Ekos 11 - Albtraum

Posted on Wednesday, 21 April 2021 - 4:42pm by Lieutenant JG Adrianna Eberhardt

It was lights out and Adrianna had finally managed to find comfort from seeing Leopold that day. His optimism and caring nature had helped her find peace, even if it was a temporary stay of execution for hope. The amount he had done with what little was said had aided in lulling her to a restful sleep rather quickly that night.

It wasn't long before her tranquillity turned to memories of nightmares of late. Flashing images of the fallen Emilia and the bloodied Leopold caused her to toss and turn. Soon mere images turned into a playable memory that was a fresh and salted wound of what Ekos had brought upon her.

***

Day one in a cell had not been awful. It was lonely for sure, but Adrianna had a random few magazines to read that had been discarded by the previous occupant. The cells themselves didn't even have a murmur of noise, rather just echoed silence from where the prison break had taken place.

Hearing footsteps Adrianna lowered the magazine and looked up to the origin of the sound. Soon a smiling guard appeared. It was strange to see a nazi smile without it being plagued with a violent, psychotic nature, she thought. "We need to ask for some information. Oberschütze König will be conducting the interview."

Adrianna stood up willingly and nodded, following him out, "out of interest, this is not my first language, which of those is the person's name."

The guard chuckled as if it was an absurd question, but looked back to Adrianna and saw she was being serious, "König. That is his surname. Oberschütze is his rank."

Adrianna nodded, "sorry, thank you." The guard seemed to show a level of understanding towards Adrianna but it didn't mean that the woman would drop her defences. She knew that any one in this place, aside from Leopold, would be willing to take another's life for the sake of the Reich.

They soon arrived to an interrogation room, a lot like ones Adrianna had seen before, but dated. The walls had clearly seen some violence as scratch marks and splatters of blood decorated what would have been plain, grey tinged walls. She looked around, awaiting her interviewer, taking note of where each chair was and whether the table was fixed to the floor. The woman paced, just to keep occupied.

When the door finally opened, Oberschütze König revealed his identity. Adrianna froze and her stomach turned. It was the man she had retaliated against when he tried to make some sexual advances and then shot whilst sorting the prison break. The woman could feel herself turning pale, but she masked it well by offering a small smile, "I had hoped my phaser was only set to stun. I'm not a fan of killing people."

The man smirked, which seemed a little crooked. He was tall and built a lot like Leopold, but with a bit more muscle mass. König seemed to sill his uniform well with it. "I genuinely did not think I would see you again, beautiful."

"You flatter me, Oberschütze König," she smiled, "did I pronounce that right?"

König nodded his response, "we just have a few questions, then you can be on your way back to your cell."

Adrianna took a seat and gestured for him to continue. She eyed him. Carefully as he stepped between her and the table. He perched on it and looked down on her, probably emulating the way he felt about her. He took a breath then looked over to the two way glass and nodded. There was a knock on the glass from the other side.

There was a moment of tense silence. König cracked his neck then knuckles. His face looked like a vision of tranquillity. It was quickly shot down by him suddenly glaring at Adrianna.

Adrianna flinched at the sudden change of tone. She sat up straight and could feel her heart pound out of her chest.

Silence.

Could he hear her heart? Could he hear her sudden change in breathing rate? Could he hear her inner thoughts, plotting how best to retaliate, if at all.

König reached down, grabbing Adrianna by the collar of her shirt, pulling her to her feer. He was focused and pure hatred but there was a small amount of enjoyment in his eyes. Adrianna reached out to his hands in retaliation, trying to save herself or at least brace herself for what was to come as he walked her backwards to the wall. König practically spat, "do you understand what you did?"

"I defended myself," Adrianna barked back.

He threw her to the wall and started to throw punches at the woman, a few of which she managed to block, much to his disgust. The woman fraught back hard, but out of nowhere a direct punch to the nose.

Crack.

Adrianna fell to the floor, gasping at the sharp pain. She touched her philtrum as blood poured from her nose, onto the floor. Her brown eyes looked up to König.

"Do you understand what you did!?" He demanded, punctuating with a kick to her ribs, followed swiftly by another and another to the stomach and hip.

Adrianna curled up trying to protect herself, her arms up. She let out a winded yelp at every impact.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

Adrianna was not a woman that would pray for mercy. She certainly would bow down to the ego of a nazi wannabe.

The kicks stopped and a swift boot to the head had her out cold on the floor.

When she awoke, she had been propped up on the seat. The buzzing light in the room made her eyes sting. Her head pounded. The woman touched the back of her head. Her fingers had blood on them. Shit, she thought then groaned.

König walked back in and sat down opposite her and smiled. It seemed to be pride. "Confirm your name," he asked calmly.

His voice felt like another kick to the head. Adrianna looked around and blinked. Her brain couldn't function. His words seemed to be a mess of phonetics to her. Her eyes returned to the man and she looked confused.

He didn't wait long before asking rather flatly, "what is your role in all of this?"

Adrianna ran a hand through her hair, flinching when her fingers grazed a part of her head that now had an egg sized lump. "Mi dispiace non capisco," she finally replied rather timidly.

König growled a little under his breath, "where are the zeons and zeon sympathisers you released?"

"Mi dispiace di non averlo fatto--"

König stood up and grabbed Adrianna, throwing her onto the table and pinning her arms above her head. He parted her legs to stand closer to the table himself, and took out his dagger pressing it into her cheek. He sliced her cheek a few times, slowly and purposefully, demanding "speak!"

Adrianna whimpered at the knife, "Per favore! Fermare!"

"Not in that disgusting language!" he barked, "tell me where they are!" König plunged the dagger into the tip of her shoulder, landing it into the table under her, watching her squirm in panic. Whilst it didn't stab her, it did cut her shoulder rather deeply. Blood pooled on the table below as she struggled and whimpered under him.

"Please!" She screamed, "Per favore! St-St-St-Fermare! Fermare!"

He released her a moment to put both her hands around her neck. He watched her gasp and struggle as she attempted to swat him away. He maintained eye contact, enjoying the light of life flicker her reddening eyes.

"Traduci in inglese," she croaked between gasps, begging her brain to work when it finally kicked into gear, "tran...trans...late-me… Leopold Eberhard. Per-pre-please!"

That sounded like a compromise. König instantly released her, watching her gasp, compensating for her reduced oxygen. He walked over to the glass and gave an order to get Leopold.

He strolled back to Adrianna, feeling somewhat proud of himself for breaking her. He yanked out the dagger from the table. "Everyone breaks," König smirked.

"Not every is ass like you," she replied in broken standard.

König turned around, glaring at Adrianna as she sat up. He grabbed her, putting her roughly onto a chair, cuffing her hands to its splintering arms. Once coughed he took a breath, "Don't test me."

"Bafangu chooch," she let the words fall from her lips, cursing him as if her phrase could be a poison that would murder him inhumanely.

König didn't need to know what it meant, he just knew she was mocking him at best. He began cluttering her chest, stomach and face with punches. Not holding back. He grunted as he did showing his remaining rage cascading from his violence.

Crack. Crack.

With one more punch to the head and she was out cold.

***

Out cold in one but awake in reality. She gasped and looked around. It was dark; she was alone.

The once satisfied need for hope and faith in the future was shot down by the memories of the reality of circumstance. She felt if König returned, she would not breathe again. There was no way he would be as merciful next time.

Another Tally for the hip.