Post by John Darnacan on Feb 29, 2008 22:46:37 GMT
Part 10 – The Face of Death
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A teenage Deiter stood outside his barracks with his friend Hans Schwartzwalder. He and Hans had been friends since his first week in the Hitler Youth. Now, as the tide had turned against Germany in the war, members of the Hitler Youth had been ordered into the Wehrmacht as active-duty soldiers. Despite his youth, Deiter had fought bravely, earning himself the rank of corporal, a promotion that would not have happened had the Wehrmacht not been stretched so thin.
The Russians had been advancing westward. The fighting had been brutal. The day before, he saw a Russian soldier advancing on his position. Ammunition had been running low, but he was able to shoot an enemy soldier with his last bullet.
While no other Russians seemed to be near, Deiter ran out to the soldier to take his rifle and ammunition. As he pulled the rifle strap over the dead Russian’s head, he looked into his face. The Russian soldier’s face showed him to be no older than Deiter.
The face of that Russian boy haunted Deiter though the night in his dreams. He had seen other men shot by his fellow soldiers. And he had also probably killed Russian solders in battle himself, but they were little more than distant targets. He had never seen any of their faces.
“Hans, have you ever looked into the faces of the soldiers you’ve killed?”
“What?” replied a shocked Hans.
“Do you ever wonder about their homes, their lives, their wives or girlfriends?”
“All I wonder about is how to not get killed,” Hans retorted. Obviously, the subject made Hans uncomfortable. It was best not to be distracted by such thoughts.
Captain Hauser rounded the corner of the barracks. He was a tall officer with an eye patch. It was clear that his jaw was once square before it became twisted by whatever took his eye and caused the long scare up the left side of his face. Below his misshapen jaw hung an Iron Cross. “Ostermann! Schwartzwalder!” barked the Captain. “Get your packs and rifles. We leave in 15 minutes.”
“Where are we going, Captain?” asked Deiter.
“Peenemünde.”
“Why?” asked Deiter.
The captain turned back to face them. Deiter felt a chill down his spine. The Captain answered in distant voice, “So you will be like us.”
Deiter’s eyes shot open, unsure why these old memories were flooding over him, when he should be trying to escape and rescue Gretchen. He was still strapped into the cybernisation couch. He had little feeling in his extremities. There was some activity to his right. Three Cybermen were examining a woman’s body.
“Gretchen?” he called out. One of the Cybermen lifted her body up from the couch like a rag doll. “What have you done to her?” he screamed. “You…you’ve killed her! Why? What did she ever do to you?”
One of the remaining Cybermen turned to Deiter.
“We did not kill her. Our mission is to improve and upgrade life. The female died from an implanted device not of our making. It is the third we have encountered. What is this device?
“I don’t know,” Deiter grunted
The Cyberman turned to another. “Scan this human for a similar device”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“There must be another way to save Deiter and Ms. Bauer,” countered the Doctor. The thought of Deiter being killed in a cybernisation couch by a feedback overload was intolerable, at least without having a chance to save him. “You must have maps of the Bremancy Republic. Do you know where they would have taken Deiter and Gretchen for cyber-conversion?”
“Do you plan on charging like the cavalry, Doctor? Churasti said sarcastically. “I didn’t think that was your style.”
“I’ve already lost one companion because of the Cybermen. I won’t loose another.” Faye turned with a start. She had never heard of this. The Doctor had never discussed the late Adric. “Churasti, if you know of me, you probably know of my ship.”
“Yes, the legendary TARDIS,” grunted Churasti. “Shaped curiously like a blue ‘police box’, whatever that is.”
“If you have mapped out the Cybermen’s operations, you’ll know where Deiter and Gretchen are being kept. I assume you know where their cybernisation lab is. I can materialise my TARDIS in their and save them both.”
“Any sighting of the TARDIS by the Cybermen, will confirm your presence.”
“So you intend to do nothing to save Deiter and Ms. Bauer,” snarled the Doctor.
“Even if you’re able to land your TARDIS in the exact location of where your companion is being held, what makes you think you would be able to overcome the Cybermen?”
“Perhaps you have some glitter guns here. If not, I can construct one.”
“The Cybermen have corrected the defect in their respiratory system. Gold no longer serves as an effective weapon. This occurred when a new design was developed.” Churasti called up schematic plans of Cyber physiology.”
The Doctor was stunned. “This can’t be!” explained the Doctor. “This is the Cybus design!”
“Explain,” Churasti demanded.
“This design, or at least elements of it are from a parallel universe. The only time those Cyberman were in this universe, they were quickly destroyed by the Daleks.”
“There are ancient reports of an unexplained branch of Cybermen merging with Mondasian Cybermen.”
“Some of those Cybermen must have survived the battle at Canary Wharf,” mumbled the Doctor. “Well, that’s ancient history.” He looked back up at Churasti.
“Too bad,” lamented the Doctor. “I still don’t understand your plan, but you know you can’t contain them. Once the have built up their numbers, they will go out to cybernise the rest of the galaxy using the Solarsphere as a base.”
“You underestimate us,” Churasti commented. “On the contrary, the Solarsphere is a trap for the Cybermen.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To Be Continued...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A teenage Deiter stood outside his barracks with his friend Hans Schwartzwalder. He and Hans had been friends since his first week in the Hitler Youth. Now, as the tide had turned against Germany in the war, members of the Hitler Youth had been ordered into the Wehrmacht as active-duty soldiers. Despite his youth, Deiter had fought bravely, earning himself the rank of corporal, a promotion that would not have happened had the Wehrmacht not been stretched so thin.
The Russians had been advancing westward. The fighting had been brutal. The day before, he saw a Russian soldier advancing on his position. Ammunition had been running low, but he was able to shoot an enemy soldier with his last bullet.
While no other Russians seemed to be near, Deiter ran out to the soldier to take his rifle and ammunition. As he pulled the rifle strap over the dead Russian’s head, he looked into his face. The Russian soldier’s face showed him to be no older than Deiter.
The face of that Russian boy haunted Deiter though the night in his dreams. He had seen other men shot by his fellow soldiers. And he had also probably killed Russian solders in battle himself, but they were little more than distant targets. He had never seen any of their faces.
“Hans, have you ever looked into the faces of the soldiers you’ve killed?”
“What?” replied a shocked Hans.
“Do you ever wonder about their homes, their lives, their wives or girlfriends?”
“All I wonder about is how to not get killed,” Hans retorted. Obviously, the subject made Hans uncomfortable. It was best not to be distracted by such thoughts.
Captain Hauser rounded the corner of the barracks. He was a tall officer with an eye patch. It was clear that his jaw was once square before it became twisted by whatever took his eye and caused the long scare up the left side of his face. Below his misshapen jaw hung an Iron Cross. “Ostermann! Schwartzwalder!” barked the Captain. “Get your packs and rifles. We leave in 15 minutes.”
“Where are we going, Captain?” asked Deiter.
“Peenemünde.”
“Why?” asked Deiter.
The captain turned back to face them. Deiter felt a chill down his spine. The Captain answered in distant voice, “So you will be like us.”
Deiter’s eyes shot open, unsure why these old memories were flooding over him, when he should be trying to escape and rescue Gretchen. He was still strapped into the cybernisation couch. He had little feeling in his extremities. There was some activity to his right. Three Cybermen were examining a woman’s body.
“Gretchen?” he called out. One of the Cybermen lifted her body up from the couch like a rag doll. “What have you done to her?” he screamed. “You…you’ve killed her! Why? What did she ever do to you?”
One of the remaining Cybermen turned to Deiter.
“We did not kill her. Our mission is to improve and upgrade life. The female died from an implanted device not of our making. It is the third we have encountered. What is this device?
“I don’t know,” Deiter grunted
The Cyberman turned to another. “Scan this human for a similar device”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“There must be another way to save Deiter and Ms. Bauer,” countered the Doctor. The thought of Deiter being killed in a cybernisation couch by a feedback overload was intolerable, at least without having a chance to save him. “You must have maps of the Bremancy Republic. Do you know where they would have taken Deiter and Gretchen for cyber-conversion?”
“Do you plan on charging like the cavalry, Doctor? Churasti said sarcastically. “I didn’t think that was your style.”
“I’ve already lost one companion because of the Cybermen. I won’t loose another.” Faye turned with a start. She had never heard of this. The Doctor had never discussed the late Adric. “Churasti, if you know of me, you probably know of my ship.”
“Yes, the legendary TARDIS,” grunted Churasti. “Shaped curiously like a blue ‘police box’, whatever that is.”
“If you have mapped out the Cybermen’s operations, you’ll know where Deiter and Gretchen are being kept. I assume you know where their cybernisation lab is. I can materialise my TARDIS in their and save them both.”
“Any sighting of the TARDIS by the Cybermen, will confirm your presence.”
“So you intend to do nothing to save Deiter and Ms. Bauer,” snarled the Doctor.
“Even if you’re able to land your TARDIS in the exact location of where your companion is being held, what makes you think you would be able to overcome the Cybermen?”
“Perhaps you have some glitter guns here. If not, I can construct one.”
“The Cybermen have corrected the defect in their respiratory system. Gold no longer serves as an effective weapon. This occurred when a new design was developed.” Churasti called up schematic plans of Cyber physiology.”
The Doctor was stunned. “This can’t be!” explained the Doctor. “This is the Cybus design!”
“Explain,” Churasti demanded.
“This design, or at least elements of it are from a parallel universe. The only time those Cyberman were in this universe, they were quickly destroyed by the Daleks.”
“There are ancient reports of an unexplained branch of Cybermen merging with Mondasian Cybermen.”
“Some of those Cybermen must have survived the battle at Canary Wharf,” mumbled the Doctor. “Well, that’s ancient history.” He looked back up at Churasti.
“Too bad,” lamented the Doctor. “I still don’t understand your plan, but you know you can’t contain them. Once the have built up their numbers, they will go out to cybernise the rest of the galaxy using the Solarsphere as a base.”
“You underestimate us,” Churasti commented. “On the contrary, the Solarsphere is a trap for the Cybermen.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To Be Continued...
