefully, almost as elegantly as Eszti Batory, the High Priestess of Ithtyr would. She could manage grace, despite being a hardened soldier. "I think it would be best for me to go to my rooms, and get some garments on, before any further activity." Erzsebet then glided from the room, taking the letter with her, seemingly unencumbered by either axe or gun.

Feeling saliva seep from his open mouth, Mathias stirred awake. His air escaped his mangled throat in an almost groanlike fashion. Struggling against his unmoving joints, he laid on the ground, in too much pain to even lift his head. "Damn it," he cursed himself, "I really need to find a cure, a reversal....something. I'm not going to last much longer....."

An hour passed before he regained the ability to stand, his face up to that moment laying on the cold floor. After standing, he walked over to the sink, limping in great pain from his shattered knee cap. He ran his hands through the cold water, splashing his face, huddled over the sink as his back ached along his spine.

With great difficulty, he bent down to pick up his notebook and his chemical analysis book. Placing the books on a table, he opened the notebook, and scrawled into it next to his last entry, One to two weeks maximum....... Spontaneous loss of consciousness? New symptom?

Leaving open the notebook open, he ran another blood test.....the results still inconclusive. He could not find any known oddity. But how else was this chemical attacking him? He walked toward almost a massive vault like room, albeit slowly, the evident pain surging through his every nerve. He dawned a labatory coat and glasses, placing his hand on another panel mounted on the wall before pulling on a special pair of gloves that ran up to his midarm. The door responded and opened, a wave of cold air rushing past him. He walked into the darkened room and retreived a small vial, a venemous black substance turning within. The door closed tightly behind him, a vaccuum seal.

He placed the vial down gently, taking many precautions not to drop it. Placing the vial in a stand, he retreived an oxygen tank and covered his mouth with the opening. He couldn't afford to risk further exposure. Not only did he secure his breathing, but he also retrieved a rat as well. If he was going to find a cure he needed to see how this work through observing another, not himself.

Pain coursed through his joints with seemingly every beat of his heart, the heart which was dying silently within in his chest. Pulling out a syringe from a drawer, he carefully opened the vial labeled in bold letters WARNING: XGN T2 and removed a small portion of the black ominous liquid, injecting it into the rat.

Within a thirty seconds, the rat let out a screech, squirmed and curled, blood pouring from its nostrils and mouth, even its ears, before it ceased moving a minute later. "Fuck," his mind raced. The reaction was far to quick to observe.

But that was his final thought before his vision went black again and he fell backward hard onto the ground.

Charmaine walked into an empty room, filled with dust and scattered furniture covered in cloth. She nearly fell over. It wasn’t because of a stray object, but rather she had seen her reflection for a split second, in the long, full length mirror which was half covered with drapery. She ran her fingertips along the mirror, mesmerized by her lack of reflection. She had just seen a glimpse of her face, and could not recall a bit of it. It was impossible. It must have been something else. She looked in the mirror and felt a dull warmth slid over her shoulder.

“No,” she scoffed, punching the mirror in the center and sending chards shattering to the floor. “I was never daddy’s girl, nice and sweet! I refuse to be the one who saves. He slowly took over me, offering an aide for my pain, giving selfish love and care…but no one cared. No one cared…” She wanted to scream. She wanted to take the pieces and slice through her heart.

“Fragile like a rose on the snow, eating, my breath for every thorn you carry,” she heard a deep voice from behind her. Turning around, her eyes exposed Aiden, in the doorway. She took a step back, but her eyes were fiercely determined. He slipped outside the room, his back to the door, and leaned against it. “Walking day and night never let the sun shine in your eyes like before. Did I see a spark on your eye; was it just the last light of hope that died?” She could still hear his words.

Forgive me, Father, my sin, I’ve…

“You were never religious Charmaine, don’t start now,” he sneered. She fell to her knees. “For all your life I’ve prayed for the time to show you where the real light lies. Now this is the end, one wilted rose for the memory of innocence.” He knew what he was doing. He was breaking her down from the inside. How would she ever be Sarah Vaughn if she was nothing but a killer? And that was his mindset.

I know my Father, I cannot win… And while his back was pressed against the door, her fangs extended, and her eyes flushed red. “I’ll never forgive you.”

“You know that if you live like, you will die like,” he chuckled. “When Death wants to kiss you and you want to kiss Him back…”

She turned the handle of the door, and opened it. Aiden was gone. He had left…that vision…no, it was real. He had left. She settled down in the center of the crumbling room and stared at the broken chards of mirror. “I will never be a savior. I’m killer. I’m a cold hearted, cold blood killer. And I can never be anything else.” Wrapped in her silent reverie, she failed to notice Aiden standing behind her, sword in hand.

The heiress of the evening will sing in silence…

He dropped to his knees as well, a deep crimson flush engulfing his eyes as he wrapped one arm around the girl’s waist and held the sword to her neck. Charmaine did not move. Ancients such as Aiden possessed the ability to charm, and having a direct blood relation to Charmaine severely increased the chances of her falling under his control. Her eyes widened. She had not noticed him. She felt her consciousness slipping away. Aiden kissed the back of her neck gently, brushing the long strands of hair aside. Soon she let her weight fall back on him.

Standing, he raised both himself, and Charmaine, and set her to her feet. Turning her around by her shoulder, he ran one hand through her hair and placed one arm around her back. She let out a brief sigh and he grazed his fangs over her shoulder gently. See Charmaine? You never have to face the mortality of that man…see what you could have. Her eyes merely flickered, and glanced toward him, her body influenced by his strength. You are a killer. You think, that you would ever be like your mother, you are so very wrong. Let your darker side give in. Return with me, he’ll never love you truly.

She closed her eyes, and let her fangs sink into the flesh of his neck. He let a murmur escape from his lips, and closed his eyes as well. It could be rather pleasurable depending on the age and technique of the vampire that bit you. Charmaine had the sharpest, cleanest, most heated bite of any of the Shentavo family. A long line of blood trailed from where her lips met his skin. I see you have come around, dear. Come, take my hand. Charmaine did not remove her lips from his neck, nor drew away. Come Charmaine, take my hand… Charmaine’s hand gripped his, holding the sword, and she dug her nails into his marble flesh.

He pushed her off of him, sending her backwards, though the sword had clattered to the ground. “Damn you!” He yelled once again. “Damn you, devil of an angel you are!” The wounds on his neck healed in a delayed manner. She had taken quite a bit. Both looked at the sword, and both leapt toward it. Aiden lifted it from off the ground, but Charmaine swept nails clear across his face. He hunched over, and looked up to her, blood trickling down his face as the wounds healed. He launched the sword toward her, but she had vanished, and had sidestepped behind him.

In her eyes, he saw the pure bloodlust, and enjoyed every minute of him. This was child’s play. He lunged at her with the sword, but she was gone again, and she, brining up her foot to connect with the back of his head, sent the ancient down to the wooden floor. She lifted the sword from his fingers after she stepped on his knuckles, and raised it above her head. Aiden quickly rolled away and regained his stature. The two continued, until Aiden felt the blood loss taking affect. He was too slow, and the blade severed his left arm at the elbow. He hissed wildly, and stepped away from Charmaine. “You ungrateful wretch!” He screamed at her, stepping towards the door.

He observed the girl, who looked like she had been the queen of hell. Blood dripped from her lower lip, and her clothes were drenched in his blood. While vampires could regenerate flesh, they could not regenerate bone. Aiden had lost his arm for good. She wiped the blood away from her bottom lip with the back of her hand. “Get the hell away from me,” she repeated in a low tone. “You might be my sire, but you do not own me. Get the hell out of my sight.”

“Your majesty,” he said with a ferocity which chilled her. “Only because, I do not wish for your death to be slow, will I grant you time, before your journey to hell. Your not a saint Charmaine, and your not your mother. You are a cold hearted, cold blooded killer. And you will never be anything else.”

He disappeared out the door, and Charmaine bolted towards it. Gone yet again, blood drenched, and with the sword in hand, she made her way to Mathias’ room. He could not love her like this, and she would know the truth. For what she was.

The planes raced with intense spead as the pilots intertwined each other's paths, keeping their awareness levels on guard. They would been to be at their best when entering Stadt; they all knew that.

Landing their planes one after the other on the cleared runway by Mathias's mansion, like cheetahs on the hunt, they departed from their crafts and ran with haste toward the mansion. Surely, they could lure their prey into their hands from this mansion......everything they needed was right inside.

Hurrying past the many exits, they took the most common, the front door. Their arrival was surely heard and no amount of stealth would prevent them from being seen, unless they had of course Der Fuhrer, who was rumored to be at the mansion. If the rumors were true, they would have two objectives. Afterall, their primary target would bring Der Fuhrer to her knees begging for mercy.

They kicked open the ajar front doors only to come across two of Mathias's guards, which were talking to a man who stood confused in the middle of the room. A single shot to each of the guards heads took them down. Another shot took the confused man down, piercing his abdomen, but not killing him. He was unarmed....killing him would be pointless.

Traveling their way up the flight stairs, in strategic uniform, much like a pack of wolves on the hunt, but more organized, they ran across servents and guards who were rushing to the sites of the gunfire. Single shots to the head killed every armed gaurd and abdominal wounds took down the unarmed. Anyone who crossed their path was shot out without mercy.

Starting at to their right, they opened the large doors of Mathias's bedroom, unaware that this was his bedroom. They stopped at the set-up of the room; this was the master bedroom, but was it the location of their target? Roaming through the room quick, they were certain that this is where they needed to be, but the room was empty.....their target was missing.

They left the room hastily, started at the sight of a bloody woman in front of them. With their guns poised and ready to shoot, their glares took her in. "Get out of our way," one demanded coldly. They were in no time for games and by the sight in front of their eyes, they had no desire to kill an injured woman.

As they looked carefully they would observe no open wounds on Charmaine. It was not Charmaine’s blood. Her eyes and heart reveling in the bloodlust which had consumed her from Aiden’s attempts drowned out her persona into a haunting demeanor. She looked at the guns carefully, and exposed her fangs to rest on her lower lip clearly for them to see. Alive on the fresh blood and from partial insanity, she took on a feral quality. She eyed the door to Mathias’ bedroom and saw that it remained ajar and the men were exiting. She frowned lightly.

“You,” she said huskily, licking some of the blood from her lips, “You are looking for someone?” She smelt the fresh blood in the air. People were dead, and they were not by her desire. Her tone carried a deep ominous hiss to it which slithered around their ears, caressing them in a deathless sound to jump overboard toward beached skulls.

Mathias stirred awake again, coughing up saliva and mucus that had collected in the back of his throat during his unconsciousness. He struggled to stand again, spending too much time on the seemingly impossible task. Sweat dripped from his nose as he exerted himself; tears streaming through his tightly shut eyes.

A pained escape of air rushed from his mouth, a grunt almost, as he stumbled to his feet breathing heavily. Moving to the sink, he removed the face mask, gloves and glasses, throwing them onto the ground. Coughing up the remainder of the saliva and mucus he washed his hands and face another time, his knee aching intensely.

"Charmaine....." his mind sought out....as he stared at moving reflection within the filling sink. How could she love him when he could not stand like most men? When he could not bend over to pick her up? Walk without wincing in pain? Breath deeply without coughing.....

He was coughing, the thought feeding off of his actions. Remembering he had never sealed the chemical, he clasped a hand over his mouth and ran, a little faster then a normal man's stride, wincing and fighting back the pain coursing through his body. His hand hit the panel on the wall, sliding down it as his body gave into his weight, hitting a red button. Pulling himself, he barely clamored out of the labatory before the doors slide shut, sealing off his lab. He gasped for air, and pulled himself toward the stairs, coughing heavily as his lungs seared, burned within.

"Charmaine," his mind sought out in a frantic plea. She would think he did this on purpose. He had no intentions of leaving her. He had to find.....had to tell her......

Getting to his feet, he walked merely five steps before crumbling down the rest of them, landing hard on his side, his hip threatening to break beneath his weight. Disregarding the pain that seemed to be so intense it was vanishing, he managed to find his feet again, using his hand to guide him down the corridors as his other hand covered his mouth, the cough becoming more prevalent.

"Charmaine......."

The soldiers eyes this woman, cocking their heads at her fangs....she was not normal; probably a creation of from the minds of Der Fuhrer and Mathias. Those two were infamous in their deadly creations. "Get out of our way. It's none of your business who what we are doing," angerily spat one of the men. There were time caps on these missions; Genocide would not be pleased if they failed to retrieve the target soon.

Hearing scrambling echoing down the corridors, a loud hacking from a cough, they looked past Charmaine. They all watched as the figure slowly emerged from around the corner of one of the corridors....their primary target. Wasting no time, they rushed past Charmaine, firing a gunshot into her abdomen for not complying to their will. Injured or not, they could not waste their time with her.

Charmaine hissed wickedly at the shot, blood seeping from the wound as they rushed passed her. Her own nails dug through her flesh, ripping out the bullet from her body, her life thriving on Aiden’s blood. She saw Mathias, and began to step towards him. The guards were ahead of her, and the wound was still repairing. She would have felt the pain had she not been boarding her limits of sanity. “Mathias,” she called out to him, determination in her eyes. She broke into a sprint, but knew that she would not reach them in time. She disappeared into the shadows, Mathias catching glimpses of her.

Don’t worry, you’ll be safe. This I swear, if you’ll only love me back.

Mathias only did catch a glimpse of Charmaine; enough for him to try and reach out for her only to have four arms seize him, binding him. His lungs screamed as his coughing fit grew more intense, blood mixing with mucus as he coughed uncontrollably.

"Please...." his mind begged, "I didn't mean to....Charmaine.....I love you.....I......Charmaine....I'm dying....." He felt his spine creak as the men straightened his back, grabbing his dark hair pulling his head backward, thrusting him forward with their guns. His body ceased feeling pain.....pain was an illusion. His eyes only closed as tears dripped down.

Normally, he would have fought back. He would have went down with a fight, but his dying body was simply to weak to withstand a fight. "Charmaine.....I love you....." his mind pleaded in a final moment, before his body convulsed and sent him to the ground despite the men holding him, dislocating his shoulders in the process, being that the men refused to let go as he was falling.

He shook tremendously, coughing up blood, and crying. He was a wreck......a destroyed man..... "Just die already......" he begged his body, which was being pulled away, the men dragging him down the stairs and out of the mansion, two of which who had their guns poised walking as gaurds to the others. The woman had disappeared, and the men would keep their eyes out for her, while taking out the remainder of Mathias's gaurds who tried to prevent their departure at the doors.

Charmaine sighted, carnivorous, yet cunning. She had not thought of what happened to Aiden, and the sword remained in her hand. She dropped it on the ground, behind the guards, sending a light noise down the corridor, but Charmaine remained within the confines of the shadows. She was not to the right or left, but above them, nails digging into the ceiling. She wanted to slaughter them, to kill them all…to stop them from taking him. Be strong, she said silently to him. I’m not going to leave you. Just hang on…

She gained ground on them and as they encountered resistance. She was used to the carnage. She reveled in it. She saw the planes, and skidded to a stop. She had been moving so face, she had failed to realize what a strain it was on her body. She turned back, and saw the figures approaching. She waited like a spider waiting for a fly. Come on…a little closer now…That’s it…

Manhandled, Mathias felt the soldier's rough hands pull him toward their planes. They pulled him into a standing position, despite his body's incapability to stand. He felt them pull his hair, yanking his head about as if he were no more then a rag doll, which he felt like at the moment.

His weak body lay limp, his arms dangling, hanging outside their sockets. He continued to cough, blood seeping from his mouth, his nose beginning to bleed in a small subtle stream.

Feeling defeated, as his body was drug coursely over toward he continued to beg for his body to just die, to just give in to the darkness and end. "I love you Charmaine," he thought sadly, hoping that somehow she would be able to hear his dying thoughts.

If he lasted long enough to be capitive, he would deliberately end his own life. He could not put his nation through being held captive....he could not live through being a captive again.

"Goodbye Charmaine......I love you....."

Hunny*Dew awoke abruptly by the pounding on her door. Crawling out of bed, feeling slightly hungover even now, she looked at the frantic servent who had blood splattered clothing and horror in her eyes. Quickly sobering up, Hunny*Dew took the trembling woman in her arms and hugged her.

"My dear, what has happened?" she asked calmly, concerned though about recent events.

"Admiral.....there....dead.....dead.....bodies.....Mathias....." she sputted by was stopped dead in her tracks when Hunny*Dew heard Mathias's name mentioned.

"How?" Hunny*Dew asked, fear growing in the pit of her stomach.

"I don't understand."

"How did they kill him?" she spat impatiently......afraid to look upon the body of Mr. Mathias Bortniansky.....her best friend. Not assigned to work under him, the two have grown to be quite good friends over the duration of their war. After all, if it was not for him, she would not be in her position at the moment.

"No no no!" the servent nearly shouted, "He's be captured....."

Hunny*Dew stepped away from the servent, her head resting against the wall. Captured..... Haunting images arouse before her. The man's final screams.....his cry for help. The sound of him gurgling and gasping as his lungs filled with blood. It took her many minutes to regain herself, but when she finally had, she looked at the servent, her eyes no longer glinting but sad, "Did you inform Der Fuhrer Dyszel?"

The servent shook her head, "No one has been able to find her Admiral."

"Find me Richard," she said simply, "please."

And with that, the servent went off as Hunny*Dew dressed into a pair of long black pants, a white shirt, and her formal Reich military dress jacket. Pulling her hair back in a half pony tail, she tried to smile as she looked in the mirror......captured.....

Set with a task, she slid on a pair of black heels, as she walked out of the room, her footsteps echoing off the walls, panicked cries far beneath her.

As she approached the foyer, the devastation was showing....blood stains from members whose bodies have been removed. She heard cries, anguished moans, and the hustling of footsteps. Stopping in the middle of the foyer, where Tresckow had lain before his body was removed and taken to the medicial facility, she scanned over the room.

One of the only remaining guards of Mathias, who managed to get off with a abdominal shot, limped toward her. "Admiral," he saluted before she nodded her head and looked at him. "Mathias was taken."

"I'm aware," was all she said, saddness filling her voice.

"Don't worry Admiral. They didn't take anything else."

"What?" she barked at him, her eyes flashing with anger as she looked hard into his.

"Admiral....it was just Mathias. He was going to be put to death anyhow."

Hunny*Dew slapped him before she realized it. "Never speak of Mr. Bortniansky in such a manner! Do you hear me!? Never ever ever speak of him that way....." she finished as she began to cry heavily. She turned from the shocked guard, who still bore an incredulous look on his face as he was Hunny*Dew run from the room and down a flight of stairs.

Her footsteps echoed off of the narrow staircase, reverberating throughout the basement. She ran into one of the rooms and slammed the door shut, curling up in a small bed and holding a teddy bear that had been left there.

The rooms were dark, a blue tinted light the only light that seemingly issued from no where, but provided enough light to sleep through.

"Mathias....." she murmured through heavy sobs. "Why you? I don't believe you did it......you couldn't have......but why you? Why you? You were my only true friend," she cried, the tears pouring uncontrollably from her eyes.

Richard was awoken from a dreamless stupor by a shake of his body, his hand reflexively went up to a throat and squeezed. His eyes popped open and looked 4 inches above the point where his hand connected with soft skin, the skin of a woman, and saw frightened eyes looking down on him in silence. He released his hand when he saw that he was choking a manservant of someone within the mansion; likely under Mathias' employ, and offered a horrified apology.

She didnt seem to notice and spoke with hurried tones through occasional sobs, "There are... dead people," she let out a wail of anguish, "Mr. Bortniansky has been taken. Madam Hunny*Dew... she requests your audience.. please follow me sir."

Richard looked up at the poor woman with vacant eyes as he led her, half-naked, to the door of his room, "pardon me while I put on some clothes, I will follow you as soon as I toss something on."

He ungraciously, with a bit of a hangover himself, put on fresh clothing that he found quickly in a nearby closet. Meeting the servant outside the room, they walked the hallways until they got to an opened door; Richard could hear voices inside as his company finished a short debriefing of the situation.

Richard walked in on Hunny*Dew standing in the middle of a large room with her head down; she looked stricken with grief and anger. He was unsure of whether or not he should go and comfort her, but he took the risk and walked to her side; wrapping his arms around her, and allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder. All he wished for at the moment was for bitter words about Mathias to fail him as he held someone he was beginning to care about, despite their respective situations.

If you die on me, Mathias, before I have a chance to get to you, I will never forgive you. She shot back. She took a syringe from the alchemist pouch on her right leg, all of which she possessed empty because they had been used. She jabbed it into her neck to withdraw the blood, and smiled wickedly at the sensation. She was losing her sense, and her conscious. She wanted only two things; blood and Mathias. At this point in time, she nearly wanted blood more. They were close enough to see her now. She looked like a mad nurse, tapping the syringe and seeing a few drops of blood fall from the top. She glared at them.

This is how she was. She was a cold hearted, cold blooded killer. And she would never be anything else.

“If you want to keep him alive until you get to where you are, I suggest you let me tend to him…” her eyes flickered. “Trust me. I can hear the faint beating of his heart, he will last no more than a minute or so if you take him how it is. I am his nurse, I know what’s good for him.”

Charmaine's voice, despite its faintness in his ringing ears, was music dancing inside his mind. "Charmaine......"

He felt one of the soldier's hand tighten around his hair, pulling his back with excessive force. If it were not for the the odd curvature of his spine due to a knee in his back, his neck probably would have snapped, ending his life instantly. But it did not break, and he continued to struggle for breath through his coughes and blood, although the gun the soldiers had pressed into his throat aiming toward his skull, had not helped any.

"Charmaine.....I won't leave you......I didn't know you were here....I....I'll live.....but don't let them use me against my nation again. Please Charmaine....don't let them use me against my nation.....don't let them humiliate and torture me like that again. I can't put anyone else through again......"

"What the hell do you want? We told you to get out of our way. If you don't move, we're just going to blow off his head. Is that what you want? You're not coming close to him....nurse or not. Now get out of our way!" a soldier barked, his finger closing on the trigger, wanting so badly to kill Mathias.

But Mathias began to convulse again; his body struggling against the deadly chemical coursing through his veins. "Help me Charmaine....." he begged; a child in threat of a much larger and more intimidating parent, trembling and cowering beneath their glare. It was true, he would die in a matter of a few minutes if not treated, although with Charmaine around, he refused to believe it. Even as his lungs screamed for oxygen, his body took rapid sessions of convulsions, and blood drained from his mouth and nose, he refused to believe he was moments from leaving Charmaine for good.

But she did offer him a repreive. He not see the syringe in her hands, but it was just enough to grant him a repreive from this looming death. He did not want to die this way.....any way but this way. "Charmaine......" he begged, his mind growing cloudly, his body shaking uncontrollably, as the stream of blood from his mouth and nose grew larger.

Charmaine’s eyes boiled in a deep garnet centering around the two black spheres that were fixated on the guard who held the gun. She scoffed, and lowered her stature to an intimidating stance. “You seriously have the notion that you will prevent me from giving Mathias his medicine? I know you need him alive. I also know what everyone here wants. You want to see him dead, I want to see you dead, and I am already dead.” Her stare grew cold. It was rather hard for a woman with her athletic and slender frame to be intimidating, but her eyes managed it all. She took a step forward without hesitation, grabbing the wrist of the guard who was pointing his gun at Mathias with her free hand and snapped it cleanly, pushing him to the side. She slid the needle into his right arm, careless of what the others concerns were.

Her form hovered over Mathias. The blood from his lips she drew her tongue around the edge before drawing away. She let the syringe drop to the side after the dosage was dealt, and stood straight.

The soldier grabbed his wrist, firing the gun at Mathias but missing him by more then a foot as he fell. "You bitch!" he cursed angerily at her as another soldier aimed his gun on Mathias and the remaining two aimed at Charmaine.

"Don't move!" one yelled at Charmaine. "Try that again and you'll find yourself dead," he threatened, despite her comment about already being dead. Her kind did not exist to these people.....she was nothing more then an experiment to them, probably seen as a piece of property of The Dictatorship.....a toy of Der Fuhrer or a masterpiece of Mathias.

With the syringe in his arm, it took only a matter of a couple minutes before Mathias felt the searing in his lungs fade away, the blood cease continously dripping from his mouth and nose, the ringing in his ears to die down, and the convulsions to stop. His strength was regaining, and he thanked Charmaine's cursed gift for another day or two of uninhibited breathing and a lack of spontaneous unconsciousness and those horrible convulsions.

He smiled at her weakly, but it dropped quickly into a remorseful frown. With his renewed strength also came renewed pain. His dislocated joints would need to be properly set back in.....or else, the pain would just continue to nag him until he fixed them. He tried to break free, but could not, feeling another gun press into the back of his skull.

He looked to Charmaine. "Thank you Charmaine......thank you....." He wanted to say more, but the pain filled his mind. A dislocated joint seemed to be worse then being shot three times consecutively. "Charmaine....don't fight them.....the one behind me has his gun to my head. I'm not prepared to leave you this soon. Just don't let them use me. Promise me that if they try and use me, you'll kill me. Please promise me this," he pleaded with her, wanting to save himself and his nation that pain.

The soldier pulled on Mathias's hair again, Mathias wincing as stood to his feet; his arms just dangling as if paralyzed. "I love you Charmaine....." he looked into her eyes, seeing the pure blood lust and wavering sanity in her eyes. He did not want her to lose herself.....he would need her to be at her best if they were to take him prisoner. For then.....it would be game of minds.....a game where only the best mind could win.

“As I said…that threat is meaningless to me.” Charmaine toyed with the idea. I could kill them, I could kill them all right now… She looked at Mathias, thinking to herself. These bullets won’t hurt me… the thoughts rung through her mind. A slight pinch and I will remove it. Slowly, her eyes flickered to their original lavender. She closed them momentarily. She wanted to cry. She never would have allowed herself to be taken hostage, but Mathias’ life was on the line, and she needed to think of him before herself. Mind games…mind games. Playing mind games with a vampire…The notion she actually enjoyed. Hesitantly, she raised her hands. “No need to be so hostile, I had given you a fair warning. First thing is first, you touch one hair on his head I will kill every last one of you with no remorse. There will be no way to identify your bodies after I am through with them, and then I’ll take to your families. Secondly, if you don’t harm him, then I will be as docile as a house cat.” Her fangs visibly retracted.

She looked at Mathias, emotion dwelling behind her eyes but invisible to the guards. They had not seen that look in her eyes, and Mathias understood. She nodded slightly, but it was only half heartedly. She looked back at the guards with a light smile. If it had not been for the excessive amount of blood spattered about her skin and clothes, then she would have been ethereal to these men.

Hunny*Dew returned to the foyer after a few moments of silence and her thoughts. She wiped the tears from her eyes as she met with Richard, trying to regain her full composure.

"Richard," she said softly, a hint of saddness in her voice, "Tonight we leave for The Depths of Hell. I need you to gather every able body in the mansion. Please seperate them into a group of medicial personel who will remain with the injured and a group of new soldiers, who will accompany us to The Depths of Hell. Those who fit into neither category she be sent into the city to collect the dead and begin cleaning up the mansion. I will be back before we leave, but I need you to please take care of these matters while I am away. I am going to look for Der Fuhrer; she will need to be informed of Mathias's capture. And I assume she'll seek immediate revenge. Der Fuhrer and Mathias have quite the past together......" she trailed off as her mind wandered back to those days of happiness and carefreeness.

She snapped back to attention and smiled at Richard quickly. Standing on the tips of her toes, she gave him a kiss on his cheek. "Sorry Richard, but I really need to go right now. I'm the only one left who would know where to find Der Fuhrer."

With that, she turned and left the mansion, closing the doors firmly behind her. She traveled the grounds aimlessly before leaving through the front gates. She saw the devastation of Stadt and wondered in the back of her mind what Der Fuhrer would have thought if she had seen all those dead people below them. Traveling quickly, she entered Stadt and walked over rumble, taking notice that the faces of children and soldiers had been recently cleaned.

"Der Fuhrer", she whispered as she traveled the path Der Fuhrer had walked down; knowing that Der Fuhrer was probably alone with her thoughts at the sight of the last of her nation eradicated. Searching the spots that she suspected Der Fuhrer to be, she was disappointed when the night fell that Der Fuhrer was no where to be found. And that is when it dawned on her......something terribly wrong had happened.

Knowing that it was her sole responsibility to run the nation with Der Fuhrer, Lady Lux, C9, and now Mathias gone, she headed back toward the nation, hoping that Richard had completed the task she had left him with. She intended on leaving immediately. The trek to The Depths of Hell would be a tiring one.....and one to be done as soon as possible.

Mathias felt the hands grip him tightly, pulling him toward the plane. They stopped pulling at his hair to get him to move, a relief to him.....now if only they would fix his shoulders.

"Get in the plane," the a soldier ordered Charmaine, as he thrust Mathias forward as well with his gun. "Move it! Come on! Pathetic swine," he spat angerily as he pushed Mathias forward some more. They were running out of time quickly.....Genocide would be expecting them back soon.

Up to that moment, one of the silent soldiers turned to Charmaine. He was smaller then the rest of them, his hazel eyes looking at her from top to bottom. Holding his gun at her, he looked from her to Mathias, moving his gun toward Mathias quickly. "You will not speak a word unless directed otherwise. You will not threaten us. Where you are going....you're in no position to make threats.....no matter who you are. Genocide has a lot of influence in Mahanoy.....you better watch who you double cross. But I can tell you love this man.....you wouldn't tell us not to harm him if you didn't. And if my finger tensed on this trigger, you would probably jump so fast in front of this gun that we couldn't respond," his finger threatening to tense on the trigger as he suggested. "I give you my word though. I will not harm Mathias if you comply. We'll take you prisoner; you will come back to Mahanoy. You will abide by our rules. You will not talk back. You will act as a prisoner. I can't speak for an entire nation, but I'll give you my word that Mathias won't be harmed under my watch....and I'll probably be watching him the most, but only as long as you behave accordingly."

Charmaine had never been at the point of a gun. She had been the one that was usually the aggressor. Being in this position made her pride burn deep within her chest. It was ever present in her eyes, as she forced herself to comply. I will do as you say, she said to him silently. I will act as your prisoner, but know well that I will never be one. “I’ll try to be a good girl,” she said out loud, though in a hushed voice. “I need to see him every two days, to make sure that he is alive and make sure he stays alive.” She looked at the gun, and chuckled a bit, unable to help a wry smile that crossed her face. She lessened it to a complacent expression, and stepping in after Mathias. She would allow herself under this. She didn’t know how much she could take. She would not tell them of the sun, and she dreaded it. She would die when the sun rose, and there was no escaping it.

The Imperial Race will come to the aid of Der Fuhrer Dyszel we will send aid and troops as soon as we recive confrimation that Der Fuhrer Dyszel will allow this

Shoved roughly into the plane, Mathias sat without a word looking at his knees. Crammed into the back of the plane, there was limited sitting space within a plane that was not designated for transportation.

Charmaine slid in next to him, a feeling of comfort washing over him. He smiled at her, feeling much better knowing that she would be with him during the flight. "Charmaine," he directed, "Can you please fix my arms? I can't.....move them...." He looked to her, his eyes sad an in pain.

Charmaine cracked her fingers. She still had the taste of blood in her mouth, and the invigorating blood of her sire rushed through her. She saw every heart beat flow through him, even to his shoulders where the most activity was taking place. The animal instincts faded within her eyes as Mathias continued. “This is going to hurt quite a bit,” she said softly. She may have been gentler had she not learn to deal with the pain. She placed one hand on his shoulder, the other on his upper arm. In a quick movement, she felt the bone snap back in place, the joints beginning to mend them selves. She saw the pain reflected in his eyes, and she quickly set her hands on the other, leaning over him a bit to get in an adequate position. Her eyes wandered to his, their faces so close together… Now was not the time. She focused to tending to his injury, and hearing the satisfying crack ring through her ears as loud as a pipe breaking. I love you Mathias. I would die for you, so live for me. No matter what happens… She looked out the window cautiously, and turned back to him. The sun will be rising in the hours to come, she thought to herself.

She remained complacent. If they should ever know her weakness, she would be put under hell’s rule.

A normal person would have let out a scream or obscenity as she placed his shoulder back into it's socket. But being mute as he was, he just clenched his jaw, stopped breathing for a moment, the pain showing within his eyes. Bracing himself for the second shoulder, she moved him toward her; he smelled the blood on her clothing. It contained a strong metallic scent, and he wondering briefly what had happened during his absence. When he had left her, she was sleeping.....and now she smelled strongly of blood.....something had happened.

Feeling his shoulders mend, he slowly rotated them, taking notice to the lack of intense pain as he did so. "Thank you Charmaine."

Unaware of Charmaine's thoughts, he took her hand gently in his. He was afraid of what they would endure when they reached wherever it was these people were taking them. Despite his struggle to maintain a level of calmness, his hand clutched her's alittle tighter as the fear arouse in him.

"I really don't want to die yet Charmaine. I love you too much, but you can't leave me either Charmaine. I've lost a lot of close friends over the years......I can't lose you. Charmaine.....I'm afraid of tomorrow. I'm normally not afraid of tomorrow or my death. Over the past months, I've practically been embracing it.....looking for it. But, I'm afraid to die. I love you Charmaine.....more then anyone. And I need you.....you're the only one who has offered me an extension on my life, who has cared enough to put yourself at risk for me. Whatever tomorrow brings Charmaine.....just promise to love me. Once we land.....we may never see each other again. I don't know what they plan to do with me, but please Charmaine.....don't let them use me against my nation. Promise me this Charmaine.....you won't let them do that to me. You'll end my life if they try. I would rather die at your hands anyhow."

He continued to hold her hand, hoping that she was listening to his thoughts. But he could no longer look into her eyes and turned away, staring at his knees again, wondering what she was thinking.

Richard sighed as Hunny*Dew left, worried about the task he had been charged with. He looked about aimlessly for a while before jogging off in the direction of hidden areas that he had been near before; hoping to catch a guard who could spread word about the order. The situation was a bit tricky; Richard had no formal authority within the Reich, but he did have experience with authority, and knew how to fake it.

He spotted four armed guards walking down the hallway as he turned a corner, he walked camly towards them and the group stopped, the closest was within an armreach. A glare ignited his eyes and he expressed a sense of urgency as he spoke, "Admiral Hunny*Dew and I need you four men to round up every warm-blooded creature you can find within the walls of this mansion. They need to be brought to the room where your officers have been briefed as being the probable place where Mr. Bortniansky was kidnapped. Tell your officers that we will be seperating them based on medical qualifications and/or ability to squeeze a trigger. Target: The Depths of Hell. Thank you gentlemen.. timeliness in this exigent circumstance will be highly regarded in the highest circles, find everyone, but dont risk lives to bring those who simply wont come.. just remind these people that our loss is their death, and wish them luck in the afterlife. Off to it!"

They left with a sense of duty, pleased to fulfill this important task. Richard went back to the room where he found Hunny*Dew and waited outside the doors, taking a seat on the bench across the hallway so as to observe the various peoples entering the room, either alone or in groups escorted by guards; there were far more than he expected.

After approximately two hours had passed, Richard met the fatigued guards and their officer-ranked leader outside of the room; he gave them a hearty shake of the hands and asked them to remain with the rest of the guards. He stood up on a nearby dias of steps leading up to a second, slightly offset level and called for attention from the large crowd.

"Excuse me! Excuse me! Quiet down please.. Thank you. Admiral Hunny*Dew has charged me with the task of gathering you men and women here for an important duty, its time to be seperated into groups. I need everyone with, at the very least, a working knowledge of triage and basic first aid to stand in a line behind this marble column, and everyone else to stand in a line behind this one. The mansion's guards will give you further instruction, please get in line in an orderly fasion," he said, pointing to the respective columns as the group shuffled around to form snaking lines off in either direction.

Richard found the head of the guards and asked him to seperate people in the 'everyone else' line by ability or lackthereof to wield a gun; those who couldnt wield a weapon because of age or other disability were to stay for further instruction about the things they would be doing to help. He also charged him with the task of picking out a doctor who could quickly and accurately assess the knowledge of the group in the medical line; many in that group would not pass the standard for field medics, but they were what was to be had at the moment. The Commander also would make sure that the fighters were equipped with firepower.

Hunny*Dew returned a little while after everyone had been properly seperated; and just before equipment was to be handed out.

"We'll be ready to leave in half an hour, Admiral," he said simply, assuming his responsibilities by her side, "now is a good time to say something to the crowd while the equipment is being processed if you had planned it."

Having finished his briefing on the serious matters, he shared a little smile with her as his cheeks reddened slightly with a shade of recent memory before she flung into action.

She suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck, and buried her head in his shoulder, long white tresses falling lazily. She wondered what would happen. Would it hurt? Would it burn for an eternity, or would she simply just melt away? She did not tell Mathias of her concern. He had enough on his mind. While the cool demeanor she carried masked her emotions well, there was no denying that within her heart, she felt scared. You see, we have to see each other again. You haven’t been to my nation yet. There will be the Illumina Festival arriving in two months, and I have made a promise to myself that you would get to see it… She realized she was rambling, and stopped the thought immediately. She may not even be able to see tomorrow. She wanted to tell him. She wanted to tell him her real name, and tell him what she had done, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t bring herself to. She would stay like this until they arrived or until the contact was pointed out by the guards. She closed her eyes.

Lifting his newly repaired arm, he rested it on Charmaine's back, running his hands through her hair, playing with the soft strands as he weaved his fingers in between them.

"I love you....." was all he thought, as the gentle motion and softness of her hair slowly coaxed him to sleep, his body slowly leaning to its side, as he drifted into sleep. His hands stopped playing with her hair as he fell to sleep, his arm sliding down her back slowly. He felt at peace in that moment, indeed receiving the much needed rest he was deprieved of.

The planes raced along the side, again dodging in and out of each other's paths.....a game to them as they risked life narrowly by avoiding collisions at the last second. The jerking of the plane did not stir Mathias awake though.....at that moment, Charmaine was all he cared about, and her presence alone was all that was need to fight of the growing fear inside of him.

As they approached Mahanoy, they passed thousands of nations, one after the other in quick speeds....little minute ants from the heights they were traveling at. And as they reached Mahanoy, a vast land spread before them..........cities.....technology....advancement......a land of much life in comparsion to the sickening destruction of The Reich.

They lapped around a massive city, the lights illuminating the area from so far away. As they lowered their planes enough to descend properly, the lights grew brighter and brighter. They landed......racing down the runway. And as they touched down, Mathias stirred awake, fear gripping his heart. They landed.

He looked into Charmaine's lavender eyes, unable to hide the concern and fear surmounting. "I love you....." he said, as if reassuring himself of his feelings. "I'll try not to leave you.....

The plane came to a complete stop.

The doors were opened, the bright lights that illuminated the night in Mahanoy blinding him in comparsion to the dark plane interior. This was it......no way of escaping now.....

The pilots stepped out first, a loud wave of cheering greeting their arrival. By the sound of it, millions awaited their return......this could not be good.

"Get out," one of the soldiers ordered sternly above the roar of the distant crowd. Fear gripped Mathias's heart.....he did not want to leave Charmaine.....he did not want to face that crowd.

Charmaine had not fallen asleep. Her mind and body rested, but she did not sleep. She wished to be conscious what she hoped would not be her last hours on this world with the one she loved. Her eyes shot open as they landed, the soldiers already barking orders. If Ravelyn had ever heard someone talking like that or addressing her daughter in such a manner would be vicerated on site. Charmaine was the first to rise. She held Mathias’ hand, and her eyes rapidly attempted to adjust to the blinding light. She was the first to step out, Mathias behind her. I love you, Mathias. Regardless of warnings, the future doesn’t scare me at all. She gripped his hand before letting go. She shot a glare at one of the guards, her eyes flashing red momentarily as his hand clasped upon her forearm. She looked into the eyes of the one who had spoken with her before, and was forced to comply.

Don’t be afraid. Never be afraid. Stand straight with your head up always., she repeated, half to Mathias, half to herself. The omnipresent feeling of the sunrise kept her on edge. Hundreds, thousands…let them come. Let them try and harm him, she would be dead before she would see that happen. Here, he was the hunted, while at home, she was hunted. Both had protection, but Mathias did not have some of the advantages she had. He didn’t have the disadvantage of sunlight. That would be the girl’s downfall.

Mathias stepped out into the light, sheilding his eyes from the illumintated brightness. The crowd died down instantly, silence consumming the area. He felt his arms jerked behind him instantly with excessive force, squinting against the light, as his hands were abruptly cuffed.

He scanned the crowd, his eyes looking over the astonished faces. He felt like a caged tiger in an exhibit as children stared breathlessly at him, waiting for him to preform some sort of miraculous stunt. But they would find themselves disappointed.....Mathias would not attempt to break free here.

The barrel of a rifle pushed him forward, his head shot back angerly.....he was not a show case, not a puppet, not a prized stallion hoarded off to receive the owner metals. But his face was turned back into position with the rifle of the butt, causing him to stumble and spit up blood from his cheek connecting with his teeth.

"Stand tall," he reassured himself with Charmaine's statement resounding silently in his mind.

He straightened his back, lifted his head, despite the bleeding from his mouth, and continued to walk forward staring ahead of him without wandering eyes. He wanted to hold Charmaine right now, embrace her and forget about this right now. And in his mind, she and him were embracing, dancing, her voice his only world.

And then the voice sounded in the complete silence.....a rifle into his chest to stop him. "Bravo! Bravo, my boys!" it sounded, a child's voice trying to speak beyond her years. Mathias looked up, no one was there. Had he heard things? He looked to Charmaine, only to receive another rifle butt that sent him to his knees.

He coughed, getting rather irritated already, and was climbing to his feet with difficulty due to his restrained hands, when he saw two small feet stop in front of him. He looked up to her, a little girl, no more then the age of five, seven at the latest, but definately around five.

"Well done boys! You brought him in....and here some questioned your abilities. I never doubted for a moment you could apprehend the brute!" she laughed excitedly as she leaned forward to touch him.

"Oh! He's so real! And look.....he bleeds!" she reveled as she touched the blood from his lip and rubbed it off on his face. "Oh....Mister Mathias Bortniansky....I've heard stories about you! They saw you're like the tiger of The Reich; cunning, agile, fast, and strong. But even tigers fall!"

Mathias gritted his teeth and glared at her, wanting to break her neck at her mockery. She caught glimpse of the fury in his eyes and laughed excitedly.

"What's that Mathias? I can't hear you," she laughed, her innocent child like voice resonating, "Oh....that's right! You can't talk! You fool! You fool! You're nothing are you? I heard about you....heard so much about you! And how my father tore out your throat and enjoyed every second of it...."

Mathias stood up abruptly, his strong powerful figure looming threateningly over the little girl. This girl needed to be put in her place. She was nothing like her father.....she didn't even know her father. She could be nothing like him, no matter how much she pretended to be his heir.

"Get on your knees Mathias! Don't you dare stand before me!" she laughed as soldiers advanced, ready to shoot him from any angle needed to take him down. "I see we got your girlfriend too! Oh how splendid! We must all sit down for tea some time! Now get on your knees before I make you. You're to grovel before me fool! Or do I need to take a knife to your throat to get you to respect your superiors?" she laughed again, the collection of soldiers silent as they watched his reaction.

Much to their surpise, Mathias lowered himself onto one knee first, before bringing his other knee down. He bowed his head, a servent to Genocide. But it was not her words that brought him down; it was the dire resolution in her eyes....the eyes of her father.

"Forgive me Charmaine," he begged, "I cannot stand tall."

And with his compliance, Genocide patted him on the head like a good puppy and laughed as she turned away. "Good boy," she laughed at him, "Good boy!" She turned to a soldier nearest to her, "Take him away."

Three soldiers ran up, apprehended him with force, and drug him away. The cheers, jeers, and laughing ringing inside his head. Defeated......

Cast into a darkened cell, he felt his hands being chained to the bars that held him in. A dog's collar was brought in, placing around his neck, the little bone baring the word Mathias. He was her pet now.....not even a prisioner....a pet....

His mind wandered to Charmaine, who had been brought, and stripped, placed into a pair of plain white pants and a white shirt. They threatened to cut off her hair, but resolved the matter, due to the death theat her eyes bore, to pull her hair back in a ponytail. Cuffing her as well, she was thrown into a seperate room for interrogation, the morning hours drawing near.

Hunny*Dew took a position aside of Richard, squeezing his hand for reassurance briefly before scanning over the crowd. It would appear that they released everyone from the confines of the protection of the basement for this task, and she was pleased with Richard's abilities.

"Attention," her soft voice sounded about the shuffling and murmured conversation. "For those do that do not know, Mathias Bortniansky, home owner of this very mansion, has been taken earlier this day, before the sun arouse and long before it had set. Although we do not know his capture, we have suspecion to believe that either someone within this mansion has sold him out or Genocide had infilitrated our security from under our very noses and seized him. That latter I find the most likely. Also, in great disappoint, I regret to inform you that Der Fuhrer Dyszel, our great Fuhrer, has gone missing. Her whereabouts are unknown and foul play is suspected. Any suspicions will be followed and any knowledge that may aide in locating her is greatly appreciated and of course, will naturally be rewarded. Thus, bringing me to my final announcement. With Der Fuhrer and Mathias regretfully incapicated at the moment, I shall be taking control of The Reich and all affairs regaurding the safety, protection, and maintaince of The Reich, including all war efforts."

She took a deep breath as her eyes scanned the crowd. "I have asked you two gather here today to assist me in my new task. In less then an hour, those equipped with weapons will engage with me on the trek to The Depths of Hell, the reknowned impenetrable base of The Dictatorship...." but she was cut off by a murmur of excited and shocked whispers that immediately broke out at the mention of The Depths of Hell. "Silence please," she began again calmly, as the groups listened intently, "The terrain of The Dictatorship is unsafe and we are unsure of the current inhabitants. You are being armed for your own protection, but I suspect the only thing we will be shooting out will be rocks. Now, as for those with medical training. We need you to tend to the recently wounded and those who will be brought in from the sweep of Stadt. Those of you who lack other medical or military abilities at the moment are to sweep Stadt and collect the dead bodies and bring the survivors to this mansion, where they will properly be tended to. I would like this done before my return to this mansion. And make haste, the more time we waste, the more survivors we lose. And please.....bury the dead with proper care. As Atticus always put it best, your final rest should be a comfortable one. Please remember his sacrifice and the efforts he put forth to maintaining Reich peace. His efforts should be respected and honored; let us bury our dead with proper funeral rites."

With that, she descended the stairs, Richard following, and left the mansion, awaiting those who would trek with her to exit when ready. In the mean time, she pressed herself against the wall, Richard joining her side.

"Oh Richard.......why Mathias? I've grown so fond of him over the years. I cried when his throat was slit......I was there to witness his cries and bloody gasps. Why him? Why again? Has he not suffered enough indignity?"

She buried her face in his shoulder, letting the tears fall again. "He was my best friend.....my only friend Richard. I've always lived in the shadows of Der Fuhrer, complying to her orders and finishing them with accuracy, but Mathias.....he was like my brother. He treated me as his equal....even when he took power. I wasn't under his rule, I was my own person. He never ordered me about and we spent many nights talking, well, he wrote, but you understand what I mean. He told me about his dream...... Did you know he wanted to be a father? Yes.....he wanted to be a father. He told me many other things too Richard; things I dare not to repeat. He was a good man. I know he is a born killer; we all know that. But there is so much love in that heart of his, its just wounded and bandaged up too much to tell its a heart. But that Charmaine dear.....oh how he stared into her eyes! Oh how they danced! Oh how they held hands......he loved her.....I'm sorry, I'm ranting. It's just......I haven't seen Mathias this human since before him and Der Fuhrer....well, the point is, he was happy with her. I can't believe they took him from us. We need him.....he is a genius Richard. That mind of his can't be broken; we need it."

She lifted her head from his shoulder, wondering if he had heard a word for she spoke into his shoulder and his voice was stifled. She smiled at him and pulled away. "Richard.....do you love me?"

The words of the girl made Charmaine’s temper flare once more. A tear fell from her eye in frustration of not being able to do anything. The Shentavo family’s greatest downfall and gift was their pride, and Charmaine’s was no exception. So she was Dante’s daughter. Would it hurt Dante if his daughter died? Would it hurt him more to watch her die? She reveled in the thought. She was glad when they were moved from the jeering crowd. She loved it, she loved when people knew who she was and what she had done, and her eyes would challenge them to take a step forward. These people, however, had no idea what she was and only was concerned with Mathias.

They had taken her clothes, and her alchemist pouch. The handcuffs were a bother. She didn’t like being restricted, but it didn’t make her any less dangerous. Constantly, she looked for objects, pens, pins, anything small enough to conceal. Her mind never ceased working, taking in and observing every detail. She was placed in a room for interrogation, and remained standing. They would get nothing out of her. She hoped it was only one person….

She would die for him. They knew that, and that would be another downfall, until the sun rose, which was approaching quickly.

As the sun began to rise, Mathias had wondered nonstop about Charmaine.....was she safe? Were they going to kill her? Was he going to see her again? Where they going to torture her? What about the sunlight? But his mind fell blank when a soldier's boot connected in the back of his head through the bars he was locked to. He slumped forward, unconscious, unaware that in a matter of minutes, Charmaine would be struggling for her life during her interrogation.....the sun only a matter of moments from rising.

Within those moments, a group of five men, two women, and the little girl walked into the room she was in. With their guns trained on Charmaine, Genocide walked in front of the group and sat at the table placed in the center of the room. She smiled at Charmaine, laughing to herself, "Come and sit! Come come and sit! Mathias's girlfriend......how cute! You must tell me how you met him!"

She motioned for Charmaine to sit, the sun beginning to rise in the distance. In less then fifteen minutes, the first rays of the sun would enter the room....and then....it would become a battle of life for Charmaine. And all in the midst of what raced through Charmaine's mind, Genocide sat smiling at her, waiting for Charmaine to sit.

When Dante awoke, the room was dark and he was connected to a number of machines that monitored his health. It seemed all too familiar to him.....had he done this before? He felt weak and dizzy; the last thing he could remember was coldness and something stabbing him in neck and a naseaous feeling.

He sat up in the bed, feeling far too dizzy, beginning to wonder what had happened and where he was. He groaned as he fell back into a pillow; feeling sick and weak. Someone in the room stirred awake and crawled out of a nearby bed. He could not make out the person, drifting back into a sleep.

He felt hot, a fever perhaps, and the unidentified person placed an ice pack behind his neck, but he drifted back to sleep before he could begin to recognize the person in the room.

When he awoke again, a man was reading, unaware that Dante was awake. "Who are you?" Dante asked, barely above a whisper, the man placing down his book and moving toward Dante.

"I'm Perry.....you don't really know me, but I know you. Dante....right? Damn....I can't believe you're alive!" he said, unable to hide the enthusiasm.

"What?" Dante inquired, confused and feeling groggy.

For the next hour, Perry explained the situation the had unfolded during Dante's supposed death. He explained his partnership with Mister Nye and how they had worked to bring together Dante's infamous empire and how they succeeded in annexing on The Original Reich until Der Fuhrer came back and killed Nye. Keeping his obsession and admiration of Dante secret, he only informed Dante of his work progress.

Dante just stared at him confused, unable to piece together the information that he had just learned. He sat up, feeling dizzy, and taking notice to a bag of blood hanging nearby, connected to his arm. "What happened?" he groaned, laying back down.

Perry only shook his head. "I don't know. I found you outside of Konigsreich der Mathias in Stadt des Meeres back in The Dictatorship. I really don't know......but dude......you might want to take a look at this."

He retrieved a mirror and held it in front of Dante, showing the reflection of Dante's neck. Dante looked into the mirror, bewildered at the sight. "What the fuck," he murmured, reaching for his neck.

"Dante......something attacked you. Those are bite marks.....fangs..... Do you remember what the hell did that to you?"

He only shook his head, feeling the two puncture wounds that were slightly swollen, still tender. All he could remember was someone stabbing him in the neck and that queasy sickening sensation that seemed to drain him of his life. Drain him of his life?

"It was a woman......" was all he could recall before laying back and closing his eyes. His dreams plagued with the feelings of the night he was attacked. He tossed in his sleep, groaning, and muttering to himself. Perry observed Dante carefully.....he had taken quite an interest in Dante, the man simply amazing him.

Richard listened to her speech with an impassive face while glancing about the crowd for any threats. Hunny*Dew's voice was strong despite the manner of things she was saying; he was proud of her for that, for the fortitude to soldier on admirably. She ended her speech and he followed her down the stairs and out. Richard felt rather overwhelmed about the changes that were taking place, and hadnt had time to process it all yet; he really needed to get in contact with the Freedom Fighters

"Do you love me?"

Richard put his hand under Hunny*Dew's chin and looked into her eyes for a long moment, he had been unprepared for this question, "I dont know if I love you Hunny*Dew, but I do care about you," he let go and pulled her into his arms in an embrace to prove his words and release some of his frustration, "we need more time. Ill be here for you while Mathias and Der Fuhrer are gone.. and.."

He looked into her eyes again with a smile, running his hands through her hair, "I would really enjoy another warm bath after this is all over. Your friend Mathias.. we'll try our best to rescue him; I wont let you down. We'll have the time we need."

Richard did not betray his thoughts about the parts of Hunny*Dew's ramblings that he caught; but he was already salivating over the things he had learned... he idly wondered if there would be some way to get into Mathias' lab, but he shoved the thought aside; there would be time enough for that later, after their journey into the underground base, and after he got in contact with a man with a tattoo on his hand and black sunglasses.

Hunny*Dew smiled at him sadly....they would be in for a long emotional battle over the next few days. She knew her feelings for Mathias were strong, he was afterall, like her brother.

The doors opened at that moment and those prepared to take the journey to The Depths of Hell emerged into the darkness of the night, the cool air brushing past them.

"Let's go. We shouldn't waste much time. Keep together.....it's a long journey," and she led the way ahead of them, leaving the mansion complex and heading into the vast abyss of the desolate wasteland. Stadt may be have been destroyed, but compared to the terrain they were about to cross, Stadt was paradise. They moved at a rapid pace, her goals were to reach one of the enterences to The Depths of Hell by early morning.

And thus began their journey......

Many hours into the journey, Hunny*Dew decreased her speed, while the rest of the convoy, so to speak, maintained original speeds. She rested against Richard, the cold starting to settle deep inside her. "It's so cold," she whispered through chattering teeth. "Its never been this cold Richard."

Continuing to walk, she remained close to Richard, hoping to share his body heat......it was simply to cold alone. They would probably need to stop to build a fire to last through the depths of the night. The Dictatorship was just far too cold to continue at this pace.

Another frigid hour passed, the entire group moving at a snails speed in comparison to the intial speed. Everyone was shivering, their breaths forming small steam clouds about their mouths. They definately needed to stop.

"Stop everyone," Hunny*Dew's voice broke the silence and repetition of their footsteps. "Let's build a fire. I don't think we should go further tonight.....it's too cold."

Grateful they all were, as they quickly fanned out collecting materials to burn. They had just enough to last them the night and began to build the fire in which many started collecting around, hoping for a bit of the warmth it provided, but Hunny*Dew remained back, shivering uncontrollably.

"It's so cold......." she chattered again, looking into the flames the group had collected around.

Richard was amazed at the level of lonliness in the area they had been marching in for hours. By his estimations of the ground they covered, they had walked 30 miles or so through some cruel terrain; the people of the mansion were hardy, they kept up admirably, but Richard worried that they must have lost at least few on the journey from hypothermia, and stragglers who got lost when the wind kicked up violently.

When Hunny*Dew slowed down; Richard began to worry about her. She looked a bit pale, and he knew that his preparations werent up to par. They simply hadnt the time to account well enough for these men and women travelling over rough terrain, sub-zero temperatures, and searing winds with 40 extra pounds of battle gear. The nights here were brutal, more so than anywhere else Richard had ever been without survival gear; he only knew the rough direction they were travelling in from the short briefing that he recieved from Hunny*Dew, the treacherous environment of the area wiped away any useful trails over time, and the both of them were having great difficulty heading in the right direction.

Her health was deteriorating, he left the head of the mansion guards to organize the group in the temporary camp.. maybe ten miles away from the entrance of this seemingly enourmous facility that Hunny*Dew had said hours ago that they were already walking a quarter of a mile above; the whole concept was mind-boggling.

Richard saftied his firearms and gave Hunny*Dew a drink from the canteen on his hip with a kiss on her forehead, "We'll take a short break here and then work up some warmth with the fires; but no one can go to sleep, and we'll get the hell out of here in a couple of hours.. it'll be daylight then anyways. I am worried though.. are we going to be out of the frying pan, and into the fire?"

Richard smiled with glee when she looked up at him with still alert eyes, despite the horrific nature of the situation.

Charmaine eyed the girl coolly, and took her seat. She could not let her apprehension show. Her cold eyes would not betray her feelings. She stared intently at the girl. What nerve she had. “Well, it’s a funny thing actually. You see, first we saw each other; we had a bit of a conversation. I had a lot in common with him as he did I. Ended up falling for each other. You know, as it happens to most people,” she smiled lightly, then returned her glare to the girl. “You must forgive me, my dear, but these handcuffs put restraints on my answering abilities. I don’t like them one bit. You have many guards that could just shoot me if they wanted to without my wrists being constrained.” She lounged in the chair taking up a catlike expression. She would say nothing. She would give no information. She would never tell. She would neither strike out at them, unless they harmed Mathias. Then, she would bring hell on earth…until the sun rose.

Genocide shook her head. "You're in cuffs for a reason. We're not about to uncuff you. I've heard that you don't fear death......you can't die? I think I'll leave you cuffed......"

She shuffled in her chair, kicking her feet back and forth as she looked around the room. "Are you and Mathias going to get married? I mean, did you two plan on getting married? Unless you and Mathias follow orders, you won't be able to get married. But if you can't die.....then I guess you get to visit his grave. Oh just think! You can marry his tombstone!" she said with laughter hinting in her voice.

"Did you know that my father was the one who took away Mathias's voice? Yep, he cut out Mathias's throat! Isn't that amazing! My father was Dante. I'm sure you've heard of him if you're were in The Dictatorship."

She smiled at the thought of a man she could not remember, a man who she has only heard repeated stories of the devastation he wrought. The events in Whitecastle were gone from her memories, as if they did not exist, and the only thing she knew of her father was that he was a vicious man, a genocidial genius, hence her name.

"Now, to business. Why were you Stadt des Meeres?" she asked quickly, looking into Charmaine's eyes with innocence that only a child could harbor. But the eyes filled with light and joy as she jumped up excitedly! "The sunrise! Look!" she pointed out the window, the light rays beginning to fall into the room. "I'm actually up for a sunrise! Quick! Let's go outside and watch it. Want to come?" she looked to Charmaine excitedly....a child indeed.

“Actually,” Charmaine said softly. “I’m already dead you see. Marrying a dead man is expected of me anyhow. He loves a dead girl, why can’t I do the same?” She tilted her head in a board manner, seeming to analyze Genocide. She broke out into a deep laughter, and smiled at the young girl. She settled herself, before she replied. “I know your father personally, more than you could ever have known, and I know your blood,” she took on Genocide’s playing tone. “Genocide? Did you know that I was the one who sliced through your father’s neck, spilling the blood from your father’s body and left him in a bloody heap? Isn’t that A-MAZ-ING!? If it had not been for Mathias asking for me to spare, your father would be dead. Pathetic it was, really. Calling me Autumn and everything! Oh, how lovely it was! You seem to be a woman of carnage at least that is the way you wish to come off. But are you a killer? Are you a cold blooded, cold hearted killer?” She chuckled softly.

“I do not hail from where you took me from. I come from the three united empires of Ravelyn Shentavo. I was there to gather information, you see my empress is rather fond of particular people, and extends help to only particular nations. That’s what I do, I can get whatever information I need out of anyone at any given time, even you…right now. Go ahead, try me. Think of anything in the world that you can remember, anything at all. Say something, and I will repeat it back to you. “She smiled coyly, then eyed the sun carefully. Fear overtook her body, but she was not afraid to die. She had already died once and it wasn’t so bad.

She stood up from the chair. “I am rather one for sunsets,” Charmaine smiled warily. “I usually sleep during the say and work at night. The day is too noisy, and filled with people. During the night, it is quite, and serene, and it puts me at ease.” The first rays of sunlight had entered the room, and the vampire eyed them with anticipation. The tattoo on her shoulder seemed to flush with warmth, and she waited.

Mathias, she said to him. No matter how far, the two were connected. I fear, my love, my time is drawing near. As sunrise comes so does my death. The first rays have entered the room. I will struggle to survive, and pray I learn to walk in the sunlight as Aiden did before this interrogation is over. I will not show my weaknesses if I do not have to. I love you. If we get out of here alive, teach me how to walk in the light.

Genocide laughed at Charmaine. "I didn't ask for your thoughts. Learn your place." She turned to two of the soldiers, "Bring in Mathias. I think she needs to learn a lesson."

While the sun began to rise further, more light rays breaking their way into the room, a semi-conscious Mathias was brought into the room, his hands cuffed behind his back tightly, stumbling from a throbbing head and disorientation.

"Charmaine......" his mind reached for her's, "Are you here?"

He was thrust into a chair, a rifle barrel pressed against his leg. Genocide smiled, walking toward Mathias, placing her hand on his opposite leg. "Don't worry Mathias....it'll only hurt for a little."

Mathias tried to shake his disorientation away, but found he could not. "Charmaine," his mind sought out again.

Genocide laughed as she turned to face Charmaine. "Now....are you going to listen? Or do you like your men missing their limbs?"

Hunny*Dew sat next to the fire for three hours, regaining body heat, but continuing to feel the chilled frigid wind against her back. She sat between Richard's legs, resting her head back onto him.

"Oh Richard, it all seems to perfect, but it is not," she said with a sigh before standing up again. "We really should be on the way, the sun is going to be rising soon."

"Let us move again please. We do not want to waste anymore time here," she said kindly as she offered her hand for Richard to clasp.

Together they left, walking with great speed against the unbelievably cold temperatures, until they reached the outskirts of a vast city; large steel monsters bent toward the ground. It was evident that this city was once the center of great beauty and human mastery, but it was a pile of rumble now.....destroyed and devoid of its former grace and majesty.

She led the way over destroyed walls, posts, into a half destroyed tavern. Leading the way, she headed down a narrow dirt covered staircase concealed in the wall of the tavern; the enterence now revealed.

The gates to The Depths of Hell were sealed tightly. Der Fuhrer must have shut the base back down when she had left. Hunny*Dew placed her hand on the panel and speaking in her native tongue, she ordered a command. The ground began to rumble as the massive doors slowly parted, a siren command sounding from within warning those within the base, although none, that the doors were opening. Bright lights spilled out into the darkness of the lair beneath the tavern......the dried blood stains of Mathias still spread across the floor in a darkened brown pool.

With the doors completely opened, the devastation of the lair showed. The blood stains, the bullet holes, the tossed about weapons. But it was Mathias's blood stain that stood out among them all......the large dried pool in the middle of the room.

Indeed, she thought to herself. At least he can’t die from the wounds for the next two days, less they be in his chest or head or vital organ. [/i] she paused, and observed him, but her expression did not change. This little girl did not get it. Yes, Mathias. I’m here. She looked at Genocide. What a spoiled little brat, she concluded. “I answered your damn questions,” Charmaine replied haughtily. “As I said, there are no need for guns.” The vampire looked at Mathias, and felt a pang of pain within her heart. She would not leave him. She could not see it happen to him, even if he would survive. She had to submit.


She nodded her head once in reply, and her eyes widened as more of the sunlight entered the room, touching her leg. She sprang backwards instantly, letting out a horrible hiss, her fangs extending and her eyes flushing a deep crimson, as she was flat against the back wall, where the shadows were. She eyed the rays in anger rather than fear; the small spot where the sun had hit was cut open, but was repairing before their eyes. She exhaled lightly, her eyes returning to their normal color, and her fangs retracting. She had just exposed herself to a degree she regretted at that moment.

"OH!" Genocide exclaimed excitedly, "Don't like the sun do you?"

She jumped onto the table, grabbing Mathias's hair and pulling his head down. "You're supposed to bow your head Mathias," she tried to justify her actions as she laughed more to herself then anyone else. It felt like a high to her.....the adrenaline coursing through her as the estacy of her newest discovery filled her every vessel.

"Now, what is your name? Why were you really in Stadt? And......what do you know about Mathias's masterpieces?" she asked, knowing that she would need to be fast for the rising of the sun. "The sun will fill this room shortly. You might want to answer quickly," she threatened, pushing back Mathias's head and plopping into his lap as if he were a chair cushion, resting her tiny legs on the table.

"Comfy!" she smirked, but Mathias sat there unmoving, unthinking for that matter. He did catch glimpse of Charmaine though, but lowered his eyes quickly.

"I failed you......"

Richard took in the sights before him, not as a tourist from another land; but with eyes scanning around constantly for threats, this place gave him the creeps, and he hadnt been afraid of telling as much to Hunny*Dew.

She opened the doors to a scene of old blood and battle. Richard was shocked at the professionalism he picked up from the few hints left behind; the gunfire patterns gave the whole room an eerie air, as if a small-scale battle between the worlds best had occured in this very room.. and by the size of the bloodstain at the center, he knew that someone had lost indeed.

"Well, we appear to have breached the base's entrance, at least its a bit warmer in here.... where to next?" Richard said with a bewildered look around the huge room towards the many exit points to other areas, "I can smell the death in this room.. at least there are no bodies lying about."

Hunny*Dew murmured her agreement with a glazed look, she appeared to be within herself and her memories.. Richard thought immediately that she looked beautiful standing there, but hauntingly so; he would have to inquire about what went on in this base another time. He could tell that the memory was bringing her pain, so he put his arm around her waist as they walked past the grisly scene.

“My name is Hevn Shentavo,” Charmaine said in reply, frowning at her actions. “I was in the Stadt for the reason I told you, I gather information. I don’t know anything about his ‘masterpieces’, whatever they are. I speak the truth.” She watched as the rays came in a bit further. She jumped up on to the wall, two feet off the ground. Time truly was running out. This girl, so young, and yet so sadistic it was hard to believe. She looked at Mathias. Don’t let her do that to you! she thought to herself. She failed to realize they were in two different situations. She growled deeply at Genocide’s remark. “Get the hell off of him.”

She dropped lower, and put out her right hand into the rays of sunlight. She hissed slightly as her palm ignited in flame and she watched the fire as the scalding pain ran through her body like molten lava. “As I said, I have no fear to die”, she pulled her hand back, the pain slowly going away as the burning flesh repaired itself. “Get the hell off of him. I have answered everyone of your bloody questions.”

Genocide rested her head back on Mathias's chest, looking up at him, "Such a cute little puppy!" she squealed as she pinched his cheek. "I think she likes you Mathias. Oh, she doesn't like when I pick on you!

"Close the blinds and get me a glass of milk," she ordered the soldiers who walked over to the windows and closed the blinds, shutting off the bright rays of light for Charmaine's protection, while another soldier left the room, returning moments later with a glass of milk.

She sipped her glass of milk slowly, looking at Charmaine with a glint of humor in her eyes. "Sit! Let's talk some more!"

Stretching herself out more, reclining on Mathias, who did not fight back nor shift his body despite obvious discomfort, she stared at the wall. "Charmaine.....how much do you like Mathias?"

“Why does it matter? My personal life is of no concern in this matter,” she replied, but remained standing. She was frankly annoyed with the little girl. She held Mathias’ life as well as her own in her hands, but she couldn’t accept it. Tables can turn. “I won’t answer any more questions until you get off of him, lest I pry you from him. That should make my answer crystal clear.” She felt a throbbing in her back suddenly, and winced. The tattoo had grown hot and plagued her. She shivered in response, the sensation startling her from her normally frigid skin. What the hell is going on with me… she thought to herself. She calmed her thoughts.

“I’m asking you once more to get off of him.”

Genocide giggled, "But why? Oh.....he's so comfy!" she responded as she nestled herself on him. "And I want to know....." she whined, "How much do you two like each other?"

She played with Mathias's collar, waiting for Charmaine to ask, Mathias just looked down, not seeing anything, trying to push his mind from that moment. He felt sick in the room; the humiliation from Genocide, the perceived failure to Charmaine, a prisoner once again......it was all making him ill to his stomach and he just wanted to be back in the quiet cell cuffed to the bars. At least there he would be able to think.

Knut led his soldiers out of the plane wreckage just in time to see a small group of planes skillfully take off. At the speed they were going, it was clear that they were in a hurry to leave. He led his Berserkers back to the mansion, though. There was nothing they could do about unfriendly or friendly planes.

As they entered, it seemed the whole place was in confusion, yet somehow orderly. The wounded were being brought to the mansion, and in the city, they could see that the dead were being buried. Knut thought well of these poor people, from what he'd seen so far. Despite the hardship and massive loss of life that would have sent many people into hysteria, these citizens kept rigidly to a dignified manner, simply going about doing what needed to be done. The tragedy of loss was clear on their faces, but Knut admired that they did not let their suffering control their lives, they maintained enough serenity to pick up the pieces and do what they could about the situation. Perhaps people were not so different in foreign lands after all.

Once inside the mansion, he tried calling Erzsebet's com, but there was no reply. Worried, he made his way to where she should be, in one of the more accessible parts of the mansion. It took quite a while to search, the better part of several hours, in fact. He always took point, opening doors, peering into rooms, until finally he found her. She was unconscious in what appeared to be a guest room, lying naked on the floor.

"Oh gods..." he said in Callisdrunian, closing the door behind him. He ran over to her, turning her over to see if she'd been injured. On impulse, he kissed her when he saw that she hadn't, and shook her lightly, attempting to wake her.

Erzsebet was deep in her apparent slumber. All the nourishment she had consumed in some time was wine and pizza. And that had been quite a while ago, too long for her metabolism. Ordinarily, it would not have been a problem. However, life was complicated for a moroii, and her mood had strong impact on the function of her body. Taking the letter to Charmaine, or, Sarah Vaughn's rooms had filled her with self-loathing and disappointment in failure, and dread at what the vampire would say to her. Because of this, she had forgotten to go to her own rooms to get clothed, and in Charmaine's room had been so focused inward, on her own thoughts, that she had tripped up rather violently, banging her head against the bedpost. Her body had made no effort to regain consciousness.

Now, though, she felt something nice on her lips and then was shaking slightly, and then awake, and looking up into a face that, while not incredible for its handsome features, Knut was only moderately good looking, was warm and full of kindness. "Hello," she murmured faintly. She mumbled what had happened to him while he helped her sit up.

It seemed that Knut had always been more attentive to her health than she herself, and he often knew her well enough to know exactly what she needed. His shirt was already off, his arms around her, and then her teeth were in his shoulder, and the delectable taste of his blood gushing into her mouth filled her with new optimism. Feeding had a profound effect on Erzsebet sometimes, especially with Knut. Some Moroii fed only as a matter of necessity, but Erzsebet enjoyed it like almost nothing else. It was an important part of her sporadic love affair with Knut.

About a half hour later, they emerged, and after a quick trip to Erzsebet's rooms to get her pale tattooed body clothed (and while walking the halls it seemed like a higher percentage than normal of the mansion staff were about, just to see them), they made their way downstairs.

A tired looking Knut asked someone who looked high ranking "Is it true Mathias has been captured? That's what I heard in the halls on my way here."

Without giving the person a chance to respond, Erzsebet piped in "And if it is true, is Charmaine with him? Where's Der Fuhrer? Has she left again? And if she did, who is in charge and how can I speak to them?"

Charmaine paused for a while, looking down at the ground. “I love him,” she said softly. Her anger welling inside of her. She took in an unneeded breath, and looked at Mathias. He should be completely healed, Charmaine had no idea why he did nothing. “Will that be all?” She said softly, in a calm voice.

Genocide smiled, pleased at Charmaine's response, "Yep, that's it for now," she squealed as she slid off of Mathias and patted his leg. "Good boy," she said; Mathias remaining to stare at the ground, seeing nothing.

"Take them back," she said before turning and leaving the room, three of the soldiers following her, closing the door behind them. Two soldiers seized Mathias, using all their might to lift him from the chair, while he continued to stare down, not wanting to move.

"I failed......"

They held a gun to his head as they pushed him with the barrel to force him to move. Two others guided Charmaine, one arm each, behind Mathias at quite a distance. The remaining soldiers followed, hold them at gun point, keeping them in order.

Returning to the darkened, lightless cells, give one illuminating light in the center of the prison complex, they placed Mathias back into the cell, restraining him to the bars once again, as he sat facing the wall and staring at the ground covered in dirt and filth, the collar around his neck jingling with every movement of his body. Following Mathias, they tossed Charmaine into the cell as well, closing it and locking it behind her. She would be allowed to stay with Mathias under the watch of the soldier she had met in Stadt, so long as she complied to his demands. He would keep to his end of the bargain, unless Genocide had ordered him otherwise.

Trying to move into a more comfortable position, Mathias shifted his weight, a bar pressed awkwardly into his back. The little bell attached to the collar next to his name jingling continuously as he tried to find comfort, but resided in giving up and just accepting he wouldn't find comfort in this cell.

He looked to Charmaine, a pang of guilt arising within him. She met his eyes and he quickly looked at the ground again, afraid of what she would say or what she had thought of him at that moment.

Charmaine remained silent for quite a long time, running over thoughts though her head. She ran her hands over the bars, and knew that she could never possibly break them. She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, taking her hair out of the elastic and letting it fall down over her shoulders. Her lavender eyes observed every detail, and she took her time. She then turned her attention toward Mathias. How could she possibly understand? The two were nothing alike, and yet so much the same. Her spirit was strong but helpless. There were so many things that could have been done, but know that she has thought about it once again, he perhaps made the right decision. He was not like her. He would die with the crack of a gun, and she would die in a ray of sunlight. “I don’t like watching them do that to you. I don’t like seeing you toyed with…” She didn’t like them using him to restrict her. It was cowardly, but effective.

She removed her shirt from over her head, revealing her curvaceous figure behind the remaining white fabric and a rather toned abdomen. She walked over to him, and placed her shirt behind his back against the bar. She stood up once again, and paced a bit, her voice seeming to lose its melody at the thought of their situation. They could communicate without speaking, which could be a major advantage. She dared not speak aloud. She figured that someone would be overhearing. The light can be taken out. Remember I can see better in the dark than in light, and can guide you. The bars will present more of a problem. If guards check on us, I could persuade one to enter. Secondly, if there are any cameras in here, they should be disabled, and I can seemingly vanish from the room if they simply look in. The ceiling offers a great cover for me. I am weaker in the day, however. She looked back at him, and he still stared at the ground.

She walked over to him, and laid down next to him, her hands resting on her abdomen, and her head on his leg. She closed her eyes.


Ravelyn slammed the door quickly, rushing down the empty aisle of the church. Her crimson eyes darted frantically around, searching for some alternative route. Her face was streaked with tears, but it was as if nothing could mar its ethereal and flawless beauty. Her long auburn hair fell in disheveled waves down her back. The soft white fabric of her dress clung to her skin from sweat. She had been running from them for too long, and exhaustion and fatigue had set on upon Azrael, a feeling she was not accustomed to. Her white wings contracted as to help her walk forward. She heard the screaming voices at the door. This was the end. She looked back toward the door and turned toward it.

"Hello beautiful," she heard behind her. She looked, immediately recognizing the voice. There was a man staggering from the alter with a large gash across the bridge of his nose and extending into his right eyebrow. his hair was dark, and his eyes a murky black. His frame was strong, and apart from his black attire, flashes of red were seen where he had been cut, though he was still alive and able to stand on his own. His left arm was also wounded, a deep incision in his fore arm. He noticed that she too had a wound on her abdomen, blood seeping through the white fabric where she had taken the impact. She did not feel it was detrimental, and had dislodged the bullet prior to entering the church. She rushed toward him.

"Your hurt," she said softy and put her hand to his cheek. "Are they...?"

"I've killed them all," he said with little mercy in his tone, even while he looked tenderly at her. "Any more that come through the dark path for either of us, I will kill them as well..." he paused, taking a minute to absorb her image. It always took a minute to adjust to her presence. "I'm not going to stop fighting."

"I won't either," she said in her usual velvet coated voice. "...Vaughn. This is the end, isn't it?" She said, looking up to him, knowing little of what would become of them. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, and bent his head to kiss her with a passion of a man who had not seen his love for decades and had looked upon her once again for the first time. She felt his arms wrapping around her and extended her wings so they could fit around comfortably.

The sound of the pounding outside the door startled them, and she withdrew to his arms, burying her head against his chest. Ravelyn Shentavo, the angelic vampire with a quick wit, prideful demeanor, and undeniable beauty who had ruled this nation from near the start...Michael Vaughn, the Draconic Knight and ruler of Underaloz with deep strength and dark power that extended beyond normal boundaries. The two had loved each other to the point where either would travel to hell and back to be with each other once again.

After all these years, the two had only been together for three days, this day dawning the fourth. Yakori's forces combined with Kaos' malice united against both. Corned from the dark path, Vaughn could not take her there, for it would be risky to them both, especially for a seraphim. Blocked from the skies within this church, Ravelyn had no choice but to fight. She would not loose him again, and he would not loose her. He interlocked his hand within hers, gripping it tight, the door began to gave way.

"I love you, Ravelyn..." he said softly, looking down at her. He gripped her tightly.

"I love you, Vaughn," she replied, tears in her eyes. It would be a lie to say that he had none in his, he choked them back. He did not want to let her see him cry like this. She knew how he felt, and because of this, she pressed into him, and closed her eyes. "I can keep us away from this...this moment forever frozen. i don't know...if we'd ever be able to wake up...but our souls would not part from one another..."

"If we stay here without protection, we may die," he said softly. "I know you are drained, just as much as I am. I would never want anything but for this moment to last forever, for you to be within my arms, and for this to end together." She lifted her head and kissed him for one last time. She turned around, facing the door. He came up behind her with her wings outstretched and placed his chin on her shoulder, his arms wrapping around her waist and the left coming around to hold her right hand. She let her left hand settle over his. He closed his eyes, smelling the scent of roses in her hair. He breathed in deeply. She closed her eyes as well, and felt his body against hers. This was it.

A bright light emitted from the two, and engulfed them. The door burst open, and a tall japanese man sighted, and fell to his knees. Rave's head tilted slightly toward his, her eyes closed, there hands interlocked, and both frozen within a chard of crystal. He cursed. The two had escaped what was thought to be the perfect assassination to end both their lives. And they were frozen in time...forever.

Charmaine’s eye opened quickly, the tattoo had grown hot, and had been resting against Mathias’ leg. While it didn’t burn it was noticeable. Had he seen the vision too? Would he say anything?

Mathias was thankful for the comfort she had provided him, his back was beginning to hurt too much, pressed against that bar. Her thoughts filled his head, suggestions of a plan to escape, but did he really want to escape? Would they really be able to escape? He did not feel the need to fight or the will to fight for that matter. All he really wanted was to remain in this cell, even if he was restrained to those bars, and be left alone by those people.

"Charmaine......" he thought to himself, her name resonating into the depths of his mind, but he could not lift his stare.

She came and laid next to him, resting on his leg......a feeling of warmth entering his stomach. Falling to sleep in a matter of moments, he wanted to reach out and play with her hair, feel the softness he loved so much, but his hands were tightly secured behind his back and it was not possible to touch her. As she slept, he leaned his head back, turning his neck at an awkward angle so that he could rest his head against one of the bars, the collar on his neck jingling in response to even the subtle movements he made.

He closed his eyes, unable to sleep, and felt her beauty and presence rather then seeing it. He often closed his eyes to feel rather then see....beauty without a visual was much more amazing. Despite the coldness of her skin, a warmth radiated from her, filling his very essence.....his soul. He felt her love and it was far more beautiful then anything he had experienced thus far in his life, but then the visions filled his mind. At first, he suspected he was sleeping, and he opened their eyes, the visions only faint suggestions in his head. He had not seen the images Charmaine was experiencing with his eyes open, but the conversations still rung in his mind, a place between his ears as if little people were speaking inside his head. Puzzled, he closed his eyes again, the visions come back, and resolved to watch the events unfold as if he were watching a move, a movie too real.

He watched two lovers, their plight against forces threatening to end their love, and how their love had won in the end. It may have sounded like a plot for a movie, but it was far too real to be a movie. The blood that dripped from their open wounds, the sounds of people outside, the wings....it was all so real. The visions ended abruptly though and Charmaine had awoken, he could feel her energy level rising. He remained with his head pressed against the hard cold bar, his neck stiff and aching from the angle it was bent at.

He did not stir though, unsure of what to make of the visions he had saw. Had Charmaine intended on him seeing them? This was not the first time it had happened. Should he inform her of this? Would she shut him out of this part of her world? Although he did not deliberately pretend to be sleeping, but his unmoving body combined with his slow, steady breaths gave the impression that he was sleeping.

His thoughts faded, he could not hold a stream of consciousness, although awake. He just felt her beauty and let it fill him, being unsure of how to respond while not wanting to make sense of it, but rather, just feel her love.

The image flashed once again in her mind. The tattoo on Ravelyn’s right arm matched the one on her shoulder. She shuddered. Her mother had left her more than the symbol. She laid back again with Mathias, but her eyes remained open. “I’m seeing things that I should be seeing,” she said softly. “I have no control over them. They come and go as they please. Ever since the incident with Aiden, I have been receiving memories that aren’t mind, and regaining and unseparating the lies that he weaved in my mind; false memories. I never had a sister, none of it was real. He…he changed my memories. Now they are returning. Even memories of my m…of my empress are entering my mind. I don’t know why.”

She sighed softly, collecting her thoughts. There was so much she had to say to Mathias, yet how could he tell him her real name? How could she say that she was their daughter? How could she say what she hadn’t told him all along.

Mathias wanted to hold her tightly, embrace her, show her that he was there for her and would never leave her.....but he could not. Restrained against the bars, he was helpless when it came to comforting.

He opened his eyes at her words, leaving the world of beauty that he could see in ways beyond sight. He tried to smile at her, but could neither muster a smile nor wrap his arms around her.

"Charmaine? What really happened? I don't think I understand what's going on.......it's not normal to me. I know of repression....." he winced at the thought of the word, but continued his train of thought, "but what you speak of is not that. I don't understand......it doesn't....I don't get it. Charmaine? Please don't leave me. I....I really love you. And although I've forced my past to not exist.....I know that feelings like this haven't happened. I have loved, at least, I think I did once. I don't really remember and I don't want to remember.....that's why I don't remember, but I....I know I love you now. And I know that what I feel for you is something special and unique. I don't really feel anything right now except for your love......I don't want to lose that. I've lost the last of my dignity, but they can't take our love......I won't let them.....don't let them make me lose you Charmaine. Don't let them break me anymore....."

Mathias begged to Charmaine, his thoughts filling with distorted images of a mangled past, a twisted present, and a horrifying future of further humiliation and abuse. He never wanted to leave this cell; here he was alone with Charmaine, in the dark, away from all those people.....away from the humiliation.....the degredation....his defeat.

He lowered his head again, the collar jingling, and looked at Charmaine sadly. "I love you......"

One of the medical personel looked to Erzsebet, cocking his head slightly while looking at her as if she were speaking another language.

"Is it true Mathias has been captured? That's what I heard in the halls on my way here.....And if it is true, is Charmaine with him? Where's Der Fuhrer? Has she left again? And if she did, who is in charge and how can I speak to them?"

The man nodded, "Yes ma'am, Mister Bortniansky has been captured, and many died in the process. You didn't hear the gunfight? It was rather loud, echoed throughout the mansion. Most of his guards are dead......good men....." he said with a hint of lament in his voice. "Sorry, but I do not know a Charmaine ma'am. And Der Fuhrer has been reported missing; Hunny*Dew took over control of The Reich hours ago. Didn't you hear her speech? She left though ma'am, so you'lla have to wait until she gets back. She'lla be back in about a day....they left hours ago and should only spend the day there," he finished with a nod.

"Is there anything else you need ma'am?" he asked properly, smiling kindly and slightly at her.

Erzsebet, newly revitalized by her blood consumption, was relentless. "Well, since Admiral Hunny*Dew is gone for the day, who is in charge in her absence?" She did not quite look intimidating, though formidable was certainly an appropriate word. She did however, have an element of... focus, to her.

Knut, though he looked alert and intent as well, was clearly drained. "We have a small group of Berserkers, which I suppose you could compare to marines, under our command. If they, and ourselves, can be of help in any way, just let us know."

Hunny*Dew looked to the smaller blood stains on the floor, shuddering at the thought that some soldiers had more then likely died there. Her eyes lingered on the large blood stain on the floor though, darkened brown dried blood, that was trailed into The Depths of Hell.

Mustering her strength, she followed the trail into The Depths of Hell, knowing in advance that the blood stain she was following was more then likely Mathias's blood stain from the heavy injuries he received while trying to defend this base.

Once inside, she ordered all those with to fan out before her, Richard joining her at her side, where she rested back against him. "Take look around you.....you have entered The Depths of Hell. Few have seen the depths of this base, The Reich's most comprehensive and secret base. Embrace this moment, but take nothing from these confines. Also, take notice to the marks of war outside and within this base......people had died to protect this base from those who tried to infiltrate it. Honor their deaths and respect their sacrifices. Despite what you have heard about Mister Mathias Bortniansky, you all should take the moment to honor his bravery and courage during trying times, where he alone stood up to face a perilious enemy."

After giving them a moment's silence, she continued with a slight warm smile spreading across her face, "Please help clean this base and reorganize it while I get to work on a much larger situation. Be cautioned, there may be unfriendly faces about.....keep an eye out for anyone who has not joined us in our journey here."

At that, she turned from them, taking Richard's hand and guided him toward a heavily secured room within The Depths of Hell. Going through a vast security system that ranged from retinal scans to hand scans to voice recognition, and DNA analysis, the strong doors finally gave way and opened with a hiss as cold air rushed outward at them both, blowing her half pulled back hair behind her. She stepped forward into the red glow, hoping Richard would join her.

Richard half-listened to Hunny*Dew as he stared around in amazement at the humongous entryway to the rest of the Gates of Hell. It was obvious that this was but a small fraction of the whole facility, but even this alone must have taken hundreds of thousands of man-hours to complete. It was an awesome sight, function met beauty met reliability.

"This is an amazing place Hunny*Dew, The Reich should be proud of such a base.. I doubt that anyone in the world has one quite like it," Richard said to Hunny*Dew with a mixture of awe and reverence.

Richard gave his moment of silence, and wondered briefly if C9 had been involved in the battle fought here, or even knew of this place's existance. Mathias obviously sacrificed part of himself here for duty, and Richard couldnt help but feel his estimation of Mathias rise a bit.. he wondered if the blood-stain on the floor was his, or if he had anything to do with it.

He had no idea that such places existed. Tall columns heralded entry, but the scars of battle were evident everywhere he looked. Hunny*Dew wanted this place cleaned up, so Richard talked to the leader of the mansion guards again and gave him instructions, leaving behind the rest of the men and women who joined them on their journey to aid in the massive project.

Richard took Hunny*Dew's hand and followed her through the impressive security, he had no idea where he was going; but trusted Hunny*Dew to guide him. He was always wary and on the lookout for threats, this place may very well be majestic, but he could feel danger eminate from every surface of its hallowed walls.

His words made Charmaine very uneasy. Her name rung through her head so many times that it plagued her with the insipid vision of Mathias. She placed her hands over her ears, as she heard voices throughout the center, giving her a terrible migraine. She dropped to her knees. She was still young, only a neonate. She had yet to fully control the sensitivity of her ears at certain points, and the sounds made her cringe until they began to fade. Still her name kept ringing in her head. “My name is not Charmaine!” The vampire exclaimed, inhaling and exhaling deeply and rapidly as if she had just run a mile. She looked at the ground, and steadied herself. She walked over to the opposite side of the room, and sat down in the corner, arms wrapped around her legs and face buried into her knees. Her long white hair fell gently over her arms.

"Charmaine?" Mathias's mind called out, but the sound of a guard moving toward the cell quickly ended all thoughts he had. He felt a gun pressed to his head as another guard joined his side and opened the cell. Two other guards entered the room, all surrounding around the cell with drawn weapons.

Two guards freed Mathias from the cell bars, as his body merely fell forward limp, the little collar sounding with every movement. He did not want to leave, but against his will, they pulled him to his feet and yanked him from the cell.

"Genocide wants to see you," one said nearing the cell, guns drawn on Mathias. They did not trust him, it was obvious, but Mathias's life gave them little reason to believe he was anything less then a threat.

"No........." his mind whispered, "Charmaine! Don't let them! Save me......" he begged, but the cell door was shut tightly behind him and locked. He tried to catch a glimpse of Charmaine, but he was blind folded, his wrists struggling against the cuffs, cutting steadily into them.

"Charmaine......." his mind echoed despite her comment, the doors of the prison closed heavily

Charmaine stood up, and clenched her fists as the guards left. Looking down, shadows were cast upon her face from the angle. She had not responded to Mathias, and refrained from watching where he had gone. Now, to get out of this cell… She smiled lightly, and eyed the cameras with a come-hither look. She placed one hand on the wall, glancing back at it, she chuckled. Without Mathias, there was nothing for her to fear. She placed her other hand upon the wall, and followed with her foot, climbing upwards on the vertical surface effortlessly. She looked at one of the cameras and put her face close to it. Genocide… she searched out for her. Her link wasn’t as near as strong as Mathias. There was a good chance Genocide would not hear a thing. Nevertheless, Charmaine persisted. Genocide…. “Hmmmm….” She purred in a rough and velvety voice. “Isn’t this illegal without my consent?” She jumped back down to the ground. Then her eye caught one of the guards. It had been the one from before. This time, her attitude was much different.

The strap of her bra had fallen off her right shoulder, and so conveniently did her hair curl lightly on the ends with toxic intention. Her eyes now served no purpose then to single out the guard with their vibrant lavender orbs. Hello, there.

Mathias was thrown onto the floor of a room, the collar jingling before ceased as he laid unmoving on the ground, the sunlight beating on him, despite the fact that he could not see while faint conversations whispered in the background. He heard a giggling he instantly recognized as Genocide and the sound of many chairs scraping against the floor.

And then hands touched him.....he flinched and curled up beneath them. He could not see them, his eyes covered with a thick black cloth beneath a heavy black bag almost, but he could feel their sweaty hands touching him, trying to pull him up. He hated them......hated everything about these people, wanting nothing more then to retreat into the cold depths of his dark filthy cell, but that would not happen any time soon.

He felt the hands grabbing at his neck, his body once again immoblizing as fingers brushed his scar. Fear and panic spread within him, but he could do nothing to feign off those feelings. The collar jingled consistently.....his song of humiliation, before he felt a choaking sensentation as the collar jerk and tightly around his neck.

He gasp for breath as many people seized him off of the ground and placed him on his feet, his eyes and head still covered. Genocide laughed, a child in full delight of the current situation.

"Let's go for a walk puppy!" she squealed, delighted to be walking Mathias. Pulling on the collar, she beckoned Mathias to move, who stood unmoving in the center of the room, until he felt a lash on his back, his skin parting and a steady trickle of blood run down his back. "Move puppy!" she yelled, Mathias stepped forward cautiously. He continued to walk forward until he hit the wall, his face pressing against it through the bag as Genocide laughed wildly. Guards grabbed him and guided him, as they left the complex and went for a walk, the heat of the sun bearing down on him, as he began to sweat perfusively.


Meanwhile, the guards reclined and relaxed, kicking back enjoying the moment. With Mathias gone, they had nothing to fear, or so they believed. Charmaine was just a defenseless woman.....she could not possibly harm them.

Hello, there. rang inside the soldiers head, the one who had bargained with her earlier. He looked at her appearence, and grinned pigishly.

"Well there.....what you up to? Not sad your Mathias is gone?" he said with slight approving nod, trying to remember the last time he was with a woman. "What do you see in that man anyhow?"

He adjusted his gun, moving a step closer toward the cell.

“Not quite so sad as relieved. I was watching you for a while, running through the mansion, slaughtering everything you could find. It’s pure strength, that’s what it is. Being able to do that,” Charmaine placed one hand on one of the bars, looking out toward the guard with eyes filled with an insatiatable lust. “I came because I wanted to see the core, I wanted to see the very depths of this strength I saw. Der Fuhrer’s boy is just a means to getting there. Now that he’s gone I can relax a bit. It’s hard to keep up the act sometimes, you know?” She ran her fingertips along the bars, the upper torso of her figure was nearly completely exposed, for her shirt had been used to comfort Mathias, and the flimsy fabric provided little for the imagination.

“Not sad really,” she continued. “But do you know how lonely it is to be with him? You can’t talk to him and receive responses. And with a man who has such high goals set in other areas fails to turn any attention to me. I am merely a pretty thing to look at.” She turned to a mocking tone, “Heaven forbid you should touch her, she might break.” Charmaine sighed softly, her eyes trailing over the guard.

The guard laughed wildly. "There's no way you feel nothing for Mathias. I saw the feelings you had when we were bullying around Mathias," he said laughing, but continuing to listen, letting a bit of doubt slide into his mind.

"Yeah, I hear you there, but it's a relief to us to have a prisoner who can't scream or even talk. I get a kick out of his muteness. You know, I was in training when Dante unleashed his assualt. I never got to see the man myself.....but dammit! I heard the stories! He didn't have compassion. I heard how he enjoyed cutting out Mathias's throat. And even when they too Mathias hostage, he humiliated Mathias beyond words. Dante owned that man.....he owned anyone who he took hostage. He had a way of breaking men; its almost legendary......"

He moved forward some more, taking Charmaine's appearence in. "You don't much care about that though. Dante is dead; has been. He died quite a long time ago. I think it's rumored he was in Whitecastle where he died, but that's just word of mouth. No one has proof.

"So.....you really don't like Mathias do you? If you don't, I have Genocide break him. She's been holding back to tame you. What d'ya say? It'll be quite fun seeing him fall on his knees before her!"

He grinned as he moved closer, wanting to get into the same bed with Charmaine, but trying to keep his thoughts from it.

“No,” Charmaine said, playing the temptress in this masquerade. Her façade did not falter with the mention of Mathias. ‘No no no, my dear.” There was something in her voice, something reminiscent of the siren’s back in the time of Odysseus. It carried that song that made men want to follow, want to possess, even though they knew they never would be able to reach them. “When someone is dead, they can’t feel pain. They are in paradise for many, hell for others. There is no sure bet to which Mathias will go to, so it’s better to let him suffer here in this world. The best way is to let him live with the knowledge of what he has done in the past, and let it slowly dissipate his confidence until he ends his own life. Ending your own life is the epitome of weakness. There could be no greater show for him.” She stretched her arms over her head and let them rest at her side. It was scary how she was thinking like Aiden now. Twisted.

She stepped closer to the bars. “Though I must say it will be quite a bore, as I have nothing to do, and no company to keep.”

The guard licked his lips as he approached Charmaine, an arm's length from her. "He's a damned man.....but you....you're different. You know, I'm willing to make another deal with you. I'll provide you with some company, if you just behave and don't try anything fishy. You can't get far here, so you better not try anything funny," he warned, his voice shaking with temptation, as he tried to decide what was more important, duty or Charmaine?


And while the guard's breath picked up in anticipation, Mathias's did as well, but in exhaustion. The sun was beating on him heavily, the heavy black cloth bag over his head keeping in his hot air, making it extremely difficult to move forward. Each faltered step ended with a lashing, as he struggled to continue forward at a steady pace, the sweat dripping from him, soaking into the bag and his torn shirt.

He heard a distant jeering and laughing, a sound they were approaching. His muscles tensed....preparing himself for utter humilation. And when they stood within this crowd of jeers and whispers and mockery, the bag was removed from his head and his eyes uncovered, revealing him to the intense sunlight and the hundred of thousands of eyes upon him. He tried to hold his head high, but the jingling of the collar brought his head down to avoid all of their stares.

The ground moved closer though, his body falling forward, tripped by someone within the crowd, which broke out in a roar of mocking laughter. Genocide yanked tightly on his collar, the little bell ringing, his air flow stopping.

"Charmaine......" his mind sought out despite his distance. "I'm sorry......" feeling as if he had failed her and upset her within the cell.

Unable to stand due to his obvious exhaustion, he felt another lash, his skin parting beneath it. "Up puppy! NOW!" yelled Genocide, striking him three more times before he mustered the strength to stand, feeling a sticky wet substance strike him in the face as someone spat on him. Not being capable of wiping it off, it dripped down his face, mixing with his sweat, as he pushed himself forward despite his feelings and exhuastion.

“What could I possibly do?” Charmaine said in her enchanting voice. She smiled sweetly. “Come in,” she whispered. “I don’t bite.” She chuckled at her own comment as if she didn’t bite. He did not know, so why should she inform him. He had, after all, broken the promise. Mathias was being harmed. She saw the way they treated him taking him out of the cell. She tilted her head downward and to the side, her eyes still remaining fixated on the guard. “Please…I…I want to know you better.” Somewhere deep within her anger raged, but her pallid complexion and cool demeanor left others with no knowledge. She slipped the left strap off her shoulder, and smiled.

Aiden winced as he felt the burning of his flesh. Charmaine had severed his arm in two, and the only way to stop that much bleeding was similar in burning the end of a nylon strand. He pulled what remained of his arm back in to the building, shielding itself from the harmful rays in the sun. He could walk in the sun for quite a long time, but eventually he would die. He cursed silently as the skin finally began to mend. He would not be able to grow his arm back, it was gone forever. He tied a long red strip of cloth to act as a type of tourniquet at what use to be the elbow. Charmaine had taken his cigarettes as well. He crossed the now empty room, and picked up a small bracelet from the ground. Charmaine was gone, Mathias was gone, carnage was everywhere. He had lost a lot of blood, so he tended the remaining corpses which still held on to the last bit of life, and drained them dry. He walked throughout the halls. He would leave today. He would leave today for Sarah.

"I can't," he spoke breathlessly to Charmaine as he began to sift for the keys in his pocket. "What do ya want?" He pressed his hand against the cell bar, clutching it tightly, looking into the mystic lavender orbs that were slowly seducing him. "Fuck.....she's hot. Dammit....just five minutes....five minutes...." his mind raced as temptation rose within him.

He began to fumble for the keys again. "Just five minutes," he yearned for as he contined to stare into her eyes, Charmaine's skills exceeding her reputation. His mind wandered if Charmaine and Mathias had been intimatey involved, but the thought ended quickly, when he realized that she was lonely.......Mathias obviously wasn't satisfying her needs.

"You're not going to try anything shifty are you?" he inquired, bringing the keys from his pocket.


In the mean time, Mathias continued his strenuous walk of humilation, his strength draining from him in the intense heat and sunlight baring down on him. Despite the intense jeering, humiliation, and exhaustion, he pushed himself for a few more blocks before his legs finally gave way, his body crashing to the ground with a heavy thud. His blood mingling with sweat, steadily dripping from his back, wrists, and now neck from Genocide's incessant yanking on the leash.

He tried to stand, but found his arms would not support his weight, a slight stiffness beginning to settle within his joints. "It's only been a day....." his mind pressed, but ended when a kick to his chest broke a couple ribs, causing him to cough heavily and expel a loud breath in an almost groanlike manner. He could not stand though, and Genocide began whipping him and yanking on the leash roughly. Mathias's only response despite the coughing and heavy breathing, ended with passing out, as he tried to stand and fight back for once.

Soldiers wasted no time in apprehending his unconscious body, placing the blindfold and heavy black fabric bag over his head, and dragging him back to to Genocide's complex. Rather then returning him to the prison, a place away from Genocide's immediate complex, he was brought to her maximum security facility and restrained to the wall in a bullet proof double glassed wall white cell. A bright unpenetrable bright light shone above in the small compact room, offering him little resistence to over exhaustion and heat exposure.

Bond to the wall, his body laying limply forward, he remained unconscious, as Genocide stood before him tapping her foot impatiently. Speaking to herself, despite the present soldiers known as her Guard, she let her thoughts out, "I really broke him. I can't believe it......I broke Mathias Bortniansky. My stupid father couldn't do anything right! I'll take down that stupid region and take it's stupid base and stupid AI and spit on my father's grave when I'm done! Stupid fool......he couldn't do anything right," she finished, turning away angerily and heading toward her bedroom, her Guard following in close, but strategical formation behind her, allowing her distance while maintaining effective protection.

“I promise,” she said, once more. Her mind raced through everything, drawing on her knowledge of the area from when she was brought here. She curled her lips up into a sultry smile. “I promise to be a good girl, for the most part, of course.” She reached through the bars and trailed her fingertips along the side of his face before withdrawing, waiting for him to open the door and enter. Charmaine wouldn’t try to run out when he entered. Her mind was all to sadistic in punishment and revenge than that.

Come on...just come to me, she thought to herself. She ran one hand througuh her hair, and waited as the hawk waits for the field mouse.

With shaking hands, the guard fumbled for the key to open the door. Sliding it into place and turning, he opened the cell door. Wasting no time, he pushed Charmaine back against the wall, smothering her with quick hard wet kisses.

"Five minutes," he murmured between kisses as he began to undue his pants, unable to restrain his lustful urge against the temptation.

Charmaine smiled and kissed him viciously, pulling him closer as he pinned her against the wall. Had he been looking at her eyes, he would have seen the red hue enveloping her pupils. She placed one hand behind his head. She bit his bottom lip rather harshly, causing a few droplets of blood to find their way to her tongue. He was about to pull away, however, she would not let him. As his tongue slid into her mouth, her fangs ripped through the flesh, and teeth severing the flesh. A trail of blood seeped from their interlocked lips as the guard frantically tried to pull away. Charmaine placed her arms at his neck, and her nails began to dig into his throat and neck. She drew back and spit the dying piece of flesh on the ground. She pulled him toward her again, kissing and sucking the blood which was pouring freely in his mouth. I should have warned you I bite. She purred softly in his mind while she tore at his mouth. When Mathias left this cell, you were in more danger than you were when he was in it. She released her grip and pushed the guard back onto the floor. She straddled him. So are you having fun? she said with a bloodstained grin. What’s a matter? Bat got your tongue?

She drove her fangs into his neck, and her right hand fell upon the keys. She ripped them from him, and looked up. A few guards came over to watch, hearing a bit of a struggle. Her hair hid the man’s face, and in the position she was in, it could be taken for something else. A few chuckled to one another until the guard under Charmaine had passed out, and she looked up with a vicious smile, her fangs exposed. She made a dash for the door, and realized that the guard had left it the slightest bit open in his rush to consume her. She eyed the guards carefully. They were unsure of what to do, and they raised their guns. Charmaine was in no mood to play.

“Go ahead,” she said viciously. The newly consumed blood thrived through her veins. She had gorged herself many times before, and sometimes, she would slip into a rage; a glimpse of which occurred after her encounter with Aiden. “Shoot me. I guarantee you, if you fire or attempt to fight; I will rip your throats out. If you want to live, get in the cell with the other. Think of your families.”

"Ssss-top! Donnn't mooo-ve! You.....you....." trembled a short red haired man with freckles. He raised his gun to Charmaine, afraid to apprehend her, but knowing that Genocide would be upset if he had been one of those responsible for her escape. But panic overwhelmed him, and he pulled the trigger at her, trying to eradicate her before she would have the slighest chance of getting to his little boy who still wore diapers and was beginning to suck his thumb. Fear enveloped him, especially when he looked up to see Charmaine still standing, the red hue in her eyes, after taking a bullet to her gut. Normal people would have collapsed.

"Pppplease, just don't huu-rt me!" he cried, dropping his gun and running away, the other guards cocking their eyebrows and looking to Charmaine, as if about to laugh, but confused themselves at what had just happened. She had threatened their families, and a couple of the guards were shaken, while the other few shifted their stances, as if to say, "just try it."

Stepping forward, eyes of slate, an older man, well into his late fifties, stepped forward, a crooked smile forming on his lips. "Miss, you speak large words for such a tiny being. You're not normal, I can see that. Normal people can't stand when being shot. But you're in a place where you're 'the bitch,' so you can't go barking orders at us unless you are Our Lady Genocide. Let's make a proposition.....since you think you can handle it on your own, I'll let you out of this prison, in exchange for our lives. But, since you have, as it appears, killed one of us, we're going to have to even the sides. Say, your freedom for Mathias's death? That is, after Genocide is done with him. What d'ya think? Sound like a plan? After all.....you can't go around killing everyone here and expect not to pay for it. And Mathias has had his head on Genocide's list for a long time."

He lowered his weapon, a twinkle in his eyes, like a humble old man who had spent many years on the battle field, only to learn to love life more.

“Your words touch me deeply,” she said softly, her eyes glaring at the eldest man. “Honestly, they are heart felt.” As she spoke she brought her hand to her lower abdomen where she was shot, her nail tearing into her own flesh and making her wince inside. She pulled out the bullet, and the skin began to heal. She let the bullet drop to the floor. She paused for a moment in contemplation, and then slowly shook her head. “You’ll ‘let’ me out of this prison? I managed to get out of my own cell unscathed. Even the sides, eh? It will take a long time to do that. 584* men, 341 women, 32 of my own kind, 21 children.” She paced slightly toward the elder man, grinning and exposing her sharp fangs. “I’m a cold hearted, cold blooded killer. I can never be anything else. So you see, making compromises is not usually in my nature.” Her eyes sifted about the guards who gathered. If she only could influence as strongly as Aiden she could avoid all of this. It would be passive, or there would be bloodshed. She wasn’t immune to bullets, but merely to the fatality they cause. They still hurt like hell.

“Did you know that even when blood is unique for every person, lineages can be traced by the scent, the taste, the feel? The very aura about it. I do guarantee you that I will be more then happy to kill off any little ones you have, as well as your wives. I feel nothing for them, as they are nothing to me. Either by finding them through their blood, or after I slip the identification and licenses from your pockets after I break you.” They were bold words for the neonate. She hoped that her example would be good enough. There were quite a few, and her strength and agility only went so far. From what they had seen, however, she had shown no weakness.


“Was that man really worthy of living?” She questioned, twisting the end of the word in a knot. “Trying to take advantage of a helpless woman like that? He could have played nice, but he didn’t. His death was inevitable.” She pulled back one strap of her bra back on her shoulder with a vicious smile. “There will be no one standing between me and the door. If you’d like to lie in a bloodied heap in front of it, by all means be my guest.” Her tongue trailed the stray blood which was trying on her lips. A thought struck her hard. Outside, was the sun light. But outside was Mathias. Mathias…please, help me love the sun again. she thought to herself. “I have never made an offer such as this one. If you would prefer to die, stay where you are, and do your worst. If you wish to live, get in the cell, and I will not harm you.”

“Oh, and if you have the notion of killing me in your mind,” she whispered the old man. “Take into consideration that I’m already dead.” She held out her hand. “Your jacket, if you will. I would be charged with indecent exposure.” A cold blooded killer, who had learned to love her death more than her life.

"And how do we know you're not bluffin' miss? Ya can't kill the family of a man who has none or threaten a man who's priorty is to his nation. You're in Mahanoy now......the great empire. Our Lady Genocide rules this nation.....the home base of the war against The Reich since the dawn of our war. The home of our fallen leader Dante," the old man responded, looking down to the floor at the mention of Dante. "Those who are fresh in our war hate the man, but many a good soldier served in the times of Dante. He was a true leader, inspiring, strong, and driven. His ethics were unheard of, but he treated best soldiers with more respect then most leaders. And as Our Lady Genocide is daughter of my leader, I choose to serve her in his memory."

He walked toward the door, blocking it from Charmaine. "As I said before miss, if you want to go, I will let you leave without a fight, but you must hand over one to me. I've seen cold blooded killers, legends in our time. You're not alone here, and if I'm the only one who will stand up to you, then so be it. But.......Mathias must die," he said with that same twinkle; a seemingly kind old man.

Noskalenaeuroph stood abroad the ship, overlooking the dark waters pushing to shore beneath him. He needed to get back. Something was not feeling right, it has not been for a long time. Flex had survived, or so he had heard, but he resolved he would leave Flex behind; he needed to go back alone. It was far too complicated to explain these feelings he had been having.

Plunging into the depths of the ocean, the cold waters washing over him, his sword tied tightly to his back, he made his way to shore slowly. The waters were frigid, but oddly refreshing to not only his body, but his racing mind and the anxiety welling in his stomach.

It took him many hours to reach shore, for Callisdrun's ships had made it quite far before they were forced to stop or be destroyed. The distance was that great, that Nos collapsed on the sand, too exhausted to continue forward. His endurance was great, rather spectacular at times, but a normal person would have died half way there, so exhaustion was to be expected on his behalf.

Laying there, eyes closed, he breathed heavily, no oxygen really reviving him. And then he felt the hand on him. Pushing away, he scrambled across the fine soft sand, withdrawing his sword and leaping to his feet, where he had brought down at an angle to the man's neck. Restraining himself before slicing the man's neck off, his eyes borrowed into him, his long brilliant white blonde hair mixed with sand, hanging in ruffled strands down his back.

"Who are you? What are you doing? Are you prepared to die?" Nos asked quickly, a voice rather quiet, but assertive.

The man took a step back, his hands slowly raising, "I came to help you. Admiral Hunny*Dew gave orders to take all survivors from the aerial assualt to the mansion and bury those who had died. I was just following orders," he responded with a certain calmness in the matter.

Sliding his sword back into its sheath, they both walked toward the mansion, the man supporting Nos, while Nos apologized and the man explained the current situation from the perspective within the mansion, explaining Mathias's kidnap.

Once at the mansion, the man turned back to continue his job, as Nos continued forward, his eyes set on the doors sadly. So much death in one nation......too much death. Reaching the doors, he opened them, and walked to find Erzsebet talking with another.

"Erzsebet," he said softly, quietly, a hint of remorse lingering in his seductive soft voice.....relaxing and calm despite the evident saddness, "can you talk?"

Charmaine inhaled an unneeded breath deeply. She could hear his heart beating. The sound was so clear, so pristine, that she got lost in the rhythm. Her mouth remained slightly ajar as her fangs extended to their full length over her bottom lips. This was it. She was going to get through these guards and get to Mathias. No matter what it took she would get to him. That was her mindset. Even the rays of the sun could kill her, but that wouldn’t keep her away. She would get there.



Ravelyn’s pace quickened as the armies stormed the castle. She slashed up her katars vertically, and jammed them into the nearest vapor. Blood trailed from her lip as she forced herself to continue. There was too many. She made a run for the cliff. It was her they were after anyway. Her shoulder was badly wounded, and wasn’t healing. She was focusing all her energy on prayer and psionics, she had no energy remaining to heal herself. She stood at the edge of the cliff, and looked back. Summoning what strength she had in her, she jumped backwards off the cliff, her wings ripping through her back and sending droplets of blood shattering through the air. She landed easily on the rocks below, and saw the vapors continuing after her. She struggled to get up.

Taking a few steps forward, she stumbled. Someone pulled her up, supporting her with his arms. She looked up and saw the pale complexion of the man. “Haraki,” she stammered, trying to pull herself to her feet. Even the greatest fall. “Haraki, where is Zacharian? Where is Vaughn….”

Haraki winced at the name, as if it brought him pain to here. And it did. “No time for it now, we have to enter the Dark Path immediately, or those vapors will kill you miss.”

She smiled lightly, despite her condition. “I’ll slaughter them, Haraki. Don’t worry about…” She passed out. Haraki nervously picked her up and observed the vapors proximity. There were seconds left. Both disappeared.



“I see that I have two options. I can leave, and let you live, and Mathias will die,” her expression darkened. “My second option is I can leave, and kill you, and Mathias will live.” She eyed them all carefully. She shook her head. “I really do hate to get blood on my clothes. It’s an absolute waist.” The last word she snapped out, drawing it into a hiss, her face contorting. She lunged toward the man in front of her, seeking to snap his jugular with the heel of her foot.

General Karacere of caronicilia had orders from the emperor to shoot anything that moves in the area. Caronnicilia's involvement in this war was enirely about imperialistic gain, as it was also in the Kyrosian war.

Hunny*Dew walked into the red lit room, a vast tunnel like room that broke way to a larger room, lighted again by those red lights, making all the objects of the room impossible to see clearly. The items that could be seen within the massive room was a large screen, numerous wiring, terminals to work at, a cone like structure made of metal and glass that reached from the floor to the ceiling, and a rather peculiar pedistal standing off to the corner.

Wasting no time, while forgetting that Richard was with her, she walked toward the large screen, a monitor, and turned it on....a hazy light, revealing the entirety of the room, where she found the light switch not far from where Richard had stood. Flicking it on, all the terminals activitated as well as the mainframe.

Given only a brief minute, a little girl's giggle was heard, "Thank you Hunny! Auntie! I saved mommy! I saved mommy!" while on the pedistal, a little girl apparted.

Hunny*Dew merely smiled, sitting behind one of the terminals clicking away, off in her own world. A few moments of absolute silence elapsed, where her voice rang out singsong like and soft, "Red Queen, I'm updating your system for war. I've given you the coordinates and boundaries of the new nations. Run a scan and sweep; if need be, infect them. I leave all updating to you my dear, I know that you can do this job with ease."

Turning to another terminal, clicking away again, a large display appeared on the massive room size monitor, showing a mini replica of the entirety of The Reich. She pulled up a headset and placed it on, adding a few more codes and commands, before standing up and straightening her hair, turning toward Richard, but not looking at him, the monitor behind her.

She smiled pleasently, very friendly, but also a hint of absolute seriousness in her mein. "Hello fellow Reich members, leaders, and civillians. You are probably wondering why you have been torn away from your daily activities, and possibily trying to turn your televisions to another channel or close this window on your computers or even hang up your phones or turn of the radio, but you find you can do neither. This is an official Reich message brought to you from The Depths of Hell. You cannot stop this message, only I can my friends, so prepare yourselves for the next five minutes, while I take your time to explain our current situation.

"I speak to you all in behalfs of your current dictator, myself. I have taken the role of your leader, your trusted dictator, and your friend. Der Fuhrer Dyszel is incapable of performing duties at this moment, while I regret to inform you that Mister Mathias Bortnainsky has been taken capitive by Genocide earlier. In best interests of our region, I have stepped forth in their absense, taking the role of a position I feel I am not too qualified to hold. I promise you all though, that I will do my best to preserve The Reich and its people, my people now, my friends.

"I also call for allies in our time of war. All nations gather today in our time of need. I ask that you unite with The Dictatorship in this war against Genocide. I ask that you send me your best advisors, your best professionals, your best heros.....for today, we shall begin the creation of a new Reich.

"Thank you my dear friends for your time," she softly spoke with a nod, her friendly smile resumming, before the monitor turned dark and she removed her headset, walking toward Richard.

"Welcome to The Red Queen Lair......complex AI's need somewhere to station. What do you think?" she smiled innocently, clutching his arm.

A large crash sounded throughout the landing of the depths of hell. A vessel had crashed into the ground, completely wrecked. Smoke and fumes rose from it, causing quite a gruesome sight. Guards quickly flocked to the sight, and there appeared to be no survivors. It was an unauthorized vessel. Suddenly, a scraping sound was heard. A man emerged, if a man is what you’d call him, half of his face and eye torn off and slowly regenerating. He pushed back his hair with one hand over the exposed muscle tissue. His cold icy eyes stared at them, in a bit of anger, though not at them. “How do you people fly these bloody things,” he scoffed, and kicked it in frustration.

He made his way toward the tavern, extracting what he could from the people around him. His mind was a lot more advanced that Charmaine’s, but he also had a greater weakness. There were a small amount of people around, and he wondered why. He approached a half standing tavern, and narrowed his eyes. He would get to her. He would get to her if it was the last thing he did. He searched diligently, for what his perception told him, his fledgling was underground. He came across an entrance, and sighted. He made his way into the depths of hell.

------

“Who are you? State your business!” one of the guards yelled. Aiden bowed regally, and looked up at them from the bow.

“My name is Aiden Shentavo. I’ve come for a girl. Pale skin, white hair, voluptuous curves, and quite the pretty face I might say. Has a bit of a temper though,” he brushed off his jacket with his right hand. He was not sure if they had automail here to fix his arm with. He was a very long way from home. “I’m the only thing that she’s afraid of.” He grinned slyly. “I believe I might be of some assistance.”

OOC:
Caronicilia, play toy soldiers in another thread. Thank you.

Despite his seemingly old fragile appearence, the man dodged Charmaine's heel with a laugh. "Miss, you cannot kill me that easily. I am not like the rest of the soldiers yo're going to fight here today. I'm a vetern of this war, the war in the times of Dante. Dante was an expert in his field, I was taught well. It's a damn shame such a fine young man like him had to die. But he left us a daugther, which I've resolved to serve in his memory."

He did not aim his weapon at her, but merely stood before her. "I may be just normal to you, but I am legend in this nation. And I hate to admit it in front of these other soldiers, but I am one of Dante's infamous Elites......yes.....we still stand, just shadows in every day life anymore," he finished, a twinkle in his eyes still.

The other guards looked to the older man, shock spreading into their faces....as if they could not fathom what he had just said. It would be more believable that Charmaine was a vampire then their fellow guard to be one of Dante's Elites, but fear also consummed these men, and they shakingly raised their guns at both Charmaine and the old man.

"Is it true the Elites have refused to reform into Genocide's army?" a more bolder man spoke, where the old man only shrugged and laughed merrily at their raised guns.

"Now, miss, I think it's best if we come to an agreement. Fightings not going to get us anywhere until my old heart gives out," smiling at Charmaine almost as if he were Santa Claus.

A man stood before Aiden, disturbed by his appearence. "No one like that is with us," he said looking at the man with a questioning eye. "You should be back at the mansion......orders were given to remain in Stadt if you were unable to follow us. I think you should talk to Hunny*Dew, but she is with important business at the moment.....you will have to wait. What do you want with this girl? And why is she of our business?" he inquired, staring at the man with a cynical glare.

A few of the surrounding soldiers, disturbed as well by the man's presence, joined the small congregation, inquiring additionally as to why Aiden was here.

Charmaine narrowed her eyes. “You know what’s funny? I saw Dante not to long ago. He had made the terrible mistake of slitting Mathias’ throat many years ago, and to run into me that night. I gashed his throat open, broke him. He was delirious, thought me to be Autumn. I left him unconscious with over 75% of his blood gone. So you are saying you come in Dante’s name, a man whom I have already encountered and spat on for that long ago terrible mistake. And here you stand before me, saying you ally with that same man who harmed Mathias,” she chuckled softly. “I might not kill you easily, but I’d rather it slow. More pleasure that way, mm?” She inhaled. “The difference between you and me, is that these bullets won’t kill me, and I have a lot of years on you…apart from the whole dead and living thing. Personally I’d rather be alive then damned to walk this earth for the rest of eternity.” After all that had happened, she still had a sense of humor, even if it was dark.

“As I said,” Charmaine persisted. “I leave here with Mathias alive, one way or the other. I’m not afraid to die, as I’ve already died once before.” She narrowed her eyes. It’s your choice, but know that Mathias will live. You aren’t blocking me from that door. I can leave when I wish, but I wish to leave with you in the cell rather than on the floor. Go.”

“I believe I’m on the wrong side” he said muttered to himself, and unbothered by the questioning. It was to be expected, and he anticipated them. It was time to do some twisting. “I have a direct connection with that girl that Mathias was with. Chances are that I’d be able to find him if I find her. It would have to be done discreetly though, I work alone.” He bowed his head lightly, and scanned the surface thoughts. He would find her one way or another. Genocide, that name was repeated a lot. He began to put pieces together. “That woman, Charmaine, who was dragged into this entire war, is my priority. I must protect her at all costs. Let me pass. It’s no loss to you anyhow. I have my duty to look after her, and I must go.”

The old man chuckled, "Oh miss, you really are clueless, aren't you? Dante is dead! He's been dead....I was in Whitecastle when he died, trying to free him, but that's another story. You speak rubbish....these names you mention.....Autumn? Autumn? You speak rubbish. The only Autumn we know was the leader of the resistence, but she was captured at Whitecastle too. She's dead too. She was after Dante's time."

The man moved away from Charmaine, opening the door, "But....I'm going to let you free.....only because I want to see your bravery when you are encounted with Genocide......but more because I want to see your face when Mathias is killed. The man is going to die.....he's weak. I saw him walk the city......he's weak. The man isn't the same. He'll die of his own accord. He's weakening. I think the man has cancer.....he looks fine on the outside, but inside, it's all inside. I want to see your face when he dies," the old man said, with a grin that implied he was through with business and satisfied with his response.

Charmaine was merely bluffing, wasn't she?

"Mathias has been captured by Genocide.....but you cannot get into Mahanoy. We don't have the needed equipment yet ready to deploy to Mahanoy. Normal planes will be shot out of the sky before we get close. And you can't work alone in Mahanoy.....they're our enemies! You're going to need to talk to Hunny*Dew, she's dictator at the moment," he said tilting his head slightly to get a different look at this man.

"Mathias is best left to dead anyhow......if you get what I mean. It'll be better that way. I think it'll be too hard on him being hung by his own region, but your woman.....well......if she is with him, she's probably being held hostage. Talk to Hunny*Dew, she'll know what to do."

“Dante is as much alive as I am dead, if he didn’t of course die from the blood loss,” Charmaine bowed slightly. She walked to the guard with the red hair and freckles who had shot her, and held out her hand for his jacket. He gave it to her with his hand, now steadied, and she slipped it on over her bra. She walked past them, and turned around. “And if Mathias should die,” she said over her shoulder. “I would love to see your face, when he rises from the grave.” She smiled sweetly. “I’d love to see the look on your face after seeing what has become of your beloved Dante, and what the bite of a vampire has done to him. I wonder if he’ll ever wake up.” She chuckled to herself, and started to walk through the door, and paused. She looked at him catching only a thought or too before a slight pain started. “You really think he’s dead don’t you?”

“Good,” he said viciously. “I don’t care about him, I care about the damn girl!” He went into a bit of a rage with his words, and his gestures were large and strong. “ I need a way there, directions would be helpful, and I don’t need a plane.” The man tilted his head, and Aiden broke out in a yell. “You don’t get it! You truly don’t. I would do anything for her. You do not understand her importance. If she should die, our entire nation would go to war, destroying whatever got in the way, whether ally or foe, just to get to that girl!” He calmed his demeanor. “Get me Hunny*dew, get me someone who can get me there. I’ll go alone.”

The old man, clutched to door to brace himself. "He IS dead. He IS dead. I was there when he died. He never got out. The base was sealed shut. That chemical took over.....he IS dead! He has to be dead. You speak rubbish! RUBBISH! Prove he's alive," he said, starting to feel sick at the thought of Dante being alive

"Prove it," he whispered more to himself, as if confirming his knowledge that Dante was dead.

Charmaine was taken a back a bit. She contemplated on how to show him. These visions that had gone through her head… “If he wasn’t alive, then how did he ever address me as Autumn? Hell I don’t even know who Autumn is. But if you really don’t believe me, take my hand and I’ll show you.” She held out her hand. She breathed in deeply. If things went wrong, she would be knocked out for hours. Aiden could transmit images, she could not. But hadn’t Mathias received some of hers. “I’ll show you what happened if you promise not to start a ruckus after seeing what I did.” She wasn’t even sure if she would be able to establish a connection. “You have to open your mind to me. I’ll do my best to make it as clear as possible. I’m…I’m still young; only 89. I’ll show you Dante, if you show me where Mathias is.”

Richard watched Hunny*Dew at work with wonder, she really was in full command of the situation at hand, and seemed to have a firm grasp on what all of this equipment did. Richard for his part was dumbfounded, he stood and clasped his hands in the same spot until Hunny*Dew was finished, looking around the large control room that they were in. He wasnt as nervous this time when The Red Queen appeared, familarity bred a bit of comfort; though he knew to never be around again if Der Fuhrer was shot at..

"What do I think? This place is impressive, too much for me.. I think that you didnt really need me to come with you, now did you?" Richard asked with a sly smile and a glint in his eyes, "you handled it like the pro you are. So what use am I here...?"

He bent over still smiling and leaned close to her, whispering in a way that her ear would be tickled, "You did great Hunny, great deeds get reward," he took a pause for dramatic effect and switched ears, "what.. oh what can we do till The Red Queen finishes her task? Anything you desire m'dear, but I should tell you," he switched ears again, leaving a kiss on her cheek on his way back to the other side, "my hands work magic on sore muscles."

The soldier simply nodded and turned away, walking deeper into the base. "Fucking asshole," he mumbled to himself, shooting a glare back at Aiden. "These stupid bastards are really starting to annoy me. All about them and what they want......who cares about The Reich, about The Dictatorship.....it's all a game to them. I don't know where they find ambassadors.....everyone that came here since the times of Olaris had their own goals. No one wants to aide a fallen nation anymore. Assholes," he continued to mumble before he lost himself in the base, unsure of where he was.

"Hunny*Dew," he called, the sound disappearing in the depths of the base. "Admiral! Someone is looking for you! Admiral!" he continued to call, looking about the floor speckled with blood.

He stooped down, fingering the dried blood......someone was in the base. He looked up frightened, the vastness interior of the base spreading in all directions before him.

"HUNNY*DEW!" he let out a yell, hoping that she would hear him and come to him.

The old man took her hand, clutching it with fear. He shouldn't have trusted this woman, she was trying to deceive him, but he wanted so badly to believe that Dante was still alive, somehow, anyhow.

"I can't promise you to Mathias, but I'll take you to around where he is being kept. I don't really know where he is, none of us do. I just think Genocide has him," he said, the twinkle fading from his eyes.

"If I take you to Mathias though.....you are just going to kill me, aren't you?"

“Dried blood is a waste,” Aiden said scoffing, nearly startling the man. He smiled lightly. He had followed him. “So where is this admiral, are you sure she can hear you, or do you propose I make my own way to save my beloved childr?” Childr was a term often used be vampires to refer to their fledglings, though it could be interpreted differently to someone who was not aware of that meaning. “And do hurry,” he added. “This mundane and droll setting is seriously an eye sore.” He straightened up and placed one arm behind his back looking around.

“No,” Charmaine said. “While I am a vampire, I am an honest one. I never break my promises. That guard over there,” she continued, looking at the vicerated guard lifeless in her cell. “Broke a promise to me. He told me that Mathias would not be harmed. His seconds of air were numbered the minute that promise broke. I am a woman of my word. I won’t kill you, but you must bring me to Mathias. If I were truly as cold as I have said, would I have the capacity to love that man?” She smiled lightly, a friendly smile. It was the first time they had seen one out of her. Her fangs were still extended, though her demeanor was calm. She closed her eyes. Remember….Remember…



Stumbling out of the mansion, Dante wandered aimlessly, just trying to get away from Der Fuhrer's presence and Richard's eyes on his lapel, when he stumbled into Mathias and Charmaine, grabbing Charmaine's shoulder to steady himself.

"Who are you?" he asked quickly, unable to see from the blood running down his head after splitting open his forhead on the cold hard onyx floor. He felt her shoulder, taking notice it was a woman. He stepped back, trying to remain steady as he wavered back and forth, his left hand grabbing his head.

"Where am I? Dyszel? No.....I.....Autumn? I....sorry....she's....I....how? She's mine? But I? She's mine? I....why didn't you tell me? She's my daugther....I'm a horrible father....Autumn.....I....she's our baby girl......"

He stumbled back, almost like a drunkard, but his confusion was simply a combination of recent events. He coughed, feeling his lungs straining for breath from after the fall, "Help me Autumn. She's going to kill me," he said, taking his hand from his head and grabbing her shoulder again, smearing his blood all over her figure.

Mathias cringed, unsure of what was happened, but a deep fear settling within. That gun in his hands could be fired at any moment.....and he was not prepared to take a bullet unless it was for Charmaine.

"Charmaine......" he thought, "He doesn't know who she is. He's wounded pretty bad. What if he? No, he thinks she is Autumn, but she is, I don't know what happened to her. Just please don't hurt her Dante....don't take away the only thing left in my life....."


Mathias’ voice played in the image as if he had spoken, but his lips remained silent. Charmaine could hear him.


Charmaine’s eyes widened at the blood. She was unsure of what to do. She watched the crimson liquid, as if in slow motion, trickled down from Dante’s neck. Her eyes flushed a deep red, and her fangs extended almost instantly, showing over a vague smile. I can’t…I can’t… she repeated to herself repeatedly. She closed her eyes, not wishing to see the blood which was smeared on her shoulder. Don’t open your eyes, don’t open your eyes. You can’t open your eyes. The smell was intoxicating, and the only sound which resonated through her mind was the beating of his heart. As much as she tried not to, she opened her eyes, and took on a feral demeanor. Her muscles tensed, and she eyed Dante carefully.

“Don’t’ worry Mathias,” she said roughly, her voice taking on a vicious undertone. “I’m a strong girl, I think the one that has to worry are the inquisitors and this striking man before me.” She scowled at Dante. “Mathias? You did say that this was the man that sliced you ear to ear, did you not?” She grinned wildly, showing her fangs to the ever confused Dante. She gripped the hand on her shoulder with her left hand with a lock that could have shattered. If only the sun would rise! But that would not be for hours, and Charmaine was dreadfully hungry. “I guarantee,” she continued, taking a step toward him. She released her grip, and placed one hand on his chest. With a sharp motion she pushed him back a few feet, and stared at her prey. “You were a lot safer inside.”

Charmaine stepped forward and pulled Dante’s hair to turn his head to one side, exposing the open wound. Seeming to take no regard of the gun in his hand, she plunged her fangs into the wound, and began to drink that rich sanguine liquid she so craved.

Dante nearly fell backward, his hand hurting from something which had seized it. He tried to look through his blood coated eyes, but saw nothing, only felt a force push him backward and grab his hair, turning his head. He felt a piercing in his neck and then nothing more, just dizziness settle and a slight feeling of lightness as the darkness seemed to grow darker and his body fainter.

He groaned as he tried weakly to push away from whatever had him in its grasp. "Autumn? Is that you? I.....can't....see you.... Autumn....take..your..knife..out of..my..neck......." he spoke barely above a whisper. "You're not Autumn, are you? Clara....." he said with a hint of helplessness through his weakened whisper, feeling the humiliation as he saw her face among the four who had betrayed him.

His knees grew weaker and he fought the urge to collapse, grasping Charmaine's shoulders to keep his balance. He began to feel cold, unsure of why he was feeling so weak and cold.

He started to slip into unconsciousness, when he heard someone yell a name, he could not distinguish what it was. Fighting the urge he was feeling, he tried to fight back with what little energy he had left, using his gun to strike Clara on the back of the head, falling forward weakly in the process.

Not only was Dante displayed, but Charmaine’s thoughts, Mathias’ thoughts, and Charmaine’s bloodlust. She broke the contact with the man. She had sent him a clear vision. The only one she had ever sent in her entire life. She felt a bit weak, and stumbled to rest on the door frame, panting slightly and taking in the unneeded air.

"Fuck you!" yelled the soldier, taking a step back, frightened and startled by the man. "Get out of here! Get out! You are not authorized to be in this base! Get the hell out!" he yelled pulling out the gun he had be equipped with before leaving Stadt.

"I hate you know it bastard ambassadors," he said cooling down, swinging the gun around to aim at Aiden. "Always taking advantage of others hospitality."

In the mean time, Hunny*Dew leaned against Richard, planting a kiss on him softly, until she heard a faint scream come from above them within the base. She pulled away, her eyes flickering.

"Red Queen, isolate and refrain please. I'll go to check on the situation," she said softly, clutching Richard's arm and walking fast out of the lair, while The Red Queen apparated between Aiden and the soldier.

"Auntie says you should stay here. She is coming now," she said, playing with her dress and dancing around to herself.

The old man looked at her sharply. "You drank his blood? Why the hell would you drink his blood? You....shit....Dante's alive. He really is alive. But how? How? He died.......in Whitecastle. You drank his blood? How could you attack him?" he whispered to himself, sitting down with Charmaine.

"But why....." he almost whined, seeing his beloved leader barely putting up a struggle against the beast sucking out his life, his blood dripping from his neck as he seemed to just fall asleep while her fangs were sunk deeply into his neck......the blood spilling out.

"Dante.....he.....alive?"

Aiden chuckled. “You pick a fight with the wrong man.” Before he could do anything the red queen appeared. Aiden was taken aback, and stared at the young little girl with a smile. He was slightly perplexed. What the hell was a little girl doing here? And how did she get there? And…how come he didn’t hear her heart beating. “If you don’t mind me asking,” he said, tilting his head. “What the bloody hell are you?”

Charmaine sighed softly. “Yes. That’s what I do. My heart will only beat with the blood of others. My existence is damned. I drank his blood out of instinct, and for the pleasure of it all. It is a rather pleasurable experience, at least for me.” She didn’t sit, but remained standing. “I could attack him for what he did to Mathias. As I said, it would have been a fatal mistake. Ironically, Mathias was the reason I didn’t drain your beloved Dante dry. He told me to stop, and I did. Dante owes Mathias his life.” Charmaine stretched on her hands in front of her, and a wave of impatience crossed her face. “Now, if you’re done with your reverie, let’s get going. I’ve showed you what you’ve wanted to see. I hope you realize now that my threats were not empty ones. Hold up your end of the bargain, take me to Mathias.”

Strong, confident, and so fragile at the same time. She truly was a paradox. She…she was like her mother. She was a devil of an angel. She stood in the doorway, waiting for the man to rise.

Though small in stature, Erzsebet managed to have a commanding presence as she quickly told the persons she had been talking to to remain in the vicinity.

She then turned to Nos, her eyes wide in surprise. "Nos? However did you get back here? Are you all right?" Her voice was not frantic, but very openly concerned. She often put up a hard exterior, but she was not without emotion. "And yes, of course I can talk." She stepped toward Nos, folding her hands over her stomach, giving Nos her attention. Really, how the Hel did he get here?

Knut towered off to the side a bit, not saying anything. Though he tried not to be obtrusive, his size made it hard not to notice him. He felt no jealousy of this man Erzsy had called "Nos," he was not a jealous man, and Erzsy's relationship with him had always been different after that day, almost ten years prior. Off and on, one could call it, as Erzsebet sometimes had flings, especially during those weird moods of hers. And even so, her status in the diplomatic department gained her some allowances with foreigners. Of course, her acquaintence with this odd-looking man could be completely innocent, as well, Knut did not know, or really care.

Richard kissed Hunny*Dew back and followed her to the site of the disturbance, quickly meandering down lit hallways and through dark corridors to the nearest elevator.

As they journeyed up the shaft, Richard gave Hunny*Dew another kiss and wondered aloud at what the disturbance could be. Hunny*Dew didnt seem interested in small talk, and instead focused on the task at hand; identifying and interrogating a trespasser.

Stepping out of the elevator, and turning down a nearby corridor found them within eyesight of their trespasser. Richard did a double-take as he recognized the man in front of them, and pulled Hunny*Dew aside, "I saw this man as I walked out of a conversation with Erszebet last night. He seemed dangerous, and looks to be of the same breed as Charmaine."

She searched his eyes with her diplomatic face on and then continued to walk towards the three; herself momentarily forgotten as she affixed her mantle of responsibility.

Mathias awoke, a groggy feeling consumming him, as his heavy head hung down heavily on his weakened shoulders. The groan of his heavily escaping air worked its way out of his mangled throat, the sound lingering in the air like a thick drowning cloud. He felt tight restraints on his wrists, metal bounding his arms and legs to a wall. The intensity of the bright light mounted above him shone on him, causing his skin to excrete sweat excessively. He felt weak.....tired.....fatigue.

The doors were glass, the room was glass, but despite the normal fragility of glass, he suspected escape from this cell would be nearly impossible. The doors slid open with a mechanical hiss, ominously speaking to him of the impending danger, as Genocide stepped in his view, a small girl in comparison to his large stature.

His jaw clenched tightly at the sight of her, a headache working from his sinus cavities into the depths of his brain. He glared at her fragile figure; an ant if he was free to crush her breakable body.

"Mister Mathias Bortniansky........tell me the chemical compound of XGN T2. I want to know all of your secrets and now. And tell me about that mysterious leader of your's, that Der Fuhrer Dyszel. I want to know all about her and that stupid Red Queen intelligence," she spat angerily at him, wasting no time in getting straight to the point of her unpleasent visitation.

Mathias looked at her as if she were crazy; expecting a mute man to speak to her. He merely looked down at her, a slight grin spreading across his face, instantly being wiped off by a shooting nausating pain issuing from his testicles. Out came another groanlike escape of air from his mangled throat; silence filling the glass walled room.

He hated Genocide so much at that moment, wanting to break everyone bone her body. She was expecting him to do the impossible. Frustrated, he fought against the entirety of his body, attempting a task he quick realized that he would never again be able to do. Taking a deep breath, he tried to muster the word "Genocide," but only a raspy air escaped from his mouth, no discernable consonants or vowels sounding. The once intoxicating deepness of his voice, the sterness that made soldiers stop in their paths to listen to that voice's issue not sounding the slightest. It was gone.....the masculine depth of uniqueness that was once added instant recognition to its owner.....a faint merely practically erased from existence.

He gritted his teeth at Genocide, and clenched his fists, wanting to break free and seize her by her tiny neck, sending her into those glass doors, shattering her skull instantly......but, the pain ceased all negative thoughts, as he threw up this time from the neaseous feeling overpowering him.

Genocide merely smiled cockily, a child of five with an impudent attitude of a teenaged boy who knows the entire world. "Tell me now Mathias," she demanded cooly.

Mathias mustered his strength despite his weakness, pushing against the restraints with an intense thrust, cutting into him deeply, his joints threatening to dislocate against the pressure, until his body fell limply forward again. Genocide simply smiled and nodded to one of the Guard behind her, turning away. She left the cell, the mechanical doors sealing with another evil hiss, a hot breeze pushing against him. He hung his head low in defeat, his wrists cut deeply again, bleeding heavily.....a cough surmounting with him as his joints began to ache even more.

He merely closed his eyes, with his hung head downward, feeling nothing but an overpowering sense of defeat.

Drifting in the midst of an unknown world, Der Fuhrer opened her eyes to a cold room, blood dripping from more places then she could count. She hung her head low, the last few days having been unbareable to even mention or think about, still she would not satisfy her captures with a scream of pain. They strived off of breaking their prisoners, destroying their prisoner's views about themselves before finding the information that they had wanted.

A man lifted himself from her, his dark eyes reaching into the depths of her soul, as he breathed heavily and rolled onto his back. They laid beside each other for many hours, until the man drifting to sleep in the comfort of her arms....she joining him in their embrace.

To Der Fuhrer, all the images were vivid and clear, as if they had happened yesturday, but she knew those memories had long since been pushed beneath layers of defense mechanisms by her lover. Maybe it was because they were best left untold, hidden within their minds, memories and faces of the past the would no longer be.

She shivered again, feeling the pain in her body, the ache in her back, the cuts on her body, and the pain from within. She was still bleeding, wondering how long it would be before she stopped. Would she ever stop bleeding? Would the blood continue to drip and drip until too much had left her body, killing her in the process? She could only hope it would.

She no longer felt feelings toward these people; their cruelness had extended into the depths of her mind, but she could no longer harbor hatred toward them. They were just doing their job.....and she was a valuable source of information to these people. But who were they? She vaguely remembered seeing something, a marking next to one of the men's eye when he was atop of her, but that was the most she could remember seeing of these mysterious men and masters of torture.

Alone in this world of silent torture, distant screams, and a muted voice she opted to maintain.....she felt the suffering Mathias had for so long endured. The want and desire to speak, to yell out, call someone's name, and yet, the impossibility to do so. For days now, she had heard distant screams from a woman nearby, but too far in this world, this maze, this game of those who had captured them.

Accepting her death, she tried to stand, but found her leg had been broken in several places, and frowned at the thought that she had ceased to feel the pain of it. Her pain was one of the few remaining human traits she carried; each day in this hell was a day away from her humanity......she would have preferred death to this state of being she was quickly becoming.

Meanwhile, Damon lay in a similiar room, the freezing temperatures untouching him, but sedating him from within. He reached out slowly, touching the metal wall, not feeling the coldness or hardness of its surface, but taking note of his breath escaping his mouth in little clouds. His body responding slowly, his mind slowing........his breath coming out in clouds. They had found his weakness.

He continued to touch the wall, pressing his hand against it hard, trying to feel the coldness issuing from it, but could not feel it the slighest. He could not tell the temperature was reaching zero quickly, his body unable to respond to the extreme temperature drops, even as he lay there without clothing. Never did he imagine being victim of his own methods.

Hours later, the cocky man entered in a heavy jacket, grinning at Damon. "It's not too cold in here for you, is it big man? Oh.....that's right.....someone can't feel the cold. It's a shame, you look like you're going to die, you should get looked at," he responded with a cocky laugh.

Damon tried to stand, but his body would not comply to his will. It was true though, the subzero temperatures were killing him, and he could not feel it happen, could not feel his body freezing, dying from the intense coldness. Paralyzed from the cold, he was unable to do anything as five men entered behind the cocky man and lifted him, carrying him away to another room.

And after spending the next three days recovering from the cold, Damon opened his eyes to the restraining room, where he was secured tightly to a table. He took notice to the cocky man first, grinning at him, mocking Damon's position. "So......The Man is finally going to be sharing his secrets with us. You'll talk......you know they all do," he said grinning with pleasure, enjoying every moment of Damon's torture too much, but Damon had not spoken, even as the man withdrew a knife and held it closely to Damon's throat.

Damon did not respond though. Frustrated, and figuring that threats like that would not convince Damon to talk, the man shoved the knife into Damon's cheek in a fit of rage, the blade piercing flesh and bone in the process. Damon merely stared at the man, showing no feeling on his apathetic face, for he had felt nothing, but the taste of blood filling his throat, coming from somewhere he could not locate. Angerily, the man stormed from the room, leaving Damon alone with the knife still sheathed in Damon's face.....the sound of a woman's scream breaking free from not too far from him.

Following the sound of the scream, the cocky man walked into a room where a young woman begged for mercy to the man who had been torturing her nonstop for the past few many weeks. She was tired of this existence.....and begged to be killed repeatedly, but found herself knocked unconscious by the cocky man who rolled his eyes and left the room, walking about the pathways aimlessly.

Back in Damon's room though, Damon closed his eyes, summoning internal strength for his next task. And with all of his force, he pulled himself forward. He felt his hand snag.......just a little further...... He continued to pull his arm forward feeling the tension release as his arm moved freely. Wasting no time, he squirmed the rest of his body beneath the restraints, trying his best not to move his right arm in the slighest bit. Once he had gained the advantage of being half free, he looked to his left arm, the hand missing and laying beneath the restraint twitching uncontrollably. Using the heavily bleeding handless arm, he hooked his arm under the other arm restraint and lifted up, pulling his right arm away quickly, before feeling the looseness in his left arm again. He refused to look at this arm, or at least the remainder of it. Perhaps he would try and sew his own arm back together, the thought entered his mind quickly, as he turned from the room, trailing his own blood with him. He slammed his body into a room, knowing precisely where he was, finding a garbage bag, and working his way back to the room, where he used his partially cut right arm to retreive the pieces of his left arm and store them in the bag, which he took to a freezer nearby. He would need his arm in the future....at least, he would try to save it.

The cocky man had walked back to Damon's room and took first notice to all of the blood nearby, calling out for everyone to report to him immediately.

Meanwhile, Damon torniqueted his missing arm half fast. The cocky man was yelling an order when Damon stood up and walked coldly toward the man. The man stared in shock at Damon; Damon staring coldly at him. The man could not believe that Damon had broken free from his restraints, his arm being ripped off in the process, barely noticed by Damon, but stunning the cocky man into a brief wordless silence.

In the distance, many feet were rushing toward the cocky man, who at the sound of the nearing herd, grinned at Damon. "Looks like your efforts were in vain," he smirked, the men surrounding Damon and the cocky man in almost a circle.

Damon merely stood there, a slow drip of blood coming from his arm.....he had lost a lot of blood. He began to feel weak, faint almost, from the blood loss which he had currently stood in. The standout seemed to have lasted for hours when it lasted barely five minutes, but it was broken when the cocky man pulled out a gun at Damon.

Before the man could respond, Damon had used his good hand to remove the knife from his cheek and replace it in the cocky man's cheek. Damon then pulled the knife down, cutting alongside the man's face, before discarding the knife on the ground. The man let out a scream, the other's pulling out their guns in response and aiming at Damon who took no notice to anything but the man in front of him, with his fingers burrowing into the wound he had just created, clenching the skin and ripping with an intense force that tore off over half of the man's face.

Damon had said nothing, the man had wasted his breath with words and was now experiencing the consequences of his actions, as he screamed a horrible agonizing yell that issued from the depths of his being. Damon stood before him, the man grabbing at his face while continuing to scream, and search for the gun that Damon had expelled from the man's hand.

Bending to one knee, Damon lifted the man's face, the man's good eye looking into Damon's eyes with fear, an intense fear that caused him to tremble and try to break free, a fear Damon was accustomed to seeing. He had kept his promise, the coldness of his eyes the most horrifying image that the man would ever see again, as Damon grabbed the knife again and stabbed it into the back of the man's neck, pulling the knife down, wrapping his fingers around the man's vertebrae before pulling out the man's neck from behind, instantly killing the man.

Standing slowly, Damon looked to the faces of the men who had once admired him so well. They had heard stories of Damon's brutality, of his coldness, of his lack of compassion and inability to feel warmth. And with his capture they had learned of his inability to feel period, the warmth or the coldness, while learned that the stories they had heard were not just stories, but actually warnings from wiser people to stay on his good side......for they had witnessed with their own eyes the apathy and utter lack of compassion this man was devoid of as he tore the face off of their new leader. There was no anger or rage in Damon's eyes, and no mercy either.....as if he was the Angel of Death sent by the hand of God to take the lives of the evil of this planet.

With shaking guns aimed at Damon, the men stared confused at the event that had just happened. Someone fired, a gunshot issued from one of the cocky man's supporters. The bullet had missed Damon, passing to where he had stood before it was fired, but Damon had retreated into another room, vanishing within the complex of torture chambers, where he was immediately hunted for.

Knowing precisely what had to be done, he opened the doors of a nearby room, walking in and removing a woman who was unconscious out of it, tossing her onto his shoulder. Wasting no time, he walked the extent of the pathways, and made his way to a secure zone, where he had known how to pass by. Opening one of the doors, he saw her sitting there, her back against the wall, staring at the floor blankly.

"Come quickly," he said, his same emotionless voice sounding, giving an order to one who seldomly took orders from anyone. "They are coming soon. We have no time," he finished, realizing that they had less then a minute to escape.

Der Fuhrer lifted her head, seeing the bulk of a man in front of the door, shielding the light from her, which she was thankful for. She asked no questions, and stood up, her back straightening, trying to retain a small sense of dignity. Following the man, who turned from the door and mechanically worked his way down many pathways, she finally found the strength to speak, "I need my rifle," she demanded herself, keeping pace with the man before her, walking barefooted and naked, down the cold floored pathways.....nothing like those of Mathias's mansion.

"And I need my arm," the man replied in the same voice, as Der Fuhrer looked to this man, who was indeed missing most of his left arm. She had seen the cuts on his body.......he must have been tortured himself, but no conclusions could be drawn at this moment. Right now, the focus was on just getting out of this place, or attempting to, dead or alive. She took notice to the woman on the man's shoulder, the figure familiar.

"C9," she said quietly to herself, the man did not repsond, either not hearing her or allowing her the privacy of her own outspoken thoughts. "He lied," was all she had said, immediately detaching herself from the situation at hand and floating into a world of pasts, of 'what if's', of life.

They entered a brightly lit room covered in blood. She drew the conclusion that this man had either removed his arm here or this is where he began to mend his removed arm. He motioned to the far wall with his head, Der Fuhrer's eyes following the direction to find a wall of mounted rifles, including her own. Quickly retrieving it, she walked back to the man who stood before a freezer and motioned to it.

"I need my arm," he said, unable to obtain it himself without dropping the woman on his shoulder.

Obedient, beginning to trust this cold demeanored man, she opened the freezer to find a black bloodied garbage bag that she had removed and carried along with her rifle.

Leading the way again, Damon headed out of the building, and for the first time, Der Fuhrer noted how much he had looked like her dear friend that she was forced to kill so long ago in her own base......too much alike that she was beginning to wonder if he was actually dead.

Once outside, they took a run for a ten minutes before reaching a city, where Der Fuhrer pounded on the door of a country looking home set on the outside of the city. The man was threatening to collapse soon, unable to push forward with his blood loss, when a little old lady opened the door with fright across her face.

"My goodness children! What happened to you?" she chirped, looking behind them for a crazed murder chasing them.

"Please......let us in," Der Fuhrer said kindly, but demanding nonetheless as her normal demeanor was.

The old lady moved out of their way, issuing them into her house, before inspecting outside one last time and closing the door, locking it behind her and pulling the blinds shut in the house.

The man placed the woman down before falling backward himself, shaking, and looking too pale for his own good, leaning against a sofa in the front room.

"Put this in your freezer quickly," Der Fuhrer demanded to the old woman, handing him the garbage bag, "and bring in plenty of water." Pulling a blanket off of the couch, she covered Damon, who had rested his head against the sofa weakily. He was feigning unconsciousness, and she knew he would probably go into shock soon as his body tried to figure out what to do with itself.

The old woman returned with water that Der Fuhrer used to splash on Damon's face and pour down his throat. "Drink," she demanded to Damon, standing up and facing the older woman. "I need you to get me string of some sort and a needle. Hurry, we do not have much time," she said, turning from the old lady and running into the kitchen. The old woman wasted no time, finding string and a needle nearby which she had used to knit many of her quilts and blankets. In the mean time, Der Fuhrer washed her arms, hands, and face extensively, returned with the garbage bag, a bottle of alcohol, and a knife.

Stringing the needle and pouring alcohol onto it, she began to work on Damon's arm, who had slipped into unconsciousness while she was away. Working deligently for hours, she managed to sew his arm back on, but whether or not it would heal was an entirely different question.

Exhausted herself, she passed out not long after completely Damon's operation, the little old woman left to clean up and wonder what the hell had happened to them on her own.

The old man looked at Charmaine sharply, "You are not normal. You might have attacked Dante, but you made the mistake of allowing him to live. Dante is an intelligent man, not a beast like you. See......unlike you.....if he really is alive, then he's invisible. And you have no idea the power you just left him...." the old man finished, walking away from Charmaine outside of the prison door.

"Follow me," he sneered at her angerily, leading her through beneath the normal exit and beneath the ground toward Genocide's complex, weaving in and out of many doors and rooms before entering the area.

"This is as far as I can take you beast. Unfortunately for you, I don't know where Mathias is being held. You might do best not to find out either......I don't think they would have treated him too kindly," he warned, turning away from the woman.

Tonight, he would leave Mahanoy in search of Dante, to find out for himself if Charmaine's claims were true. Dante's surivival would be monumental, epic, unbelievable. He would be more then a hero to his people, but a symbol of perservence and life almost immortalized.

"You're going to have to watch your back......you've got too many enemies now," he sneered before leaving.

Dante awoke again, feeling slightly light-headed; the bag of blood replaced with a bag of isotonic saline. He sat up, looking around, realizing that his clothing had been removed entirely, a feeling of uneasiness drifting over him. He felt nauseous, wanting to spill his stomach contents onto the floor.

"Where am I?" he murmured to himself, expecting an answer which he would not receive.

Perry walked into the room, carrying a few medical items on a tray, hoovering over Dante in nothing more then a think white shirt. "You're awake," he said trying to remain cool-headed, but surprise slipping into his voice lightly. "I didn't expect you awake for a few more hours......you should rest," he suggested, playing with the tray of items.

"I'm not tired," Dante spoke above that weak whisper that was becoming his normal tone quickly.

"I think you misunderstood," Perry grinned with a wink, pulling out a syringe and injecting it into Dante's tube. "You NEED your rest," he said smugly, whispering into Dante's ear, lingering just above Dante, taking in his scent as Dante began to feign the sleep overcoming him quickly.

Perry remained uncomfortably close to him, pulling out what appeared to be a urinary catheter, but Dante's unfocusing eyes could not precisely see the object. "No," Dante muttered, before he felt something touch his lips "shhhhing" him, his eyes too heavy to keep open. As he fought the sleep, he could have sworn he felt Perry's lips on his, but his sleep overtook him, carrying him away to a world of its own.

Mathias remained in the cell a few more hours before the doors opened again with that ominous hiss, the restraints holding him, releasing his bulky weight that crashed heavily to the floor, unanticipating freedom.

Climbing to his knees, he rubbed his badly bruised and cut wrists, feeling the depth of the cuts which were still bleeding. He looked up to the small girl in front of him, feeling rage well inside of him. He stood up, towering before her, his arm reaching toward her neck, a lion at the throat of its long stalked prey, but a shot to his testicles brought him down as quickly as he stood.

"Your place is on the ground Mathias, don't stand," Genocide giggled at him, securing the little leash around his neck and pulling him, the little jingling of the bell sounding. Mathias would not budge the slightest, his weakened body fighting itself once again, as he felt hands seize him up and drag him away, toward a room much similiar to the one he was in but with paper and pens on a table against the wall.

"Sit Mathias," she ordered, like training a disobediant dog. And the timid puppy obeying it's owner, tucked it's tail and sat on the chair, it's head hung low, ashamed to look up at it's owner. "Now tell me all your secrets," she said simply, sitting on a chair away from the table, but close enough to watch him, her Guard strategicall placed throughout the room.

Mathias looked at the pens before him, grabbing on his hands and trying to write on the paper, no ink coming from it. His wrist stung, the bones threatening to break through his skin with the slightest movement. Stretching for another pen, he found it to be inkless as well. "She's playing games with me," he cursed inside his head, shooting a glare toward Genocide that ended him a rifle butt to his scalpula. He reached for two other pens before finally finding one that wrote.

There is nothing for you to know his clean scriptlike handwriting stretched across the paper. He handed the paper to Genocide who merely giggled and nodded to one of the soldiers who not only cracked him with a rifle, but withdrew a child from the corner of the room, holding a gun at her head.

"Oh Mathias, I heard you are somewhat of a lifesaver. She look familiar? She should.......you trained her," Genocide giggled madly.

Mathias's eyes lifted, shooting toward the small girl, around the age of seven or five, it was far too hard to tell. She was definately one of Der Fuhrer's trainees, and Mathias cringed at the thought that Genocide had far more then he could explain in her possession. She was a clever child, too clever, and now he was forced to spill it all.

He began to write, slowly, until the girl began to struggle and the soldier apprehending her pulled her hair tightly. Writing fast, feeling the overwhelming stinging in his wrists, he told his secrets, unfolding The Reich one sentence at a time.

The Reich is infused with an artifical intelligence code named The Red Queen. It is equipped with two programs and is a self governed aritifical intelligence. The two programs, COSP programs, allowing TRQ to attack in small selective destruction or massive national level destruction. She is a self governed AI, acting on her own accords and follows orders from no one. She responds sometimes to upper Reich members, but since she acts on her own, she responds as she desires.

The RQ not only is a defensive and offensive weapon of mass destruction, but it incorperates The Reich's survelence and monitoring. TRQ can track and locate and almost every individual within The Reich in less then a minute. Her extraordinary abilities.....

But Mathias's wrist snapped, the bone piercing through his skin, the very Dante's had so long ago, but in a much lesser degree. Mathias dropped the pen and grabbed his wrist, blood dripping steadily from the open wound.

He looked to Genocide, pure fear in his eyes, and quickly to the little girl. Genocide nodded, Mathias's heart skipping a beat through the racing. Grabbing the pen with his left hand, he struggled to write clearly, his hands shaking, the blood on his hands preventing him from holding the pen in his grip. He could not write, his eyes, filled with intense fear shot up to Genocide again, and back to the girl, hearing a gunshot that echoed in the room, and the sound of body fall to the ground.

Mathias stood up, the word "no" reverberating inside his head, as if he had just screamed it aloud, as he ran toward the girl, only to find the sick thumping sound had just been a wet bag of flour. Mathias stopped in his tracks, looking at the girl who's mouth was covered tightly by a hand, a gun pressed to her head.

It was all a game......

He felt his joints lock up, as he fell to the floor, beginning to curl into the fetal position. The initial shock had caused the coughing fit to arise again, his eyes trying to seek forgiveness from the small girl who was issued back into the corner of the room.

"Mathias.....you are an extraordinary specimen. I'll be observing you more often and thanks for the secrets," Genocide giggled, snatching the paper up while returning to her seat. "Your wrist looks bad Mathias......did we tighten your cuffs too tight?" she asked innocently, the way naturally curious children asked about lightening and electricity and how it all works.

“I’ve always had a lot of enemies,” she shot back in a vicious whisper. “Dante can come after me if he wants, but he won’t survive. I have broken him. If he doesn’t come after me, I have no quarrel with him. My quarrel is with his daughter.” She slipped into the shadows. She could find Mathias now she was out of the cell. Blood was splotched on her lips. She knew that when the death was reported they would send more. She would find Mathias before then. Mathias… she closed her eyes, smelling a feint trace of blood. She was not sure if it was his. It was neither hers nor the guards. She didn’t care any more. She felt the tattoo burning across her back. She had made a promise to Mathias. She would kill him if something like this were to happen. She never broke a promise.

She broke out into a run. Answer me, she called out softly. Answer me…. she would not be able to find him by this method, unless he called to her as well. She prepared herself to kill the one man that she ever loved. After he was gone, there were no restraints to get to Genocide. The guards would not stop her. She would fight until they gouged her heart out. She couldn’t love. Who was she kidding? All she could do was kill. That’s all love would bring her; someone to defend and in turn someone to fight against.

This was the moment Astrid had been waiting for. The transmission had taken forever to reach her country, but it was her last resounding hope. A call to arms, a reason to leave. She hit the replay button on her computer and watched as Admiral Hunny*Dew's face appeared on her screen.

"I speak to you all in behalfs of your current dictator, myself. I have taken the role of your leader, your trusted dictator, and your friend. Der Fuhrer Dyszel is incapable of performing duties at this moment, while I regret to inform you that Mister Mathias Bortnainsky has been taken capitive by Genocide earlier. In best interests of our region, I have stepped forth in their absense, taking the role of a position I feel I am not too qualified to hold. I promise you all though, that I will do my best to preserve The Reich and its people, my people now, my friends.

"I also call for allies in our time of war. All nations gather today in our time of need. I ask that you unite with The Dictatorship in this war against Genocide. I ask that you send me your best advisors, your best professionals, your best heros.....for today, we shall begin the creation of a new Reich."

This was it, now or never. Astrid couldn't stay hidden in this sleepy cafe on the outskirts of Fochendurm, the capital city of Ferdinand Foch. Viciously she ripped the plug from the wall, and watched her computer screen go dark. For most of her life she felt as if she were just watching things around her, life passing her by. She was through with that now, she had all of her data saved on a microdisk, which she implanted in her hip. As she stood up she felt the uncomfortable shift and click of plastic against her hipbone.

Roughly she shoved her computer into her napsack, and made her way to the door. She was heading for the border, and from there she hoped to make into The Republic of Der Fuhrer Dyszel. She didn't think that she could make it into the Depths of Hell, she just hoped someone granted her mercy and helped her arrive at her destination.

She found a small car, a five speed Fiat, and broke out the window. Reaching under the dash, she pulled down some wires and connected them. After two failed attempts, and one almost electrocution, the engine kicked over. Jumping in and shifting the car into gear she experienced a small moment of regret. She was leaving the only place that she had ever known, and wondered what it would be like outside of Ferdinand Foch. She wasn't afraid however, only mildly curious and a little anxious. She hoped that if she arrived at her destination her skills would be needed by Admiral Hunny*Dew, so that one day she could reclaim Ferdinand Foch for herself and for her family.

Mathias began to wither in intense pain, his lungs beginning once again to sear, his body wrenching in response to the agnozing stiffness and pain in his joints and muscles.

"Please kill me now......" he silently begged to Genocide, the muted words never forming through his ragged sharp breaths.

He did not feel his body being lifted by the men who carried him back to his cell, chaining him, broken wrists and tightly curled up body, to the wall once again with a great difficulty. With closed eyes refusing to open, he listened to the mechanical hiss, wincing and clenching his jaw, trying to fight against the pain. He did not want to die in this cell, but death at this point was a more tolerable outcome then the pain he was currently experincing.

The laughter filled his head, ringing inside like a church bells on a Sunday morning. "Hello Reich, today I bring you your pathetic Mathias Bortniansky. As you can see, he is not doing so well......pity.... I offer this not as a plea of surrender, no, you had that chance with my father, but more so as proof that Mathias is suffering. He will be dead within the day depending on his responses to the questioning, so you may want to arrange for a funeral. Goodbye now," Genocide's voice finished with her childlike manical laughter.

Mathias did not raise his head, he would not show his face to his region, his nation, his home. And once again, he felt the cold blade pierce into his skin, pulling savagely at his skin, parting it with ease, but maliciously cutting deeper and deeper, ripping through his trachea and his larynx and all the other parts of his neck, cutting deep, cutting deeper, stoping before the spinal column as the laughter reverberated through his mind, the look in Dante's cold sadist eyes as he enjoyed the warm blood pouring over his hands and the look in Mathias's pleaded eyes begging for death, begging to stop.

The doors opened with a hiss again, Mathias falling once again to the floor. They did not lift him this time, rather drug him by his foot to the interrogation room again, Genocide's Guard resumming their positions.

"Mathias....you are such a good sport. Now.....where did we leave off, oh, yes......your secrets. Tell me more Mathias," she said with laughter, leaning over Mathias's heaving body, as he lay there struggling for breath, coughing loudly, and bleeding from nose as well as his continuely bleeding wrists, the one of which a jagged blood stained bone protruded.

The Red Queen merely danced around and through Aiden and the soldier, singing to herself and prancing about like reindeer tend to do in many children's stories. "Auntie is coming.....Auntie is coming.....and then we get to play a game!"

A few moments of incessent giggling and singing, The Red Queen stopped and smiled innocently to a woman who had appeared, her heels clicking rapidly off the floor as she neared them both.

"Hello, I am Admiral Hunny*Dew, temporary dictator of The Reich. How may I assist you?" she asked pleasently, her smiled radiating from her face, as Richard joined her at her side. She looked from Aiden to the soldier, smiling softly, her eyes shining, her graceful figure like a swam dancing over a darkened lake in the midnight shine of the overhanging moonlight.

Aiden closed his eyes lightly. He really wasn’t going to get anything done here. “Listen,” he said, rather frustrated. “I need to get to Mathias, just point me in the right direction, and I’ll simply go. Just…” he said, speaking as if she were a little girl. “Just tell me in what general vicinity I will have to look to find him.” Aiden’s icy eyes did not let anyone see pass them. Sarah… he thought to himself, I’m coming for you Sarah.

Stepping away from the scene, and placing her hands gently on the stirred soldier, Hunny*Dew looked into his eyes softly, ignoring Aiden for the moment.

"My dear, you need to rest. Please go grab some water and rest with someone. I have work to attend to."

Nodding, but quickly slipping into a state of disassociation, the soldier walked away, swaying slightly, searching for a friendly face....any friendly face at this moment in time.

"Red Queen, survey the area. Code 7873," her voice broke out, sounding oddly too professional in comparison to her normal sweet singsong demeanor.

Turning to Aiden, she looked at him hard, her eyes unbreaking from his icy stare. "I demand a level of respect sir. This is not your nation nor territory to speak to me in that tone. Der Fuhrer would never tolerate such disrespect within her heirarchy. Now, if mind, I have business to attend to. Mathias cannot be reached as is, and no one is leaving this nation without my consent. So help me, I'll initiate protocol and lock everyone within Stadt if I must. Is that understood?"

Word of the imment war approaching spread across The Reich faster then a wild fire. Within a week, militia's assembled, and every person entering a leaving a fellow nation was screened. With news of Stadt's destruction confirming the inevitable war, the nation braced and prepared for the worse, while waiting to hear word from the destroyed city and nation what fate was to come upon them. And with that, a rough warrior stepped forth from the shadows and the choas to take a stand against the enemy and provide services a land in need.

Anna was stopped at the border of her nation and thoroughly interrogated. With her head held high, she did not break, exceeding expectations of tolerance for the interrogation. But what struck out the most was the mention of responding to a call for war.

Wasting no time, Anna was flown to The Depths of Hell, the only available enterence....the broken tavern. Taking her down the broken and chipped flight of stairs, they walked quite a distance before seeing the faint glow of the lights below from the opened main gate. Stepping into the intense light as it grew brighter and brighter, three soldiers stopped at attention inside the base.

"Ma'am, you will need to proceed on your own from her on. We are not granted permission to enter this base." And with a firm nod, they sent her off to explore The Depths of Hell by herself, in hopes of finding Admiral Hunny*Dew in the process.

"DADDY!"

Dante awoke in a heavy sweat, sitting up abruptly, his head spinning. Nothing made sense to him.....the memories.....they were not his. This was not right. He was not a father.....no.....he was a killer.

His finger tightened on the trigger, pulling the cold metal slowly. His arm jerked back slightly with a kick from the blast of the shotgun as shards of bone hit his face, slightly piercing the flesh in some places. He grinned, feeling the surge of complete power that raced through his veins. Neglecting to wipe the pieces of brain and bone from his face and uniform, he stepped away, his gun slung over his shoulder, walking with an air, an aura, of power......that infamous satisfied malicious glint in his eyes burning from the depths of his soul

Pressing his feet against the cold floor, Dante slowly pulled himself from the bed, feeling a chill spread over his distressed body. He wasted no time removing the tubes from his body, discarding them as he stumbled his way out of the darkened room.

Nothing was making sense to him. There were so many visions filling his head at once and most of them he could not remember or recall the slightest. Feeling frustrated, he used a hand to guide him in the dark, while using the other to brace his head before stumbling back at the impact of something obstructing his path.

"Dante?"

"Dante? Are you serious? But that could destroy an entire fleet!" "Do it." "But Dante? That's Genocide....we can't afford to lose her." "Do it." "Yes sir."

"Who are you?"

"Dante?" Perry persisted, seeing the distant confusion within Dante's eyes. Something was wrong.

"Who are you?"

"Dante.....you should lay down," Perry continued, taking hold of Dante's arm to guide him back to the room.

But Dante wrenched his arm free from Perry's grasp. "Stay away from me. Stay away," he ordered, the confusion still fogging his head as his hands searched his stripped body for his gun, which obviously was not on him.

"Dante. Damn it! Chill out and just get a hold of yourself. You're not talking any sense!"

"You're not talking sensible Dante." "You wouldn't know Clara." "Dante! This is so fucking crazy!" "And in a minute, the phone is going to ring....mission complete." "You are so full of yourself Dante! You sent them to their death!" And with that, the phone rang, Dante picking up the receiver, the words 'mission complete' ringing through the awkward silence.

"Who are you?" Dante insisted, his patience wearing thin.

"Dante, it's me Perry for crying out loud!"

"Take me home."

"Dante?"

Richard left Hunny*Dew well in control of her situation with Aiden and loped off in exploration towards the main base entrance; the point where the soldiers werent allowed to pass without proper security clearance.

Richard casually strolled down the core hallway leading to the large, heavily ornate entryway and saw a pretty looking woman from afar. Approaching her, he thought, 'she must be someone of importance.. else she wouldnt have been allowed on base.'

He stopped in front of the pretty young woman, and took a moment to speak, feeling oddly out of breath from the long walk, "Good evening, im Richard," he paused a moment while she introduced herself, "Its wonderful to meet you Anna, lets go for a little walk."

Taking up her arm with confidence after checking to be sure that she wasnt a vampire like every other person he had met lately, and beginning the long walk back to Hunny*Dew's current position, Richard took care to walk slowly.. even so, he could feel his heart beating frantically. He was tired... abnormally tired, and struggled to focus his eyes as they walked one of a series of long hallways.

Gathering strength in his voice, Richard began probing to find out if Anna knew anything about Stadt or the base she was on; she had heard about the war, but not much else.

"This base is huge, it stretches for miles and miles.. im surprised that either of us were let in here actually, but its a time of need, with the war and all. We will be happy to have any help you can offer," he felt ever more tired and changed the subject, "tell me about your nation, I love meeting people from places ive never been before."

Richard left Hunny*Dew well in control of her situation with Aiden and loped off in exploration towards the main base entrance; the point where the soldiers werent allowed to pass without proper security clearance.

Richard casually strolled down the core hallway leading to the large, heavily ornate entryway and saw a pretty looking woman from afar. Approaching her, he thought, 'she must be someone of importance.. else she wouldnt have been allowed on base.'

He stopped in front of the pretty young woman, and took a moment to speak, feeling oddly out of breath from the long walk, "Good evening, im Richard," he paused a moment while she introduced herself, "Its wonderful to meet you Anna, lets go for a little walk."

Taking up her arm with confidence after checking to be sure that she wasnt a vampire like every other person he had met lately, and beginning the long walk back to Hunny*Dew's current position, Richard took care to walk slowly.. even so, he could feel his heart beating frantically. He was tired... abnormally tired, and struggled to focus his eyes as they walked one of a series of long hallways.

Gathering strength in his voice, Richard began probing to find out if Anna knew anything about Stadt or the base she was on; she had heard about the war, but not much else.

"This base is huge, it stretches for miles and miles.. im surprised that either of us were let in here actually, but its a time of need, with the war and all. We will be happy to have any help you can offer," he felt ever more tired and changed the subject, "tell me about your nation, I love meeting people from places ive never been before."

Genocide stopped in front of the cell, looking in, the wasted figure of Mathias bond to the wall, frozen in time.

It was her work of art, as she was calling it. So impressed with the immobility of her prized possession, she stepped inside the cell, the doors opening with a mechanical hiss and a blast of frigid cold. She admired her work, staring at it from each angle, from every which way. It was not an easy task freezing Mathias in place, without encasing him in a block of ice, but she had succeed….her father’s toys were proving far too useful.

She needed Mathias, it was her only option. Shortly after learning that he was exposed to a chemical that would certainly kill him, she ordered for him to be frozen to spare his miserable life an extra few breaths. At any moment, she could dispose of his body, but she wanted to exert her power over him further, test his limitations and boundaries, test the inventions of her father's brilliance which she had inherited in his parting. She hated her father so much, true, but it would not stop her from exploiting every advantage point that she held over these pathetic people.

Stepping back with a slight smile of satisfaction, she returned to the interrogation room. "Bring the other one and the children. I need to finish matters here quickly."

Feeling the weight of something heavy over her, Der Fuhrer stirred awake to find Damon half laying over her abdomen. He was still asleep.....from the sound of things, mostly everyone was.

Pushing Damon off of her, she slid away from him, feeling the dirt, sweat, and blood covering her body. She looked down on Damon, seeing him clearly in the darkness of the house, his cold expressionless face devoid of any recognizable feelings, his limp arm wrapped and hung in a makeshift sling. It was for a brief moment she felt a pang of sympathy for this silent man.....a familiar face she could not quite place.

However, silently, a skill mastered since she was a child and perfected in the missions she ran and the war she had fought, she left him and wound her way around the house in search of the bathroom. Filling the tub with barely any sound, she submerged herself in the hot water, feeling a tingling from her feet to her back as she laid down.

It was time for her to rest now. It would be another long day ahead of them and she had not bathed for an amount of time she could not place, since time had stopped upon her capture. She still played the moment in her head, wondering how it was she was captured.

The last memory she had was wiping the faces clean.....and that was all.

Closing her eyes, she let her tense muscles relax in the heat, allowing her body to sink and fall beneath the surface of the water momentarily before resurfacing. Wiping her face clean, she continued to lay there with her eyes closed, drifting into a much needed sleep that would last for quite some time.

This was all happening so fast, not that Anna minded it, its just that she never really expected to make it into the Reich. The fellow who was taking her down the hallway was obviously tired, but there was nothing Anna could do, the only repair for wear like that was cleansing sleep. He had introduced himself as Richard and made clear that he was going to take her to Admiral Hunny*Dew, he had stared at her mouth oddly while he introduced her.

"This base is huge, it stretches for miles and miles.. im surprised that either of us were let in here actually, but its a time of need, with the war and all. We will be happy to have any help you can offer," he had said, as his eyes dipped lower and his walking wobbled, "tell me about your nation, I love meeting people from places ive never been before."

"I'm from the Republic of Ferdinand Foch, we're a small nation relatively new to the Reich," she said. "I am just scientist who thought my services were of need, maybe in your biochemical sectors or research and arms sectors."
He didnt say anything at first, but instead dipped toward a wall, using her and it as a brace. Vaguely alarmed Anna asked, "Are you alright?"
There was no response and instead they kept walking along, down the hallways. They weren't kidding, this base was freaking huge, larger than anything in Ferdinand Foch, but then again Foch was supposed to be an unarmed nation, so really having as many bases it did was quite unusual.

They had stopped for a second, under a pool of light. Anna fixed him with her yellow-brown eyes and asked "So, why do they call this place the Depths of Hell?"

"Ahh, science. I know someone who you would be very interested to meet. He has.. disappeared however, and im not entirely sure when we will see him again. I wish I could tell you more about the base, but I dont know much myself; all I really know is that The Red Queen can be controlled from here. I think the name is symbolic, perhaps we should ask Hunny*Dew. We're almost there now," Richard spoke to Anna with what strength he could spare.

His legs had long since decided to wobble ever-so-slightly any time he tried to find his footing for the next step. Anna's arm was his strongest connection to the earth, but he didnt pull or tug; she held a reassuring grip on his arm and he was thankful that she had noticed but not commented on his strange weakness.

They finally made it to the room where Aiden and Hunny*Dew were finishing up, and Richard plopped down on a chair in the waiting room with exhaustion.

"Hunny*Dew should be finished any minute, we'll wait here until she is done," Richard said, falling immediately afterwards into a deep sleep marred by nightmares.

/ walked inside of the relatively abandoned mansion in search for clues about his lord and liege's disappearance.

Spotting a man with rather official looking papers in his hand breeze by his unseen nook, / grabbed him from behind and covered his mouth with a rag soaked in chloroform.

He snuck a glance at the man he lowered to the ground in his arms... faceless, just like the rest of them. The official passed out silently while / stroked his hair and cheek.

He took the unbadged official to the dark nook, drew the curved knife in his belt and cut across the man's abdomen. He then took out the warm entrails so that he could read what secrets lie within.

"Is Dante here?"

Finding his hypothesis to be true, he set off to steal proper transportation towards his next destination.

Noskalenaeuroph walked ahead of Erzsebet, his fatigued figure looking ragged and homeless. He moved forth, taking her outside of the mansion, into the chilling air of the fading sunlight. Without a moment's hesitation, he guided her toward a small park, seemingly untouched throughout the bombing.

Motioning for her to join him, he sat on one of the small marble benches that sat beneath a willow tree, standing amazingly strong despite the chaos of this timeless war throughout The Dictatorship.

"Miss Erzsebet, I need to talk to you. I can't remember much at the moment, but I must tell you, I'm an assassin. I was hired by The Dictatorship to perform international duties when I was sent on mission that oddly claimed my life. I am still alive.....I cannot explain that even to this day, but the point of the matter is.....ever since then, I've listened more closely to the inner workings of this nation.

"I am a loyal supporter of The Reich and of Der Fuhrer. I owe her my allegiance and subordination; she helped me out in a time of need, for that, I'll always owe her my life. It's just....something isn't right here. I learned some things that I can't repeat, but well.....I think you should start to listen more and be more cautious. I'm not saying be distrustful, but I really think you should listen more. They say things....almost like a code.....

"I first noticed it upon my arrival back to The Dictatorship. The heirarchy....they speak in codes. But it's not codes. They talk normally, but place subtle suggestions and emphasises on certain words and certain topics. They are all about that.....subtleness. I'm not sure what's happening, but I know something isn't right....I can feel it.

"I'm not sure what's been happening here in the region, by the looks of it, I suspect nothing good at all. Something big is going to happen Erzsebet. I....I....I don't want you to get hurt. There are a lot of dark secrets in this region....a lot. I was one of them, but I'm nothign compared to the bigger things they have hidden. I have to watch what I say, I'm coded to The Red Queen. If I say something that I shouldn't, I'll be destroyed.....all of us are. It ensures those secrets be kept silent. The Red Queen is an all seeing omnipresent force.....she's everywhere....EVERYWHERE.

"She has the ability to transfuse herself into any place she wants to go. They made her well, I must say. But she only listens to Der Fuhrer. Der Fuhrer created her. Der Fuhrer created the original code. The Red Queen loves her mother. They keep many secrets together and only Der Fuhrer knows how to shut her down.

"Also, Konigsreich der Mathias is a testing facility. He uses it for chemical testing. Few people suspect it, but what they don't know is what lies beneath the mansion.....stay away from there. Do not.....DO NOT.....go into the lairs beneath the mansion.

"And Erzsebet.......don't go to The Depths of Hell. That base is a mechanically controlled death. The secrets that are there.....you don't want to know. I've only been in the base a few times....I won't go back unless I'm ordered to. I hate the place, it gives me the chills. You can feel The Red Queen's breath on the back of your neck....an AI that has a breath....only in The Dictatorship. And the sounds....when silence hits you can hear what's amoung the many chambers of that place. It's not the place you want to be.

"I know this a lot. Some of it I suspect you know by the way you are looking at me right now, but trust me, what I've told you is not even the tip of the iceberg. I can't tell you much more because I think my presence is going to be needed and I'm not prepared to be evaporated at the moment. I can tell you to just watch out, to listen closely, and to make sure you don't go to the places I have told you about.

"Erzsebet.....one last thing.....I saw a man before....a man that was supposed to be dead. I don't trust the feeling I get from this man, keep away from him. If it is who I'm thinking of, he's dead, but I wouldn't be surprised if The Dictatorship resurrects it's fallen leaders.

"Now that I've talked my ass off....can you tell me what the hell I've missed here?"

She put her pale hand on his shoulder, being friendly. "Nos, I appreciate your concern, I really do. However, I must do the things and go the places that my job and my duty demand." Erzsebet made sure that sank in. "I'll be careful though, and not expose myself to danger needlessly. You don't need to tell me about the Red Queen, I already know that she's dangerous beyond description, and shouldn't be toyed with. I know some of the things you've said already. Things are going on, I know that much. A lot has happened."

She moved closer to him and talked more quietly. "I am navy woman, Nos, not an espionage officer or an assassin. The many subtleties and mixed messages of some of the higher ranking individuals here confuse me." The last sentence she whispered. "Now, on board my ship, if a sailor or Berserker doesn't give me a straight answer, I'll smack them one, and if he doesn't tell me exactly what's going on, I will hit them so hard, their grandparents will feel it." Erzsebet only then considered how Nos would react to such blatant and casual violence, but she moved on. "Obviously, I can't do that here. The navy is much more straight forward." She frowned sadly.

Speaking in a more normal voice, she described some events to Nos. "The city was bombed badly. Fuhrer Dyszel and Mathias returned, and brought Dante. Apparently there were rumors that he was dead. A foreign vampiress came... she's an odd one... and we weren't getting along so well when we last spoke. She and Mathias appear to have begun an affair, as have Richard of Adyndril and Hunny*Dew. The foreign vampiress, whose name is Charmaine, bit Dante, and almost killed him. Mathias stopped her. However, she and Mathias were both captured, and taken out of Stadt. Fuhrer Dyszel left, and Hunny*Dew has gone to the Depths of Hell I think." She inhaled deeply after saying all that. "I'm pretty sure that the Red Queen is still preventing my nation's fleets from sorteeing as well. I'm a bit out of my element."

Nos frowned......typical Reich.

"Dante is not dead afterall.....son of a bitch. This complicates things. Where is he now? We need to keep an eye on him. He is dangerous beyond words....he is The Red Queen's only equal. We really need to keep our eyes on him.

"So Admiral Hunny*Dew is with Richard? I am not familiar with this man. But if he is with her, and she is actually in a relationship with someone, he must be decent. Hunny*Dew is rather peculiar. Sweet and innocent as she may be, she is cunning as hell and brilliant at that.

"And Mathias too.....damn....the old dog is having an affair. I'm surprised he had the courage to be with a woman. The Reich has condemned him to death.....he's a very proud man, but a lot has happened to him. Poor guy....even after he broke my nose and jaw, I still sympathize for him. But raping that little girl.....it's not like him.......something is not right on that one......

"Who attacked us? I tried to get word out. I knew something was not right......"

Nos smiled, "And about your Navy....I like assassins. We speak with a silent language," he said with a slight wink.

"Well, perhaps if I don't understand some subtle clue being given, perhaps you could let me in on it then?" Erzsebet smiled slightly. She was unused to subtlety. It was not used in the military's communication, everything was spelled out, so that there could be no errors in interpretation. "Something's fishy to me about that whole business as well. However, from what I understand, Charmaine was going to be with him, whether or not he had the courage."

She sighed. "The same people who attacked Callisdrun's fleet. Using Blackbird observation planes and highly advanced, very fast bombers." She paused. "I don't know all about the politics on the other side of the war, but they were obviously not our own planes. The name Genocide has been mentioned," Erzsebet cringed. "Not a name I would give anyone." Altar Rangians had attempted to commit genocide against Callisdrunian Moroii, and so the word triggered a lot of grief and anger to any vampire from Callisdrun.

“Stop it,” Charmaine whispered, covering her ears. Her eyes were shut, and tears beaded in her eyes. “Stop it…stop it.”



-Let me ask you this, ‘Was it good? How was she? No less than expected. You know I’ve always wondered what she’s be like. Such a little viper that one’.” The man did not answer, his short black hair covering his eyes. His teeth grinded together.

…

-“Not going to answer me?” The blade of the knife cut cleanly across the bound man’s right eye. “You’ve kept your silence long enough, Vaughn. No use trying to protect her. Look at yourself, Vaughn. Duke of Manassis, and your can’t even break a few shackles around your arms and legs.”

A whisper filters though the air.

-What was that, duke?

“Go…to hell!” The blade slashed again, and blue blood splattered onto the floor.”

“Stop it!” Charmaine yelled aloud.

-“Where is she Vaughn? I won’t ask again. You can’t defend Ravelyn for long. Kneel down and surrender.”

Vaughn’s eyes sifted up behind his persecutor, and the pupils of his eyes turned black. A slick smile graced his lips.

-Behind you.

Charmaine opened her eyes. The memories of her bloodline haunted her, dazed her for several seconds. It was one of the drawbacks. The tattoo on her shoulder blade burned, and she was surprised that the skin wasn’t peeling off.

Her blood red eyes sifted out the numerous amount of hallways around her. She chose a path, and began to run. She didn’t care. She’d rip this place to shreds. She’d already broken out of her confines. Genocide had broken a rule, and in turn, there was a dead man and a savage hunger in her heart. There is only so much that a girl could take. Her back ached, and she did not know why. Mathias would need her blood soon, but her syringes were taken away. She would have to use another method.

“I understand,” Aiden said, quelling his discontent. “I’m not of your nation, nor did I sign up for the military miss. I work alone, and wish to go. Simply know that, and should you send people in, please, allow me to go.” His eyes softened with the word.

---That little devil. That angel with that silver tongue. Charmaine your a viper. You a bloody viper. So go ahead, poison the man with your alchemy. Sooner or later, he'll have to face your smile. To see you smile Charmaine, is to die.---

Charmaine entered the main vacinity's vault, as she neared closer to Genocide....and the second her foot stepped within the perimeter, the vacinity sealed itself, enclosing her within the core of the Genocide's torture chambers, amid the presence of Mathias and Genocide somewhere within.

A darkened room, with the glow of a single monitor, remained occupied by one sole figure, who sat back in the chair, grinning with anticipation. It would be interesting....the events soon to come, and it would definately be something worth recording and watching.

In the mean time, Genocide sat upon a chair in the interrogation room, the blood of Mathias still smeared in the places he fell and sat. Cuddling up with a teddy bear, she began to hum to herself, a song she had heard in the past but could no longer remember who had sung the sweet chords.

"Ggggenocide....." the strained man's voice rung in her head.

She lifted her head, looking toward the door. She heard the lockdown initiate, the doors sealing themselves within a hundred foot perimeter. Someone who ought not to be here was amoung them......

Crossing her legs and fixing her dress, she sat patiently in the seat smiling, her Guard at attention around her. There were only two people she could think of who could make it this far to her, and one was frozen within his cell, definately incapable of initiating a lockdown.

Genocide smiled, she had been waiting for this moment.

Hunny*Dew's eyes flashed, the feeling of hot metal searing into her back beneath her scapula and behind her left knee, the sound of the explosion resonating through the mountains.

She hit the ground hard, coughing as her ribs and right arm broke. She had barely enough time to move from the crashing remains of the Black Hawk when the blades pierced into her, pinning her in position. If it was not for the door, she would have died by the following explosion as the helicopter struck the ground, but the door took the explosion, sending her into an oblivion of darkness in the wilderness of the outskirts of The Dictatorship/Surukai border.

She lifted her head, unaware she had been staring at the ground this entire time. "I must go," she whispered, barely audiable over the mysterious breeze that traveled through The Depths of Hell.

Without meeting Aiden's eyes, she went to walk away, only succeeding in walking straight into him though. She lifted her head again, lifting her face to look into his. "I'm sorry," she softly spoke, her kind gentle nature rising within.

She's dead..... The thought had just hit her, like a sickening bacteria attacking quickly. She tried to step away, but found herself paralyzed in the motion.

I've watched you change
Into a fly
I looked away
You were on fire

Charmaine heard the doors close as if they were a hair from her ears. It wrung through her mind, and she winced. The pain on the young fledgling was getting hard for her to bare. Yet still, something within her urged her on. She had a deep fire burning within her.

I watched a change
In you
It's like you never
Had wings


Her back seared with pain, and she extended her fangs as a result. Her violet eyes flashed into deep pulses of crimson.

Now you feel
So Alive
I've watched you change
I took you home
Set you on the glass
I pulled off your wings
Then I laughed

She clenched her fists. Come on. Whatever you throw at me, let’s go.

I look at the cross
Then I look away
Give you the gun
Blow me away

We, The Republic Of Ogletree have plenty of missile submarines you might be interested in. Let me know if you're interested in some.

The Chancellor Of Ogletree

Der Fuhrer awoke, the once hot water she fell asleep in cold now, as slid under it, awakening her senses and alertness. She stepped out of the tub, draining the water while grabbing a towel from a nearby closet.

She inspected the deep cuts and lacerations across her back, arms, and legs before wrapping herself in the towel. She could clearly remember each strike that had resulted in them, painful to recall, yet inspiring pride that they could not break her.

It was early morning, she could tell by the way the light broke through the blinds, as she made her way downstairs. The bittersweet aroma of brewing coffee and sizzeling bacon filled the air and the unmistakable clatter of silverware off plates was heard from the kitchen as she reached the bottom of the stairs. By quick inspection, it appeared as if everyone was awake, so she entered the kitchen.....she had been meaning to talk to that man who had freed her, and she set her resolve to do so almost immediately.

Barging into the kitchen with a mien of a woman set to get something done, she had abruptly stopped. That man was not here..... Damon.... She stood for a moment, perplexion spread across her face, an emotion she had for the first time in a very long time allowed herself to show.

"He left sweetie," said the old lady, "I thought ya knew. Dear dear.....I thought ya left with him. Woke up this mornin' and ya's both were gone. I would've set the table for three if I'da known ya was eating with us. Sit sit sit dear. Let me get ya some bizcuits and bac'n."

Resumming her official demeanor, she only shook her head. "Sit down. I will not be dining with you. I need to know when that man left and if he left any information," she spoke, the voice of a woman who did not tolerate any bullshit.

"No dear. He was just gone. Poor fellow.....his arm looked pretty bad."

"Silence. Someone is here," Der Fuhrer whispered, closing her eyes, isolating the sound of boots outside the front door. Before she could turn around though, the sound of glass shattering filled the room, canisters were tossed in, releasing a gas. Der Fuhrer fled for the basement, only to run into a man climbing the stairs with a gas mask on. She backed up, hitting the wall, breathing in the heavy fumes, feeling shakey and weak.

"Bastards," she murmured, her knees giving out, bringing her to the floor. "They knew......"

The older lady rushed to Der Fuhrer's side, but a gunshot stopped her in her path. Fear paralyzed C9, these people were not friends and were even more horrible then her worst nightmares of them when she was merely a child. She felt the gas burn her eyes and lungs, falling to the floor just as Der Fuhrer did. Despite any training they both had in the field, this attack was too planned to escape. Falling into unconsciousness, they both were hauled off by the group of the men who came to apprehend them.

Was it coincidence that Damon happened to disappear before this moment?

Damon found himself dozing off the steady hum of a truck's transmission, the sound of music and the driver singing along consist enough to allow him to sleep. Normally he would have stayed awake, avoiding the presence of anyone, but his body needed the rest to heal itself after his capture.

No emotions surfaced as he remembered the restraints cutting his arm off as he fought to break free.....no emotions registered as he recalled looking into the cocky face of his capturer. Standard protocol. They were only doing as their standard procedure had ordered.

"So pal....what brings ya to dis place. Ya look foreign and pretty beat up. Need anythin'?"

Damon did not open his eyes nor make any responsive motion. Although having heard him clearly, he was not one for speaking unless necessary....small talk was bullshit, a waste of time in his profession.

After three hours, the driver determined that it was pointless to ask this man anything, and turned on the radio to a local county music channel while Damon slipped into sleep, despite his body's seemingly unrelaxed state.

Stopping on the outshirts of the Surukai/Dictatorship border to refill for gas, Damon awoke. It was dark already, and would be another day before he reached the destroyed capital. Following the driver to the bathroom of the small gas station, he broke the driver's neck with his sole hand as the man was relieving himself. Leaving the bathroom, he found one cashier, a small young man around the age of seventeen.

"Marlboro 100's," Damon said coldy, an evident lack of emotion in his voice.

The cashier turned to retreive the cigarettes, Damon using his arm to hoist himself over the counter, pulling back on the teenager's neck, pulling hard, the bones breaking, the spinal cord being damaged. The boy died before Damon even released him.

A scream was heard as Damon turned around to find a younger woman standing there, horror on her face.....perhaps the boy's mother. Damon leapt back over the counter, the woman standing still momentarily before seeing it was best to run for the safety of her life. Following in close pursuit, Damon sent his elbow into the window by the doors, breaking it, and removing a large piece of the glass. And as the woman scrambled for her keys to open the car door, he stabbed her below her rib, sending the sharp glass into her heart.

She stumbled and cried out, looking into her murderer's cold eyes as she tried to pull the glass out.....there was no compassion in this man's eyes, and that thought disturbed her more then her heart bleeding out. But her life ended quickly when Damon broke her neck as well, twisting her head at an awkward angle with only one hand....a skill he seemed to have perfected.

Taking the woman's car, he crossed the border into The Dictatorship. He made it far with the tiny vechile, spending all night driving. It was approaching early morning, the sunlight beginning to stain the darkness, poisioning with a shade of gray that disgusted him, when the car ran out of gas. Deciding to finish the trip by foot, he made it into the capital city. The last location of Mahanoy's Mr. Nye was reported in this vacinity, which could only mean one thing, this is where he died....this is where he wanted to get. Damon had taken one guess on what was beneath this city, which did not surprise him, he had imagined that one of the enterences was here, his memory could recall a moment where he almost gained enterence.

Finding his way around the destroyed buildings and rubble of what once stood as a quite impressive city, he worked his way down what was believed to be roads, looking for any place that looked half-alive....and he spotted it, two soldiers sitting outside the remains of an older looking building. They were carrying guns.....perhaps protecting something.

Damon slid up behind them, elbowing the one in the back of the skull, stealing his gun as he fell forward. Without firing a shot, and before the other could respond, he sent the butt of the gun into the man's head, crushing the man's skull with the force of the blow. Finishing the job with the first man, he crushed the man's skull beneath his foot....silent deaths ensured a safe enterence.

Crawling beneath the broken door frame, he found himself in what appeared to be a bar, a tavern, of some sort. Ducking under fallen beams, he followed the faint footprints in the dust covered floor to a passage way leading down, far beneath this place. He stepped on the stairs, the coldness and rush of air blowing past him, a sense of ominious that he could not feel. Slowly working his way down the stairs, as to not be heard, he found himself approaching a lit area further down. Trying to avoid the light, he slid off of the stairs, hoping to remain in the shadows of the staircase.

He hit hard, the fall had been much farther then he had anticipated....an illusion, trick of the eye.....she was clever. He let out a heavy breath, finding it hard to move after landing on his back. Hearing the sound of heavy footsteps approaching, he held his breath, ceasing bodily movement. He could not be seen this soon.

"Did you hear that?" asked one of the voices, a faint whisper of a paranoid strained voice.

"You're hearing things again Tom. This place is old.....probably just the structure beginning to cave in upstairs."

"You're right....just on edge. This place is starting to get to me."

"Yeah. I hear you. I jsut want to get out of here too, but hold it together Tom."

The footsteps faded as they walked away from him, back into base. Regaining his strength, he made his way to his knees. A brightly lit room stood open before him.....The Depths of Hell. He stood up, hiding behind a massive pillar shadowed in the darkness of the vast room before the gates of the base.

Stepping forward slowly, he worked his way into the light, the gun at his side.

On behalf of dictatorship of Antanovia,

Der Fuhrer,
My country and all of its weapons ,armies,ships and provisions
are here to help you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
yours truly,
lord duggan.

Hunny*Dew smiled as she stepped away from Aiden. "I'm sorry sir, did you need something?" she asked calmly, her smile radiating from her face.

In the mean time, Damon stood outside of the base, just before the gates, peering inside. It looked clear enough to enter, but would he be proved wrong? There was a group of soldiers in the distance, but they were caught in discussion, not paying attention enough to even begin to notice his presence.

The gates were wide open, there had to be a catch. The Dictatorship always took extreme protocols and measures to ensure that valuable information not be easily accessed. He hesitated outside of the gates, unsure whether or not to enter....it seemed too simple.

Genocide sat patiently awaiting Charmaine's arrival. All rooms were sealed, mechanically locked from an outside control panel. There was only one place for Charmaine to go, Genocide knew this, and she revelled in the thought, smiling to herself, holding a small teddy bear as she waited patiently.

Not too far from Genocide's room, Mathias remained frozen, his body immovable. He looked somewhat different, a frozen martyr, his eyes closed gently, as if it was the final moment of life where he had fully accepted his death.

"Come on.....come to me. I've got your precious Mathias. Oh do I have your precious Mathias. I'll crush you like we crushed my father," Genocide grinned, speaking aloud to herself, embracing the moment for Charmaine to enter through the door.

A phantom of the night, dressed in a solid black uniform with black gloves and a full face black mask, Dante stepped outside into the rush of night's air. He stared out over the land of a now unfamiliar complex, one of which many training sessions had taken place here, sessions he had led, the beginnings of his imfamous Elites.

Perry joined his side, dressed in a smiliar outfit, but with a normal suit, not a military uniform. Taking Dante's arm, who ended up wavering a bit on step, Perry led Dante toward the immaculate sleak Blackbirds in the distance, Dante shaking slightly with each step.

He was unusually weak, although he suffered no major trauma. Even after the bullet wound to his head, he recovered much quicker then this. Helping Dante into the Blackbird, Perry patted Dante on the back, before taking his position in the one before Dante.

Perry would take off first, but Dante would lead, and despite these Blackbirds being modified to carry up to three passengers without reducing speed, Perry decided that they both take different ones. Dante was a prime target, Perry was not about to risk his life to die in a plane with the man though.

Taking off, Perry okayed Dante, who took over just behind him, an unbelievable master behind the machine. Dante had no problem regaining his abilities to fly, it almost seemed engrained within him, but what about his other memories? What would happen if he regained his previous abilities? If he remembered his past? If he remembered Genocide?

The plane soared past Perry, taking lead toward The Dictatorship. They would have to fly over The Dictatorship in order to head toward Mahanoy....Perry knowing that it was not the best move, but unwilling to admit it to Dante, who seemed set on returning to Mahanoy for some reasons unsaid.

Passing into The Dictatorship border, the planes raced across the sky, working their way closer toward the center of the nation, closer to the capital, moving quickly, moving closer.

The door clicked open, and swung outward toward the room Genocide was in, however Charmaine did not follow. Through the path of vision, she wasn’t even seen to be in the line of the doorway.

Aiden placed his hand on what remained of his elbow. He had no choice but to sit and wait. He simply looked at Honey*Dew, and gave up trying to reason with her. Charmaine was probably dead anyway, but the thought kept running over and over in his mind. She was becoming her mother’s daughter, and if she did…there was going to be trouble. For all the times that he brainwashed her, for all the times he had tricked her, he knew his sentence once Ravelyn was notified of this occurrence. He couldn’t return back to the three united empires. He had to kill Sarah before she returned home.

Approaching the capital, Dante could not fight the shaking of his hands, the plane dipping, nose diving toward the ground. Unable to regain control of his plane, he radioed Perry. "I'm bailing. Come pick me up," he spoke indifferently, a manner he resummed from his old days.

As the plane began to nose dive, he ejected from the plane, the plane plummeting toward the ground rapidly, crashing with a loud explosion. Dante looked down at the wreckage, falling toward the destroyed city as the parachute opened, bringing him to a slightly more comfortable fall, as he hit the roof a destroyed building, rolling down it and hitting the ground hard, the fabric of the parachuet falling over his shaking body.

He could not stop shaking, feeling naseous in the process, as he laid beneath the parachute waiting for Perry to land and find him, unable to move in the mean time.

During the event, Perry watched Dante bail of his plane, wandering what had happened to cause him to loose control like that. He found a small patch of decently cleared land not far from the city and brought the plane down safetly, trekking into the city to find Dante, who landed somewhere in the middle of it.

After a few hours of light discussion, Noskalenaeuroph grabbed Erzsebet's arm rather forcefully. "I think we should get back inside. It's going to get really cold here as soon as the sun drops. I know you are probably used to the cold, but this is a different kind of cold.....it really is best to stay inside when the night enters The Dictatorship."

He stood up, his feet hitting some debris, the sound seeming to travel far. "This place is far too silent. It's a deathly silence this infamous silence of The Reich. No one dares break it at times....this place has changed so much since I've first seen it. Stadt used to be such a bustling busy city, beautiful. It was a city worth spending the money it took to get here. I would just sail out before the morning hours and watch the city as the sun rose....it was designed to capture your eye.....so beautiful. Anyway, we really should get back. This place isn't the best place to be, especially after all that had recently happened. Let's get inside, I'll explain more in there."

He guided Erzsebet back into the mansion, opening the doors and closing them after she entered. He locked the doors, something that should have been done a long time ago. The room was clean, all the fallen material replaced, the floor cleaned, the cracked onyx redone and shining. He shuddered, "This is one thing I hate about The Dictatorship....."

He stepped over the floor slowly, afraid of it as if it were about to cave in beneath him. "Keep close, let's just go to my room, if you don't mind."

Leading her toward his room, they stopped before one of the bedrooms on the second floor, all the blood and floors sparkling clean, even in the dimmed lights of the mansion. He opened his door and led her in, closing and locking the door behind them.

"Take a seat," he said, motioning Erzsebet toward a chair next to a desk in the corner of the room. "Did you have any questions?" he asked, beginning to removed his shoes and sword.

Genocide smiled and nodded to one of her Guards next to the door. "Go see!" she exclaimed, holding her teddy bear and moving toward the edge of her seat, exciting and anticipating her visitor.

"Come on in. Oh come on in. Come come come!" she cheered to herself, fidgeting as a child does who anticipates going home from school on Christmas break, while the guard left the room, looking left and right down the empty corridors.

"No one's here," he said, confused, as he peered down the corridor more, looking for the slightest sign of movement.

Charmaine waited patiently, her fangs sliding over her lips fully extended as she looked downward at the doorway below. Her hands were flat against the wall, as well as her legs. She heard the giggling voice order her prey to go have a look inside. She lets him breathe a sigh of relief, as he assumes nothing is in the room. Her animalistic desire fulfilled, and in her mind superiority maintained, she dropped down behind the man, and wrapped one arm around his body, and the other cracking his neck aside to expose the venerable skin of his neck.

Her fangs viciously ripped into the skin. She didn’t care about the lessons about respecting what you fed off of. She didn’t care about keeping them alive. She didn’t care about ripping the flesh and making the puncture wounds clean, nor healing them after. She felt the blood rush in through her lips and bit in further. Keeping her fangs and her normal teeth within his neck, she bit down and ripped out a large chunk of the flesh, spitting it out and letting the blood trail down her mouth in display in front of Genocide.

Richard drifted through the darkness of his dreams, running from something he couldnt quite see.. something in the corner of his eye; pure danger in a human form, it had a name.. Damo

He woke up with a start and saw Anna sitting down across from him in the waiting room, a look at his watch told him that less than an hour had passed, but he felt refreshed.. certainly better than he had before.

Putting his hands in his hair and pulling it back through his fingers, Richard gave a pained look at the door behind which Hunny*Dew and Aiden still talked.. muffled sounds curling their way around the entry foyer to one of many wings in the massive underground base.

Feeling an urge for something he hadnt had since arriving in the Reich, Richard stood up and strode out of the room, waving a goodbye at Anna.

"Hunny*Dew should be out to see you in a moment, be wary of her guest.. he isnt human," Richard said to Anna, leaving her with a bewildered expression on her face.

He worked his way down the long corridors to the main foyer of The Depths of Hell and found the entry door already opened. The frigid nights air attacked his exposed flesh and threatened to make his clothing useless, he pulled out a lighter and a half-empty pack of smokes.. shaking his head at his weakness for these toxic straws.

The wind kicked up as he tried to find a flame and uncovered a fresh full moon in the dying light of the day. Richard picked up a face from his nightmares standing right in front of him and muffled a surprised gasp as he dropped his pack of cigarettes.

With shaky hands Richard walked slowly towards the man in the near-darkness not 10 feet in front of him and completed the name he didnt dare mention in his dream.

"Damon."

Genocide laughed as she watched Charmaine attack her Guard.

"Fun fun! You do know how to make an enterence. Come sit with me! We've got a lot to talk about! Come in and sit!" she giggled joyously....enjoying every moment of this.

Damon stepped iaway from the light, stepping out Richard's view. "Richard," he said simply, his cold apathetic voice sounding.

It has been a long time since he had last seen Richard, since he had charged Richard with a mission to infiltrate The Dictatorship and gain information about Der Fuhrer.

He no longer had his shades and hid from Richard's view as to hide his identity. Their eyes were supposed to be hidden at all times.....no one forgot the look of a man's eyes, especially not the eyes of The Reich Freedom Fighters.

With her eyes flush with crimson, it was hard to read her emotions. When Charmaine proceeded to advance toward Genocide, however, she was not in the mood to cooperate. “I’d rather not. I’ll make it short and sweet, love. Give me Mathias, or I’ll kill you.”

Richard gritted his teeth under the oddly calm gaze of Damon and stood still as he thought about the things that the man had wanted from him before.

He tried to keep his words as much to the point as possible, "as im sure someone in your position would know, DFD has gone missing.. thats all I know at the moment. If this information is unsatisfactory, then I have failed and will accept my fate. As you might not know, Hunny*Dew has become emotionally close to me, and im in a position to gather more information as it presents itself. What more would you have me do at this point?"

"Try to kill me....you won't make it out of here alive nor will your precious Mathias. You can have your Mathias back when we're done with him......get him to start talking and you can have him back much sooner. Oh you can't.....he's frozen," she giggled, sitting on the edge of her chair with her teddy bear.

"You decided to like the wrong guy. He's not looking so well and he's dying. And he's stubborn as hell. He probably doesn't even love you.....he's good at lying," she smiled at Charmaine, grinning with the grin of her father, mocking her adversaries.

Aiden found solace in meditation. He kept his eyes closed for a long while. He needed a way to get to her. His sensitive ears pricked up as he heard a loud crash in the distance. He opened his starlight blue eyes and headed toward the noise in a rather hastened manner. A plane had crashed, that much was clear. Observing the wreckage he would be surprise if anyone actually even made it through. He scoffed and decided it would be best to search the area. Perhaps the people were important enough for him to hold hostage until he got transportation, or perhaps just a meal, it didn’t really matter.

Coming upon a motionless body, he smelt a familiar scent. He lift the parachute off of Dante with his hand, and observed the body. Inquisitively he turned his neck to the side. Charmaine bit you… He sat down beside Dante, and placed his head on his leg for support. I just can’t wait until you wake up.

Charmaine’s eyes narrowed. “In any case I won’t make it out of here alive,” she said, her melodic voice running over Genocide’s ears. “You want him to talk I can get him to talk by a certain process. I can get him to let out years of secrets into those small little hands of yours.” I raise my eyebrow. All of it true with my alchemy, I could devise a truth serum, but I will not be using that method. Oh, no. So I set my plan in motion, my innate duplicity taking over. “Bring him to me, coherent…and you’ll get your answers.”

Perry searched among the streets for Dante, looking for any slight sight of him. He couldn't have been too far. He saw a man sitting next to a figure and rushed to his side.

"Mother fucker," he cursed as he stooped beside Dante, "Is he dead?"

Looking at Aiden, an unfamiliar face, he narrowed his eyes. "What the hell are you doing here?" he spat angerily at him, taking notice that Dante was still alive, just rather beat up, and not moving.

"Damn it. No time, just help me get him out of here will you? I don't have time to waste. We got to get out of here quick."

Leaning over Dante, Perry whispered into his ear, "Don't worry Dante.....you'll be alright. We're just going to get you to my plane. It's not that far."

He turned back to Aiden while reaching under Dante's arm to pull him up. "Are you just oging to sit there or are you going to help me?"

Despite protesting that she did not at all mind the cold, and that it rather reminded her of home, Erzsebet let Noskalenaeuroph lead her by her arm back into the mansion. Normally, she would not let herself be handled in this manner, but then, it didn't seem worth the effort to correct Nos' behavior, as it would only offend him and possibly make him think twice about giving any advice and help he might have.

She remained silent as Nos described how the Stadt used to be. It sounded like it had been a wonderful place. She gave him a nod of understanding; she too often longed for the way things used to be in her life, when everything was going well and the world seemed so full of promise and hope. Inside the mansion, Erzsebet followed the man without words, as she felt it was important, in a place so eerily quiet, to pay attention to one's surroundings, so as to catch even the slightest noise that someone unseen might make. Knut had followed slightly behind, but he remained by the door so as to give Erzsebet privacy, and also to act as a guard.

Once seated in Nos' room, Erzsebet finally spoke. "I have several questions," she said quietly. The silence of the mansion seemed as if it would somehow punish anyone who broke it too loudly. The vampiress put her booted feet up, partly out of comfort, partly in an attemp to make the atmosphere of the place feel more casual. "First of all, when we came in, you said something about hating something about the Dictatorship? What did you mean?" A short pause followed, and then she asked her next question. "One thing I need to know about the current situation is who the enemy is. Whose soldiers stand on the opposite side of the conflict. I know that in the internal politics, there are many sides, but I need to know what forces are arrayed against me, if I'm to be effective. I also need to know what I can do, what things need doing, strategically and tactically. Perhaps even personally." She had been looking Nos in the eyes the entire time. This habit creeped some people out, but Erzsebet didn't think Nos would take it that way. "Lastly, do you think it might be beneficial for my country to use our large merchant fleet to deliver supplies, you know, food, medicine, all that stuff, to Stadt, considering the city's current state?" Despite appearing to be a very hard person, it was easy to see that Erzsebet was genuinely concerned about the people in the Dictatorship's last city.

Aiden smiled slightly, careful not do so too much. While Charmaine’s fangs were retractable, Aiden never retracted his, and they became set in place. He ran his hand through his white hair, his pale youthful features showing no emotion what so ever. Going to get a plane not to far away… he thought to himself. Maybe you will be useful. Aiden reached down and hoisted Dante up, making good use of his strength. He lifted Dante up over his shoulder before the other man could have any objections.

“We’ll get there faster if you let me carry him.” His beautiful eyes sparkled, and he took a step foreword. Dante wasn’t hard to carry, and Charmaine would be less so.

"Der Fuhrer is dead, she is no longer an object to your mission. In the mean time though, you have managed to infiltrate The Depths of Hell, I will give credit on succeeding this far. The Depths of Hell is very promidant Reich base, but no one can just enter it, or so, my knowledge on the base leads me to believe. Your new objective is to get me into that base," Damon ordered coldly despite his voice being slightly below a whisper.

He did not want to attract attention to himself. He needed to remain hidden from everyone, out of view, away from them all. That man who had left passed right past him before, barely acknowledging his presence, if he had seen him, Damon had a new mission, he would have to kill the man. He must not be seen and known to exist to any outsider.

"Get me into that base Richard. Get me in there now."

Perry glared at this new man. "Smartass, you might want to detach the parachute first, it'll snag on something," he snarled at Aiden while beginning to remove the parachute from Dante, freeing him of the excess baggage.

"And be careful with him too! He can't be harmed. You're being too rough on him. He had a wicked fall from what I've seen, you need to be careful! You don't want to make us mad.....he's not the guy you want to piss off," Perry continued, ranting off about how important Dante was to the war, but mistakingly divuldging into a deeper secret, how important Dante was to himself.

He brushed the dirt from Dante's face and hair as Aiden had him hoisted over his shoulder. "Sorry it took so long to get here Dante," he spoke aloud although not meaning to. Dante merely weakly groaned, confused, and beginning to shake again.....unaware that he was being carried away.

"Follow me quickly," he sneered at Aiden, catching a glimpse of his eyes and hastily turning away.

He led Aiden toward the plane outside of the city, opening it, and turning back toward Aiden. "Put him in here quick. And be careful! He can't be hurt," he insisted once again. Speed and caution to Dante.....two things he insisted on.

Richard took a long look into the man's cold eyes, eyes that saw countless deaths.. somewhere deep down in him, he felt sorry for Damon, a man who was never really given a chance for happiness, only duty.. a man who felt little more than obligation, little more than a drive for success.

Taking a moment of silence to examine the strange situation at hand, Richard looked at the man's arm, at his slightly tattered appearance; something wasnt quite right here.

"I dont believe you. Who do you work for Damon? You seem awfully alone out here," Richard paced a bit in thought, "I will get you into that base, but I want answers too; or do you think that I would be of greater service to you completely clueless? As you seem to be a bit of yourself, sir?"

At the hint of mockery with the last word, Richard feared he went too far.. but he didnt care anymore; these games were beginning to tire him.. he just wanted to die, what was there left for him? Was he doomed to betray Hunny*Dew, C9, and the entire Reich over and over in his nightmares? To see Damon's cold face as he died a hundred times a hundred times?

"I will indeed get you into that base, but I know nothing of why you cannot enter.. and yet, I know even less of how I can get you inside. A woman who neither I nor Hunny*Dew have heard of before has recently gained admission and is likely meeting with the Admiral herself as we speak, or is close to such a meeting. If you could drop the cold killer's demeanor perhaps we could just walk you inside without a second glance, unless there is more to your inability to gain entrance.. even an assassin must play a part sometimes, no? We'll get you inside alright, but you cant go in as yourself," he finished with the barest of sneers, but even that drew no reaction.. the man was cold steel and coiled death.

Nos slid into his bed, feeling tired from his over exhausting swim to shore. "Wierd things happen here," was all he said, in response to Erzsebet's question.

He closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep for about a half hour before abruptly waking up, reaching for an invisible object aside of his bed. Looking toward the corner, he noticed Erzsebet still sitting there.

"Oh shit, sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep," he apologized quickly, straightening his composure. "You said something about your fleet. It would be good to use it for commerece and bringing in supplies to the city. We can use the additional support, we lost a lot in that bombing.....we need a lot of supplies. Plus with the upcoming war, it would be wise to prepare for that. Things are pretty hectic here right now....sorry I fell asleep before."

Damon looked at him sharply, "Stop looking at me," he said coldly, stepping further back into the darkness to decrease his visibility, trying to hide the make-shift sling holding up his nonfunctioning arm. "I will be forced kill you if you continue to look. I am not appropiately dressed and it is standard procedure to dispose of anyone who sees us that does not work for us."

He remained silent for an awkward three minutes, before coldly speaking again, "Are you suggesting that I walk in the base with you right now?"

Anna had sat there quietly taking everything in. Richard had left her, taking his absence quite abruptly. He had demons chasing after him, she could tell. No one came out to get her, however. She had been here for a while and was anxious to meet Admiral Hunny*Dew. Richard had mentioned something about the Admirals guest not being quite human, before he flew out of the hallway. That didn't scare her, she had watched her entire family murdered by a machine. A cold blooded killer, designed to search and destroy. She clenched her fist, until her nails dug into her palms and blood welled from the cuts.

Sighing she sat back, and crossed her legs, the data chip shifting with her leg movement. She pressed in on where it lay in her body, and contemplated the blood trailing a line down her palm. The Depths of Hell, whatever this place was, was cold to her, but given the chance she new she could suceed in resurrecting her family. She wasn't afraid. Oh no, fear would be pointless now, she thought. Taking a deep breath she let her eyes roll back into her head, and her arms go lax. She could never be fully relaxed, but this was as close as she got. In the space it took to have a single drop of blood hit the floor, she released everything that the last few years of her life had lain at her feet.

When she re-focused her eyes, her arm hair stood on end. Nothing was sacred here, and there was something out there. Taking her hand to her mouth to staunch the blood, she stood up to wait for the Admirals arrival

Richard could tell that he struck a bit of a vein within Damon and needed time to figure out more ways that he could chip at what little cracks there might indeed be. Instead of a victorious look and more scathing words directed at the place where Damon stood, Richard let his eyes wander to the rising moon and gazed at it woodenly as he spoke.

"Why not? Tell me Damon, how many people really know that face of yours? It was easy enough for that woman earlier, I cannot even tell you fully the operational capacity of The Red Queen right now, because I just dont know. At the least, you're a guest of Richard and an unknowing Hunny*Dew. Thats what people will see.. I wasnt questioned with a guest earlier, why would it be so now? Even if you meet Hunny*Dew, you'll just have to play a part.. perhaps you can be an old friend of mine from Adyndril.. a friend with important information that you had to deliver to me. You'll be able to work inside with impudence, Hunny*Dew is busy anyways.. maybe we can buy a window with The Red Queen somehow, what do you think?

There is one thing I still have to ask," Richard said, finally looking into the darkness where Damon stood with a glare, "What is your mission? Who do you work for? I will help you regardless, but I want to be sure you know exactly what you're after.. the answers arent for me, they're for you Damon; and I dont need to hear for myself."

A moment of silence passed where Richard again felt badly for the silent killer in the darkness.. then he spoke with as little feeling as he could, "Im going back into the base; if anyone out there wants to join me, they can feel free to do so."

Then he turned, and began to walk casually back into the base; its massive entryway glowing warmly, almost invitingly.. radiating heat into the nights frigid air; waiting for the man to call out.. to change plans.. to decide to leave.. or to decide to come. Richard honestly didnt care anymore, the man would do whatever was inevitable and likely drag him along as well... was it better than dying? Maybe.. that answer would come with time.

Hunny*Dew sighed, taking a moment to herself, walking the silence corridors of The Depths of Hell. There was a lot of blood on the floor and yet no bodies.....there was a fight down here. She remembered Der Fuhrer briefly mentioning something about her visit to the base, but nothing was mentioned of deaths or of a fight inside the base.

Regaining her composure, she walked back toward the rest of her group, gracefully gliding over the floor like swan glides over the reflective waters of a warm spring day, where she ran into a young woman whom she had never seen before.

"Why hello there Miss," Hunny*Dew smiled warmly, extending her hand. "I do not believe I know you. I'm Admiral Hunny*Dew of The Dictatorship, acting current Dictator. Can I help you with anything?"

Anna looked up as the figure approached, she looked weary yet tough. She stopped and asked Anna how she was doing and why she was here.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Admiral. I am Anna Castell from Ferdinand Foch. I was left here by Richard, to meet you. I thought I could be of service," she said, meeting Admiral Hunny*Dews gaze directly, unblinkingly and unflinchingly.

"My nation is an arms manufacturer and I am scientist. I was picked up at a border check point after deciding attempt to gain access to the Reich. I saw your transmission and I needed to get out of my country," Anna said, hiding her bloody hand behind her back, and shifting to cover her spot of blood on the floor.

Erzsebet nodded to Nos' response. He was still being cryptic, but if he didn't want to talk about it, she wouldn't press him. However, she was rather annoyed when he went to sleep without answering her other questions.

Luckily for him, he apologized for doing so when he awoke to find the Sorvik vampiress still staring right at him from her seat in the corner. Erzsebet nodded again when he made it clear that the city would indeed benefit from having supplies shipped in. "It may take a few days. After all, the only ships here right now are weapons of war, but we do have a lot of fast cargo vessals that can be diverted. If there's a working telephone anywhere, I could use that to make the order, or simply radio in." She finally took her firey green eyes off Nos and looked out the window, through which the growing darkness outside was visible. She appeared almost to have a primeval longing for it. But she then spoke again. "If I know who exactly we are warring with now, I can order General Farkas to take action on land. I can order him around if I so choose because in Callisdrun, naval officers like myself always outrank army officers like Istvan. However, no higher up, either Callisdrunian or Reich, has given me orders. I can act independantly, but there needs to be an objective, a mission to send forces on and a place for them to go. Right now, we're not doing very much good, just sitting here."

Erzsebet resumed her silence as she stared out the window, the faint light glinting off her jet black hair and her deathly pale skin.

"Tell me Damon, how many people really know that face of yours? .... What is your mission? Who do you work for?"

Damon watched silently as Richard walked away. He did not respond, rather remained hidden in the darkness, continuing to watch as Richard disappeared into the bright light of the base.

He could not enter that base, he could not be seen. Using his intact arm, he fished through his pockets, searching hopefully for his glasses. Finding his pocket's empty, as he should have expected, he merely turned away from the gates. He could not enter, he could not be seen. It was the rules.....standard procedure.

Refusing to look back toward the place of entry he could not enter, he walked back up the long flight of stairs. Working his way under and over the wreckage of the tavern, he found himself outside, the night time having come. He stepped over the bodies of the two men he killed earlier, moving toward an unknown destination.

Unknown.....

Damon stopped in his tracks, he needed to get in The Depths of Hell. Unsure of what to do, for once, he sat down in the middle of the remains of a road, staring over the desolation of the night without feeling anything.

Nos merely stared at Erzsebet, his eyes seeming to stare at something beyond Erzsebet. "That Red Queen Protocol is still in effect. I doubt you will be able to get past it unless it is revoked. I can try to, but I doubt she will listen to me."

He waited a brief moment, before speaking out significantly louder, "Red Queen, lift the protocol issued by Der Fuhrer before she left. Der Fuhrer is incapicitated and we need open borders to effectively strike our enemies."

Silence remained for a moment, as if Nos were crazy, and talking to himself. After a moment, the voice of a young girl issued from seemingly no where. "Noskalenaeuroph! Asking favors of me? This coming from the independent assassin who wants nothing to do with my services? I can't lift protocol, mommy didn't give me permission to. But mommy disappeared.....yes....mommy disappeared."

No merely stared vacantly at Erzsebet, as if in a trance like state. "Erzsebet, where is everyone again? Something doesn't seem right to me."

Hunny*Dew smiled pleasently. "Welcome to The Depths of Hell then! Services of others in our time of need is always greatly appreciated. I see you are a scientist, tell me, how is your chemist skills? A prominant Reich figure seems to be suffering from a chemical exposure and his abilities are greatly needed in this time of war. I can really use some help with find some sort of cure or something to help him.....he's a good friend.....a really good friend, but he has been captured by our enemy," she said, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Forgive me, Mathias and I go back a long way. I just do not want to see him die at the hands of our enemies in such a brutal fashion. We already watched one of our members die in such a manner, it is too hard to watch another."

Hunny*Dew smiled to her again after regaining herself. "How can we help you in return dear? You services will be rewarded during our times of need, how may we help you in the long run? Or is there nothing at the moment you desire?"

Richard walked into the base with a sigh.. Damon hadnt followed him inside. He was unsure of what to do next, so he sat down on a nearby chair where anyone looking in could see him and watched the entrance for any signs of a change of heart..

After half an hour, none came. Richard walked back outside and picked up his dropped pack of smokes, lighting one hungrily. He figured Damon had left, but again found himself not really caring any longer. How could he have found a better way for the man to enter the base? How could he help a 200+ pound man disappear within The Depths of Hell?

He didnt like the feeling of having eyes on him, and dropped his half finished cigarette, pocketing the remains of the pack.

As he turned to walk back into the base, a hand gripped his shoulder.. Richard turned around as if to attack whoever was touching him, and found Damon standing there.

Richard breathed a sigh of relief and spoke to the man, avoiding his eyes, "I thought you had left.. you need to be in the Gates of Hell? Alright, you dont like the straightforward path.. so how do I disable the eyes inside so you can enter with total safety?"

Damon let out a heavy breath, the breath collecting in the air in contrast the bitter cold. "I cannot enter that base Richard. No one can see me and those that do cannot ID me. It's the way we work....." he hesistated for a moment, "It's the way I work. Just, whatever you do, don't look at me."

He released his grip from Richard, not knowing whether or not he had been holding Richard too firmly or not. Taking a step back, into the shadows of a half fallen building, he hid from Richard's view again.

"Richard, I have a new mission for you. Shut down The Red Queen," he spoke apathetically, saying it with no emotion as if asking Richard to go to the store to pick up some eggs.

Anna blinked. She didn't expect to be repaid for her services so quickly, and decided to ignore that request.
"My skills are more of the biological nature, specifically microbial. However if you give me a sample of this chemical that he has been exposed I could try to synthesize a cure. I assume that he has a lab here, in the Depths of Hell. I'd like to see it, as well as more of the base, if thats possible."

She coughed and moved to the side, this was making her more uncomfortable than she cared to admit, but the deel of the data chip shifting in her thigh brought her back to focus quickly.

"At home I worked more on biological agents for weapons systems. At least thats what I did before the AI took power. But I am here to help."

Aiden smiled widely, exposing his secret in the smile. He set Dante down as Perry instructed. He proceeded in the plane as well. “I hope you don’t mind if I hitch a ride. If this man is important to you, you’ll welcome the offer, as I can be a rather efficient body guard.”

Genocide smiled at Charmaine, grinning at the thought of finally getting the needed information out of Mathias with Charmaine's full compliance.

"Bring us Mathias. You have my permission to thaw him. Oh, he sounds like chicken! Make sure you take care of him....don't want to piss anyone off here," she said with a giggle, standing up.

Taking Charmaine's hand, she led Charmaine to a seat at the table. "Sit! This is going to take a while. Want cookies and milk?" Turning to a Guard, without waiting for a response, she smiled, "Get us cookies and milk!"

Charmaine raised her eyebrow, "I don't eat cookies, nor drink milk." She couldn't help but feel anger at the girl's words. Her mind was set on Mathias.

After a few hours of sitting patiently and eating cookies with milk, the doors opened and two men carried in Mathias, who was wrapped in a heavy gray blanket and placed on the floor before Genocide and Charamine, looking much like a very large child wrapped in blanket laying in a crib during the winter. He was clearly unconscious and his breathing labored, which meant that the time they had with him was limited....they would have to act quickly.

Genocide slid off her chair to peel back some of the blanket from Mathias. He was curled into the fetal position, his wrist set and bandaged neatly, the blood cleaned from him. He was shaking fervently despite the warmth of the room and his evident unsciousness after just having been awoken from a frozen state.

Finishing a cookie, Genocide sat back on her chair, drinking some more milk before giggling and looking to Charmaine. "Well.....there's Mathias. Get him talking now."

Charmaine’s eyes widened as she saw him. She shot forward and dropped to the ground beside him, hovering over him. Oh, Mathias. I wish I could keep you warm… She wrapped her arms around him, pressing her torso to his, her head buried in his neck. “Get me my syringes, I need my syringes….” she barked, as she lost her grip. “Get the syringes…I need to establish a connection.” Oh how she was lying through her teeth. She did need Mathias to awaken though. She needed to raise his temperature. She needed to save him for her existence to continue. As his time was running out, so was hers in a different fashion.

Hunny*Dew pleasently smiled at Anna, "We do have a chemical facility within this base. If you would just follow me, I can take you there. As for your biological aspects, I am sure we can use your assistance in developing a weapon to be used in our war, if you do not mind."

She glided along gracefully before Anna, leading Anna toward one of the many different faclities within this base. Speaking softly, her singsong voice broke her lips, "Red Queen, please open the doors."

The doors rushed open, bright lights being turning on from within, giving light and entry to those who entered. A little girl appeared before them in the door way, swaying back and forth while holding her dress.

"Hunny*Dew.....Noskalenaeuroph requested that I lift the protocol mommy initiated. I declined, but does Auntie Hunny*Dew want me to?"

"That will not be necessary Red Queen, but thank you for informing me. I will speak to Noskalenaeuroph when I return," she said finally, the Red Queen disappating into the air as mysteriously as she appeared.

"Feel free to look around Anna, I have other business to attend to at the moment. You will not have access to forbidden areas of the base, so do not worry about trespassing upon anything you should not," she said with a wink as she turned away, gracefully dancing along the white floors of the base.

"If you try anything funny, like trying to kill us in return, Mathias will be killed immediately and those windows, that you have taken notice have been sealed, will be opened. I took notice you don't like the light too much. Unfortunate for you," she said with giggle, grinning cockily at Charmaine.

"Bring her tools, but nothing more then the bare necessities. She will make what she is given work if she is serious about saving her precious Mathias."

Two Guards left the room, walking with haste to retrieve Charmaine's syringes. Genocide in the mean time, stooped beside them both, moving close to Mathias's ear. "That little girl is still here Mathias. You might want to warn your girl friend of her importance, because if anything goes amiss, she'll die too.....and you know your Fuhrer will not be pleased if her precious trainees are killed."

The Guards returned, bringing Charmaine her syringes. Genocide stood up and moved back to her seat, picking up another cookie and grinning at them both.

"Happy now?" she taunted, the Guard handing Charmaine her syringes.

Anna watched Admiral Hunny*Dew eerily glide away. The only thing she could think about was that creepy little girl. Of course she was an AI, and for a moment Anna got the feeling that she wasn't as safe here as she thought. Hopefully the Red Queen wasn't tapped into Foch's AI. That thought sent chills down her spine. She had spent so long evading that damn thing to be found out now, in a place she could not escape.

What she really wanted to do, was shower and eat. And then find a computer hookup so she could access her data. Of course accessing the data meant digging it out of her hip. Whistling softly to herself, she slung her rucksack over her shoulder and continued down the white hallways to try and find a guard, a soldier, someone to direct her to the barracks. She hoped they had barracks here, they had them on Foch.

As she walked she let her fingers trail along the concrete, committing each contour, each turn to memory. Hopefully that way no one would notice she was blind in one eye.

Jostling each, one of the men who joined the trek to The Depths of Hell, pushed another into the wall, just a foot from Anna. Stopping in their jest, they straightened their backs and controlled their demeanor....women such as Anna were not abundant anymore within The Dictatorship, unless they harbored a battle rifle at their side.

"Miss," he said, saluting her as if she were an officer. "Looking fine tonight. Anything we can do for you Miss?" he asked, eager to help this young woman out in any means he could.

The other men stood by jealous, also eager to help the young woman out as well. She was new, foreign, and young.....the exotic ideal woman they craved just at that moment.

Charmaine took the syringes and placed them by her side. She rolled up the sleeve of her coat and jabbed the needle into her skin. She watched as the crimson liquid filled the clear glass vile and tapped it to remove any oxygen. She took Mathias’ cold arm, now with a temperature equivalent to hers, and injected the blood into his arm. She waited for the effect, which would hopefully be enough. Seeing no response, she took another vial of her own blood and injected it into his blood stream.

Mathias…

"Gentleman," Anna replied noting the predatory, alpha male looks in their eyes. "I need to find a suitable place for a shower, some food, and a laptop hookup. Think ya'll can help me?" She batted her eyelashes for good effect, and smiled.

The one that had snapped to attention replied, "Why yes ma'am we do, if you'll just follow me please." He shouldered his rifle and with his free hand gestured in front of himself and his comrades.

"Excellent. I'm afraid I smell and I'm starved so wherever you guys are taking me its much obliged. Also, could one point me in the general direction of the chemical laboratories? I need to go look there. By, the way I'm Anna," she replied walking after the soldiers.

"Of course, Miss Anna. We'll just need clearance from Admiral Hunny*Dew. By the way I'm Bob, and these two people are Ralph and Earl," he said, continuing walking.

"Are you serious?" Anna asked.
"About our names? Yes, we are," he said with a wink.
"Well aren't ya'll just some good 'ol country boys, " she laughed. "And I've already spoken with Admiral Hunny*Dew, I don't think she'd mind if I took a spin around that way." The fact that she mentioned the Admiral stopped them in their tracks.

"What, did I say something wrong?" she asked. The tall one called Bob said, " Not really, but if you're going after the lab I think you are, we don't have the security clearance or training to get you there. The other labs aren't a problem, but that one is a no-go for now."
"Oh," said Anna dissapointedly.
"But the shower, food and laptop hookup we can do. Heck, we might even be able to rassle you up a bed here in hell," said Ralph.
"Sounds good. Lead the way boys. If you hadn't come along I might have never found a way out and turned into a haint," she smiled, and they continued walking on, making idle chatter. Anna, meanwhile still trailed her hands along the wall.

It took a long time to process the voice within in his, this thoughts groggy and processing slowly, extremely slowly. Unable to respond, he let out a raggaged breath of air that resembled a groan. He felt his strength regaining, but not his mind....his mind seemed so distant from his body.

Curling up into the warmth of Charmaine, he imagined, or at least tried so hard to imagine, that they were somewhere else, even a cheap hotel room in the city run by murderous assassins. Unable to process a return though, he had hoped his clinging to Charmaine was enough to convey how much he was sorry for what had happened and how much he had missed her in their time apart. He wanted her to know how much he loved her, despite his inability to place a sole thought together.

Letting out the groan like breath again, he inhaled sharply.....slowly regaining his strength against the rapid decline of his health. He just wanted to be with her alone, away from it all, even in that cold cell......just to be in her arms without the presence of Genocide, whom he could vaguely hear giggling in the back ground, the threat of her killing the little girl still ringing clear in his mind, as if she were repeating it over and over again.

Richard took Damon's words in stride, but took a minute to think about his plan. He was to dismantle The Red Queen? He could always shoot Hunny*Dew and make it go supernovae again..

'Heh.. not happening. How the hell am I going to get this done?'

Richard gave Damon's shadow a disparaging look, but avoided the man's eyes in fear of how he may react. Looking again at the moon, he spoke, "Ill do this for you.. im not sure how, but ill do it. Do you have any tips before I take off? Ive never taken down a sentient creature capable of total destruction before, and im not very handy with technology.. but I will do it," he looked at where Damon stood in the shadows, "you seem to owe me now. Ill signal you somehow after ive disabled the computer."

He turned to walk away and remembered something.. taking off his coat, Richard threw it on the ground in front of Damon's position, "here, you'll freeze in this weather without a coat."

Richard walked inside with a soft curse, he forgot his smokes in his jacket, but he had the lighter in his pocket, 'what use is one without the other?'

With a roll of his eyes Richard loped off towards the place he knew The Red Queen's central core was located and thought about what he was to do for Damon.

He needs time, he’s been so badly hurt… I think to myself, then look to Genocide. I would not see him die, not now that I had him in my arms. I would not see him away from me again. I can’t bare the thought of letting him down. I have a clever mind, and I will get around this somehow. “Tell me what you want me to ask him, Genocide.”

Trying to control their hormones, the men led Anna to a large area designed to be quarters for a large battalion at rest within the base. "We'll the food is all stored within the kitchen back there and you can get a shower to your right. The beds are all to your left. This is one of the common lounges. If you want us to.....we'll cook you up something while your showerin'. Shouldn't be too hard. What do you want to eat....that can be kept frozen?" he asked, finding it extremely difficult to take his eyes off of Anna.

"And the lab is back the way you came when you're done here. You can't miss the warning signs....."

Genocide grinned, completely satisfied at the results she was seeing......compliance.

"I want to find out how to get past The Red Queen for good; how to shut her down and annihiliate her coding. I want to know the extent that The Red Queen can work at and how much damage she can do and how much she controls.

"Also, make sure you have him know that if he lies, I'll kill all those little brats. That and I'll order another attack, but this time, on that neutral nation that they all love so much. They'll never see it coming.....never be prepared to defend themselves.

"I also want to know what secrets he has, in that mansion, that stupid base of theirs, and his own little secrets. I want to know about DFD's plans and the measures he has taken against my father in the war he fought against him. Remind him that he bares the scar from that man....it should get him to answer correctly.

"Next I want to know about his relationships to Der Fuhrer Dyszel, which I'm sure he told you about and I want to know about his relationship with my father."

She finished with the grin of her father's, unmastered though, and lacking the characteristic effect that her father had on those he was trying to manipulate.


In the mean time, Mathias was slowly loosening his tensed muscles, uncurling from the fetal position, regaining his strength and his ability to think a little more clearly.

"Really? That would be wonderful!" Anna exclaimed, the scrutiny becoming a little uncomfortable. "Do you guys have any ramen noodles?" she asked.

Ralph looked puzzled, "Ramen Noodles, Miss Anna?"
"I guess not its, a delicacy where I come from. Just like beans and weenies," she joked. All three gave her a blank stare. "Well, do you guys have eggs?" she asked.
"We have powdered eggs in spades, Miss Anna. Want some turkey spam to go with it?" Bob asked her.
"Sure, just make sure y'all give me lots of ketchup. And beer. I think I'm going to need it after today," Anna said. "Now, if someone could show me where the showers are and some toiletries, I think I'd die a happy woman."
"Well we don't want you dead, Miss Anna," Earl finally piped up. "Just Anna please," she interjected. "Anna," Earl corrected.

Bob stood up then and held out his arm for her to take. "Here let me show you to the bathroom. Theres a standard issue bath kit I can give you, and I have an extra set of clothes. I don't have an ladies underwear, however," he winked.
"Well if you go commando, I can go commando. In fact, who says I'm not right now," she shot back, watching his eyes go wide. "I'm completely kidding, but the clothes and the shower kit would be appreciated. Thank you."
"Anytime, Anna. Anytime, sweetheart," he replied, an easy smile taking over his face for the first time in years.
"Thank you, for your hospitality," she said again, as he handed her the showering supplies, and led her into the stainless steel showering facilities.
"Holy shit," Anna said, stepping into the shower and closing the curtain.
Bob heard the shower turn on, and before he left he heard a high slightly off key voice singing "Deck my balls in G-strings and Holly". He just about laughed himself out of the bathroom.

Mathias, she begins softly. I just need to ask you one question. Do you want to answer Genocide’s questions? She placed her hands on the rim of the blanket and took it from him, placing it over his body before kneeling back down. If you don’t…I’ll do my best to get you out of here, even if it kills me. I am sure as hell not leaving without you. They are no match for me physically, but I find myself in a predicament with the panels overhead. This blanket of yours voids that trump card.

She kissed his forehead. I know that the information you hold could be detrimental to many should she possess it, which is why I don’t think you’ll answer them. Even with her threats, your survival surpasses that. I don’t care what she says, I’m leaving with you.

"I wonder if she's really going commando," Earl asked inquisitvely, looking for the items to cook with. "Do any of you guys actually know how to cook?"

Looking from one to the other, they all shook their heads in the negative.

"Fuck....go figure. We'll who's winging it, because I can't cook jack. Burned toast already.....that was my last cooking experience....."

Attempting for the next half hour while Anna showered, they managed to make a lump of goop they proudly called eggs, and sawed apart the Spam that they considered to have cut into small pieces. Admittingly proud at their attempt, they made orange juice from frozen concentrate and poured Anna a glass, setting of the many large tables in the dining hall just for her, in anticipation that she would be done her shower soon.

Stepping out of the shower, Anna considered the cammies left behind for her. She pulled them on and cinched the belt as tight as it would go on her frame, the shirt was a little thin and revealing, so she put on an undershirt then the shirt over it. She put the socks on and padded out of the bathroom her rucksack in tow. Flinging her espresso colored hair over her shoulder, she saw the table set for her.
"Wow, you guys. You really didn't have to do this," she said looking down at the lump that passed for eggs. Earl pulled out her chair for her, and she sat down, and began to tuck in. She felt like she hadn't eaten in forever, she was that hungry. Everything was good, for being powdered, canned and/ or frozen.
"So do you like it?" Ralph asked.
"Yes its very good, thank you all," Anna said. She was being ridiculously polite, but she was gad there was some comfort to be taken from it.
She wiggled her toes in her socks, feeling the cold of the cement permeate through them.
Bob took notice, "Where are your boots?"
"I'll put them on when I go to the lab, but I've been wearing them for a week straight, it feels nice to take them off," she replied, ketchup dribbling down her lip before she could catch it. Wiping her mouth, "Now where can I get a weapon around here?" she asked.
"Well I thought you'd never ask," Bob said, kind of ironically pleased that his illusion of her being harmless and spineless was shattered.

Damon merely stared apathetically at Richard, standing up and picking up Richard's coat. He would take Richard's word that it was cold....he could not know any other way in his current state with the lack of resources he had access to.

Sliding into the coat, he accepted the act of kindness offered by Richard. But why would Richard help the man who was forcing him to act upon his own allies? Taking a stride around the desolate area around the tavern, he shoved his hands in the pockets of the coat, finding that some of them appeared to be filled. Stopping before the tavern, he stooped down to the bodies of the men he killed earlier, searching their pockets for anything of interest, namely a phone or another means of communication. Finding a phone and a wallet with one of the man's children, he removed the picture of the four children smiling happily for the camera, and shoved it in the pocket. Searching Richard's posessions, he found a pack of cigarettes, but no lighter. Cursing his luck as to that none of the men he killed had lighters, he began to search some more, finding an odd vial, filled with a liquid that was unmarked.

He would have to ask Richard about that when he saw the man again. Still searching he found a pair of glasses, to his luck. Pulling them out, even in the darkness, he immediately recognized the pair of shades.....which would make sense being that Richard was given credit for killing him.

Holding the glasses and staring at them as if they were an item threatening to attack him, as one stares silently and unmoving at a poised snake ready to strike, he did not immediately put them on. Rather, after a few minutes of much thought, he decided to slide them back into the pocket, deciding it was best not to put them on, at least, not yet.

Walking back down the stairs toward the base, he learned not to slide off the stairs this time when the light seemed to be right below him. Stopping before the massive gates, he shielded his eyes against the bright light.....he would have to wear the reflective sunglasses if he planned on entering, but he could not enter, could he?

Without further thought, he reached into the pocket and retrieved the shades, sliding them on, covering his eyes......in that moment becoming a Reich Freedom Fighter again. He pushed the thoughts that came to the mind, the voices inside his head as he stepped inside the base.

And almost immediately as his foot touched the solid ground of the inside of The Depths of Hell, a little girl's voice sounded throughout the entire base.

"Unidentified personal entering the base."

Disregarding the comment, he continued to walk into the base, unsure of just where he was walking to, but hoping not far from Richard. He was stopped in his tracks though by a little girl that had mysteriously apparated in front of him.

"Stop. Do not move another step or I will turn you into a pile of ashes."

Hearing the sounds of many stampeding footsteps coming his way rapidly, he suddenly found himself in a much more difficult situation then he had at first imagined. He knew that The Red Queen governed this base, but to pin him in such a manner, this was not anticipated.

Staring coldly at The Red Queen, he decided to take Richard's words a little too literally. He continued to walk, around The Red Queen, toward anywhere. Sometimes you had to play a role.....right Richard?

The Red Queen, who was still standing with mouth agape, so to speak, stared in disbelief at the man. The first person who disregarded her orders. She would expect this from only one man, who happened to be dead.

Unsure whether or not to eradicate the man, she apparated to Hunny*Dew to tell her of the unknown man entering the base, where, in the mean time, the soldiers had held Damon at gun point, ordering him not to move another step.

Damon, holding his hands up in the air, and looking at them, looked from one to the other, strategically determining the best route to get past them all, while wondering if Richard would show up or not.

Bob waited for Anna to finish her meal, before eagerly leading her toward one of the weapon supply stations not far from their current position. Opening the door, which opened with a hiss, he witheld his arm outward.

"Take your pick babe! Whatever you like, take. Just don't fire it in this base at anyone who isn't an enemy. We have an AI named The Red Queen who will blast your ass to tiny pieces if you fire on a superior."

"Unidentified personal entering the base," sounded a computer voice, the second voice of The Red Queen.

"Shit! Take your pick, let's run. We've got to find this guy!"

"What?" she shrieked at Bob, grabbing two forty five calibre semi-automatic pistols and running after Ralph.
"Whats going on?"

As Earl rushed by, he said "The Red Queen is set to alert all those who are not in her system if they enter the base or pull any false moves. Right now, who ever this unfortunate fucker is, is in danger of not only getting blasted to bits but destroyed by The Red Queen."
"Oh," Anna said, keeping pace as best she could in her socks. "Did I alert they system then?"
Bob who had taken the lead position motioned Ralph and Earl to cover and protect her as they made their way to where the party was apprehending the unknown man.

Stopping short, Anna held her pistols loosely at her sides and looked at the man. He was wearing a coat that was at odds with him, and reflective sunglasses. Something, she didn't know what made her want to run away from this man. She turned to run but Earl blocked her, and instead she turned to face the intruder.

Richard heard commotion some distance behind him in the main hallway and rushed back towards the direction of the noise.

Hearing the gunshot, Richard realized that he hadnt made it in time; he broke into a run to cover the distance from him to who he expected was Damon as quickly as possible.

He saw Damon writing on the ground nearby and took a step closer to see what he had written.. it appeared as if Damon was indeed playing a part.. the part of a deaf man.

Richard froze with fear, unsure of what to do with Hunny*Dew standing nearby; he said the only thing that came to his mind, "this man is with me."

"Someone had to have let you in," Bob replied quickly, breifly catching a glimpse of her before he turned to face the man.

The sound of heals echoed at a rapid pace as Hunny*Dew ran toward the gathering group, who were eager to find out who this man was.

Damon took a step back, for dramatic effects, acting as if the person he was portraying was rather confused and mistaken by this encounter. He motioned his arm, an unfamiliar movement to group of men, who were becoming more desperate with each minute that passed with Hunny*Dew not yet here.

Again, motioning, signing, he took a step forward.

"Don't move, we will shoot you," called out Bob from the group of soldiers and armed personal surrounding the man.

Still moving forward, motioning with his hand, he felt a jerk and heard a shot, but did not feel the pain associated with the bullet passing through his shoulder. Playing the part, he grabbed his shoulder with good arm and fell to the floor.

Using his hand, he dipped his finger into the blood pouring from his shoulder and wrote onto the ground, I'm deaf, before clutching his shoulder, right by his clavicle of his severed limb, playing the part of a person who had just been shot.

Hunny*Dew joined the commotion, looking at the bleeding man on the ground and then to Richard.

"Oh Richard! Why didn't you tell me you had someone coming! I could've alerted The Red Queen. He's been shot! Oh silly Richard! This could've been prevented!"

She rushed to the man's side, taking Richard's word for it that this was a friend, an ally of Richard's.

"It's alright there. Just relax," she assured the man, who appeared to be in much pain, as he grasped his shoulder tightly.

"Lower your weapons right now," she ordered everyone, who indeed lowered their weapons immediately.

"Richard, can you take him to the medical facility over there," she pointed to a far corner of this section of the base, reading the words "I'm deaf" over and over again in her head, feeling ashamed that she had not had The Red Queen prevent the men from firing.

Anna looked around. The man she just witnessed being shot, reminded her too much of her family's execution. While she watched him frantically write his name in blood on the concrete, horrible images wafted up to her. Consuming her, and making her blood run cold. She couldn't breathe and everything around her seemed to suck in, until all she saw was blackness, and before she left conciousness, she felt a strong pair of arms catch her.

Bob, had turned quickly as he saw Anna fall. Dropping fast, he caught her before she hit the floor. He laid her down, and took out a pen light and started to monitor her reflexes and responses until she came to.

Bob stayed by her side, as the rest of the group slowly dispersed, seeing that Hunny*Dew had authorized this man's presense, and the need to keep this man in place was no longer needed. After she came to, he handed her a small water bottle he had kept on him.

"Here, drink some. You alright there? You just went out....damn you went out. Everythin' alright?" he said, concern entering his voice.

Anna accepted the water bottle.
"Yeah I'm fine," she said sitting up shaking her head. "Where in the hell are my shoes, and why aren't there magazines in my guns?"

Bob gave her a weird look, "Your shoes are where you left them in the barracks. And I removed the magazines from your guns."

"Oh," she seemed a little lost, and tried to gain her feet.

Bob helped her up, and leaned down to her ear, "Our names aren't Bob, Ralph or Earl. We were only kidding, but since you seemed to enjoy it so much, we decided to let you use them. I'm really Fox."

"Oh," Anna said lamely, feeling like a douchebag. "OH! So whose Ralph and Earl?"

"Well, Ralph is Dmitri, and Earl is Lucas," Bob/Fox said.

"Oh wow, I'm sorry, I feel like an idiot," she said lamely.

"Don't worry, it happens to the best of us," he replied and strong armed her down the hall.

Anna accepted the water bottle.
"Yeah I'm fine," she said sitting up shaking her head. "Where in the hell are my shoes, and why aren't there magazines in my guns?"

Bob gave her a weird look, "Your shoes are where you left them in the barracks. And I removed the magazines from your guns."

"Oh," she seemed a little lost, and tried to gain her feet.

Bob helped her up, and leaned down to her ear, "Our names aren't Bob, Ralph or Earl. We were only kidding, but since you seemed to enjoy it so much, we decided to let you use them. I'm really Fox."

"Oh," Anna said lamely, feeling like a douchebag. "OH! So whose Ralph and Earl?"

"Well, Ralph is Dmitri, and Earl is Lucas," Bob/Fox said.

"Oh wow, I'm sorry, I feel like an idiot," she said lamely.

"Don't worry, it happens to the best of us," he replied and strong armed her down the hall.

Richard looked at Hunny*Dew in a new light.. he had known about her kindness, but this incident showed him just how much she cared about him. It nearly made him break down and cry right on the spot.. nearly made him want to kill himself right on the spot for the betrayal's he had on his mind, but he held his ground.

Swallowing a lump in his throat, Richard addressed Hunny*Dew while pushing back the other soldiers, trying to avoid her eyes as he avoided Damon's, "its perfectly fine Admiral, he should have listened to me and stayed outside until I could alert the base about his entrance. It doesnt appear to be an injury of any grave importance.. unlike the security of this base. We'll get him bandaged up and make introductions."

Then turning his attention to Damon, Richard remembered something he narly forgot, cleared his throat and spoke, "are you alright? We'll get you fixed up real quick.. this is nothing compared to the injuries we've each sustained sparring in the woods of Adyndril."

Richard turned away and let the soldiers arrange for Damon's transportation to the medical wing of the base.

Damon did not pay attention to who had transported him, nor where he was going, closing his eyes, he simply listened to the voices inside of his head. Confused voices, inquistive voices, nagging questions, unreplied responses, vague plans....all voices inside his head.

He felt a hand brush his face, his good arm, seizing the hand immediately, his grip threatening to break the man's arm, as he shook his head 'no' in response to them trying to remove his reflective sunglasses.


Hunny*Dew merely smiled at Richard and leaned over, giving him a quick peck on the cheeck. "I'm really sorry about your friend Richard. If I had known, we could have prevented him from being shot. I'm really sorry, I could have had The Red Queen stop them from shooting him. I'm sorry Richard. I hope he's alright. I need to go do something, but you'll tell me later if he's alright, won't you?"

She smiled at him before gliding off to back to whence she came from, calling back quickly, "Go to your friend. Make sure he's alright," she smiled at him, before turning again.

Within the plane, Perry strapped the semi-conscious Dante into place before taking his own seat.

"There's a bag aside of you, open it an in it's a needle and a small bottle with a red cap. Give him the shot full of that. It's his medicine.....he needs his medicine."

Starting the plane, he took off, racing toward the vast expanse known as Mahanoy. It would take a long time, in which Dante would be asleep, or so he hoped if Aiden gave him the medication.

"Make sure you give him that medicine. He really needs it," Perry assured as they reached the shoreline of The Dictatorship, preparing their long haul toward Mahanoy. There was no turning around after this.

"Absolutely, Ill tell you if he's OK," Richard spoke weakly, feeling incredibly confused about everything.. the beginnings of an anxiety attack rising up inside of his chest, or maybe he was about to cry again.

He knew that he had done bad things in his life, but he was raised to be a good person.. maybe in a different world him and Hunny*Dew would have been happy, had children, and made love every night in their big bed.. but it all seemed a pipe dream now.

Richard cleared his throat again, "ill ensure my friend's safety.. you go to your official Reich business. Till we meet again, madam Hunny*Dew."

He tried to force a smile that likely came off as a grimace, but he hadnt expected these feelings to attack.. he had hoped that forgetting Hunny*Dew would be a matter as easy as forgetting Kahlan was.. or C9....

He took a moment to catch his breath and stop himself from showing more emotion and followed Damon and his escort to the medical wing.

Damon sat up, watching Richard approach. He did not show any emotion on his face, merely stared out coldly at Richard, while the man next to him tried to insist that he lay back down; rather, Damon pointed to Richard, conveying that Richard would take care of it.

"Oh, alright, gotcha. Well, he'll take care of you. Sorry Fox fired at you. He's really strict to Reich protocol sometimes. See you around man," he said, patting Damon on the back before walking away, leaving Richard and Damon alone.

Damon continued to stare at Richard, his face emotionless, as watching Richard move closer, waiting for Richard to ask the first question.

Richard took a moment to worry about Damon's state of mind with all of these people around him.. he should be pleased that he gained admittance to the storied Depths of Hell, but Richard got a distinct feeling that he wanted to kill quite a few people who were escorting them to the medical wing.

He didnt feel like talking.. preferring instead to withdraw into himself.. but Damon looked distinctly uncomfortable, and Richard preferred the attention stay elsewhere, so he spoke to the soldier addressing Damon, "he's deaf, cant hear a word you're saying."

The soldiers left them alone after finally reaching their intended destination, Richard had Damon all alone, "the little girl has ears everywhere, but I dont need to tell you that; whats next?"

OOC:

Test Post

Damon took slow deliberations at an attempt of speech, something pitiful, like somehow coherent babble, playing the part of the attempted speech of someone whe became deaf later in their life, speaking a little too loud at times and too quiet at other times.

"I'm bleeding. Need fix shoulder."

He did not smile, nor did he maintain a serious face, his face was devoid of any discernable emotion or reaction....probably the most disturbing aspect of this man.

"We'll get you all patched up again buddy, just like the old days! This time its not me getting bandages though," Richard said to Damon with a hint of sarcasm, his emotion a stark contrast against the man's lack thereof.

He went to a medical cabinet and pulled out gauze, medical tape, and other supplies; then cleaned the wound, his eyes widening slightly at the sewn-on arm under the gunshot wound, "it looks like you got a clean exit out the other side.. more similarities.. I dont know if I could pull out a bullet, so you're lucky. Lets just get this fixed up here so we can move on to other matters."

As he worked, silence fell over the room; Richard didnt feel the need to speak anymore, and thought that too much might give them away.. speed was of importance here, he wanted to get Damon what he needed and usher him back out of the Depths of Hell as soon as possible.

Finally finishing his bandaging work, Richard heaved a sigh of relief, "now THATS something I havent done in a while.. are you feeling alright?"

He remembered that Damon didnt feel anything at all and grimaced at the man standing up from his spot on the table, "I must apologize, that was insensitive of me.. lets go find our quarry and get this shit over with."

A flash went though Richard's mind.. the sewn back on arm.. who did that? How did it come off? This wasnt a man to be trifled with, so who trifled so much that he lost an arm in the process? And if his Freedom Fighter buddies tossed him aside.. that would only explain how it might have been lost, not how it wormed its way back in place.

Too many questions, not enough answers.. Richard leerily eyed a now standing and always dangerous Damon, thinking to himself over and over, 'What the fuck is going on??'

Damon took notice to Richard's response to noticing his arm. The man probably had a thousand questions racing through his mind, none of which Damon would answer. Richard would suspect a weakness in character, something he could not allow happen. Moreover, Der Fuhrer is supposed to be dead, he would be ordered into a pile of ashes that the Red Queen had threatened him into before if they knew he left them alone to be recaptured and probably killed by this point in time.

Damon tried to tie his arm back up in a sling, finding it even more difficult the second time using just one hand and his teeth. Tying his unmovable arm up to keep it out of the way, he looked to Richard coldly.

"Don't even think about asking questions," he responding, the lack of emotion that was his voice. "I lost my arm, that's all there is to it."

Moving threateningly close to Richard, "Watch what you try to meddle in," he warned, his voice filling with a deepness and decrease of emotion, if it seemed possible, that seemed to resonate for a moment, hanging in the air like a noose before Richard's neck.

"I'll distract the Admiral, you take it out."

"How do you expect me..."

"No questions, just do it Richard."

Richard had never felt more alone, but he shook his head in compliance and defeat. There was little resolve left, but he would do what he had to do..

'This is it.. the last time I help this beast, or so help me god.'

Damon walked away from Richard, saying not a word in response. He walked down the corridors receiving awkward stares from the people had watched him fall only moments ago and was not on his feet walking again, as if he had never been shot at all.

Traveling for a while, and not finding his target, but seeing blood stains that were definately old and not his on the floor, he decided to pretend some more, take the easy way out.

Practically yelling, "Abmural! Abmural!" he stuttered out sickly, looking around the area for any sign of movement.

In a matter of five minutes, he heard the unmistakable sound of her heals clicking off the floor, but continued to look down the wrong way for her. "Abmural!" he yelled again, turning around when she was close to him, stumbling back as if he were frightened by her appearence.....a good actor.

"Lost Ricchard," he said quietly, too quietly for Hunny*Dew to really hear.

"I'm sorry sweetie, I cannot hear you," she replied kindly and compassionately, feeling bad for the man who was accidentially shot.

Motioning that he could not hear her with his good arm, he attempted a second time to speak. "Deaf. Lost Richard," he responded a little above a whisper this time, Hunny*Dew faintly picking up the words.

"Oh sweety. Come with me, we will find him," she said, soothingly, smiling as she rubbed his back softly.

And before she could move or let out a scream, Damon smashed her so hard upside the head that was instantly knocked unconscious. Wasting no time, he ran toward the position Hunny*Dew came from, hoping that Richard had made some progress with trying to shut down The Red Queen, knowing he had less the five minutes before his emminent death.

Richard walked to the central core where The Red Queen was located, moving quickly.. he just wanted to get this over with.. thats all he wanted, but he forced his mind onto the task at hand.

He made it to the doors and found what looked like a complex electronic lock barring his path.. there was no time for this, so he used the best technology that he knew of, his fists.

Smashing the face of the keypad, Richard hoped for the best.. and thanked the gods that entering the Depths of Hell was enough, and the creators of this massive base didnt choose to enhance the security of this portion further.

He walked into the central core of The Red Queen and looked around at the massive array of buttons and dials, screens and levers with bewilderment, 'anything important must be near the center of the room.. the center of the central core, makes sense to me.'

Wishing for the best, Richard pushed a red button labeled, "System Reboot, Danger, use with extreme caution."

Nothing happened for a moment, then a loud hum filled the room and an alarm was set off throughout the area of the Depths of Hell where he was at; Richard cautiously backed away.. turning his slow stride into a full on run.

As he made his way back to the medical facility, Richard tripped and fell, his world turning black.

Nos merely stared at Erzsebet, his eyes seeming to stare at something beyond Erzsebet. "That Red Queen Protocol is still in effect. I doubt you will be able to get past it unless it is revoked. I can try to, but I doubt she will listen to me."

He waited a brief moment, before speaking out significantly louder, "Red Queen, lift the protocol issued by Der Fuhrer before she left. Der Fuhrer is incapicitated and we need open borders to effectively strike our enemies."

Silence remained for a moment, as if Nos were crazy, and talking to himself. After a moment, the voice of a young girl issued from seemingly no where. "Noskalenaeuroph! Asking favors of me? This coming from the independent assassin who wants nothing to do with my services? I can't lift protocol, mommy didn't give me permission to. But mommy disappeared.....yes....mommy disappeared."

No merely stared vacantly at Erzsebet, as if in a trance like state. "Erzsebet, where is everyone again? Something doesn't seem right to me."

"Hunny*Dew went to the Depths of Hell, and if I recall correctly, Richard went with her. I don't know where Dyszel is. Mathias and Charmaine have been captured." She rattled the list off like a list of the fallen.

"The protocol should not be a problem. After all, I had no problem getting in, and neither did General Farkas, and we both were bringing in weapons of war, not mundane, harmless cargo ships. The difficulty is in getting back out again." Erzsebet had only learned of the Red Queen upon trying to get her fleet out of the Dictatorship's territorial waters. "Our Merchant marine is large enough that we can keep sending in ships for several weeks, though, the number of empty cargo vessals sitting at anchor along the coast after they unload might grow a bit ridiculous."

"But then I'm sure the people of Stadt would not care about the number of freighters sitting around as long as they were getting resupplied."

Erzsebet said nothing for a bit. Her eyes started getting that weird look, and she mumbled a couple things in her native language. From the tone of her murmours, one could guess she was having dark thoughts.

Aiden nodded lightly. What a demon he was. He took the bag and opened it. He took out a needle and placed it in the bottle, extracting the liquid. How it reminded him of Charmaine and her syringes. The girl was crazy, at least, in the alchemist’s way. He injected it into Dante’s arm, and then placed the needle back into the bag. He looked at Perry, and leaned on the seat. He placed a cold hand on Perry’s shoulder.

“When will we arrive?”