The Smithsonian Labs was originally known as the Smithsonian Institute, but since the occupation, has been revamped into a gigantic laboratory spanning several buildings.

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Dulhelm walked into the labs and looked around. There was not much activity in this part of the lab, but much work could be heard down the way.

A scientist spotted them and walked over to them. "<Can I help you general?>"

Kao put on his game face and looked around in awed wonder, appearing very meek and out of place beside the general.

Durer came through the door first, a wide grin on his face as he checked back to see Krieg still hauling the corpse. "<We've got a delivery, or a present...unless you can order corpses? Wait...>" He stared up at the ceiling in contemplation for a brief second and then bowed his head respectfully.

Krieg stepped in and saw the general, immediately snapping to attention, despite the corpse that was draped across his shoulders

Dulhelm nodded at Krieg, "<At ease.>" Then, turning to Durer, "<You seem to have an affinity for disobeying orders without looking like you are doing it.">.

The scientist snapped his fingers and pointed at the corpse over Krieg's shoulder. Two Clockworks snapped to attention before walking over and taking the corpse. They saluted everyone there before walking off down the hallway.

"<I like to think it's a gift, it takes a lot of practice you know,>" Durer shrugged his shoulders and chuckled a little. "<Besides I was aiding this man in getting the corpse to the labs, technically I was still on patrol,>" he bowed his head forward and held his arms out. "<I've always got my eye open don't fret boss.>"

"<His assistance was greatly appreciated, sir.>" Krieg told the general. He had fallen at ease, but was still standing somewhat at attention. He simply could not relax around a superior officer.

Kao looked at the new comers, pleased to see them up close. Now if need be, he could at the very least take their appearance for a time. He still continued to appear meek and meager

Dulhelm adopted a frown of disbelief as he looked between the two soldiers. "<Just see to it that your normal duties are not disrupted, Durer.>" he said, resigning to the fact that he would probably never get this one to do exactly what he was told.

Durer's grin spread out so big that there might have been a small threat of it slipping off his face, he inwardly giggled with happiness as Krieg defended him. His new found comrade was turning out to be greater than he expected. He nodded in agreement to Dulhelm. "<Of course boss, we wouldn't want any rebels walking around without a bullet in their heads, it must be lonesome in there.>"

Krieg looked at the sniper and couldn't help but stifle a chuckle. "<Further orders, sir?>" He asked of the general. He hadn't been issued any since coming here, and walking around the city seemed a rather large waste of his talents.

"<Oh yes we'd like a secret mission,>" Durer did some god awful salute and hopped from foot to foot, one could only hope he was joking. "<Just having us stand out there waiting for stuff that happen seems a little counter productive, not that you had any intention of making us do so boss,>" he quickly added a little sugar to his statement. "<You're the man with the plan after all, I idolize that.>"

Dulhelm did his best not to choke Durer, just to get him to stop bouncing around. "<There might be something that I can use the two of you for.>" He said as he thought over all the tasks he had yet to assign. "<But first I must see to something urgent. You may wait for me here or you can return to the White House and wait for me there.>"

Krieg figured if they waited for him to finish here, they could get a ride, rather than have to walk the whole way back to the White House. Though he certainly wasn't about to mention it.

Dulhelm took their silence as an answer as he turned to move down the hallway. "<Come Kao." he said as he started off.>"

Kao nodded and fell into a nervous step behind the general. He began to wring his hands in fear as he looked around

Dulhelm traveled down the hallway for awhile before turning onto a set of stairs that traveled down into the basement. Several more minutes of walking brought them to recently constructed cells that varied from padded, to barred, to ones with restraints welded to the walls. He came across one that had four heavily armed guards at the front, who all came to attention as Dulhelm approached. He turned to Kao before addressing him, "<Now, once you enter this room you are committed to the mission till it is finished. Understand?>"

"<Understood, sir.>" Kao replied with a nod. He had every intention of following through with the mission. There has never been a mission he had not seen through to the end. "<Do you have any idea what I should expect on the other side?>"

Dulhelm looked at the door then back at Kao, "<I have no idea.>" he said as he turned and opened the door, entering the cell.

Kao took a collective breath and once again put his 'game face' on. He looked around the room in a startled manner, wanting greatly to know why he was being brought down here, and the questions lingered on his face. The fear of receiving answers was also clearly written there as well

In the middle of the room on what resembled a dentist's chair laid a Japanese girl hooked up to several machines. It was hard to tell whether or not she was conscious or not as she was currently motionless. "<Zhis is her.>" Dulhelm said raising his hand and gesturing to the girl.

Kao looked at the girl and a look of pity came upon his face. "Why is she hooked up like that?" He asked the general in his apparent native tongue of Japanese.

Dulhelm looked at Kao, not expecting the switch to Japanese. "<Because if we didn't then we would all be dead now.>"

Kao couldn't help but smirk mentally. He had caught the general off guard. But how else was he supposed to make the girl believe he was who he said he was? If he spoke German or any other number of languages in his arsenal, she wouldn't believe he was a simple Japanese survivor like her. "<Why? She's just a girl.>" He asked the general curiously. Despite the fact that he had been briefed on what she was capable of, he had to keep up appearances.

"<Because she would melt us if she were awake. That's is why we keep her heavily medicated.>" Dulhelm said a little irritated that he had to repeat himself, but not saying anything because he knew it was part of the charade.

Kao could tell the general was irritated, but he had to know that the ruse was all part of the plan. Or at the very least, his plan. "<Why did you bring me here?>" He asked the general carefully, the man he was appearing to be would have no idea why he was here after all

"She is hostile against us and wont let us help her." Dulhelm said to Kao.

"You have her tied to a bed and are injecting her with gods know what kind of drugs, of course she's hostile against you." Kao said boldly, looking at the girl with pity. He tentatively reached a hand out and touched her arm softly. If the general didn't know what he was, he'd truly believe that this man was sympathetic to her; that's how good he was at his job.

"<She attacked us on sight as the soldiers approached to render aid.>" Dulhelm said as he got the attention of the medical staff, "<Reduce the sedative, let her come around enough to speak and to hear us.>"

"<Yes sir.>" the doctor said and set to work on completing the task. "<She should be coming around soon.>"

"<50% sedation sir.>" The doctor murmured a moment later.

The temperature in the room began to immediately rise, as several machines began to beep alarms as they were monitoring the room for any changes, no matter how subtle. With her eyes fluttering, the girl began to look around wildly with her cinnamon colored eyes, ignoring Kao and only seeing the doctors and Dulhelm. She struggled futily against her bonds, the edges of the leather beginning to sizzle.

"<Bringing her up to 55%!>" A doctor hastily rushed forward, and again, very quickly she began to relax. "<It is... difficult to get the mixture right, she is young and small, the medicine reacts differently for her then a grown man.>"

The machines gradually stopped beeping, only one barely but still occasionally made a sound of warning. Her eyes were still open, and this time they were on Kao.

Kao held up a hand in a modest wave. "Kon'nichiwa." He told her, a gentle smile on his face, though he could not hide the worry in his eyes.

Her eyes once more slid to the German at his side and narrowed. A machine began to beep again, this time only one other though. The air around her bound body was shimmering with heat, but it was contained. She blinked, focusing at Kao for a second time, and she whispered in reply, "Kon'nichiwa."

"Subete ga ochitsuite kudasai, daijōbuda."(Everything will be fine, please calm down) Kao told her calmly, reaching out and resting his hand on her arm again.

The girl shook her head, trying to pull her arm away from him but couldn't because of the restraints. Heat began building up around her even more, till it was like standing next to an oven. A doctor to the side fidgeted nervously.

"<Please...They will kill us both if you don't stop...>" Kao spoke to her in Japanese, looking over his shoulder warily at the General.

Dulhelm silently stepped out of the room, leaving Kao to work his magic.

She breathed a small sigh of relief when the general left, her eyes still wild at the scientists however. "<Make them... leave. Leave me alone...>" The heat subsided, but her head rolled to the side, her eyes closing.

Kao looked at the scientists sharply. He seemed to struggle with the words in German, "<Please....leave us.>" There was an intensity in his eyes that would have spoiled the ruse if the girl had seen, but he was facing away from her and her eyes were closed as well.

When he turned back to the girl her eyes were open, the leather creaking as she was fighting to sit up and straining her shoulders. Her eyes were glared at Kao, uncertain of him and seemed to stare into him. "<Why are you here? This place... is for those who seek to keep me here..."> She relaxed slightly, then laid back down, "<My family... my friends... all gone.>" Tears slid down her cheeks at that as her gaze fell to a machine next to her.

"<They found me...I was ready to try and kill them all for killing my family.>" Kao told her, reaching up and loosening her bonds ever so slightly. "<That general back there...he stopped them. Told me I was not alone, and brought me here to you. It is very nice to see another Japanese in this hellish place.>" He smiled at her, tears welling in his eyes.

The scientists were hesitant to leave the room, but didn't figure the General would allow him in here if he was a threat. So they left the room in an orderly fashion, but stayed right outside the door.

"<Let me go...>" She breathed out, her eyes closing once more.

"<I cannot do that. He will kill me if I try.>" Kao told her, looking over his shoulder towards the door. "<I am to provide a friendly face for you, in hopes of calming you down... not much of a job, but at least it means I get to live..>" He smiled at that last part, indicating it was a joke

"<This is no way to live...>" She replied quietly, "<Knowing my family died to protect me. Knowing my enemy keeps me here against the world.>" Her finger stretched out to Kao's wrist, the skin singed where she touched, "<They keep me here, against my will! They know I will kill them!>" Again, her small form twisted and fought against her restraints, her face inches from his own.

"<Have you thought maybe they keep you here against your will because they fear you?>" Kao offered her, hissing when she burnt his skin. "<Just look at the power you have. They're afraid. Afraid of what you might do if you got out.>"

"<They killed everything, everything I knew and loved!>" She screamed, anger in her very frame. At least the air around her hadn't caught fire... yet.

"<True, but it was not these soldiers who did it. It was the Americans. The Germans were there to pull you from the wreckage, just as they did to me. Were they not?>" Kao asked her, trying to spin the situation around. This was not going nearly as well as he had planned. He hated when things didn't go as planned.

She stopped thrashing, her small chest heaving as her anger started to dissipate. "<What?>" She was finally able to utter.

"<It was not the Germans who killed Japan, it was the Americans.>" Kao explained to her again. "<The German soldiers came in afterward to search for survivors.>"

Shocked into silence, the girl hung her head, dripping tears. She blinked, trying to clear the drugs they were giving her. "<Hotaru.>" She said quietly, looking up at him with her unnatural eyes, "<My name is Hotaru.>"

Kao smiled and nodded to her. "<Hello Hotaru. My name is Kao.>"

"<Please... tell them... I won't harm anyone here. I... will control myself.>" Hotaru whispered to him, their conversation had tired her and she laid back on the chair, the leather around her wrists and feet creaking.

"<I do not think they will believe me just yet. Perhaps in time they will see with their own eyes though.>" Kao told her softly. He patted her arm gently, "<Rest Hotaru, my new friend.>"

The door creaked gently open and Dulhelm walked in, his hand still in their customary spot near his pistols.

None of the machines began beeping, she did look startled when he entered though, and instead of withdrawing into herself Hotaru looked at him curiously. Other then her coloring, when she was calm, she almost looked normal. Almost. Her head lolled to the side after a moment, as the drugs they were using were still affecting her. One of her hands though was gripping Kao's wrist.

Kao looked at her and gently wrapped his fingers around her own. "<Trust me, he will not harm you.>"

Dulhelm didn't seem to notice the her reaction to him as he moved over into the corner of the room and continued to watch. He wanted to know a bit about what was being said, for future reference if nothing else.

Kao looked at the General and nodded. "<Hello, general. I do believe she will behave now, if your people will stop drugging her, that is.>"

Dulhelm frowned inwardly at Kao's statement. He honestly had no intention of taking this girl of her sedatives till he had a solid backup plan in case she went atomic again. He made a mental note to quickly scrounge up someone that had been enhanced with fire proofing...if one such person existed. "<Zhat is good to hear.>" he said, putting up his best sincere smile, "<Having to keep her drugged was such a heartbreaking thing to have had to do.>" if he kept up this lieing, he wondered if even he himself would know the difference.

Hotaru ignored them both, leaning back in the chair, her eyes wide as she was partially lost in herself from the drugs.

Kao had to hand it to the general, he certainly was a good actor. of course, he was nothing compared to himself. He smiled to the general, and turned his attention back to the girl. "<See? I told you that he was one of the good guys.>"

---

Turning to his new partner, Krieg gave him a thumbs up when the general was out of sight. "<Looks like we'll get a ride back now.>"

Durer had taken it upon himself to lounge in the corner, away from the rest of them, he hummed to himself.

Durer then looked to Krieg. "<I think I need food now,>" he grinned at the prospects and started to think about what he would have.

"<You telepathic or something too?>" Krieg asked him curiously. He looked at his watch, "<Way I figure it, we've got time before the General comes back. I need nourishment.>"

"<Then let the hunt begin,>" Durer did a dramatic swoop and sort of ninja style rolled at the door, he laughed a little as he stumbled. He began to sniff as if trying to find food. "<Maybe there is a kitchen around here, scientists eat right?>"

"<Unless they are all those clockwork machinations.>" Krieg suggested, though he doubted that very much. The clockworks would need someone to work on them if they should break after all.

A few minutes later Dulhelm walked back down the hallway towards the two soldiers. "Now, about your 'secret mission'."

Krieg couldn't help but snap to attention as the General approached them

"<I appreciate your constant attentiveness, but it's not required.>" Dulhelm said as he approached the two. "<I have an assignment for the two of you that I consider rather important.>"

Relaxing slightly, Krieg nodded. "<Whatever you command, shall be done sir.>"

Feeling it was better to keep going instead of waiting for Durer to start talking, for fear that he wouldn't stop, Dulhelm continued. "We have a supply train that will be leaving shortly for New York, I want you to catch a ride on it and help keep an eye out for trouble. If trouble shows itself, I want you to observe the attackers and intervene only slightly."

"We are to stow away on a train and wait for trouble that may not come?" Krieg asked him curiously. It seemed to him like a waste of his talents, but far be it from him to tell the General that!

"<Stow away? Definitely not. You two will be some of the guards on it to make sure that if it does get hit that they wont make off with much.>" Dulhelm said with a quick shake of his head, "<We just don't know if they will hit it.>"

"<Understood, sir.>" Krieg replied, nodding his head. Now he got it, they were precautionary measures

Glad that he understood his explanation, Dulhelm felt they knew enough to go. "<Do you two have any questions?>"

Krieg could not believe that his new found partner was being so quiet. The entire walk over here he hadn't shut his mouth for a single second, after all.

With no questions being raised Dulhelm dismissed them, "<Since there are no questions, go ahead and depart. The train is expecting you, but will not wait for you.>"

Krieg nodded, saluted, and left for the train in The Outskirts of
Town

Dulhelm watched them leave towards the train. Figuring enough time had passed he decided to head back to pick up Kao. He turned around and headed back to the holding cells.

---

- Weltherrschaft
District of Columbia