Remnants of Exilvania wrote:Brooklyn Navy Yard
01:30 AM
SS Oberführer Oskar Dirlewanger
The SS guards were getting nervous at first about the fog. It was highly unnatural to suddenly increase so much. But they got something else to focus on pretty quickly. Their dog acted weird. And no kicking, rewarding or ordering helped in getting them to move again. With curses on their lips the patrols tethered the dogs to whatever they could find before continuing their patrols. Though this time they were going much more cautious. The SS had never particularly liked the supernatural. Though they hadn`t been very picky with their tools.
From Williams point of view he couldn`t see much himself due to the fog. Just the dark shadows of the black clad SS men moving in the shadows. And of course the figure of Dirlewanger easily recognizeable by the large dark object he was carrying on his shoulder. But suddenly, strange things started to happen. Darker shadows were quickly approaching Dirlewanger and the SS escorts from every side. And with them came the cold of the dark grave. Faceless Men in Leather Trenchcoats they were. And they were no living thing. They were the new Gestapo. The ones moving through the shadows and doing the most subtile works which had to be done. And where they were in such force, their leader wasn`t far.
And it was true. William could probably sense it as well. An deadly chill creeping up his spine. Something was happening down there. The breath coming out of the masks of the conventional SS soldiers gathered in small clouds above their heads. They did their best to not move an inch though the weapons were pointed at the scary and not at all moving Gestapomen. They didn`t show any sign of life. Dirlewanger didn`t as well. He had frozen in the middle of his movement and seeme to be waiting for the very thing that William could already feel coming.
Suddenly the ground before the SS men seemed to come to life. A horses head quickly rose from it. A head made out of concrete. And with the head came a full horse. With a horseman. The horseman`s head seemed to be unusually broad and inelegant. No details could be seen through the fog. Well untill the rider suddenly grabbed his head and lifted it into the air. And there it all came awake. The horse suddenly got eyes glowing in a hellish fire and the head showed a visage that simply couldn't be human. And the whole concrete look seemed to simply peel off the horse and it`s rider, making them look more human. Though something that had just looked like concrete and a moment later seemed to be burning inside and not anymore made out of concrete could potentually seem even less human.
The headless horseman put his head back on and got closer to Dirlewanger before talking with a cold and unearthly voice:
"Hail to you, Dirlewanger. It is I, the Executioner and enforcer of Haegler´s justice, Johann Reichhart. I have completed my task of bringing order to the North American cell again. I have also visited the realms of death again. Haegler is there though I didn`t get to see him. However, while I was there, I saw the soul of the Sturmführer Engel falling down into the bottomless pits of hell. Somebody has been on North Brother Island. Someone who might just turn up again. Engel was shouting one single name in rage while falling. The name was Brookes..."
The SS guards on the whole compound had somehow heard the voice of Reichhart. It just seemed to creep into every corner like shadows. And those were everywhere. And even though the had initially been frightened by it they had soon figured out that it was an ally speaking. And the last information dampened the mood quite a bit. If that was even possible. SS guards stormed out of a nearby barrack, Assault Rifles in their hands and began searching in the fog. On some rooftops some searchlights were actually put to use, cutting through the fog with their light cones and illuminating every silhoutte.
And Dirlewanger responded in his creaking mechanical voice:
"I already guessed so. In this case you and your men better help protecting the package. I don`t fear Brookes. In fact, I fear no enemy we have right now. Death is the worst they can do to me and that is a generous present to me at best. Besides, Haegler always said, don`t fear your enemy. Hate him and all who work with him. It works out mostly. Really boosts the morale."
Suddenly, another silhoutte came running through the fog and ran through the circle of Gestapo and SS right up to Dirlewanger, giving the nazi salute before leaning towards Dirlewanger, probably showing him something or whispering into his audio sensors. And then Dirlewanger started talking again, though this time in a volume so that he could be heard in the whole compound:
"Besides, he is already here. The scanners showed a heat signature that could only belong to a human entering the compound just minutes ago. Show yourself magician! If you won`t do so then we can play the hide and seek game. And to your disadvantage the Gestapo is much better at that than you are..."
William Brookes
Element of surprise flew out of the window.
Walking among the fog, a silhouette could be seen forming as it came closer. The same ironic face that caused Haegler trouble enough for the next 100 years now was staring at Dirlewanger with the same defying eyes it did even in the worst of circumstances.
"For the love of whatever you believe, be it Hitler or German beer, I'm a mage, not a magician. Is it that hard to say it? Well, at least someone knows how to talk in this organization. Well, introductions first. William Brookes. Heard that yours was Dirlewanger. So, what killed the Beerhouse Blitzkrieger?"
