- Eidetic: Ralph Harvey. (Allies)
- Kinesis: "Uccisore" , Karl Hammer. (Axis Power)
- Both: Adolf Hitler, Soldiers, Civilians.
- Setting: Berlin, Five Days before the Death of Hitler, the Storming of Berlin.
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What is freedom? The Americans believe it to be the foundation of their country, something that is provided for every time they wake up, or when they step foot on it's soil. It was not always this way, however.
Sixty-some years ago, America was close to losing it's freedom. The Japanese, allied with Germany and Italy, surprise attacked Pearl Harbor, sending waves of terror amongst the United States of America. They were not in the war, but were soon overcome with grief, anger, and the hope that they would win this war, not for the freedom of America, but the freedom of the entire world.
Eventually, the Italian side began to falter, and soon submitted to defeat. The Americans pushed up through Africa and Italy, with the French-German-American Armies marching through the west. Russia, a great and powerful nation, managed to eliminate any resistance in the east, pushing the Germans back to where they had their final stand; Berlin. It was an all out battle, one that changed the entire fate of the world.
But, like all good stories, the fate of the world had already been predicted. Not by a precognitive, but a simple man. A man who every person in the world, Axis and Allies alike, looked to. The Axis adored him, showered him with gifts and praise. The Allies were disgusted with him, wanting him eliminated and wiped out from the face of this world.
Operation: ALLIED DAWN was commenced, a full-out attack against Berlin to capture, or in a worse-case scenario, kill Hitler. This is where the story falls into a long spiral. The Operation went as planned. For a full five days, Berlin was bombarded with artillery and troops, all of which went to waste. On the final day, reports of the death of Hitler had been confirmed. Every country was pleased, save the Axis Powers, to hear the news.
The governments had sent in their top advisors to check on the body, entering his last known location. Screams were heard from the room, with everyones' hand on their rifle, awaiting their next orders. An open-fire was heard, bulelts peppering the air, walls, and anything inside that dark, void of life room. The halt command was heard, and everyone waited. A dark, omnious laughter rang out, the soldiers dropping their guns, piling to the exit, which was sealed shut from the outside. A man dashed to each of the soldiers, ripping them apart, and healing instantly when damaged. His brute strength tore them in half. This man had a name, he had a face. His life had now been completed, he would be unstoppable.
Who was this man? He had been known as "God of the Aryans" to some, and to others "The Harbinger of Death." Both of those titles had now been fulfilled as well, every prophecy fortold and confirmed. This man, his past, his future, all set in stone. His name was...
The world was crumbling with every step one man took. Who gave such men one power? Himself. He did whatever he wanted and he was protected by his vast army. The Axis was a great power, one that threatened the world with their triumphant marches through the allied forces. They were like a machine, but all machines have kinks and when exploited, the machines rust and break apart. Was this machine ready to break?
Ralph Harvey was just a man. A soldier coming from the rolling hills of the great Canadian prairies. He was assigned to be on the west side of Berlin and to lead some men through the front lines and break through. He knew it was suicide, they knew it was suicide but it was something that had to be done for the greater good. They marched through Germany, coming across little to no resistance only because they were all fortified in the Berlin borders. He had heard reports of the Russians shattering the defenses of the east, but they were unconfirmed because of the dangerous journey it takes to get from the west from the east.
As it was, they had been setting up on the west side of Berlin. They were slowly advancing through the outer most streets and keeping to the buildings to hold their positions. Ralph had led his men up to a building on the south side of a common street and was radioed to hold his position and wait for the orders to attack.
[Axis - Adolf Hitler / "Uccisore" / Karl Hammer]
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Constant bombardments against his city, his city for God's sake. This was not how it was meant to be. The Italians were not supposed to surrender. His troops in the east were too under-supplied. And the west, lord give him strength in the west, because his time was running out. Hitler's sweat began building up on his brow, quickly wiping it off with a handkerchief. His Commander in front of his desk was talking nonsense. Something about more troops to the east and west, as he would pull troops out from the South, since no one was coming that way. Was this man an idiot? They would come through the South once seen.
He nodded over to his right, signalling to a figure garbbed in all black. The Commander's neck began tightening up, the figure's hand clenching slightly, but not as much. "Enough, Commander Stronson. Since you do not know how to properly lead your troops, I reliquinish you of your duties." The Commander was scratching at his throat, and then quickly reached for his gun. A bodyguard dove in front of his leader (Hitler), prepared to take a bullet. Instead, the Commander turned the gun towards the figure, and pulled the trigger.
The bullet came quickly, but halted a few inches from the man in black. He stepped out from the shadows of the bookcase, with the bullet remaining the same distance. "Uccisore" was one of the most skilled protectors in the world, thanks to his telekinesis. His power was so overwhelming, Hitler chose him as his personal guard, showing him the utmost respect. His head tilted towards the bullet, and then nodded in approval. The bullet now raced backwards, straight into the forehead of the one who shot it. He dropped cold.
"Very good, 'Uccisore,' your country would be pleased. My death is not something that should be avoided right now, at all costs." The guard never spoke, hardly ever spoke. Sometimes, Hitler wondered if he even had a voice. Not once was a sound uttered from him, not even a cough. It bugged Adolf, but not as much as the proceedings of the Allies to every angle of which he stood. There was no time to delay, he had to think of a plan. Turning towards his left, he acknowledged his top scientist, Karl Hammer. "Well, Mr. Hammer? Any good news?"
These two worked closely together, as close as one could get to Hitler. Karl Hammer was a scientist dealing with genetics, something that "Uccisore" was very interested in, mentally, in any case. "No, sir. The formula has provided no effects yet. We need more time, the Allies cannot get through!" This was becoming a hassle for all the scientists. Being attacked placed a lot of pressure onto them, trying to reach a genetic formula that would grant all of the Aryans, and the Aryans only, abilities like Hitler's Private Guard.
It was a lie, of course. The formula was in perfect condition, but it could only be produced once as of now, with the right resources they had. The Allies were too close, there could be no tradings involved with Italy or Japan or Korea. They had to use this quickly, and they had. Karl Hammer, once a normal human, injected himself a few hours ago with the formula. Experimenting on a small rat, he had realized his "ability" was that of power bestowal, granting powers (with no control of what to give) to those he came in contact with. The rat, sadly, was given "self-explosion with no return," and blew apart in it's cage.
Time was of the essence, and Hitler acknowledged that. "Fine, we will try to hold out for four more days, Doctor. If you cannot give me my results by then, all hope is lost." Getting up from his study, with the Guard following, Adolf Hitler strode out onto his balcony. His speech, perhaps one of the final ones he could give, motivated every german. In the office, however, stood Dr. Hammer, wondering about his new power. "We need to create a false formula, a suicide medicine. I can tell the Guard knows enough already. It's time to end it, only the Leader, God of the Aryans, can have an ability this amazing. None shall rise above him! None!"
The sky was crystal clear, there were no clouds in sight for as far as the eye could see. The wind was still, not moving anything in the path of the two forces. The sound was deathly ill, you could hear the sounds of the other troops from across the way in the city. Their screams, yells, orders, it was all able to be heard.
Jonathan's radio turned on suddenly as he was leaning outside of a window, looking around. "The reports that the east has been done in, has now been con-" was all that he heard before it happened. An explosion was heard and felt. It rocked the building and sent him out of the window, falling on the ground. He had hit his head pretty badly, but was able to crawl into a ditch. He looked up to see that the building was in aflame and that he wondered what happened to the other guys with him. If his ears weren't damaged from the explosion, he would of heard the screams of pain and terror from them inside.
Noticing the shells being fired back and forth, he figured the two sides would advance upon each other. He looked up from the ditch, and saw that there was a barricade of machine gunners firing down on his position. The car that was to the side of him was hit badly but he was able to duck before he was hit. Breathing a sigh of relief, he needed a plan to get out. He had notice that across the way were some allied troops setting up the side of a building and working their way behind. He closed his eyes, and got up and ran to them.
He heard no shots, no screams, no yelling. He opened his eyes, and he felt everything slow down and then just stop.. He was unsure of what had happened but he figured this would be better then dying, or at least he hoped. He finished running to the other side, and then the movement kept going. To the others he had "teleported" but to him he just ran.
From his position, he was able to start to fire down on the troops that were barricading the way in but they were not letting up easily. This was going to be harder then he thought.
[Axis - "Uccisore" / Karl Hammer]
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Dr. Karl Hammer walked along the shaken walls, artillery striking too close for comfort. All of his experiments, vials, you name it; probably destroyed. There was a large percentage of it that would have to be redone, or even rediscovered. A lot of his items in his room were highly valuable, collected through his studies across the globe. "This is becoming quite troublesome, hopefully Hitler will lead the new German World Order in a much more stable manner than this."
He had never doubted him, not once in his life. There was a time, once actually, now thinking about it. Adolf threatened his life, point-blank with a small handgun, if he didn't hand his research over immediately. It was truly useless information, but it was so curious on how he wanted it. He had to know everything, and eventually, he would. Karl had been studying his ability for hours now, testing it to it's absolute limits, or what he thought. Rats had produced different variations, yet, since they had no human genetic markers, died within a few minutes. These 'abilities' ranged from pyrokinesis, to superhuman speed, to speaking with him. All extremely fascinating, but shortlived.
As he was about to begin Experiment #9, a loud thud on the door was heard. Dr. Hammer turned, staring at the doorway. The thud was too powerful for a human, yet too dull for a missile or anything of that nature. It continued, the loud bangings and thumpings. He grabbed the small firearm from his nearby desk, and aimed it steadily, yet with increasing shakiness, at the door. The doorknob twisted, jerked, and didn't move again.
Lowering the pistol slightly, a stupid move. Once it reached about 60 degrees down from where it was, the door ripped off, flying out towards the ceiling. With a loud crash, it collided, and fell straight back into it's spot. "Uccisore" stepped through his created opening, waving his hands around. Crossing a fair distance to the Doctor, a hint of anger was in his eyes. "Do not lie to me Doctor. I am smarter than I look. You used the formula, I saw a bandage on your upper arm when I left. My ability is telekinesis, as you know. If you value your life, which I do not doubt you do, tell me what it is you can do."
The Doctor was actually surprised; not because of the door flying off, but the fact that this Killer, one trained in the arts of slaughtering millions to protect one, spoke. It was the first time he believed anyone probably heard him spoke, let alone himself! He gathered any sense of wording in his head, and regained his composure. "Fine," he uttered, stepping back to grab a labrat. Unshielding his hand from a work glove, he stroked the rat a few times, letting it convulse quickly. It stopped, then stood on it's hind legs. Sniffing, it turned towards "Uccisore." It's mouth opened, gathering a small orb of energy into it's mouth. It released.
The blast was miniscule compared to anything that this guard had seen. With a wave of his hand, it deflected back at the rat, vaporizing it. He glared up towards Hammer. "You grant abilities? Just what we need. It's physical, no doubt." His fist tightened, Karl felt it around his body; mainly his neck. "If you touch anyone, I'm going to snap each part of their body, breaking it into thousands of pieces. Same goes for you. Hitler better be glad he doesn't hear about this, and you better be glad I don't remark about anything." The grip ended, dropping Karl to the floor, shaken.
Before opening the door, "Uccisore" halted at the frame. "One more thing, 'Doctor.' If you manage to create the formula again, I want a new power. Telekinesis is getting old, and I want something to spice it up. Fire, Electricity, Ice. Surprise me, if you can." His fingers wrapped around the doorknob, twisting it and pulling. "Good day, Doctor." The door slammed with ferocity, shaking the entire room; no, that was a missile, he was sure.
This had been too close of a call; had the Assassin figured out he couldn't recreate the formula? There was no hint of sarcasm or doubt in his voice, not even certainty. He was detached of all emotions; an amazing trait. Karl stood up, patting the dirt off of his body. "Screw it." Running amongst the halls, he gathered books, supplies, anything he could. If he had to, the Doctor would barricade himself in his lab, working on a new formula. His death could not happen; would not happen, not now, now when his Leader needed him most.
It was funny, this war. The dead and dying all around him. The war was now something in the grasps of both sides, if that was possible. The Germans had an amazing defense at Berlin but they lacked the offense to keep the assault going. The Allied forces had the amazing offense but the defense to back themselves up if the unthinkable happens.
Ralph darted around a corner of a building. The streets were bombarded by both sides and the buildings were crumbling all around him. He had jumped through a broken window and hit the side of a dumpster. He had seen the German forces slowly moving their barricades up, thinking they had the upper hand on the allied forces. Funny, it was all going to go so wrong, he thought as he started to fire on the Germans. He looked to them as they turned to face him, he was scared, no, deathly ill by this point. He heard the gunfire but closed his eyes, and this time it stopped completely. The bullets were in midair, the people had froze. It was amazing. One man had the power to stop time. He focused hard, and he thought on the time moving backwards and it did. The bullets moved back at the forces, as time came back to. It ripped in their guns and blew them apart in their hands.
"SERGEANT, ARE YOU OKAY? WE LOST TRACK OF YOU?" it was the Captain. The Captain was a good friend, but not the greatest of soldiers. He ducked back behind a dumpster, "Yeah, I'm fine. - Listen, you'll need to set up more defenses along the outskirts of Berlin. They're trying to push us back. I'm behind enemy lines, I think. I'll do my best, Sergeant out."
He threw the radio away and smashed it. They'll over hear it if I'm not careful. Holding his position, he heard the German officers start yelling at the soldiers to find the soldier that took a few of their men down; along with their machine guns. Things were about to get interesting for Ralph, a lot more interesting.
The Allies were pushing through, their offense was amazingly powerful. He hadn't anticipated America coming all this way, but then again, Japan was a disgusting loss. Their kamikazi pilots, ramming into any vessel they could see; pathetic. They had no honor, he gathered. The Germans didn't do kamikazi; no, they had a better plan. If captured, they would break their thumb, releasing a trigger with a device built in, thanks to Karl Hammer. This "trigger" released a hand-grenade sized explosion, capable of killing nearly ten or so, depending on where the soldier was.
Hitler paced along the back lines, rushing amongst the Captains, Commanders, anyone of high official ranking, next to him, at least. "Status update, Colonel Erickson." The Colonel, one of high esteem in his army, turned, eye missing. This had been a man who had shown the utmost honor to his country, and gave everything for it, including his right eye. He couldn't take him out of the war, not now. "Well, sir, nothing is good. One of their soldiers broke through our line somehow, and managed to take out seven our machine guns, along with a squad of troops. We're looking for him now." Clasping his hand on his soldier, Hitler stared into the eyes of a man so brave, yet so weak. "Good. I shall hope to see his face before killed."
Nodding, the two parted ways, with Hitler ducking under some of the walls that were formed up. Bullets grazed passed him, with shells of artillery a few miles away. Things were getting close, and the farther the shells, he noticed, the farther the Allies. If those things got closer, he knew what to expect. The soldiers ran past him, not even saluting; he liked it better that way, they remained focused. He occasionally heard shouts of "Over here!" or "Sir, we got a live one!" and even the "It's a f**king madhouse!"(Pardon the language, mods. This is a war, and a storyline; I want it to seem realistic).
He managed to reach a checkpoint, one of the few they had left. Adolf walked slowly amongst the civilians that were bottled up. Each of them was given a hand-grenade, small firearm, and a rifle. They were told to use them if anything bad happened. "What do you mean bad?! Lord Hitler promised us freedom! The right to be the only race! The Americans won't get through!" The man who said this, Frank Gerter, was shot later that day, for god knows what. Not Hitler, nor any other high ranking officer, enjoyed his talk. It was simple; if, a very small if, they managed to get through; shoot anything not marked in red.
A door swung open in the main base of the Germans. Hitler sat down at a desk, reviewed the scenarios, and issued several orders. The Allies would not get through, they needed to fortify themselves. "It is agreed then," Hitler remarked, "that every male civilian 18 or older will recieve a gun, and be shipped off to the front lines. Any further complications, we go younger." Each man (and woman) in the room solemnly nodded, not because of Hitler. A dark, luminious figure stood in the corner, watching his Lord. He was the voice of reason, not Hitler. If no one agreed to Adolf Hitler, Supreme Ruler of Germany, they would suffer the most severe consequence; death.
He had been fighting off the Germans for a bit now. He had lost the men around him, and only knew that he had to rely on himself. He was in a floor of a apartment building, or well, what was left of one that is. He had positioned himself in a room on the back corner. Far away enough from the firing that he would not get involved, but close enough that if needed he could go help his allies if they were coming close to his position.
It was almost night now, and the firing had slowed down a bit, but not a lot. You could tell the two sides were getting tired. The shots were becoming less rampant, the artillery was being fired slower and slower, hopefully coming to a stop - but the night time meant moving unnoticed. He barricaded his room in the building, and tried to catch some sleep before trying to find his way back to the front lines untouched.
BANG, BANG, BANG was the sound that was heard in the middle of the night. He could hear them talking in German, and the lights flashing through the bottom of the crack. He kept quiet, hoping they would go away but the door busted down. They rushed to him, and gripped his arms and held him up. He focused on everything around him, and it went slow - to a stop. He wiggled free of the arms and then saw an emergency knife on the leg holster. He grabbed it and pulled it out, and realized this wasn't right. He pondered for a second and sighed. He slashed through the necks of all the soldiers and walked away, letting time come back to what it was. They had dropped down, as time came back. He looked to the body and wondered how many people will have to die to take down Hitler. He looked up and saw the sky turning light.
The sun began rising, yet it was dampened by the amount of smog, mist, and pollution in the air. Soldiers from every side, including civilians, were shouting over guns, rockets, and anything that made noise. It was a miracle on how much anyone had slept through this. Without proper ear protection, one could go deaf in a matter of minutes. Any child born into this world would surely suffer from the amount of sound that this horrid world is making.
Hitler rose from his bedside, peering out from a reinforced window. Every measure around his room was secured perfectly: the thick bullet proof glass, the reinforced walls, the fourteen foot thick armour padding/brick around his walls. Nothing could get in, and, as it should be, nothing could get out. There was a small passage in his room, behind his bed, leading into a gap in the wall. This gap was a hole, a manual elevator of sorts. It was incase of overrunning, and it would take Adolf directly down to the safehouse, some hundred meters below his room. The perfect room, and yet, he always had to leave it.
Dressing was easy, everything had been picked out the day before. He buttoned up his suit, combed his hair, brushed his teeth. A daily routine, one of great importance. Yet, behind his eyes, he was tired, exhausted; the war was taking a huge toll on him. Nothing was easy for him anymore, his plans were becoming exhausted. "Damn it... god damn it!" He had to figure a way to make it to these next three days. If nothing else, Hitler would initiate his final plan; full-out obliteration of anyone who got in his way.
Standing outside, "Uccisore" was awaiting his leader's exit of his sanctuary. He had been taught that it was better to wait for him, than to go in. "Uccisore" once went inside his room, hearing shouts, but since nothing could go in, it was a waste of an effort. Hitler was cursing at his window, watching a mill go up in flames, a revolt. The Leader of the Germans turned around, anger and rage filling his eyes. "You! Eliminate those around the mills! Do not let anyone away!" This was the only time he was actually commanded to use his power, not mentioned to or forced, but commanded. It felt good, the cracking of bones, screams of the sirens.
The door swung open, boots thudding on the hard-wood floor. Adolf Hitler walked hastefully to his office, and then ripped open the balcony door. His guard followed loosely, hanging back slightly, enveloping Hitler in a telekinetic shield. If anything happened, the barrier would protect him from harm, as long as he focused; if nothing else, he would pull Adolf out of the way using his same ability. "I have to rely on some other being to protect me, I should be able to protect myself!" It was wrong to think that; he could never. Someone who offered his life to him was more of a man than he, as unfortunate as that is to admit. Glancing back, the Killer stood there, motionless, waiting for a command.
Nodding, Adolf Hitler returned inside, and quickly sat at his desk. His fingers raked through his hair, glancing all over his desk at the reports that were not there previously. "This is utter sh*t, 'Uccisore.' I don't expect you to understand the amount of pressure." The killer-for-hire, turning his head slowly around, cleared his throat. "And you don't know the amount of pressure it is to keep watch on you 24/7, yet we both have our roles in life." Hitler was surprised at this remark, commenting with, "Ah, so you do talk. Maybe this will make my days more enjoyable, but I do agree."
Light heated up the room, as the heat in his office was shut off. Candles, a fireplace, all were lit to try and get some heat. "Uccisore," peering around corners every so often, did not move other than that. He had been trained to use his ability to the maximum, sacrificing movement. An itch would be scratched with his mind, and his feet would sometimes not even touch the ground. Adolf stared in awe of this, always soon becoming enraged that the Doctor had not finished his formula. Cannon fire and other missiles struck the ground, quaking everything. Nothing in his office moved, except his heart, rapidly pounding with the approaching enemy.
The sky was bright, the wind was shivering and it was time to move on. He had looked out on the troops down the road, watching them set up for another day of battle. Switching posts, and walking with their supplies back and forth from the check points almost a mile back to the front lines. He guessed that the main strong point in Berlin was at least a few miles back, but that wasn't his objective. He had to get his way back to the allied forces and rejoin in the battle, or well, it'd be a good chance he wouldn't get out of this alive.
He heard airplanes coming into the city, yet, he didn't know where they were or why they were coming. He heard bombs drop on the city, and felt the ground wobble. He looked out and saw a big explosion rival the tallest of buildings in the city, or any city. He could of only guessed the industrial side of Berlin was now being bombed by the Allies. He looked out and wondered if their front was on that side of the city. There was little to no action on this side of the city. He went back into the room with the dead German soldiers and picked up a rifle, and the bullets for it. He was out of his own, Cheap weapons was the thought that raced through his mind. He wondered what it'd be like if he could read minds. He often wondered if half of the Germans wanted to keep doing this as much as he did.
He walked out of the building, and into the street. It was a casual moment for him, and well, from what the Germans could see. They hesitated for a moment, and wondered if he was deranged. They were given orders to fire, and the body disappeared in the moment. He looked from a rooftop of a building that had only lost the side of it. They were screaming and yelling while he walked away to the direction of the battle. "I wonder how many acts I'll have to do before I'm able to get back with the boys." It was odd to speak out loud but he wondered how many times he'll get a chance to speak freely.