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Dan's eyes go wide as saucers as he sees the grenade land at his feet!
He stares at the live explosive for approximately infinite eternities, thinking how ironic it is that he'll be killed by the thing that he's been throwing so many of.
Without thinking, his body finally unfreezes, and he starts to move.
Then he thinks of his comrades...and he does the one act that will see to their safety.
Falling, falling, falling...sprinting, bending, contorting....
He goes to pick up the grenade and toss it back!
His body flows like liquid mercury. Like a cyber-augmented ghost. Like a Wraith. He catches the potato masher in a perfect grasp and snaps his wrist as he sends it back!
Jacques steels himself for an unpleasant time as Kimbers works to remove the bullet. He keeps up a steady stream of both literal and figurative French as the man operates, but at last thanks him profusely. "Oh zank god," he says. "I zought I was going to 'ave to limp all ze way back with zat rattling around in zere."
Much steadier on his feet and no longer limping with his gun as a walking stick, he trots off after the rest of the group, just in time to hear a terrible explosion from deeper inside the castle. His medical bag is out and ready as he waits for the smoke to clear.
Bobby starts to dive for cover, but his eyes go wide as saucers when he sees Daniel *run up* to the grenade, and fluidly scoop it up in his hand and throw it back where it came from!
Still, he covers his ears with the palms of his hands, and waits for the explosion...
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Moving so swiftly that time seems to stand still, Daniel scoops up the potato masher and sends it back where it came from, even as Aleksei hurls his body in that very direction! Around the corner a very surprised German waits with his rifle at the ready. As the grenade comes back around the corner and bounces off the back wall, it explodes with great fury.
The German is thrown against the wall and slumps to the ground. Aleksei manages to avoid the worst of the blast but still takes a wound to show for it.
Grunting, Aleksei quickly realizes he wasn't alone and grabs for his rifle, but it appears the explosion did the job for him. Just to make sure, he pokes the body with his rifle. "Morgan! Northbrook! You still breathing?" He realizes he may not hear their response with the ringing in his ears.
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Though Daniel is a veteran soldier, having seen death and destruction enough for ten lifetimes over, only now does it fall upon him just how close he came to biting it. He walks over to the ragged corpse of the German, realizing how it might just as easily have been him that was crumpled by that very blast.
His right arms trembles and shakes as the adrenaline ebbs and flows and he lets it fall. The hand graces his hip flask, and he brings it to his lips, letting the hard rye calm his nerves. He's not one for drinking in battle, but this seems like an exception. Replacing the primitive metal container he gets a hold of himself. Checking his weapon to make sure it's full, he nods at Aleksei. "Yes. I am. Still breathing, that is. So, the doors then?" he asks, resigned to go about still living for the moment.
"Is anyone still wounded?" Jacques asks from the hall. Then, quieter, "Are zere any gerries left?"
Jacques brushes past Northbrook and sets a hand on Aleksei's shoulder. He snaps his fingers a couple times in front of his face and checks his eyes. "'oo're going to be fine," he concludes. "Take some deep breaths first."
Aleksei shudders when Jacques puts a hand on him, his tough Russian exterior slowly returning. "Spasibo, tovarisch. I'll be fine, just needed a breather. How's our friend?" he indicates the fallen German with his thumb.
Jacques nods, giving Aleksei a firm grip on his shoulder before kneeling down next to Morgan and double checking to make sure the German is dead.
Jacques inches into the room, taking the corner near the fire and gestures around for the others to check the doors out of the dining area.
Aleksei kicks the body to make sure it is indeed dead, shoulders his weapon and follows the rest of them to the dining hall. "Dinner is served." He continues, noting the distinct lack of being shot at. "You think that was last of them?"
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"No. No I do not," Dan says as he enters the room. Then, with the smell and his empty belly launching a hard campaign, he can't stop himself. "I'm sorry, I'm just gonna--" he grabs a warm slice of wurst and pops it into his mouth. "Okay. Okay, ya, I--I immediately regret this. I've heard of sour-kraut, but I didn't think it was -this- bad. No wonder Gerry makes good beer, it's the only way someone would willingly eat this."
His curiosity sated, and his stomach having learned a valuable lesson, Dan moves on, checking the rest of the room.
After entering the room a little ways in case there was resistance, Bobby chooses some of the more obviously ordinary foods off the table (bread, cheese, etc.), and munching on it says "I'll guard the hall while you clear the room."
Jacques nods silently, limping over next to the door and keeping the other entrances covered while beckoning Northbrook and Aleksei to stack up with Morgan.
Aleksei moves over to the other side of Morgan and nods that he is ready, holding his rifle ready to shoot anyone not on their side..
Bobby, having finished his snack, comes back into the room, and takes up position beside Aleksei, pistol at the ready.
"Typical. Castle is good place to set up if we need to defend. Has walls, food, ammunition. Just need clear rats." Aleksei says as they get ready to head to the next door.
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"Whoa! Good thing I didn't grenade this room, eh?"
Dan does a quick once-over of the supplies. He was getting a little sick of K-rats, and if there was anything good, like chocolate, or a decent cheese wheel, or some nice fruit preserves, he was totes gonna nab those before they left the castle.
That done, he lines up at the next door, inside the room, and kicks it open.
"Zat's not half bad, zough it's not what I was expecting," mutters Jacques, rummaging through the shelves for anything useful as medical supplies (or any hard liquor, for that matter). He hangs back a little still covering the other entrances just in case.
Bobby stands beside Aleksei, both behind Daniel as he kicks the second door open.
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The storeroom does have some foodstuffs that are good, including a wheel of cheese, a loaf of bread and a few bottles of fine German beer.
The next door gives way to what is obviously a kitchen, likewise abandoned in the process of cooking. There are pans of food on the stove (burning the contents) and pots boiling over. It seems as though someone was in the process of preparing lunch. There are also tins of various foodstuffs here.
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Dan sighs heavily looking at the looming disaster, and also as the vastness of the castle begins to become clear to him.
He quickly retraces his steps and gets Sergeant Kimbers. "Kimbers, we may have a flank here that we can't secure. I want to secure the rooms closest, but this is a labyrinth of classical proportions! Stay here, and try to put out these fires so the castle doesn't burn down until we've looted it properly.
But most of all watch for Gerry's creeping up on our rear! (Because we all know how much Gerrys like that sort of thing. ;)
Well guys, what do you think? North to bring our search pattern closer, or south, into an ever-expanding vast unknown??"
Aleksei quickly goes over and turns off the heat to the pans. "Seems we surprised them in middle of chow. We need keep moving to keep surprise. Maybe North to finish that side of search, then we know what is at our backs as we search South."
"Sounds like a plan to me."
Jacques crosses, following Morgan up to the north. "I'll cover you," he says again, gesturing with two fingers. "But zis feels like it's going to take all night."
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After they'd gone over the castle twice and made sure they were alone (or, at least, as safe as could be) Dan let the others with more school larnin' content themselves with the studying of 'ze documents.
He sat down at the dinner table and began waging a war against all that uneaten food.
Then he stuffs his sack full FULL of everything edible.
Being from Military Intelligence, once we're certain the building is clear, Bobby will pour over the documents (he reads German well), looking for any valuable intel :
= 6
Aleksei takes the time to gather up all the bodies, drag them to the courtyard and starts to work on a funeral pyre. When questioned he simply says, "Makes spirit of death leave faster so he do not bother us."
Later, he will question Bobby. "So what is it you have found my friend?"
-Posted with Wayfinder
Jacques casts a mildly nauseated eye over Morgan, leaving his pack inside while he helps Aleksei, weakly, with some of the bodies. "I don't know about spirits," he says. "But it would be a shame to leave zem out to rot."
As they work, he'll pull some sort of dogtag or piece of clothing with a name written or stitched into it. If there's nothing on a body, he'll strip off the rank and stow it in their hat. "Nuzzing worse zan a forgotten soldier."
"On that we can agree, my friend."
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You burn the bodies, the grisly task taking the better part of a day. Bobby looks over the plans, but cannot make much of them. Hopefully those at headquarters will make better sense (and use) of them. Lt. Thayer seems very impressed, as does Sgt Majors.
"Well, boys, you sure surprised me, and that doesn't come easily. You sneak into a German-occupied fortress and within a night, you capture the place and rescue the prisoners! Well done!"
Perrin asks all manner of questions and takes copious notes, making sketches of the structure and rooms. He seems fascinated with the chance to explore the history of the castle.
Eventually, it is time to move on and you gather your group and head back to the British lines. The captain is also pleasantly surprised at your return and admonishes you on the fine job. "When you lads have a moment to rest, there's a fellow wanting to talk with you."
A man with salt-and-pepper hair and sporting a full, bushy mustache sits nearby. He looks to be in his mid-fifties but is still quite fit. He speaks with a strong Scottish accent.
"I would hear more of your adventure in the forest. Can you please elaborate on what you saw?"
"What is ze use, sir?" Asks Jacques quietly. "I suspect 'oo won't believe us."
Feeling that as MI, he should give the report, but unsure of the man's standing, Bobby stands at attention, gives a snappy salute, and says "Sir! We were in a too-quiet forest just east of the town of that our German prisoners said was haunted by the spirits of the dead. Then suddenly, skeletons started coming up from under the ground! They were whole (which was odd now that I think about it, considering they had no tendons or ligaments to hold them together), and clad in rusty ancient Roman armor, wielding short swords. Ten in all, sir. Two grenades and a well-placed shot to the head took care of them all, with no casualties on our side. Sir."