Of Reconstruction and Rosaries

As you march away from the special prisoner cells... You feel victorious. Greta and Lawrence fall in besides you. The three of you can out, using a cover and advance strategy down the halls. Lawrence got a hand mirror somehow, and the three of you use it to check around corner.

Suspiciously, your short hike to the officer holding cells is heavily opposed. At each chokepoint, guards are waiting. They're not doing it by the book, but somehow their commander is clever enough that they're doing it better than the book. Each ambush costs you a little more of your magic and a little more blood. By the time you limp into ''officer country" you are a mess. Greta is carying you because you've expended too much mana to walk, and even Lawrence's normally pristine appearance is covered with gore.

The halls here are somehow nicer than your own. You also sense a lot less warding. The prisoners are not in the common room, so you head to the cells. The cells are guarded by 12 more guards, and you take them down as the officers watch through the bars. Your shields flicker and, for a moment, go out. A bullet punches through Greta and through you, and she goes down to her knees. You get your shields back up, but you don't have the time to be careful. You lift all of the guns in the room with your magic and set them to shooting. Three of the officers you're supposed to be rescuing go down, but so do the remaining eight opposing guards.

You lean over Greta and check her wound. It's not great, the bullet has perforated her intestines. She'll need a real doctor. Of course, the same bullet then glanced off of your femur, so you're not exactly in great shape yourself. You're exhausted. You lever yourself up into a chair, sweating bullets. "Corporal Lawrence, release the prisoners."

"Yes..." Lawrence wheezes. You glance at him and see he's on his knees, leaned forward. Blood is dripping off of his face. "Ma'am" he slurs. You look at him more closely and see that a bullet grazed the side of his face. His jaw hangs loose on one side as though it was dislocated. His shield is down.

You stand with shaking legs, and limp over to Lawrence, then take the key from his hands. You unlock the officer cells yourself. "Is anyone in here a corpsmen? We need medical assistance."

"I am." A familiar voice says. It's Herr Professor Doktor-General Istvan Diveres, one of three men responsible for your program. He was responsible for the physical and psychological well-being of the subjects, and well as the selection of subjects.

"But I advise you surrender" he continues.

Wait what?!

"Surrender?! Why?" You demand "I've freed you. With you and the other officers, we can make our escape, we can begin our resistance anew."

"My dear... I deserve this. Many of us here deserve this. I agree with all charges against me. I am a monster." He says "And I am not going anywhere."

"You... you are not a monster." You squeel "You're... You're Herr Professor Doktor-General Diveres! The greatest mind of the empire! You... You selected me personally! You're kind, and encouraged me! You made me into what I am today!"

"Yes. That is why I am a monster. For I have made you into a tool... a weapon. I have stifled your childhood, and ruined your future. All you know, and all you see is w..."

"Shut up" You punch him ineffectively in the chest with your tiny hand "Shut up. You saved me, you didn't ruin me. I would have starved to death on the streets were it not for you. Shut up!"

"Brigadier-General Jane X, compose yourself." He says

"Yes sir." You reply sullenly.

"I ruined more than just you and your childhood.... and be no bones about it, the fact that you are trying to break free after the war is proof enough that I have ruined you for a civilian life. I ruined other children as well. Not all of them were rescued from the streets. Your coworker Helm was the son of a noble. It is too bad he did not survive the war."

"Sir, respectfully, you did not ruin us. We were the most valuable assets in the empire's war. Without us the war would have ended three years ago."

"Yes, without the Butcher of Barbarossa, there would have been fewer deaths. The emperor would have surrendered sooner, and gotten us all better terms. A whole generation of youth would have not been fed to the meat grinders of war. One fifth of the young men between ages 16 and 27 are dead, little one. A third of them are physically disabled. That is what this war has done to us."

"I am not a little one." You say "Remember your assessment of me? You said with my abnormal intellect and acumin I was unlikely to have ever had a normal life."

"I was wrong." he replies "You could have had a normal life. There were others, a control group. We adopted them out normally. By genetic testing, one of them could have been your twin. She has done fine."


"I have a sister."

"Yes."

"And she has been adopted out, and has loving parents?"

"Yes"

"Why the hell does that matter? This is a war-zone, Herr Professor Doktor-General Diveres, and I intend to see everyone who will come with me to safety."

"Please. You do not even realize what we did to you. As your lawful authority I demand of you. Please surrender. Await your judgement. I will testify in your favor. You are like eve before she ate the fruit. You do not know what it is that you are doing."

[]"I know exactly what I'm doing Herr Professor Doktor-General Diveres."
[]"Very well, I will surrender"
[]*Write in*

"I know exactly what I'm doing Herr Professor Doktor-General Diveres." You say as you turn away.

"Who will come with me?" You demand of the others
(34 vs 45)

The response is unenthusiastic. In the end, only about seventeen officers seem willing to come with you. Most of the rest, for various reasons, decide to try their chances. Some from cowardice. Others because they have families that could be held hostage against them.

You glance at the seventeen willing to follow you, and frown to yourself. These were not great officers. Some of them were, honestly, fuckups. Others were viscous assholes. Only about seven of them were actually soldiers of real worth.... though you could probably depend on the viscous ones in a fight.

You supposed it made sense, these were the ones who were worried about your future. In fact, you were pretty sure these were the ones who knew that they were guilty and that the evidence against them was overwhelming. Well, you were the same. While you remain certain that the act of supreme violence you committed in the Vatican was not a war crime... You did some things in the name of expediency, winning, and direct orders that did not conform so precisely to the international guidelines on war-making.


With these reinforcements, you were still severely outgunned: Your energy, Lawrence's energy and Greta's energy are all but depleted, and 17 officers bring nearly nothing to the table. Still, it's time to decide what to do next.
(choose 1)
[][Next]Attempt to achieve more objectives in the prison
[][Next]Attempt to take the prison, and turn it into a fortress
[][Next]Escape and Fade into the countryside, the officers can inspire rebellion wherever they go, and you, Greta, and Lawrence can rest up, then begin guerrilla fighting
[][Next]Escape and remain together, setting up a camp in the steppes where you can determine further options and gather Intel before making further decisions