Legion

war_of_ages The last thing he could remember was the explosion that had sent the entire group of men he was with scattering in all directions. There had been no warning, and they had no set plan on how to act in that case. So he ran, for what seemed like only a few minutes. When he stopped he had no idea where he was, or who could have been around him, then everything went black. As he started to come to, he was sitting down. He could hear voices, none of them speaking English. “Robert Avery.” He looked up as he heard his name, not sure which of the men around him had said it. They must have had his tags, he thought. One man came forward, asking him something that sounded vaguely English, but his accent was too thick, and left Robert confused which earned him a rough slap across the face. It continued like this, he wasn’t sure for how long, and the taste of blood from their rough treatment was fresh on his tongue.

crematorium Werner Mensching had - up until a certain destructive point that evening - been located in one of the more important chambers, deeply rooted in what could have possibly been most crucial as far as discussions went. But even the most stubbourn trees could be persuaded up and out of the ground by things as simple as the wind - or, in this case, ein Amerikaner. Curious, of course; one could never be expected to rely too heavily on the younger ones. They simply were never allowed enough time to adjust to the war, and as silly as it sounded, the knowledge that venturing into enemy territory apparently wasn't common among the rare few... it was never too clear what exactly they expected to find. Was the grass any greener? That question never made its appearance, but that wasn't to say it hadn't been considered once or twice. The recent pick-up in chatter - more of a dull roar than anything - had been enough to draw him into the newly occupied room. And though he didn't stray too far from any of the others crowded around the Amerikaner as far as his choice of clothing was concerned, standing [roughly] at 6'2" with his hat tucked neatly beneath his arm, his quiet appearance was enough to bring a temporary halt to the chaos.

Then, suddenly, everything was being explained all at once. A pair of dog tags was held in his direction, and while he'd accepted them swiftly and took to inspecting them shortly after, he waited an entire minute or two before gathering his thoughts and turning to address the 'guest'. "Herr Avery, is it?"

war_of_ages The men seemed to take turns yelling at him in harsh tones, pointing their fingers at him as they spoke and they seemed like the expected him to understand. He could make out only a few words they were saying, but none of it made sense to his still throbbing head. As they took turns yelling, they took turns hitting him, some in the face, other’s in the stomach. A sharp one to the ribs had left him almost unable to breath momentarily. Every time he tried to say he didn’t understand, he got hit. So he stopped responding at all, and as he assumed they were trying to figure out what to do to him next, another man came in.

Robert knew he was important, because all the other men in the room went silent and all eyes were on him. Except for Robert’s, whose gaze was focused on the ground at that point, only watching their feet as they moved and listened for anything else he might understand. Only when he heard his name again did he look up, and knew there must be a split in his eyebrow because as he drew them together it stung. It sounded like English, but he didn’t answer, afraid he would be wrong again.

crematorium "Herr Avery," Werner paid no mind to the fact that he hadn't received a response from the Amerikaner. It was no matter, really. He didn't have anything important going on - just a minor war of sorts, you know. Though he may have secretly been irritated (honestly, this wasn't the first complicated conversation he'd been involved in that day... of course, the others had all been eager to speak), it wasn't something that could be seen outwardly as he shifted to steal a chair away from the nearby table setup. "Herr Avery, I understand that you are confused," he positioned the chair near the other but made it a point to avoid crowding him, sitting and crossing one leg over the other if only to spend a moment frowning at a scuff-mark on his previously immaculate boot.

"But you have to realise that we don't take too kindly to uninvited guests... it's - ah, forgive me, I am not used to this - improper? Impolite? It is impolite to expect that everything is to be ready just because you have arrived! You would agree, ja?"

war_of_ages Robert was paying attention now, as this new man seemed to take over the situation the others backed off of him, and he was thankful for that. He didn’t feel as threatened, but he knew he wasn’t safe by any means. The man sat down, not close but not far, and seemed more interested in his boots than Robert. More relief, even if only a little, came as he heard his own language being spoken and by someone who could actually handle it. Confused, he thought, could cover most of how he felt nicely.

He knew from all his deducing as he sat that he had been captured, surrounded by Germans- Nazis to anyone in the states. Robert hadn’t been interested in the war, but was told he would go to prison if he didn’t accept his draft, and left his little brother in charge of the family while he got on the boat that brought him here. “Well I didn’t march in here on my own. I woke up here…” He took a moment to try to swallow, his mouth feeling particularly dry. “I was lost.”

crematorium "Is that how it went?" Judging by the faint smile that'd taken residence upon his face, he seemed mildly amused by the other's explanation, and it wasn't an entirely bad thing... but it was still a far cry from suggesting that he was convinced that Robert - Herr Avery - was telling the truth. "What I don't understand is how you managed to get lost in such a strategic location," so perhaps he wasn't asking questions at this point; there was some logic, at least, to sharing his 'own thoughts' with the boy before him. If he was lying, there was the possibility that he'd take the hint and realise exactly how unlikely it was that he'd get off 'easy' without adding something to his confession... Werner didn't know what it was the boy was after just yet, and he didn't plan on backing down until he had a reason to believe he understood the other's motives for just waltzing into their territory.

war_of_ages “Yeah, it did…” Robert nodded slightly. When he had stopped running, he was walking, trying to get his bearings and maybe figure out his way back to the camp now that he heard no more explosions. There wasn’t much around, as he recalled, while he walked aimlessly in the direction he thought he had come from, but nothing looked familiar, then the memory was over and he was waking up tied to a chair. A strategic location? Which meant they had taken time to pick this spot, and that it was important to them. “I didn’t know where I was going, I got separated.” He was rather ashamed to say that he had run at the first loud noise, so he left it out.

crematorium Almost everything about the third reich - save a few things here and there (what was super-humanity without a couple of mistakes?) - was a meticulous plan. And, not unlike others before them, the Nazis invested time and energy into doing things in [goose]step with both that plan and their Führer (or his wishes, rather). "Now, if I understand it as you have explained, Herr Avery, you were lost - separated, as you mentioned. But from who and where?" Of course, by then the boy's status was already obvious enough; Werner wasn't asking to confirm facts he'd been in possession of long ago. What he wanted was to try and determine where it was the Amerikaner had come from, and where the rest of his little friends were hiding (and more importantly, if there was anything more - perhaps of slightly more value - that could be uncovered in the process). "Take your time, if you must."

war_of_ages Robert sat back against the chair, slightly more relaxed as the hitting had finally stopped. In his mind, he was trying to analyze everything this man said, as they had taught him to do in his crash course of military tactics. It really hadn’t been enough time to learn much of anything though, and just enough to terrify him of what waited across the sea. But it was easy enough to guess just what he wanted Robert to tell him, and he wasn’t going to be guilty for all the men he had left getting killed because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. “I don’t remember.” Robert answered, his gaze falling to the ground once again. They were just as scared as he was from what he could tell before the strike, and most of them were probably lost just as he had been, trying to find their way back.

crematorium As the Amerikaner attempted to further his progression into what might have posed as a relaxed frame of mind, the Nazi simply watched. It was obvious by that point that he was amused with the boy's inner struggle, but the fact that he would have been content to remain seated and watch as he squirmed uncomfortably was on more of a down-low. As patient and well-planned as his fellow men were, there was - more often than not - a deadline for most things... and being that this Amerikaner was nothing more than a petty, low-ranked soldier, it was highly unlikely that he'd need more time than was deemed necessary to learn as much as possible from him.

Werned stood up almost as suddenly as Robert had managed to take interest in the ground, and stepped forward to hover over him menacingly. It was only a moment or two before he'd lifted a hand from his side and gripped the other's chin firmly, forcing Robert to lift not only his head but also his eyes. The Nazi didn't care so much that he was being disrespected... he just wanted to see how far he could push the boy.

"Think, Herr Avery. As I have said before, we have the time."

war_of_ages Robert remained still after he had answered, wondering just how long they would put up with him before they decided to kill him. He knew it probably wouldn’t be long. He had nothing to tell them. Nothing useful anyway, except where he had come from. And he wasn’t even sure of that. Robert thought when he ran that he was going north, but with all the confusion he knew he didn’t keep a straight path and couldn’t even remember where in the camp he was when he started running. They could have been anywhere, and they were practically right on top of… whatever the place he was in was called. He would have said it was a cave, but from the description they had given him in training it was obviously a bunker.

As the Nazi stood up suddenly and closed the small space between them, it startled Robert and he couldn’t stop himself from jumping a little even though he couldn’t get out of the chair. He tried to fight against the hand pulling his chin, but he was tired and it didn’t last long before he gave in and looked up. Instead of looking the other man in the eye, Robert’s gaze went to his jacket and the medals it was decorated with, and his conscience again told him to remain silent.

crematorium "Herr Avery," Werner maintained his grip on the American's chin, waiting until the sound of his voice had faded from his own ears to reinforce his authority with a rough jerk of his wrist. It was a simple movement - made even simpler by the fact that the boy was bound to the chair he sat in - meant only to spook the lifelessness out of him. Werner's hand never fell from Robert's face, but as he continued to speak, his voice had a gentle, more soothing quality to it.

"Herr Avery, this method of yours - this silence... we are not new to it. You are welcome to continue in your ways, but do not make a fool of yourself - they will not aid you in your release. This is your home now,"

He released the younger man's chin then, but his arm did not return to his side until the American's left cheek had been graced with two soft pats. "Do not worry, Schatz, everyone here is very fond of you." Of course, he wasn't speaking literally...

war_of_ages Robert flinched, closing his eyes tight and thinking his luck had finally run out and they were through with his games. But when nothing came of the sharp jerk of his chin and the hand remained there, he hesitantly opened one eye before the other, wondering why he was unharmed before the other man spoke again. He was confused, but there was nothing else he could think to do but remain silent. Speaking hadn’t gotten him more than cuts and bruises and a sore body so far in their hands, he couldn’t think it would help much with this man either.

But what the Nazi said struck him with fear and anger before he realized it. After his chin was released, Robert’s eyes narrowed as he let his gaze meet the other man’s for the first time. “This is not my home.” He knew what home was, he longed to be there every day he had spent away from it. He especially wished he was there now that he had gotten himself captured. He thought that if he had been more brave, had chosen to stay and fight instead of run, that he would still be at the camp and relatively safe.

With his silence already broken, there wasn’t much point in keeping it up again. “I know you won't let me walk out of here anyway. You want to know what I know, but why would I share it with you if you're just going to kill me?” Robert was still hoping there was a chance he could make it out alive, but from what he knew already cooperating with these men would not only make him a traitor, but it would put the lives of all the men he had left behind at even more risk than they already were. But he thought that if he let them think he did know something they wanted, it would buy him enough time to think of some other way to get free.

crematorium "Kill you? Herr Avery, I realise that my brothers may not have been entirely civil with you, but there has not yet been talk of killing! Mention of Death, perhaps, but you have misinterpreted talk of Dr. Mengele for discussion of your own handling," Werner shook his head in mild amusement, more or less unable to help himself. Something about the boy, having been rendered so helpless, so utterly defenseless, that he was forced to converse with the enemy struck him as odd, though the sensation was pleasant and certainly one of power.

In that same sense, he pitied the American to a certain degree... he knew that he, for one, would be ruffled if he were held captive by the enemy. But he just couldn't see himself wandering into unfamiliar territory without expecting an attack, or at least being prepared for it. Sympathy would have been, for a lack of better words, overkill at that point.

"I need to move you into another room," Werner said, after what may have been a minute - perhaps two - of silence. He had been laying out a plan in his mind, checking it for faults, and developing additional back up strategies - all on the spot so as to avoid as many problems as possible during the transfer. "Keeping you in the map room is not ideal." The Nazi was more than capable of handling the situation on his own, however foolish it may have been to go about it that way. It didn't take him long to separate Robert from the chair he'd been tied to, making it a point to keep his hands bound tightly behind his back. Werner stayed behind the American with a fistful of his uniform, seeing to it that he didn't stray far. "We are walking now, Herr Avery."

war_of_ages Lies. That’s what Robert thought about everything he was told. These weren’t people that were famous for their value of life. They wouldn’t have a reason to let him live once they got what they wanted, and he wasn’t even sure he knew enough to make them happy, so living through the ordeal wasn’t an option. It would have to be escape. He also had no idea how he would pull off an escape either. The room alone was full of men, who knew how many there were in the halls beyond the door?

Robert looked back down, away from the other man’s eyes, all his interest back on the floor while the room fell to silence around him. He should have been taking that time to think, look around for his gun maybe. Of course, they wouldn’t have been foolish enough to leave it where he could reach it, and even so with his hands tied to the chair it wouldn’t be of much use if they had. Instead he just thought of all his time wasted here, when he could have been home taking care of his family. He didn’t even remember what month it was anymore, or how long he had been away.

He was pulled from his thoughts when the other man made his move to untie him. Having not paid much attention, he hadn’t heard why he was being moved. Robert felt the slack as he was freed from the chair, though his wrists remained secure. Running might be difficult with his hands behind his back, but he thought he might be able to manage it. “Walking where?” He asked, taking a step forward to test the grip that the other had on his uniform.

crematorium "To another room, Herr Avery," his reply had been simple. Vague. He wasn't exactly interested in answering any of the American's questions - instantly or otherwise - seeing as it'd been something almost beyond a struggle to simply introduce himself. And Werner had thought he'd been rather calm throughout the entire 'introduction'. He'd been polite; firm, maybe, but certainly not rude. And after he'd had the courtesy to inform the other that they were moving - as opposed to joining a firing squad - the American had the nerve to ask where they were going? It wasn't as though explaining would make any difference to him... when they stopped walking, he would know.

The room they came to, after several turns this way and that, was not much different from the one Robert had originally been in. It was smaller and looked as though it was not visited as frequently, or by as many people at once. There wasn't much occupying the room as far as 'furniture' was concerned - a small table sat in one corner, two chairs were its only company. Perhaps it had been made for this - holding 'visitors'. Though if the pathetic excuse for a cot in the [other] corner had any secrets to offer, it was most likely not a room for those held captive; they didn't have access to such comforts. Upon entering, Werner pushed Robert toward the cot. "Sit. I am not in the mood for your games."

war_of_ages Robert hadn’t expected a straight answer, so he wasn’t surprised when he didn’t get one. He paid attention as they walked though, finding the grip on his uniform too tight to wriggle away from. He thought maybe if he found a way free, remembering the way out would be useful. But it was impossible to remember, with all the turns they made until they got to the next room. It was nearly bare, he noticed as he looked around before he was shoved in the direction of the cot. He stumbled slightly, but caught his balance before he actually fell. With his hands behind his back, falling would hurt a lot worse than usual.

“I’m not the one playing games.” The American mumbled as he sat himself down on the cot. The quietness of the new room, lacking all the other men, let him think a bit more about his situation. The lack of adrenaline from earlier had left him aching all over. His mouth was dry, but he didn’t have to look down to know they had taken his canteen. And food was getting harder to come by for the group he was with, so hungry wasn’t enough to describe how he felt by then. He thought of asking for a split second, then told himself mentally how stupid of an idea that was. They would probably give him something rotten, or even poisoned. Robert picked at the rope holding his hands together idly, watching the other man and waiting to see what his next move was going to be.