Secret Origins: Domination

[Trav McBang!]

Secret Origins: Domination
RP #1 (Final) vs Josh Eagles and Chris Strike

For three weeks, Der Krieg Maschinen had terrorized opponents inside the ring at Kingdom of Pride. Even when faced with a singles bout, Steven Carter crumbled in fear of the Samoan giant, Somba. The kind of fear that the Krieg instilled in their opponents wasn’t the type of fear that just any man could warrant. Without so much as speaking a single word, the giants known as Somba and Balraj had made their reputation in a less eloquent fashion: by dominating the opposition in ways that made jaws drop. The brutality of Somba, combined with the massive size of Balraj, had been guided by the wits of Kaja Reinhardt and formed a perfect machine of destruction. In the upcoming week, Der Krieg Maschinen faced their toughest challenge to date: Josh Eagles and Chris Strike.

Kaja Reinhardt took a moment to quickly glance into the mirror, making sure that her hair was in place. She cleared her throat and typed the command on her laptop, striking the enter key in an exaggerated manner as she waited to be connected to her superior, Commander Wolfgang Kohler. Her screen flickered before the familiar face of her commander came into focus. Kaja placed her hands in front of her. “This is Krieg Operative Kaja Reinhardt reporting the progress of Der Krieg Maschinen on their field testing mission in the United States of America.”

“So noted,” Kohler said with a slight wince. He still couldn’t believe that his colleagues had agreed to ship their two strongest men off to a small area of the southern United States. “So, Miss Reinhardt, why has it taken you this long to contact me? Perhaps this experiment isn’t going quite as well as you had hoped for?” The Commander smiled, imagining an overweight slob in tights defeating one of Lukas Reinhardt’s crown jewels.

“On the contrary,” Kaja smiled, beaming at how good it felt to prove Kohler wrong. “Der Krieg Maschinen have had no issues in their field testing. My lack of correspondence falls mostly on the difficulty of adapting to the American lifestyle, as well as providing for both Somba and…”

“Der Krieg Maschinen,” Commander Kohler interrupted. “There is no point in individualizing the soldiers in this progress report.” The commander licked his lips, watching intently to see if Kaja winced at his coldness. Much to his displeasure, she did no such thing. Kaja simply nodded in a quick, quaint fashion. Kohler decided to ask another question designed to get under the skin of his operative. “Miss Reinhardt, if providing for the Maschinen is proving to be a task too difficult for you to manage, the Krieg would happily send a replacement operative to relieve you of your duties. Perhaps Klaus Krupp would enjoy the opportunity.” Kohler’s eyes brightened a bit at his own joke.

“That will not be necessary,” Kaja said sternly. “Under my guidance, the Maschinen are adjusting well. They have not lost a single fight since arriving in the country. Their victories have been swift and dominant, defeating a vast array of talent from countries such as Mexico and Spain. Even against international competition, my men have been nothing less than what he had hoped for.”

“Mexico? Spain?” Kohler chuckled to himself, bemused that Reinhardt would consider men from these countries a measuring stick to the Maschinen. “I’m sorry, Miss Reinhardt, but neither Mexico, nor Spain, is a shining example of a fighting country. If their men in this…Kingdom of Pride…” Kohler shook his head, sickened by the notion of professional wrestling. “…are anything like the armies of those nations, they are cowards who would turn and run at the first sign of defeat.”

Kaja bit her lip nervously. Kohler’s insinuation was not far from the truth. In fact, he had pretty much hit the nail on the head. Her mouth was gaping open and she was trying to recover, but all she could muster was a weak response. “Ummm…well, this week they will be facing even tougher international competition.”

“Tougher competition?” The commander smiled wickedly. “Is it a Russian? A Korean perhaps? A martial artist from the orient?” Kohler rubbed his palms anxiously, enjoying the tough of two German soldiers dismantling men from rival countries.

“Not exactly,” Kaja hesitated. “The Maschinen are set to face the Canadian Josh Eagles, a former champion from what I understand. Many people consider him a big deal.” Kohler’s expression sagged, the disappointment evident in his face. “He has a partner,” Kaja added with a fake smile. “Chris Strike, a native of Brazil.”

“Brazil?” Kohler scoffed. “If I wanted the Maschinen to dominate men from poor countries, I would have shipped them to South Africa.”

“To be fair,” Kaja stammered, “Brazil is known for its martial arts and striking skill. Somba could learn from studying the Brazilian martial arts. Also, this Strike fighter won a World Cup of Wrestling just a few short months ago. He’s billed as one of the best talents in the world.”

“I see,” Kohler put a hand to his furrowed brow. “This man is one of the most talented professional wrestlers,” the words flowed out as if they were a swear. “Miss Reinhardt,” Kohler paused and looked into the camera. Even though he was miles and miles away, Kaja felt unease at the intensity of his glare. “Der Krieg Maschinen are not meant to be professional wrestlers. They are meant to be animals, men of nothing short of destruction…does the word MASCHINEN mean nothing to you?” Kaja bit her lip once more, shifting her eyes away from that intense glare. “I don’t care if these men can apply some fancy submission maneuver or knock someone down for an entire three seconds. Do you know what would happen if Balraj knocked a man down for three seconds in battle, Miss Reinhardt? The man would rise to his feet just in time to shoot the operative in the back and laugh to his buddies about it over a cold beer later that night. This World Cup of Wrestling nonsense means nothing to me, Kaja. I only ask one thing of you and your men: domination.”

“But commander,” Kaja protested. Kohler’s rant had sunken her spirits and where she had once felt fantastic about the job that her men had done, uncertainty was beginning to creep in.

“No ‘buts’ Miss Reinhardt,” the commander snapped back. “Perhaps I was mistaken by only asking that the Maschinen dominate their competition. Perhaps I should have asked for some competence from my very own operative as well. Thank you for wasting my time, Miss Reinhardt. Next time, report back to me before you waste another three weeks of my time.”

The connection was abruptly ended and Kaja’s screen went blank. Kaja glanced over the screen of her laptop computer, where Balraj and Somba were both sitting quietly in their beds, just as they had done for many years. Under her breath, she muttered something that Kohler hadn’t given her time to explain. “They have been dominant…more than we could have ever hoped.”

----

Munich, Germany

Commander Kohler shut off his computer and leaned back in his chair. On one hand, he was glad to hear that the Maschinen had been successful thus far in their field training. On the other hand, he was glad that he could easily dismiss their opponents in such a way that Kaja could not argue with him. He folded his hands behind his head and nodded to himself. Before he could let his mind drift off in the euphoria of humbling the brash young operative, a sharp knock came at his door. Kohler leaned towards in his chair, acting as if he had been reading a portfolio on a rumored secret Russian organization. In an annoyed voice, he grumbled, “Come in.”

Til Hahn slowly opened the doorway and poked his head into Kohler’s office. “Commander,” he asked in a hushed tone, “is your meeting with Miss Reinhardt over?”

Kohler grunted and shifted his eyes up from his paperwork to his subordinate. “Thankfully,” he muttered. “Miss Reinhardt and I discussed the adjust period that the Maschinen have underwent.”

“Good, good,” Hahn commented. He looked over his shoulder towards the boardroom in the Kriegzimmer. “Commander, several of the men have gathered in the conference room…”

“On what merit?” Kohler sighed. “We have no business to discuss at the present time.”

“Many operatives, myself included, are curious about the current status of Der Krieg Maschinen. We have molded these warriors for many years. I do not think it out of place to inquire to how they are performing.” Hahn shifted his eyes, avoiding Kohler’s glare. “That is, if you have the time…”

“Fine,” Kohler muttered as he slid his chair backwards. As he stood up, he grumbled about the informality of this meeting. “Status reports have never been publically issues before, Agent Hahn. You should know this. Nevertheless, I guess I shall put your worries to rest. In the future, please inform me when you plan to hold an impromptu meeting. Perhaps I will be able to schedule it around my work as opposed to diverting me from completing it.”

“Yes, commander,” Hahn said in a soft voice. He backed away from the room and began walking towards the conference room to claim his seat at the table, leaving Kohler alone in his office.

“They want a progress report?” Kohler chuckled to himself. “I’ll give those fools something to discuss…”

----

The Monopoly Hotel

Despite the doubt that Commander Kohler had placed into her mind, Kaja Reinhardt still felt strongly that her father’s project would be a success. After all, Commander Kohler had not seen the brutality and swiftness that Somba had used to put away Steven Watson Carter. The Krieg had not witnessed Kurt Noble declare the Maschinen as a watermark test for those who refused to try. Kohler’s arrogance and dismissive attitude had her frustrated and angry. The four walls of the Monopoly weren’t helping to ease her mind, either. She stood from her computer and longingly looked out the window and into the parking lot. She missed her homeland, she missed not having to watch after two giants at every hour of the day, but more than anything, Kaja missed her father. Kohler could harp on negative aspects as much as he wanted to, but Lukas Reinhardt would have been proud. Kaja took a deep breath and turned back to the Maschinen. “I’ll be back in one second,” she explained, even though neither man acted as if they understood her. She ducked out of the hotel room’s door and leaned against the rails of the balcony.

The Tennessee sun shined down on Kaja’s face, forcing a smile from her pursed lips. She squinted and turned her head downwards to avoid the brightness. In the parking lot, Johnny Noble was barking into his iPhone and walking towards his car. Despite his frustrated demeanor, he caught a glimpse of the German beauty and offered a quick wave, which she returned. Johnny hurried off, probably running another errand for Ray. Kaja smiled, the outdoors had almost made her forget the infuriating conversation with her commander…almost. Just as her mind began to wander, her eyes focused off in the distance, a voice came from behind her.

“That guy gives me the creeps.” Kaja jumped, not expecting a voice to come from within her general vicinity. She spun around to see a man leaning against the doorway to room 420 and smoking a cigarette. From his appearance, she figured that he hadn’t bathed in several days. He realized that his voice had startled the girl, so he took a step towards her. He put the cigarette firmly in his mouth and offered her his hand. As she shook it, he mumbled his greeting while holding the cigarette in his mouth. “Hi, I’m Jason Summers.” He pointed at the door that he had previously been leaning against. “Room 420.”

“Hi,” Kaja muttered. She withdrew from the greeting, leaning back against the railing to create some distance between herself and the stranger. Still fumbling with her English, she gave the man her name. “I am Kaja Reinhardt,” she managed to get out.

“Good accent,” the man smiled as he took the cigarette from his lips. He closed his left eye and waved a finger at her. “Polish?” Kaja turned up her nose at the mention of Poland. From an early age, the story of Mats Klose had been told to her and she had learned to have distaste for the country. Jason shrugged. “Sorry, I’m terrible with accents,” he admitted. “Where are you from, Miss Reinhardt?”

For a moment, Kaja considered lying to the man. She even considered denying him an answer. For some reason, she was compelled to give the man the truth, though. “Germany,” she said with a proud smile.

“Oh, Germany,” Summers said with a smile, acting as if that would have been his next guess. “Great beer.”

Kaja raised an eyebrow, not amused at the conversation and quickly losing interest. She turned back towards the parking lot to see Johnny Noble accelerate out of the parking lot. Her eyes lingered on the traffic patterns for a while, noting the clashing driving styles of the hurried people and the joyriders.

“So,” Summers said as he inched towards the railing. He could sense Kaja’s disinterest and was trying to find a topic of conversation that could reinvigorate her. “What brings a cute German girl such as yourself to Tennessee? Is this some sort of secret government mission?” Summers laughed. “I’ve always suspected that one building downtown…” Kaja didn’t laugh, partially because of disinterest and partially because his comments confused her. Jason put a hand on her shoulder and chuckled. “Come on, it’s a joke…”

Kaja pulled away, causing Jason’s hand to fall back to his side. With a scowl on her face, she managed to mutter. “Joke?”

“Yeah, you know?” He pointed to his mouth and laughed in an exaggerated manner. “Don’t you joke in Germany?”

“We have humor, yes,” Kaja said as she rolled her eyes.

“Perhaps we’re getting off on the wrong foot,” Jason said, thinking aloud. “It just seems weird that a German girl would be living way out here in a place like the Monopoly, that’s all.”

“Perhaps,” she mused, not really giving the comment a second thought.

“So, is it work related? Do you have a job somewhere around here?” He took a drag from his cigarette and blew the smoke into the air, wafting it away from Kaja’s direction.

“Kingdom of Pride,” Kaja said with a nod. “I am consultant for Der Krieg Maschinen.”

“Pride?” Summers laughed. “I didn’t peg you for a wrestling girl. They’re usually….” He mockingly flexed his muscle. “You know? Kinda butch.” Kaja didn’t quite understand what he was saying. “Oh, don’t worry,” he assured her. “It’s kinda cool. I don’t make it down to the fights that often myself,” he admitted. “I’m more of a UFC fan…but if there’s nothing else to do on a Sunday night, why not? I don’t know of a single American male who would turn down a chance to see a fight while drinking a cold one.”

The conversation died again. This time, Kaja felt bad for letting it do so. “They fight well,” she offered.

“Who does?” Jason asked, not quite following. “The wrestlers?”

“Der Krieg Maschinen,” Kaja clarified. She looked back into her room, unable to see Somba and Balraj through the curtains. “We have not lost.”

“Well congrats,” Jason offered. He threw his cigarette to the ground and stomped on it to extinguish it. “Look, I hope I’m not overstepping my boundaries here,” he started. “If you need anything, I live right there,” he pointed to his door once more. “It’s pretty obvious that you’re experiencing a little bit of a culture shock. As someone who grew up in this state and probably won’t ever leave, I’d be happy to show you the ropes. Despite being in the middle of nowhere, this place really isn’t that bad if you know it like I do.” He turned towards his door and walked off. “I’ll see you around, Kaja. I’ll preemptively apologize for whatever my roommate says in advance,” he said with a chuckle and a small wave.

Kaja didn’t answer him. Growing up, she had heard many stories about Americans. None of them had prepared her for the exchange with Jason Summers. Despite a homely appearance, he had volunteered to help her. That was a far cry from the brashness and self-absorbed culture that she had expected. Kaja smiled and looked back out into the parking lot. The Maschinen were undefeated and poised to make a gigantic impact in just several days. With Johnny Noble’s help, she had learned the ins and out of delivery food. Now, a man just three doors away was offering his service in helping her get acquainted to the town. Kaja cast one fleeting glance back towards the parking lot and turned back to her room, where Somba and Balraj were waiting patiently. Bringing the Maschinen may have been unpopular with the commander, but she felt in her heart that it was turning out to be the correct move. Lukas would have been proud.

---
Munich, Germany

Kohler stood at the front of the conference room and looked out at his subordinates with a smug smile plastered across his face. In a boastful, proud voice, he announced the status of the Maschinen. “Der Krieg Maschinen have failed to win a single match. They have fallen to men of Mexican, Spanish, and American decent. This week, they are facing two men who are heavily decorated and are heavily favored to win. Lukas Reinhardt’s dream project looks bleak, gentlemen. That is all.”

As Kohler turned and exited the room, the boardroom erupted with chatter. Kohler smirked to himself as the men argued over the prophecy’s validity and the wasted time that the Maschinen had been. Under his breath, Kohler muttered. “That will teach the bastards to undermine their commander…”

Kaja Reinhardt was slowly adapting to an American lifestyle, but despite the difficult challenges, the Maschinen were flourishing. Life was falling into place and the men were prepared to take out their biggest challengers yet. Despite Kohler casting doubts throughout the entire organization, the Maschinen were delivering on the one promise that the commander had expected of them. In all of their matches, dominance was the lasting impression. Against Josh Eagles and Chris Strike, dominance would be harder to obtain…but to escape with a win would be good enough for Kaja Reinhardt. Kohler could lie and dismiss their wins all that he wished, but the Krieg Maschinen were fulfilling the prophecy that Lukas Reinhardt had placed so much of his trust in. The German organization was flourishing and it was only a matter of time before they emerged as the best at what they did; defeat all enemies placed in their paths.

[And because Flap said this would help!]