Chapter 1: Breakout
Group 935's Japanese counter-part, Division 9, had suffered similar loss in support following
the end of the war. Many of their facilities such as the Island and Swamp facility had been mostly
abandoned. Many members of the organization suffered persecution for their crimes against humanity,
while some went into hiding.
“Dr. Okitsu, thank you for being such a dear and keeping my subjects while I was, err, on call.”
“Edward, we risked everything keeping them here. Do you know how many times we were
questioned about your violent American screaming in the shipping container? Do you know how many
nationals we had to kill to get them here without causing attention? The Americans have full
governmental control now. No one is supposed to still be here at the Rising Sun facility.”
“You worry too much. I have very important reasons for keeping them here, away from the
prying eyes of Group 935. Now please, may I see them?”
“If you must, Richtofen. This way.”
The two doctors strode a wooden path cutting through the murky swamp water of the Rising
Sun facility. Much like Der Riese, silence was a mainstay of this swamp. Many doctors once toiled
away here, now all dead or living in fear of the Americans.
“What do you have to worry about, Dr. Okitsu? From what you've told me you weren't a full
member of Division 9. Only working part-time with them?”
“You are correct, Dr. Richtofen. However, I participated in projects with Division 9 that would
incriminate me should they discover my involvement. Dr. Yuasa and I experimented with a few
American pilots. The tests are not something the Americans took too lightly, I will say that. Dr. Yuasa
has been open about the tests, but I'm not taking the chances.”
“We've all got a few skeletons in our closet, Dr. Yuasa. Well, more than a few in some cases,
literally and figuratively.”
“Humorous as always, Dr. Richtofen. I hope you have some way of restraining your more
violent subject. My men are not paid enough to deal with the likes of him any further.”
“Your men? I thought we agreed only you and I would meet here!”
“You did not expect just me to be able to transfer three living subjects to our cells alone did
you? Besides, only one of my men is with us today, for security purposes.”
Dr. Okitsu's assistant stood guard at the holding cells, Type 100 sub-machine gun in his trained
arms.
“Open the door for Dr. Richtofen and lead him to his subjects.”
“Yes, sir.”
The brute began to force open the rusty door for Dr. Richtofen. Dr. Okitsu noticed the sound of
splashing water out of earshot.
“Do you hear that? Is someone outside?”
The splashing grew louder and became more frequent.
Dr. Okitsu left the two to investigate the matter.
“Keep getting that door open! I will see what it is. Probably wild animals stuck in the mud.”
The man finally got the door open wide enough to fit into, but both of their attentions were
caught by the loud screams. First, one of anger, a second, of pain. Dr. Okitsu's mercenary tip-toed
forward, rifle at the ready. In walked a stumbling corpse of a Japanese soldier, a familiar flesh dribbling
out of its mouth. Dr. Richtofen creeped backwards into the cell block and the man opened fire on the
orange-eyed corpse. It dropped lifeless to the floor, and many others soon following the sound of
gunfire into the facility. The zombies were slow, but as one caught sight of Dr. Richtofen behind the
soldier, it began to sprint and the others soon joined.
“Come, doctor, help me get this door closed!”
Zombies piled up by the door, actually helping close it as the two pulled it shut.

“What the hell were those things, doctor? Do you think Dr. Okitsu-”
“Yes, he's dead. He's probably one of them now. Those beasts will stop at nothing to feast on
our juicy organs. We must be prepared for anything. Listen, I do not have a weapon on me. You have
that pistol holstered, may I have it for protection?”
He handed Dr. Richtofen the Nambu from its holster.
“Of course, doctor. We will have to stick together and get your test subjects out-”
Richtofen put three shots into his chest, sending him onto the ground bleeding. He kicked his
weapon aside and took aim to his head.
“It's nothing personal. I told Dr. Okitsu not to bring anyone along! You understand, surely.”
He finished him off and searched his belongings for a set of keys. They will allow Dr. Richtofen
to meet some old friends.
On the first cell Richtofen floundered with the keys to find the right one. Behind door number
one...nothing. No one here.
“Did they forget one? Unreliable-”
Tank Dempsey came in with a solid punch to Edward's face.
“Gotcha you damn Nazi! Hoorah!”
He made a break for the hard metal door and tried to force it open while Richtofen was still
recovering.
“I wouldn't do that if I were you, American!”
“Oh yeah, why is that?”
“There's...uhh...Nazis on the other side of that door! And Japanese soldiers!”
“Yeah, well there's a Nazi and a Jap on THIS side of the door, and a Ruskie with a hangover.
What difference does it make?”
“Look, Dempsey, first of all, the war is over out there. The Nazis are all hanging or hiding out.”
“Hoorah!”
“And secondly, I am not a Nazi. I am a doctor.”
“Last I checked you and the Nazis were buddy buddy? You've got swastikas on your uniform
for God's sake! Once a Nazi, always a Nazi!”
“So dramatic, Dempsey. This uniform was all I had lying around. I need you to calm down and
cooperate with me. We have to get the others, and get going with my plan!”
“Your plan? My plan is to kill every goddamn Nazi I see, and get the hell back to the US of A!”
“What if I told you with my help you can kill more 'goddamn Nazis' than likely anyone else on
the entire planet?”
“I'd say you're a liar. Now shut up so I can get this GODDAMN DOOR OPEN! AGHHH!”
“Long story short, Dempsey, there is an undead army on the other side of that door. You will die
painfully in vain if you go out there. They will infect you and you become one of them! See that dead
man right there? I had to shoot him because he was going to turn.”
“Zombies...so you're saying I get to kill all the Nazis...again?!”
“I...I suppose? If you give me some time to wake up our two companions, we can blast our way
out of here, you can go on any maniacal killing spree your heart desires, and you can return to your
homeland to frolic in the dead Nazis. You just have to help me in my teensy-weensy plan. There will be
killing along the way, if you can handle that.”
“Sounds like a deal, Doc. Go wake em' up then.”
“You know I'd like an apology for that blow to my jaw!”
“I'm sorry you want an apology.”
Senseless brute. He would prove useful, however. What has caused the sudden rising of the
dead in this area, especially the dead with such aggressive demeanor? Something's gone horribly wrong
at Griffin Station. That damned little girl must have something to do with it. And no telling what

happened to Dr. Maxis.
Richtofen slowly inched the door open, to avoid any flying blows to the face, and a revolting
stench of vomit wafted Richtofen's senses. Nikolai was face down on the wooden floor.
“Ohhh poor Nikolai! Did they not give you the vodka I requested?”
“Not...enough...”
“You are a real needy character, Nikolai. Look, here, I brought a bottle for you, just in case.
Now you drink it, and get out there with Dempsey, and wait for me to get Takeo and we will be on our
way to find more vodka!”
“That asshole Takeo talked bad about Mother Russia! I'm kicking his ass when I...get...”
Sleeping again. Richtofen tried snapping his fingers and slapping him to wake him up. Nothing.
All so dramatic and nationalistic. Borders should soon dissolved in their journey ahead.
He dragged Nikolai's body outside the cell and to Dempsey's feet, and handed him the vodka
bottle.
“Force-feed him this and he will be up in a minute or two.”
“I'm not a nanny, Doc!”
“Quit whining or you'll be in charge of feeding Nikolai for the whole trip.”
Last on the order, Takeo. Richtofen entered his cell to find him facing the wall, sitting in a
meditative state.
“You have returned, Doctor. I assume your plans have gone through?”
“Not precisely as intended, Takeo. The good news is, you are getting out of here, along with our
estranged friends outside. But the bad news is I may have awakened a horrific army of the undead. I
know it sounds bad, but the fun news is we get to violently dismember them! I know you're quite keen
on that! Now, I have some business I need to finish regarding past plans, and will need you, Dempsey,
and Nikolai to assist me. Once we are finished with our mission, you can return home, and you will be
honorable once again!”
“Very well, doctor. You have kept your word. I will fight for you until we see the mission
through.”
“Finally! A sane individual on the team, besides myself of course, heh heh. Come now, we need
to find a way out of this swampy hell.”
“Step one. Secure the keys.”
“Shh! Not the time!”
“Alright, Doc, what's the plan? Nikolai looks like he's only going to last another half hour
before he passes out again.”
“That door will require all of our strength to open, however, what's on the other side will pile in
here and gore us. We will have to get the door open and go in guns blazing all at once. Dempsey,
you've got the death-dealing experience, you take this sub-machine gun, and I will take this pistol.
Nikolai and Takeo will get the door open.”
Dempsey gripped the Type-100's magazine and took aim to the door.
“Hell yeah! It's been a while since I've held anything this badass! In fact, I can't really
remember holding anything badass really...weird.”
Takeo took note of how Dempsey held the weapon.
“Foolish American, you are holding the weapon incorrectly!”
“Excuse me? Who made you the weapon expert?”
“You wield it like a toy, not with grace nor honor.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, Tak, you're the master of grace. So much grace vomiting all over the
shipping container on the way here.”
With a swift motion, Takeo took the gun from Dempsey and had it pointed directly back at him.
“Watch your tongue, Dempsey.”

“Alright, that was badass.”
Richtofen cut in between them.
“Enough chatting! Dempsey, just get on the door.”
“Fine. But I'm grabbing the first gun I see, no trades.”
“Push now, you two! Schnell!”
Dempsey and Nikolai put all their brawn into pushing the door open, but it seemed to be
weighed down by the undead outside.
“Something's pushing back, Richtofen! This ain't gonna work by just pushing!”
“Well, do you have any other ideas?”
Nikolai took a hardy swig of his vodka.
“Let's blow this door the fuck open!”
“And where do we find some fuckin' TNT around some jail cells, genius?”
“With this dynamite I found on that dead Japanese guy!”
“What the hell?! He had dynamite? Hell yeah! Matches too?”
Nikolai crossed his eyes for a moment as if he was in deep thought.
“Ehhh, not so much.”
“Well, don't worry, I've got some right here! I wanna be the one to set this shit off!”
Richtofen questioned the origin of said matches.
“How did you get matches in your cell?!”
“You don't gnaw your way out of a bamboo cage carrying only a medal and a bobby pin without
being a little crafty. Now everyone get back, and get ready for the boom!”
Richtofen and Takeo drew their weapons ready for the onslaught to ensue.
“Fire in the hole!”
The fuse ended and the door was flung into a horde of undead soldiers. Those not disfigured by
the blast charged at the crew. Takeo gunned down five runners, with Richtofen picking off several at
their flank. One made a leap at Takeo but suffered a blow to the head by a raging Tank Dempsey. He
continued to bash its head in with his bare hands, and took the Arisaka from its back. He was rather
displeased by the lack of firepower in this bolt-action rifle.
“Hey Tak, remember I said no trades?”
“Take my weapon and cover my path. I am going to retrieve my blade.”
“Go for it! I'll keep em busy! Eat lead freakbags!”
Takeo wielded the Arisaka like a blade, swinging the dagger-tipped rifle to knock the head off
of a zombie, then charging another, piercing its throat with the dagger, before finishing it off with a pull
of the trigger. In the next room held a crate with many belongings confiscated from them upon arrival,
including Takeo's katana still clean in its sheath. It bore the namesake of the Masaki family. These evil
creatures deserve a dishonorable end at the hands of Takeo Masaki. A limping zed met a swift fate to
Takeo's blade.
“Fall like the others, demon-spawn!”
Meanwhile, Nikolai had recovered two pistols off fallen zombies and let loose his fury on the
horde.
“Is more fun than late night in Stalingrad! Ha ha! Taste death, hellpigs!”
Richtofen stood at Nikolai's back blasting skulls, and when a zombie got too intimate, Richtofen
introduced it to his knife. This one had a gift for the doctor.
Richtofen lifted the grenade from the zombie's belt and tossed it into the large crowd down the
hallway, cackling as it sent flesh and blood flying. A zombie missing its legs pulled itself towards
Richtofen's feet.
"Get off my leg, minion! Face your maker!"
Click. Bang. The four bloodthirsty men finished off what was left of the horde before catching
their breath.

Dempsey finally let loose of his gun, and turned to grab Richtofen by the collar and pull him up
in the air. Richtofen let out a cry of shock before Dempsey made his intentions clear.
“Doc. That. Was. Badass! We've got to find more of those freaks!”
“Well maybe you should start by letting go of me. I'm sure there will be more where we are
going. We must return to the main building of this facility! I must collect what I need and-”
“But will there be vodka? Vodka is fuel for the Red Menace!”
“I brought you a whole damned bag full of vodka, Nikolai. We can't have you being sober, now
can we? Now, enough meandering, let's go mein friends!”
Richtofen and his new allies took to the swampy bridge towards the central hub of the Rising
Sun facility, guns ready for a new onslaught. Takeo began to reflect on the events which had transpired.
The lug-head American showed such ferocity, such brutality in the killing of the foul beasts.
Takeo was disgusted by his blood-lust, yet in the heat of the moment, Takeo felt the excitement rush
through his veins with every swipe of his blood-stained katana. Takeo is the last of the Samurai in his
family and all of Japan. By the time of his training, the Samurai spirit was already waning. He had little
chance to display his ferocity in battle, and the opportunity created great pleasure for Takeo. But he did
not understand the nature of these creatures. What had caused these spirits to form and wreak havoc on
the living? Richtofen had made mention of being the 'maker' during the chaos. Takeo feared Richtofen
had a deep, dark secret with which he kept close. Only time will tell what the doctor has in store,
besides alcohol for the lowly drunk. Speaking of the drunk, Takeo despised him, not for mere political
mistrust, but a complete lack of focus and respect for the world which he is a part of. Nikolai seemed to
share a similar level of displeasure in his company. But trust would be Takeo's only ally, and he must
learn to make do with the Russian if he is to keep the trust of The Doctor.

 

 

Chapter 2: Mystery
“We're here. This is the place.”
The crew had come across a lone fishing hut extending off the facility, and followed the bridge
across.
“Finally! I was getting tired of Takeo's rambling.”
“Shut up Nikolai, and get your gear on!”
“Alright, Dempsey. Hey, you want to trade guns? I'm pretty bored with these pistols.”
“You heard what I said, Nikolai, no trades!”
“So you will trade with Takeo, but not with me? Someone doesn't want a share of vodka!”
“Nope, I don't, not yet at least. The hopelessness hasn't set in for me yet like it has for you, you
know your whole life.”
“Fuck off, Dempsey.”

Richtofen grew tired of the bickering. For blank slates with no memories, they sure had a deep-
seeded grudge.

“Please, children, set aside you differences and open the damn door!”
Dempsey opened the wooden gate to the building. Parts of the walls were overgrown with plant
life and fungus. Nests of insects had formed within every room, and the smell of swamp water and
flesh hung permanently in the air. Four undead roamed around the center room.
“Ooh, this is good! We must be close to my safe. One of them has the key to-”
Dempsey ran up to the unsuspecting zombies and slammed the butt of the Type 100 into its head
and put a whole magazine into the four bodies before they could respond.
“Dempsey! Save some for the rest of us! Why did you not wait for me, you could have
destroyed the key!”
“I don't take orders from you, Doc.”
Richtofen crouched down to examine the corpses. He searched every pocket of their
unrecognizable bodies. Finally he found the blood stained key within one's breast pocket.
“If this key had been destroyed I would have gutted you!”
“Damn, I would've liked to see you try.”
“No matter, upstairs I have everything we will need for the journey ahead.”
Richtofen eagerly walked up the stairs and rummaged through his safe. Immediately on
entering, the sounds of flies buzzing could be heard, coming from the limp, dangling body near the
center of the room. It was a soldier, dressed in green, much like Dempsey. Strung up by his neck and
missing an arm at the elbow. Takeo and Dempsey approached it as Nikolai hounded Richtofen for his
vodka.
“Do you know him, Dempsey?”
“Well, I don't think so. Come to think of it, who do I know? I know you. Richtofen.
Nikolai...I...I have a kid I'm pretty sure.”
“I do not remember many others of time's past either. Richtofen seems to know the most of any
of us what is going on. I fear he may be a manipulator.”
“I know he's an asshole, for sure. No way in hell do I trust him. I just...how did we get here?”
“What are your earliest memories?”
“Well, besides being a kid? I know I had a mission. A mission to find someone. After that I don't
know much.”
“Be mindful of the future, American. We are not friends. But Richtofen certainly isn't either.”
“I can agree with you there.”
The two turned back to regroup with Nikolai and Richtofen, who were squabbling over a bag,
labeled 'Nikolai's Vodka'.
“But why can't I have it, German!”

“Nikolai I don't trust you not to binge every bit of it I have brought! If you waste it all now you
will find yourself dead!”
“Come on, I'm dying now!”
“You already drank a bottle. You are fine, I am sure of it. I'm a doctor.”
“A candy-ass doctor at that! Fuck you, Richtofen!”
“Watch your language with me, Nikolai. Come on, and I will give you more. Stop moping
around.”
Richtofen lifted a large bag and swung it over his shoulder.
“What's in the bag, Doc? Nursing tools?”
“Our backup plan in case things get very bad very quickly. We are going to get to the teleporter,
and go through with my plan, however there are some things here I must acquire before we may leave.”
The four continued to walk and talk down the stairs before happening upon a strange box in one
of the downstairs rooms. It had two white question marks painted on the top, and a yellow light
glowing bright.
“Alright, Doc, what's this shit now?”
“I actually do not know, unless...”
Richtofen approached the box and gently began to lift the top. With extreme force the top came
completely open and the light within shone in Richtofen's face, and a Type 100 began to float out of the
box, then suddenly the Type 100 changed into a revolver, then a machine gun, a flamethrower, and
other weapons from all around the world, before finally settling on the MP40 sub-machine gun. It
seemed to hover within the box, ready for Richtofen to take it. The weapon was fully loaded, pristine as
if right out of the factory. Along with it were several magazines of ammunition.
“What...beauty! GIVE ME ANOTHER, BOX!”
Richtofen attempted to lift the box open again but it refused. What took little force before was
impossible to open. Dempsey came and shoved Richtofen aside, lifting the box open and wringing his
hands together in anticipation. The weapons cycled, some weapons appeared that Dempsey had never
even seen on this Earth before. Finally the weapon that settled was an old favorite, the Thompson. An
American treasure.
“I...I think I'm in love.”
“NIKOLAI'S TURN!”
The box cycled once more revealing to Nikolai the PPSh-41, the mainstay of any Soviet's
arsenal.
“How did it know! How did it know!”
Takeo did not trust this magic box. Such rewards must only come with a cost. Yet, his curiosity
took the best of him.
The weapons cycled once more, but instead of a weapon allowing itself to be taken by Takeo, a
bloody teddy bear appeared in its place. A brooding giggle of a little girl emanated from the box,
sending Takeo reeling back. The teddy bear began to spin, and the box lifted into the air before
vanishing.
“That laugh! I know that laugh anywhere!”
Richtofen searched his belongings and began to ramble to himself in some sort of recording
device as Takeo recovered from the shock. Nikolai could only smirk at Takeo's poor luck.
“Ooh, tough break Takeo.”
Dempsey handed Takeo the Type 100 which he had used in the battle prior.
“You want my old gun? It's better than nothing I guess.”
“I will wield the Emperor's weaponry with pride and dignity.”
Takeo left the group to consult Dr. Richtofen.
Still smirking, Nikolai spoke to Dempsey.
“Yeah, he's pissed. Ha ha ha!”

“Heh, yeah he is.”
“Entry 720404. We have discovered this strange box of...well...mystery. When opened it seemed
to pull a variety of weapons through time and space before finally allowing one to be taken. When poor
Takeo tried to get a weapon of his own, I heard Samantha's incessant giggling. She must have
something to do with this. This weapon technology is exactly what I had been working with at Griffin
Station, particularly quantum entanglement. How Samantha is able to utilize my work, and why she
would give us these gifts is unknown. I will investigate this further once I return to Der Riese.”
Richtofen shut the recording off and turned to Takeo, who stood awaiting answers.
“Doctor Richtofen, what is the origin of that laugh you heard from the demon box? And why
did it present these weapons to us?”
“Don't worry yourself about the girl, Takeo. She's not our problem yet. The box I am not so sure
of. I have a feeling we will be seeing the box again, sometime soon.”
“Doctor, I could sense great evil within that box. These forces we are meddling with seek to
blacken our souls.”
“For now, Takeo, we must make do with what we are given. Remember the deal, Takeo, you
help me, I help you. Get those two moving. We must find what I came for.”
“I understand.”
Takeo returned to Dempsey and Nikolai who were chatting about Richtofen.
“Listen, I'm just saying, we take him out, get the hell out of here, and go our separate ways.
Why should we follow him around doing his dirty work?”
“Is good plan, Dempsey.”
“We can agree on that, Nikolai.”
Takeo knew their alliance must hold if they are going to return home.
“Not just yet, Dempsey. The time is not right.”
“What, Tak, aren't you the one who said don't trust him?”
“There is a blackened soul within that man. But he is our key to paving a way through this
madness. Only he knows, truly, where we are going. We must follow him for the time being.”
Nikolai spat at Takeo's feet in disgust.
“I will certainly not follow a fascist, and I will especially not follow you, Takeo.”
Dempsey took what Takeo said to heart. His one hope of returning home to the life he had
somehow forgotten was in The Doctor.
“Now hold on Nikolai, he's got a point. Do you even know how to get home from here? And do
you even want to know what's waiting for you when you get home?”
Nikolai pondered the thought. There is no one to go home to in Russia. His government had
sent him to die. His family had forgotten him or died long ago. There is no life for Nikolai now. Only
vodka and death lay in the path ahead.
“You don't know me, Dempsey. None of you do. If we must, I will fight on. Not for anybody.
But for me.”
“Alright then, Tak, what would Doc have us do?”
“We are leaving for the Communications Center. Richtofen has business to attend to there.”
“Alright, vague but fair enough.”

 

 

 

Chapter 3: Speed
The wooden boards separating their feet from the thick swamp water were weak and many
splintered at their weight as they marched onward to the Communications Room. They walked in
formation, Takeo and Richtofen at the front, Nikolai and Dempsey watching their flank. The small hut
at the end of the walkway was barely holding together. The front gate was made of a weak wood, and
the walls made of a similar material, various panels of sheet metal, and fencing. The roof was lined
with barbed wire, and an electric wire originated from the building, towards several lamp posts and five
bulb-like objects hanging down above the entrance. The sign written in chalk said “COMM ROOM”.
Upon entering the hut, a strange, rectangular object was floating against the wall. It was an
orange color, with a symbol on the top center glowing as if it were powered on. Then suddenly it
disappeared and a similar green and white object appeared in its place. Then a red and white one. Then
a blue and white machine. Again and again they cycled before finally the green and white machine
dropped to the floor. It stood slightly taller than any of the crew, wider as well. It resembled a soda
dispenser, complete with coin slots, a coin return button, and a slot where the bottle would be acquired.
The top, white section of the machine said “Drink Speed Cola” with “Speed Cola” in a larger font, and
in the top right it said “ICE COLD”.
“Okay, what the fuck? They've got soda machines in this place, Richtofen?”
Richtofen seemed just as gobsmacked as Dempsey, despite knowing the machine's origins.
“This...should not be here. The project was scrapped at the end of the war. Group 935 had been
working with Division 9 in developing drinks that gave superhuman abilities. Prototypes of the drinks
themselves were available...but these machines for public use were just blueprints...concepts!”
Takeo eyed the glowing symbol at the top. It depicted a white hand wielding what looked like a
gun magazine, and movement lines came from the hand.
“Do we know what this machine can give us?”
Dempsey rolled his eyes at the question.
“Come on Tak, it's called Speed Cola! It has fucking hand moving fast on it! I want some of
this.”
Dempsey further examined the front of the machine as he approached it. The coin slot required
ten cents. He attempted to push the button to select the drink, with no effect.
“Anyone got any change?”
Nikolai felt around in his pockets.
“Ehhh, Russian or American? Because I'm broke either way.”
“Fine, I'll get it out myself!”
Dempsey reared backwards pushing aside the others and slammed into the machine with his
shoulder before falling to the ground in agony as the machine did not budge.
“FUUUUUUUCK! ACH! FUCKING GERMAN SODA MACHINE!”
“That's what you get for being cheap, Dempsey!”
“Fuck you, Richtofen, get me my soda!”
“Forget the machine, I have more important things on my mind right now, Dempsey. Now get
up, dummkopf!”
Dempsey's shoulder was busted. The arm barely functioned, leaving him only with his left arm
in full control.
To the right of the soda machine were some crates, and an odd chalk outline of a weapon on the
wall which Nikolai was fixated on.
“Why is this here? Is it to mock us!”
“Ja, Nikolai they drew a weapon on the wall in chalk to piss you off.”
“Those bastards!”
“Just rub off the chalk if it really bothers you so, Nikolai.”

Richtofen left the others alone with the chalk drawing and the perk-a-cola machine, as he
attended to other business.
“Entry 72322. Things have been getting stranger and stranger since the fall of Griffin Station.
First the magical weapon box, and now long lost Group 935 designs for human augmenting soda
machines appearing before us. I am convinced Samantha is behind this, and she must be getting help
from somewhere, from someone still alive in Group 935, I am sure of it. Shh...Shhh I am trying to do a
log entry, voices! I don't know how I will be able to accomplish my goals with these barbaric fools as
allies, distracted by every passing...Oh, it appears Nikolai has acquired a rifle out of thin air. More
oddities I cannot fully explain to them. I await their begging questions. I have many of my own. Who is
giving us such gifts? It cannot be Samantha. It must be...someone or something else.”
“I am amazing magician! Soviet government would not be too happy with such displays of
wizardry!”
“Maybe it's just the bad memory, but this shit is getting weirder and weirder all the time.”
“You should be happy, Dempsey! We must graciously accept such gifts!”
Nikolai then dropped the weapon and gasped, discharging a shot out the door, sending Dempsey
and Takeo ducking for cover.
“Fuck! What is it Nikolai?!”
“If chalk can give weapons...could chalk give me...vodka?”
“Talking like a real egghead there, Nikolai. Pretty sure the next step of the scientific method is
experiment.”
“I must find chalk! RICHTOFEN DO YOU HAVE CHALK!”
Nikolai sprinted to the busy doctor, meddling with recording equipment and headsets in the
comm room.
“While Nikolai is occupied, what do you think of all this, Tak?”
“I sense something greater going on around us, unseen. Two sides, conflicting, and we are but
pawns in their game.”
“A game, huh? Exactly what I was thinking. Undead freakbags trying to kill us, and some
magical shit trying to arm us to the teeth to slay them. I can't complain, I must say I'm enjoying myself,
'cept for this bum arm. Richtofen better have some fucking miracle shit in that bag of his.”
“Do not find too much joy in the slaughter, Dempsey. Joy in bloodshed can change a man so
deeply he cannot return to his former self.”
“Quit being philosophical with me, Takeo. I do what I want, how I want.”
“Do you, American? Or is there some cosmic force deciding what you do?”
“What the hell is that suppose to mean?”
“Interpret it as you wish, Dempsey, for interpretation is-”
“GUYS THERE IS NO CHALK! I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED!”
Dempsey hated an interrupted conversation.
“KEEP YOUR FUCKING VOICE DOWN, NIKOLAI!”
Before more could be said, the sound of splashing of water and mud could be heard outside.
Then came groans and the sound of wet flesh on wood.
“Meatbags are on the menu! Fuck, my arm!”
Dempsey raised his thompson with his one working arm, and managed to slay a few charging
eyesores despite the recoil from his weapon. The others joined in gunning down a horde as they rose
from the swamp water one at a time. Bits of flesh and sinew stained the air and water through the
onslaught. After nearly thirty zombies fell back to their swampy grave, the crew had time to rest from
the slaughter.
Takeo reloaded his weapon and backed himself accidentally into the soda machine. It then let
out a strange jingle, seemingly Mexican in nature, and out of the front slot came a bottle. It was a

similar green shade to the machine. Takeo gripped the bottle, unscrewing the cap as the others watched.
The taste was sweet, with a slight kick of spice, appealing to Takeo's senses. At first he felt the same,
then his hands began to shake and he had a sudden urge to move them.
“What has this drink done to me, Richtofen?!”
“You need to calm down or your hands will not, Takeo, I think, I'm not quite sure really. I
actually don't know, you might die.”
His hands began to sputter even more.
“Nikolai, hand me your empty weapon.”
“No way in hell, Takeo would I ever-”
A swift swipe of the hands and Takeo had taken the weapon from Nikolai and reloaded it in
what seemed like the blink of an eye. Takeo's jittery hands began to come to rest. The effect had not
worn off, however. Takeo had learned to control the speed of his hands.
“That's the coolest shit I've seen all day! Give me some of that Speed Cola!”
Dempsey and Nikolai clamored to acquire the drink and Richtofen watched on, trying to piece
together the puzzle. The machine did not require payment in a traditional sense, yet did not dispense the
drink before a certain point, similar to the box not giving him another weapon after first acquiring one.
Fascinating. Richtofen had a hypothesis on the possible cause, and how they may be able to acquire
more of these gifts in the future.
At the celebration of their new-found abilities, a sudden whirring sound could be heard out of
earshot, then a flash as a yellow light shone in the sky from another section of the facility.
“It can't be.”
“Is there someone else, you know, alive here? We've gotta show them this fucking awesome
soda machine!”
“Quiet down, Dempsey, we must investigate.”

Chapter 4: Fetch
“What do you make of these past events, Nikolai?”
“If you're trying to start conversation, Takeo, you are barking up wrong tree.”
“Must you not reconcile and meditate on your actions? Or is your alcohol affinity your way of
coping?”
“Your big words do not impress me Takeo. I am a simple man. Vodka is fuel of common man.”
“I must agree, you are quite simple.”
“You're a walking fucking cliché Takeo.”
“At least I have my wits, my honor, my path. What do you await in your future?”
“More killing, more vodka. What more can Russian ask for?”
“I detest you, Nikolai, but I fear for you. A man without a path is not a man, but an animal.”
“Enough of your fucking metaphors! I do not take advice from the likes of you Takeo!”
“You may come to regret your lack of discipline when the time for battle comes.”
“A Russian does not regret. A Russian presses on, even when all hope is lost. Unlike you
Japanese, who take your own lives, and for what?”
“For the glory of the Emperor.”
“Your emperor is a puppet, so what does that make you, Takeo?”
“You know nothing of the Emperor, drunk fool!”
Takeo reached for his katana, ready to strike at a moment's notice. Nikolai's eyes dared him to
make a move, his weapon at the ready. Richtofen had taken notice of their feud, and pointed his
weapon at Takeo.
“What are you doing, Takeo! Put the sword away, now!”
Nikolai had not moved his gaze away from Takeo's. His soulless, blank eyes and the smirk he
held did not affect Takeo. Richtofen could not afford to lose one of his pawns, let alone two. Richtofen
felt the warm metal end of Dempsey's gun pointed at his temple.
“I knew not to trust you, German. I'll enjoy watching you die.”
“Dempsey, this is a simple misunderstanding! Nikolai and Takeo were just having some
personal problems they needed to work out, and-”
“I don't give a fuck about that. You pull that trigger on one of us and you die.”
The standoff continued for another minute, no one daring to make any sudden movements. They
were all ankle-deep in swamp water, sweating from the tension and humidity. Takeo stayed fixated on
Nikolai, planning his attack. A slash at his neck, one swift motion to end the bastard. Nikolai's eyes had
grown shaky. He had gone a bit too long without another sip of vodka, but his will was strong, and he
would pull the trigger should he even sense Takeo would make a move. Richtofen was most distraught.
His plans must not fall apart from this simple rivalry. Not only would these two kill each other, but he
will die at the hands of the American. Dempsey feared nothing. His broken arm was nothing compared
to the pain he wished upon Richtofen.
Takeo shut his eyes, and breathed once more, preparing to make the first move. Before anyone
could respond, a thick, gloomy fog overtook the air. Despite standing near each other, they could barely
see their adversaries. Out of seemingly nowhere, the booming voice had returned from the box.
“Fetch me their souls!”
A bright flash of electricity formed in the distance, creating a booming sound, and two orange
eyes could be seen through the fog. The pair of eyes then began to growl, not like a zombie, but like a
dog. Soon after came two more booms and flashes, with two more sets of eyes following.
“Uh oh. Those don't sound like freakbags.”
The standoff had ended, and they were all back to back looking through the fog at their
attackers. The first set of eyes charged at them at high speed, leaping through the air at Nikolai. It was a
dog, flesh decayed and organs exposed. The dog was on fire, as if it had come from the gates of Hell

itself.
Nikolai shot the flaming hound out of the air, causing it to explode into giblets. Another circled
the group before charging once again and being gunned down. More and more of the hellhounds
pounced and fell short of killing them. One last dog finally met its end, and the fog began to clear.
What was left of the last dog sunk in the deep mud, and a strange, green glowing orb appeared above
the body. Inside the orb was a floating, golden ammunition box.
“I know I say it a lot, but, what the fuck Richtofen?!”
“That dog, that voice...that damned girl...”
The others were too fixated on the orb to question Richtofen's words. The golden box inside
seemed to spin as the orb floated there. After a few seconds, the orb began to flash, getting faster and
faster.
Nikolai eyed the orb once more, and took a hardy drink of his vodka bottle.
“Eh, what the hell.”
He reached to grab the odd ammo box, and the orb disappeared. Once again, the booming voice
bellowed a phrase.
“Max Ammo.”
Curiously, all the empty magazines of their weapons were refilled with bullets.
“More shit I do not understand, but damn do I love it!”
Dempsey and Nikolai was enthralled by this chain of events, but Takeo only had more
questions.
“Richtofen, you must explain now why we are receiving these gifts.”
“I cannot explain exactly what is going on, Takeo. You ask these questions so much! Why can
you not just accept what you are given and be happy about it?”
“I do not understand, doctor.”
“Of course you don't! No one does! Stop questioning that which you do not understand. I will
find out what is going on, and fix it. So don't worry your little head about such things! Just enjoy
yourself in the slaughter like the others!”
“I do not enjoy the slaughter, Richtofen.”
“Questioning things too much is one thing, Takeo, but lying is the last thing you want to do to
me right now! We should trust each other, no? I have not lied to you, not even once!”
The rivalry before the onslaught had been forgotten. Takeo still did not truly believe Richtofen's
words. Yet, Richtofen understood Takeo's inner turmoil. The slaughter of demons was enjoyable. Takeo
could not fully understand the nature of his urges to kill, he could only suppress it when it mattered the
most, when it would be dishonorable.
The shining, yellow beacon from before had originated from a hut referred to as the Doctor's
Quarters. It was structured similar to the Communications Room of the facility, but slightly larger on
the inside, and outside was a wooden platform attached to a zipline, connected to the upper floor of the
central building of the facility. Richtofen pushed the wood doors open to reveal the inside of the hut.
There were radios, bookshelves, and small tables with medical supplies. But as the door came open, a
red and white machine began to float in the air near the back wall. Just like in the Comm Room, the
machine cycled through with two other machines, a bright blue machine and an orange machine.
Eventually it settled on the light blue soda machine. It was much shorter than the Speed Cola machine,
with the slot on the top for collecting the bottle. In big lettering, the machine was labeled 'Quick
Revive!'. Also written were 'Ice Cold' and 'Sold Here'. A stain of dried blood appeared on the front of
the machine as well as a bloody hand print on the top. The glowing emblem depicted a man rising out
of his grave.
Dempsey set his eyes on the Quick Revive machine. He pressed a button on the face with his
still-functioning arm, and out of the top came a bright blue bottle.
“Bottoms up!”

He chugged the drink, expected a similar taste to Speed Cola, but this soda did not give
Dempsey that same pleasure. Some of the drink had made it down his throat before his gag reflex sent
out the rest and he tossed the bottle at the wall. The fishy taste was revolting to Dempsey.
Richtofen laughed at Dempsey's gagging and coughing. When Dempsey noticed his cackle, he
took a swing at Richtofen's chest with his once broken arm, sending Richtofen reeling to the ground.
“Hey, it fixed my arm right up! Might want some of this stuff for those ribs, Richtofen.”
“Ja, I do.”
Richtofen clenched at his chest and gasped for air before taking a drink. The flavor was
unbearable, but the drink had reinvigorated him. Minor cuts and bruises cleared up, leaving a short
tingly feeling for Richtofen.
“Amazing, why did Group 935 scrap such a brilliant idea? Anyway, Dempsey, why don't you go
stand over there, as far away from me as you can, while I do my work, Ja?”
“Gladly.”
Richtofen entered the doctor's quarters, a familiar locale during his stays in Manchuria. Where
his desk once stood, there was now the magic box from before, and it was now emitting a faint yellow
beam into the sky, which they had assumed to be an SOS signal. He began to reach for it before being
startled by a voice coming from behind him.
“Hey, it's the box! Dempsey, Takeo, let's get more cool weapons!”
“Ach, I said stay outside, Nikolai!”
“You did? I don't remember. So, can I have the vodka now?”
“You want vodka, Nikolai, here, get it!”
Edward took a bottle from his bag, and rolled it out the door down the stairs, and Nikolai
followed right behind, plowing through Dempsey.
Now that they were occupied, Richtofen began another audio log.
“Log Entry 73442. The magic box appears to have moved locations into my old work space,
and we just had a chance encounter with Samantha's beloved Fluffy, or at least her puppies. Several
dogs, most likely spawning in from the Aether, attacked us before being shot on sight. As the last dog
died, we were rewarded with something new. A green orb which refilled the ammunition of all our

weapons. After the encounter with the hounds, I was able to drink another one of Group 935's perk-a-
cola concepts. Once again, it simply released a bottle of soda as I came near it after the battle. I believe

these machines, the box, and these magic chalk drawings will only dispense these pleasantries after we
have killed enough of the undead. Perhaps they accept Element 115 or ethereal energy as a form of
currency. Or perhaps, someone is watching over us, rewarding us for what we do. I will have to consult
the voices on that one, heh heh.”

 

 

 

Chapter 5: Storage
Swamp water to their bootstraps and sweat dripping from their foreheads, the group marched
on, following Richtofen's orders. The others preferred to stay away from Richtofen, but for fear they
may betray him, he kept them as close as possible. The storage hut was just up ahead, and with great
timing as well. Nikolai's vodka was half empty.
“Hey Richtofen, vodka is running short. Mind passing some more my way?”
“Nein.”
“Nine bottles! I'm no capitalist, but hey-”
“No! Nein as in no. You will get another bottle later, when you need- wait, do you hear that?”
The group came to a halt beside a wooden fence just beside the storage hut, lush with plant life
just as dead as the people here. Dempsey was agitated by the constant halting, which only further
muddied his pants in the swamp water.
“Hear what? The fucking splashing water? These FUCKING MOSQUITOS?!”
Dempsey chopped at the air trying to swat away the little nuisances. Richtofen, meanwhile,
ignored the commotion, and listened to the low hum just out of earshot, coming from outside the
fenced area. Then it came into view. A rock. Not just any stone or pebble, but a meteor made up of
Element 115 as evidenced by the red glow and low hum. Even at this distance, Richtofen could feel the
radiation burning the hairs on his skin. The others soon joined Richtofen's side to revel in the
meteorite's wake.
“I wonder if that rock brought those freakbags...”
“You are not so far off, Dempsey. This is a very rare element with incredible power. So sad we
do not have the proper tools and it is so...large.”

“Why would you possibly need this thing? So you can make more of those walking pus-
buckets? You have something you're hiding...?”

“Nein, let's go, enough sight-seeing.”
Richtofen clapped his hands twice and continued to the hut, oblivious to the fact Nikolai had
snatched a bottle of vodka right from his satchel.
Nikolai downed several ounces before offering Dempsey a sip.
“No thanks, Nikolai, I prefer killing sober, then wallowing in sadness sometime shortly after.”
“What if I told you you could kill and wallow at same time?”

“Still gonna have to pass. Need to save room for more of these Perk-a-whatever-Richtofen-
calls-them.”

Takeo appeared concerned. Not even Richtofen knew where these drinks came from, and what
exactly they do. He would let the foolish American or the Russian test them first in the future.
Up at the storage hut, lifted up above the water, Richtofen pushed the double doors aside and
watched as two perk-a-cola machines cycled back and forth, before the orange machine fell to the floor.
Double Tap Root Beer.
“Root beer?! This day gets better and better all the time.”
Dempsey pressed the button and a drink dispensed from the machine. He unscrewed the cap and
downed a hearty sip of the concoction.
“It's uhh....whew...how do I put this...chewy? Not the root beer I know, some kind of cheap
German knock-off.”
As he spoke, Dempsey could feel his fingers twitching, and he eventually lost grip of the bottle,
shattering it on the floor. His fingers began to rapidly flex over and over again.
Over the sound of insects buzzing and Nikolai's heavy breathing, splashing could be heard
outside the hut. Takeo, Nikolai, and Dempsey scrambled to the door, weapons at the ready as Richtofen
grabbed several assorted items in the shed to put in his bag. The splashing continued in the swamp
water, and soon several dozen bodies began pulling themselves from the mud, setting their sights on the

soldiers. Dempsey put the perk-a-cola's effects to good use, pressing the trigger of his Thompson faster,
pumping out lead with more efficiency than when the gun fired automatically. Takeo and Nikolai joined
in the slaughter, before realizing they were heavily outnumbered.
“Richtofen! Get over here and...whoa.”
Dempsey fumbled over his words at the sight of the Wunderwaffe DG-2. Elegant and seemingly
factory-new, the weapon emitted a low buzz as the electricity flowed between the tesla coils.
“Okay, what the fu-”
Richtofen pulled the trigger on his invention, sending a bolt directly into the chest of a nearby
zombie, as Richtofen cackled in celebration. Electricity surged throughout the zombie's body and out of
its eyeholes, cooking it internally. The electricity pulsed between several nearby zombies to the same
effect, and the electricity cooked anything stood within the murky water.
As the smell of seared flesh and gurgle of blood came to settle, Richtofen fell to his knees in
triumph.
“I have dreamed of this moment since I was a little boy! Ha ha ha!”
Richtofen let in a large whiff of the cooked flesh and hugged the Wunderwaffe as if it were his
own son. The others lowered their weapons in the awkwardness, Dempsey being particularly disturbed.
“Talk about a problem child.”
The moment did not last, however, as several zombies began to pile in from the back of the
shed, and more undead appeared from the ground in the area.
“Time to move boys!”
Dempsey, Takeo, and Nikolai drudged through the muddy water towards the main facility, guns
blazing, as Richtofen stayed behind giggling with joy at each kill with his Wunderwaffe.
Inside the main building, dozens of zombies were piling in and charging before meeting their
end. Dempsey headed the charge towards the Doctor's Quarters where they hoped to take refuge from
the zombies. In all the commotion, Nikolai chose a different path, towards the fishing hut they had
arrived from initially. His fate looked grim, and his ammo was depleting rapidly. Above the main gate
to the facility was an odd contraption: two wooden logs attached at two ends of a gyrating pole, each
log armed with spikes and caked in coagulated blood. On the fence was a red switch and a small bulb
lit up green. This can only have fun results.
Nikolai pulled the switch and watched as the device slowly began to spin in the small entryway.
The foolish zombies continued their trot towards Nikolai despite the imminent danger. They met a swift
fate as the logs slammed into them, sending them flying in Nikolai's direction, forcing him to dodge a
few. Nikolai chugged another bottle of vodka as the entire horde died off one by one.
“Wait, Takeo, where's Nikolai?”
“We must forget him, we have our own troubles ahead.”
Dempsey and Takeo marched to the doorway of the Doctor's Quarters, there was nothing to
barricade the building with, and more zombies began jumping through the windows.
“Time to take a chance!”
The mystery weapon box was still there, awaiting their arrival. Dempsey opened the box in a
panic while Takeo covered him. Things were promising, until the laugh came. Dempsey had to cover
his ears as the young girl's voice giggled from another dimension, and the teddy bear floated away
along with the box itself.
“Fuck!”
The two stood back to back firing at the dead soldiers charging from all directions. As Takeo
sent the last round of his Type-100 towards the enemy, he reached for his Katana knocking off the
limbs of any demon that came close.
“We can't do this forever, we need a way out!”

Still back to back, Takeo and Dempsey moved outside the building, slaughtering everything in
sight. By the water was a zipline for transporting cargo, and a switch to move it between the upper
floor of the main building and the Doctor's Quarters.
“Let's hope this thing can hold the both of us. Guess it's a good thing Nikolai bailed.”
Dempsey flipped the switch and the platform creaked slowly over to them. The wood it was
made of seemed flimsy and ready to fall apart at any time. Not to mention it was likely meant for
holding medical supplies, not two grown men. This was no time for thinking things through, however.
Takeo gripped the rusty switch and sent the two of them towards the facility. As it lifted off the ground,
the zipline dipped them lower than likely intended, but it held together. Dozens of zombies swung
ravenously at the air above trying to reach them. Before the lift eventually came to a stop at the top of
the facility, Dempsey pulled the pin on a German hand grenade, and dropped it into the horde below.
Limbs and heads flew through the air, many landing next to them. The screams of the damned came to
a close, allowing time for the two of them to calm.
“Tak, I'm thinking we need a vacation.”
“Rest is certainly in order.”

 

 

 

Chapter 6: Departure
Thirty minutes, roughly, had passed since the onslaught of the undead had ended. Dempsey
stood at the railing gazing at the mound of flesh half-submerged in water below them, while Takeo
rested his eyes, sat against the wall. Dempsey was about at his last nerve when Richtofen finally
arrived. Takeo woke up as the grinning Edward Richtofen trotted his way up the staircase. His face
seemed to be stuck in a state of permanent ecstasy. Before Dempsey could berate him, Richtofen sat
down next to a confused Takeo, wrapping his arm around him and letting out a sigh of relaxation.
“This has been the absolute best day of this doctor's life. Those screams of the damned as they
burned were so...invigorating. What a beautiful sight! I only wish I had my camera...”
Dempsey had no response. The doctor's disturbing love of all things internal had him
speechless. After a moment of silence, Richtofen's face of pure, unadulterated happiness changed to
concern. His voice then turned accusatory.
“Where is Nikolai? Did you not make sure he was following you? You know he is known to
wander!”
“Easy there, you freak, he's probably just sleeping drunk in some ferns. We'll find him.”
“You'd better hope so, Dempsey. I value that Russian's life more than your own.”
“Then let's go find your little spoon. Takeo, take lead, I gotta make sure Richtofen doesn't start
eating our entrails.”
“Oh please, Dempsey, entrails are the worst tasting part of the human body, by far. I have
standards, you know.”
“I can't tell if that was some form of comedy or a true statement. I don't want to know either
way.”
Richtofen ignored the banter to address his more prominent concern.
“Where did you last see Nikolai?”
“I know he was with us when we ran into the building, after we got to the Doctor's Quarters I
noticed he was missing. Takeo, did you see him run off?”
“He stopped following us as we passed by the main entryway. He may have tried to run away,
unsurprisingly.”
“He may be taking refuge in the fishing hut by the water then. Let's find him, we must leave that
way to get to the MTD anyway.”
“MTD?”
“Matter Transference Device. Teleporter. Big thingy that takes us to a different place.”
“Fuck off Richtofen. And where exactly are we going?”
“I have to stop by my old workplace to tie up some loose ends, and then we leave for Griffin
Station!”
“Uh huh, and where is that?”
“I need not clog your mind with precise locations, Dempsey. There's only so much room up
there.”
“You may have me beat on brains, Richtofen, but I can still kick your ass.”
“Using violence as the answer as always, Dempsey.”
“Oh like you're some pacifist. I saw how much you loved killing back there...it's fucking
weird.”
“To each his own, I suppose.”
The three armed men approached the fishing hut, Takeo creaking open the door, to reveal a
passed out Nikolai in front of a new Perk-a-Cola machine, Juggernog Soda. Dempsey approached the
Russian, kicking his arm to wake him up.
“Hey! Nikolai! What does the drink do?”

Nikolai opened one eye and mumbled something incomprehensible, and raised his index finger
to point at something in the corner. It was the corpse of a zombie, without its head. The head was about
six feet across the room, the face caved in with skull fractures all around. The others soon realized
Nikolai had matching blood and fractures on his own hand. Richtofen knelt down to examine Nikolai's
fist while Dempsey clamored to buy a bottle for himself.
Nikolai's knuckles lacked any bruises despite the sheer amount of force required to knock a
head clean off a zombie. The Juggernog Soda had given his body a hearty resilience. A drink such as
this would put those in the medical profession out of the job. Incredible.
Dempsey actually quite enjoyed the taste of this soda. Quite similar to eggnog with a sweet hint
he had not tasted in quite some time. The jingle from the machine reminded him of home. He finished
what was left in the red bottle before tossing it aside.
“Alright then Richtofen, let's find your MDT.”
“It's MTD.”
“Right, MDT.”
“M...you know what, fine, let's go.”
“That's what I'm talking about. Come on Nikolai!”
With the strength imbued in Dempsey, he was able to lift Nikolai off the ground and over his
shoulder. Richtofen led the way out of the swamp and into a hut which held his teleporter. This would
be the last they see of this god-forsaken swamp of the dead. Richtofen entered the coordinates into the
MTD's keypad and shut the door around them. The lights flickered and buzzed, then came a flash, then
nothingness.

 

 

 

Chapter 7: Der Riese
The blinding light of the MTD left Dempsey's vision spotty, and his knees weak. He struggled
to pull himself back on his shaky legs as the smoke cleared and his vision re-aligned. This...was not the
swamp they had been at just moments ago. It was some type of factory, run down and bombed out, and
they were now in its courtyard. A large metallic sign on the front of the facility read “Waffenfabrik der
Riese”. German.
Around him, Takeo and Nikolai were on the ground as well clenching their stomachs,
attempting not to vomit. Richtofen seemed unaffected by the sudden change of location. Dempsey
finally mustered the strength to lift himself up.
“What the hell just happened? Everyone okay?”
Nikolai blinked rapidly trying to gather his bearings.
“Ohh...I feel like I will throw up...”
Unconcerned, Doctor Richtofen adjusted his hat and walked forward down the stairs of the
raised platform.
“A mere side effect, Russian.”
Nikolai proceeded to empty a pint of vomit out onto the concrete floor.
“Everything is normal.”
A power generator nearby began to spark and finally shut down. An automated voice bellowed
across the facility.
“Power levels critical. Shutting down the teleporters.”
Dempsey checked his machine gun: only a handful of rounds left. He followed Richtofen's path
into the center of the courtyard.
“Let's get this done.”
“Why the rush, Dempsey? Don't you want to go sight-seeing in my old workplace? I could give
you the VIP tour! Maybe you could even get to see my greatest inventions, if you are a good boy that
is.”
“We're not going to be moseying around some goddamn German weapons factory. You do your
business here, then send us home in your magic MDD or MTT or whatever it is ASAP.”
“Learn to be a little spontaneous, Dempsey! Don't be obtuse.”
“What the fuck did you just call me?”
“Nothing...wait, Nikolai what on earth are you doing!”
Nikolai was now back up on his feet, face pressed upon the glass of a large, bell-shaped device
behind the teleporter pad. Inside was a blue device, with some writing hard to make out through the
fogged-up glass on the machine.
“What is the machine inside machine? How can we get inside?”
“Well, my curious little Russian, the power is out. We must have sucked all the power out of the
entire facility upon our arrival. The locked door may have been a fail-safe in the event of an outage.
You should not worry yourself with that machine however. We are here for some very important
documents, and then...”
Muffled screams of ravenous beasts originated from a barricaded alleyway near the courtyard.
Two figures donning Waffen SS uniform goose-stepped forward towards Richtofen. Their stench soon
followed. Dempsey's face lit up with a grin as he put four bullets into the head of one, and then the
sleek, metal blade of his knife into the head of the other.
“Nazi. Zombies. I love this place.”
“How quaint. Come now, everyone, let us continue our quest for greatness! You too Takeo, I
better not see you lagging behind.”
Takeo appeared the most shaken by the teleporter, all his lunch from the past week spilled out
on the floor. Still, the warrior pulled himself back on his feet. The mission must be completed if he is to

return home.
They took a staircase leading to a large sliding door with a Group 935 insignia painted on it.
Odd, Richtofen had never actually seen these doors closed before. It must have been automatically shut
tight during the massacre many months ago. However, with the power now out in the entire factory, the
door took little effort to push aside. To the left, another metal door, this one, however, marked with a
warning, indicating the door is intended to keep out zombies. It may have been activated during the
massacre by one of the scientists, as part of Der Riese's precautionary defense system, the Shield. By
the decimated structures and loss of life, it appeared this system could not stop the Soviets in their
onslaught. Richtofen led on through a normal sliding door, the overhang riddled with coils, meant to
rain down electricity from above, another precaution meant to quell a zombie horde should it have gone
rampant. The four men entered what appeared to be a large garage. Around the room were many
barrels, now mostly destroyed, and coal for the nearby furnace room scattered all along the ground,
giving off a highly industrial smell. On the wall near the furnace, a chalk drawing, of the American
Thompson sub-machine gun: Dempsey's weapon of choice. Dempsey reached for it in hopes of
acquiring a new Thompson to replace the old one, but instead, several magazines of ammunition
appeared in his open hand, and Dempsey quickly refilled his stock.
“Good, I was getting attached to my little Tommy gun.”
On the garage door adjacent to the furnace, the word 'Help' appeared written in chalk.
Takeo spoke his first words since his arrival.
“What happened here, Richtofen?”
“Well, I don't want to bore you with the details, but Group 935 was in way over its head, und
when the war ended, the Russians and the Americans held a standoff, each putting their grubby little
hands into Der Riese, und essentially destroying the facility, taking what was left for themselves.”
Nikolai leaned in to get Richtofen's attention on the matter.
“And who won?”
“What?”
“The Russians or the Americans?”
Dempsey chimed in, now fully interested himself.
“Yeah, who?”
“Dummkopfs, you both won the war, you were on the same side!”
“Right, I know that asshole, but who got the biggest piece of this German weapon factory pie?”
“Truthfully, I don't know the details. Most of the scientists were killed by the Russians, who
arrived first. The Americans may have recovered some survivors, and whatever scraps were left, if
there were any. Now, the two are deciding what to do with this land und the rest of Germany, which is
why it would behoove us to get in and out of here with our lives still intact.”
“You are the best at disappointing stories, Richtofen.”
Nikolai nodded in approval.
“Да, I was hoping for more gory, explosive detail.”
“Children! The both of you! Why can't you two just shut up, like Takeo.”
“Because we do not have stick up our ass like Takeo!”
“I'm sure you two can discover every little facet of how the war ended once you return home,
AFTER we complete our mission here.”
Richtofen directed the others with his index finger towards a metal staircase leading to the
second floor. Nikolai sipped his vodka bottle, preparing for another long walk up the stairs. In this new
room above them, was another closed sliding door, and an open doorway, leading to a balcony
overlooking the power generator. Also on the balcony, near a window barricaded by sandbags was an
old friend, Double Tap Root Beer. At the ledge of the balcony was a drawbridge; the bridge was,
however, deactivated with no way to get across. This method of transportation likely required
activation of the power grid, using a switch surely somewhere down below.

Richtofen knelt down at the ledge, planning his next move. The drop was survivable, though
could potentially break bone, and that would throw a wrench in their journey. Then, he had an idea.
“Dempsey! Look with me.”
Dempsey hesitated for a moment before walking slowly towards the doctor. Richtofen then
rested his open hand on Dempsey's back in a friendly manner.
“Dempsey! You drank the Juggernog Soda back in the swamp, Ja?”
“Uh...yeah.”
“Und you didn't throw up like the others when we arrived, Ja?”
“Uh, no I didn't. I don't see what your point – HEY!”
Richtofen had shoved Dempsey off the ledge onto the hard concrete below. The unprepared
soldier fell chest-first onto the ground, knocking the wind out of his lungs.
After a moment, Dempsey raised himself up, unscathed, though still in much pain.
“RICHTOFEN! You motherfucker, I wasn't ready!”
“You have to relax, Dempsey! All that screaming can't be great for your healing ribs! Now
please, would you be a dear, and search for a power switch near that generator over there!”
He pointed towards the generator, buzzing with electricity, ready to activate. Tank Dempsey
rubbed his neck before readjusting his shoulders. Still furious at the betrayal, he hesitated to follow
Richtofen's orders, but there was nowhere else to really go. He began to walk towards the other side of
the generator, where the switch resided, however his attention was soon drawn by the reappearance of
another old pal, the magic weapons box.
“Oh hell yeah! I've been missing you, old buddy!”
Richtofen noted Dempsey's discourse, and attempted to put an end to the meandering.
“Dempsey, dummkopf, just turn on the power first!”
“Gimme a sec Doc, I gotta roll the dice.”
Dempsey laid his palm on the thick wooden cover of the box, lifting it up to reveal the bright
warmth inside, and several weapons cycled before his very eyes. Machine guns, rocket launchers,
flamethrowers, they all looked so good. The excitement was palpable. The cycle began to slow down
until finally a weapon settled down before Dempsey. A simple bolt-action rifle, the Kar98k.
Dempsey threw up his hands in anger, slamming fists into the brick wall. He then retrieved the
weapon and slammed it into the ground, stomping on it.
“Motherfucker! I wanted something good!”
Richtofen grew in anger as well, shaking his fist as he called out to Dempsey down below.
“Dempsey, turn on the power, NOW!”
“Nah, Doc. One. More. Try.”
The box did not agree however, and Dempsey put all his might into trying to lift the box open
again to no avail. Richtofen's face was now well acquainted with the palm of his hand. If you want
something done right, you must do it yourself. Frightened by the drop, Richtofen called Nikolai over to
assist him in his descent.
“Grab my hands, and DO NOT let go until I say so, do you understand?”
“Да.”
Richtofen then took both of Nikolai's rugged Russian hands, and lowered his legs down over the
ledge as if he were climbing down a ladder.
“Lower me down some more, Nikolai!”
Nikolai's arms began to sputter from Richtofen's full weight pulling down on them. Richtofen
attempted to rectify this by placing his feet on any nook or cranny in the concrete wall he could find.
Suddenly, Nikolai's attention was grabbed by Dempsey standing atop the box, stomping on it in anger.
He dropped Richtofen who fell flat on his back, knocking the air out of his lungs, and the hat off his
head. Edward now questioned how he got himself in this situation, before pulling himself together and
limping towards the power switch, past the peeved American. The generator whirred louder than ever

as Richtofen flipped the large switch on the panel. Steam hissed out near the ledge as the bridge
lowered, allowing Nikolai and Takeo to pass to the other side of the factory. Behind the generator was
the laboratories building of Der Riese, also home to the office of Dr. Ludvig Maxis: Richtofen's
objective. With the power now active, the sliding door to this section of the facility came wide open as
Richtofen approached. He turned around to gather his allies. Dempsey was sulking to himself near the
box, while Nikolai and Takeo were nowhere to be seen. Richtofen returned to the ledge, calling up to
them.
“Nikolai! Takeo! Find a way down! I have found what I need!”
The two returned, red bottle of Juggernog Soda in Takeo's hand. The two both took a hearty
swig of the concoction, both awaiting the other to jump first. Nikolai then placed his hand on Takeo's
should in a friendly gesture, but Takeo would not fall for the same trick. Takeo placed both of his hands
on Nikolai's shoulders and tossed him over the edge down to Richtofen. The fall blurred his vision, and
surely should have fractured the drunk's spine, but Juggernog had made them into durable
superhumans. Takeo landed feet first nearby, regrouping with Dempsey, hoping to avoid any retaliation
from Nikolai once he mustered the strength to get back up. Nikolai appeared to be too drunk to
understand what had just transpired however, and stood up, dazed and confused.
The others tagged along behind Richtofen as he entered the courtyard just outside the
labratories building, to the right was an office, the wall blasted open revealing the desk of a Dr. Ludvig
Maxis.
“Gentleman, welcome to Der Riese.”

 

 

 

Chapter 8: Eclipse
This new building was in much the same state as the adjacent factory, burning and blasted to
hell and back, yet to Richtofen it still held an air of warm nostalgia. While normally finding the office
of the esteemed Dr. Ludvig Maxis was quite the trek through the building, bombings had blown a hole
into Maxis' office, giving easy access from the courtyard.
Richtofen's boots crunched down on the rubble as he climbed the slight incline into the office.
Many memories here, mostly bad ones. Maxis was an old fool whose actions meant he deserved
exactly what happened to him.
Though it was covered in soot and debris, the floor remained mostly intact, apart from a few
openings in the floorboards, leading to an underground tunnel used for subterranean research. The door
to the office was torn off the hinges, replaced by sandbags and many nailed down boards placed by
panicking scientists during the massacre. The room had been cleared out and looted for all it appeared
to have left, but Richtofen knew what Maxis kept just below the surface. Strangely, the hidden
compartment in the floor was now covered by a Quick Revive Soda Machine. These perk machines
being here is no coincidence. Just days before, Richtofen had been in this very room, and he believed
the Perk-a-Cola project was scrapped, yet before his eyes was a factory-new life-dispensing soda
machine, placed by some unknown ethereal force. Perhaps Maxis' research may shed some light on the
quandary.
Richtofen turned to command his lackeys, only to find them wandering around the area. He
instead decided to move the machine himself. It took much brute force to move even a few inches,
there being no way it was transported here without some form of mechanical or ethereal force.
Richtofen dusted away the soot and smoldering ash from the floor, revealing a wooden door. Beneath
this door, a fireproof safe, locked with a combination. Edward turned the combination lock in the
proper fashion. 26 – 8 – 34. The 26th of August, 1934, Samantha's birthday. The little brat is good for
something, it appears. The metal safe held only one item in protection, a gray folder branded with a
seal of Group 935. Richtofen marveled at the thickness and the array of information present. The folder
was organized with dividers marking areas of research Maxis wished to keep away from him. Vril,
Element 115, Experimental Weaponry, Space Travel, Mind Control, it's all right here.
He began to flip through, taking in all the juicy information. Despite Maxis being so adamant
the Wunderwaffe DG-2 must not be mass-produced, it appears Maxis had commissioned his own set of
weapons to be produced, in what is nicknamed 'Project 87'. One weapon appeared to be a derivation of
Dr. Porter's Wave Gun prototype, redesigned with an alternate fire, using bolts of electricity as a second

form of attack. Dr. Porter must have had no idea Maxis had been stealing his work like the blood-
sucking leech he was.

Another design used Vril Energy, a Group 935 recreation of what the ancient race, the Vril-Ya,
used in their technology. The 'weapon' was designed based on the appearance of an ancient weapon
described in Vril-Ya texts, and is meant to be able to bring the dead back to life. Unlike Element 115,
however, it is designed to give the target full control of their minds and bodies, and dead cells are
reverted back to their healthy form just before death. A soldier dead from war for years could be
revived and sent right back into war just as they were right before their death. Fascinating.
Before Richtofen could view more, Nikolai began calling out his name in a panic from outside.
Richtofen closed the folder and placed it in his bag, rising up to investigate the trouble. Nikolai was
pointing at the Moon, rambling in broken English.
“The moon...I think it is burning!”
In the sky, the Moon was quite close to eclipsing the sun, now emitting a bright flare.
“Oh Nikolai, it is merely an eclipse. A completely normal occurrence. Consider yourself lucky
to see such a beautiful sight!”
“So the moon will not explode?”

“Nein.”
“Bah, I was looking forward to having final drink before fiery death.”
“Alright everyone, gather around. We are almost done here.”
Dempsey stood back up from his crouched position near the doorway, joining the group.
“Good, all these brains in jars and drawings of corpses are giving me the fucking creeps.”
Takeo joined the circle next to Nikolai as well, before pushing Dempsey to stand in his place
after catching Nikolai's breath.
“What must we do now, to find this Griffin Station you speak of?”
“Griffin Station is a little...far from here. We must first use one of Group 935's teleporters to
transport ourselves to Griffin Castle, und from there, Griffin Station. Simple as that.”
“I thought these devices were your creation.”
“These versions of my invention were created without my permission, by the fool they call
Maxis. Of course, before we use them, I must assure they work, as Maxis had no idea what he was
doing with my technology.”
Dempsey chimed in hoping to take a crack at Richtofen's ego.
“Sounds like he screwed you real good. I'd like to meet this big bossman Maxis.”
“Fortunately for all of us, that is not a possibility anymore.”
“Woof, killed your boss, huh? Living the dream.”
“Maxis was not my 'boss'. I'll have you know I have much authority in the scientific community
outside my time at Group 935, more than Maxis ever could have dreamed! Anyway, this is all besides
the point. We must first reactivate these faux teleporters by linking them to the mainframe, and then we
can set our coordinates to Griffin Station.”
“Yeah, and how will we, I mean you, go about doing that?”
“We, as in all of you, will press a sequence of numbers on each of the three panels by each
device. I will be at the mainframe to confirm each link. However, the time between initiating and
confirming each link is quite short, thirty seconds, in fact. We will have to split up for the time being
and link the teleporters at the same time.”
The moon was coming closer and closer to being fully encompassed by the light of the sun.
“Within thirty minutes or so, the moon will be perfectly aligned in the center of that bright,
beautiful light. That will be the mark for the three of you to initiate your link.”
“This all sounds pretty complicated, Dicktofen.”
“This childish name-calling won't make things any easier, Dempsey. I will escort you all to your
places, and write down each of your coordinates. It could not be any easier. I have the difficult job.”
“Fine, but this better not be a plan to get one of us alone to kill, or a plan to abandon us in this
shithole. I've got my eyes on you, Richtofen.”
“You'll just have to trust me, Dempsey.”
“I don't have to do anything, especially that! If there's any funny business in this plan I'm
putting one right between those eyes, you freak.”
“Insulting und aggressive Dempsey, you must not have many friends. Alright, enough chatting,
we must be in position before the full eclipse!”
The first teleporter was located in a lab just outside Maxis' burned out office. Shelves of strange
liquid and preserved brains rested nearby, and the raised platform held a teleporter designed by Dr.
Maxis to mimic Edward's work.
Richtofen walked up to the panel for the teleporter, and began scribbling out a sequence of
numbers on his notepad, before tearing out the page and placing it in Nikolai's hand.
“Nikolai, you must wait here and enter this sequence when the Moon is fully contained in the
sun's glare.”
The dark skies and bright flares from the sun could be seen through the glass windows in the
large room, giving Nikolai a perfect view. Nikolai was dissatisfied, however.

“Please, Richtofen, leave the vodka with me. I will need it for energy in typing these numbers.”
“Nikolai, we will only be separated for a short time. You will make it until I get back.”
“But what if I don't?! What if I become...sober.”
Edward was not ready to hand off the responsibility of the vodka bag off to Nikolai just yet. He
feared he would binge drink the entire bag, and given the opportunity he just might. But if something
went wrong and Richtofen could not return with the bag, Nikolai would be hopelessly comatose in a
ditch somewhere, unable to be recovered.
“Alright Nikolai, I will give you the bag...BUT you must promise me not to drink every bottle.
It is absolutely crucial you have vodka for later, because I can guarantee you we have none at Griffin
Station.”
“Yes, yes, I promise. A Russian does not lie!”
Richtofen could not believe him. Liars can see through any lie. But this is a necessary
precaution in the event of an emergency. Nikolai cannot physically function without vodka after the
tests Richtofen performed. He handed him the bag, labeled 'Nikolai's Vodka'. Like the fiend he was,
Nikolai snatched the bag out of his hands, and had a new bottle opened before Richtofen could blink.
“You will not regret this!”
He already did.

 

 

 

Chapter 9: Link
Richtofen, Takeo, and Dempsey regrouped outside and passed by the weapons box. Edward
could not resist the temptation, and lifted the top of the box.
Dempsey crossed his arms, remembering his own luck.
“No point, Doc. It only dispenses crap now.”
Many weapons cycled before Richtofen, before finally settling on something marvelous. The
German light machine gun, the MG42, often referred to by its targets as Hitler's buzzsaw. Edward lifted
the piece of glorious German ingenuity, placing the extra ammunition in his bag.
Dempsey slammed violently on top of the box, and tried once again to lift it after it closed, only
to find himself once again unable to lift the top. Richtofen could not help but laugh at his pain, only
further angering Dempsey. While Dempsey confronted Richtofen for his Shadenfreude, Takeo lifted the
box to take a weapon of his own. Once again the weapons cycled through, and finally stopped on the
Browning machine gun, a classic American light machine gun seemingly right off the assembly line.
Dempsey could only shake his head and follow as Richtofen and Takeo began the walk back to
the factory, towards the second teleporter.
“Perhaps the spirits have distaste for your...violent nature, American.”
“The spirits are assholes, Takeo. They don't know a natural killing machine when they see
one!”
“Would you like my old weapon, Dempsey? It is...better than nothing.”
“Oh ha ha, Takeo. Like that time at the swamp when you got screwed, but now it's me. Real
funny. I guess you're a comedian now.”
“Jigou Jitoku. One's action, one's profit.”
“Getting real smart now aren't we, Tak? I don't see you talking shit with Nikolai around.
Russian got your tongue?”
“I fear no man. But, his breath, it scares me.”
“Tell me about it, I think I still smell it from here.”
“Never have I known a man of so much mass, but so little substance.”
“Yeah, he's a real character, that Nikolai.”
“A man who might find himself lost in his own home.”
Richtofen twisted his neck around towards the two men joking about Nikolai.
“I don't think Nikolai would appreciate the way you talk about him when he is not around!”
“Oh come on, Doc, we talk all the time about what an asshole you are. And I'm sure you talk to
your drunk little bed-friend about what a handsome devil I am.”
Disgusted, Richtofen reverted his gaze forward. They were now approaching a section of the
factory blocked by another sliding door.
“You know, Tak, you're not so bad. Just a little rough around the edges, I'd say.”
“You and I, can never be mentally equal. But I have more respect for you than the Russian.”
“Uh, thanks. I guess that's a lot coming from you.”
Richtofen waved his hand at the sensor before the sliding door, and entered the quite familiar
room. In the center, a large generator, and to the sides, two staircases leading up to the teleporter, now
humming lightly. Just days ago in this very room, Richtofen exacted his revenge on Dr. Maxis. The
inside of the teleporter was still stained with the blood of the many canine test subjects they went
through.
Richtofen etched the linking sequence into his notes and handed them off to Dempsey.
“Dempsey, this is your stop. Enter these numbers on the pad when the moon is fully eclipsed. I
know numbers are very hard for your feeble mind to handle, so I've written them out for you.”
“Aw, cute handwriting. You use that hand to write your love letters to Nikolai?”
Edward ignored Dempsey's snide comments and began descending the stairs, motioning for

Takeo to follow. Before Takeo could, however, Dempsey grabbed his shoulder and leaned in with a
message.
“Watch your back. Don't trust anything he says.”
“I will keep my wits about me, Dempsey.”
“Good luck, Tak.”
Takeo picked up his speed to catch up with the doctor, who appeared to be reminiscing at the
sight of all his old work. Chalk boards were riddled with equations and formulas, and many shelves
held human organs preserved for testing.
“It's good to finally speak one-on-one with you Takeo. You've done well in keeping your end of
the bargain. Dempsey is finally cooperating now that he sees you as a friend. Nikolai, well he's a
simple man with simple needs. Everything is going according to plan.”
“I am pleased to hear this great news, doctor. But, I must know, when does your plan
accommodate for us returning home?”
“If you must know Takeo, I have big plans at Griffin Station once we arrive. Something I have
planned for years in this wretched place. Trust me, you will know when I no longer need your
servitude. Then, you can return to the Emperor.”
“I am at peace knowing the Emperor awaits my arrival.”
“Yes, I'm sure he will welcome you with open arms once he see's how far you've come.”
Both men climbed a winding staircase up to the second floor. To the left was an alcove walled
by a chain-link fence, where Nikolai and Takeo had gone before to drink Juggernog Soda. The two
crossed the bridge overlooking the power generator. Instead of then going downstairs to the furnace
room, however, they approached a closed sliding door.
“Richtofen, why have we not seen any more demons since the first two upon our arrival?”
“Do not worry, Takeo, a majority were probably killed months ago, and most of the bodies
likely destroyed, never to be resurrected.”
With almost comical timing, as Richtofen opened the door several dozen undead Wehrmacht
soldiers and Group 935 scientists twisted their decaying bodies to set their sights on Takeo and
Richtofen.
“You were saying, Richtofen?”
“I've been wrong before.”
A single rotting corpse of a soldier, bullets lodged in its head, blared a loud call throughout Der
Riese, before charging in unison with the other flesh-bags.
Like a firing squad, Takeo and Richtofen raised their machine guns, holding the trigger until the
entire room was clear. As the bodies settled, more blood-curdling screams began to spring up from far
off. Richtofen looked towards the Moon, now close to reaching its climax.
“Takeo, we are running out of time! Remember these numbers: 1 – 6 – 4 – 2. This is our only
chance of getting out alive! I will be at the receiving pad to link the teleporters. Good luck.”
Richtofen began his sprint off to the receiving pad in the courtyard. The staircase they had

initially traveled up from the furnace room now beheld two zombies, eyes blazen and arms out-
stretched. Edward swung the heavy MG42 in the direction of one which came too close, knocking the

beast to the ground. The one still standing fell like the other with a dozen bullets puncturing its chest.
With limited time, Richtofen continued down the stairs, leaving the stunted zombie on the ground. In
the furnace room was a dozen more walkers searching for blood. Richtofen continued sprinting past
them towards the courtyard, activating the electro-shock defenses, electrocuting anything which walked
through the doorway leading out towards the courtyard. The receiving pad was now in Richtofen's
sights, as well as several zombies awaiting a second death. Richtofen cleared anything still standing
and focused on the Moon. The eclipse is at its apex. On the keypad, the three lights representing each
teleporter began to light up one-by-one.
In the open area of the courtyard, four zombies began to climb over a chain-link fence, focused

on Richtofen.
He turned the master key, and pressed the button to link the teleporters. A dozen more zombies,
followed by another one of Samantha's hounds entered the courtyard. Edward hoped to any God, if
there was one, that this would not all be for nothing.

 

 

 

Chapter 10: Cup of the Carpenter
“Oh Nikolai, why do you not smile anymore?”
Nikolai Belinski sat dour in his chair, gripping the vodka bottle close in hand. The beautiful
brunette he had the pleasure of calling his wife approached Nikolai, gently resting one arm around his
shoulder, and the other tugging the bottle from his hands.
“I fear what is happening in our motherland. I sense war is on the horizon, my love. And they
will take me away from you, to fight for Stalin's vision of our Russia.”
“Drinking will not make your worries disappear, Nikolai. We need to have hope.”
“I know...I just wish I could take you away from this place.”
Nikolai turned his gaze to his wife's eyes, now fixated on his own.
“One day Nikolai, we will live in peace. Perhaps not here, but somewhere out there.”
Nikolai closed his eyes and rested his head on the wooden table.
“When this war starts-”
His wife interrupted him, “If a war starts.”
“If a war starts, I promise I will see it through until the end, and return home to you. Maybe
then we can find a place to live out our lives as we have always dreamt.”
She wrapped her gentle arms around Nikolai's neck, resting her own head on his.
“Thank you Nikolai. Please get some rest. And try to smile more, for me?”
After a moment of silence, she wandered towards the window, gazing out on the city of
Stalingrad.
Nikolai raised his head and stood up from his chair, approaching the front door of their home.
Inside their mailbox was a letter addressed to Nikolai specifically, with the recognizable seal of the
Soviet Union on the front. Inside: a letter. Nikolai's hope began to fade as he read further down the
letter. Words began to meld together in a cacophony of fear. Conscription. War. Training. Comrade.
Glory. Stalin.
As Nikolai's heart sank, he heard the screams of his wife. Turning to look but unable to
intervene, she looked up at the sky as German planes flew overhead, releasing their payload.
“NIKOLAI! NIKOLAI!”
She screamed again and again, the voice slowly dampening and fading as Nikolai was unable to
move. With one final scream, she evaporated before his very eyes as the bombs tore his home apart,
and the blinding light blurred his vision.
As he regained his bearings, he was now in a war-zone. Mortar shells exploded all around and
bullets zoomed by, killing off any who stuck their head too high.
Nikolai was unarmed, only holding ammunition for the gunners, as a shortage of supplies had
left the Soviets unprepared.
The captain of his platoon blew his whistle, and Nikolai charged with his comrades towards the
raining gunfire from the German line. Buildings in this once great city were now rubble and makeshift
cover from German fire. Over a hundred men charged alongside Nikolai, most eviscerated by the
steady stream of bullets. Any who turned back were shot by the captain. Nikolai's comrade armed with
a rifle took cover with him near the line, asking him for ammunition. Immediately on raising his head
above the bricks, a bullet went through the soldier's skull. Terrified of meeting the same fate, Nikolai
waited behind the thick debris for more men to arrive, but none came. Their captain was now retreating
with the rest of the Red Army. Nikolai was alone now.
By night, the bullets stopped, and Nikolai relocated to a nearby bar, bombed out by German air
raids. The cellar was still protected however, and he crawled into its depths.
For a week, Nikolai stayed in the cellar, eating what little food was available and drowning his
sorrows with alcohol. His last memory is a blinding light from the cellar door above as a frightened
German recruit discovered him in his disheveled state, who screamed at his sight. The scream lasted

longer than he remembered however, becoming deeper and more agonized. Nikolai opened his eyes
once more, trying to piece together where he was. He was on the ground now, empty vodka bottles
clanging around and falling off his body as he adjusted his position. He was in a building, behind him,
the giant, bell-shaped teleporter, and out the windows, the bright moon now in an eclipse.
Nikolai remembered he was told to do something before he passed out into the awful nightmare.
In his breast pocket was a note with four numbers: 1 – 8 – 0 – 3.
The teleporter. It had to be linked. Nikolai shifted all his weight to flip himself on his stomach,
then pushed himself back up on his wobbly legs. The shift in position made the keypad of the MTD
blurry, forcing him to feel around for the buttons' positions. Finally, he entered the combination before
hearing the same scream which punctuated his nightmare. In the center of the room were three zombies
now jogging towards him, mouths agape. Nikolai did not waste time raising his PPSh-41 and shredding
them to giblets.
An unbearable headache began to set in from the screams and gunfire from other areas of Der
Riese. Nikolai looked to his left where there was a tunnel. He could try to escape that way, but there
was no guarantee it was any safer. Towards the exit of the building was a few more zombies heading
his way. Nikolai chose to head towards the factory, fighting anything that might be in his way, instead
of running underground. Russians do not retreat.
He sprinted, gun raised to shred the runners that came too close until he reached the magic
weapons box. Nikolai held out hope for something to fight the horde, when several caught sight of him
from the upper balcony, near the bridge. Not fearing the height, they jumped down to try and kill
Nikolai. They met a swift fate, however, as Nikolai pulled the red switch of the electro-shock defenses,
raining down electricity from the bridge, killing everything to walk through.
The box cycled through several weapons from around the world, and settled on something quite
peculiar: A stuffed monkey attached to dynamite. The eerily creepy monkey also donned a blue fez
with a painted Group 935 logo, and held cymbals between its hands. The monkey itself was incredibly
odd to the hungover Russian, but he searched for some way to activate the dynamite, perhaps to stop
any horde running at him. At the side of the monkey was a wind-up key, which Nikolai turned several
times, faster and faster as seven zombies caught sight of him back from the teleporter. With one last
crank, the monkey came to life with a shrill voice and the clanging of its cymbals.
“YOU'RE NOT SAM!”
Visibly jolted, Nikolai tossed the monkey away in fear. As it hit the ground, it began to bounce
up and down, still slamming its cymbals together and playing a loud tune irritating to Nikolai. The

zombies took notice as well, averting their attention away from Nikolai towards the odd cymbal-
playing simian. With one final clang of the cymbals, the dynamite set off with a loud explosion,

destroying the zombies all around it.
The smoke finally cleared and the electroshock trap deactivated leaving the area silent. Finally,
the monkey's song was driving Nikolai nuts.
Where one of the zombies stood was now another green glowing orb like the ammunition box
from the swamp. The object inside the orb, however, was a large hammer. Nikolai placed his hand
outward to claim the reward and a loud booming voice bellowed out, “CARPENTER.”
Several wooden boards began to appear next to a nearby window, and the opening was now
covered by the boards which were nailed into the frame. This may prove useful in slowing these foul
creatures down, if only for a moment. The woodwork reminded Nikolai of his time before the war,
working as a carpenter in the city.
With the newfound time, Nikolai reloaded his weapon, and approached the mystery box once
again. The weapons cycled through, before finally stopping on a bloody teddy bear, and Nikolai's heart
skipped a beat as the bellowing voice giggled at his misfortune and the box disappeared.
Angered but not sober enough to care, Nikolai began his trek back towards the factory in search
of Richtofen and the others.

 

 

 

Chapter 11: Reciprocity
Think back. How did you get here, Tank?
Peleliu, 1944. Thousands dead for some rock in the Pacific. Going in, Tank had no respect for
the Japanese. They were as good as the Nazi scum our boys were fighting in Europe. But Peleliu
showed Dempsey the might of the Emperor's followers. Their cause was cruel and unusual, but they
feared nothing, not even death. As a young boy from the American midwest, Dempsey couldn't say the
same about himself. The warriors Dempsey clashed with on the island were willing to die by the
hundreds of thousands for their homeland. It made them durable and resilient, if not terrifying.
“Tank” Dempsey deployed alongside the rest of the 1st Marine Division in taking Peleliu. It
wasn't their first deployment, but their bloodiest yet. Many friends Dempsey made along the way didn't
see the end of the battle, others like Dempsey and Roebuck lived to continue the US's island-hopping
campaign in the Pacific. Dempsey received the medal of honor when his whole platoon was wiped out,
and he crawled behind enemy lines, taking out Japanese snipers raining down on American medics. On
his return they called him the walking tank. But the whole operation was a shitshow. Only supposed to
last three or four days, marines fought through hell for weeks on Peleliu. But at the time, Dempsey took
orders, he didn't give them.
For another year, he rose through the ranks and was the subject of many legends. Soon, the war
came to a standstill, and Japan surrendered just after Germany's surrender on the Eastern front. For his
commendations, the US government pulled Dempsey and his squad out of the swamps for a secret
operation in Germany. That is where things got fuzzy for Tank.
They had a mission to retrieve a VIP. Not a soldier. A doctor. A spy.
Dempsey hit his temple with his palm trying to jog any memory, as he sat awaiting the eclipse
at the base of the teleporter.
All he could remember was the sense of urgency from his superiors. They insisted on flying that
night, even while tensions in Germany were still high. They had to find the target before the Soviets
did.
Dempsey tried to remember times before the war. It had gone on so long, he had barely any
rememberence of what it was like. Memories of a wife and young daughter flashed in his head, almost
feeling unreal. The war hardened him, made him cruel and spiteful. Would he be loved if he returned
home now, after all his atrocities on the battlefield?
He pushed it all to the back of his mind, locking the pain away in his subconcious. The Corps
taught Dempsey to hide his feelings from his squad. If their own leader could not stay calm under
pressure, neither could they.
After that thought, Dempsey returned to his fighting stance as sounds of gunshots and zombie
screaming were heard in the distance. Sounds like the others might be in trouble. He considered leaving
his post to help his unconventional allies, but standing by to link the teleporter was his duty, even if it
did come from a German. Just down the stairs and into the hallway, clanging and smashing of glass
could be heard as Nazi-uniformed freakbags goose-stepped their way into Dempsey's sights. Dempsey
switched off the safety on his Thompson and rained down his fury upon the zombies. More began to
vault through broken windows at his side, getting up close and personal. They did not stand a chance
against the “Tank”. He sent a rain of bullets at one group through the window before gunning down
more at the stairway, without releasing the trigger. As he reloaded, Dempsey sent a German hand
grenade towards the foot of the stairwell, sending meat chunks flying all around.
“BOOM meat-sacks!”
In all the chaos, Dempsey almost forgot the mission: Link the teleporter during the eclipse. Up
in the sky, the moon was now fully encompassed by the bright flare of the sun. Dempsey entered
Richtofen's code into the nearby keypad, and once again focused his attention on the meat-puppets
hungry for his flesh. More and more undead Germans began piling in from every direction, quickly

depleting Dempsey's supply of ammunition. Then, like a gift from above came the random weapons
box, plopping down against the railing next to the teleporter, and shining its bright blue glow towards
the sky. Excellent.
Dempsey opened the box successfully this time, still not diverting his attention away from the
zombies. The weapons cycled through many different staples of the war, before settling on something
otherworldly. The weapon was the size of a pistol, able to be held in one hand, but it was unlike
anything Dempsey had ever seen before. It was red, with a green, cylindrical barrel, and above the grip
a display of three colors, red, yellow, and green, with an arrow teetering on the green mark. With a
moment of hesitation, Dempsey put his Thompson away, wielding the alien weapon. He was forced to
perform some live tests with the device as several zombies leaped up to the ledge next to Dempsey,
completely ignoring the staircase. Dempsey pulled the trigger on the weapon, the force of firing it
pushing him back slightly. Out of the barrel came a bright green burst of energy, which came into
contact with the zombie, burning a hole in its body, and evaporating the flesh surrounding the impact
point, killing the maggot-addict instantly. Whoa.
Dempsey took care not to be too close to the weapon's impact point as he fired several more
bursts at incoming hordes and ran down the stairs and through Der Riese's halls. He had to find Nikolai
and Takeo, then maybe Richtofen if he had time. At the end of the hall, he ascended some concrete
stairs before arriving at the bridge they had been nearby before. Dempsey stood at the center of the
bridge gazing out at the office building with no sight of Nikolai. Damn drunk might be asleep.
Dempsey jumped down and landed at his feet, ready for the fall this time, and ran towards the
office building. Turning back, he had attracted the attention of several more meatsacks. He fired several
more shots of his new weapon before needing to reload. However, there was no time for him to figure
out how the weapon operated, and he searched the area for a solution. Against the wall, near the
entrance to the office building was a chalk drawing, outlining a large, knife-like weapon. Confirming
his suspicions, Dempsey placed his hand against the drawing and a the metal blade made itself visible.
Much bigger than his standard-issue combat knife, this knife didn't have to fully puncture the zombies
to kill them, instead only requiring Dempsey to slash once at the neck. Whatever zombies came close
had their heads pracically severed by the new knife. Once the bloodshed finished, Dempsey flipped the
oversized knife and placed it on his person for later.
Inside the building, Nikolai was nowhere to be seen, yet his distinctive odor still lingered, and
several empty bottles lie sideways on the metal grating nearby the teleporter.
Dempsey held one of the strange cartridges that the alien gun had come with in the weapon box.
He tinkered with the weapon, before finally opening up the barrel, dispensing the spent cartridges and
placing new ones inside. Richtofen must know what this new weapon is. Through all the blood-shed,
Dempsey heard the screams of the dead and gunfire from the others. Then all at once, the gun fire
stopped, then changed pitch. The machine gun fire sounded different, similarly otherworldly like
Dempsey's new toy.
Dempsey began his trek to find the others, when a zombie he thought was previously dead
jumped up at him, knocking him down. The freak was missing its legs, burnt off by the blast of his
weapon. The zombie's motivation to feast on Dempsey did not waver however, as it used its arms to
leap onto Dempsey, pushing him down. The crawler met its end from Dempsey's new knife, however,
which cut straight through its brain, leaving the lifeless husk bleeding on Dempsey's chest. He retracted
the knife and threw the body aside, before taking note of a green, glowing orb, like the ammo box at
the swamp. The box was now a skull, spinning in place within the orb. Curious as ever, Dempsey
touched the orb as three undead goons lumbered in his direction. An echoing voice bellowed out,
“INSTA-KILL!”
Dempsey got back to his feet as one of the zombies charged alone. Dempsey slashed the knife
across its chest, and tried to swing the arm back into the head for a final blow, but the head was now
missing, and the body went limp.

“What the fuck?!”
Another of the freakbags came at Dempsey, who sweeped its legs out from under it. As he was
about to bring the blade down onto the zombie's head, it burst apart leaving the body lifeless and
Dempsey's arm still in the air. He now stood up befuddled at the easily-defeated foe. The last zombie
menacingly charged from a distance, before its head bursted with a splatter of blood after Dempsey sent
a small rock into its groin.
“Shit's getting weirder and weirder all the time...”

 

 

 

Chapter 12: Hemlock Philosophy
As more and more demons were destroyed by Takeo Masaki's gunfire, Takeo delved into a
trance-like state. The shooting and the screaming had made him momentarily deaf to all distraction, and
time itself seemed to slow down as Takeo slaughtered the beasts approaching him at the teleporter.
Despite the stress, Takeo remained calm, even meditative. His body seemed to move independent of his
thoughts, pointing the heavy machine gun in the direction of anything that moved, as Takeo pondered
the future within his own mind.
It was now all too clear to Takeo that Richtofen planned to go back on his word, and abandon
him as well as the American and the Russian. It is now a question of when, and how they will escape
alive without the doctor's help. Dempsey and Richtofen will never get along, and Nikolai is too loyal to
the German. It is up to Takeo to befriend Doctor Richtofen, and perhaps learn a way to get home
without his aid.
But Doctor Richtofen is cruel and deranged. He and Takeo have nothing in common. Then
Takeo remembered a lesson his father taught him as a boy.
Their family purchased fish from one man in particular in their town. Most despised the seller, a
greedy and deplorable fisherman. He believed he caught the best fish in all of Japan, and was not afraid
to inflate his own ego further. A young Takeo once asked his father why they would buy fish from such
a despicable individual.
“Young Takeo, an ego left unrestricted is easily manipulated.”
What Takeo did not know was that his father had been giving his highest compliments to the
seller. His father knew how easy it was for the fisherman's ego to inflate, and the fisherman loved his
father for it. Often he would shower the Masaki family with extra fish at discount price, simply because
Takeo's father was willing to treat the seller with his highest regards.
“Because of this, I have power over him, Takeo. But, you must always remember son, as a
follower of the Samurai spirit and a servant of the Emperor, you must always remain humble. Even if
you outsmarted the fisherman, always know if you are not humble, you can be manipulated just as he
is.”
This lesson and many others from his father swirled in Takeo's head. As the last Samurai in
Japan, much burden rested on Takeo's shoulders. It was his duty to prevent their philosophy from
fading, and to bring honor to Japan. It is Takeo's hope that he will be forgiven once he returns home.
*Click*
The Browning machine gun had run out of ammunition. Takeo snapped back into reality,
assessing his surroundings. The horde of demons had not slowed since the initial attack. The moon was
now surrounded by the beautiful rays of the sun. Takeo placed the empty gun inside the teleporter and
inputted the code from memory. 1 - 6 - 4 - 2.
More and more vile demons from beneath the earth stumbled in approach of Takeo, who struck
them down with his katana. More and more lost their heads, but they continued to outnumber Takeo,
pushing him into the teleporter with their numbers. In this moment, Takeo felt peace. He crouched
down, katana ready for him to disembowel himself. He closed his eyes, ready for the end, hearing the
voices of his ancestors as the shadows of demons blocked out any light.
Then with a flash, the teleporter whizzed to life killing the demons and sending Takeo away. For
a moment, Takeo saw nothing but white, then blue with a blinding light in the center. He shut his eyes
once more, before reopening them at the sound of nearby gunfire. Before him was Edward Richtofen,
still wielding his machine gun, taking down the beasts as they approached.
“I was beginning to wonder if you had forgotten the mission Takeo! Now get up!”
His knees felt weak, and he could not help but vomit on the ground nearby.
“Plenty of time to join in on the fun, Takeo, it doesn't look like they are stopping any time
soon!”

A zombie leaped up onto the railing, and had its scalp cut off by Richtofen's knife before he
returned to firing his weapon, cackling at the slaughter.
The empty American machine gun sat on the receiving pad below Takeo. Without any
ammunition, however, it would be of no use. Takeo searched around for another weapon, but noticed
behind him a strange blue machine. The door to the large bell-shaped device was now open, revealing

the machine labeled “Pack-a-Punch” in large, eccentric letters. It was wide, much wider than the Perk-
a-Cola machines from before, with a large open slot in the front, full of turning gears. The slot seemed

big enough for a weapon, which Takeo tested with his empty Browning. The machine flashed to life
and pulled the gun within itself. The gears spun even faster than before, and a bright glow emanated
from inside the machine. Out of it came something incredible.
The large box-like machine gun now had seemingly hand-etched symbols all over, and the belt
of ammunition had been restocked with similarly designed bullets.
Eager to test the weapon, Takeo pushed the doctor aside to take part in the killing.
“Reload your weapon, Richtofen! I will take it from here!”
With a pull of the trigger, the new gun spat out bullets at a much faster rate than before,
decimating the mass of corpses in the courtyard. The muzzle flash was now a bright red, and the sound
was much higher pitched. These rounds were imbued with extra firepower.
Richtofen watched on, jealous of all the fun. He could hardly look away. But the odd jingle
from the Pack-a-Punch machine grabbed his attention. The voice in the song spoke in a hearty
American Western accent. Intrigued, the doctor placed his German MG into the slot, and out came a
whole new beast entirely. He quickly joined Takeo in the slaughter, standing back-to-back with him
gunning down foes. Richtofen could barely contain his tears at the beauty of annihilation.
Takeo felt great power in his hands. The enemy stood no chance in his wake. He pointed his

weapon towards a staircase leading towards the facility. He shot one, then two, then three demon-
spawn before stopping as something far worse appeared in his sights. Nikolai.

“A little help for this Russian! I have a new toy to make big boom!”
Takeo and Richtofen covered Nikolai as he ascended the staircase onto their platform. In his
hands was a strange stuffed monkey attached to dynamite.
Richtofen could not resist the temptation to adjust the little monkey's blue hat, marked with the
symbol of Group 935.
“How delightful! Where did you find him?”
“Ehhh, in the weapon box I think.”
In the courtyard, several zombies that had followed Nikolai's scent began to climb over the
chain link fence towards them.
“Now is about time for big boom.”
Nikolai twisted the crank on the side of the monkey, bringing it to life with its cheery song.
Nikolai tossed it into the courtyard, diverting all attention from the zombies towards it. Their curiosity
would be their undoing, as they exploded with the monkey at the conclusion of its song.
As the violence came to an end, Richtofen could not help but let the fumes of slaughtered
hordes into his nostrils, relishing in his victory. Takeo took this as a start to his mission.
“You were an excellent warrior today, doctor!”
“Why thank you Takeo! You weren't so bad yourself. How you dismembered them...beautiful...”
Richtofen noticed Nikolai was tampering with the Pack-a-Punch machine, about to place his
arm into the moving gears.
“Nikolai! That machine upgrades our weapons using the power of Element 115! Be very careful
with it.”
“Upgrade? Do you think...vodka...”
Nikolai took a bottle of vodka from his pack, and attempted to place it inside the machine, only
for it to eject it right back out at him.

“Seems worthless to me.”
Nikolai took a large gulp of his vodka before placing it back in his pack.
For a moment, all was quiet. The silence was broken, however, by the sound of running from
the right of the machine, inside the factory. Everyone drew their weapons, before lowering them as
Tank Dempsey came into view.
“Richtofen! What the hell is this gun, and how do I get another for hand number two?”
In his right hand was the odd, alien weapon, based on a design Richtofen was quite familiar
with.
“The Ray Gun! Porter said that Maxis never mass-produced the design...the lies all around me.
Liars! Give me that gun!”
“Hell no, Ray is my buddy now.”
“Fine, now get up here while I plan our route out of Der Riese.”
Richtofen descended the stairs, pulling his recording device out near a chain-link fence. He
made sure the others were occupied at the Pack-a-Punch machine and initiated the recording.
“Entry 76068. It appears there is a working version of the Ray Gun, and it was right here in Der
Riese all along. Every day I unravel new information that Maxis has kept from me. These documents
from his office should shed some light on how to proceed with the MPD when I arrive at Griffin
Station.”
Richtofen removed the file from his pack, and sifted through the pages of information to find
Maxis' Vril research.
“He mentions the three Vril-Ya pyramids...he did not know any of their locations...they are
gateways to Agartha, just as I suspected. One who enters such a device may become all-powerful. That
would explain Samantha's influence everywhere we go...the device can be reopened, but removing the
all-powerful individual is impossible. Not good enough. There must be a way to get the little brat out,
and get myself into the MPD. I will look further into the matter when we arrive at Griffin Station. For
now, let's see if there is anything here at Der Riese I should know about.”
Richtofen searched further into the files. Nothing on the Pack-a-Punch machine in its current
state. It was only a prototype before. Richtofen searched further, coming across something quite
peculiar, the Fly Trap.
“It says here that Maxis and his cohorts worked on a secret project known only as the fly trap. It
did not get far, however. A circular structure made of stone was made, surrounding mundane objects.
With the fly trap activated, the objects were known to defy gravity and rise into the air. Not much more
was done with the project. Intriguing. The structure is located...oh! I can see it now, just down an alley
near my location. Perhaps I may study-”
Richtofen was quickly cut off by the sound a pin being pulled from a grenade. Behind him,
Dempsey, upgraded weapon in hand, had tossed a grenade in the air towards the fly trap.
“Fuck your Nazi science experiments, Richtofen!”
“Do you know what you've done?! That structure holds valuable research!”
The grenade landed nearby and blew apart the weak stone structure, already partially damaged
from bombing runs. But then, something odd followed. Several objects, a grenade, a bottle, a teddy
bear, and other assorted items began to rise into the air, emitting a green glow. The objects began to
spin in a circle, rising high above the facility. Next, the voice of Samantha echoed across the factory.
“I want to play a game. Let's play hide and seek!”
The objects then shot off in various directions.
“Samantha is toying with us.”
Dempsey was still shocked at the result, unsure whether to consider the throw a success.
“Well, I didn't expect that.”
Above them several stories up, on the window frame of the building was a teddy bear, in its
hand a knife just like Dempsey's.

Richtofen pondered how it got up so high.
“How did she-”
“I FOUND ONE!”
Nikolai had joined in, spraying his newly upgraded PPSh-41 at the building, barely hitting the
teddy bear. Samantha's voice returned, bellowing, “Yay! You found one!”
“This is not like childhood hide and seek.”
“We must leave. Takeo, Dempsey, Nikolai, follow me!”
“But what about hide and seek game, Richtofen?”
“Nikolai, I will not play that little brat's game any further. If you want to waste your time
searching for toys, go ahead! But when I get the teleporter calibrated, we are leaving Der Riese for
good.”

 

 

 

Chapter 13: Detour
“Where is Nikolai? The MDT is almost ready, and we need to leave as soon as possible.”
“The Russian mentioned playing the little girl's game. He is pursuing some kind of reward from
her.”
“And you didn't think to stop him, Takeo?”
“Apologies, Doctor Richtofen. I will not make the same mistake again.”
“That's fine Takeo. You and Dempsey must go fetch him now. We are ever so close to my, I
mean our goal.”
As Richtofen fiddled with the circuitry of the prototype MTD, Dempsey approached him with
thoughts of his own.
“Hey Richtofen, isn't it the MTD, not MDT? You seemed really anal about it before.”
“I did say MTD! Now quit fooling around und get going or you are getting left behind.”
“Right, you damn lunatic.”
Dempsey regrouped with Takeo, exiting the teleporter room to the exterior of the building.
Something about the constant smell of ash and rotten flesh kept Dempsey on the alert.
“What was all that apologizing for, Tak? What's the deal with you and the Doctor?”
“We must find a way to escape once we arrive at Griffin Station. Getting closer to Richtofen
may be our only hope of finding that path.”
“Good thinking, Takeo. I'm not so sure Nikolai would be on board with that plan. He's getting a
little too close to Richtofen for my taste.”
“If we must leave him behind to save our own souls, then so be it.”
“Yeah I guess. I'm just ready to see this Griffin Station place Richtofen keeps talking about. We
don't even know how close it is to our homes. For all we know it could be code for some German
testing lab, and we're the fresh meat.”
The two began their search for Nikolai near the power generator outside the factory. Nearby
were several dead zombies from battles of the past.
“These demons...I believe they were created here by the Germans. Much of the knowledge
present in this facility comes from experiments on control of the mind. I have seen this kind of testing
before from Division 9.”
“Isn't Division 9 just Japan's Group 935? What did you have to do with that whole ordeal?”
“I was sent on many missions to oversee Division 9 experiments on behalf of our honorable
Emperor. Division 9 is not comparable to Group 935, at least so it seemed. Group 935 used the element
Division 9 had discovered in Japan to create new technology for fueling Germany's military power.
Division 9 had a far great vision for Japan. They pursued control over nature itself.”
“How do you remember all this? I'm still having trouble remembering what happened before we
ended up in the swamp.”
“I have had recent revelations. Division 9 is the reason I found myself in German hands. Details
of this capture, however, are not as clear. I may have done some regrettable things on my final
mission.”
“That's all right, Takeo, we've all got skeletons in our closet. Just remember Richtofen is a way
greater evil than either of us could be combined.”
“I hope the Emperor will have the same thoughts.”
Any further conversation came to a standstill as the echoing call from beyond arrived once
again with one final message: “You win...GAME OVER!”
The booming of Samantha's final words forced Dempsey and Takeo to cover their ears as it
continued to echo. Following the echo came the screaming and yipping of zombies, gunfire, and finally
the frightened footsteps of Nikolai Belinski.
Barreling around the corner under the bridge came the extremely unfit Nikolai, running from an

incredibly large horde of zombies.
“I have made big mistake, there was no reward!”
“Dammit Nikolai, what did you do?!”
“No time to explain, we have to leave, soon!”
“Well go tell Richtofen, we'll hold them off as long as we can.”
Like a symphony, Takeo and Dempsey cut down a score of zombies pursuing Nikolai with a
hail of gunfire. Soon more began to tear down the boards of a nearby window, and others dropped
down from the factory. The two gunmen began to slowly walk backwards towards the laboratory, not
diverting their attention from the pursuing horde.
Behind them, a ball of electricity formed, bringing one of Samantha's Hellhounds into reality,
and it began its attack towards Takeo.
“Devil dog behind you, Tak, I got it!”
The hound leaped but burst into bits of flesh as the red blast of Dempsey's upgraded Ray Gun
contacted its body.
“Dempsey, we must go, before we are left behind!”
“I'm right behind you.”
Unfazed at the slaughter, the degenerate corpses continued their crusade.
Inside the teleporter room, Nikolai and Richtofen defended the device as its continued to
charge, Richtofen removing the Wunderwaffe DG-2 from his bag.
“We better be ready to go, Richtofen! We're both low on ammo over here!”
“Not my problem, Dempsey! Keep firing! The MDT must charge before we may leave!”
“You mean MTD?”
“Shut up and keep firing, dummkopf!”
Dempsey reloaded his last cell of Ray Gun ammunition, and made sure every last shot would
count. Richtofen stood ready to fire his Wunderwaffe as a last line of defense, or activate the teleporter
when it is ready, whichever came first. Nikolai felt something he had not felt since the war, fear of
death. Takeo stood at the forefront, decimating anything not within the teleporter, but with munitions
running dry, worry began to set in.
As Dempsey fired his last shot, annihilating two zombies at once, he tossed the empty weapon
at another walking pus-bucket, sending it back down to the floor.
“What now Richtofen?! There's still more coming and I'm all out!”
Nikolai and Takeo's weapons clicked with emptiness soon after, Takeo drawing his katana, but it
would not be enough to hold them all off.
Richtofen moved himself towards the front, brandishing his Wunderwaffe.
“Taste death, Schweinhunde!”
With a pull of the trigger, the weapon came to life and the barrel flashed with power, but the
light became almost blinding as the entire room lit up. No longer in the interior of the MTD, the four
men could not feel their own mortal bodies for what seemed like hours. Only a blinding light and utter
silence were felt. Then without warning reality seemed to shift back into focus, several images flashing
through their minds. The Moon, rockets, unrecognizable faces of scientists, strange alien weaponry,
creatures not seen on Earth before, a man in a red scarf, and finally the light became a bright, swirling
blue, and then they could suddenly feel their own bodies again, and they could see their own
surroundings.
They were in a large, mostly wooden building, with a high ceiling and a chandelier hanging in
the center. At both sides of the room were two large staircases leading to higher platform, and beneath
that platform a hallway with two Nazi banners on either side. They were standing on an MTD receiving
pad, connected by wire to a closed door in the hallway ahead. With their arrival, power to the pad
seemed to come to close, hushing the quiet hum of the pad. All was silent, besides the slight breeze
coming in from outside and pushing the chandelier's hanging glass.

Richtofen was the first to stand up, the others still recovering from the stress. He approached a
podium with several papers. The building seemed abandoned, but the papers shed some light on its
purpose. The papers held a list of many high-ranking Nazi officials being allowed in for a presentation,
a presentation led by Dr. Maxis presenting his new invention: the first teleporter.
Angered at the reminder, Richtofen swatted the papers away, which flew off in several
directions due to the wind being let in. The building seemed to be in disarray with years of absence.
Against the railing of a staircase was a newspaper, seemingly recently blown in. Richtofen inspected
and was amazed to find just where, or when they had ended up. The year was 1963. They had traveled
into the future.
A confused Dempsey pulled himself back to his feet, searching the room with his eyes while
gripping his stomach.
“Ugh...where are we?”
Nikolai was back on his feet as well, searching his bag for something.
“A better question is-”
Richtofen interrupted, “When are we?”
“No! Where the hell is my vodka?”
“Yes, of course! The DG-2 must have overloaded the teleporter ripping space-time, back tracing
us to the future! How wunderbar!”
On the teleporter pad, Takeo was still on his knees and began to vomit. A bottle of Nikolai's
vodka fell to the ground from Takeo's hands.
“There is my vodka! Thank you, Takeo.”
Dempsey stretched out his hand, offering help to Takeo.
“Oh come on, Tak, suck it up and walk it off.”
Takeo gripped Dempsey's hand, pulling himself back up. He had had enough teleporting for one
day.
“If we are in the future, Richtofen...just how far have we gone?”
“Roughly twenty years into the future. We must get the power to this theater back, and leave as
soon as possible! Who knows what may have happened to the world in this era. If Group 935 is
associated with this theater, we may be seeing some of their creations.”
On the wall behind them were several boarded up doorways leading outside. Scrawled on the
wall above them in white chalk, a message read: “BEWARE of the 6!”

 

 

 

Chapter 14: Kino der Toten
Richtofen placed his malfunctioning Wunderwaffe DG-2 into his bag to hopefully repair later,
and assessed the wooden board before him. Drawn out in chalk was a map of seemingly the entire
theater, with little bulbs protruding from the board in each room. None of them were lit up, however,
with the power now deactivated. Richtofen descended the staircase, the railing draped with a fallen
Nazi banner, approaching Nikolai at the bar near the theater's entrance. He was searching for any drinks
still available in the cabinets. Unfortunately, there was none. Only a Quick Revive Soda Machine, now
powered down.
“Nikolai, is your supply of vodka not enough?”
“Can never have too much booze, I say!”
“Just stay coherent, my Cossack friend.”
Between the two staircases in the foyer were Dempsey and Takeo, talking around some kind of
stand with a glass case on top. As Richtofen approached, he noted the glowing red rock of Element 115
within the casing. Takeo noted the similarities to the meteor from the swamp.
“Perhaps they stole this from Japan?”
“The Germans are thieves? Big shocker. Hey, speak of the devil...”
Richtofen ignored the insult, offering a plan for leaving.
“I examined the MTD receiving pad-”
Dempsey interrupted, “Hey, you said the name of your own invention right.”
“As I was saying, I examined the pad and I believe the device is operational. We can hopefully
leave as normal once the teleporter is back up and running with this theater's power!”
“So turn on the power, fight some zombies, and teleport to some new place? Where have I heard
that before?”
Takeo chimed in, “What makes you think there will be more demons here, Dempsey?”
“Where there is Germans, there will always be trouble. Richtofen, we need weapons.”
“I believe I saw one of those chalk drawings at the top of the stairs. You can get a weapon there.
The outline did not seem familiar to me, so I did not take my chances.”
“Let's get this done, then.”
At the bar Nikolai was still searching the racks and cabinets for even the slightest hint of
alcohol, eventually smashing the glass case of the bar.
“Find anything good, Nikolai?”
“No, Dempsey. I am very sad. What kind of theater has no booze?”
“Probably one that's been abandoned for twenty years.”
“Vodka is forever, Dempsey!”
“Well come on, maybe we can find you something new around here. Let's go.”
The four men ascended the stairs in groups of two, Takeo and Richtofen at the front, and
Dempsey and Nikolai in the back. Dempsey reached the top of the stairs and extended his hand to the
chalk drawing of a rifle. It was a weapon he had not seen before in his life, with a wooden finish and a
strap for carrying on his back. Dempsey turned to see Takeo and Richtofen were already in the next
room, and Nikolai was struggling to climb the stairs.
“Christ, Nikolai, what do you eat?”
“Eat? Who needs food when you have vodka?”
“Uh, a normal human being?”
“Bah, what do you know? You're no doctor.”
“I think even Richtofen agrees you need some damn protein in your diet. Maybe some beef. Or
in his case human flesh. Come on, Nikolai, we're getting left behind.”
“I must agree, Richtofen. I do not believe the demons would have followed us here. I trust your

judgment.”
“Danke, Takeo. I can always rely on you to make the right choice.”
The two approached a balcony in the next room, overlooking the seating of the theater and the
stage. On the stage stood an MTD built by Group 935.
“Do you know the purpose of this device being here, Richtofen?”
“I will be truthful with you Takeo, because I can trust you. I believe Doctor Maxis planned to
present my invention to the highest ranking Nazi officials of the time. Unfortunately for him, it appears
the theater was bombed before he could arrive to give his presentation. Now it sits unused. Amazing
after twenty years it has remained not found.”
“Who is this Doctor Maxis you speak so lowly of? I presume a dishonorable man.”
“You would be right in that assumption, Takeo. Maxis was a fool, too distracted by his own lust
for his assistant to see the potential of the Wunderwaffe DG-2: My greatest invention!”
“What happened to this cretin?”
“Do not tell the others, Takeo, but I attempted to give him exactly what he deserved: An
untimely death. Things did not go as planned, and now his daughter has been imbued with power she
never deserved! Maxis, is dead, I presume.”
“This girl, she is controlling the dead, then?”
“It can be assumed, yes.”
“Do you have plans to...end her reign, so to speak.”
“That is exactly what I plan to do. She does not deserve the power she holds!”
“Do you believe you deserve this power, Richtofen?”
“Do I...why do you ask such a question, Takeo?”
“I am a curious man.”
“Well I'm done answering questions. We have to continue the plan.”
“Yes, doctor.”
Takeo's suspicions are correct, Richtofen's ultimate goal is power, much like the little girl who
has been tormenting them for so long. Truthfully, Takeo agreed with Dempsey; Where Richtofen goes,
a hatred for him from the girl must follow, and thus demons. Takeo, Dempsey, and Nikolai share a
similar role to the undead: pawns in a game of power between Richtofen and the girl. When the
opportunity would present itself, Takeo planned to inform Dempsey of the impending betrayal. Until
then, they must blindly follow the doctor.
As Dempsey and Nikolai caught back up with the group, they had arrived in a square room with
railing and a view of the bottom floor in the middle, and to the right were five very peculiar paintings
along the wall. From left to right the paintings were of Dr. Edward Richtofen, Takeo Masaki, Nikolai
Belinski, “Tank” Dempsey, and a silhouette of an unknown individual.
“Alright, Richtofen, you mind explaining why there's a painting of me in this place? I thought
you had no idea what was going on here, so why is your ugly face up on this wall too?”
“Hurtful, Dempsey. Anyway, I had no involvement with this theater, and whatever Group 935
was doing here. I am an infamous scientist, you know! I wrote a book and everything. It is no surprise
this theater would recognize my genius.”
“Then what about the paintings of us? And this, shadow-man?”
“That, I am just as perplexed about. Perhaps we may find more answers in the road ahead.”
Frankly, Richtofen was just as confused as the others regarding the mystery painting. It's as if
the outline of the man was cut out of the frame perfectly. Richtofen did know, however, why the other
paintings were there. If this station was to recognize Doctor Edward Richtofen for his work, then they
must recognize his most infamous test subjects.
Behind them through the doorway they had just arrived in, Richtofen noticed a panel, linked to
electro-shock defenses. If this was just a theater, then why would there be defenses in place against
zombies?

“Demons...”
Takeo drew his katana at the sight of a Nazi-uniformed zombie approaching a nearby doorway.
Dempsey raised his new weapon, pointing it towards the zombie's head.
“Told you, Richtofen.”
Dempsey pulled the trigger, blowing the beast's head apart and sending it to the ground. More
soon followed the sound of gunfire, approaching the doorway and being destroyed with shots to the
head from Dempsey's semi-automatic rifle.
Through all the commotion, no one had noticed a zombie which jumped down through a hole in
the ceiling onto Richtofen. For a moment, Takeo hesitated, then sliced the zombie in half at the torso.
Bloodied intestines spilled out onto Richtofen's uniform, but he remained unscathed.
“A little too close, Takeo! Quick, we must find more weapons!”
Though Dempsey's rifle held its own against single zombies, it soon became inadequate as the
undead became more aggressive, sprinting towards them.
Takeo headed the charge, pushing open the wooden double-doors and descending the staircase
into a new room. The room had a chandelier much like the foyer's, and two staircases leading to the
ground floor. At the bottom of the right staircase was a familiar outline on the wall. Richtofen took the
opportunity to take a weapon from the chalk drawing, materializing an MP40 in his hands.
"Of course they still have the best weapon ever made here!"
With joyous exaltation, Richtofen slaughtered zombies approaching from a nearby window.
Distracted by the euphoria, Richtofen did not notice a zombie approaching quickly from behind, which
blew apart into chunks after being hit with Nikolai's new shotgun. Nikolai continued descending the
stairs before pumping another shell into the weapon. A zombie from the another window leaped at
Nikolai and met a similar fate to his other brethren.
“I'll drink to your death, hellpigs!”
Near the window was a Speed Cola soda machine and another bar, this one stocked with many
unopened alcoholic drinks. Nikolai pulled the cork on one long-necked bottle. The taste was horrid
from decades of sunlight in this decrepit room. Yet Nikolai's stomach could contain the foul beverage.
Takeo soon joined them, slicing more heads off of the savages.
At the top of the staircase, Dempsey stood, gun raised, putting three rounds into a zombie's
chest against the railing, before kicking it to the ground below for a brain-rattling death.
“We've got more coming! We need firepower! Someone get that gun turret working!”
In the center of the room was a wooden table, with an automated gun turret sat deactivated.
“The gun is useless without power!”
Richtofen led the others forward, kicking down a doorway to a dressing room with more undead
awaiting their arrival. At the death of the final hellion, another green orb appeared bearing a new gift.
The object inside the light this time was an atomic bomb plated in gold. The prospect of an atomic
bomb going off gave Richtofen a moment's hesitation, but as more zombies gathered from the previous
room, Richtofen touched the orb.
In a bright flash of light, all the zombies burst into flames and died on the spot, followed by the
mighty voice of Samantha, shouting “KA-BOOM!”
Dempsey raised his rifle into the air, proclaiming with passion, “Eat that you undead flesh
monkeys!”
“Ja ja, very good. But let's get the power on before more arrive. We cannot waste any more
time.”
“Ah come on, Richtofen, don't you want to try on some of these dresses? I think those over
there match your eyes.”
“Funny, Dempsey. But funny will not save you from these test subjects.”
Richtofen approached a new set of double-doors, opening them to reveal the backstage area of
the theater. Large wooden boards stood tall in the middle of the room, along with metal crates with

stage supplies. Along the upper walls were walkways for backstage workers, and against the far right
wall was the random weapons box. It seemed to have followed them from Der Riese. Nikolai was the
first to approach the box, seeking a complement to his shotgun. A myriad of weapons cycled inside the
bright box, most of which were not in the selection at the swamp or the factory. The cycle settled on a
large light machine gun. Heavy, yet lighter than machine guns used in the war back home, the weapon
had two protruding stands to form a bi-pod on the front, and the iron sights had dials with several
numbers inscribed.
“I like this gun.”
“Yeah yeah, let me replace this piece of shit.”
Dempsey opened the box, slinging the semi-auto rifle over his shoulder. The weapons
eventually settled on a black assault rifle, many parts of the barrel wrapped in a belt, and the iron sights
of the weapon folded down. Dempsey flipped the sights back up, stating, "Can't wait to see what I can
do with this! Ooh-Rah!"
Richtofen pondered these strange new weapons. Apart from his MP40, most of the weapons in
this theater are not familiar. They must be of this time period. He approached the box to take a
secondary weapon of his own before being pushed aside by Dempsey.
“Hey Doc, just let me try one more time!”
Dempsey opened the box successfully once again, but this time it settled on a measly pistol, an
M1911 to be exact.
"Well, I see the future hasn't changed anything! Fucking box!"
Richtofen could not help but giggle as Dempsey took the pistol, holstering it to his belt. He soon
stopped, however, as Dempsey shot daggers into his eyes. Now his turn, Richtofen opened the box,
materializing an oddity of a weapon, a crossbow. On closer inspection however, the bolts of the weapon
seemed to be wrapped in explosive material.
"A crossbow with an explosive round...they think of everything."
Takeo took his turn, obtaining an advanced bolt-action sniper rifle, with a scope for getting well
acquainted with the rotting corpses.
"One by one, I will curse them from afar!"
“What good is sniper rifle against horde of hellpigs, Takeo?”
“Unlike you, Russian, I have the steady hand required for its effectiveness.”
Richtofen left the group to search for the power switch. The stage and audience seating were
blocked off by red curtains, and nearby the curtains was the switch to activate the theater's main power
grid. Before flipping the switch, Edward noted the phrase written in chalk above the switch:
“Knowledge itself is for the taking.”
The whole theater came to life as the power came on, and the curtains split apart revealing the
seating of the theater and the center stage, holding the MTD prototype. The seats were covered in ash
and debris from bombings on the site. A large white screen came down from the ceiling, and a projector
in a room near the ceiling shined its light on the screen, projecting a film.
"Those seats, that screen, they wanted to implant the mind with instructions!"
Richtofen was about to take out his recording device when the screeching of the damned began
once again. Zombies began rising up from the seats of the theater as the group reassembled, ready to
fight them. But something far more horrifying followed; Bits of wood fell from the ceiling as
disturbing creatures climbed down the walls on all fours.
"These must have been the failed experiments Maxis mentioned."
The unnerving, grey-skinned creatures descended the walls, bearing dagger-like teeth and
lacking eyes. They seemed to navigate with their other senses instead.
Takeo took the first shot, blowing a hole into the crawler's chest as it was climbing down,
sending the husk to the floor. The creature began to contract its muscles and finally died, exploding
with a green gas. Zombies that walked through the gas died a grisly death as their skin melted off and

they vomited blood.
“Stay away from the crawling demons!”
Nikolai sprayed his weapon at the crawlers descending from the ceiling. The way they
convulsed as they died seemed to strike a chord with Nikolai's childhood fear of spiders. Legions of
zombies met their end along with the crawlers from the group's combined firepower. Richtofen's
crossbow sent a bolt into one zombie's chest, violently dismembering a group of minions surrounding it
as Richtofen cackled on. Dempsey took his time reloading his automatic assault rifle, assessing his
surroundings for another source of destruction. At the center of the stage was a podium, and at the top,
an automated gun turret like the one they saw before.
With a flip of the switch, the gun swiveled, gunning down the gas crawlers before they could
get close, while the others finished off the walking undead.
All at once, the violence came to a close, and the gun turret rested, ready to be reactivated at a
moment's notice. Dempsey and Nikolai celebrated with drinks. Takeo reloaded his sniper rifle, taking a
moment of rest in all the chaos. Richtofen approached the MTD to examine its features. It seemed to
function just like the Der Riese teleporters, apart from the link to the receiving pad via cord. With some
adjustments, it may be able to do the job required.
Richtofen turned to make sure the others were still occupied, before going backstage. His hands
were still shaking from firing his MP40 for so long, and the blood on his uniform began to smell quite
putrid. Along with this smell was something else. Formaldehyde. In the corner were some small metal
pods marked with Group 935's insignia. Through a small view-port, Richtofen's eyes met the eyes of
another odd creature contained in the pod. The creature gave him chills despite the obvious fact that it
was long dead. Though, in these trying times, death is no permanent fate. Richtofen pulled a recording
device from his pocket.
“Entry 741021! Perhaps this station will hold the key to the real goals of Group 935. I still do
not trust my unconventional allies, but they are of great use to me. But, I digress. Who would have
thought the MDT was capable of time travel? How many stations does this group have? Where did that
little girl disappear to? Only time will tell what new questions awaits us in this...theater of the
damned!”
Richtofen ended the recording and placed it back into his pocket.
The voices began to call to him again.
“No! No of course I still do not trust them, why would you...Takeo? No, he...yes, I understand.
Yes, of course I do know Samantha is in the MPD. What I wonder is to what dimension she is
hiding?...Yours?...You never told me that... Yes, we are close to arriving at Griffin Station, I can feel it!
Soon, we will be together, and with our powers combined, we will have absolute power! Ha ha ha ha!
... What do you mean? I did say MTD, I swear!”

 

 

 

Chapter 15: The Room
The eerie silence of the theater began to take hold of Dempsey's focus. The screams of agony
from the undead actually seemed to calm the senses, in a strange way. Without it, he was simply in a
spectral, decrepit box full of decaying flesh and ghosts of the war.
“All these swastikas are starting to freak me out. How about you Nikolai?”
In the corner of the room, Nikolai was trying to mix together a concoction of Juggernog Soda
and Vodka, pouring one bottle into another before taking a sip. There was a very tiny amount of vodka
left, not nearly enough to sustain Nikolai's addiction.
“They remind me of darker times. Fascist behemoths treading over the homes of my comrades.
We tried to hold them back with fire...but nothing would stop them.”
“Rough. I never had the pleasure of fighting Nazi scum in Europe.”
“Make no mistake, Dempsey. The Japanese are just as evil as the Fascists.”
“Well I don't know about that Nikolai.”
“They treat prisoners of the war like animals. The Germans would at least have the decency to
shoot me.”
“Except they didn't. They took us in to experiment on us. How did you end up with Richtofen
anyway?”
“My comrades pushed in force against the Germans to re-take Stalingrad. My platoon failed.
After that, I have no memory. But I know in my heart I did not retreat. I did not surrender.”
“About the Japanese...what did they do to their prisoners? How can you be sure?”
“I saw results with my own eyes, Dempsey. The things I have seen from Japanese
experiments...they haunt me to the core. Surgery ending with death. Freezing limbs to point of
amputation. Rape of Russian women and children. You ask why I drink, American...now do you ask the
same question?”
At that point, Nikolai's legs began to sputter, and he lowered himself closer and closer to the
floor, eyes going blank.
“Nikolai, are you...sober?”
Nikolai lied down on his back, head up against the Juggernog machine, completely silent. With
a shaky hand, he raised the mixture of soda and vodka to his lips, chugging every last drop before
tossing the bottle aside, belching, and falling asleep.
Something is off about Nikolai, Dempsey was sure. His ability to function normally without
keeling over seems to rely entirely on vodka. This was no ordinary addiction, but a reliance, a need for
alcohol. For the first time, Dempsey felt some pity for a Communist. What had Richtofen done to
them? Dempsey wanted to talk to Takeo alone; Maybe he could find out more about Richtofen's
experiments, and maybe he could shed some light on the truth behind Nikolai's stories.
Takeo stood at the MTD, searching his thoughts and awaiting Richtofen's command. Near him
was the body of one of the gas crawlers, festering and decaying rapidly due to the harmful gas it
contained.
Dempsey was about to walk down the pathway towards the stage when Richtofen came
sprinting around the corner from the lobby.
“Takeo! Link it now!”
Takeo promptly hit the flashing red button of the MTD's panel, causing the machine to hiss
before finally settling down into a light hum.
“Well done, Takeo! Much faster reaction time than Nikolai.”
Dempsey strode up towards the stage, weapon in hand and a daring grin on his face.
“Not really a fair competition there, Richtofen. Poor bastard's over there sleeping in some
rubble.”
“Well wake him up! We must test this version of the MTD before more minions arrive.”

“Come on, Richtofen, can't you just set it to where we need to go now?”
“Patience Dempsey. I must see this device in action before we use it for longer distance travel.
You don't want to end up a fine red paste splattered on the walls if this goes awry, do you?”
“Guess not, Doc.”
Dempsey returned to Nikolai, now face down in the rubble muttering to himself.
“Hey, come on Nikolai. No more politics, we're getting in the teleporter.”
“Are we going to space, papa?”
“Nikolai, quit talking nonsense, let's go!”
“More porridge, please.”
“You're really making me do this again...fine, you owe me one.”

Dempsey tapped on the side of the Juggernog machine with his closed fist, sending the red-
tinted bottle out of the slot. Dempsey took a large gulp of the soda before lifting Nikolai over his

shoulders with ease. Takeo and Richtofen stood ready in the teleporter awaiting Dempsey's entrance.
“If the teleporter is calibrated correctly, we should end up at the lobby's receiving pad. If
not...well, we may go blind.”
Before anything else could be said, Richtofen flipped the switch shutting the door to the MTD,
and creating a cacophony of lights within the device. For a moment, nothing but a bright blue light
could be seen. Then, nothingness.
For a moment, all seemed lost, then Dempsey's vision became more clear. Below them was not
the teleporter receiving pad, but wood paneling. He looked back up to see Richtofen pacing around the
room, muttering to himself. Nikolai was now wide awake, standing before a blue machine, just like the
one from Der Riese. Takeo was still on the floor, holding back his gag reflex.
“I don't understand, how did we end up up here?!”
“Look on bright side, Richtofen. We could be dead! Plus we have the punchy machine.”
Nikolai placed his light machine gun into the slot, and out came a lighter, sleeker version made
of seemingly hand-etched material.
“Peculiar that the Pack-a-Punch would follow us here. I cannot ascertain a practical purpose for
it being in the projector room where no one can see it.”
“Wait, projector room? We're still in the theater?”
“Come have a look Dempsey, I promise I won't push you out this open window, though I do
wish I could.”
Edward motioned to the large view-port overlooking the entire stage and the auditorium. A
functioning projector sat pointing out the window onto the screen outside, counting down numbers
from three to one repeatedly.
“So we can watch movies now, great.”
Dempsey turned to Nikolai, drooling over his new-found tool of destruction, allowing jealousy
to take control, approaching the machine himself. He placed his assault rifle into the machine, and what
came out was a beautiful sight to behold. But at the back of Dempsey's mind was his curiosity, with its
focus on the M1911 still holstered at his side. If it could turn anything into something badass, what
about something simple like a pistol?

He placed the small weapon into the open slot, waiting a few moments before the weapon re-
emerged...now with a twin. Two of the same pistol marked with a unique camouflage, much heavier

than before, as well.
“One for each hand, huh? Hope these babies can kick ass.”
Against the wall were several shelves holding film reels, all marked with Group 935's insignia.
For this reason, Richtofen succumbed to his curiosity, placing a random reel into the projector and
watching the screen outside. The reel flashed several obscure images of numbers, close ups of human
eyes, silhouettes of unknown figures, along with an audio reading of a series of numbers. He pulled
another reel from the shelf, which played a short documentary featuring footage of a village in China.

The relevance of this footage and voice-over was puzzling to Richtofen.
Before the film concluded, Richtofen felt a strange sensation in his body, causing his vision to
cloud. He turned to the others who were experiencing a similar reaction. Then, for a moment, all he
could see was a bright blue light. He had teleported somewhere new. Somewhere awful.
He was in a small room lit up with a hellish red tint. It seemed to be the bedroom of a child. The
bedsheets were tossed aside the bed as if in haste, and the floor was splattered with blood. Furniture in
the room was tossed here and there, and on the ground were small figurines. On closer inspection, they
resembled Richtofen, Dempsey, Takeo, and Nikolai. Richtofen's figure had pins stuck throughout its
body, and the head was removed. Richtofen gasped, dropping the figure from his hands, as he spotted a
human-sized stuffed bear peering into his very soul, eyes redder than the room. It began to turn its head
away from him, stopping at the sound of sobbing from somewhere beyond. Richtofen ran for the door,
unable to turn the knob. The sobbing grew ever louder, overtaking Richtofen's every thought. He slid
down to the floor covering his head, until finally the nightmare was over. Once again he teleported, this
time to the receiving pad in the main lobby of the theater surrounded by his allies once again.
They each turned to one another in shock and confusion. Dempsey, finally broke the silence.
“Okay, what the fuck was that?”
Richtofen stuttered, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he did so.
“The room...the blood.”
“Blood? What blood, all I saw was some toys and bed.”
Richtofen grabbed Dempsey's shoulders, pulling himself close.
“And it looked like Hell itself?”
“What? No, just a normal room. Now get your hands off of me!”
He swatted Richtofens hands away. Richtofen removed his hat, scratching his head and
pondering the meaning behind this detour from reality. Nikolai had his own story to share.
“And I saw a rocket! And this wheel!”
At this point, Richtofen noticed the large film reel, this one unmarked, but the same size as the
ones he had seen previously in the projector room.
“Where did you get that?!”
“In the room with the table and big projector. And toy rocket. I blew a big hole in ceiling with
rocket, I hope no one saw.”
“Fascinating, we all went somewhere different. Takeo, where were you?”
“I remember a blue chair, surrounded by tools. Then, I remember screams of pain and the sound
of a drill.”
Discussion came to a close as the room filled with a thick fog, blocking all light throughout the
theater, isolating them inside the cold foyer. The beckoning voice of Samantha echoed through the
room, shaking the chandelier.
“FETCH ME THEIR SOULS!”
“Nikolai hold onto that reel, get back to back everyone!”
They stood in a circle, prepared for the onslaught of Samantha's hounds. The first spawned in
near the quick revive machine, pouncing towards Nikolai, who blew it apart with his shotgun in one
hand, the film reel in the other.
Another leaped from the balcony above on top of Richtofen. He felt the harsh warmth of the
hound's breath as it attempted to bite down on his face. Richtofen continued beating it back, calling out,
“Kill this Schweinhund!”
Dempsey put three shots into a charging dog, sending it to the ground with a howl and a
whimper. He glanced at Richtofen's peril, commenting, “Not it!”
Takeo turned to the doctor, kicking the dog from on top of him, and slicing it at the neck. The
flaming hound exploded into bits of flesh, caking Takeo in its entrails.
A hound spawned in close proximity to the group, diverting their attention from two hounds

approaching from the auditorium. Dempsey fought these two dogs alone, putting down one with four
shots. Without any more rounds, Dempsey held out his empty rifle towards the dog, blocking its gaping
maw. The hound clamped down on the weapon hard, bending the weapon askew, and pushing with all
its might towards Dempsey, who fought with all his brawn. With a burst of strength, Dempsey shoved
the dog back, gripped the rifle by the barrel, and used it like a bat, beating the dog to a bloody pulp.
The gun itself was in a similarly broken state to the dog, and Dempsey out of breath.
Dempsey discarded the mangled rifle with a sigh of relief as a green ammunition orb rose from
the dog's corpse, restocking everyone's ammunition.
“MAX AMMO!”
The bittersweet peace did not last, however, as a horde of zombies began their trot from the
auditorium towards the receiving pad. At this moment, Dempsey remembered the upgraded pistols he
had acquired in the projector room, and commenced a live fire test of his own.
He lifted the dual pistols in the air, pointing them without direction towards the horde, and
pulling the trigger several times in quick succession. What ejected from the barrels of these pistols was
not lead, but explosives, primed to explode on contact. The furious barrage of explosive material
disappeared anything once standing in the foyer.
“Yea-heah!”
Takeo swiveled his sniper rifle towards the ceiling where gas crawlers began gnawing their way
through the wood paneling of the roof, crawling towards them, thirsty for blood.
“Demon crawlers from the ceiling! We must move swiftly!”
Takeo let loose a bullet from his rifle, puncturing the crawler's brain, sending it lifeless to the
floor, exploding harmlessly away from the others.
Richtofen pointed towards the auditorium doors, directing the others to follow.
“To the stage! We will make a stand there!”
Dempsey headed the charge, letting loose an explosive charge from his paltry weapons as any
zombie bore its face. The others soon followed, Nikolai still protecting the film reel with one arm, and
fueling himself with vodka using the other.
Dempsey hopped onto the stage, reloading his pistols as he did so, blasting several gas crawlers
apart from the ceiling before they could even sense him. As Nikolai activated the gun turret on the
stage, Dempsey retreated towards the weapons box, searching for a secondary weapon, now that his
original had lost its luster.
Several weapons cycled through inside the mysterious box, settling on something truly absurd.
The weapon was massive, larger than even Richtofen's Wunderwaffe. Shaped like a cannon, the
weapon was held with two hands, a large portion of the weapon resting on Dempsey's shoulder, and the
barrel round like a jet engine. The side of the weapon was marked with Russian characters, and the
stock was painted yellow and black, as if the user should be cautious with its placement.
On the stage, Takeo and Richtofen held off clumps of zombies arriving through broken
windows and emerging from debris in the seating area. As the gun turret finally came to a halt with a
need for recharge, Nikolai joined them, holding off the enemy with his light machine gun, with the reel
resting safely against the podium.
“Dempsey! We need help-Whoa. That is a big gun!”
Dempsey joined them, the new massive weapon in his arms.
“You know Richtofen, I think this thing is cooler than your Wunderwaffle.”
“Where did you find that? What can it do?”
More zombies began to pile in, depleting ammunition and halting casual conversation. The
group backed themselves through the center of the auditorium back towards the lobby area. Two
zombies hobbled towards them from the lobby, but were electrocuted by the electro-shock defenses
activated by Richtofen.
“Use the new weapon anytime now American!”

Dempsey studied the way the weapon functioned with haste, lifting it up, preparing to pull the
large trigger. As he slowly applied pressure to the trigger, the weapon began to vibrate, ready to release
its payload.
“Now this ought to be a good time!”
The weapon let loose a massive burst of compressed air out of the barrel, knocking Dempsey to
the ground, but sending the horde of impending zombies flying in every direction, silencing their
attacks.
“It just...it just blew them all over the place! Wow.”
The experimental weapon left Dempsey with a satisfying impression, much like a new-found
friend.
Dempsey examined the weapon in his lap, noting on the barrel where there was once two
orange rectangular lights, there was now one. It appeared to have two bursts of thunder per reload. He
examined the Russian writing on the side, placing the lettering towards Richtofen.
“You know what this means, Doc?”
“No, I can't read Russian.”
Nikolai's face contorted into one of annoyance.
“Why did you not ask me?”
“Well frankly, Nikolai, I wasn't sure you could read.”
“I can read when sober.”
“Which is never, last time I checked.”
“But you did not even ask! Bah!”
Nikolai crossed his arms, returning to the stage to retrieve the film reel Richtofen had asked him
to keep up with.
Takeo strapped his sniper rifle to his back, questioning their next move.
“Doctor Richtofen, will we now teleport to Griffin Station?”
“Well, Takeo, there is a teensy weensy problem with that.”
Dempsey crossed his own arms. “Great.”
“The MTD needs more element 115 to be able to send us a longer distance. But other than that,
it seems to be functioning normally, apart from a few kinks here and there.”
“Heh heh, kinks.”
“So our next move is finding 115 to fuel our trip away from this wretched theater.”
“Well, great. Now how do we find more of this space rock in whatever year this is?”
“We saw a small amount on display in the lobby, did we not? There must be more held in this
facility, I am sure of it.”
Richtofen beckoned the others to follow, as he removed the glass holding the Element 115 in the
lobby. Despite the decades sitting still in this casing, the rock remained active, emitting radiation in a
small aura. Richtofen used a small clamping tool to place the 115 into a portable container meant to
hold the element, and joined it with his belongings.
“There are still areas of this facility we have not found. That means we get to go exploring!
Wunderbar!”
Dempsey lifted up the massive Thundergun, the weight bearing down on his shoulder.
“Woo.”
The others followed Edward through an unexplored doorway beneath the balcony in the lobby.
The room held little of interest, besides several burners beneath the floor level, pointing upwards
towards the ceiling, connected to a red switch much like the electro-shock defenses. On the back wall
was another map of the facility, as well as a doorway leading outside. Richtofen noted the green light lit
up on the stage section of the chalk map. This lights system must be intended to show the location of
the weapons box. The question of why this map was put here, and who for, puzzled Richtofen.
They pushed through the doorway, letting in the beating sunlight from the mid-day sun. Down a

small set of stairs, against the brick wall of a nearby building was a Double Tap Root Beer machine,
and to the left a small section of gate, the top torn off and boarded up with wooden planks. Richtofen
stepped down the stairs, taking in the sights of his surroundings.
“An alley, how quaint.”
He looked past the window barrier throughout Berlin, hoping to spot any familiar locations.
What he spotted instead was a large, concrete wall with watch towers overlooking the area. There was
no sound of inner-city life, and the towers seemed abandoned, like they were the only ones around. He
turned to spot a sign with the name of the theater “Kino sol Deutches” printed in large lettering, thrown
out with the rest of the trash in the alleyway. If this sign is no longer displayed on the theater's entrance,
then there must have been a change in purpose for this theater during Group 935's occupation.
The group continued marching through the alleyway, passing a chalk outline for another
unfamiliar weapon, and approaching a chain-link doorway. They pushed through, climbing a flight of
stairs into a room filled with props and equipment for the stage. Sure enough, a small sample of
Element 115 was resting on a shelf, nearby some metal letters scattered about. Richtofen used his tools
to extract the sample and added it to his collection along with the other.
“Excellent. But we need more 115!”
As Richtofen, Takeo, and Nikolai walked towards the doorway, leading down to the stage area,
Dempsey stayed behind, examining the strange room. He questioned to himself the purpose of the 115
resting by itself on the shelf, without any kind of protection. Deep in thought, he paced around,
stepping on one of the metal letters on the ground. His attention was soon redirected to these letters,
and he realized they were arranged in a very particular manner, only noticeable from his angle. The
letters read, “MANHATTAN DOWN.”

 

 

 

Chapter 16: Space Race
“No, this cannot be all! Why would Group 935 have such little amounts of 115 in this facility?”
Perplexed by the lack of supply on Group 935's part, Edward theorized that with dwindling
funds at the end of the war, Group 935 diverted most of its supplies to Der Riese, leaving this
negligible amount of 115 in the theater. If Richtofen knew nothing of this facility prior, it must not be
of much importance to Group 935's primary goals. But the idea of Maxis keeping this place a secret
from him vexed Edward.
“Will this be enough of the element to leave this place, Doctor Richtofen?”
Takeo stood nearby, while the doctor placed the small rock of 115 carefully with his belongings.
“Well, I suppose it is enough to get us somewhere else. But not Griffin Station. Let's just say I
don't have to make any calculations to know that, heh heh.”
Dempsey stood in the some nearby rubble, examining one of his upgraded weapons, while the
massive air cannon he had acquired sat against the nearby wall.
“You know, Richtofen, why don't you just...send us home right now. I'm getting a little tired of
just taking your orders without anything in return. I wanna know a little more about how we met. I
want to know about this...gap in my memory.”
“A gap? What are you talking about Dempsey, you're completely normal! Well, and a little ugly.
No worries, you will be home in due time. I will find a solution we can all agree on, willingly or not.”
“Well start working on it fast. My memory's a bit shot right now, but every minute I spend on
these little games of yours I start to hate you just a little bit more, and I don't know why.”
“Well then, why don't you go over there with Nikolai while I find the best way out of here, and
don't bother me anymore, okay? Ja? Toodles!”
On several racks were hanging dresses and costumes tailor-made for stage actors in this theater,
and Nikolai was playfully sifting through the clothes one by one, taking drinks in between.
Dempsey glanced towards Nikolai, rolling his eyes as he did so, then turned back to Richtofen.
“Fine.”
Richtofen puzzled over his next move. With such little amounts of Element 115, going to the
Moon is not an option at this time. They must go somewhere closer, somewhere on earth. Richtofen
searched his belongings for the folded newspaper he had recovered upon their arrival. Perhaps the
current news of this era may hold insight of this time period's abilities to travel into space. Germany
was so far ahead in 1945, there must be a simple form of transportation through space in 1963, or so
Richtofen thought. Richtofen then came to the realization that if people of this time can travel freely
into space, they must have discovered Griffin Station. There is no telling what damage may have been
done to the MPD since his absence. They must arrive at the station as soon as possible, before someone
else, someone less deserving, discovers the MPD's unlimited power.
He unwrapped the black and white paper, written wholly in German. The front page article
spoke of some sort of wall, most likely the one they had seen just minutes ago outside the facility. This
wall was built with the intention of dividing up Germany between the Soviets and the other allies of
World War II. There appears to be a global tension in this period, as depicted by the Soviet-controlled
news company which printed this paper.
Flipping through the pages, Richtofen came across another article regarding a flight mission
into space set to take place quite soon as of the paper's publication. The pilot is a woman by the name
of Valentina Tereshkova. Richtofen now knew that space travel is possible in this time, albeit quite
unexpectedly archaic compared to teleportation. The problem, however, lies in the location of the
Soviet launch site.
Richtofen thought back to the end of the war, and his collaboration with American and Russian
scientists outside of Group 935's affairs and Maxis' wandering eye. A member of the Russian Ascension
Group once spoke to Richtofen of a facility being built in the Kazakh region of the Soviet Union as

their main testing grounds. Perhaps this would be a good location to start. Richtofen searched his
notebook, finding the coordinates he had scribbled down to siphon Element 115 to the Ascension
Group right under Maxis' nose in the past. Knowing the brilliant scientists in the Ascension Group, they
are no doubt heading the Soviet space program in this time. They had the proper leadership as an
organization and were on the right side of the war in the end. Flipping through pages and pages of
ramblings and locations, Richtofen found the coordinates he was looking for, leading right outside the
facility's construction site of 1945. With the right amount of luck, this location will be the primary
testing ground for the Soviet space program, or at least, it will be a lead to find such a location. From
there, Edward could send himself to Griffin Station to hopefully discover a solution for removing
Samantha from the MPD.
Edward took this rare moment of down-time to look over the notes that he had acquired from
Maxis' safe further, to perhaps answer a few burning questions. He wandered towards the silent stage
flipping through the manila folder and motioning Takeo to stay behind. He sorted through several
personal writings by Maxis within the folder, many detailing ideas Maxis planned to implement into
Group 935's holdings, such as future testing locations, projects, and collaborations.
At a point before the war, Maxis had planned for a collusion of great minds between Group 935
and the United States Government, speaking with many top scientists from their base in Nevada. There
were, unfortunately, many disagreements in these talks. The American government wanted Group 935
to be headquartered in the United States, with bases in only allied, democratic countries. This was
simply too high a demand as Group 935 had already dipped its toes into Japan, Siberia, China, and
Austria, not to mention the crown jewel of the organization, Der Riese, being in German territory. This
led to a long-standing feud between American scientists and Group 935's scientists, a feud which
Richtofen exploited to assist in the creation of Griffin Station. By Maxis' diary entries, it is apparent
that he had no idea why the Americans had such a large supply of Element 115 at the Nevada base. In
truth, Richtofen had been supplying the demand of 115 in exchange for supplies and machinery, right
under the nose of Group 935.
Richtofen sifted through more diary entries, hoping to enlighten himself on the purpose of this
theater facility. In searching, he discovered a small note written by Maxis along with blueprints of the
theater.
Group 935 has been given access to a failing theater right in Berlin: Kino sol Deutsches. Upon
questioning why a theater was chosen, the Nazi official I spoke with noted that a facility in such a
locale would be inconspicuous, and allow for simple tests to take place right in the city, rather than in
secret facilities far from civilization. I have outlined the plans for this small theater project and had
S.O.P.H.I.A. send them to the proper officials. This location will be kept secret from most members of
Group 935, particularly Richtofen. Lately he has grown erratic, and I fear I can no longer fully trust
him. Here at the theater, we will continue experiments to unlock the human mind. With this research, I
hope to create the army that Germany needs to win this war; The army that I need to keep Group 935
active.
Just as he suspected: This facility was Maxis' attempt to break through the will of these horrific,
undead creatures. When that inevitably failed, he attempted to use it to present his inferior teleporter to
the highest ranking Nazi officials, and win them over for funding. Like all that Maxis attempted to
succeed in, this failed spectacularly when the Allies pushed into Berlin before the presentation took
place. A pity, really.
Also of note, many experiments in collaboration with scientist Friedrich Steiner took place in
the Kino facility, involving an experimental gas intended to kill any who come into contact with it
without proper skin protection. These tests were considered failures however, as while the gas created
by Steiner worked as intended, Maxis attempted to create sleeper agents containing the gas that would
release the deadly toxin on command. Unfortunately for Maxis, the gas transformed test subjects into
vile monsters that could not be controlled, much like the zombies. The subjects were deformed, losing

all facial features, and their skin turning a ghastly, pale white. Steiner dropped all future plans on
working with Group 935 following the incident.
Edward searched the notes further, discovering secrets such as the Datenbediensteter, a
computer server managed wholly by S.O.P.H.I.A. and used exclusively by Maxis to store information
at Der Riese. This may explain the lack of notes chronologically after its creation.
Richtofen searched for the Vril research section, hoping to discover the next step in removing
Samantha from her pedestal in the Aether.
One page noted experiments attempting to combine the power of Element 115 and the

experimental Group 935 recreation of Vril, the energy believed to have been used by the ancient Vril-
Ya. The two appeared to have inverse effects, and when combined they created many strange

happenings within the test environment.
Initial tests on pigs showed little promise, as a large sum of Element 115 was used in
combination with a Vril generator, causing more often than not a fiery, bloody death in the swine.
However, when the levels of 115 were lowered proportionally, and combined with the power emitted
from the Vril generator, the pigs did not combust, however a strange aura, more like a link, appeared
between the two pigs, and both began to behave erratically. They were both fine mentally, as brain
scans showed, and they both seemed to calm after a short time.
For weeks, their behavior following the experiment was recorded. Subject A425 was mostly
docile, often choosing sleep over eating on many occasions. Subject B312 was, conversely, more active
and aggressive, sleeping very little. This behavior was not exceptional in pigs, however. But, their
handler at one point questioned if the subjects' ID's had been switched, as he had noted the opposite
behavior patterns in each subject before the experiment took place. With this in mind, the experiment
was recreated three times, each time producing similar findings. It was at this point that Doctor Maxis
became involved, initiating tests on human subjects from Wittenau Sanatorium.
Richtofen's reading came to an end at the sound of a sudden shotgun blast, followed by the
howling of the damned and more gunfire. From the dressing room came Dempsey, sending a zombie to
the ground, kicking its skull to pieces.
“We've got a problem Richtofen! It's now or never, we need to get the hell out of here!”
“I can see that, Dempsey!”
Following Dempsey came Takeo and Nikolai, fighting zombies all the same. Richtofen pointed
back towards the dressing room, then towards Nikolai.
“Go back and get that film reel, Nikolai! Dempsey, you must link the receiving pad in the lobby
before we may leave!”
“How the hell do I do that, Richtofen?”
“Ach! It is so simple, Dempsey, go! Now!”
Dempsey sprinted in the direction of the lobby, leaping off the stage, and rapidly dispersing
explosives from his dual pistols, all while the massive Thunder Gun was still attached to his back by a
latex strap.
Back at the stage, Richtofen pointed to Takeo.
“Kill the schwine while I input the MTD's coordinates! We are leaving as soon as possible!”
Takeo's rifle would not be enough to slay the scourge coming his way from every possible
direction. He strapped the rifle to his back, activating the automated gun turret, and discovering a chalk
outline of a weapon on the wall, just beside the power switch. The gun was lightweight and sleek in
design, with an incription on the side desribing the model and make of the weapon. The weapon is
American, named the M16. The weapon fired automatically, slaying the beasts that leaped at Takeo.
The weapon under-performed at long range, however, missing many times as Takeo attempted to slay
gas crawlers coming from the ceiling. At the flip of a switch on the side of the weapon, however, the
weapon changed firing modes, delivering three rounds at each pull of the trigger, greatly increasing the
accuracy at range. Surgically precise and focused, Takeo kept every demon at bay while Richtofen

went to work on the teleporter.
Nikolai soon joined in the bloodshed, leaning the film reel against the wall and grabbing
something quite different from another chalk drawing on the stage. The flat, rectangular device he held
emitted two red beams when placed firmly into the ground nearby. A gas crawler had evaded Takeo's
vision, and came too close to the red beams, causing the rectangular device to explode. This sudden
explosion caught Takeo by surprise, distracting him from another crawler which leaped through the air,
toppling Takeo to the ground.
The beast held enourmous strength, pinning Takeo and preventing him from fighting back. The
vile creature opened its maw, attempting to gnaw Takeo's face, releasing a small, non-lethal cloud of
the deadly gas it contained, sending Takeo into a coughing fit as his body rejected the toxin. The
encounter came to an end as Nikolai grabbed the crawler by its gangly arms, ripping it from Takeo's
body, and tossing it several feet away, before he blasted it to bits with his machine gun.
“Thank you, Nikolai. I may have misjudged you.”
“Don't expect that again in future, Takeo.”
Nikolai continued defending the doctor, slaying beasts as Takeo came back to his feet.
“How...honorable.”
Much of the commotion came to an end at the loud boom from Dempsey's Thunder Gun, and
the thuds of many zombie bodies meeting the ground after being tossed through the air. Back from the
lobby, Dempsey ran through the center auditorium, calling out to Richtofen.
“I linked it! And it was not. Fucking. Simple. Richtofen!”
Richtofen entered a final input into the keypad motioning everyone to enter the MTD.
“Grab the reel and let's go! Schnell!”
All entered the MPD, firing at the hordes as they did so. As Takeo's M16 depleted in all
ammunition, he tossed it out of the teleporter as the blinding light began to take over his senses. Like
before, they all appeared in the projector room. Dizzy from the light, Nikolai stood up leaning against
Richtofen on his unsteady legs.
“Please tell me this is part of plan, Richtofen. I cannot take much more of this.”
Edward patted Nikolai on the shoulder, before lightly pushing him against the wall to rest,
instead.
“No problems here, Nikolai. This teleporter seems to be designed to send us here before
wherever it is we actually want to end up. We should arrive at our intended location very soon.”
Beside Nikolai was the film reel, begging Richtofen to be played. He departed to the projector,
removing the current film and inserting the one he had brought, and gazing out through the viewport
overlooking the stage. As the film began, Richtofen noted the zombies still moaning and groaning as
they wandered the stage, unsure of where their juicy morsels had departed to. Edward did his best not
to grab their attention from the projector room as he viewed the film.
On the white screen first came a slideshow of images depicting a Group 935 scientist working
with chemicals in one of Der Riese's labs. Narrating the movie was the maddening voice of Doctor
Maxis.
“The test subjects have been undergoing treatment for five days with very little progress. I have
been assured that, given time, the programming will take hold.”
The movie clicked and static filled the void between the previous scene and the one depicted
now. On screen was images of an eye being dilated, a landscape, as well as photos of Group 935's
emblem.
“In the past weeks, we have made great strides in breaking through to their subconscious. I
have had the projectionists make edits to the film. These changes have been very effective.”
The projection changed once more to a new slideshow of images: a group of zombie test
subjects, silhouetted in the light, their eyes hollow. They were rising over a hill, arms raised, several
photos zooming in to their blank faces.

“Subject two-six has had a breakthrough, he is responding to the treatment and following basic
instructions, the violent outbursts have been greatly reduced, and given time, we feel this method of
treatment will be one-hundred percent effective in most cases.”
Two-six is the same subject which went rampant at Der Riese during a demonstration, killing
Sophia in the process. Richtofen could not help but feel amused at the confidence in Dr. Maxis' voice,
and the pain he suffered following the incident. He continued looking to the stage, ready for the next
scene to take place, but instead his ears were filled with the shrill voice of Dempsey at his side.
“Oh-hoh shit! There's still freakbags down there!”
The shouting caught their attention, and the zombies began to howl and shout back, waving
their arms in the air.
“Dempsey! What do you think you're doing?!”
“Oh come on, Doc, they can't get us up here. I just want to leave them a little parting gift.”
Dempsey lifted a frag grenade from his belt, pulling the pin, and tossing it out the window into
the auditorium below, blowing apart a large horde. He then tossed three more down below, now finding
himself out of explosives.
“Damn!”
Dempsey searched the room, noting a single chalk drawing on the wall, shaped like a bag. On
reaching for it, a satchel of fragmentation grenades manifested in his arms.
“Hell yeah! Everybody grab one!”
Nikolai jumped at the opportunity, sending several to the auditorium down below, exploding
several ravenous zombies, causing more to appear and take their place. Richtofen inevitably joined in,
amused by the helplessness of the minions.
Twenty seconds and a dozen frag grenades later, Richtofen began to cackle with joy.
“Ha ha ha ha! They are so helpless down there! They cannot reach us even if they tried! Ha ha!”
As Richtofen pulled the pin on another grenade to toss it from the projector room, an eldtrich
crawler peered its head into the window, frightening Richtofen. He dropped the live grenade, causing
Takeo to dive for it, sending it out the window just before detonating in mid-air. The explosion
destroyed a large portion of the wall, as well as the crawler. The projector sputtered and died from the
blast, sending sparks flying. Several more crawlers scaled the walls, climbing into the cramped
projector room.
The four survivors backed themselves to the pack-a-punch machine, slaying the gas crawlers
before they came too close. If even one slipped by, the gas would be a slow, agonizing death.
One crawler climbed in through the floor, tearing a hole in the wooden paneling. It creeped its
way towards Dempsey, who attempted to kick it back to a safer distance. The monster bit down on
Dempsey's boot, digging its teeth into Dempsey's ankles, unshaken. Takeo drew his sword, approaching
from the side.
“Wait. TAK, NOT THE LEG!”
Takeo lifted his katana, slicing the beast at the neck, and kicking the corpse from the ledge. The
severed head still clung on, releasing a small cloud of the toxin from the neck, before being flung from
his boot into the auditorium below.
More and more crawlers creeped their way into the room, cornering them. As all hope appeared
lost, the teleporter finally activated once more, blinding the group with an intense light, and sending
them across the world.
The air was cool and dry, and the sky cloudy and gray. They were now outdoors, well within the
walls of a concrete facility. Takeo began to vomit into the dirt, before rising up and cleaning his sword.
Nikolai looked to the walls at the large, red lettering, squinting his eyes as he did so. The lettering is
Russian. Richtofen searched the area. Strangely, there were no signs of any life. All was quiet, and the
facility seemed to lack any security whatsoever. Richtofen peered through the chain-link fence out onto
the foggy, dirt-covered wasteland. He turned back, looking to the skyline above the facility, and he

spotted a tall, thin rocket resting in the distance.
“Perfect.”
Nikolai took a vodka bottle from his backpack, removing the cap.
“Да, is perfect. We are in Soviet base, which means more vodka! We must celebrate with
drink!”
Richtofen looked to his allies, now realizing they will soon outlive their usefulness. If he can
get the rocket operational, and send himself to Griffin Station, he may have to leave them in this
facility.
Dempsey questioned their arrival in such a place.
“So why here, Richtofen? Is this near Griffin Station?”
“Nein. But here we will have a means of transportation to Griffin Station.”
“What, like another teleporter?”
“Not quite.”
“Well, since you've got that all figured out, why are we still here?”
“Given the unexpected arrival of zombies at the theater, I would not be surprised if they follow
us here.”
“So you need us to do more of your dirty work while you fuck around in this new place?”
“You've summarized it quite accurately, Dempsey.”
“Now where have I heard this plan before?”
Richtofen entered a small room off beside the small courtyard; Inside was a row of lockers
marked with the names of many Russians. The largest locker of them all was opened slightly, and
inside it contained a white, foil-lined suit, built for the sole purpose of protecting a cosmonaut being
sent into space. Richtofen entered the suit; It fit quite snugly, but it was certainly bearable. Of note,
there was also a powered down Double Tap Root Beer machine sitting next to the lockers. Richtofen
chose to ignore it, zipping up his suit and picking his gear back up. Exiting the room back into the
courtyard, he was met by the stares of his comrades, and the boisterous laughing of Dempsey.
“And I thought you looked ridiculous before, Richtofen!”
Richtofen ignored the laughter, motioning the others to follow him towards the inner facility.
They passed through a large, metal door. Again, there was no one around to stop them from entering
this top-secret facility. The group approached a circular, metal-grated platform, surrounded by warning
signs, and in the center of the platform was a raised panel with several buttons and knobs. Also on the
panel was an opened book, written in Russian and detailing the device.
“Nikolai, can you read this? Tell me how it works.”
“Uhhh, okay.”
Nikolai lifted the opened book, squinting to read the lettering, and holding the book so close it
was practically touching his face.
“It says something about, uh...transportation? Only for...authorized Ascension
Group...personnel.”
Richtofen pointed to a list of assorted letters and numbers in the next page.
“Und what is this list?”
“Uhhh...lander...locations.”
Richtofen further studied the list, using the keypad to enter in a desired location in the center of
the facility.
“Danke, Nikolai. We are so close to completing my, er...our mission! Now, step onto the
platform, everyone!”
Dempsey and Takeo hesitantly stepped onto the metal grating surrounding the panel.
Dempsey questioned Richtofen's change of attire, “So what's with the get-up, anyway,
Richtofen?”
“I simply desired a new outfit after so long in that Nazi uniform. I know you hated it so,

Dempsey. Besides, I think this one suits me and my future quite well.”
Richtofen fiddled with the knobs and switches of the pad, before finally pressing the large
launch button, propelling the platform into the air, and towards the center of the Ascension Group
facility.