Ekos 7 - Durch die Lüftungsschlitze

Posted on Sunday, 18 April 2021 - 2:19am by Crewman Leopold Eberhardt & Lieutenant JG Adrianna Eberhardt
Edited on on Sunday, 18 April 2021 - 3:13pm

Mission: Operation: Neu Reich

Crawling through barrow air ducts above several dozen Ekosian Nazi posers was not exactly Leopold's idea of a good time, but it was certainly needed. He and Adrianna had to move quickly, but not as to make too much sound. One loud bang, one poor move, and they would arouse suspicion. "I yield command of this mission to you, sweetheart," he said calmly. "This is more your forté than mine."

Adrianna chuckled softly, "you were doing well, though." She pulled herself to a junction and took a breather, looking through a vent to get her bearings.

Leopold's sister was waiting outside, and Adrianna didn't want to leave her there long. "Right, you go left. You'll wind up in the male wing. I'll go right and release the women. I'll meet you at the rendezvous point." She paused and looked to Leopold, "Leo, no matter what happens, this was worth it." She leant forward a kissed him softly.

"If I die," he began with a long sigh. "If one of us doesn't make it out of here and it will more likely be me, I want you to look after my sister. My parents can raise her and such, but get her off this planet when she's old enough to make that decision," he added. "And find happiness. If I am dead, I will not care who you marry, but make sure they make you happy."

"You're not going to die," she replied, looking into his eyes, "if you die, I'll bring you back to life and kill you myself. You are not leaving me. Do you hear me?" she kissed him again, "You stick to the plan. Open every cell, run people through here. You need to be quick. Once the alarms start, I'll release the women. They'll be more focused on dragging men back. If we are quick enough, we may even get a five minute head start on the outside. You can do this. I can do this. Your sister is counting on you to not screw this up, so dammit, you won't."

Leopold nodded. "Right," he said trying to snap himself into a mindset that wouldn't get him killed. "You handle the women's side, I'll take the men's. We will meet at the rendezvous point."

It was clear and concise. The plan made sense and they would stick to it. He kissed her one last time before leaving her, and he hoped and nearly prayed that it would not be the last time he saw her. I love you, Ade he thought to himself as he readied himself to make his ideally grand yet unnoticeable entrance down into the prison.

Adrianna watched him leave. Her stomach turned a little as a flash back to the dream she'd had ran through her mind. One of you will die. Gawd she hoped it wasn't Leopold, but from the orb's vision, she knew it wouldn't be her, right? Or had she changed her own destiny? The woman gulped and then shook her head, refocusing.

The Italian made her way down a series of junctions. Watching the flow of nazi traffic. Apparently no one did rounds here. Women were no threat. She rolled her eyes at some playing what looked like poker. Boys.

Adrianna continued down and soon saw Leopold's mother through a vent. Adrianna unscrewed it silently and placed the vent cover into the vent shaft. She skillfully lowered herself silently and smiled, whispering, "Hello, again."

Henrietta looked at the woman as though she had reached sainthood. "You were able to access the data I see," she said with a bright smile. "Is this your plan? Swoop down from ventilation system and rescue me?" She wasn't complaining so much as inquiring.

Adrianna made a gesture as if to say kinda, "I need you to follow the shaft. Straight, all the way until you reach a red marker, then you turn left and your out. Your daughter is there. She'll point you in the direction of the safe rendezvous. I need you to lead the others." Adrianna went over to the cell bars and looked around, "When's the next guard due?"

"Best I can tell, about five minutes if he hasn't had anything too upsetting to his stomach, longer if he has," the woman responded motherly. "This was extremely risky," she said shaking her head. "But thank you "

Adrianna turned to the woman with a slight glare, "you can thank me by apologising to your son for keeping him in the dark and making him feel like shit. Now move!"

Adrianna turned back round and pulled an old phaser, cutting through the lock quickly. She wanted to avoid further discussion. The woman decided to go for the opposite cell first. Then making her way up and down the block, silently and efficiently. The only break from her silence was to instruct the now escapees to go to cell 261. Before long, every cell was empty.

The Italian looked around, surely this was a little too easy? She scouted the cell block one last time, ensuring everyone was out then headed back to the cell from which she came. Her feet making hollow, but soft clacks on the concrete floor. As she reached the vent, a man cleared his throat.

Adrianna lifted her hands slowly, turning around.

"You!" the guard growled after recognising the woman that had degraded him infront of helis peers.

Adrianna smirked, "Hello, again, handsome."

The guard pulled his rifle in pure rage. This man wanted revenge.

Alarms suddenly blared, echoing round the empty cell block. Leopold must have managed to at least break out one person. With any luck, he was safe.

Her relief for the plan coming together was soon broken by the sound of a rifle scattering. The guard had instantly dropped it at the deafening sound of sirens indictating the jailbreak.

Adrianna took the opportunity and shot him, with the phaser she had. She prayed it was on stun, not wanting to actually have any bloodshed this trip. The man fell in a pile on the floor. The Italian hesitated, but did rush over and check his pulse. A soft rhythm, good. She swiped his gun and pulled herself up through the vent, replacing the vent cap and scrambling through the system, in case there were more guards.

Thankfully there was no one left in the ventilation shafts. That meant they were out, at the least. She got to the exit and through out the gun first. She then lowered herself out. Pulling the rifel's belt across her body like a rucksack. Adrianna looked around and saw a distant Emilia and Leopold running towards the safe rendezvous point.

Adrianna looked around once more, awaiting floodlights to get off her side of the building and then made a break for it, into the darkness, behind the siblings and various other inmates. She ran at full speed, praying they'd make it.

The inmates, Zeons and sympathizers were running. Leopold had done his best to pass the word and coordinate where they needed to go. Freeing them had not been easy, as the bloodied torn shirt he wore showed. He had been wounded.

He took a moment to reunite with Adrianna, and handed her an SS-Ehrendolch, a Nazi honor dagger. It was bloodied with his blood. "I'm fine," he said reassuringly. "Guard caught me. We had a fist fight after he knocked my phaser away, but he brought his dagger into it, got me in my shoulder" the man explained.

"Keep moving," he added to Adrianna and his sister who had started to join them. "Emilia, go!" He shouted at her. Dumb brat he thought annoyed.

He looked at Adrianna. "It was...I couldn't save my father. He wasnt in his cell. They already," he could not say the word, but an eaves dropping Emilia heard enough.

"Father!" She shouted and began to sob. "Nein, nein, oh" she continued. Leopold took Adrianna's hand and squeezed it tightly for support. He led her towards a grieving Emilia who looked like a weeping angel in an old white lace dress.

The girl's sobbing was overshadowed, drowned out by a thunderous shot of a discharged luger. A shot that would change everything, and the hum of a phaser before being fired.