Fandom JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 2.5: Hearts Unchained

[EmeraldSplash]

"Everyone hates me.." Hugo softly murmured as his vision faded in and out of focus. He saw Odiel walking out of the battlefield as if nothing happened and so he wondered. "They just keep on fighting... They don't get to rest. They don't get to forget... But it pains me that they don't know what they are fighting for." Hugo's mind went on a rant afterwards for he did not understand a single thing right now. Who are the allies? Who are the enemies? But most importantly... Who is he?

A little boy who fell hard onto the bottom of the bottomless pit of this world. The constant searching, screaming and whispering inside his head would not stop.

"Why am I so weak... Why must I suffer through all of this alone? Where are the ones who I love most dearly?"

A cold hand touched him and brought him up to his feet. It was Rock.


And after Rock's vigorous speech Hugo felt happiness at first however after a quick realisation, he answered coldly.
" My dreams are long dead and forgotten. I'm grasping for them but inside I know that I cannot catch them." Rock could see tears coming out of Hugo's eyes for it was hard for Hugo to talk about this.

"I am grasping everyday for a sign. For the dream.
For my family. I don't accept that they are dead... I don't. Even though I have seen them die. I am always searching... Searching for a reason to live!" Suddenly the seeable sadness turned into a dark anger.

" What the fuck do YOU know about it. You act heroic and talk funny just to what? Make us feel better? Or hide that you are just an idiotic clown afraid to understand that you are meaningless. Just like me. Just like my family. All... Meaningless..."

AvidElmV2

 

[Assailant]

Maximus gently lowered Rosie onto the couch of her apartment.

It had been somewhat troublesome, getting everyone to her apartment without causing suspicion. They couldn't simply walk down the main roads, after all. The last thing that the group needed was to be stopped by a soldier and asked for a sitrep. Thankfully, given how rustic and rural the town is, sneaking through undeveloped land and behind cover was not all that hard. What few Frenchmen HAD spotted the group had seemed to know better than to approach a German soldier carrying what appeared to be corpses. So, despite the long, roundabout path they had to take, they arrived nonetheless.

With Rosie deposited as comfortably as possible on the couch, Maximus tossed William against the corner of the room. With the burden gone, he dropped Fields of Verdun. Unlike most, he could keep his Stand summoned for an incredibly long time without lowering it, due to its passive nature.That said, he still preferred not to if he didn't have to: it gave him a headache if he kept it on for too long. He searched around the apartment for a few moments before returning carrying a pile of clothes. Wordlessly, he apologized to Rosie for rifling through her clothes and set to work. The girl didn't exactly have rope laying around, but by tying layers of clothes together, Maximus could form makeshift bonds to hold the Inselaffe down. That said, he was cutting no corners. William was not escaping.

First, Maximus took out his standard issue grenade and placed it in the bonds along with William. Using clothes as a makeshift rope, he connected one end to the pin of the grenade and held the other in his hand. That way, if William tried to make a move with his Stand, Maximus could pull the pin and blow William to bits. But what if he used his stand to sever the tether? Maximus took care of that too: Maximus bound his Walther p38 with the barrel directly against William's head and wrapped the trigger and grip in a small noose. The rope-end of the noose was completely looped around the tether to the grenade, then wrapped partially around multiple table legs, and finally ended wrapped around a book hanging off of a counter. Ultimately, the only thing stopping the book from falling was the tension on the tether. The table legs acted as pulleys, reducing the amount of weight on the tether (thus preventing the tether from simply being pulled off by the weight of the book), but ultimately the tether was the only true support. If his Stand snapped the tether between Maximus and the grenade, then the tether would lose tension, causing the book to lose its support and fall, causing the noose to tighten, causing the gun to go off and shoot William in the head. For good measure, Maximus tied the book to the grenade pin over a counter as well, so that the book falling would trigger the grenade. But what if the Stand moved the gun out of the way and then disarmed the grenade? It's a long shot that he'd be able to do both without inadvertently triggering the gun or getting seen, but just in case, Maximus tied two failsafe tethers from the pin of the grenade through his restraints to the trigger of the handgun. Both tethers wrapped around the trigger and grip of the gun in different directions: one clockwise and one counter-clockwise. That way, no matter which direction William managed to move the grenade, ONE of the tethers would increase in tension and tighten around the grip/trigger, causing the gun to go off. Similarly, if William managed to move the gun, it would invariably tug on the pin, thus triggering the grenade. Furthermore, Maximus attached a final tether to the previous tethers, wrapped it all the way around William the long way, and wrapped it around the trigger/grip. That way, even if William moved the grenade and gun closer together, it would still increase tension and trigger one or both.

So, to summarize: if William tries to attack with his Stand, Maximus pulls the tether and triggers the grenade (and likely the gun as well). If William tries to sever the grenade tether, then the book falls and tightens the noose around the handgun, blasting his brains out. If William tries to sever the handgun's tether to the book, then the book falls and triggers the grenade. If William tries to move the handgun out of the way, he'll tighten the tethers between the two and trigger the gun/grenade/both to go off. If William tries to move the grenade out of the way, the same will happen. If William undoes his restraints, it'll increase tension on the connecting tether and trigger both systems. As one final precaution, Maximus wrapped the primary tether around his leg and held it in his hand. That way, even if William's stand got the drop on him and hit him in such a way as to cause him to drop the tether, it would have to do so in such a way as to neither cause him to move enough that his leg triggers the pin nor give him time enough to jerk his leg back to trigger it intentionally.

Maximus sighed. "It's not a perfect system, but it'll do." When Frau Krupps arrived, he'd have to ask her to construct a barrier around him just in case. "Make sure someone is always keeping an eye on him... for now, I suppose we wait for one or the other to wake up."

AvidElmV2
Minako
Cyan Hide
DJ UwU
EmeraldSplash

 

[Cyan Hide]

Odiel made her way back from her old house via the fields next to the town. She successfully circled around the town and snuck in through the alleys closer to Rosie's apartment. Under her arm, she was carrying a suitcase, so the wheels wouldn't make any noise on the floor. She was still wearing the same beret, but everything else she was wearing had changed. Her plain white blouse, now a bloodsoaked hole-ridden rag, had been discarded on the floor of her bedroom and she was wearing a frillier blouse actually meant to be worn without a jacket over it. She also changed her tights, and had opted to wear a slightly longer pencil skirt, though it was still maroon. A lot of her clothes were maroon or purple, she had realised as she'd packed. Most crucially, she'd managed to retrieve her cigarettes and matches, as well as all the money she had left.

Slipping into the apartment via the backdoor, and then opening the door with the use of her Stand, Odiel entered the apartment to see...the Rude Goldberg machine made with ladies garments that was not keeping William trussed up. Odiel stopped and stared at this bizarre sight for a several seconds, before looking at Max and Rock. One of them was behind this. Without prompting, she stuck out her hand and put a barrier around William, making sure to give it an air vent at the very top but very little means for a stand to escape.

"You know the first things he's going to feel being trussed up like that is both humiliated and threatened. Might not make him very talkative and after my treatment, I'm adamant that we do him as little harm as possible while he's our prisoner. I want to show him that we are the bigger people. But, he's too dangerous not to take these kind of measures. He's made it very clear he wants us dead." She was silent a little longer, before putting down her suitcase, folding her arms and adding "Rosie's going to mortified with what you used her clothes for. I know I would be."

Assailant
Kloudy
AvidElmV2
Minako
DJ UwU
EmeraldSplash

 

[Assailant]

Maximus nodded, giving Odiel a polite acknowledgement without taking his eyes off of Rosie and William. "It is as you say. I do not feel good about treating a captive this way, but we have little choice. I would like that no one must die here, but if someone must, I refuse to let it be anyone but him. I simply hope that he can be persuaded to see reason... nothing has convinced him yet, but if this doesn't do it..." he shook his head and tsked in frustration. "He's a terrorist, but a proud one it seems. This may very well not be enough... but it's not like we have any other options."

As Odiel finished, he let out a sigh. "As for that... I'm well aware. I hope she can similarly see reason, not that I'd blame her for being upset. Ce la vis. We make the most out of the hand we're dealt, she of all people should hopefully get that... and the hand we were dealt is a rather unfortunate looking one." He chuckled quietly. "Perhaps we can say it was the white knight over there who ruffled through her drawers?" he said, gesturing towards Rockefeller. "She'd probably believe that." From the way he said it, it was clear that this was one of his rare jokes, although his ever-serious tone almost made it sound serious for a moment.

Cyan Hide

 

[AvidElmV2]

Arriving at Rosie's abode, Rockefeller had one thing in mind. He didn't help Maxwell secure William, or get Ace and Hugo settled in. He headed straight for the bathroom. When he was sure that his previous actions wouldn't incur any unseen consequences on their part, only then did he aim to aid the others. Leaving the bathroom, what he first noticed were the unusually frilly bindings that were being using on the Brit. "Superman, what are you using to-" He choked on his own words upon seeing an upturned drawer and its contents scattered on the floor, Maxwell adding to his tether around the table.

"What the hell are you doing, you muscleheaded pervert."

…

Rockefeller was sitting preoccupied at the table when Odiel entered. Disarmed by an explanation and demonstration of Maxwell's plan, he found himself with nothing to do other than wait. He'd brought up his desire to change Rosie out of her blood-soaked clothes before she woke up, but the idea was shutdown by a silent glance from his compatriots. "Clerk, you're here, finally! It'd please me very much if you would-" He was interrupted again by Maxwell's almost mute chuckle, his words after earning a wide-eyed look from the one-armed man. "Huh? Huuuuuuuh?" He slammed a hand flat on the table, eyes bulging out of his head. "You filthy man. Scum. I'll kill you. Take responsibility for your actions, coward."
Assailant Cyan Hide

 

[Minako]

Rain.

Pouring down as if to flood the Earth again, as it did when Noah built his ark.

Well, that was if the little Medic truly believed an old man could build an ark gigantic enough to fit two of every animal mere weeks before a great flood, which she assuredly didn't...

But she would be darned if the timing of this rain wasn't godsent to spite her.

Almost as soon as she had asked her invisible companion if things could get any worse the waters began to shower down on what seemed to be the entirety of Locronan.

And her without her umbrella (she wasn't exactly packing everything but the bare essentials given how precious little time she had to leave the frontlines unless she wanted to get caught by monsters).

Getting quickly and thoroughly soaked by the rain was pretty much the last straw, as the tiny medics eyes began misting, getting ready to sob, when--

"Pardon me, Miss--" She suddenly heard a voice, and felt the rain stop, looking up to see a man with light, dirty blonde hair smiling down at her, continuing, "But it seems like you need this."

"...Heh, thank you..." The small medic thanked the kind man who was sheltering her from the rushing waters, looking away flustered a moment as she noticed her companion taking to him right away.

She felt even worse about herself: It had only been a week or two since she had lost her beloved Elias, and she was already taking to this new man for his simple act of kindness. Aside Elias this was the only time a male not sharing blood with her had shown her kindness.

"My names Gerard, by the way," He introduced himself with a smile as he wrapped his arm around her while holding the umbrella with the other (she was shivering from the damp, cold wet clothes as consequence of the rain).

"R-rosalina Chandra...B-but... Please, c-call...Call me r-rosie..." She answered, looking down and hanging her head, but knowing she had to answer the name her and her companion agreed upon taking once starting a new life here.

"Rosie, huh? That's a nice name," He complimented her, "Listen, I'm a doctor at the local hospital here--"

Wait, he was?! What uncanny luck, she was just about to try to find employment at a hospital!

"And I was on my way to work before I saw you with no umbrella or proper raincoat... I'm not too pressed for time, and if your home is close enough I could escort you home if you--"

Ah... That's right... Rosie had no home...

"N-no, it's ok... I... I don't really--- I-I just got here a-and... H-haven't found a-a pl... place...I-I was gonna t-today if I g-got here early enough... I-I'm a n-n-nurse, s-so..." She tried to explain, but began choking back sobs as she was reminded just how alone she really was.

"...Hey... Hey... It's alright... Do... Do you have any family here...O-or...?" Gerard blurted, his facial expression betrayed his shock that Rosie was old enough to be employed and paying rent.

"No..." Rosie muttered sadly in response.

"...Tell you what: Why don't you come with me to work and afterwards I can help you find a place? I get off around the time everything opens up anyway... You said you're a nurse? Hell, if you've got any papers, I may be able to help you apply for employment at my hospital tonight! Er, though, currently our opening is for the nightshift staff..."

"...That's fine," Rosie weakly smiled and nodded.

When they arrived at the hospital, Gerard told her to wait in the lobby while he made some calls to his supervisors (such as the Hospital Administrator and such) but before he left he draped his coat over her so she could have something warm and dry to use.

"Awwww, Are you lost sweetie?" During her wait Rosie eventually heard a... hauntingly familiar voice that almost made Rosie believe this was a dream.

She turned towards the voice at breakneck speed and--

Sure enough, it was Irene!! It was a blonde, pony-tailed Irene in a nurses outfit!

Rosie gaped at the blonde Irene and said nothing, pondering if this was Irene haunting her from beyond the grave or blessing her with a second chance at her friendship in the realm of the living and not deciding which one it more definitively was...

Blonde Irene smiled sympathetically at her while coming closer and adding, "Hey... Don't be scared. I'm Corneille. Corneille Robinson. I'm a nurse here, heh, if you couldn't tell from my outfit. Do you need some hel--"

Then she gave Rosie a quizzical look as she no doubt identified the coat over her as Gerard's.

"Oh! I see you've already met Dr. Gerard! Do you know him? Are you related?" Corneille, blonde Irene, asked.

"...N-no... We just met..." Rosie explained, adding, "H-he's gonna help me get a job... h-here..."

"Oh! That's grea--- Wait... A JOB?!" Corneille at first answered like nothing was out of the ordinary, then upon reflection of the contents of Rosie's words amended her statement, then adding, "W-wait... H-how old are you?!"

"T-twenty eight..." Rosie answered.

"...YOU'RE OLDER THAN ME?!"

Voices. Rosie heard voices. And something slamming on something.

"Mmmn," The little once nurse muttered...The grogginess and disorientation made her voice sound even more child-like than it already was.

Something rough and moist and sandpapery was scratching her cheek.

Before her eyes could even begin to flutter open intense soreness and aching on the back of her neck made her groggily groan and her throbbing head made it hard for her to think.

She was disoriented before she could even open her eyes and the voices were quickly giving her a headache.

"Mmmmn, wha--" She began, opening her eyes to see---

Her living room...? Wait, she was back in her apartment...?

But... But she left it behind forever yesterday, didn't she?

Wasn't she now a part of the "good guys"...? What did the lady back there call them, again?

They just let her go...?

Was everything she had went through these past few days a dream...?

Was it all even real...?

Wait, no...It had to be real! The kitten!

...The blood-soaked Kitten.

"K... Kitty...?" She began waking up a little more, eyes widening as she got a good look at her arms, also blood-soaked, looking around at her couch also a bit stained from all the blood.

"Wha--" She gasped, gaining more and more consciousness, wondering why she was soaked in blood like she was soaked in rain water the night she met Gerard...

Hadn't she saved them? Hadn't she sang? Why was she covered in more blood than before?! Her and the kitten!?

She shook her head as if to rush it to being fully awake despite the pain and weariness, but regretted it as it more scrambled her brain cells than awoke them...

And then she saw... the scary British man who kidnapped her in the middle of...

Wait... those were her clothes in some sort of... nightmare contraption... fittingly before it was the Nightmare Nazi and the one-armed Nazi and that was just about the most "sobering" sight the little once nurse had ever seen in her life.

She gasped and started shaking and trembling in pure fear as she curled up on the corner her now blood-stained couch, wanting to scream her lungs out but only terrified wheezes escaped her now seemingly sealed up throat. She sounded like she was choking and was a second away from a panic attack.

Why were these frightening men HERE?! HOW WERE THEY HERE?! HOW DID THEY KNOW WHERE SHE USED TO LIVE?! DID THEY TAKE HER HERE?! WHY?!

So many questions: Almost all of them "WHY?!" and "HOW?!"

Well, that was kind of a lie, as there were also a few "Oh god, oh god, WHY ME?!" thrown in there as well, but those were more laments as opposed to genuine questions.

Assailant
AvidElmV2
Cyan Hide
Kloudy
EmeraldSplash
DJ UwU

 

[Remembrance]

Ace of Spades raced through the woods, skipping over branches and recoiling off of stones as it bounced its way towards its user. The trail of stardust it left in its wake zigged and zagged in relation to its own patterns. Despite it's frantic running, it almost appeared to be aware of how it moved. Silence and being untraceable was the ultimate goal lest it leads a band of evildoers to its own controller. As it lead a woman of fine stature and beautiful appearance; Ace of Spades occasionally slowed its movements before picking it back up. After what seemed as though an eternity in the forest, the cat arrived at its destination.

It circled around the house before arriving at a cellar door. Looking for the woman, Ace of Spades motioned its paw towards the door, attempting to coerce the female to open it.
Ferociousfeind

 

[Assailant]

Adelaide clicked her tongue against her teeth as she looked around. It was a bit of a nervous habit of hers. Ordinarily, she was more than capable of keeping her cool. There was a reason she'd achieved such a high rank in the Seeds, after all: she was not one to snap under pressure. However, right now she was in a bit of a special circumstance. She'd offered to look around the subway to see if anyone had caught on to all the noise. With the battle over, the matter of securing their hideout took top priority. Naturally, this means she had to travel around the city: she couldn't help but be on edge.

What she found was a mixed bag: all of the noise had indeed not gone unnoticed, as frenzied whispers from civilians gave her a clue as to the current state of affairs. Rumors were running wild, as they often did. Some say that the gunfire was from Nazi executions, others thought there were terrorists in their midst. Some particularly optimistic souls even dared to speculate that the Allies had come to save them, although they wisely kept that sentiment particularly quiet. A little of column A, a little of column B. In a way, the rumors were all true and all false at once. At the end of the day, however, it wasn't the civilians that concerned her: it was the garrison.

Their behavior was a tad more... inexplicable. They seemed more focused on the civilians, for the most part. They were watching over the crowds like prison guards watching over the prisoners at yard time. They didn't really seem all that worried, to be honest. Adelaide might have even suspected that they were completely unaware of the events that had transpired, had the chatter of the civilians not rendered that assumption impossible. There was no way they were entirely unaware of what had happened, but they certainly weren't investigating. Were they more interested in preserving the status quo and simply defending their current gains? Maybe... but...

"Ah, excuse me, mademoiselle." The sudden voice made her nearly jump. The voice was speaking French behind her, but the heavy German accent could not fool her. She turned around and saw a man smiling back at her. The man had a long, but ultimately friendly-looking face. A green sweater came to a stop just below his shoulders, with khakis that tucked into his black dress shoes. His smile was friendly and warm, although something about it made it feel like his presence was boring into her.

"Yes? Can I help you, sir?" She had to keep her cool and her cover. As much as she wished she could give this man what for, this wasn't her base. He had to play it up and be respectful... for now. Perhaps the time would come later, but for now...

"Ah, forgive me, it just... it seemed like you're quite the knowledgeable young lady, and you know your way around these streets."

"What gave you that impression, sir?"

"The way you were looking around at your surroundings." The man's smile never faltered, projecting a strange combination of warmth and menace all at once. "You see, most people are perfectly content to keep their eyes on their feet. Even at the best of times, and rest assured these are not the best of times, many people walk through life as if they were a single wrong step away from tumbling to the ground. People keep their eyes glued to their feet as if checking for each and every pothole and crack and bump in the street that might knock them over. Failing that, they are looking at friends or family or shops with their favorite toys or books or pastries: all things that are familiar to them. However, you were looking at the people around you. Ah, people: the one true variable in life. A scientist can drop a ball or run a current through a wire, and, all other things known, they can tell exactly what the result of their actions will be. Walk down the same street every day, and you can do it blindfolded without fear of tripping. But people... ah, there's the rub, is it not? People are unpredictable, more complex in their thoughts than in their composition. Their souls and hearts are more than the sum of its part: unpredictable. Or, at least... so one might assume. If you get to know people, and if you can reach that zenith of understanding them... perhaps that is the greatest kind of power, hmmm? People like you, who keep their eyes not on the ground but the people around you... now that's someone who knows things."

"...So, can I help you, sir?" Adelaide didn't quite care for the man's ramblings. Whether he was right or wrong was irrelevant, he was taking up valuable time. She had to figure out if the base was safe and get back to her men. She had a job to do. The man laughed and waved his hands dismissively.

"Ah, apologies mademoiselle. I was ranting again, I do have a tendency to do that. Allow me to get to the point of why I stopped you. I was wondering if you know anything about the disturbance reported earlier: the gunshots and explosions."

Ah, so there it is. The Nazis didn't know anything, it seemed. No reason to interrupt a random civilian otherwise. Adelaide kept her face as neutral as possible and gave a polite but informal shrug.

"Only the rumor, the same as everyone else. " The man nodded appreciatively.

"Of course, of course. However, allow me to be direct: you were involved in the disturbance, weren't you, terrorist?"

Adelaide's blood suddenly ran cold. What?! No, that's impossible, how could he... no, no, there's no way. He's bluffing, he had to be! Even if they did know more than they were letting on, there was no way that they knew that she specifically was involved! The only way they could have known was if there was a Nazi on the scene, and there were no...-

Oh... there were, weren't there. The buff man and the woman who approached the entrance. Those two... she knew it! She knew they were full of shit! They ratted her out, but... but then... why hadn't they simply killed her? As much as she hated to admit it, they were clearly superhuman. They could have killed her at any moment, why wait to report her? Something didn't add up...

"S-sir, I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about." She had to continue to play dumb and hope that he was bluffing. The man's ever-friendly smile only deepened as he wordlessly stared at her. A few seconds passed of nothing changing before his smile wavered slightly.

"Ah, so you can't see it?" He seemed almost disappointed by this revelation. Adelaide, now genuinely confused, raised an eyebrow.

"Ah... see what?" She glanced around, wondering what the strange man was referring to. The man in question let out a light sigh and waved dismissively.

"Ah, so you truly aren't a stand user. Well then, I must run a separate test." He glanced off towards the sidewalk. Adelaide looked at him in abject confusion before a loud gasp suddenly caught her attention. On the sidewalk, a man suddenly grasped his throat and began sputtering. The sputtering suddenly turned into coughing, before quickly becoming silent as he grasped his throat desperately. Some of the other pedestrians gasped and began crying for help: perhaps a doctor. To anyone else on the street, the man clearly seemed to be choking. However, Adelaide knew better. Before today, she probably would have assumed they were choking the same as everyone else. But after everything she'd seen today, she knew. He's one of the superhumans. She was glued to the spot: she needed to keep her cover, but she couldn't afford to let an innocent man die. She toiled internally for a second or two, but as the civilian's face grew bluer...

In a second or two, it was over. She grimaced as the hand holding the knife hovered only an inch or so from the man's face, its movement arrested only by his hands catching her wrist. The civilian gasped and fell to his knees, suddenly able to breathe again. Adelaide's knife suddenly flew out of her hand and felt an invisible force tighten around her neck. It was just loose enough for her to breathe, but certainly enough to cause her to retreat her hands from the man's presence. The man's smile grew wider.

"Ah, I had such a feeling! Well then, allow me to introduce myself, fraulein. I am Herr Adalrich, at your service. It appears you might have some useful information. You are definitely not a stand user, but you know about them. On top of that, you have the kind of spirit that allows you to publically attack a German. For a woman, you have quite the balls!" He lightly chuckled at his own joke, seemingly amused by himself. "Now then: I want you to tell me where the terrorists are hiding. Under normal circumstances, I would simply torture you for information before killing you. However... this information is of particular importance to command. Finding these terrorists has become a top priority, you see, and special circumstances give me some leeway in how I approach this. So, I will make you an offer: give me the location of the terrorist hideout, as well as information about their abilities, and I will completely overlook this public transgression. You have my word." Adelaide was shocked. After all, she knew that they were troublesome, but... she was under the impression that they had been little more than a nuisance. To be so significant a threat as to warrant disregarding protocol... what exactly was going on in this town? What had she signed on for? "Ah," Adalrich spoke up, interrupting her thought process, "I see you need the pot sweetened somewhat. In addition to forgiving this transgression, you will be granted a boon of your choice... within reason, of course." Adelaide was stunned.

"A... boon?" The man nodded. "I... I see..." what would she even ask for? What would be worth this kind of traitorous action? "I... I suppose there is something." Adalrich approached and squeezed Adelaide's hand.

"You name it: as long as it is within my power to provide, I will do so."

"Well... I suppose you could go back to command, take a train back to your 'Fatherland', march right up to your Fuhrer, put a bullet through his goddamn skull in the name of all those he's destroyed and oppressed! Then, you can find every member of command, take their brain matter, and put it in the empty hole in your skull where you clearly lack a brain to have even entertained the idea that I would sell out my comrades, you schnitzel-snogging kraut bastard! Then maybe, you would have half a mind to go take your offer, and SHOVE IT UP YOUR ASS!" For good measure, she spat on the man's face. "If you can spare the room in your ass around Hitler's dick, that is." Adalrich's smile, for the first time, faded altogether. With a deep intake of air, he wiped the spit off his face. His face muscles were pulled taut with barely contained anger as he slapped her across the face. For Adelaide's part, she grinned back. Without any cover, she had no reason to hold back anymore. "Go ahead, torture me. Kill me. I'm not selling them out."

"Kill you?" Adalrich's smile returned, albeit far tighter and more forced than before. "No, no, Kuh. I have no intention of killing you. Not directly, anyway. Torture? Mmm, maybe. It would help blow off some steam." Adelaide gasped and sputtered as she was levitated into the air by her neck. "But I do not wish to kill you. Once we've extracted the information we need or accepted that we cannot, I have something far more... socially responsible to use you for."

And with that, Adelaide was carried off of the streets and into a truck, where she was bound and gagged. And while Adalrich scoffed and began to return to his post, the car carrying Adelaide drove beyond the city limits, and off to a certain naval base in the distance.


Maximus smiled at Rosie. "I understand you must have a lot of questions, but do not be frightened. You are in no danger, I've gone to great lengths to ensure that. We're here to help, I promise."

 

[Ferociousfeind]

Angelica Giovanna ~ Giving Chase

After she had ascended the stairs from the subway and escaped back out into the chilly open air, Angelica quickly gave chase to the ethereal kitten. It looked like she was escaping quite the hassle, as well, given the unrest in the civilians near to the abandoned subway entrance. What a mess, Germany's heavy-handed policing strategies. At least Italy has the self-respect to take care of its business outside the eye of the public. Regardless, before she gets apprehended for loitering near a bunch of revolutionaries, she follows Ace of Spades, as it dashes into the forest. She could handle herself in a forest. She'd done so before, back in Italy. During the summers, she'd run off on her own, with her "Stand" and hide from the oppressive heat of the sun. She didn't mind the long walk with the quiet, sparkly, shimmering feline, and quite liked the atmosphere of the walk anyways. It reminded her now of summer nights, staring up into the vast and starry sky, simply observing the divine Italian nightscape. Sometimes the buildings below could be just as stunning and serene as the stars above.

The celestial cat brought her to a homely wooden structure, which it seemed to want her to break and enter. Silly cat, Angelica Giovanna will do no such thing! She is at least somewhat law-abiding, and respects whoever owns this place out in the woods.

Oh, who is she kidding? She obliges the kitten, opening the cellar door somewhat cautiously before inspecting the building's inside.

Remembrance

 

[Minako]

"Oh... ok... ok... ok..." Rosie muttered as she nodded in agreement to the scary, intimidating, giant Nightmare Nazi while she clutched her knees and whimpered.

Oh, she believed him. There was no question the little once nurse did believe this behemoth of a man was telling the truth.

No doubt, she was "safe" around this man: One look at her partner and knowledge of her ability could tell anyone why that was the case. And this man was no fool, after all.

He wanted her for her healing. That's why.

That was the only reason why anyone "wanted her safe" when they knew her power. Always has been, always will be. How was this man any different? In fact, wouldn't he be worse since he's a Nazi...?

Well, she supposed at least the Nightmare Nazi hadn't tried to hurt her or sexually assault her like the terrifying star athlete back in high school....

But... Had the Nightmare Nazi already laid claim to her?

Was she already his possession?

It broke her heart just to think about it, and she dared not ask for confirmation of her worst fears.

It was clear she was holding back tears, and trying to calm down, but one look at her poor kitten made it all too clear how upset she was.

"Pl-please, O-o-odiel... C-can I please... T-take a sh-shower a-and w-wash off my kitty...?" Rosie meekly requested while holding up the meowing blood-soaked kitten, on the brink of tears, as she turned to the only other female present.

Assailant
Cyan Hide

 

[Cyan Hide]

Odiel shook her head and rolled her eyes in dismay, before turning to look at Rosie. Her expression changed instantly to a much softer, genuinely compassionate one, and she backed away as if doing would help her and the rest of the Germans in this room disappear. When Rosie eventually asked if she could have a shower, Odiel nodded. "Don't ask. This is your house. We, uh, didn't really have anywhere else to go. I'm sorry. This isn't really a professional or official outfit, as you can probably tell."

Assailant
AvidElmV2
Minako

 

[DJ UwU]

Consciousness slowly came back to Ace as voices began to fill the room, he had heard all of them before, but one seemed to echo through his mind, louder than any of the others and, almost instinctively, through his groggy mind, he muttered “Shut the fuck up, you bumbling cripple...” while he rubbed his eyes.

With a groan he began thinking more clearly, blinking a few times before staring into the unknown ceiling, he must’ve passed out in the subway, as the last thing he remembered was Max’s boring speech, and after a brief realization, he felt grateful to whatever god knocked him out and spared him the suffering of listening to it.

“Gah!” A sharp pain shot through his body from his legs as he tried to move them, deciding instead to use his upper body to slowly and carefully sit himself up. Ace felt awfully thirsty, and as he looked around the place, Heavensent appeared in front of him serving a cup of coffee from a thermos with a name written on it, clearly not his. Once full, Ace took it from his stand and took a sip, as the latter disappeared, taking the thermos with it.

He sighed with relief “Much better... So,” He turned to look at the group. “Where are we and...” He pointed towards the weird contraption the brit was trapped in “What the fuck is that?” Ace asked as he took a long sip from his cup, waiting for an answer.

Assailant
AvidElmV2
Cyan Hide
Minako

 

[Minako]

The little once nurse gave Odiel a small but grateful smile... However, when Rosie heard Ace stirring she seemed a lot more relieved having more than one friendly, familiar face (even with Odiel present, the amount of scary people who could kill her in mere moments out-numbered them 2 to 3).

"W-we're in my apartment, Ace... I... I don't know h-how but..." Rosie answered her new friend, looking him over and being mortified at his condition., adding meekly and shyly with a red face, "A-and those a-a-are m-m-m-my clothes...I don't know h-how that h-happened either..."

This was her fault, wasn't it? This was all her fault...

Ace got hurt because of her.
Odiel got hurt because of her.
Cornielle almost got hurt because of her...

Irene died because of her...
...Elias died because of her...

Maybe she was a curse. That would explain a lot.

Maybe she just shouldn't be around others.

Keep at last appeared and scooped up the kitten worriedly in her arms upon seeing how blood-drenched they were, but luckily she didn't find any physical ailment to the kitten.

She petted it for a few moments, looked around and---

It appeared as if she remembered something pressing... Or seen a ghost...​

A closer look at Rosie showed whatever realization had dawned on Keep dawned on her as well, and her now wincing and cringing body that was tensing up even worse made it clear it wasn't good news.

Despite that, she shook her head and turned to Ace after briefly "examining" him.

"I-I'll heal you, and then I should shower, b-but after that a-and we help Odiel with the scary British man, we need to leave. As soon as possible--" Rosie explained almost too quickly, Keep looking as frantic as ever, continuing with, "I-I... uh... I know Novembers almost over and I already paid at least this months rent, but trust me, I-I'm...uhm... not allowed pets here, a-and I d-don't wanna give up this kitty, either, s-so it's best I just left--"

The thing about Rosie was, she was both a terrible and good liar simultaneously: While technically there was no falsehood in any of what she just said, she said so with guilty eyes glued to the floor (as if lacking eye contact might make it less apparent she was hiding something) and Keep frantically scrambling to prepare a picnic basket from a nearby closet with a few handkerchiefs in it, and then stuffing the Kitten inside it and nagging at the kitten when they meowed confusedly and popped their head out of the basket made it abundantly clear Rosie wasn't just evading fees or a slap on the wrist.

"I-It'll have to do," Rosie told Keep as she took the kitten out of the picnic basket her partner had just stuffed them in, and Keep had a bit lip and displeased look like a plan of hers had just been foiled.

"Iro..." Keep stressed, looking about as frantic as she possibly could.

"You ready, Keep? S-sorry, Y-you'll have to drag me around for a bit after this..." Rosie respectfully asked her companion, and it was clear from her demeanor she was trying to act strong and calm in front of Ace but Keeps stressed and frantic attitude made it all too clear it was all just a front.

This was bad on so many levels and it was only going to get worse staying here, but of course she didn't just want to leave the Brit she knew was good (at least according to the soldier people) trapped and tied up in her clothes...

Regardless, she needed to heal Ace:

"Parlez-moi d'amour
Redites-moi des choses tendres
Votre beau discours
Mon cœur n'est pas las de l'entendre
Pourvu que toujours
Vous répétiez ces mots suprêmes
Je vous aime

Vous savez bien
Que dans le fond, je n'en crois rien
Mais cependant je veux encore
Écouter ces mots que j'adore
Votre voix aux sons caressants
Qui le murmure en frémissant
Me berce de sa belle histoire
Et malgré moi je veux y croire~"

Spoiler: Translated Lyrics

(( Translated Lyrics:
"Speak to me of love
Tell me tender things once more
Your beautiful speech
My heart doesn't get tired of listening to it
Provided that you always
Repeat those supreme words:
"I love you"

You know well
That deep inside me I don't believe any of them
But nonetheless I still want to
Listen to those words which I adore
Your voice with its caressing sounds
Which whisper tremblingly
Deludes me with its beautiful story
And despite myself, I want to believe in it~" ))

While Keep was happy to heal their friend, her face, for the first time in a while (during healing at least), had a nervous, unsettled look about her. Not even the comfort of the warmth from the soft pastel-blue glow, or the sound of Rosie's voice could ease the gray-skinned entity.​

Rosie, however, was now groggy and out of it after healing Ace (and everyone else in the apartment), and the magenta-haired entity got right to work rushing Rosie in the shower while grabbing a towel, undergarments, a small pink cardigan, and a forgotten pink and white floral dress from her drawers (unearthed from the contraption the brit was in, no doubt) while she carried the kitten, who was still meowing in confusion. A loud *click!* could be heard after they entered the small bathroom, as Keep wouldn't forget to lock this door with those men outside!

Keep was able to help Rosie get her blood-soaked clothes off, get in, and then sit up in the bathtub and turn on the shower and helped the little once nurse wash all the blood off of her and the Kitten, although it was hard to concentrate with something else on her mind...

Keep didn't know exactly how much time they had, since they still had a few days until the end of the month and then he would poke around this apartment, but every minute they were here and with this kitten was a gamble Keep wasn't willing to take, and she knew already Rosie would have wanted to stay to make sure the brit was alright...

Even if he practically stated he had no problems shooting her to kill Odiel...

Spoiler: Tags

((Everyone nearby))
Assailant
AvidElmV2
Cyan Hide
Kloudy
EmeraldSplash
DJ UwU

 

[Remembrance]

The ethereal cat jumped into the cellar as the lady opened it. Skipping past her and arriving at the side of a torn leather couch. Ace of Spades postured itself as it awaited the arrival of its follower and the discovery of its user.

- - -

His slumber seemingly undisturbed; Ezra reached the peak of his slumber. His eyes moved rapidly, those untrained in the medical field would believe him having a stroke of some sort or possibly suffering from some internal issue that had not been resolved; instead, he was experiencing a peculiar dream.

A recreation of his arrival to the subway and his reacquaintance with William. Though something was off, the air was no longer stiff and had a sort of cloudy fog to it. Faces appeared masked by a thick fog and any motion that attempted to look around the fog proved fruitless. It encompassed all their face and no opening was left to allow it to be peered into. Ezra knew all who was present in the subway of course though he could not tell you who everyone exactly was; he felt as though he knew who each person was despite not knowing their true identities.

A mess of garbled speak disguised as something proper spilled from the presumed William's mouth. The companion motioned his arm towards a seating area; decorated beautifully with hardwood finishes and etchings of various words. For some reason, Ezra could not tell you what these words were but he knew they were words and that is all he needed from it.

The two were seated and began eating buttered toast. It tasted as it always had: sour. They ate for an eternity before the sound of a large clasp rang, Ezra turned in unison with his masked companion towards the entrance of the subway. A sinister feel leaked out from the entrance. It was abnormal, not uniform with everything else. It was a disturbance when there was peace; a danger that intruded on the calm, normalcy of the reacquaintance between Ezra and William.

The scene seemed to have ended there as if some force ejected him from it. How unnatural it was but Ezra didn't have the proper headspace to attempt to understand it. There would soon be a visitor, someone to bring stimulation to him.
Ferociousfeind

 

[AvidElmV2]

Rosie's awakening wasn't immediately noticed by Rockefeller. The unconscious William had his attention for a time. His gaze was steady on the man and held a curious gleam. Likewise, his passive hostilities were worn on his sleeves, the thought of 'why isn't he dead' all but written on Rockefeller's creased brow. The man stood up and, careful not to trip any of the tethers, rapped his knuckles against The Wall's barrier, ears twitching at the dull thud it made. This and the Superman's nightmare contraption, all for one man. That wasn't Rockefeller looking down on William either. It was a frightening observation. Knowing all this had to be done just to assure their safety prickled the hairs on the back of his neck and, again, it raised the question: Why did he still draw breath? This wasn't a large operation, just the pitiful grouping of tag-alongs of tag-alongs, but here they had up and converted someone's living room into a dungeon.

It made his head spin. It was impressive work. These folk sure were bizarre.

Rockefeller turned from William when the sound of Rosie's wheezing became apparent to him. "Ah, look what you've done, Superman!" He cried out in exasperation, the subtle traces of a self-satisfied smile on his face. "You broke the damsel. She's got anxiety." He took a seat at the table and propped his head up again, staring drolly at Rosie before his brow shot up. "...Wait, why is she staring at me like that?" Odiel's timely intervention shut down the flurry of question Rockefeller was preparing, but Ace's mumbling got his attention next. His look turned to a sour sneer, but there was disbelief in his eyes. "Meh meh meh, stop talking bumbling cripple." Rockefeller mocked in a baby-ish tone, kicking the couch Ace was laid out on. "Say that standing, you dumbass. I thought you had a plan? How the hell did your plan end with you getting your legs smashed like this?" He rolled his eyes but kicked the chair again, only stopping when Rosie's voice picked up behind him. He immediately recognized her singing voice, and felt Keep's revitalizing influence over him. It was a soft aura that made him feel more lively just by being near. When he looked back to Ace, he could tell he could feel it the same way. He frowned at the sight, true dismay evident on his features. "Unfortunate. I liked you more when your legs were broken." He uttered with a heavy sigh, turning his attention back to William past The Wall's barrier.

...William, who was starting to look a note relaxed himself in sleep.

Rockfeller gave the sleeping Brit his squint eyed look of scrutiny, looking more unsettled and tense the longer he stared. "Is it just me or does he look less hurt? Don't tell me..."

Spoiler: Tags

Assailant
Minako
DJ UwU
Cyan Hide

 

[Assailant]

Maxmus sighed in exasperation.

"It could hardly even be said that I know Rosie, and already that seems in character for her. If she would heal a German soldier, I suppose this only makes sense." Maximus stared daggers at William, refusing to take his eyes off of him for even a second. "I suppose this works better for us diplomatically. Even still... I'm not sure what we should do. At the very least, if this man refuses to see reason after all of this, I will have no choice but to kill him. I can only hope it doesn't come to that." After a few moments of silence, Maximus gestured towards Rockefeller. "I suppose while we're waiting, I should ask... who are you? Everyone else here I can more or less pin down, but I can't quite figure who you are or what you're doing here."

 

[EmeraldSplash]

OOPS! ​

The fact that Hugo passed out on the weird guy's shoulder seemed unnoticed and they all didn't even notice she was back on his feet awake in the corner of the room which was not the "safe house"

The boy thought hard about the Nazi officer which was now pinned by a deadly contraption which looked amazing. Although too smart and complicated for Hugo's taste, he could not let his eyes stare to a different direction than towards this machine.

He did not even pay any attention to what was happening inside the room. Always the odd one he was.

With his mental state now a lot better after a brief rest he could see clearly that some of his actions were not justified. However he did not care about that nor about how others responded to that.

Did he want to kill the prisoner? Yes...
Would he try to do it if he had the chance? Yes...

And so Hugo stood up thinking nobody would see him as they did not pay any attention to him whatsoever when he first got here and walked up towards the contraption.

He stretched his arm towards the book so that it may fall over therefore making the gun shoot.

He knew what he was doing but in case somebody would catch him he would pretend that he did not know a thing.


Assailant
Minako
DJ UwU
AvidElmV2
Cyan Hide

 

[Cyan Hide]

Hugo's hand suddenly touched an invisible wall, before his arm was grabbed by Odiel. She was standing behind him, and looked extremely displeased.


"What is wrong with you? Why is killing always your first instinct? We're keeping him alive to ask him questions, and partly because he tried to kill me when he took me prisoner and I hope he'll realise something when we don't do the same to him. I hope he'll realise that he's in the wrong. That the actions he's taken in this town have needlessly put people in danger and caused hard to many. I...want to be able to say that we're better than him. Do you understand?"


EmeraldSplash

 

[AvidElmV2]

Rockefeller found no peace in Maxwell's words. Of Maxwell and himself, the former was unarguably the more levelheaded of the two, and even he was struggling to find words to defend Rosie's choice. His frustration was painted clearly on his sour, weathered features. That said, Rockefeller couldn't find it in his heart to hold it against someone who's forgiveness was so freely given. "Her compassion is curiously self-destructive." Rockefeller remarked coolly, the rubdown he gave his temples belying the amusement in his voice. He turned to address Rosie, not quite sure what he planned on saying himself, but all he got was a glimpse of her dragging legs as she disappeared into the bathroom. The lock on the door gave a soft click and the muffled sound of rushing water met his ears. The whites of his eyes rumbled like storm clouds and thunder rose up in his throat, but again, someone stopped him before he got into full swing of his hissy fit. "Who am I?" He parroted back, his stacking ire settling as quickly has it had started. "I am Rockefeller. A passerby, mostly, but I can't seem to get away from you people, so I'm stuck. Stuck until I can assure the damsel's safety and until the terrorist stops murdering people." Rockefeller spoke casually and assuredly, finishing off his first formal introduction with a nod. "I may try to expunge the local tyrant authority while I'm at it, but that might be more than I can handle. Oh, but I guess we've already pissed them off either way after manhandling the stray lover."

Spoiler: tags

Assailant

 

[EmeraldSplash]

No...
​

"What don't YOU understand?"He shouted at Odiel. Although the first plan was to pretend to not know the consequences of his actions, something cracked inside of him. "We are no better than him. We all kill, we all hurt others. You think that by making him realise what he's done you can change the world? Change yourself? We are all the same insane people here."

"We are animals and we need to kill to be stronger, we kill to survive. We kill to feel fucking aliv..." Hugo stopped himself.

Chuckling

"We are all going to be dead sooner or later. Who knows. I'm in a room with Nazis and they are indeed protecting each other. My mind is not a theater however it seems that reality is."

"Now I know that my instinct went against me when it told me to trust you. When it told me that you might be different but you are all alike."

"Dirty little Nazis. You are all animals... Pigs heading for the slaughterhouse..."

[WAS ICH LIEBE] appeared on the side of William.

And I am the butcher.

Cyan Hide
Assailant
AvidElmV2
DJ UwU

 

[Assailant]

Maximus opened his mouth with the intent to respond to Rockefeller, but he was stopped as Hugo had his little outburst. Now it was Maximus's turn to rub his nose in frustration. "You are aware that there is a protective barrier around him, no? A slashing weapon like that of your Stand's hardly has a chance at getting through it. I didn't even consider that it might be HIM we needed to protect from US, but here we are." He let out an exasperated sigh. He couldn't move to stop Hugo, due to the trap on William requiring Maximus to stay stationary, so he simply had to hope that the insane child could see reason. Not a promising prospect. "Listen: you insist that we're all the same and we can't change and all of that. If he wakes up, and we're unable to change his mind, you can help kill him all you like. There's no harm in being patient..."

Maximus's eyes were still focused on William the whole time. He knew his priority. "That said, you must get over your Nazi fixation. No one in this room is a Nazi. In fact, Frau Krupps is a fugitive being hunted by this town's authorities. The Brit is a terrorist, yes, but one thing that could be certain is that he's not a Nazi. He's fighting Nazis. He just happens to be very willing to kill innocents and kidnap civilians in order to do it, which means he cannot be allowed to continue. In a way, the Brit is as much a Nazi as you are. Which is to say, not. None of us are. I assure you, I went through quite a lot of trouble for that distinction."

 

[EmeraldSplash]

Kill​

"Do you hear yourself when you speak? Look at yourself or at that clown over there acting like a superhero. You're all pathetic, you want to tell me that you know what you are fighting for? It's all meaningless. You will always fight for the Nazis and that goes for that superman over there too." He points to Rockefeller.

"However I must thank you for you have opened my eyes. A slashing attack is useless against a wall. So Odiel..."

"One final test to see who's side you're on."

"Right now I'm just one reach away from touching the book and ending the life of that Nazi over there. However your wall is blocking me and so I ask you. You either call off the wall and I push the book. Killing the Nazi."

"Or you can keep your stand there protecting him.
But I warn you.
Your throat might feel a little bit open by the time you decide."

"One of you is dying today. And YOU will decide who."

"Will you sacrifice your life for this man?"

"And..." He turned around facing everyone.

"Don't try to interfere. "

Assailant
Minako
DJ UwU
AvidElmV2
Cyan Hide

 

[Kloudy]

William
(Locronan - Rosie's House)

Click.

"He's right you know."

William had his eyes open now. He had actually been awake for a while, feigning unconsciousness while he listened to the conversation across the room. Once again the healer had healed him, which was probably more than he deserved but the spy was not one to take opportunity for granted. He was in the den with his enemies and Ezra was gone. William had no idea if the other agent was dead or alive, but he at least knew that the man wasn't here. He was beginning to get tired of all the uncertainty he had been surrounded with these past weeks.

His gaze was fixed on Max, who was staring back at him intently. Obviously watching his every move. The ex-nazi's careful scrutiny would notice the loose strings trailing from one of the table legs, apparently leading to the grenade by his captive. Dead Dreams had shown itself in plain view. In it's hand was the grenade with the pin pulled out, the explosive having been easily ripped from the strange contraption Max had built. Of course, this had jarred all the other wires and Max's hand when it happened. So why hadn't the gun to William's head gone off? The answer was simple: Dead Dreams had simultaneously jammed a finger behind the trigger as the grenade was pulled. No matter how hard the strings snapped taut, the trigger refused to pull back and loose a bullet into the spy's skull. Will addressed Odiel.

"We are animals fighting to survive. War does not afford you the right to human decency, and you think you're better than me?"

Placing the grenade in Will's hand, Dead Dreams free hand morphed into a long stone blade and slashed it's user's bonds off. William remained sitting, removing the pistol now that his hand were free and placing it in his lap.

"If I don't agree to whatever it is you have to say, he-" William pointed to Max, "Will kill me. When France didn't give in to Germany's demands, they invaded. That's how it goes. Submit or die. Slaughter or be slaughtered. There is no room for good and evil, right or wrong. There is only your side... and my side."

William looked to Hugo now, his eyes entirely uninterested, "If that barrier goes down, I'll release this grenade and blow us both up. Now what?"

He stared at Hugo, waiting for the boy's undoubtedly fanatic answer.

EmeraldSplash Assailant Cyan Hide

 

[Cyan Hide]

"Nazi?"

Odiel turned to look at Will with a stunned, stupefied furious expression, then turned back to Hugo.

"That man's British! He's fighting the Nazis, along with putting the lives of several innocent French bystanders at risk to do it! Not every evil person is a Nazi! There's plenty of evil in this world to go around. If you want to kill me for protecting an enemy of the Nazis, then go ahead. But you won't be killing me for protecting a Nazi."

She turned to Will.

"I'm not naïve. Far from it. I used to think exactly like you two did. This is war. There's just my side and the enemy's side, and anyone not on my side was expendable, or possibly even a target. Then I stationed here, in this town full of scared French citizens, and it opened my eyes. There's no such thing as a collective hivemind called "The enemy". What there is are millions upon millions of individuals with histories and lives and dreams and loved ones. Nobody in this town was to blame for the Treaty of Versailles. It's stupid and childish to think that they're to blame just because they're French.

I don't think I'm a better person than you. I have plenty of blood on my hands in my compliance all these years, with a fool's hope I could at least keep the peace and order of this small town. That's why it's so frustrating that you're both being so stubborn about killing each other senselessly. If there are people you can both a agree deserve to be killed, it's the people in Berlin calling the shots and explicitly ordering atrocities to be carried out all over the world. Or you could kill each other because you'd rather die killing a single German, or die killing who you think is a Nazi, just because you're too bloodthirsty and stubborn to see that maybe you two have a common interest."



EmeraldSplash
Kloudy

 

[Assailant]

"That we all have a common interest."

Maximus had had a chance to kill William. Before William had even had a chance to pull the pin, he could have just smashed through the barrier and killed him. However, something told him not to. Some instinct deep inside. Perhaps it was William's body language, perhaps it was the situation, perhaps it was God himself letting Maximus know the righteous path... but one way or another, he stayed his fists. He had to let this play out: this was their chance. That said, he was no fool: with the trap disarmed, he kicked the "rope" off from around his foot and slowly walked behind William, keeping an eye on the man as he did, to block off any windows that he might escape from.

"We all agree that the Nazis are menaces that need to be dealt with. The two of you are just infuriatingly insistent on making this difficult. Dragging civilians into this makes you no better than the Nazis, and gives you no business in fighting them. As for you, Hugo... snap out of your delusions and realize that you're being ridiculous. No one in this room is a Nazi, least of all the Brit. And for that matter, Brit: if Frau Krupps and myself are simple Nazis and no more, why aren't you dead? We had every reason to just kill you while you were unconscious. And before you say 'so we could torture you for information' or something similarly ridiculous, consider that: A) you're in a French civilian's apartment rather than a secure Nazi compound, B) we don't have any implements of torture or coercion on us, C) we're so short on resources that we had to tie you up using women's clothing, which a well-funded group like the Nazi occupation would not have to stoop to, and D) we've already located the insurrection hideout, and there were far better candidates there as far as information extraction goes. Yet here you are."

Maximus groaned in frustration.

"No matter which way you slice it, both of you two are operating purely on a mixture of blind anger and delusion. I won't pretend to be an innocent man. I've killed orders of magnitude more people than the rest of the people in this room combined. But every time I did, that killing was always done with respect. You are right about one thing: this is war, and death is the name of the game. However, there are right and wrong ways to go about it. When I kill someone, I look them in the eyes as I do. Both my opponent and I understand that if I wasn't killing them, they'd be killing me. I've killed many people, but the critical element is that my killings were always honorable, deliberate, and above all else, necessary. I kill with discretion, something the two of you seem to lack."

"Take it from a German: the Nazis' greatest weapon is their ability to sow distrust: to turn neighbor against neighbor and make enemies out of family. They win when hatred and suspicion win out over compassion and reason. The two of you are giving them exactly what they want. The way you two see the worst in those around you and always suspect anyone different of being out to get you... you two would make excellent Nazis."