A Lioness In The Cages [Open]

[Vivienne Rousseau]

Country: Nazi Germany
Area/Setting:
A Nazi labour camp, holding area. Most of the cells are empty, although a few of the unrulier prisoners and those waiting to be transported fill them. There is a strong smell of dampness, dust and body odour.
Current Time: 14:45
Weather Conditions: A cold, windy day, with some breaks in the clouds by the sun. There is a chance of snow, albeit a small one, and wind chill is about to become a major problem.

- = = -

No one had come to feed her yet. It was expected, what with that particularly nasty concussion Vivienne had given the Unterfeldwebel from earlier. What did they expect, though? She was a lioness in human skin, held down only by the chains the Nazis were forced to use in order to keep her from killing them. If she wasn't one of the best "pack mules" around, they probably would have executed her already.

But she didn't care. She was too used to not getting three meals a day by now, having been interred by the Nazis for...what, two years? Roughly three? Vivienne had lost track of time. All she knew was that there were twenty-four hours in a day, sixteen to twenty of which she spent working in the camps, and that the sun and moon switched places frequently. When night came, the guards were fiercer then normal to prevent escape, but Vivienne wasn't scared. To her, they were fleas to squish, and one day, she'd be out of her cage and ready to break bones.

Although, she broke plenty of bones already; the two Obergrenadiers that had accompanied the Unterfeldwebel had had an arm broken each, and she had managed to snap the neck of one as well. The camp's commanding officer was sending her out in the morning to another camp for doing so. He was probably scared, like the rest of them.

"ROUSSEAU!"

The woman's head snapped up, half-blind eyes focusing in on the fuzzy-looking bars of her cell. A shadowy outline could be seen in the pale, little light of the area, and Vivienne correctly guessed it to be a guard. What did they want now? Her working on an empty stomach, maybe?

"Ein Soldat wird kommen, Sie auf Ihrer folgenden Lageranweisung zu unterweisen. Seien Sie auf Ihrem besten Verhalten, Fräulein Rousseau; der befehlshabende Offizier wird bereits mit Ihrem Verhalten von früh gereizt. Ziehen Sie nicht etwas Ähnliches, während Sie einen Besucher haben."

In response, the woman only snorted, lifting up her lip slightly and letting out a long, low dog's growl. The chains that held her clinked slightly as she moved her hands up to rest in her lap, balling into fists when they did so. Cloth russtled as she moved into a standing position, glaring at the man heatedly, feeling a sharp pain in her back as she leaned against the wall. Arthritis - what a lovely thing it was.

"Dites au peu le petit morveux que je l'attendrai," the woman replied curtly, a wolfish smirk on her face. The officer replied with a "yes" in German, then quickly marched away...a bit too quickly, perhaps?

Vivienne laughed softly. She may have been a prisoner, but she wasn't a pushover. Most of these Nazis didn't like to be around her when the lioness was in a constantly-changing mood - which, unfortunately for them, was most of the time.

=============================

Translations:

A soldier will be coming to brief you on your next camp assignment. Be on your best behaviour, Miss Rousseau; the Commanding Officer is already irritated with your behaviour from earlier. Do not pull anything like that while you have a visitor.

Tell the little whelp I will be waiting for him.

[Heiko Alkema]

The freezing chill of winter winds was almost refreshing for Heiko, having spent the last few months in Afrika. The mud under his boot made a sick squelch as he walked off toward the holding cells from the barracks. The Lieutenant overlooking the inmates there had requested help for a simple task, informing the inmates of their next destinations. Why someone would need help with this was beyond Heiko but was nonetheless grateful for the chance to stretch his legs.

As he crossed the prison yard he adjusted the rifle on his back and drew his coat a little tighter around himself trying in vain to trap a bit more heat. As refreshing as it might be, cold is still cold. The clouds were low, blocking out most of the sunlight creating a twilight-esque atmosphere even though it was only two in the afternoon. The low lighting obscured the holding building which was nothing more than small concrete box with a heavy iron door.

Heiko knocked on the door and small slit at eye-level slid open for a split second revealing a pair of green eyes and nothing more before slamming shut again. The giant door groaned as it opened inward, another guard stood waiting for him. Heiko stepped in and removed his cap and saluted an officer waiting for him behind a nearby desk. "Unteroffizier Alkema."

"Darf mich im Vorlauf danken," muttered the officer as he held a clipboard out for Heiko and pointed toward another open door further into the building, "Es ist die dritte Zelle am linken. Oh, und diener Gewehr müss heir bleiben" Heiko hesitated before reluctantly unslinging his rifle and handed it to the officer and took the clipboard. Heiko looked over the single sheet of paper attached to it. It was a form with a column on the left for names and one of the right for locations. The problem was that there was only one pair, handwritten, in the top portion. "Rousseau, Vivienne | Mittelbau-Dora"

A woman? This officer needed help with a woman? And a French woman at that! He had been pulled out of nice warm barracks, trudged out here in sub-zero temperatures all to give a tiny bit of irrelevant news to little disgusting French woman! This was outrageous, but it was his duty to obey his superiors and the officer had been polite enough...

Heiko grudgingly pasted through the final door which closed behind him, and continued down the corridor to the third cell of the left and turned to face it, all the while staring at the little piece of paper. There was something illegibly scribbled off to the side, it almost looked like "Augen auf und veil Glück" but that couldn't be right. He stepped closer to the cell.

"Vivienne Rousseau," started Heiko still looking at the paper, "Sie werden..." his voice trailed off as his eyes rose to see the monster standing before him, alarmingly close to the bars. Heiko had seen men be torn apart by all manner of weapons, corpses mangled in horrible ways, but that hadn't prepared him for this behemoth now towering over him with muscles as thick as his head. He tried moving his mouth to finish his sentence but nothing came out. He was rooted to the spot with only half a metre of space and a few iron bars separating him and what seemed like a juggernaut.


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Translations

"Darf mich im Vorlauf danken,"

- "Allow me to thank you in advance"

"Es ist die dritte Zelle am linken. Oh, und diener Gewehr müss heir bleiben"

- "It is the third cell on the left. Oh, and you rifle must stay here."

"Augen auf und veil Glück"

- "Eyes open and good luck."

[Vivienne Rousseau]

OOC - NICE POST! -thumbs up-

- = = -

A harsh snort came from Vivienne's end. Another Boche flea to squish. Another little German whelp to put in place. He was scared, intimidated by her size almost instantly. Even better, he was unarmed, most likely because the guards didn't want their little ol' prisoner getting her hands on his rifle. They knew her well.

"Gutenmorgen, bastard," the woman growled, the chains around her wrists clinking again as she leaned over. She flashed the newcomer a perfectly feral smile, looking at him dead in the eye. The faint light that lit up her form reflected off the cataract over her right eye, and it seemed to glow in the darkness. Her other, still-useful one sized the man up, estimating how long it would take her to bring him down if she got the chance.

If she was right, she could wrap the chains around his neck in roughly two seconds, and it would only take three or four more for her to crush his windpipe that way. Her eyes fell upon him Adam's apple, and she chuckled darkly, her smile one of a hungry predator.

"Pouvez-vous me comprendre, hybride? Hm? Ou êtes vous ignorant et assez têtu pour parler seulement votre Master langue de s? Laissez-moi deviner: première fois nous nous sommes réunis? Chanceux, chanceux vous, peu allemand…" the woman rumbled, switching back into her native French. Although she had picked up some German while she had been a prisoner, and knew enough of it to understand the conversations between the many soldiers Hitler had, she could not speak it well enough. If he understood Vivienne, then good for him. If not, then she would have a bit more fun in confusing him.

Pulling herself into a crouching position, wincing slightly as she did so, Vivienne continued to keep eye contact with the German soldier. She wanted to see if he'd flinch, if he'd pull back and choose flight over fight. Vivienne needed to know whether or not he was an immediate threat - if so, then she could store that information away for later...and better yet, if the Allies and her ever crossed paths, she could tell them, too.

The Frenchwoman leaned forward a little, and as she did, she let out a louder, more savage growl then before. Perhaps she could unnerve this man enough that he would run out of the prison? Perhaps he would even be scared enough to squeal like a little baby when the lioness finally did roar?

============================

Translations:

Good morning, bastard.

Can you understand me, bastard? Hm? Or are you ignorant and pig-headed enough to only speak your Master's tongue? Let me guess: first time we have met? Lucky, lucky you, little German...

[Heiko Alkema]

Heiko blinked as his mind reengaged after the initial shock of this beast's size. That bastard lieutenant! So this is why he needed help. That son of a bitch could have at least let him know what he would be dealing with! Taking his only defense away from him and pitting him against this!

His thoughts were interrupted by sounds coming from her mouth, it took a moment for him to realize it was German. It spoke so it must really be human, he hadn't been sure of that at first, but how dare his wretch speak his superior tongue! The sacred words of Deutsch should never be uttered by so foul a race as the French, especially a freak like this. Nein! He would not allow himself, a defender of the sacred Fatherland, to be intimidated by this French cur.

Heiko took a few steps backwards to be just out of her reach. He felt himself involuntarily stiffen as she spoke again. It was surreal to hear such a soft language spoken so viciously by this thing. He had never bothered to learn that vile language so he could only guess at what she was saying though odds were it wasn't exactly polite judging by the devious grin that broke he face. He guessed she didn't know anymore German than what she'd already displayed... that or she was just trying to goad him into a fight, one which he obviously would not win.

Straightening his back to make himself as tall as possible as she crouched down to his level as if to make a jump through the bars at his throat. He stared back into her eyes, or eye as one of them seemed to be disfigured. It was strange to see such a lack of humanity in the eyes of a human being, no matter how big. The only time he had seen such a thing was in the eyes of an SS officer after he had ordered the deaths of several hundred "uncooperative" Algerians in Afrika. For this one instant he pitied her. His muscled loosened, just for an instant.

His mind snapped back to the task at hand. His muscles tensed and his eyes hardened again. There is no room for sentimentality when dealing with the enemies of the Fatherland.

"Vivienne Rousseau," he repeated, "Sie werden morgen nach Mittelbau-Dora gebracht." His eyes did not break with hers as he continued. "Missdeut nicht mein Befremden vor Angst. Eine französische Frau wird nie Angst ins einen Deutschen Soldat bereiten. Ich werde Sie ins der Hölle sehen." He spat at her feet and waited a moment, his eyes still locked on hers hoping she would understand at least the last sentence.

---------
Translations:

"Sie werden morgen nach Mittelbau-Dora gebracht."

- You will be taken to Mittelbau-Dora tomorrow."

"Missdeut nicht mein Befremden vor Angst. Eine französische Frau wird nie Angst ins einen Deutschen Soldat bereiten. Ich werde Sie ins der Hölle sehen. "

- "Do not misinterpret my surprise for fear. A french woman will never cause fear in a German soldier. I will see you in Hell."

[Vivienne Rousseau]

He stiffened - it was evident by the sudden intake of breath that was just barely audible - and stepped back from the cell bars. He had given her a sign of the fight-or-flight instinct coming to light. Vivienne licked her lips, waiting for the next move. Would he run? Scream? Fight back, or curse at her? One could never know with a Boche soldier. They were an odd breed - some chose to be sympathetic, others as cold as ice. What kind of man would he turn out to be?

The man's figure straightened out, all puffed up and proud. It was instinctive, something older then time making him act this way, and Vivienne was amused. In all her time as a substitute pack mule for the Boche, she found that many had a god complex. They saw themselves as a superior breed, especially those who had blond hair and blue eyes, and thought they were the best. No...better then the best.

But they were humans. Not gods, not rulers of the entire world - humans. Whenever Vivienne cornered a Nazi, she saw and heard the fear. Whenever she lunged at them, she could recall how they screamed, terrified, and tried to defend themselves. It was instinct. An unwritten code that all humans went by. This arrogant German would be put in his place.

"Mittelbau-Dora, wie?" the woman asked, stock-still and using German again, since the Nazi didn't seem to know French. "Ich hörte von diesen Platz. Was lassen Sie mich denken herauskommen aus Grubenzelle?"

Her sentence was broken, but she still had said it. A little defiance would rile him up, and if Vivienne poked this Boche man enough, he might even slip up. When he did, and he came too close...he'd be sorry.

The woman crossed her arms. "So was tun Sie in der Zeitreserve? Reiben Sie Füße und bilden Sie Tee wie kleine Dame?"


========================

Translations:

Mittelbau-Dora, eh? I heard of that place. What make you think I am coming out of mine cell?

So, what you do in time spare? Rub feet and make tea like little lady?

[hansvonspekle]

Gaurd duty. Hmph. At least tomorrow Hans could get out of this God forsaken "Labor Camp". This was the first time Hans had been exposed to such terrible conditions. Damn SS bastards, they had no brains. Why just senselessly kill strong, useful humans instead of using them for the German war effort? Brainless little bastards...

Hans had recovered from a fractured wrist that he had suffered after had met with a shovel that a Russian partisan swung at him on the Ostfront in a medical center close to this labor camp. He was working in the camp as a guard untill he got picked up to be shipped back to the Ostfront, where he was supposed to be, fighting like a man.

Hans clutched his G43 close to his chest as the cold wind whipped at his body. The smell of body odour was excrutiating here, and the dust invaded Han's lungs. He rearranged his helmet's strap and continued on his patrol through the mostly empty cells.

"So was tun Sie in der Zeitreserve? Reiben Sie Füße und bilden Sie Tee wie kleine Dame?" A feminine voice said, with a heavy French accent. We have not only Jews, Slavs, Gypses, and Homosexuals here, but the French too!?!?!?!

Hans turned a corner to see a flustered SS man standing infront of a cell. "Sir, darf ich fragen, was falsch ist?" Then Han's eyes wandered to the cell. He let out a stutter as he saw the biggest woman that he had ever saw.

Now SHE would be VERY useful to the war effort, if the SS bastards ever got it past there thick skulls that she wasnt "Impure"

[Heiko Alkema]

He could feel his own eyes blazing with hatred. He knew she was only trying work him into a frenzy, unfortunately, it was working. He felt like a moth being drawn to a flame, unable to withdraw from a fight that he knew would be one-sided and over in a matter of seconds. He couldn't keep the rage from building in his chest.

Honour had always been a paramount value for Heiko, and any other German for that matter. This woman was humiliating him, making a fool of him knowing full well there wasn't a damned thing he could do to stop her, it had probably taken near a dozen guards just to get her in here; he had no chance of taking her in a one on one fight.

The voice of a fellow German failed to penetrate the fiery wall of hatred that erased anything but the woman in front of him. A weight at his hip came to his attention through the haze of fury that now surrounded him. His hand went instinctively to investigate. His hands met the cold steel of his bayonet. The officer at the door hadn't thought to take that from him! He drew the blade and watched it shine in the dim light. He brought his eyes back up to meet the insolent Frenchman's. He smiled savoring the thought of rending fresh from bone.

He approached the cell bars with madness in his eyes rubbing his fingers over the sharp edge of his blade rejoicing in the pain and warmth of blood.

Then his conscience hit him with the force of a thousand bolts of lightning. He stopped dead in his tracks pale as a ghost. "Was tue ich?" flashed through his mind. If he did this what made him any different from the child-murderers of the SS who had killed his grandfather and uncle? He hated the French but any Frenchman he had killed up to this point had had at least a rifle to defend himself. What had this woman done to deserve death other than be born French? As far as he knew she had never killed a German or harboured any resentment toward his people before being brought here.

He began the tremble visibly. The violent shaking made him drop the bloodstained bayonet which clattered against the concrete. He stumbled back a few steps as he felt bile rising in his throat. Heiko lost his footing and fell backwards into the bars of the empty cell behind him and wretched off to the side.

-----------
Translation

"Was tue ich?"

- What am I doing?

[Vivienne Rousseau]

There was now not one, but two little Germans in the cell block with her. Near-useless eyes flickered over to the newcomer, who was astounded, apparently, gasping at the sight of the woman in the cell. Vivienne gave a low, thundering growl in his direction, slowly standing up. In the dim light, she seemed to be a shadow, the sunlight from the cell's one window shining down on her ominously.

In front of her, the German that had come beforehand was now stepping closer. His hand moved, and several seconds later, he withdrew something with a soft shwick. Vivienne's eyes narrowed at the sound.

It was the sound of a blade being drawn.

Responding to his approach, the Frenchwoman licked her lips, striding over to the front of her cell as chains rattled loudly. There was a faint, iron-y smell in the air - it was the smell of blood. The man was staring at her like she was a piece of meat, and he was rubbing the blade with his fingers so hard, they bled. A smirk formed upon his aggrivator's lips.

"Tun Sie es. Töten Sie mich."

The man suddenly stopped, paling. Within moments, the knife fell from his hand, stained with red. He was trembling furiously, looking as if he was staring down some ungodly beast - which, in the eyes of some, he was.

And Vivienne's chance was now.

"Sie keine Tötung ich. Sie erhielten keine Eingeweide, Sie Bastard wenig. Nicht wie ich. Ich reiße Ansätze wie zweige, Sie täusche."

In one swift motion, she bent down. Hopefully, the other man would distracted enough that Vivienne could snatch the knife away from them. After that...

==========================

OOC - If I'm right, the posting order is me, Heiko, Hans, in order of thread-joining.

Translations:

Do it. Kill me.

You NO kill me. You got no guts, you little bastard. Not like me. I snap necks like TWIGS, you fool.

[Heiko Alkema]

The world around Heiko was nothing more than a grey blur. The blood was pulsing painfully through every part of his body. He felt an oddly cool sensation on the right side of his face, he tried to wipe it away but missed slamming his hand into the bars behind him. The pain brought things back into sharp clarity.

A green blob towering to his left was the first thing to come into focus. It turned out to be a rather startled sergeant. Heiko may have been able to see but the impact of his head against the bars behind him left him unable to remember where he was or what he had been doing, so the comical look of surprise on the soldier next to him almost made him laugh aloud but a much bigger blob in front of him caught his attention before any sound left his throat.

He saw the giant blob turn into a large woman who seemed to be falling forward toward the bars, a hand out stretched... reaching for something on the floor... something shinny with specks of crimson... The bayonet! The whole situation came back to him and a sharp pain pierced his stomach as the gravity of what was happening struck him.

He swore inwardly at his failing and was ashamed of his clear weakness being displayed in front of both this beast and a fellow soldier. He would never forgive himself for this; this utter failure was inexcusable for a member of the the German Army.

In a desperate attempt to rectify his mistake, Heiko lurched forward trying to grab the knife or at least knock it out of her reach. She might be able to get him but she was not going to get that knife and put any other Germans at risk.

[hansvonspekle]

Hans looked at the man who had just yelled and collapsed. He was utterly suprised. He had pulled out his bayonet and just- fallen. It was one of the strangest things he had ever seen. But then the other soldier lurched forward in a look of panic.

The bayonet.

How could Hans be so stupid? He had possibly just let the weapon that could kill him or the other soldier lying on the ground while Hans stared dumbfounded at the man lying on his back on the cell floor.

Translation

Woman! Stand back from the bars or I will shoot!

Panic struck Hans like cold ice-cicles plunging into his heart. His mind churned as he threw himself against the cell oppisite of the massive French woman's. He brought his G43 close to his eye, looking through the iron sights he commanded "Frau! Stand wieder aus der Zelle Bars oder ich schießen!" He tried to say it in a tougher voice, but fear poked through.

[Vivienne Rousseau]

It was too late for those foolish, foolish Germans. Vivienne had the knife in her hands, well out of their reach. She grinned darkly at them both, twirling the bayonet around with the fingers of one hand. One had his rifle raised as the other soldier dived for where the bayonet was -

"Sie denken das Messer, das benötigt wird, um zu töten?"

In a single, swift motion, the woman's hand would reach down and grab the German by his wrist if he didn't move. With a vicious pull, the woman would yank the soldier's arm into the cell, tossing his precious weapon to the side. Her eyes were cold, devoid of regret or mercy, and one hand moved up to the man's elbow. She would then attempt to pull the pathetic German upwards, and to his feet.

With yet another low, feral growl, the woman attempted to bend Heiko's arm downwards, not stopping until it was at a 70-degree angle and cracking loudly. Her hands would then go to his wrist, and then, they would try and twist the joint out of proportion. His fingers came next, the fingers forced into pointing upwards with a loud snap every time.

"Wie die Zweige Bastard. Zweige."

But it was not over - not just yet. Bringing her knee up, the woman began to slam the man's lower arm onto it. If her prey didn't move, she would eventually cause the bone to break, perhaps even badly enough for said bone to pierce the skin...?

Once she was done, she dropped the man, then fetched the bayonet and tossed it outside her cell. Hopefully, her point had gotten across: they needed to fear her all the time, and not just when she had something sharp and pointy in her possession.

============================

OOC - I didn't try and control your character here, Heiko. Let me know if it's been worded that way.

Translations:

You think knife needed to kill?

Like twigs, bastard. Twigs.

[Heiko Alkema]

Still disoriented from his fall, Heiko wasn't able to abort his doomed lunge forward. The bayonet was gone, taken by the beast behind the bars and already she was coming back for him. Heiko tried to get away, he tried to rear back but she caught his left arm before he could get out of her reach.

It was an surreal sensation. Heiko, a full-grown man at 27, was lifted from the ground into a standing position as if he weighed no more than an infant. His entire left in was her cage now, from shoulder to finger tip. She had one hand on his fore arm and one on the upper part. He was surprised by her choosing hands over the bayonet, but then her muscles could probably do more damage than any pistol.

Crack

The room seemed to explode with bright lights as the sickening crack reverberated around the corridor. Heiko screamed more in surprise than pain, the adrenaline would see to that for a few moments. "Hilf mir!" shrieked Heiko at the until now unhelpful soldier, he instantly regretted the request for help as he turned and saw the muzzle of Hans' rifle come dangerously close to being pointed at his head, "Nein, schieß nicht!" He raised his arm before his face out of sheer reflex.

Another sharp pain began to seer through his fingers, Heiko's head snapped back to his arm in the cage. He was horrified to see her hands bending his fingers toward the back of his hand. He struggled against her grip trying desperately to get away. Forgetting the rifle, he called out again, "Hilf mir, Depp!"

Crack

He lost feeling in his middle finger as a smaller crack echoed through the cell. Her hand slipped on the blood pouring out from his self inflicted wounds, Heiko seized the moment and yanked himself from her vise-like grip and tumbled backwards, landing at the feet of the man behind him.

The bayonet clattered again as it hit the ground next to him. His humiliation had been completed. He knew he was lucky to get away with only a broken arm and finger, it could have been... no, should have been much worse. He had allowed himself to be goaded into a fight he would never win. He had failed as a man, and the ringing of the bayonet was the last and most brutal insult.

----------

"Hilf mir!"
- "Help me!

"Nein, schieß nicht!"
- "No, don't shoot!"

"Hilf mir, Depp!"
- "Help me, fool!"

[hansvonspekle]

Crack

Thats all that passed through Han's mind. The beastly woman had pulled the man's arm into the cell and did who knows what to it. The sicking sound echoed through his mind as the man yelled for help. Hans aimed his rifle, as soon as his clammy finger was about to pull the trigger the man yelled to not shoot. The next thing Hans knew was the man collapsed at the Feldweble's feet.

BAM!

Hans felt the recoil of the shot aimed at the womens chest and then dropped to his knees to help the other man at his feet.

OOC: Sorry if it's a bit short and jumbled, but my laptop has been acting strange for the past couple days...

[Vivienne Rousseau]

OOC - 'Tis all right. Hopefully, my post does enough damage to Viv based on your shot.

- = = -

The rifle went off, Vivienne's vision too poor and her focus too much on her victim to notice it was there. It missed her heart, plunging into the shoulder blade several centimetres above it, but the pain was still there. With a loud yelp, almost too feminine for the vicious looking monster in the cell, the woman stumbled backwards into the darkness.

Feet could be heard from afar as the guard at the entrance came running. "Was alle Geräusche ist - " began he, visibly irritated, stopping only when he saw the scene before him.

A soldier on the floor, his arm and fingers cruelly broken, visibly in pain.

Another stood over him, his standard-issue rifle raised, most likely the loud BAM the guard had heard.

And from the cell, heavy breathing.

"IDIOTEN!" yelled the guard, smacking Hans over the back of the head - they were the same rank, so Herr Von Spenkle couldn't pull such on him. "Die Frau soll NICHT Schuß sein! Sie ist ein Wertgegenstand in das Reich! WÜNSCHEN Sie den befehlshabenden Offizier des Platzes uns BEIDE vor einem Exekutionskommando setzen?!"

He then looked down at the injured Heiko.

"Und wie ich in meiner Anmerkung sagte, 'HALTEN SIE IHRE AUGEN OPEN'. Wir haben eine Geschichte des Fräuleins Rousseau gehabt, Mühe zu verursachen! Ich soll Sie von Ihrem Rang für Ihre Dummheit, Sie abstreifen lassen arrogant wenig - "

A savage growl erupted from the back of the cell. The guard, eyes wide, immediately grabbed the pair by the scruffs of their collars, and began to try and pull them backwards. If the Frenchwoman was wounded, she could become highly aggressive, like the caged animal she was. She couldn't be trusted, she was unpredictable -

"RRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHH!!

The guard yelped in fear. Her roar was wild and ferocious, like one of the great big cats that lived in the Orient and Africa. The chains that held her rattled as they were strained, Vivienne's massive frame plowing into the cell bars. They gave a loud bang, and the woman looked at the trio with bloody murder in her eyes, a loud snarl escaping her mouth.

The guard only wished he could move faster.

++++++++++++++++++

Translation:

What's going on here -

IDIOTS!

The woman is NOT to be shot! She is a valuable asset to the Reich! Do you WANT the place's commanding officer to put us BOTH in front of a firing squad?!

And as I said in my note, 'KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN'. We have had a history of Miss Rousseau causing trouble! I ought to have you stripped of your rank for your stupidity, you arrogant little -

[Heiko Alkema]

Heiko cringed as the crack of Hans' rifle echoed through the entire building, leaving nothing but a mind-splitting ringing in it's wake. The beast reeled back from the impact with its mouth opened but Heiko couldn't hear anything come out of it. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see the sergeant with the rifle hold out a hand to help him up. Heiko grabbed his bayonet and stuffed it back into the sheath on his belt a little too eagerly cutting his hip in the process. Taking the man's hand with his good arm, he pulled himself up grunting with the effort and the pain of shifting his broken arm.

Yet another guard joined the little gathering and screamed something at the man above him. The guard turned to Heiko and screamed some more, none of which Heiko could hear as the world was still screeching directly into his ears. This new man reached out and pulled Heiko's collar toward the entrance as he backed away from the cell of some reason that Heiko couldn't figure out.

As he was more or less dragged from the area by the new guard, Heiko glanced back at the beast of a woman. Their eyes met for a moment, but this time he wasn't afraid. She hadn't killed him when she clearly had the chance. There was no anger in his eyes either. He had no right to be angered over his broken arm, he had been stupid and he paid the price for it. No, respect was now the only thing he held toward this woman. She was no longer French, or a woman, or a beast. She was simply an adversary and a worthy one at that. Next time, god forbid there should be a next time, he wouldn't allow her insults to get under his skin. Next time he'd be prepared.

She opened her mouth again and he assumed she was roaring again. The moment was lost as a new spasm of pain shot up his arm from the guard at his collar yanking him forward as he sped away from the scene.

Heiko's hearing came back as the trio passed through the threshold between the cells and the offices in front. The officer grabbed his rifle and threw it at Heiko, who barely caught it with good arm. "Gehen sie aus!" yelled the officer, turning red in the process. Heiko needed no further urging and quickly made his exit.

The cold air bit at his fresh wounds. A trip to the infirmary was definitely the next logical step. He slung his rifle over his right shoulder and trudged off leaving a faint trail of blood in the muddy slush behind him as it dripped off his fingertips.

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"Gehen sie aus!"
- "Get out!"