|
|
Post by Kroenen on Sept 3, 2017 10:58:53 GMT -5
It was a moment which called for utmost diligence on Kroenen's part. He kept his back close to the closed off secret door, the last shield if it were discovered, keeping his stump of a wrist behind his back.
He was imperfect now.
Incomplete.
But that was a personal matter to tend to later. For the moment, it behooved him far more to keep his wits in the moment.
When Viper introduced him to her daughter, he looked down at the girl and nodded slowly.
He had only ever seen her rarely, typically at her mother's side during inspections. Children were of no interest to Kroenen. They were incomplete specimens unfit for experimentation. Little use to him.
But if it were required of him, he would be courteous, if mostly silent. And so the nod of acknowledgement would have to suffice.
"Ophelia," he rasped through his gas mask, a sound like a rake on concrete, "Is there an alternate escape route? Tunnels perhaps? This facility is lost."
He could hear through the walls outside the sound of English being spoken. Gunfire dying down.
One could only assume that the Allies had overrun the base. The fools.
They had destroyed his work.
He longed to open oblivion to them.
But at present, that was not the wisest course of action. Certainly not in the state he was in, nor any of those present.
|
|
|
|
Post by Madame HYDRA on Sept 4, 2017 1:42:11 GMT -5
An alternate escape route? Viper's eyes shut and she swore to herself.
She took a step away from Jessica and Kroenen and toward a door opposite the wall they had come through.
She tried opening it, but the door was jammed. She ordered Richter and Braun to open it, but even they had a hard time opening it. She barked angrily at them to open the damn door, and they took the door down, only to reveal rubble in their path.
"Shit... the explosions must have caved in the tunnel," she thought out loud.
She paced for a moment and thought to herself, trying to make a plan. There were other escape routes and tunnels in the base, but they were further away. There were enemy soldiers between here and there. There had to be, if they were taking the facility.
Unless the layout confused them and they were lost. That was their only true salvation, was their knowledge of the layout of the base.
Decided, she put a hand on Jessica's shoulder and looked at her. "Do you remember where the escape tunnel is near the armory?" she asked. "I need you to take Kroenen and the scientists there. Be their guide. Kroenen will be your protector. I will meet you on the other side. I'm just going to hang back and make sure you aren't followed."
She looked at Kroenen as she hugged her daughter tightly. "I'm going to take Richter and Braun and give you a ten minute head start. The tunnel will lead to a garage with trucks and cars we can use to escape this place, if the Allies haven't found it first. If you don't hear from me 30 minutes after getting to the garage, I want you to take my daughter and get her out of here. Contact Seraph in Madripoor, and tell her that Jessica needs to come home. But that's only if you don't hear from me after 30 minutes. Is that understood?"
|
|
Arachne
Neutral 
I didn't think I'd make it... And I was right. Again.
Posts: 41 
|
Post by Arachne on Sept 6, 2017 20:58:30 GMT -5
Jessica stiffened as her mother beckoned Kroenen closer, but she made no further signs of reaction, even when Viper praised him for his fighting ability. Why was he here, in this room? If he was such an excellent combatant in the field of battle, then he should be out there, fighting the invading forces. Jessica’s thought, however, were broken as her mother hugged her once more. Once again, the smell of blood and burnt things assaulted her nose and her face felt damp where it touched Viper’s cheek. No, not damp; sticky. Pulling back a little, Jessica focused on her mother’s face. It took a moment to find the cause, but when it was discovered, her already fair skin paled even more. “You need medical attention, mama.” Not hesitating, she moved towards a first aid cabinet, only to stop upon hearing orders being barked at the two other HYDRA agents. Her mother was a stubborn woman, even when injured, and Jessica doubted she would take the time out to dress her wounds. Not until everyone was safe or her enemies were dead.
A hand on her shoulder brought Jessica from her thoughts. “No, I’m not leaving you, mama. I’m not. I’m not one of your soldiers that you can order around. You are hurt and you need to be looked at. The army can’t find us in here. We are safe. We can move to the escape tunnel once you’ve been treated. It won’t take five minutes. We go together or we don’t go at all.”
The hug Viper gave her indicated to Jessica that Viper wasn’t listening at all to her pleas. She wouldn’t take no for an answer when she was like this. Why she wanted Jessica to be safe and out of harm’s way almost all of the time, but then following orders without question was beyond her. She wanted Jessica to be both an innocent daughter and an obedient soldier. Defeated, Jessica quietly nodded, going over the route to the armory in her head. All she had to do was run there. Run and hide and wait….. with a gas mask wearing monster. “Please don’t take thirty minutes, mama,” she whispered softly to her before moving towards the door. For as much as she would have loved to go back to Madripoor, stay with Seraph, and be away from this damn war, Jessica was terrified at the thought of losing her mother. “Please stay alive and safe.”
|
|
|
|
Post by Kroenen on Sept 6, 2017 21:35:24 GMT -5
Kroenen visibly bristled at Viper issuing an order to him.
He was the ranking officer.
She did not give him orders.
Even still, he looked toward the exit then back to her.
He certainly did not know the way out, and now was no time for dealing with such sleight insubordination.
Not yet, anyway.
He nodded and revealed his cuffs, allowing the twin blades to shoot out as they had before. He turned toward the door, crossing the blades for a moment before dragging them along each other and letting them rest at his sides.
"Those coming through the tunnels," he growled, "Follow. The girl will keep behind me."
With a swift kick, the door creaked open and Kroenen moved into the dimly lit tunnel, raising his blades crossed and at the ready in front of him as he went. It was quiet. Only the whistle of the wind from the outside kept the place dank and cool, otherwise there was not a sound.
As he moved through, he kept his head forward but spoke to Viper's daughter.
"You must tell me which way we move," he rasped, "But you must keep behind me. Do you understand?"
If this child were not of use in this endeavor, regardless of the faith her mother had in her, Kroenen would be most displeased.
He did not enjoy the sensation of displeasure or annoyance, and today had already used up his usual allotment.
At one of the turns, Kroenen uncrossed his blades and crouched like an insect, low to the ground and held them at the ready.
Nothing. No one.
He stood again to his full height and looked down at Viper's daughter to give direction.
|
|
|
|
Post by Madame HYDRA on Sept 7, 2017 8:53:40 GMT -5
Viper watched as Kroenen and Jessica disappeared out of the panic room and down the tunnel. She felt a twinge of fear shudder through her body as she realized the possibility that this might be the last she ever saw of her daughter, but she turned it. She turned it to use as resolve to make sure the Allies didn't get through to her.
She heard the Allies start to get closer. Her own soldiers were falling back, the cowards. She calmly reloaded the pistols on her hips and hid in the nook caused by the opening in the wall. As soon as she saw her soldiers run past, she stepped out in the hallway and fired.
Perfect shots caught the enemy off guard, two falling dead as they rounded the corner. The remaining soldiers faltered, having seen Viper on the battlefield earlier and presuming her dead after the explosion nearly took her face off.
She took a smoke grenade and removed the pin with her teeth, tossing it at them. They fired at her, but the smoke clouded their vision enough that they missed every shot.
Viper picked them off with no wasted shots.
The shouting and commotion brought more soldiers, and Viper's ammo was spent. The smoke that lingered dropped their accuracy, and so Viper relied on her whips. She snapped her whip at their guns, coiling the tip around one of their rifles and yanking it out of their hands. She caught it and fired it at them, mowing them down as she moved toward them.
Five minutes remained until she had to try to catch up with Kroenen.
|
|
Arachne
Neutral
I didn't think I'd make it... And I was right. Again.
Posts: 41
|
Post by Arachne on Sept 7, 2017 10:39:06 GMT -5
The girl has to show him the way out, but the girl has to stay behind him. Jessica sneered at that idea, looking briefly very much like her mother. This will either go very well or they will both end up captured or, worse, dead. But Jessica let him lead the way down the tunnel, keeping as quiet as she could. She knew the base and knew its normal sounds, so she listened for anything out of the ordinary.
Once they came to an interaction and Kroenen stopped, she quickly pointed out the proper direction to go. She knew better than to speak; enemies might hear them, but also it would mean opening up a conversation with the officer she was guiding, something she didn’t want to do. After making a few turns, the sound of distant gunfire and battle came from behind them, causing Jessica to stop and look back. She lingered for a few heartbeats before continuing on her course and matching pace with Kroenen. In fact, wanting to distance herself even more from the enemies that may have been on their trail, Jessica occasionally ran neck and neck with Kroenen for brief periods of time before she retreated behind him once more. In this manner, she hoped to move the officer at a faster pace without gaining his ire or disapproval.
Approaching the armory, Jessica slowed down immensely, fully willing to let Kroenen lead and take the brunt of whatever danger there may be. Traps, enemies, nervous agents with itchy trigger fingers… they could all be waiting around the corner. “The second alcove around this corner is where the tunnel is hidden. Same trigger method as the panic room,” she whispered to him. “Once we’re in, it’s a straight shot to the garage. Transports are always fueled and ready and the doors leading out should be open.” At least that’s what she hoped. It was possible the allies had bombed the entrance and they would be trapped. Jessica didn't know what would happen then. Would they be prisoners? Shot dead? Would Kroenen and her mother refuse to be taken alive? All of these thoughts raced through her head, causing it to hurt as she waited to see if the way was clear.
|
|
|
|
Post by Kroenen on Nov 25, 2017 21:57:45 GMT -5
Taking direction as perfectly as one might expect, Kroenen led the group forward as instructed, and all was as the girl had described...
...until the gaping hole to the outside elements was shown, a handful of Allied troops entering and examining escape vehicles.
Kroenen halted in his place and revealed his blades once again, just as the soldiers spotted them and began to fire.
He kept himself well in front of the young child, keeping his blades to his sides as he took their fire.
They riddled holes into his body, but he stayed unmoving in place.
...until the enemy fire devolved to soft clicks.
Kroenen rolled his neck in a circle over his shoulders, allowing a sickening cracking sound to echo through the room.
As the enemy troops began to shakily reload their weapons, Kroenen slid his blades along each other to create a shower of sparks before he dove at them, slicing each down swiftly and decisively.
In no more than six seconds, he landed in a graceful crouch before them, the bodies one by one slumping over, dead.
He was leaking dust from some of the bullet wounds, but Kroenen stood and turned to face those who had followed him.
"Retrieve their firearms. Reload them. We await your mother's arrival." he rasped as he turned to face the blown out garage opening.
Thankfully, the Allied soldiers didn't seem interested in the area, and indeed weren't seeming to see it or enter at all. Not a single one in sight.
|
|
|
|
Post by Madame HYDRA on Feb 13, 2018 17:37:46 GMT -5
Five minutes came and went and there were no signs of the Allied forces. Viper snarled, distrustful of this, and started to run toward the vehicle dock.
Sure enough, there were soon Allied forces behind her, and they were gaining. She swore under her breath and led them through the twisting hallways of the base to lose them, slipping into one of the secret passages to get back to the right path.
She was not surprised to see it littered with the corpses of their enemies. Clearly Kroenen had done a good job of protecting her daughter. She stepped over the bodies and made her way through to the vehicle bay.
As she did, the exhaustion of battle started to creep in on her. She was all too aware that she wasn't like Kroenen. She was just ... human. She had her limits, and she hit hers when she took the brunt of the explosion. She was running on adrenaline, and even that was starting to wear off. She wasn't sure how much longer she could go, but she had to. She couldn't leave her daughter in the hands of someone that may as well have been a stranger to her. As much as she may have trusted Kroenen, Jessica would never stay with him long enough to get to Madripoor safely. She knew that of her headstrong daughter.
She stopped, just long enough to catch her breath. Leaning against the wall, she dropped the rifle she had been clinging to and pushed her hair out of her face. She grit her teeth against the searing pain of the burn over her eye. She dared to touch it again and hissed a sharp intake of air as she tried not to cry out from the pain. She was going to be scarred from this encounter, and it would only serve as a reminder that she was weak. That she was just like everyone else.
She pushed herself off the wall in a new resolve. She would not be weak. She would not be like everyone else. She would find a way to rise above. If her skills in combat were not enough, perhaps more drastic measures should be taken.
But this was not the time for that. Her daughter needed her. She felt her feet drag against the ground, begging to rest just a little longer, but she forced herself to keep going. What started as weary trudging turned into a full on sprint to her destination as she found her motivation to keep going.
Winding through the tunnels, she was relieved to see the light of day at the end.
The time had passed for her to rendezvous with Kroenen and Jessica, but she was almost there.
Finally, she stumbled through the bay toward her daughter, legs threatening to give out on her.
"Jessica!" she cried, throwing her arms around her daughter. "I'm so glad to see you made it safely." Her gaze turned to Kroenen, and she nodded to him. "I had no doubt that you would keep her safe."
|
|
Arachne
Neutral
I didn't think I'd make it... And I was right. Again.
Posts: 41
|
Post by Arachne on Feb 25, 2018 20:55:30 GMT -5
Jessica froze upon seeing the Allied soldiers, her fears having apparently come true. Before she could run or say anything, Kroenen positioned himself in front of her, walking towards the enemy and drawing their fire. She was confused by this, most anyone would be, but at the same time, she was also rather grateful for the distraction. Jessica pressed herself up against a wall she had taken cover behind, closing her eyes as bullets whizzed passed or richoted off her surroundings and the sole source of protection offered.
She expected to hear a thud, the sound of a body falling to the ground, followed by the running of combat boots towards her location. But that never came; only the soft clicks of empty guns. Heart in her throat, Jessica risked peeking out from behind the wall… and watched Kroenen slaughter the group of soldiers in a matter of seconds. She say the bullet holes in hi body and how they leaked dust or dirt, but he didn’t seem affected by any of it. That was truly disturbing news. Was he even human?
His orders snapped Jessica out of her thought train and she scrambled for the firearms, retrieving all that she could and moving them away from the garage opening. Reloading was not a hard job, as it had been something her mother, and even Seraph had trained her on since she was young. Once the firearms were reloaded, she crouched down and waited, trying to listen for any sounds of approaching footsteps.
The minutes ticked by, agonizingly long. She wanted to ask Kroenen how long it had been since they had left her mother, but she feared the answer. Five minutes? Ten? Twenty? Fear began to creep into her mind as they waited, and she almost wanted to get up and race back the way she had come. Thankfully, at the moment, Viper stumbled into view and they fell into each others arms. Jessica held her tight, whispering to her mother in Hungarian about how relieved she was to see that she was safe. Pulling back, Jessica caught a glimpse of her mother’s face once more, causing her heart to sink. “We will get out of here and I…. I will find a doctor to help heal your face. Even if I have to kidnap one myself.” Her peace having been said, she helped steady Viper, insisting that her mother lean on her as they made their way to a vehicle. "Kroenen can drive, mama. You sit and rest. Just tell us where to drive to."
|
|
|
|
Post by Kroenen on Mar 9, 2018 3:56:44 GMT -5
Kroenen's eyes scanned the area, paying little mind to what Viper was saying. He knew she would not appreciate what he planned to do. Surprisingly, the coast was indeed clear. He indicated the remaining scientists to enter one of the other vehicles, removing one of his field medals on his uniform and throwing it to them.
If they were clever they would utilize the pin to override the need for keys.
Making certain that Viper and her daughter were away in one of the jeeps, Kroenen moved into the driver's seat, noting the missing hand which might impede his driving. And yet, it would be no great task. He removed another of his medals, utilizing the same method he had indicated to before and starting the vehicle with the makeshift key after some small initial attempt.
As he did so, he withdrew his sidearm again and aimed it at the scientists' vehicle, shooting the now ignited engine. The entire vehicle went up in flames, engulfing those within it in a chorus of hellish pained screams.
"They cannot be accounted for in our escape. Unnecessary variables. The Allies must have their corpses," he rasped to no one in particular, "I will give them no prisoners."
With that, he sped through the blown out opening to the space, leaning his stump arm out of the window with the blade in his cuff glinting in the fire light. He used it to deflect gunfire as he went, swiftly clipping, slicing or running over enemies entirely as the vehicle rumbled on.
Soon enough, they were clear, moving along the unpaved, forested road back away from the compound.
Kroenen was still leaking dust, but it did not impede him. It was only the stuff that his masters left behind to fill his veins. It could be replenished if they saw fit. And right now, they were pleased with him.
He could feel it.
|
|
