Post by Trav McBang! on Feb 5, 2011 23:54:49 GMT -5
The Krieg’s future was still unsure. Another week had passed and Kaja still hadn’t heard from Commander Kohler, or any other operatives for that matter. The Maschinen Somba had continued to be withdrawn, especially after his loss to Dru Dallins. Balraj had began pacing, nervously…as if his frustration was reaching a boiling point. To top it all off, they had to face off against two other formidable teams on the next episode of Oblivion. While she was trying not to worry, doubt had begun to creep into Kaja’s mind.
The Kriegzimmer?
Stuttgart, Germany
Present Day
The Kriegzimmer?
Stuttgart, Germany
Present Day
This is what it had come to?
Wolfgang Kohler couldn’t help but sigh as he looked around the barren room. Various operatives were scattered about, attempting to find bits of information that had gotten lost in the move. The Krieg seemed more like an unruly, unorganized restaurant than a military organization. Classified documents had been haphazardly crammed into cardboard boxes, which littered the far corner of the dusty makeshift Kriegzimmer. Small cots were placed in crooked, uneven patterns along another wall allowing the operatives a place to lay their heads at night. If an outsider were to observe the current Kriegzimmer, they would not be wrong in stating; Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
To their credit, the past two months had turned the organization on its head and forced major changes. Security had to be tightened. Most operatives had to quickly and quietly move their entire families across the country. After Boris Makarov infiltrated the Kriegzimmer several months ago, the entire organization was forced to pick up its intelligence and relocate. Now, the once covert organization was operating out of a small warehouse in Stuttgart, northwest of their old Munich base of operations. They hoped that moving deeper into the heart of Germany would help them shrink back into a cloud of mystery once more. If anything, they hoped to delay any sort of conflict that Makarov’s discovery would bring. If this move bought the Krieg six months to prepare against the Otbet, Kohler felt that it was necessary.
Although the move had been relatively successful, the adjustment period had gone on far longer than Kohler had anticipated. He had been out of contact with all of his deployed operatives, Kaja Reinhardt included, for much longer than anticipated. Due to this, Kohler had no knowledge of how the Krieg’s showdown with the Otbet had gone. For all the Commander knew, the Maschinen and Lukas Reinhardt’s only child could be dead across the Atlantic. Despite being a detractor of the Maschinen Project, Kohler felt truly troubled by his lack of communication with them. At this juncture, Kaja probably knew more about the Otbet than the rest of the Krieg did.
The Commander sat down in a squeaky desk chair, placing his face in his palms. The stress of the past three months weighed heavily on the shoulders of the Krieg’s leader. For what felt like an eternity, Wolfgang Kohler turned a blind eye to his operatives and focused on just breathing.
---
The Monopoly Hotel
The Monopoly Hotel
Kaja Reinhardt grabbed her hairbrush and tossed it against the wall. She felt like screaming, but was unsure of how the mute Maschinen would react. The silence was driving her crazy, she felt. Nobody around her was talking anymore, except for that Flanagan kid. As much as Kaja was offended by the brash remarks of the youngster, she was partially grateful that someone in the world was attempting to communicate with her.
She couldn’t fault the Maschinen, though. From birth, they had been raised without a need for communicating beyond knowing how to follow orders. Aside from a subtle groan here and there, they were both essentially mute. Despite this, they had grown to be Kaja’s two closest friends since her arrival in America. They were incapable of caring for themselves, but their mere presence helped put Kaja at ease. Every time she looked at the menacing Maschinen, her heart was warmed by the memory of her father. Somba and Balraj; Project Maschinen. This was her father’s dream, to see these men become fierce German soldiers. With their nuanced movements and their unwavering loyalty, Kaja felt the memory of her father live through them.
However, Kaja was completely stunned by the silence of Wolfgang Kohler. She had no reason for the sudden lack of communication with her Commander. None of the scenarios seemed positive, however. Perhaps the Otbet spanned more than the trio that the Maschinen had encountered. If so, who was to say that the rest of the Otbet hadn’t found and raided the Kriegzimmer? Or what if Kohler had simply written off the Maschinen, stranding them in a strange land without any new intelligence? The Commander and Kaja had had their differences in the past, but now more than ever before Kaja hated the man.
Kaja ran her fingers through her blonde hair, breathing steadily and listening. Listening to nothing. With a deep breath, she regained her composure and stepped out of the bathroom to face the Maschinen. Despite her doubts, she was trying her best to be as strong and resilient mentally as Somba and Balraj were physically. So far, so good.
---
New Kriegzimmer
New Kriegzimmer
The Commander’s silent rest was interrupted by a hand falling firmly on his shoulder. Kohler peered upwards to see Til Hahn, the man responsible for capturing the Maschinen Somba. Hahn, a veteran Krieg operative, nodded steadily as he looked around the murky warehouse.
“I’ve never been much of an optimist,” Hahn admitted to the Commander. “But I think this place will be a suitable Kriegzimmer until we are out of the woods with the Russians.” Kohler offered a forced smile. “This can’t have been an easy month,” Hahn idly stated, hoping to draw something out of the Commander.
“What months are easy, Til?” Wolfgang leaned back in his chair and scratched his graying hair. “I’ve yet to encounter one.”
“I was just saying,” Hahn tried to elaborate. “This move was a bold move, Commander. However, I think most of us realize that it was a needed one. Have we established communication with our deployed operatives yet?” Kohler shook his head. “That’s no good…”
“Not at all,” Kohler confirmed. “That communication should be our next objective; specifically with Miss Reinhardt.”
“You’re soft on the girl?” Hahn smiled. For years, he’d watched Kohler bark at Kaja as if she didn’t belong. Perhaps it was merely his way of showing affection.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Til.” …or not. “Miss Reinhardt was approached by one, Nadya Golikova, just prior to the Winter Soldier’s breach of security. She could have information valuable to our war with this Russian Otbet. By reestablishing communication with Kaja Reinhardt, we will better understand what we could possibly be facing in the months to come. This is merely a strategic maneuver that must be made.”
Hahn nodded, a little disappointed that Kohler’s motives were purely business. However, he was glad that the safety of the Reinhardt daughter was on the Commander’s mind. “You know, Commander…if her information is that viable and important, would it be unwise to travel and obtain the information in person?” Hahn let the idea sink in. “As optimistic as I am about this new Kriegzimmer, it’s going to be several weeks before we get communications up and running…”
This hadn’t occurred to Commander Kohler yet. Visit America? The Commander wasn’t keen on the idea…but it was a strategically sound move. He merely nodded at Til Hahn. “We shall see…” And with that, Kohler closed his eyes once more. This had been a challenging month…but the Krieg was still breathing. The Krieg was still alive.
---
The Monopoly Hotel
The Monopoly Hotel
As the sun slowly rose over the horizon, a new day faced the Maschinen. Despite the uncertainty that bothered Kaja Reinhardt, she had to prepare her men for the fight that they had coming their way in a few hours. With Somba still withdrawn, Kaja hoped that the pent up anger of the giant Balraj would be enough to quell the chances of their opponents. Even though the Commander was not watching, ready to criticize every loss that the Maschinen collected, Kaja felt as if winning still held some importance. She didn’t want the men to grow accustomed to defeat.
She looked at Balraj, who was nervously pacing back and forth in front of the hotel’s small television set. On the set, a replay of last week’s Oblivion was airing. The noise of the announcers, the crowd, and the grappling filled the room. It seemed to have Balraj on edge, ready to strike. He hadn’t taken well to Kid Flanagan’s antics last week and it seemed like Somba’s defeat had caused him to grow increasingly angry. Somba might not be ready for the team of Nash and Noble, but Balraj surely was.
Just three months ago, the Maschinen were working like a well oiled machine. They were crushing each and every obstacle thrown their way; defeating the Illuminati twice en route to Winter Warfare and their showdown with the Otbet. A team like the inexperienced Johnny Noble and Eddie Nash, who couldn’t seem to get along with one another, would have been easy prey for the two giants. The team of Jing and Jerome had yet to show any spark or fire at all, failing to grab a win in the Pride arena.
So, despite Somba’s recent defeat, Kaja hoped that her men would pull together and challenge one another to perform as they once did. Together, the trio had beaten every obstacle that Kingdom of Pride had thrown at them, including the legendary Illuminati and the brash Epic Angle. In the month following Winter Warfare, they had faded from the public eye and thus, had been overlooked. With Somba’s unsuccessful return to action, Kaja knew that whispers about the downfall of the Krieg were probably circulating backstage.
However, Kaja felt a silent confidence when the two men were side-by-side in battle. They were the most fierce warriors that she had ever seen and although Somba did not currently act the part; she hoped that Balraj’s intensity and raw power would light his combatant spark once more. Johnny Noble and Eddie Nash were at each other’s throats. Jing and Jerome were too concerned with joking around. Even with the distractions around them…the Maschinen had each other; and that was all they needed to achieve victory this week.
And with that thought…the silence didn’t bother Kaja as much as it had previously. They trio didn’t need words. As long as they had each other; it was enough.[/font]