“Not the worst group of misfits.” Sam nudged Tentin with her elbow.

Tentin looked back into the dim light of the tunnel behind him. His nose was beset by whatever foul conjure of liquids was flowing out beside him. Lord Blud and the Ginger, who was helping the blind man along, were backed by Keitha and Brockly. Andrelle was taking up the rear. Her eyes were more acclimated to the dark than the rest of them so she was the best choice for holding up their flanks, while the rest of the group held their lights forward. He turned back to Sam, almost slipping his foot off the concrete walkway and into the sludge below.

“Could have a few more explosives.” He adjusted the pack on his back. It was loaded to the brim with plastic explosives, ready to blow the factory supports down and bring this hell hole from the past smashing to the ground. There was another pack on the Ginger’s back, loaded with the same explosives.

Lord Blud had shown Tentin how to plant and arm them. They would split up and place the bombs while Sam and Brockly would hunt down the Nazi scum, Hans Kammler. Andrelle was bent on finding her husband, while the druid girl was just a wild card. He wasn’t sure why she had accompanied them here. He shrugged, adjusting the packs weight. He really didn’t care as long as she didn’t slow them down.

Sam slowed as she came to a right angle in the exhaust tube. She held her hand out for the group to stop. “You all know what to do. We get inside, kill the Nazi, blow this place sky high, and get the hell out.”

Sam turned to her party, “Do this by the books and we get back in time for a beer.” Sam gave a halfhearted smile when she quoted her old fire chief.

She turned to lead the way when a voice stopped her in her tracks. Her skin instantly turned slick with sweat.

“I’m afraid there will be no beer for you, Fräulein, but a quick death and a shallow grave.” Black uniform, clean down to the last fiber, as well a well-polished shoe, stepped out in front of Sam.

Keitha gave a frightened chirp and let out a short chant. With the wisp of the air, she transformed into a black and blue mouse. She quickly climbed up Brockly’s pant leg and hid in his coat.

Several secret crevasses opened up and the metallic soldiers quickly surrounded the party. Their weapons rose at the intruders, red arm bands emblazoned with the swastika wrapped around the thick metal biceps.

Lord Blud let out a sigh, “How did I not see him.” He looked around the party in front of him. He could see all the heart beats of each member, but he couldn’t sense the German man that ambushed him. Was his power growing weak? The Ginger stepped up to him, dropping his mallet to the ground, and held his master upright.

The solitude red eye scanned the party for weapons while the remaining fleshy eye gazed into Sam’s own. “I’m sorry to say that your mission here is over.” His thick German accent slapped every English word with brutal pronunciation. “Come!” He waved his metal hand for them to follow as the metal soldiers pulled the weapons from Sam and her followers.

Brockly gave up his twin pistols without a fight. There was nothing he could do at this point, so he might as well give in. He kept the blue flower petal in his jacket, safe from harm of the robots.

Andrelle let out a low growl as she gave her pistol to the nearest bot. She began dropping all the knives she had stowed on her body. They clanged against the concrete floor numerous times before she was done. “I’ll gut you by the end of the night.” Her infernal fueled eyes never left the robot soldier.

“Watch it.” Tentin pushed one of the soldiers aside as it tried to confiscate his pack. The metal-made humanoid pushed back with violent force, pinning Tentin into the wall. Tentin let out a breath as the wind was knocked from his lungs. The robot raised its energy gun to his face and the whine of power surging through it coursed throughout the tunnel.

A metal robot snatched Sam’s axe before she could react. Her heart was racing as the robot was about to murder her friend.

“Not here.” The German voice sounded out to the party. “Let’s take them up top. I wish for them to see the demise of this planet before we take care of them.” Hans smiled deviously as the weapon powered down. “Come!”

The moon was lit like a lighthouse bastion in the midst of a storm, warning all those to stay away from this place, but Harold didn’t heed the warnings, and he was about to crash into his destiny. He ducked and dodged through the low cut field next to the factory, staying far away from searchlights and cameras that were mounted throughout the facility.

Links of chains shook as his back hit the fence. He quickly looked about to see if any of the guards had noticed him. It was an odd place for the vampire woman and her husband to be. A factory enveloped in this much security was hardly a place that Andrelle would occupy. Something wasn’t adding up here, and if Harold wasn’t careful, this could be his last night alive.

He grabbed the bolt cutter from his bag and started to eat away at the metal fence in front of him. It was easy enough to cut through. He just needed enough room to squeeze into. His eyes darted from the fence to the building looming over him, a dark tower challenging his courage, trying to force him away. His heart started to race and he became even more excited. This was the feeling he craved. He needed more of it.

The final chain was cut as Harold pushed his way into the confines of the factory. The guards he scouted out earlier had all disappeared. They left just a few moments ago, like they were called into action by some unknown force. Just to be safe, he pulled out a large pistol from his bag. It was a fifty caliber with armor piercing rounds, enough to take care of anything that stepped in his way.

He looked about the building. He needed to find a way inside, and then he could take out Andrelle, as well as her husband for good measure.

His heart was beating even faster now, pumping more and more blood to his body with each step he took towards the factory. This was it. This was the moment he was waiting for. He would soon be back in the good graces of Ra. This was an exciting night, one he would never forget.

Hans was the first to emerge into the light of the inner factory. All around him machines chugged forever onward, pumping out the nonstop consistency of metal men, the same that would help take over the world. He smiled every time he looked upon his machines. He was going to achieve what the Furhur could not, and that gave him more pride than he had ever felt in his life. He snapped back into reality. He had guests to entertain after all, he couldn’t be day dreaming.

He turned to his guests, or his intruders, whatever they were; they were his play things now. “Behold, feast, revel, whatever you please. This is what will take me into the future. Take me into heights only imagined by the Furhur.” He raised his hands upwards, one metal, one flesh, and took a deep breath of the oil and heated fumes produced by his ever churning factory.

“Looks like a pile of shit to me.” Sam bluntly laid her words out for Hans to consume. She crossed her arms and continued to stare down the man in front of her.

“Sam, please.” Tentin whispered into her ear. He looked around at the emotionless soldiers just waiting to pulverize them with their energy weapons.

The corner of Sam’s mouth rose in a mocking half-smile. “What’s he going to do, hmm, kill us? He’s already going to do that.”

A slight chuckle hailed from Brockly’s mouth as he looked about the factory. Large machines pumped out the parts for Hans’ army. He could make out small figures draped in brown around the machinery. Something wasn’t right about them. He couldn’t quite tell if they were people, maybe something else altogether.

Hans smiled at Sam half-heartedly, “There are things worse than death, my dear.” Hans took a few steps forwards and snapped his fingers.

Sam let a slow breath escaper her mouth. All she could think of was punching Hans in the throat. No one called her dear.

Andrelle kept her eyes darting about the factory as Sam engaged the Nazi leader. Sam was buying her time to check their surroundings. There wasn’t much here, at least not on this level. She could see catwalks above them leading out to another part of the factory, most likely where Hans would have his quarters. That would mean the long haired woman would be there too, along with Red.

Andrelle clenched her fists tight. She couldn’t wait to get her hands on that woman. Things weren’t looking good for them though, they were surrounded by these metal soldiers, and without their weapons. She looked towards Sam. Their leader was calm as ever, giving shit to their captor, that was just like Sam. Sam had something up her sleeve. Andrelle would just have to wait until then.

The sound of a clanking against metal came closer to the party as Hans paced back in forth in front of the group. He was starting to get angry at the young woman in front of him. Her taunts were just a ruse to get under his skin. Everything was in order. He caught the usurpers of his dreams and soon they would all be dead. He would show this girl a thing or two before he put her down, perhaps he would actually turn her into one of his cyborgs. Hans cocked his head to the side. It would depend on her expression when she saw his newest creation.

“Wolfric, show our guests our new workers.” Hans stepped aside for his bearded cyborg to bring in his new use for the vile Jewish race. It was a fitting end for the peoples who had brought so much pain down upon the world. The Furhur was right in that respect.

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The bearded cyborg stepped in front of the group with a small, frail looking woman behind him. The top of her head was replaced with a glass dome. Her skull was crudely cut away, the bone jagged and chipped. Trails of drool spilled from the corners of her mouth with unfailing accuracy. The muscles of her face were lax and unmotivated. Her face was void of emotions as she stared off into an unseen distance that never was reachable by the eye.

“My new use for those with a penchant to be useless.” Hans turned to the woman, “Lick by boots clean, would you dear?”

The woman nodded slowly and began to bend down on her hands and knees. She bent her head down to the black polished boots of Hans and began to lick them over and over. He then kicked her face with the boot. He stepped on the glass dome of her head and applied pressure to her skull. The glass creaked under the weight as he eyeballed the young woman in front of him. Her face was focused in on his own. Her lips were clenched tightly and her skin was reddening by the second.

Brockly looked back at the blobs in the distance, dressed in the same brown coats that the brainless woman in front of him was. Those were all people, or at least they were people, at one time in their life. Now they were mindless husks tasked for the mundane. He shook his head and gazed upon the Nazi criminal before him. If Sam didn’t kill him, Brockly most pleasurably would.

“This is despicable. Only degenerates of the most foul would commit an act like this.” Lord Blud chimed in his two cents worth. He held his head high as Hans came closer to him. He couldn’t see the man’s heart, but he sure could hear Hans’ metal boot clanking on the ground.

“And who might you be, hmm?” Hans cocked his head to the side. “From the sound of your voice I bet you hail from that dreadful Britan, do you not?” Hans scratched his chin with his metal hand. “If I was a smarter man, I would say you were the famous Major Blud, the savior of ancient artifacts, the protector from the dangerous occult, the one Brit who made my life so hard back during the war. We never got a chance to meet face to face, but I have seen yours enough throughout the photos my spies had acquired for me.” Hans pulled an old pistol from his holster on his hip. The luger sheened in the dangling lights of the factory as he aimed it at Lord Blud. “Let’s finish this rivalry for once and for all, eh?” Hans aimed his pistol at the British man and pulled the trigger.

The Ginger stepped in front of the gun at the last second. The muzzle flashed as the sound deafened the group surrounded by the Nazi robots. Blood spurted from the giant’s chest once, then again and again as Hans Kammler pulled the trigger over and over until the clip was empty. The Ginger grunted before he fell down to the metal plated floor below.

Sam clenched her fists tightly. There had to be something she could do. There was only one ace up her sleeve. She just hoped it would work in time.

Lord Blud failed to flinch. This wasn’t the first time the Ginger was shot, and in this line of work, it wouldn’t be the last. If he could, he would end this Nazi in a second, but without a heartbeat to work from, he was powerless against the robots. Hans Kammler had taken great steps to protect his self.

Keitha ran down Brockly’s suit and hit the metal floor in a sprint. She took off to the nearest support beam and hid behind it. She peered out behind her cover at the group. She had to do something, but there were too many of them. Should she flee? Should she fight the guards? She was never in a situation like this before.

“Now to finish off the rest of you.” Hans waved over to his lackey Wolfric, “Take this one to the surgery table.” Hans pointed to Sam. “Take the rest of them outside and dispose of them.”

Another cyborg descended down a flight of stairs nearby and ran up to Wolfric. His head a polished chrome dome top. Chrome Dome whispered something urgent to Wolfric. Wolfric stroked his beard and waved away the platinum headed cyborg.

“Sir.” Wolfric spoke up, “There is something urgent requiring your attention.” The bearded henchmen walked over to Hans and leaned into him, “The thing from the footage taken out of Gunter, it is here. Outside the main gate.”

Hans quickly holstered his pistol. He looked at Sam, “You knew about this, didn’t you?” Hans held his hands behind his back as he slowly walked towards the stairs. The creature from the bridge was a powerful one indeed. He hadn’t seen anything that frightening since he discovered psychics were real. This thing could bring down his operation single handedly. He needed to organize his soldiers and prepare for battle. His other guests were second rate compared to the creature outside.

“Keep them here!” Hans turned towards his robots, “Wolfric, come with me!” Hans turned and took off up the stairs, disappearing around the walls of the factory.

All the eyes of the group watched as Hans left them stranded on the factory’s floor. Lord Blud bent down to his wounded friend. The bullets began to push their way out of the Ginger’s mismatched skin. Lord Blud nodded. It would be a few moments before he was in working order again, but he would be up and at it. They would need all the help they could get at this time. This affair looked bleak indeed. Whatever Sam had done, it was sure enough to upset Hans into letting his guard down. Now all they needed was to get rid of these soldiers surrounding them and then they would be free to bring down this establishment of hell spawned horrors.

Andrelle looked upwards when the flash of white caught her attention. Her fists immediately clenched into balls, her nails drawing blood from her palms. Standing high above her on a platform was the woman who had stolen Red from her and warped his mind into some sort of perversion of his former self. The woman’s long hair stretched over the railing she leaned against and wafted in the slight breeze given off of the large machinery.

The Lady Vamp couldn’t believe her prey was so close to her, yet she was powerless to do anything. Rage burned inside her as she looked back down at the robots guarding her and the rest of her party. Andrelle looked back up at the woman. The bitch was smiling at her. With a jerk of her lip, Andrelle’s fangs were bared at the woman.

Another figure joined the woman and Andrelle gasped, drawing the party’s gaze to her. Next to the woman was the one man Andrelle had been so hell bent on finding. Red stood gazing down at his former friends with no expression on his face. The woman with long hair turned to him and gazed into his eyes. Red then held the elderly woman tight to his chest.

Andrelle stepped forward, her rage to blinding for her to care if she was blasted into a pile of dust. A hand held her back before she could do anything stupid. Andrelle looked down at the hand that was stopping her. It belonged to Brockly.

“Cool it, babe.” Brockly smirked, “She’ll get what’s coming to her in time. I know you’ll rip her head off, but first, us mortals need help from getting turned into goo.” Brockly let his hand fall limp, “Trust Sam. She’ll get us out of this. And a little nature would do us good too.” Brockly turned his head slightly to the support beam that partially hid a small black and blue mouse and winked at the small critter.

Andrelle backed off, her eyes never leaving the woman with the long hair. Her revenge would taste sweet to her lips.

Keitha looked around as Brockly winked at her. Was he signaling her? What did he expect her to do? This was all very new to her. She started to breathe wildly now, anxiety building up in her chest. Her eyes shot over to Sam, who was looking up at the woman high above them. Sam was calm and collected, or at least she looked that way to Keitha. The Druid girl began to control her breathing and started to think on what she could do. The majority of the robots were close together. If she could take them out quickly, her companions could retrieve their weapons and finish their plans. That’s what she would do, and do it she would.

The little mouse began to skirt towards the guards, her little legs running at full sprint, flashing back and forth as fast as they could carry her tiny body onward. A robot standing opposite of her looked down at the rodent, scanning the mouse with its eyes.

“Scanning. One hundred percent Mus Musculus.” The robot chimed out in its metallic voice.

Sam looked down at the small black and blue object running towards the guards. She quickly turned to Tentin, “Get ready.” She hushed her voice as much as she could. Her Head of security barely had time to react before the small mouse suddenly leapt into the air. With the glow of bright blue energy, the mouse started to change shape while flying towards the guards. The sound of flesh ripping and bones cracking filled the air for a brief moment as the small mouse turned into a massive beast before the party’s eyes.

A mass of fur and horns jutted out of the beast’s body. It resembled a bear of sorts, only larger than that of a Grizzly. Two massive horns, jagged and misshaped, sprouted from above the beast’s eyes. Black and blue fur still covered the creature’s massive figure. It rose its arms up into the air before landing down on the group of robot guards. The oversized claws cut through the metal like wet paper. The screeching of metal filled the air. Sparks shot from the fried computer components within the machines. The bear’s mouth opened with a vicious growl as it bit down on another robot, crushing the guard’s chest cavity with one swift chomp.

Sam and her party quickly split ways, dodging and diving anywhere they could to save themselves from the onslaught. Sam slid over to her dropped axe and grabbed it with one fluid motion, bringing it down on the chest of a dismantled robot, finishing the machine once and for all. With a few quick moments of similar actions from the group, the robot guards were all heaps of metal piled on the floor.

Sam wiped her head with her forearm, collecting sweat along with some grime. She looked into the eyes of the massive beast in front of her. “Keitha?”

The bear nodded, “Yup. I told you I could do more than a cat.” Her voice growled with a deep rumble, drool spilling out of the corner of her mouth.

“Impressive.” Sam gave one word of encouragement to the Druid and then turned to her party. “Back to the plan. Let’s blow this place sky high.”

A resonating rabble of complies sounded out behind her as she took off up the stairs Hans had disappeared behind, Brockly behind her, his twin pistols drawn.

Andrelle looked back up to the woman. The elderly lady smiled at her and disappeared from the balcony overlooking the factory floor. Red turned to follow like an obedient dog. Andrelle looked around the wreckage of robotic parts. Her eyes shot to one of her knives. She bent down to pick it up and spun it in her hand. All she would need is one good slice, and the bitch would be dead. Andrelle leapt into the air and grabbed onto some pipes above her. She began to climb upwards to the balcony. Red would be freed tonight, she promised herself. He would be freed one way or another.

Tentin turned to Lord Blud, “What about you?” He grabbed his pack of explosives from the floor. “You going to be alright?”

Lord Blud looked down at the wounded Ginger, “We’ll be fine, just go and rig up the explosives.” He felt around the ground for his own pack of explosives. Keitha scooted it towards him with her snout. The blind man looked up at the massive network of blood vessels that created the Druid’s bear form. He held the explosives out to Keitha, “You better take this. I’ll wait here for a while.”

Bones broke and flesh reformed as the Druid transformed back into a woman. Gobs of fur drifted to the ground before disappearing into wisps of blue energy. She grabbed the pack with a sharp nod, “You can count on me.” She slung her pack on her back and turned to Tentin, “Lead the way old man.” She smiled at him and raised an eyebrow.

Tentin shook his head and started off down towards the assembly lines. “Stay behind me.” He stopped after a few steps and turned around, “And don’t get shot. You have enough explosives to turn us into nothing more than a shit stain.”

Keitha swallowed hard and nodded as Tentin turned and began trotting off.

Lord Blud looked around now that he was alone on the factory floor. He stood upright and leaned his weight on his cane. The Ginger rose slightly after Lord Blud and grabbed his belongings from the ground.

Lord Blud looked around the factory with great interest. Hans had to of come from somewhere. He had technology that far surpassed anything that was known on Earth, which means he had to get it from somewhere, where that was, he had to find out. It was only a matter of time before he found it, and time was something in short supply.

“Let’s get on, Ginger, we don’t have much time before the bombs go off.” Lord Blud tapped his cane twice and followed his servant off into the factory. “Let’s dig up Hans’ secrets while we can.” If there was a way to replicate this new technology, it had to be destroyed. It was his duty to Queen and country. It was his duty to the world.