Helldivers Diary A Generation Zero Story

[helldiver]

103. Day
     She woke up at some point. The storm raged with undiminished severity and whipped the flakes against the walls of the hotel. She briefly left the room to get a cup of coffee from Gilbert. When she appeared in the kitchen, he greeted her kindly.
     “I have fresh croissants and freshly brewed coffee. I’ll have a table set up for you at the restaurant.”
     “No need,” said Amelie.
     “I was going over to see Akiko. Is she still in the first-aid room?”
     “That could be.” said Gilbert “She’s been out a couple of times tonight, maybe you’ll take her a cup of coffee and a croissant,”
     She smiled and had them put on a tray. Then she went over to the first-aid room. Akio sat there at the desk and was happy to see Amelie bringing breakfast.
     “We have cleared the foyer. “I could put everyone in their room but it was better because of the storm. It’s so cold in the foyer. Most of them aren’t so bad, though. Glancing shots, a broken leg, a twisted foot. What do Helldiver do?”
     He’s still in a coma, breathing evenly. I laid down next to him in bed tonight and covered up more so he wouldn’t be cold.”
     Akio sipped her coffee and bit into the croissant.
     “We can slowly bring him out of the coma. It may take a day or two. I’m not giving any sleeping medical today. Maybe he’ll come back on his own. If he’s not awake by tomorrow, I’ll have to give him medicine for awake him. I still hope he hadn’t a brain bleeding. His pupils reacts normally, when you have a bleeding than is different.”
     The two girls had breakfast and chatted together. Then Akiko went off for rounds. She had distributed the injured among the hotel rooms . The hotel management supported her as best they could. In the entrance of the hotel, Jim was standing with some armed men. Jim had installed a regular guard together with Löjtnant Elsa Kohrsandi. Because of the storm, the men had positioned themselves at the entrances. Every hour two men went out and patrolled around the hotel so that nothing could sneak up on them.
     “They will freeze the ball bearings.”
     One of the men joked. “Our snowcat’s frozen on a regular basis.”
     Another one said,
     “the Helldiver people have given them enough sour anyway.”
     Amelie spoke briefly to Jim and asked him to bring him a cup of coffee. Jim waved.
     “I’m being relieved in half an hour and I’m going to breakfast anyway.”
     Amelie said goodbye to Jim and went back to Helldiver. She sat back down by his bed. Akiko knocked on the door and came in. She examined Helldiver and started another infusion of saline solution. “I now no longer give sleeping stuff. Maybe he wake up today, maybe tomorrow.”
     Amelie sat by his bed all day. …and in the evening, she covered him with her blanket again and slipped beside him. caressing his face a little and keeping him warm. She couldn’t sleep and walked slowly around the room. Finally she sat down at his bed and held his hand. The sleep overwhelmed her and she sank forward onto Helldivers bed.

[helldiver]

Helldiver tells:
104. Day
I felt that I emerged from the deep sea, from the bottomless void. I first saw a kind of light that I swam towards. Like the light at the end of a tunnel. The light got brighter. First it was reddish, then it got brighter and finally white. I dived up. I opened my eyes and saw brightness above me. I closed and opened my eyes, slowly contours peeling out of the mist and I recognized a ceiling. It slowly turned. At some point it came to a standstill.
I lay in a bed and turned my head to the side. I saw a window. Eventually the window stopped and stands still. A pale light fell through the window. I could see a tree deep covered in snow.
I tried to move my legs, but it did not work properly because something heavy was lying on them. I wiggled my toes, that worked. I carefully pulled the leg, it could be moved, I had a feeling in it too, I could not pull it on only because of the weight that lay on it. I could move my right hand as well, I had the feeling that it weighed half a ton, but I could lift it a few centimetres. I tried to lift my head, a stabbing pain stopped the attempt immediately. I had the feeling that a whole marching band was playing a gigantic drum roll. I tried again and managed to lift my head a little bit.
I looked at myself down and could see a blond bundle of hair. That could only be Amelie’s hair. I tried to free my left hand, but it weighed as much as my right. Suddenly the hair started to move. The weight disappeared from my legs. Under the blonde hair, Amelie’s crumpled face appeared. She was hollow-cheeked and she seemed very depressed. I could see it in her puffy eyes. Yet she looked so pretty, this woman couldn’t really disfigure anything.
When she looked into my eyes, her eyes widened in disbelief. Her mouth opened. She stuttered, “Hell…, Hell…, Helldiver, there you are again.”
She reached out her hand and gently touched my face with her delicate fingers.
“Helldiver, do you recognize me?”
I nodded cautiously and tried to say her name, but I only managed to make a caw. Then I tried whispering.
“Amelie,” I whispered.
She had understood because she nodded violently and said
"Yes, it’s me, Amelie. Oh, Helldiver.
Tears welled up in her eyes and one rolled down her cheek. I tried to wipe it off her face, but I couldn’t. My hand was just too heavy.
“Don’t cry,” I whispered.
She took my hand in hers and raised it, kissed her and put it on her cheek and I wiped the tears from her cheek with my thumb.
“Helldiver I’m so happy you’re back.”
My eyes closed again. I heard Amelie say
“Helldiver, stay here, come back!”
I nodded with my eyes closed. It didn’t get so dark, not the blackness anymore. I woke up again sometime. Amelie was still sitting by my bed. She had a little more color in her face than before and smiled happily at me. I tried to sit up, but she gently put her hand on my chest and said
"don’t try too hard. If you stay there, I’ll go get Akiko.
“I hope so, I don’t run away,” I whispered.
Amelie laughed and jumped up from the bed. I could still hear her calling Akiko outside. She reappeared shortly afterwards. Akiko came in a white coat. She pulled a stethoscope from her coat pocket and heard my heartbeat, felt my pulse. Then she raised me up together with Amelie. My head felt as if it did not belong to me. There was a pain on my left side, like someone hit me with a poker. Akiko listened to my lungs.
“Just to see if there is no water in my lungs.”
Then she looked at something else on my left lower abdomen. That’s where i got a sharp pain. It felt like a hunter had rammed his blade into my stomach. I felt drowsy again. Akiko gave Amelie instructions.
“He must drink but no beer, no coffee, only tea or water. And if he’s hungry, he can eat some soup.”
I had no choice but to obey Akiko’s instructions. She smiled at me and said.
“I come back this afternoon, and then Jim will come too.”
I smiled at her: Then Akiko left the room. Amelie dressed me in the pyjamas I’d been put in. Then she gave me something to drink. It was water, but I drank it greedily. I was suddenly thirsty. I dizzled a little more. Amelie gently stroked my face and when I opened my eyes she asked if I wanted some soup.
Next to Amelie stood the fat chef, who looked a little like Obelix, the funny French comic figure who always liked to beat up the Romans.
The cook was French, just like Amelie. On a silver tray he served me a soup in a fine china terrine, which Amelie fed me by the spoonful.
“A very fine chicken soup, cooked fresh for you today,” he said.
The soup tasted excellent and I noticed how my lifespirits slowly returned. I lay down again after the meal. I noticed that my voice was slowly working again. Only now did I notice that Amelie was not wearing military clothes but was in a fancy tracksuit. In the evening she lay down on the bed with me. I tried to give her a little room. She said…
“Non, non, please lie still. It’s enough for me.”
She stroked my face, smiling happily, then we fell asleep.

[helldiver]

105. Day
     Amelie was still lying beside me in the morning. She must have been tired out and maybe she hadn’t really slept in the days before. I lay still and waited for her to wake up. She rose at some point and looked at me with a happy smile. She sat up and yawned.
     “I slept great last night.”
     My voice came back on, and I told her
     “You look much better than yesterday.”
     She got up and said “I’d get us breakfast.” Amelie came back with a tray and Akiko in tow. She examined me again thoroughly. Then she gave me an injection and patted my back with rubbing alcohol.
     "so you can get back on your feet. Minerals and vitamins. “He can try croissant. For lunch today you must try maybe some meat and some vegetables.”
     Then she left. Amelie sat with me on the bed and fed me croissant. She buttered it with butter and jam and let me bite it. The coffee was delicious too. Except for the pain, I was fine. After breakfast, when Amelie had taken the tray away, I asked her what happened and how the fight had ended.
     She told me that we had destroyed a large number of the robots and that there were only a few robots left on the island. Only runners and a handful of hunters. No robots would have been found in the vicinity lately. She told me that I had been shot and showed me my wounds with a mirror. She told me how Akiko had saved me from bleeding to death in an emergency operation and then, in an operation lasting several hours, had removed the spleen, sewed up veins and carried out a skin transplant.
     She also told me that in Himarvet alone she had brought the necessary medicine and utensils from the hospital. I stroked her face, because unfortunately I could not hug her, although I would have liked to do so now. Then she asked me why I had been lying on top of her in the battle.
     I asked her, “Didn’t you shoot the military hunter on the right and destroy him?”
     “Yes,” she replied.
     “And then you shot the FNIX Hunter, which I also shot.”
     “Yes,” she said.
     “Then my G3 emptied and I was reloading, and you were shooting.”
     “Yeah, then what?” she asked.
     "And then the machine gun next to me was empty, and you had to reload too.
     “Yeah, that’s right, and then I heard shots, and then there was a red light, and then I was knocked over. Was that you?”
     “Yes, it was me, when the military hunter exploded, I couldn’t see the FNIX, but I saw his laser sight, he was aiming at you, so I ran.”
     “And then … and then you … threw yourself in front of … the robot and knocked me over?”
     while saying that her lips twitched and her voice got higher and higher and pointier.
     “Should I watch him shoot you to pieces then?” I asked her.
     Her eyes widened in horror and I saw them fill with tears. She put her hand over her mouth and tried to defend herself against her tears.
     “You pushed me away and threw yourself into the bullets that were meant for me?”
     Her voice peaked and chocked.
     “It worked, didn’t it?” I asked her “or have you been hurt too?”
     She shook her head wordlessly
     “You crazy, shaggy wolf wanted to die for me just to save my ass? You almost died!” she said in a choking voice.
     “I didn’t think about it any further, I just acted.”
     She sobbed softly and pressed my hand to her face.
     “I love you, love you, love you!” she said in a choking voice.
     She bent over to me and gently pressed her face to mine. I felt her tears I put my arm around her narrow, twitching shoulders and stroked her back.
     "‘You crazy, shaggy wolf,’ she said to me smiling and stroking my face.
     “I saved your ass and you saved mine, now we’re even,” I said.
     She raised my hand to her face and kissed it again
     “you crazy, I love you,” she breathed close to tears.
     I looked at her silently.
     Amelie tells:
     When he told me he’d pushed me aside, the realization hit me like a punch. The red light was the aiming laser of the robot that had caught me and almost killed me. He had fired at the robot with the submachine gun and the G3, and had mentally thrown himself against me to force me out of the robot’s path. He had used his body to catch the bullets that were meant for me. Was there a greater proof of love? No, there was not, not a word, not an oath, not a promise could outweigh what he had done for me.
     The realization hit her with full force. She had already had her doubts here and there that he would never give her an answer if she had ever confessed her love to him. He did not need to say anything more, he had made a gift to her that could not be greater.
     Her feelings went crazy she was so happy that he was on the road to recovery and she was sure that he loved her and that her love for him was not wasted. It all came rushing at her. She almost lost this man who had been so brave. Her tears were happiness, joy, emotion.
     Helldiver tells:
     Tears ran down her cheeks again. I could see that she had been through a lot and that she was at the end of her strength. What more did this tender woman have to endure, she had been so brave and courageous. I told her
     “you know what I’d like right now?” She looked at me with tear-stained, questioning eyes.
     “Come over here on the right side.”
     Amelie walked around the bed, not knowing what I wanted her to do. Then I said.
     “come lie here with me.”
     She smiled, striped her shoes off her feet and crawled onto the bed. I raised my right arm and moaned, because I felt that it seemed to weigh a ton.
     “Come here, put your head on my shoulder, because I want to hug you and kiss you now.”
     This time I took the initiative, otherwise it had always been her, this time it was me. She smiled and laid down next to me very quickly, not without asking me
     “does it hurt? Does this hurt? Can I stay like this?”
     I tried to slide a little, even though it hurt. But I wanted her with me, to give her back some of her warmth. She pushed a pillow under my shoulder so that I was a little more erect. Our faces approached. I put both arms around her, grabbed her narrow hip with my right arm and pressed her against me. And then I kissed her, my lips touched hers and they were wonderfully soft.
     She took my kiss like someone starving, as if she couldn’t get enough. I put my forehead against her.
     “You brave, brave girl, actually I should pull your pants up tight because you went to Himarvet alone. But without your courage and bravery, I would not be alive today.”
     “It was nothing compared to what you did, and Akiko finally patched you up. I just helped a little.”
     I pressed her even tighter, which she acknowledged with a pleasant sigh.
     “I’m happy that nothing happened to you,” I sighed.
     “And I, that you are with me again. Am I not hurting you?”
     she asked as she laid her head on my chest.
     “No, as long as you don’t touch the top of my head or the left side, everything is fine. Everything else is just a little stiff from lying down.”
     She smiled happily at me and gently stroked my cheek. She closed her eyes and enjoyed me stroking her back. We lay there like this for a long time. She was so close and so familiar to me and I was ashamed deep inside because I couldn’t confess that I loved her. If I did that my struggle would be over, never would she allow me to continue and she would be bitterly disappointed if I did. It would make things much worse and harder. I would feel inhibited, because I would never forgive myself if she was harmed by my actions. I had no choice but to give her a little physical warmth and closeness. At least a little bit of security. I swore that when I had finished this war I would confess everything to her.
     I pulled her up to me and kissed her again. There was a knock at the door. Amelie called
     “Yes please,”
     “It’s Akiko and Jim,” cried Akiko from outside.
     “Come in,” cried Amelie with a smile, and remained lying in my arms.
     “Ahhh pillow talk,” said Akiko smiling.
     “That helps Helldiver,” she laughed.
     “You look much better Amalie, too.”
     Amelie pressed another quick kiss on my mouth and rose. Jim came in and smiled at me…
     “Hey bro’ good to have you back.”
     He came around the bed on my right side. I told him to sit down and I also told Amelie to sit on my right side. And she did. I showed Akiko to sit on my left side of the bed. She smiled at me and asked me
     “How you doing?”
     “Like a bottle of whisky and a kick in the teeth.”
     “Haaaaach, Helldiver,” Amelie protested.
     Jim laughed and his white teeth shone in his dark brown face.
     “Hey, there he is again,” he, holding out his fist and I punched it with mine.
     Akiko giggled at me with her brown almond-shaped eyes laughing. I took Akiko’s hand, stroked it, lifted it to my mouth and kissed her hand.
     “A thousand thanks Akiko, without you, I wouldn’t be alive today.”
     Akiko’s face blushed a little, smiled sheepishly and said.
     “This is my job, the one I’m studying.”
     “That’s why you’re gonna make a good doctor someday,” I told her.
     “That was quite a number you pulled,” Jim said.
     “I think anybody here would have done that for anybody,” I said.
     “You bet your ass,” Jim said.
     I reached out my hand and said.
     “One for all.” The others put their hand on mine, with Amelie putting her hand on mine first.
     “And all for one!” the others shouted “How, How,” we all screamed and it sounded like the bark of a pack of wolves.
     We were a conspiratorial mob. Usually we would bang our helmeted heads together afterwards, it was a ritual Jim had instituted before we went into a fight. Afterwards, Akiko examined me once more thoroughly. Jim did a little physiotherapy with me to make my stiff limbs mobile again. I should slowly get back on my feet. Akiko said I should stay in bed for another five days, maybe walk a few steps, but only if I didn’t get dizzy.

[helldiver]

106. • 110. Day
            Akiko had asked Jim to do physiotherapy with me every day. And Jim was really good at it. He moved my arms, my legs, did stretching and moving exercises. Then he’d massage me, and it felt so good. Jim had a real knack for it. I was able to take a few steps at Amelie’s arm afterwards. At first I walked to the toilet, then a few careful steps in the corridor. Amelie often lay next to me on the bed in the afternoon. I asked her to lie down next to me at night, because it was bitterly cold outside and I would have been sorry if she had to lie alone in that little bed. She could not wrap herself up as usual, but she enjoyed lying in my arm with her head on my chest and falling asleep. She shoved her always cold feet under my lower legs. I often woke up in front of her in the morning and saw her still lying there with a blissful smile, just like the night before.

111-116. Day
I was slowly getting back on my feet. I was able to make a few trips into the corridor at Amelie’s arm and walk a few steps, albeit with wobbly knees. Jim did a workout with me in the hotel’s own weight room. It was very strenuous and I still had to lie down on the bed afterwards because my strength was failing me, but it was getting better day by day. Akiko came every day for rounds and pulled my stitches. Amelie assisted her. When I went into the restaurant one day at Amelie’s arm, all the people got up from their seats and applauded. Gilbert had prepared a very tasty menu for us. Everything tasted really delicious. Many asked if they could to be photographed together with us. We agreed.

117. • 125. day
            Actually, the days always ran the same. We slept, we woke up and then I went to Akiko. By now I went on my own to Akiko in her “doctor’s room” and she examined me. Most of the time, Amelie re-bonded me. Then we went to the restaurant for breakfast. Beside fresh baguette bread there were freshly baked croissants which tasted heavenly with jam. Gilbert tried hard to cook us good food and to give us a touch of normality. Amelie and I had been given a suite on the first floor so that we had a little more space and a bigger bathroom. The room offered a nice view over the island. Often I stood at the window with binoculars. Jim had also made his exercises a little harder and slowly I got in shape again. When Amelie did aerobics with us for the first time I started panting. My headaches subsided slowly but surely and I didn’t get dizzy so quickly anymore. I also took walks around the hotel. I had my weapons with me. I did some target practice and even fired a few test shots just to see if the shooting worked again.

126 - 134 Day
My excursions around the hotel became longer and longer. I walked to the edge of the forest at the golf course. I also went down to the commune of Ljuset once. Amelie accompanied me constantly. We had no contact with the enemy. I examined the robot wrecks, which lay numerously on the area and I dismantled different view modules. My yield was abundant. I discovered that Amelie had snatched my riflescope and the sight modules. When I told her she could keep it, I got a big kiss from her. I converted some of the scopes so that we could all see in the residual light X-ray and infrared range. Meanwhile I was doing some real weight training with Jim. My condition was getting better and better. But slowly the ceiling fell on my head. Amelie did her best to distract me, but at some point we ran out of stuff for conversation. Of course, she didn’t want me to go on any away missions too soon. Much to my chagrin. I often looked sadly at the troops led by Elsa and Jim, I would have liked to go along.

135. -141. Day
     Finally, I was able to participate in my first outreach mission, after long begging and pleading, Amelie let me go grudgingly. Of course she went along. Granted, the helmet pressed against my scar on the head, but it worked. The wound in my side pinched and pulled and I had to grit my teeth here and there when we went through the forest and had to go down somewhere. We even got into a firefight near a standby camp once. I fired along and realized that I was not out of practice. Even a quick change of position worked almost like before. Well, the wound in the side already reports for a word. A 50 caliber bullet makes nasty holes that take a long time to close.

136. • 150. Day
            Christmas was just around the corner. The employees of the hotel wanted to decorate for Christmas, needed Christmas trees and branches. I went along on the mission and protected the people while they cut the trees. On the first Sunday of Advent the hotel was beautifully decorated.
            During the day it only stayed light for a few hours. Further north in northern Sweden it does not get bright at all for two months. There was the polar night, we were luckily quite in the south. Outside it was bitterly cold and heavy snowfalls covered the landscape in a white dress. Our girls also slowly fell the ceiling on the head. Amelie told me that she would like to walk around in jeans again and to wear something nice.
            “I want to do my nails again and I want to wear lipstick and makeup, my hair looks awful and everything.”
            She was really unhappy. Jim asked me if Amelie talked about nail polish and makeup and clothes.
            “Then you have exactly the same problem I have,” I told him.
            Apparently, Akiko had been in his ears, too. At the breakfast table I made the suggestion to go to Himarvet, because there were cosmetics and clothing shops down there. I only reminded them that we had to write down everything we took with us and pay for it later, when the crisis was over, because I didn’t want to loot.
            The others declared me crazy, but respected my attitude. Jim meant pityfull,
            “you put your ass on the line for your country and you pay for it. Are you sure you didn’t break not more?”
            He was talking about my head wound.
            “no, not that.” I answered him…
            “but it makes me feel better.”
            Jim accepted it with a shrug of the shoulders. One morning, we set out. It was still dark outside, because we wanted to be in Himarvet by dawn. We scouted the area carefully, but we found no enemy activity. We reached Himarvet unchallenged. We had to pick the locks of the shops.
            The first thing our girls did was storm a boutique. They tried on many things. Now and then we were called in to look at their outfits. I don’t know how long it took them, but they found some nice things in which they looked really pretty. Of course new shoes they must also get too and so we also opened a shoe shop.
            The two girls tried on shoes and also found them here. Amelie had chosen a pair of chic, black pumps, which fitted well with the jeans, which she had taken with her. We men did not get off scot-free. Luckily Elsa had come along with a small troop and so we could take our girls to the jeans shop. I got a pair of black jeans that I liked. I also took a chic shirt with me. Jim did the same. I had to get some shoes for us too. Because we would probably be stuck in that hotel for at least another three months if things didn’t change.
            I wrote everything down in my notebook. We found bags and stuffed our groceries in them. Jim and I worked as a pack mule. Even a perfumery didn’t go scot-free. The girls went through a lot of perfumes. Jim and I watched them closely. We finally found out what scent the girls had chosen. They each took just one sample each. Jim and I took the whole bottles. We decided to surprise our girls with it for Christmas.
            My aftershave was running out too. Most of the time Amelie used it, except for the few drops I already put on my face. Amelie found herself naked without perfume and always helped herself with a small drop of my aftershave lotion. It did not smell bad on her.
            In a beauty shop, Amelie took a little longer. She couldn’t quite decide on nail polish and lipstick, and make-up, eyeliner, rouge, eye shadow. She was in her element. So I let her go, and I stood in front of the store to smoke a cigarette.
            Suddenly I heard shots and screams I looked around because the shots were quite close, I saw a hunter running at high speed across the market place in my direction. He was already emitting his scream of predators and had obviously aimed at me. I opened fire on him and a blaze came towards me.
            “Damn, it was a flamethrower.”
            Shooting, I retreated to the drugstore where Amelie was choosing her makeup. She had heard something and had just turned to look out the window when she heard me shoot. I ran up to Amelie and threw myself over her and rippped her to the floor. Not a second too soon, because with a bang the shop window pane shattered and a red-hot flame went over me. It became very hot, I buried Amelie under me and buried her head at my chest, because she had taken off her helmet.
            When the Hunter had to reload, I tore a hand grenade from my belt and threw it against the Hunter. When I threw myself over Amelie again, I heard the KLONK ’ with which the grenade hit the robot, then there was a strong explosion. Things were whirled through the air, wood and glass splinters flew around my ears. Then I heard gunfire. I quickly jumped up and threw another grenade and threw myself again protectively over Amelie. The explosion afterwards was very violent. Afterwards it became quiet.
            I gave Amelie a little free. She looked at me with a smile and said
            “You saved my ass again. I love you.”
            We kissed lying on the ground. Amelie couldn’t get enough. From behind, Jim’s voice was ringing out.
            “Uh, when you two are done down there, can we get on with it? By the way, Hell, you’re looking pretty roasted in the back.”
            I slowly got up, my back felt like it had been sunburned. Akiko also came into the shop and asked
            “shall I look at your back?”
            I agreed, took off my scorched parka, then my uniform jacket and shirt. Akiko carefully lifted the T-shirt and examined my back.
            “It’s not as bad as sunburn, a little red, Amalie needs to rub some ointment on it.”
            Akiko looked at my black scorched trouser bottom critically and said.
            “I’ve got to look at your ass to make sure you’re okay”
            “Um,” I said, but I couldn’t get any further because Akiko said…
            “I can look at men’s butts. I’m a doctor.”
            She giggled, Amelie stood beside me with her hand in front of her mouth and giggled. So I loosened my trouser belt and I felt Akiko’s hand on my waistband. She pulled the trousers with my underpants away a little. I heard her laughing behind me and saying
            “Ooooh, it’s still good, just a little red, you have to rub some ointment on yourself or let Amalie do it, hahahah.”
            I saw Amelie get on her toes, make a long neck and spied.
            Akiko giggled “Ahhhh is crunchy Amalie. But you have to wait till we get to the hotel, ha-ha-ha.”
            Akiko could really laugh heartily when she was in motion. Amelie giggled and ran red, and Jim said, just casually.
            “Lechz, drool.”
            Then it was all over, even I had to gurgle, and then we all burst out laughing. It took us a while to calm down again, because one of us started all over again and everything had to laugh along. Finally I managed to get dressed again. My parka and my trousers still held, they had turned a black colour, but the fabric held.
            Nevertheless, I would have renew both again in the hotel, because we had taken some military clothes from the standby camps. On the way home Amelie said,
            "if it wasn’t for Helldiver, that robot would have grilled me.
            “Would’ve been a satans roast,”
            I teased her and caught one of Amelie’s dreaded rib kicks. She knew where it hurt. She’d hit me right on my bullet wound. It took me a few steps to catch my breath. Amelie apologized to me. She kissed me and stroked me a few times.
            The next day, Amelie tried out her new treasures. When she came out of the bathroom after an eternity, she was a completely changed woman. Her hair, which she had blow-dried to a bobbed style, looked different. Otherwise, she wore it upright and crumpled after fashion, which made her hair look tangled. She had painted her eyes, applied rouge and face powder to her face. And finally, lipstick on her face. Then she had filed and varnished her nails. In her new dresses and fancy pumps, she looked ravishing.
            My God, she was pretty in them. I also dressed up for her and when we walked arm in arm into the restaurant, we saw how the one or the other looked after us furtively. Akiko and Jim came to our table, too.
            Akiko looked pretty, too. She had made herself a beautiful pin-up hairstyle with a flower in it. She had made herself up nicely and looked simply cute. Her fingernails were also nicely painted. Her little feet were also in some nice pumps, which made her look a little bigger. Jim looked great in his shirt and jeans. We wore usually Drillich military. The girls got a little sank in it. In the new dresses Jim and I had a real feast for the eyes.

[helldiver]

150. • 158. Day

The second weekend of Advent came. I felt much better. My head no longer hurt and I only felt my gunshot wound in the side occasionally when I was exerting myself. Jim and I naturally tried to push the limit up and I trained pretty hard. For the weekend a disco dance evening was arranged by the hotel management. Our girls were looking forward to it. Especially Amelie. She kept listening to my disco cassettes in the room. I danced Disco Fox with her. Which she mastered perfectly. You could tell she had ballet training because she danced much more advanced than I did. She refined my technique and had a lot of fun doing it, because she loved to dance with me. She always smiled happily and I think she looked at me in love.

Jim once asked me during our work out if I could teach him Disco Fox. He could only break dance. I tried to make the woman for Jim by taking over the female steps. I stubled a little myself because I wasn’t used to it I had to Rethink I got it pretty reasonably well, though, and Jim learned fast. We had our fun, of course. All of a sudden, Amelie’s voice soundet.

"what are you two doing?"

I was the first to win my composure, and I answered her.

“Uh, yeah, uh, it’s not what it looks like. It’s not what you see.”

Jim said, “No, it’s not what it looks like, really.”

Amelie danced in with a smile on her face because she had been watching our "dance class for a while without us realizing it. And the more we tried to explain to her that it was all quite harmless, the more we talked ourselves into it, because it kept slipping into an ambiguous, and the more we tried to explain, the louder Amelie laughed. Until finally she hit her thighs with a loud laugh and bowlt with laughter. As she gasped to catch her breath she said

"You two look so funny-looking."

And when I said apologetically, "I was just trying to make the Woman for him"

That was to much . She snorted with laughter again. We stood there like a couple of watered poodles. Then Amelie, laughing, pushed me aside and said.

"Come here , Jim, I‘ll make the Woman for you" and laughed again.

Anyway, Jim could dance Disco Fox after that. When we went back to our room, Amelie gurgled and laughed and then said seductively,

"How about I make for you the woman?" Then she kissed me.

I told her that Jim wanted surprising Akiko and wanted to Disco Dance with her. Amelie understood everything and told me it had looked so funny you we should seen us ourselfes. She laughed out loud again,

"that looked so funny the both of you, wahahahahah."

She was rolling on the bed, laughing so hard. She also told me that Akiko had talked to her about it, because she was also looking forward to the dance evening and was a little envious because we danced together so often and maybe Jim didn’t dare because he couldn’t do it properly.

Before the dance evening, Amelie got dressed chic. She looked enchanting, beautiful, a real disco queen as I usually only knew her from the gossip magazines I had seen at the newspaper kiosk. I shaved and dressed up too.

"Ohlala!" took it from Amelie when she saw me.

“I do recognize you any more, Helldiver, a totally different man."

We both looked at ourselves in the mirror. We were a beautiful couple. Despite her pumps, she was still a little smaller than me. The airy blouse she wore emphasized her delicate figure. What a nice thing it would be if we weren’t in this terrible war with the machines and could lead a normal life. We went down to the foyer. On the way, we met Akiko and Jim.

Akiko looked lovely, too, and in her own way, was as beautiful as Amelie. Jim’s well-trained body was especially noticeable in his shirt, which glowed on his dark brown skin. Jim moved like a tiger.

Someone must have announced us to the disc jockey, because when we entered the bar the hammering sound of AC/DC "Back in Black" was heard. The disc jockey announced us and introduced us individually.

"Our angel in white doctor and fighter Aaaaaaaakikoooooooo!”

“At her side, the brave US Navy man always in the front line JJJJIIIIIIIMMMMMMMMM!”

“Our adorable fighter in the front line Aaaaaaammmmeeeeeeeellliiiiieeeeeeeee!”

“And here he is, our fighter who liberated us with his comrades, who was badly injured and recovered, people applaud HEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLDDDDDIIIIIIIIIIVVVVEeeeeeer!"

Indescribable cheers broke out. The four of us stood on the dance floor, lit by spotlights and were celebrated like rock stars. Of course we had to open the disco and dance to "Saturday Night Fever" by the Bee Gees.

Elsa Kohrsandi was also announced. For her the "DJ" "Burn" from Deep Purple played.

"And here folks our brave female fighter pilot, who bravely fought against the machines with her Vraken, crashed and bravely defended our hotel with the Helldivers. Here is EEEEEELLLLLLLSSSSSSSAAAAAAA!”

She had appeared in a beautiful dress in the company of Björn Löfgren, who was operating the radio system and had been trying to establish contact with the outside world for weeks. She looked really changed. What clothes can do.

I danced all evening long into the night with Amelie. She danced happily and exuberantly. We had several drinks.

Jim and Akiko made a beautiful couple and danced beautifully together. Jim kept winking at me…

"Hey, thanks, man."

Late at night, Amelie requested “Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers. She snuggled up to me at the dance and looked at me again, smiling happily and in love. When we went to our rooms early in the morning, Amelie was balancing on her pumps. She didn’t want to let go of me at all. As we lay in bed, she was still humming a tune and breathing tiredly.

"It was so beautiful Helldiver, you danced with me so much. I love you.” Then she fell asleep.

159. Day – 166. Day

The Sunday after the dance evening we simply overslept, we just got up for a short while to get something to eat. We took something to our room and then we were back in bed. Amelie couldn’t let go of me at all, snuggled up to me, we kissed and lay there quietly wrapped up tightly. I tried not to think about anything and just gave myself in to the moment.

The next morning Gilbert asked us if he could speak to us, he had a request to make. We asked him to sit at our table. A little hesitantly he came out with the request.

"Well, you know, folks, next week is the „Julfeast“ and I wanted to cook something special and I was thinking of nice venison. I would ask you if I could borrow your hunting rifle to shoot a deer."

“If it’s nothing more,” we said as if from one mouth

“We’re going with you because it’s still too dangerous to go alone.”

"That would be great," said Gilbert and was happy. We made a date. Amelie and I went with him. They spoke French to each other here and there, but Amelie translated it for me. We had to walk for several days until we saw a beautiful stag.

I looked at the animal through my rifle scope and could see it brightly in the infrared range.

Gilbert asked Amelie if she wanted to shoot the deer. Amelie whispered back

"Non, it‘s your hunt!"

Gilbert landed a leaf shot and bagged the deer. When he gutted it and made it ready for transport, we secured him. I used the walkie-talkie to call the radio station at the hotel and asked for a squad with sleds, because the deer was just too heavy for Gilbert and me. Amelie and I scouted the area as best we could so that Gilbert could work in peace. He pulled off the deer’s fur and broke him open. He would take the fur with him for tanning, the antlers would of course be prepared and find their place in the foyer. In any case, Gilbert was highly satisfied with the beautiful meat. We didn’t have to wait long before I could see through the rifle scope of my G3 the squad led by Jim arriving.

He was quite surprised about the big stag.

“I’m sure we’ll have a nice Christmas dinner.”

“You can rely on, Jim, I’ll create the finest dishes with exquisite sauces,” Gilbert replied.

We loaded up the stag and pulled him back to the hotel. We arrived at the hotel just before sunset. Gilbert immediately went to the kitchen to cut the deer into pieces. He was in his element. On the way back, he told me that he especially wanted to make meat. He meant cutting up the animal properly.

167 - 169. Day

I didn‘t like something at Amelie. Somehow, dark clouds had settled over her mind. She was as clingy as a burdock all day long. When I sat on the bed with her, she would cuddle up and the longer she sat with me and I held her in my arms, the more discontented she became.

Sometimes she was really thoughtful. I’d ask her if there was something wrong with her, if she was sick. She avoided me.

When I asked if she was homesick, she answered with a sad “no”. I tried to cheer her up, put on music and danced with her in our room. She seemed to like it, but it wasn’t like usual. Somehow she seemed discontented. Maybe she had camp fever. That happens when you’ve been for a long time on the pelt of each other. I thought maybe she wanted to be alone and I was too much on her pelt.

When I suggested I wanted go down to the bar downstairs for a beer, came a grumpy

"and what am I doing here alone?" out of her.

When I told her I thought she wanted to be alone with herself. She makes a pouty

"are you running away from me now?"

I stayed with her and didn’t go to the bar. But she didn’t tell me what she had either.

170. day

Amelie was really musty, already in the early morning she was not in a good mood. She was dissatisfied with something. She was not looking for a fight and was quite affectionate, she was hanging on me again like a burdock all day long. When I held her in my arms, she made a sad face after a while. I really didn’t know what she had, maybe she was just bored.

The ceiling was falling on my head too, because we did the same thing every day. We slept until morning, got up, washed and went to breakfast. Then we went for a walk. We took our weapons and patrolled the hotel grounds. Some of the walks took us a little further into the forest, but since the days were very short during the Christmas season, we didn’t have much time, because we didn’t want to walk around in the dark.

Not that we were afraid of the robots, because we were now well equipped and could track the Mechs even in the dark. But there were also less and less. We had probably reduced their population on the island considerably. Most of the time we lay on our beds in the afternoon and watched the snowflakes outside the windows. We trained in the gym to avoid putting on any bacon, because the food was good. Again and again Amelie made a sad face when I held her longer in my arms and kissed her.

Sometimes she would get up suddenly and walk around the room. She didn’t look bored, more like something was on her liver and she couldn’t handle it. I knew that from myself, if I chewed on something and couldn’t bring it down, I would withdraw and be alone. Slowly I got to know Amelie, or I thought I did. Because I was the one who was always withdrawing, with Amelie I only saw this very rarely. To the question what would be with her, I got only a thin smile and the answer

“it’s nothing.”

She seemed pensive. Could it have been camp fever? That would have been quite normal, because I was also longing for spring, with all the comfort we were offered, the really good food, the peace and quiet we had and the time alone together without anyone being close by. Under normal circumstances the ideal would have been for us as lovers.

I also became thoughtful because I did not know what to do. Our relationship was complicated, but that was entirely my fault. I was glad Amelie was safe here at the hotel. But as soon as the weather allowed, I wanted to translate back to Östervik and pick up where I had left off. Maybe build a bridgehead for the army and then destroy the robots with the help of the army.

Amelie would certainly not be thrilled to give up this luxury here and instead march through the wilderness of southern Sweden again and face a deadly danger every day. Every day could then be the last. Perhaps it was that certainty that drove her. For with every day that passed, that day came closer. I could understand her if she didn’t want to go and stay here. I could not blame her. I would even welcome it, but it would also mean that our path together would separate and that for an indefinite time, perhaps even forever.

[helldiver]

171. Day

We did the same as always, we got up, washed, went to breakfast. Amelie and I decided to take a trip to Ljuset. I also liked to climb up to the observation tower and look out over the country with binoculars. We set off and after a short time we arrived in Ljuset. We climbed the observation tower up to the top platform. We both peered over Himarvet and the opposite ski slopes.

I offered her a cigarette and she took it. We smoked in silence. Normally, Amelie was a chatterbox. She was very communicative, but lately she had fallen silent. I asked her

“Amelie, is something the matter with you? You’re so calm?”

“Oh, nothing,” she said, “I can’t think of anything.”

Her answer left me perplexed, and I decided today to keep at it and dig deeper, no matter what the outcome. I didn’t like the fact that she seemed so unhappy. When we arrived at the hotel, I had Gilbert give me a bottle of wine. Maybe it would cheer her up. When I came back to the room, Amelie was already on the bed.

She had taken off her uniform jacket and her boots. She lay there with a sad look on her face. I took off my jacket and boots. Then I sat down next to her and poured two glasses of wine and gave her one. She thanked me and smiled a little. Then we toasted and had a good sip. I lay down next to her and put my back to the headend so that I was sitting in a half-sitting position. She didn’t even turn around. I stroked her a little. She didn’t fight it off, but she didn’t give me any feedback either. I asked her again…

“Amelie, there’s something wrong with you. You’ve been acting strange for days. What’s bothering you?”

"Oh, nothing" was the monotonous answer.

I finished my wine and held the empty glass in front of her.

“This here is nothing, and that you have nothing, I don’t believe you. You have something and you just won’t tell me. Are you sad, or is it something to do with me? Did I say or do something rash that upset you?”

She turned to me and held her glass out to me and I poured her more.

“Oh, I can’t tell you.”

"What can’t you tell me? You’ve got something, you just admitted it. "I’ve known you for six months and we’ve been together night and day. “You can’t tell me any more lies. A louse has run over your liver. Won’t you talk to me about it?”

“I don’t know,” she said.

“Oh, Amelie,” I said, “don’t let me starve to death at your arm stretched out. There’s something the matter with you, and I can see it in your face. Haven’t we even told each other we can talk about everything, or is it something you can only talk about with a woman?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she said again.

I took a deep breath and sighed. Then I pulled her up a little and left her head on my shoulder. She made a face as if she were sulking. She put her small hand on my chest and scratched it a little. I gave her a tender kiss on the forehead and said

“now come on, out with it, what is it, there’s something with you and I’d like to know. I don’t want to keep on drilling, but that you’re carrying something around with you that you can’t seem to handle, that’s not good either.”

“I don’t know how to tell you this.”

"What do you want to tell me?"

“Why don’t you at least try it? Are you afraid I might get angry?”

“No, but I don’t know how to say this.”

“Come on, don’t push it, out with it.”

“You know, we’ve been together so long and now we have this beautiful room all to ourselves. Yeah, and you didn’t even touch me properly. You know, the way a man touches a woman.”

“Yes, but I’m holding you now and you’re on my shoulder. I touch you when I dance, don’t I?”

“Yes, but not really, you see, I’m a woman. And you touch me more like you might touch your sister. I know you’re not as superficial as the guys I’ve met. They want to rip your clothes off on your first day, they’re such shallow guys. You’re not, I love that about you, but sometimes I wish I felt you more.”

“I’m sorry, Amelie, even if you think I’m stupid now, but I don’t know what you’re getting at. You’re the first woman in my whole life that I’ve been so close to, you know, we lie in bed together and we hug, kiss and touch, it’s completely new to me, I really don’t know what I’m doing wrong?”

“Actually, you’re not doing anything wrong,”

she said, while scratching lightly over my chest with her varnished fingernails, occasionally sticking a finger under the button ledge of my shirt and touching the skin of my chest.

“I would like to feel you more, you know. And I want you to feel me more. You are actually what a woman wants, you look good, you listen to someone, you dance well, you protect someone, and you are reserved and not so superficial. But I’d like more from you, we’ve been together so long.”

She looked at me pleading.

“Don’t be angry, but I’m at a bit of a loss.”

"Well, touch me more, more like you usually do."

She slipped a finger back under the button-down ledge of my shirt. I don’t know what devil has ride me because I told her

“won’t you undo the button?”

suddenly she smiled and bit her lower lip.

"may I?"

"Go ahead," I said unsuspectingly.

She unbuttoned a button on my shirt and pushed three fingers into the gap that appeared.

"May I have another?" she asked, and she suddenly looked mischievous or was it seductive.

She unbuttoned another button on my shirt, because I had always unbuttoned the collar button, so my chest was quite exposed. She stroked my breast with her hand and rubbed her face against it. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"Is that nice,"

and ran her mouth across my chest and kissed her. She smiled mischievously again, pulled my shirt out of my pants, and opened it completely. She laid her head on my chest and gently curled with her hand my chest hairs. Scratched lightly with her varnished nails and curled them again. Then she lay down next to me. She supported her head on her elbow and with her index finger she drew my muscles.

I turned around to her and she kissed me tenderly and demandingly. She stroked my bullet wound in the side with her hand. She gently touched mine with her lips. I felt her tongue on my lips and took her gently in between. I had put my hand on her narrow hip and stroked it a little.

She sighed and gave me another kiss. Then she laid her forehead against mine and looked deep into my eyes.

“That’s nice,” she breathed,

“wouldn’t you like to give it a try?”

"What?" I asked. She smiled seductively

"Well, my shirt, come you dare it."

I suddenly had a dry mouth, and the air was crackling, there was suddenly an atmosphere of tension, she wanted me to unbutton her shirt! I swallowed and I noticed that I was trembling, but not from fear I think rather from excitement,

I had never unbuttoned a woman’s blouse before. She kissed me again gently and breathed

“come do it, don’t be shy.”

She smiled invitingly again. I’m right-handed and had to do such a difficult job with my left hand, like unbuttoning a shirt. I did it slowly, button by button. Amelie stroked my breast and looked at me seductively. Finally, I pulled the shirt out of her pants to undo the last buttons. Amelie smiled. I put it open and she pulled her arm out of her shirt. Only now could I see how bony she was. That she had thin arms, I had seen that before, when she was wearing a t-shirt or when she came to the gym for exercise. I stroked the side of her body. Her skin felt wonderfully soft, like velvet. It was not as coarse-pored as mine and was almost white. I kissed Amelie while she continued to stroke over my chest and caress my side.

She wore a white bra, decorated with embroidered patterns. At the edges of her cups it was trimmed with a kind of fine lace.

"Have you finished already?" she asked smiling.

And then she looked down quickly. I hesitated; did she want me to take off her bra?

"Come on, she said cheerfully. She took my hand and pulled it onto her back.

“Just unhook it,” she said with a smile. I’d never unhooked a bra before, let alone with one hand.

"Come on, do it," she breathed and smiled seductively again.

I wedged one side of the strap between my ring finger and middle finger. With thumb and index finger I pushed the hook open. I carefully took the straps off her and she pulled her arm out of the shoulder strap. Underneath it, she was beautiful shaped, like the rest of her body she was well proportionally formed

"Well, do you like what you see? Do you like me?"

I had a dust desert in my mouth, he was suddenly so dry.

"You are so beautiful," I said to her.

She put on a beaming smile, straightened up and got rid of the shirt and bra completely. Then she pressed me gently on my back and lay on top of me. I felt her velvety skin against mine. Her soft body pressed against my chest. Then she kissed me long and sensually. Finally, she let herself slide beside me and took my hand in hers.

“Come touch me,” she said smiling, “don’t be shy.”

With a gentle pull, she brought my hand to her body and pressed it gently against it.

"Touch me, please," she said.

I closed my hand lightly and it felt wonderful and velvety soft.

"Amelie sighed and said, "Fine, do it again, please."

I repeated that and stroked her.

Amelie closed her beautiful eyes and sighed deeply.

“Ohhh, that’s beautiful, that’s what I’ve always wanted from you.”

“But I’m feeling you up right now?”

She laughed a little “No, cherie (French: darling) you don’t grope me, you never have, not in all the time we’ve been together, you never even tried, not even in bed, where you had every opportunity. No, groping would be if it were against my will, but it’s not. I’ve longed for you to touch me like that once. Now I can really feel you.”

I didn’t know what else comes upon me, what else she wanted from me and I said.

"I’ve never been with a woman like this before, you know, and I don’t know if it would be right now, you know, I don’t know if we should do this. She laughed and showed me her pretty white teeth.

“That’s what I love about you, that you’re always master of your senses. I’m still a virgin, and only the man who loves me and whom I love will make me a woman.”

I replied, "Do you know that in another time, another place, if everything were completely different, then many things would be possible.

"I know," she breathed with a smile.

"I hope I have not disappointed you now because you might have hoped for something more?"

"No, cherie I did not expect more, I expected exactly what we are doing now, that was that what I wanted, and you made my wish come true, you made my dreams come true. Please touch me again. I want to feel you."

I stroked her again and squeezed her skin a little. She moaned softly and kissed me passionately. Her body felt even more tender as I hugged her. She lay on my breast. I felt her soft body against mine again.

“You see, this is what I meant by touching me, you should do it more often, this is what I wished for. You are the first man who is allowed to touch me like this, nobody has ever been allowed to do that before. And it’s exactly how I always imagined it would be. I love you.”

"I… is good, I said. I almost said "I love you" too.

Why didn’t I get these three simple words over my lips I had already lost anyway, she had knocked me out so much with her love and charm, really knocked me out. I could desperately resist falling in love, but that had happened a long time ago. It was only agony and I was ashamed to the ground in front of her. How would I ever explain it to her. I loved her more than anything.

She lay on top of me, put her hand gently on my mouth, looked me deep in the eyes and said

“Don’t say anything you feel for me, I feel it, you don’t have to say anything. Just don’t tear yourself apart, don’t keep causing yourself pain. I love you”

she breathed on me again, then took her hand away and kissed me. We lay huddled for a while. Then Amelie stood up and said.

“come on, let’s go to sleep.”

I took off my pants, my socks, while Amelie had disappeared in the bathroom. I put on a T-shirt. There was still some wine in the bottle, so I poured some in both glasses. She also came out of the bathroom and was wearing a T-shirt like me. I quickly went into the bathroom and freshened up. When I came out, Amelie was standing in the room with the wine glass in her hand. She put it down.

Then she said,

"Helldiver!"

and took off her T-shirt. She was naked underneath. She had only her shorts on. I also took off my T-shirt and walked towards her, then I hugged her and stroked her skin while kissing her. She sighed deeply.

"Aaaaach that’s nice, let’s go to bed. “

She turned in the same way as usual, only she let my left arm go so that I could stroke her velvety soft skin. I stroked and squeezed her. She grabbed my neck behind her, bent her head back and put her face against mine. She sighed. At some point we fell asleep tightly embraced.

Day 172.

We woke up. Amelie was lying with her head on my chest. The winter morning sun sent its reddish glow into our room. Amelie stood up and flipped the blanket back. The sun’s rays showered her with a reddish-golden glow. The white skin of her exposed torso was bathed in the soft light. She lay there like a painting, beautiful as a goddess. Maybe Eos, the goddess of dawn.

“Well, it’s nice to be woken up like this.”

"Yes," I said, "you are beautiful."

She smiled and said, “Look at it, don’t be embarrassed. I’m looking at you too. You are a beautiful man.”

She bent over and kissed me. And she put one hand on my breast. I followed the shape of her upper body with my index finger. She gave me a sensual smile. Finally she said.

“how about breakfast? I’m hungry and thirsty for coffee.”

“Then let’s go,” I said, and whooph, she jumped up and disappeared into the bathroom.

After a while she came back and I went to the bathroom. She had put make-up on her eyes in the bathroom. When I came back out of the bathroom, she had already dressed. In her jeans, the black pumps and the beautiful blouse that surrounded her slim body she looked very feminine. She had blow-dried her hair to a round bob hairstyle and was just putting on lipstick. She always did this with a special precision. Her lips then looked as if they had been painted. She posed and asked me

"Do you like me?"

and she turned on her own axis so I could see her from all sides.

"You look gorgeous." I told her.

I also got dressed and got a little dressed up, too, because it would have looked stupid if I shuffled along next to her in a baggy tracksuit.

"I feel like a woman again," she said happily.

“I can wear pumps, crisp jeans, a chic blouse, my nails are painted and I’m properly styled. And smell.”

She came up to me so I could smell her. She smelled like perfume, not my aftershave this time.

“You’re all dressed up today, what are you going to do?”

"Oh, nothing, I just like dressing up, you know. My mom works in fashion, you get chic every day."

She was so different. She laughed happily as she walked down the hall holding my hand. She jumped from one leg to the other and laughed happily. I knew Amelie not again. When we got to the restaurant, Akiko and Jim were already sitting at the coffee table.

"Bonjour Gilbert," she shouted happily into the kitchen…

"Bonjour" she said laughing as she sat down at the table.

“Oh, Amalie, you’re all dressed up today,” Akiko said.

“That’s right,” Jim agreed.

Amelie happily helped herself to the croissants, spread butter and jam on them and bit into them. We had a very cheerful mood at the table.

When Amelie went into the kitchen after breakfast to have a little talk with Gilbert, Akiko took me aside and asked if she could talk to me.

“Let’s go for a walk,” she said and went with me to the hotel grounds.

Outside the door, she asked me bluntly

"What you did to Amalie, she was sad and bad-tempered all day long and today she laughed and was happy, maybe you did it," she made a shaking hand movement

I took a deep breath and became indignant.

“Akiko, I beg you, no, I didn’t do it” and repeated her movement.

I laughed and shook my head. Akiko laughed. She could be very direct.

"But you did something to her, ha ha ha," she laughed.

"Yes, I did…" and then I raised my shoulder and grinned.

"Ahhh, you got in her drawers, right."

“So Akiko, what’s wrong?” I asked her laughing.

“Oh you know, Amalie beautiful young woman and you beautiful young man, kissing and lying in bed together, why not… do it, it’s normal. Have no shame?”

“Akiko, I didn’t do anything to her,” I say with a laugh.

"Why are you asking me all this?"

"You know, I think I can say now. A few days ago Amalie complained; that you don’t do anything to her and you’re not interested in her. “Doing nothing but caressing and mumumu.”

Akiko formed a kissing mouth and kissed into the air.

"You are always kind to her and do everything for her but only touch her like a sister. She is a young woman who wants to be touched like a woman. “She loves you very much and has done for a long time. Because you never say anything. She believe you’re not interested in her. Although like, but do not like enough. I told her that only men who love, protect her like Helldiver and she has nothing to worry about. But she doubt. You know Amalie, my best friend, my sister, when she’s sad, I’m sad too, when she’s happy, I’m happy too, when she cry, I’m cry too. And Helldiver her heart’s a little bit crying right now.”

“I have done nothing bad to her and… I made the shaking move again, I don’t think now is the right time, I don’t think she wants it herself and that’s good,”

I said to Akiko.

"May I ask you something personally?" Akiko asked.

"What?" I asked.

"Do you really love Amalie, or are you just playing to make Amalie not sad?"

"Akiko, can you really keep a secret? Even to Amelie. I know you girls talk amongst yourselves."

“I’ll be a doctor soon, and then I must keep secrets,” Akiko said.

"What I tell you now, Amelie must not know now, maybe later, but not now."

"I swear," she said, sitting on the steps of the ski shop and putting her hand over her heart.

I had a lump in my throat, because that made me sad again. I looked serious in Akiko’s almond-shaped eyes.

“Well, Akiko, I love Amelie more than anything in the world. I can’t see when she’s unhappy, and I’m afraid something will happen to her.”

I felt my eyes fill with tears, and I struggled for my composure. Akiko looked at me in horror.

“The bad thing is, I can’t tell her, I really love her and I would never want to hurt her, you know,” it came out of me.

"But if I tell her, she will never let me go again, she won’t want to accept that I want to keep fighting. She might even give me a choice and then I would choose to fight. Then we would inevitably have to part, because I think she won’t want to go and I don’t want to hurt her.

That would probably be bad for her. And for me as well, because I would be biased, I could not fight properly anymore. You know, Jim Amelie and you, you could, if we could form a bridgehead here and the army could get you out of here, go home, be safe. That’s what I’d like for Amelie to be safe. Because it’s not your war to fight. Not you, not Amelie, and not Jim either. You could just go home.

But I have to stay here. I have to defend my home. I grew up here, this is my home. My parents, my relatives, my friends, everyone needs me now. If I would flee from here, it would be like a betrayal for me. I wouldn’t know if I could be happy in another country. When all this is over and I survive this, Amelie can have everything she wants from me. But I can’t give it to her now. I’m so ashamed because she’ll do anything for me. She loves me and I can’t give it back to her the way she deserves it. Can you understand me a little, Akiko?"

A tear rolled down my cheek and I wiped it away with the back of my hand. Akiko was silent for a moment, I don’t think she expected this answer.

"I thought that you were in conflict. I knew that you loved Amalie. I told her that I feel and Amalie feels, too. You are like samurai you his Bushido."

"What does that mean?"

"In Japan samurai are knights, have seven virtues. “Are sincere, are loyal, are courageous, are faithful, are polite, are just, are human. That all you are. Always by Amalie’s side, you protect her, you comfort her. You loyal to your country and your family, you always honest and you human, you consider everyone. You on the way of the warrior, that his Bushido. The way only ends when the war is over. I understand you want. Amelie may not understand, but I. Maybe I can explain to her. You are good man for Amalie.”

“It hurts so much, you know Akiko, that I can’t profess my love to her.”

She put one hand on mine.

"I know you are torn, you pain in your heart. But no one can take that away from you, only you."

“I know Akiko, and it’s good that I can talk to someone about this. But please, don’t tell Amelie.”

“Since you don’t worry, I won’t say anything.”

“In Japan, we say that when one saves lives of others, souls are connected. Yours especially, you saved Amalie’s life and she saved yours. When you were in a coma, Amalie gave you so much of her blood, she almost collapsed. I forbid her afterwards. She, without thinking twice, went alone to Himarvet to get medicine for you. Amalie love you very much.”

"If I should die, can you tell Amelie something for me?" I asked Akiko.

"Yeah, what?"

“Will you tell her what I told you, that I love her more than anything and I’m sorry I never told her?”

"I will do what I promise," Akiko said.

"We have to go back," Akiko said and rose from the stairs.

I felt relieved and was grateful to Akiko that she had once asked me for a talk. She had a different view on things and she was always very objective. Perhaps also because she was the oldest of us, at almost 25 years of age.

When we arrived at the hotel, I said goodbye to Akiko, because I wanted to smoke a cigarette outside the door. I couldn’t get Amelie out of my mind. After the conversation with Akiko and what had happened yesterday, I thought to myself that Amelie was certainly waiting for me to reveal myself to her. I had already lost the fight against my feelings anyway and was in love with Amelie. What would happen if I finally told her. She was waiting for it. She had really more than deserved it and it would also be a bit of security for her, then she would finally have certainty about where she stood with me. It would only be fair to her.

"She must let me go if I want to continue, she must be clear about that,’ I said to myself.

I had to admit to myself that I had passed the point of no return anyway, I was simply in love with her and while thinking about her I felt my longing for her. I would like to stroke her velvety soft skin once more and hold her in my hands.

“I’m going to tell her, she has more than earned it,” I said to myself and went to the hotel

When I met her in the lobby, Amelie asked where I’d been. I told her that I had had a conversation with Akiko.

"what did she want from you?" Amelie asked

"Well, she wanted to know why you’re in such a good mood all of a sudden.

"And what did you tell her?"

"Nothing about what we did yesterday."

"Why was she laughing like that?"

“I don’t know what you women talk about. I don’t want to know.”

I printed a little bit, because I didn’t know if I could tell Amelie that. I decided to do it.

“Well, Akiko asked me in her direct way if I’d done you and… in the process, I made that shaking movement again…, made. Well, when I said no, she laughed.”

Amelie laughed resoundingly, she cackled all the way to the room.

When we got to the room, Amelie snorted

"you made me and she made the shaking move, hahahahahah"

She couldn’t get herself together any more, apparently it was rather my helpless expression on my face that made her cheerful.

[helldiver]

Amelie tells:

While I walked across the hallway with him by the hand and he told me what Akiko had asked him, I just had to laugh. Akiko could be so wonderfully straightforward. She had her heart on her tongue and said some things so bluntly honestly without a facial expression.

I had already had my doubts that Helldiver was more interested in me, because he never made any attempt to approach me, he is very reserved in that. He treats me as if I were made of china but it is his careful touch that makes my blood boil and the swarm of butterflies fly in my stomach. I wish he would grabb somewhere else, but he does not, even when kissing. I keep imagining what it would be like to feel his hard skin against mine and his strong hands on my skin.

And his innocent face when he told me what Akiko had asked him makes me laugh, but that is what makes my blood boil. I ask myself

"what am I supposed to do until he would starts? I’ve unbuttoned one button more than necessary on my shirt so that he gets to see something. But then he always looked away decently. I have touched him here and there consciously but nothing happens. Other weapons like miniskirts or sexy tops I unfortunately do not have. Except his T-shirts which I can wear almost like a mini dress. Even when I didn’t wear a bra underneath it recently, he didn’t look at me, no reaction, it’s to milk mice, with that man. After what happened yesterday, his innocence almost makes me racing. I’d like to tear his clothes off and pounce on him, but I’m old-fashioned in that. He should do that to me, not the other way around.

When I came into the room with him, I still had to laugh, because he made such a helpless and innocent face again. But I was excited, restless inside, I hadn’t had that feeling yet either, not in the presence of a man. My whole body was vibrating. I was loaded like the pistol lying on my bedside table and hopefully he would finally pull the trigger.

When we closed the door behind us, it took me a while to get my joviality down and he looked so cute; I melting away.

Then he came towards me and I put on my most seductive look that I had on the camp.

Helldiver tells:

I walked up to her and took her in my arms while she was still gurgling. She put her hands on my neck. I just unbuttoned her blouse. Actually, I was just gonna make a joke and tell her

"Hey, your blouse is open!" I used to tease her like that all the time.

"Hey, what are you doing?" she asked laughing. "Have you got a taste for it?"

"In a way," I said laughing, not knowing that I was playing with fire.

"Me too," she said with a seductive smile on her lips.

I opened her blouse completely and laid my hands on her velvety skin. Amelie looked at me strangely, a look I had never seen before. She gently scratched my neck and pulled me towards her.

"What are you up to, Helldiver?" she breathed into my ear.

My mouth became dry as dust again and I felt tense as a feather. I smelled Amelie’s perfume, it robbed me of my senses, she smelled beguiling like a flower.

She hastily unbuttoned my shirt and stroked my chest with her hands, grabbing a little harder here and there, kneading my muscles. She kissed me on the mouth with soft lips.

“Amelie, I don’t know if this is right what I’m doing, you said yesterday that only the man who really loves you can take the last step with you.”

The air was charged in the room, I could hear the electricity crackle.

Amelie changed, breathing a little faster.

“Why don’t you go ahead?” she asked me.

My stomach was tingling and cold shivers ran down my back.

“Amelie, I don’t know, if I’m the right person to take the last step with you, I don’t know if I’m the one, you dreamed of.”

Amelie kissed me hard and breathed deeply through her nose and sighed.

“If you stop now, Helldiver, I’ll kill you!” she said, breathing hastily.

She pressed me backwards against the wall of the room and kissed me more and more desirously. Her face reddened and suddenly felt heated. She kept rubbing it against mine, ran her mouth over my face and kissed me again and again while I unhooked her bra and striped it off her body along with her blouse.

Amelie breathed heavily and intermittently. She hurriedly took her blouse out of my hand and threw it to the side, then with trembling fingers she strip off my shirt. She trembled strangely under my hands. She pressed herself against me again and again, then she took my hand and led it to her trousers with gentle pressure. While I unbuckled her belt, which was fiddly with one hand, she helped me and unbuckled the button of her jeans. Then she hurriedly tampered with my pants again and kissed me again and again.

"Amelie… I… I… am… I," I stammered, but she put a finger on my lips.

"Ssscchh…say, now nothing. I feel and I know what you feel for me.

Then she closed my mouth with a kiss.

As I pulled the jeans off her hips she said

"MMMM… Non!"

She took my hand again and led it to her shorts.

"So do they," she breathed breathlessly.

Then she stood before me, clothed only in her perfume. With a jerk, she pulled down my trousers and shorts. She pressed herself against me and when our bodies touched, she sighed. She pressed her hot face against mine and breathed into my ear,

"Make me a Woman, Helldiver,…do it…please, je t’ aime cherie (French: I love you darling)

Then she pulled me backwards to the bed. What followed was indescribably beautiful.

I found myself lying on the bed in the late afternoon, sweating and sleepy with a happy smiling Amelie in my arms. She lay half on top of me, had her head on my chest and gently scratched the hair on my chest with her red-painted fingernails. She looked at me in love with her big, almost black eyes, which radiated a penetrating warmth.

I was filled with a deep peace. A never known feeling of happiness a feeling of deep connection with Amelie, who was already a part of myself. I gently stroked her blonde hair, which shone in the sun like liquid gold. I played with her hair and let it glide through my fingers. Since she had been with me she couldn’t go to the hairdresser. In Salthamm they were still short and stood out from her head. Now they were a little longer, almost shoulder-length. I had not dared to cut them when she asked me. I did not want to disfigure her, I am not a hairdresser. She had blow-dried them to a round bob, which suited her very well.

My resistance had sent her to the boards so completely with her gentle hands. Her magic and her charm were just too powerful. I was still overwhelmed by what had happened to us today, but the desire to reveal myself to her was too great, it pushed to the surface and I just had to tell her now. Akiko had opened my eyes and shown me the senselessness of my fight against my own feelings. Amelie had simply deserved to hear it from me personally.

"That was beautiful, Helldiver, just as I always imagined it would be."

She came closer to my face. “I always knew you would be the man, Je t’aime, Helldiver.”

“Amelie, I have something to tell you,” I said softly, because I didn’t want to spoil this lovely dreamy mood.

Amelie smiled and put her hand over my mouth gently.

“SSSSSS, don’t say anything now, I know what you feel,” she breathed. Her French timbre hit me to my innermost being and made me shiver. I gently took her hand in mine and pulled it away from my mouth.

"Yes, I do, I must Amelie. I want to tell you something now that you must have been waiting for all this time and for far too long.

Amelie I love you, I love you more than anything in this world, and I’m ashamed I didn’t tell you this before, no woman deserves it more than you do."

Her expression changed from incredulous amazement to a bright glow. Her eyes were moist, she took my face in her hands and said breathlessly.

"Helldiver, Helldiver, to hear you say that, I am so happy, I could burst with happiness, Helldiver, I have always felt and known that you love me."

She squeezed me so hard and kissed me, it took my breath away.

"I talked about it with Akiko, and then I realized I should tell you myself. You know you must let me go when the time comes. I had forbidden Akiko to talk to you about it, but I thought it might be better if you heard it from me.

If I don’t survive this, then at least you will know it from me and not from someone else. I only refused to tell you out of love for you, so as not to drag you further into this war.

I wanted to say something else, but she closed my mouth with a long kiss.

"We will find a solution when the time comes," she said.

She laid completely on top of me and nudged at mine with her fine nose.

“That’s the nicest gift you could ever give me,” she said.

She fell asleep in my arms, smiling happily.

Day 173.

The next morning she still woke up with her happy smile and when I kissed her and told her once more that I loved her, she shone brighter than the sun. She was like yesterday, cheerful and exuberant, dressed up again, we went tightly wrapped for breakfast. Akiko looked at Amelie and me alternately in amazement

“What’s the matter with you?”

“I’m happy Akiko,” said Amelie, laughing silvery bright. Akiko looked at me earnestly over the edge of her coffee cup…

"You happy Helldiver too?"

"Yes very."

"What have you done, Helldiver that Amelie so happy?"

I grinned and raised my shoulders and said.

"handsome man and beautiful woman."

Akiko choked on her coffee.

"Aaaaaah you two, I know."

And then she laughed. Jim looked unsuspectingly between laughing Akiko, Amelie, and me, and asked.

“Say something passed me here, haven’t I record something.”

I laughed and said.

“Jim, it’s not so bad, all is good.”

174. – 176. Day

We were slowly preparing for the Julfeast celebration that hotel was festively decorated. The hotel hairdresser had invited Akiko, Elsa and Amelie to his barbershop to give them a festive hairdo. I only saw Amelie with a bottle of champagne in her hand storming the barbershop with the other girls. Jim and I had to go under the knife, too. Amelie thought my mane needed trimming.

The clothing shop in the hotel also opened its doors for Elsa Akiko and Amelie, they were allowed to choose a festive dress. Amelie was in her element. She wore a pincushion on her arm and had some needles in her mouth while she pinned off Akiko and Elsa’s dresses to sew them to fit. Anita Sjögren who was in a wheelchair also got a new dress. Amelie sewed the dresses with Fire zeal to make them fit. Of course the champagne bottle circled.

The night before Christmas Eve she pounce on me , even though she was slightly tipsy. We were busy till late at night.

177. Day

It’s Christmas Eve. Amelie was excited and very busy. Right after breakfast she went to the hairdresser’s again, then she disappeared endlessly in the bathroom. I used the time to train with Jim and afterwards to wrap Christmas presents.

The Yulefest is celebrated a little bit different in Sweden. On Christmas Eve people sit together, eat and drink together, the presents are taken out of their hiding places and thrown into the room with the cry "Julklapp, Julklapp". They are wrapped in several layers and on each layer there is a different name of the person present. After the first one has unpacked a layer, he has to pass the package on to the person whose name is on the package. Most of the time there is some positive or negative verse on the package that the person has to read before unpacking. They are always funny verses and when the laughter has died down, the gift is passed on to the next person. On the last layer of the packaging is the name of the person for whom it was intended.

We had taken the perfume bottles from which our girls had taken samples. Amelie’s perfume smelled particularly fine. She had put it on once in the last few days, admittedly it smelled better on her than my aftershave lotion.

I took Jim on another patrol around the hotel and we talked. Jim told me that he wanted to stay with Akiko.

"I live in the bayous of Louisiana. My family has a big house there and when Akiko finishes her studies, she wants to come to America with me. I am stationed in Sweden, and you and I will see each other when this is over. We want to get married. Akiko wants at least five children from me."

“My God, you’ve got something in front of you.”

Jim laughed, so that his white teeth shone in his face.

“I’m going to hunt gators with them. Akiko will slap her hands together over her head.”

"Well, good luck to you both."

“What’s it like with you two, you and Amelie?”

“So like you Jim, I love her and she loves me and yesterday, I told it to her. I wasn’t going to tell her till this was over. But I spoke to Akiko yesterday, and she opened my eyes a little. That’s why I told her. I only hope it was right.”

“Sure, I haven’t seen her this happy in a long time. A great woman, congratulations bro’ (america.: brother). I hope you and Amelie will come visit me at the bayous.”

“You can count on it, I’ve never had a real American burger.”

"You will get, and sparerips and steaks until your belly burst."

"I hope Amelie will let me go when I get the chance to fight again."

“Then you’re not alone, bro.”

“Thanks Jim, but I can’t accept this, because this is my war, it’s my home.”

"You want the Rockn Roll Party all to yourself."

I laughed and said

“Thanks Jim, you’re a real friend, thanks,” I said.

"What do you say, shall we go to the bar and have a whiskey?" Jim asked

"You mean, a little preheat for tonight, just to warm up, not a bad thought."

We went back to the hotel and had a drink and a smoke and talked. Jim was just a great friend.

When I came back to the room, Amelie was out of the bathroom painting her toenails.

"Well, where were you so long?" She asked.

"I was out with Jim," I said.

"And you both were in the bar. I can smell it."

"Just a little one." I apologized…

“It’s all right, I have a drink here too.”

She pointed to the opened champagne bottle and a glass half full.

I went into the bathroom, took a shower and shaved. Then I blow-dried my hair. Amelie knocked on the door and asked for the hair dryer. So I gave it to her. Then I put some perfume on, too. When I came out of the bathroom, Amelie had her dress on. Her hair had been blow-dried to a nice, asymmetrical bobbed hairdo. On one side, she was now wearing little curls that looked cute on her. She had put on eye shadow again. Her face was powdered and her cheeks were covered with rouge. Her lips were again painted in a beautiful red which was a nice contrast to her blonde hair and her light skin.

"Can you help me," she asked

“what’s it all about?”

"Could you close my shoes?"

She lifted her leg and I picked up her dainty foot, which was in a silver pumps. Then I fastened the fine strap around her ankle. I did the same with the second one, of course. Then she looked at herself in the mirror, turned, plucked here and plucked there at the dress. Then she turned to me and asked

"Well, what do you say?"

She looked so beautiful, that ultramarine blue dress suited her perfectly. The fabric flowed around her figure. I couldn’t get enough of her.

“Well, what do you think?” she asked again because I didn’t give her an answer.

“Sorry, I’m speechless. You look so beautiful.”

"Yes, you like me."

"Fallen is not an expression."

She posed in front of me, throwing the fabric of the dress in the air. A dream of tulle and silk. Amelie watched me get dressed and tied my tie. She did it with a smile and with a precision She had fitted the suit that the men’s outfitter had given me even more, sewed the trousers around, she could do it perfectly like a seamstress. Anyway, the suit fit perfectly.

I could smell her fine perfume. There was quite a difference between military dress and that wonderful dress. We went hand in hand to the restaurant, which had been decorated as a banquet hall. In the lobby, we met Elsa, Jim and Akiko.

She was wearing a red silk dress, which suited her perfectly. Her hair was pinned up to a clip-on hairstyle. Little rhinestones sparkled in it. Her eyes were also painted with eye shadow. And her mouth shone in a rich cherry red. She wore black pumps decorated with fine straps. Her fingernails were painted the same colour as her lips.

Jim was wearing a fancy tuxedo with a bow tie. He looked cool and casual in it. Our leather shoes were polished to a high sheen.

Elsa had on a beautiful gold glittering dress. She looked very different. Her hair had been blow-dried to a curly style. She wore gold sandals. There was a flower in her hair. Elsa, who was usually so austere, looked very beautiful in her dress. The radio operator, Björn was his name, was also wearing a suit. He was lanky built and somehow suited Elsa.

We entered the restaurant. I had hidden Jim’s and my Christmas present in the kitchen of Gilbert. A bellhop stood at the entrance and led us to a special table. At it sat Elsa Khorsandi and her companion, the hotel management and the shopkeepers. On one side of the restaurant a buffet was artfully arranged.

Gilbert was back in his cooking outfit and supervised his cooks. Here and there he pitched in and prepared the food, arranged it, put something in order.

"Allez, allez," he urged his cooks. He waved over to us laughing. Finally, he came in person with a bottle of champagne and poured it for the girls. Then he served us. We toasted a beautiful evening with the hotel management. Some of the hotel employees sat at a table in military dress, they were assigned to the guard and had to stand guard outside the hotel.

The relieved colleagues were then allowed to join the party. The hotel manager stepped into the middle of the room and raised a microphone to his mouth. He greeted us all quite warmly and mentioned our merits and that this evening would not have been possible without us "Helldivers", as we were called among the hotel staff. The people applauded, Elsa, Jim, Akiko, Amelie and I rose from our seats.

I walked into the center, picked up the microphone and said,

“Thank you all, without your help, we could not have done it alone. I thank my friends for fighting bravely with me. I thank them for giving us food and lodging and for dressing us. I thank you all. I would like us to rise from our seats for a minute’s silence in memory of those who lost their lives in battle.”

Everyone rose and it was quiet as a mouse in the hall. I waited a moment and said.

"I thank you all and wish you all

"God Jul" (Swedish: Merry Christmas).

Applause broke out as I went back to my seat. The hotel manager thanked us once more and then opened the buffet.

The food was delicious. Gilbert and his team had really done a great job. He had made excellent food from the deer meat. One dish tasted finer than the other. Gilbert came to us with the cognac bottle in his hand, we applauded him and thanked him for his cooking. The crème brûlée was a dream. Amelie enjoyed the mousse au chocolat. We were very exuberant and talked. Of course the hotel manager wanted to know more about us and our journey so far. Jim and Amelie told him

I added something once before. Then the presents were picked up. I got Jim’s and my present from the kitchen. The girls also held a parcel in their hands. Then the parcels were thrown into the room one by one. Gilbert and his waiters went round and round to top up the drinks.

Amelie laughed and beamed all evening. Finally it was my turn and I threw my gift with the call "Julklapp, Julklapp" into the room. I had explained the custom to her before. She was surprised that she received a gift and unpacked it curiously with red cheeks.

She was delighted with the perfume. She looked at me radiantly and asked

"that was you, this is from you."

"Yes, Merry Christmas," I wished her laughing.

"Ohhh, thanks, merry Christmas to you too."

She took me in her arms and gave me a kiss. Akiko’s present arrived and I handed it to her. She was also very happy and kissed and hugged Jim…

"How did you find out which perfume?" Akiko asked.

"Well, secret command thing, Jim and I took turns spying."

Jim and I got kisses and hugs from our girls. Afterwards we danced around the Christmas tree. At night, the walls of the bar were shaking because we had run in and were dancing frolicsomely to Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Nirvana, and many others. We came back to our room, heavily tipsy. Amelie just threw off her clothes, removed her make-up and fell asleep in my arms quite quickly.

178. – 183. Day

Between the years, that is the time between Christmas and New Year, we spent carefree days. We took Gilbert on patrol. He enjoyed having an assault rifle in his hand. When we got into a small firefight, he shot down a runner. He was admiring Amelie’s fighting skills as she took down a hunter by herself. We enjoyed the delicacies from Gilbert’s kitchen, did some sports, did extensive patrols on the island. Jim, Akiko Amelie and I sat around a lot, smoking and drinking. Amelie and I made love in our room.

184. Day

On New Year’s Eve, there was a ball. Amelie put on that beautiful ultramarine blue dress again. We all met in the restaurant, which had been converted into a ballroom. During the evening a photographer went around and took pictures of us. At midnight we lit a firework display from the fireworks and emergency flares we had found on our patrols. The champagne bottle circled and we all wished each other good luck. I danced with Amelie until late into the night. She lay happily smiling while dancing in my arms.

185. • 190. Day

We overslept the New Year’s morning, because we had consumed quite a bit of alcohol - Amelie had struck hard and not left out a single glass. I sometimes wondered where this petite personality put all the alcohol. She woke up at noon and complained about a hangover. I did not feel much better either.

I went to the hotel lobby and visited the photographer, he had the photos ready. Amelie was beautifully met on one. She looked at the side with a charming smile. There were also some photos taken while dancing and as a couple entering the ballroom. On one photo, the photographer had taken a beautiful photo of me I wanted two prints of our single photos, which he made immediately, I gave mine to Amelie, I kept hers for my wallet.

In the following days we made further trips. It was too long for me until spring. The weather was very bad. It often snowed heavily. Björn wanted some electronic components, because he had picked up mutilated radio messages that indicated that there were more survivors. Once he had intercepted radio transmissions that seemed to be of military origin.

We took Björn with us without further ado. We visited Klacksundsfyren Lighthouse because I suspected there were radios. We found one in the lighthouse keeper’s house. The next day we went to the Standby camp 018, where there was a radar station. We broke into it and retrieved parts for the radio. In Österhällan we also searched a military camp and found parts for the radio.

We got into a major firefight with a Hunter gang. They fired poison gas at us. Some bad guys. Fortunately, we all had gas masks, which we put on immediately. I hated those robots because there’s nothing meaner or sneakier than shooting poison gas.

We wiped out the robots. They had nothing to counter again our PVG 90s. Amelie, was that gun was too heavy. After much persuasion, I managed to get her to shoot it once. She probably did it just to shut me up. But she always complained about the weight. When she hung up, it was okay for her, because the gun had no more recoil than a hunting rifle.

[helldiver]

191 - 198 Day

Björn tinkered with the radio, he had to check and adjust the components we had found. We also took apart a Hunter and a Runner once, because I suspected that they must have something similar to a radio on board. We found important electronic equipment near a tank.

199. • 208. Day

Björn had managed to get the radio working again with the help of the components. Days before we had picked up a radio signal that was always transmitted on the same frequency and at the same time. The radio operator’s booth was set up in an office on the ground floor. Tense, Bjorn listened to the ether all day. He picked up radio transmissions. Even the weather report.

He could also pick up a news broadcast. They talked about the robot crisis. That there was still no news about the whereabouts of many missing persons and that the army was working feverishly to build a bridgehead. But whatever failed due to the massive shelling. According to the latest satellite images, there were indications that there must be survivors on Hjimfäll. There must be massive firefights near the. Björntunet Hotel, as large numbers of robot wrecks have been sighted. Many destroyed robots have also been sighted in the archipelago, in the farmland and in the mountainous region, and they have moved like a trail towards Hjimfäll. This is what the newsreader said. The military is constantly trying to make contact. So far this has not been successful. We all cheered when we heard the news.

Bjorn kept working on the device to adjust and improve it. Finally he had fixed the transmitting part. We had also repaired the antenna on the hotel roof. Björn went on air as a test. The walkie-talkies flew almost apart on the hotel grounds - the radio was coming in strong. Finally Björn went on the air.

"Attention this is Bjorn Löfgren. I’m transmitting from the Björntunet Hotel. There are 27 survivors. If anyone can hear us, please respond.

He tried several frequencies. Then he listened to the airwaves. He had attached a loudspeaker to the radio, which we had removed from a seeker. All we could hear was the etheric whistling and hissing.

Björn repeated the radio message over and over again for hours and listened.

209th day

We listened strained into the ether again, I took turns with Björn and Jim. So we could man the radio station around the clock. Björn had the late shift, suddenly there was a loud crashing and cracking sound in the loudspeaker, you could hear a male voice repeating something unclearly. Björn carefully adjusted the radio system and suddenly you could hear the voice clearly.

"Hello Björntunet, Hello Björntunet, This is Löjtnant Kai Arvidsson, you can hear me, over"

"Hello Löjtnant Arvidsson, Björntunet Hotel here. We can hear you loud and clear. Come."

"This is Löjtnant Kai Arvidsson, how many people are you, come please"

"Hello Löjtnant Arvidsson, this is Björn Löfgren, there are 27 of us. There were 35 of us, and eight people were killed in the firefight."

"Hello Bjorn Löfgren, how many people are injured, come in please?”

“Hello, Mr Löjtnant Arvidsson, we have no casualties at this time. We’ve nursed everyone back to health under our own steam. Please come in.”

“Hello Björn Löfgren, you can make a list of people and send it to us so we can match it with our matches. Please come in.”

I tapped Bjorn on the shoulder and told him to make an appointment tomorrow. We shouldn’t broadcast too long, because we don’t know who or what is listening to us. Not that someone is targeting and attacking us.

Björn passed on what I had said and arranged an appointment the next day. The news about the radio message spread like wildfire in the hotel. We installed a loudspeaker in the hallway so that everyone in the corridor could hear it.

210. day

We gathered at the Funk booth, Elsa, Jim, Akiko and Amelie were with us.

"Hello this is Björntunet Hotel, Björn Löfgren, to Löjtnant Kai Arvidsson, come in please."

"Hello Björntunet Hotel this is Löjtnant Kai Arvidsson, radio officer on duty with me is General Lasse Viklund, Commander of the Södra Skanska Regiment and Commander in Chief of the South Sweden Region, Björn Löfgren come in.”

“Hello, this is Bjorn Löfgren, that’s understood, we can hear you loud and clear, come in please.”

"Björn Löfgren, is a Löjtnant Elsa Kohrsandi with you or do you know anything about her whereabouts? We have information that she crashed at Hjimfäll. Bjorn Löfgren, please come in."

"Elsa Kohrsandi has survived and is sitting here with me. Löjtnant Arvidsson come in "

“Bjorn Löfgren, we’re glad to hear it. We have some foreigners missing, perhaps they can answer the question. Do you know anything about the following people Jim Henderson, US Marines, Mrs. Akiko Hyundura, Mrs. Mila Akashi, Mr. Yuri Honda, Mr. Haruko Fujimoto, Mrs. Amelie Deveraux. Björn Löfgren please come in”

"Hello here Björn Löfgren, that is understood, Mr. Henderson, Mrs. Deveraux and Mrs. Hyundura are present and well. Mrs. Akashi, Mr. Honda and Mr. Fujimoto are dead, Löjtnant Arvidsson please come in.

"Björn Löfgren, we are very happy for the survivors, we regret the deaths of the aforementioned and will inform the relatives as soon as possible. "Who else is with them? Bjorn Löfgren, come in.

Bjorn read out the list of those present. When my name came up, a request came up. I refused to give my real name.

When the list was distributed, I asked for the microphone.

"Löjtnant Arvidsson, this is Helldiver, come in."

"Helldiver, this is Löjtnant Arvidsson. I read you. Helldiver, come in.

"Helldiver here, I wish to report the death of the following. Thort Livström from Södra Saltholmen. Ole Söderberg, Nils Claesson and Knut Björklund, then the Sundberg family Mr. and Mrs. Sundberg, and Ronja Sundberg and her child. Löjtnant Arvidsson, please come in.

“Löjtnant Arvidsson here. I’m sorry, do you know anything else about Ulf Kellerson’s whereabouts? He was with Ole Söderberg, Nils Claesson and Knut Björklund. Can you tell us anything about his whereabouts. Helldiver come in.”

"This is Helldiver, Ulf Kellerson is alive, for security reasons I cannot give you his whereabouts," I lied. "I will not tell you my name for the above reasons, just keep calling me Helldiver, I must protect my family. Löjtnant Arvidsson come in."

"This is General Lasse Viklund, Helldiver, why do you have to protect your family?"

"Herr General, I have been on the road for half a year now and have destroyed countless machines, riot camps and container loads of robots on my way. We have conquered the bunkers Salthamm, Vesslan, Salthamm naval base, Skarven and Minken. We have destroyed most of the robots on Hjimfäll. General Viklund, come in.

"Helldiver, this is impressive. They have cut a swath of destruction, how many persons you were. Helldiver, come in."

“Initially, three persons, Thort Livström, Amelie Devereaux and myself. After Thort’s death, Jim Henderson and Akiko Hyundura came to us or we found them. General Viklund, come in, please.”

"Helldiver, you’ve done something an entire regiment couldn’t do, I congratulate you and thank you for your service. “Are you or were you ever in the Army… Helldiver, come in, please.”

"General Viklund, I was relieved of active duty last year as a Vicecorpral. I have had great experience with my comrades in the efficient destruction of robots. Through guerrilla tactics we have been able to inflict the robots hard blows. General Viklund come in.

"Helldiver, then you are the right man for a special mission, we will contact you tomorrow at the same time. Helldiver out."

The chatter in the hall swelled and there was applause. Everyone had the hope to get off the island.

I was happy too, because now it seemed to go on. Maybe I could get the others to safety, especially Amelie. I only hoped that she would leave.

Day 211.

General Viklund contacted me again by radio. We had removed the loudspeaker in the corridor.

First, General Viklund informed me of the present situation.

"You are a Swedish citizen and I can only ask you to take on this mission you are our only hope Helldiver, you must penetrate the FOA 53 building complex and destroy it. This is the control center from which all robots are controlled. We will send you weapons and other information with two cruise missiles to Hjimfäll, we hope they will not be detected by radar. We will program the hotel’s golf course as the target area. Instead of explosives, these missiles will have equipment on board. I cannot and can’t not ask your foreign comrades-in-arms to accompany you. This mission will be very dangerous. You must be aware of this, Helldiver. It may even be a mission of no return, the political upsets would be far too great if something happened to one of your foreign comrades-in-arms or they would even be killed.

“You won’t do this alone,” Jim said,

“I’m going with you,” said Amelie.

"and so do I," Akiko said.

“You’re not going to do that!” I said.

"You heard what the general said. I thank you for wanting to go with me, but please, the responsibility would be far too great for me."

“You can’t be serious!” Amelie flared up “you won’t go alone!”

“you can’t do that, going alone,” Jim objected.

Everything suddenly started talking in my ear. I slapped my hand on the table.

"Quiet now, this is my business, this is my war, not yours," I flared up.

Amelie looked at me angrily, but said nothing more. Jim and Akiko looked down and entered.

The radio cracked and the general called again.

"Here are some relatives they want to talk to you, first Lieutenant Henderson.

"Hello, Jim" came over the radio…

"you be all right, my boy,"

“Yeah, dad, all right, I’m with the best fighters together, I wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for Helldiver and Amelie, they saved my ass.”

“That sounds good, son, but you heard we’re not Swedish citizens and have no right to interfere in Swedish affairs. As an army man, I give you the orders make no bullshit. We’ll get you out of there as soon as possible. Even the two women.”

“Yes, sir. Thanks, Pa. I won’t fool around.”

Next thing, a woman’s voice comes over the radio,

"This is Geraldine Devereaux. Is my daughter Amelie with you.

"I am Maman (French: mamma) here," cried Amelie.

I told her, "You have to get on the radio and push the talk button so she can hear you."

“We’ll talk later,” she hissed angrily.

Björn showed her how the radio worked and then Amelie spoke to her mother.

"Enfant, comment vas-tu? (French: child, how are you)?"

"Je vais bien (I’m fine)

"Quand rentres-tu à la maison ? (French: "When are you coming home?)

“Une fois que j’aurai terminé la mission avec Helldiver” (French: Once I complete the mission with Helldiver) "

Because I didn’t understand anything, Jim quietly translated it for me. And then there was a violent French battle of words. By saying “Non” (French: no) several times, Amelie almost screamed and each time she hit the table with her fist. When Amelie said “no” to something, she meant “no”, she was adamant about it. She could be incredibly stubborn. At one point, when she wanted to assert her stubbornness, I imitated a donkey and caught one of her dreaded rib bumps. Suddenly, Amelie’s mother spoke to me in English.

"Mr. Helldiver, would you please see that my daughter gets home and safe. “Will you please look after my daughter, especially that she does anything foolish… I’d be much obliged.”

I answered her in English," I can’t guarantee anything, but I’ll do everything in my power to see that Amelie gets home safely. Of course, she will not take part in this mission. And I will look after her as best I can. I’m afraid that’s all I can do."

Amelie angrily showed me the Fist. She spoke to her mother once again in French and spoke in such a rage that she almost threw the microphone against the wall when she said goodbye to her mother with a poisonous "au revoir" (French: goodbye). Björn and I were just able to prevent it.

Then it was Akiko’s turn to speak to her father in Japanese. None of us knew the language. But the way Akiko behaved at the microphone it must have been a good conversation, because her father spoke to her in a calm tone. Akiko translated it later and said that he was glad that she was healthy but also mourned the death of the others. She would become a good doctor and he would be proud of her. She had brought honour to the house of Hyundura.

At least was my father on the radio

"Hello boy, how are you?" he asked.

“I’m fine dad,” I said.

"I was told you were hurt, the interpreter translated it from Mr. Hyundura."

“Yes, that’s true Papa, but Akiko patched me up and everything is fine again,” I replied.

“You have risked a lot, boy, and you have done great things. I am very proud of you. I know you have a difficult mission ahead of you. Please take care of yourself, you listen to me, don’t take any risks.”

"Yes, Dad, I’ll take care of myself. ‘,’’ I answered.

"I love you, boy," my father said, and it almost brought tears to my eyes.

"Mama wants to talk to you too," my father said.

"Yes, thanks Daddy, I love you too."

My mother was on the radio, her voice trembled and I heard that she was close to tears.

"Son, please take care of yourself, you hear. Don’t do anything silly, I’m so worried about you,’ my mother said.

From behind I got a hard poke from Amelie and she hissed angrily,

"Listen to your mother."

I looked around for Amelie and looked at her sternly. Then I said to my mother.

"Mama, I take good care of myself, but what has to be done has to be done. Mama, it’s about our home and our freedom.

I said to her.

"I know, boy, I know, but it is precisely because you always look out for others first than for yourself that I worry, Take care of yourself and come back healthy. I pray for you, boy. I love you."

I said to my mother, "Mommy, I love you too. I hug you and kiss you."

Then the radio went dead. Amelie leaned against the wall with a reddened face. She played with her lips. When I turned to walk and wanted to take her by the hand, she turned away brusquely, crossed her arms in front of her chest and went along wordlessly. Her mouth was only a line on her face. She seemed to be quite angry.

We went wordlessly to the room. She sat on the bed and held her arms crossed in front of her chest. She had clenched her hands in fists. I sat down beside her. We didn’t say a word. An ominous atmosphere hung over the room.

"How can you want to go alone?" she said in a trembling voice.

“Amelie, we’ve talked about it so often and I told you the other day, you must let me go when the time comes.”

She shook her head and held a fist-clenched hand in front of her mouth.

"You will not go alone, true as I am sitting here."

“Amelie, please, we’ve talked about this and you know I must keep fighting.”

"Yes, we have talked about it and you will continue to fight, but not alone."

"Amelie, you heard…"

This was as far as I could get. She jumped up and raved

"Goddamn it, what your fucking general say and my stupid mother, interrested me a shit. I make my decisions over myself neither you nor anybody else will tell me what to do or not to do."

And she hit her thighs with her fists at every word.

"Amelie, be reasonable, please."

“Non, non, non, I won’t let you go alone. You’re going to certain death. I won’t let you.”

“Amelie, we’ve talked about this so often, and you knew I’d go on.”

As I was saying that, she paced the room and suddenly came towards me

“We haven’t talked about you going alone, ever.”

As she did so, she thrust her index finger against my chest. I answered…

“and I’ve always told you that I’m quite capable of taking care of myself. I’ve been doing that all along,” I said to her

"Oh, yeah, and what about that robot that shot at you?" she replied poisonously

"That was a different matter, a human life was at stake." I gave it back

"YOU…… ,“she made a grimace, clenched her hand into a fist, slapped it against my chest and cried bitterly.

“I don’t want you to go, I don’t want, don’t want, don’t want.”

Each time she hit my breast with her fist and sobbed. Her rage turned to fear and she fought back with all her might against what was to come. I held her in my arms until she calmed down.

“Amelie, we’d best stop talking about it now. We’ll talk again in the morning. Please be so kind.”

She laid her head against my chest and sniffled.

“I don’t want to lose you, I’m afraid for you.”

I ran my hand through her hair and held it: I could understand her. As the months went by we grew closer and closer, and she loved me it was only too understandable that she was afraid. That she wanted to go with violence with me was really just an expression of her fear of loss.

"Should I get us a drink, I could use one now.

"Will you just leave me alone now?" she cried

“No, Amelie, I’ll come right back.”

“I’m coming with you,” she says resolutely.

She disappeared once more into the bathroom to wash her tearfstained face. As we walked down the hall, she clung to my arm as if she wanted to hold me. In the bar we met Jim and Akiko. Amelie ordered cognac, I ordered whiskey. Neither of us was very talkative, and Jim asked

"Thick air?"

"Amelie sat next to me with a scowl on her face.

"Jim asked me what time do you think it would start?"

"Jim, can we drop this subject for today?"

"Ooo-hoo Year, got it." He went over to Akiko.

Jim knew me well enough by now that if I said something like that. We drank another two glasses. Amelie poured down the cognac. I could see she was very depressed. When she was in bed in my arms, I could hear her silent sobbing. She held my arm tight pressed against her chest.

212. Day

she woke up in the morning and literally kept me in bed. She had a face like the Passion of Christ. I felt sorry for her, but I couldn’t help her, she was not accessible to any reasonable argument. I had hoped that she would be a little calmer and more accessible today, but I was wrong.

The landing of the first cruise missiles was scheduled for 10:00 am. I put on my uniform and parka, took my weapons and left. Amelie came after me. A guard was stationed on the lookout tower in Ljuset. It reported a contrail over the sea in a southerly direction. Then a high roar sounded in the air, like from a jet engine. A flat missile, remotely reminiscent of a shark, came flying over the roof of the hotel at low altitude. So dense that the snow on the roof was stirred up. The engine shut down with a bang and the rocket hit the golf course. We ran immediately to recover it. It had made a furrow in the ground and lay unharmed on the meadow in the snow. I swept the snow away and set about opening the missile. After some searching I found the clasp.

In a luggage compartment was a G3 with strange wires on the barrel. When I took it out I noticed its light weight. Then there was a PVG90, also with these wires, a Kpist submachine gun and a Klaucke. All the weapons weighed only a fraction of ours and all had strange wires on the barrel. Then in one package were uniform parts. They were vacuum-packed so they wouldn’t take up too much space.

Then I found ammunition and a sealed envelope. I was able to put it in secretly because the others were distracted by the new weapons. I brought the weapons to my room. Amelie stuck to my heels. The sealed letter I could not read. I took a look at the weapons. Amelie inspected the Kpist submachine gun. I knew Amelie, if she liked something, she would sneak around it until I noticed and gave it to her. This time she would have bad luck.

The weapons were brand-new, they still had a thin film of oil on the outside. I ammunitioned the PVG90. When I had loaded and cocked it, it hummed softly. I locked and unlocked it. Same with the G3. When I finished loading and cocked it, she also buzzed. It was noticeable that the PVG 90 did not weigh half as much as its pedant when loaded with ammunition.

This would improve my mobility in a fight. I unpacked the clothes. They were dark coloured, almost black. It was a pair of trousers, a vest and a jacket. It clung to the body and was as light as a feather, not as bulky as the drily. In the jacket pocket I found a small device that looked like a scaled-down version of a TV remote control. I pressed one of the buttons, next to it was CAM. The clothes changed color instantly. It took on the color of the wallpaper in the room. Amelie made big eyes. I pressed the button again and the clothes changed colour to a forest green camouflage, a bluish and a brown camouflage was also available. Another button was marked BPW and when I pressed it the vest under the uniform jacket became thicker and stiffer. Maybe it was bulletproof. When I pressed the PROT button the capsules around the arm and knee joints became thicker and had a hard surface.

"Not bad," I said.

Amelie looked at the stuff and said nothing. I put them in the closet. I hid the letter in my jacket. Wherever I went, Amelie never let me out of her sight. In the afternoon, at the radio shack, we confirmed the delivery. Another was announced for the next day. At dinner I was mouth lazy. There was a depressed mood at the table.

[helldiver]

213. Day

Today the second delivery arrived on the same route as the first. This time a closed and sealed cassette was included. In addition ammunition, which was much lighter than the conventional one. Also a special helmet was on board. I put it on. Immediately a viewing module folded down. I could control it with my eyes. Around the field of vision were four symbols. When I looked at one of these symbols, it changed to another visual mode: normal, residual light, infrared, X-ray. When I lifted my new G3, the module immediately connected to the rifle and I had a telescopic sight in the field of view with the respective sight modes. At the chinstrap was a switch with which I could switch on a bright lamp.

The chinstrap adjusted automatically to my head size. The helmet was comfortable and light as a feather. I found a lot of explosives and time fuses. On one of the explosives I could decode CL-20. I had heard about it and knew that it was one of the most powerful explosives. A very roomy backpack, which was combined with my suit, was also part of the equipment.

A vacuum packed parka appeared. Also food so-called EPA packages were on board. I put everything into the novel backpack. I was amazed about the low weight of the things. In the back corner I found a pair of boots. I tried them on in the room and noticed that the shoe size adjusted itself. Even when Amelie put on one of these boots with her petite feet, they adjusted immediately.

We confirmed the receipt of the delivery at the radio appointment. The general asked me to send all uninvolved people out of the room, as he had a message to convey to me. Amelie looked at me sadly when I sent her outside the door.

"Please do not eavesdrop," I asked her.

General Viklund gave me a numerical code which I wrote down. Then he informed me about the weapons. They were special weapons, made of titanium, a light but very strong material, and strong magnetic fields on the barrel created an additional acceleration of the bullets. In combination with the new light ammunition, which had increased explosive power, they were much more dangerous than with conventional ammunition. However, the weapons could also be loaded with conventional ammunition. Finally, the question came up,

"when will they start the operation"

“I can’t say for sure right now, but I have a few things to sort out before I go.”

“In your files, there’s a special transmitter, when you start your action, remove the safety catch and press the button, a short radio signal will be triggered. Then we know your operation is starting. We’ll be tracking you on satellite. We are all counting on you Helldiver, you are our only hope, if you fail, then it was our last chance, we will then ask the American forces to use the EMP bomb. It kills everything on a massive scale and destroys all electronic controls. May God help you, I wish you good luck Helldiver. Over and out.”

"Over and out."

I replied. I plugged in the numerical code and also took the sheets of paper underneath with me, because the code could have pushed through while writing. What a responsibility I had been burdened with.

Pretty exhausted I left the room, I had the feeling of walking beside myself. Amelie looked at me anxiously in the corridor. I took her wordlessly into my arms.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Please, not now Amelie." I said, and I broke away from her.

My mind was racing. I couldn’t think straight. I had a suicide mission and had to convince the rest of my friends not to follow me. Why the hell didn’t they just stay out of my way? I went to the bar without asking Amelie if she wanted to come. But she stuck with me anyway. She sat beside me in silence and didn’t ask. She knew me well enough to know it was no use.

214. • 219 Day

The next day I locked myself in the bathroom and opened the sealed letter. It contained information about which objects should be attacked and destroyed, also a detailed map with a built-in compass and the marked locations. When I aligned the map to the north, the north arrow lit up brightly if she was correct aligned. The numerical codes were used to open secured doors. A numerical code in the envelope was used to open the cassette.

I hid everything in my pants and left the toilet. In the afternoon I took part in a field mission, I wanted to try out the new weapons. We providet some Hunters in Österhällan I shot with the PVG90 and it took four shots to destroy a FNIX Hunter. With the G3 I was able to destroy a military runner with one shot. One kill shot was enough. The armour was almost non-existent for the ammunition.

When we returned to the hotel I used the time to have a look into the steel casette. I found the transmitter, technical documents about my new weapons with instructions for troubleshooting. Code cards, passwords for computers and a 3.5 inch floppy disk. A virus was installed on it, which I was to introduce into various factories. I stowed everything in my new backpack.

In the following days my mood became darker. I often kept to myself. I got into an argument with Amelie, once she threw one of her shoes at me in a rage when I left the room because I had had enough. She kept bugging me to tell me she wanted to go with me. My standard answer was no!

The military must have been trying to get a troop ashore. From the lighthouse in Klacksundsfyren, a firefight at sea was reported. A radio inquiry showed that they tried to get through to us, but the mission had to be aborted because of the heavy fire. More cruise missiles with food and medicine arrived. The others hoped that they would get equipment like mine. But nothing came and I try to make them understand that it was not intended for them. Amelie tried everything possible to change my mind. I became more and more silent and asked more often for the time off that she granted me. I even left my new weapons and suit in the room so she would leave me alone at least once.

I made a dark plan. I hid the new ammunition and explosives in a hut in Ljuset. I always mingled with an outside mission, when we came to the hotel I stayed behind under the pretext of smoking one and hid some more things in the shed next to the hotel. On a trip to Himarvet I went to the police station under the pretext of a bigger business deal.

Amelie was waiting in the foyer downstairs. I searched the offices and found what I was looking for, some handcuffs and the matching keys. I tried them and opened and snapped them shut. I hid them in my parka. Then I flushed the toilet and washed my hands at the sink. Amelie didn’t suspect a thing.

I was actually ready to leave - I had everything ready to hand and only had to leave. I followed the weather forecast every day. From the north an icy snowstorm was announced, which had to come up the following night. That was my date for departure.

I secretly practiced with the handcuffs to let them snap shut quickly, especially to operate them with one hand. I organized a strip of strongly adhesive Leukoplast plaster. I practiced that too, because I had to close Amelie’s mouth as fast as lightning, so that she couldn’t scream. I felt bad, like a criminal by that what i have planned and now to use it against the person I loved the most. But I had no choice.

[helldiver]

220. • 221 Day.

The sky was cloudy and some gusts were already sweeping over the hotel grounds. The storm would be bad. I thought about my plan again and decided to go through with it. If I managed to tie and gag Amelie, to leave the hotel area unnoticed and to collect my things I had enough advantage. The storm would prevent a pursuit as far as possible.

I hoped that the others were reasonable enough. My heart ached at the thought of Amelie, she would certainly part with me. Whether I could ever make up for what I did to her. No woman, no matter how much she loved you, would put up with that. But there was much more at stake here than a young love. Maybe one day she’d understand. If I survived this. Maybe then I could make peace with her. It definitely hurts me.

Towards evening we drank something together in the bar, for some days now there had been a depressed mood, because they all probably knew that I was hatching something.

I pretendet me without obligation as in the last days and drank moderately, because I had something planned for tonight. When we went to the room, the storm was howling and roaring around the house.

I lurked for her in the bathroom. I took the handcuffs in one hand and the tape in my right. I watched her through the crack of the door as she turned her back to me, I rushed out, I was in two steps at her, I grabbed her and taped her mouth in a flash. She tried to lash out, but I held her with my left arm and pressed her arms against her body.

She had nothing to oppose me I took the Handcuff out of my left hand with my right hand and let it snap around her left wrist. She screamed and struggled, kicked, braced herself against me, threw her head back and finally she hit my nose with her head. I saw colourful stars and noticed something warm and wet running out of my nose.

I pushed her towards the radiator and pressed her to the floor. I pulled the handcuff through the pipe of the heater and let it snap around her right wrist. I had done it, she was handcuffed to the radiator. Blood was dripping from my nose and I wiped it off with the back of my hand.

I fetched pillows and blankets, pushed the pillow into her back so that she lay softly against the wall and covered her with the blanket and wrapped her warmly so that she did not freeze.

“Amelie, it hurts so terribly what I must do to you now. But you cannot go with me, you must let me go alone, I don’t want anything to happen to you. I’m sorry, Amelie, you must believe me. I love you. I’m only doing this because I love you. Maybe one day you’ll understand. Please forgive me.”

She screamed, but her screams were muffled well by the pavement so it couldn’t be heard in the corridor. She tugged at the Handcuff. I held her arms and said.

“Please stop this, you’re just hurting yourself unnecessarily please, you can’t pull your hands out of there. Please stay sitting here until they find you I’ll put the keys on the table.”

She shook her head, her screams have meant NO, NO, NO . Her eyes were filled with tears and she looked at me pleadingly I had rather expected an angry or fury look, no they were pleading and begging. She trampeled her feet on the ground, screamed and shook her head. I heard her crying. I embraced her again and strangely enough she held still, looked at me with eyes full of tears, shook her head and made

„NNNNNNNN……, NNNNNNNN……NNNNNNNN……“

I said, "Please forgive me."

Then I got up, I put the handcuff key on the table. I took my backpack and my weapons. I took one last look at her. Then I quietly closed the door behind me. My mission started. There was a guard at the front door. I told her

“go check the back door, I don’t think it’s locked properly. I’ll stay here .”

The man took off. I waited a few moments until he disappeared around the corner I left the hotel before the con was blown. I went to the shed to get the deposited items and put them in the backpack. Then I switched on the camouflage of the suit, where it took on the colors surrounding it. I flipped down the viewing module of my new helmet and peered around. I had also noticed from the documentation that the vision module also worked like binoculars - I had seen the menu items on the left side. I could even send a hacking impulse to disturb the robots for a short time.

I disappeared in the darkness of the night and the roaring storm. I had switched the vision module to residual light and could see my surroundings in green light. I ran to Ljuset, where I picked up the rest of my things in a hut. My weapons were loaded and ready to fire. I ran across open terrain to Saint Charlotte. Not without scouting the terrain first. There were no robots for miles around.

I continued towards Himarvet and passed the village to the east. I walked through the forest, which was dangerous during the storm. I pulled the scarf up in front of my mouth. The vision module worked like glasses and protected my eyes from the ice crystals. At the forester’s lodge I stopped for a short rest. I had to go on to create as much distance as possible between me and the hotel.

I went on to Flottnäsviken. The storm roared and roared. The trees bent threateningly and I looked around me, if now a tree fell on me it was all over. Near the 09 standby camp I actually came across a hunter.

I saw him in that thick snowstorm. I took the new PVG90 off my shoulder, took aim and shot at him I needed the quick solution. The PVG90 hummed and the shots left the barrel almost recoilless. The robot could not capture me, because my suit absorbed my heat radiation and I was invisible to him in the infrared range.

"Hasta la vista" (span. Bye) I said with a cold smile and knocked him down with a few shots.

I even took the time to loot his ammunition. Then I reached Flottnäsviken. I searched all the boathouses and piers and demolished the boats I found and damaged them so that they were no longer able to swim. Then I took the road to Himsundsbryggan and finally arrived at the ferry. It was still dark as I crossing over with the ferry. I dismantled the winch when I arrived at Lennards Marin and deposited it in the warehouse. I spied out the area, because I had not yet reached my first destination.

I oriented myself on the map and noticed something new. The map connected to the helmet and I could see the map section in the display. I was able to set myself a target point, which I was shown in the display module. I followed the destination point, on the way I met some runners. I wiped them out with the G3. I needed surprisingly little ammo to destroy them. A short time later I reached my first stage goal. It was bitterly cold outside, but the suit had a built-in heater to keep me warm. I just wondered how long the battery would last.

At dawn I reached the Berredskappsförrad 119. I crept in and destroyed some ticks. It was a supply depot. In it were some containers. I opened them one by one. Inside were neatly lined up runners in military design, even a blueprint fell into my hands. The machines were new, but not yet ammunition. They were to be destroyed.

I reoriented myself on the map and decided to take a break. I locked the doors around me and lay down in the corner of the ready room. I smoked a cigarette and ate a chocolate bar. I continued studying the map. My next destination would be the IGA gas factory. That’s where they made this damn poison gas. It had to be destroyed. I found detailed satellite images in my files. I studied them in detail. The target points were marked, even the amount of explosives I had been given. If I succeeded, it had to give me some nice fireworks.

I wondered how long it would take me. The plant was a good hour’s walk away. When the Berredskappsförrad exploded I should already be in the IGA plant. I installed the explosives and set the time fuse to an hour and a half. Then I set off in the direction of Östervik.

The day had dawned and the blizzard continued to howl with undiminished hardness. I reached the church of Kyrkhöjden, this is where I would retire to when the two things had blown up. Then I would also press the button of the transmitter that would report my mission start to the army. I decided to start the whole thing with a drumbeat.

After one hour I reached the gas factory unchallenged. I saw a relay antenna. Stationed near the entrance. It was too far away from me to destroy it. I crept slowly and carefully into the plant. I duped a hunter by deflecting him with a signal rocket and was inside the plant. I had marked my target points and could see them in the vision module of my helmet. I crept from house to house, from camp to camp.

Near the gas tanks, a heavy tank stomped and sent out its strange call. I shot a seeker with my novelty Klaucke. It literally exploded in midair. I installed the charges and set the timers. Then I kept running. A Hunter patrol spotted me. With all due caution they had managed to catch me. They were all FNIX Hunters, they must have had special abilities. I fired at them with my PVG90, before that I put on my gas mask, because I didn’t know if they were shooting with poison gas.

I killed them one by one. Most of the time I shot the tick tank away from them, whereupon the ticks in it exploded. Then I’d shoot the machine gun or the flamethrower. I did the rest with the G3, which I found to be very efficient. The ammunition from the wrecks found its way into my pockets.

I reached the production halls. I took out the Hunters who were guarding them, I tracked them down with the X-ray module, and they were waiting behind a locked steel door. I placed some mines in front of the door, entered the opening code and jumped to the side. There was a good explosion and a burning runner came out of the room and I ambushed and destroyed him. I peeked around the door. All robots were destroyed.

I installed the explosives, set the timers and got out of there. I looked at the map again and I marked all the targets. I was ready, all that was missing was the antenna.

I sneaked out of the production hall and climbed up the rock face that adjoined the site. Because of my camouflage I was hardly noticeable for the robots. I only had to overcome a few meters. I crept back to the entrance. A side arm of the sea was overgrown with reeds. I carefully crept through the ankle-deep water and slowly brought myself into position. The Hunter was a prototype. I aimed on him and killed him at a convenient moment with a shot in its ammunition shaft. The 50 calibre ammunition tore him apart.

Then I calmly aimed at the relay antenna and destroyed it. At that moment the Berredskappsförrad exploded. I saw a huge explosion cloud rising to the northeast. The robots were in an uproar.

I fled into the nearby forest and could watch several groups of hunters, runners and some tanks advancing in that direction. They would still experience their blue wonder. I looked at the clock. It would take another half an hour before the factory exploded. I simply fired at a tank on the site. I sent a hacking pulse to a seeker flying in my direction. It suddenly started circling in a strange way, honks what he could.

It would bring the robots back to the factory and they were blown up with the factory. I fired another shot at the tank, which then went for the seeker. The tank ran at the seeker in rapid thunderous steps and fired at him with its grenade launcher. I laughed because it caused additional destruction at the plant. I looked around below me and three groups of hunters came into the factory in a fast run and took the seeker under fire. I got away as fast as I could and ran deeper into the forest, not knowing how bad the explosion would be. I wanted to put as much distance as possible between me and the factory.

My lungs burned and my legs became heavy. Then the inferno broke loose. In a huge explosion the gas factory was blown up. Even I was thrown from my legs by the approaching shock wave. A huge, glowing explosion cloud rose into the sky. I set off for Kyrkhöjden.

Around noon I reached the church. I pulled the fuse from the transmitter and pressed the button. I saw many robots running around aimlessly, obviously not knowing where to run first. I climbed onto the organ loft of the church. The wind howled and whistled around the church. I decided to eat something and prepared a ready meal and a hot broth with the Esbit cooker. I was hungry, greedily devoured the portion and drank slowly, sip by sip the hot broth and warming my numb fingers. My next destination would be Beredskappsförrad 115. I now had to go further north. I wanted to take advantage of the blizzard and set off into the cold again. My way led further north through the forest. My final destination for the day would be Boo Bruk a small industrial plant.

Jim tells:

When I woke up with Akiko, there was a terrible storm outside. I went to the window, and I could hardly see out. Akiko was still lolling in bed.

“Come over here a little longer, Jim. It’s so cold.”

I was only too happy to comply with the request. They’ll be dozing for a while. Then they heard a roll of thunder, and the windows shook slightly.

"What was that?" Akiko asked.

“I think it’s a thunderstorm, but it’s winter,” Jim said.

“Let’s go down. Maybe Helldiver and Amelie are up, too.”

It was already 10:00. They dressed and went to the restaurant. Amelie and Helldiver were not there.

“Maybe they’re still asleep, or maybe they have had theirbreakfast.” Said Jim.

He asked Gilbert, who hadn’t seen them, either.

"Strange, Akiko said, because Amelie’s usually up at this time of day, and maybe they’re arguing, at the moment it’s bad. "

“Yes, Helldiver doesn’t want her to go with him. He’s right about that in anyway. It must be a fat thing, and it’s not to shoot our way free as we did. That’s only for specialists. Highly trained, drilled soldiers.”

I’ll check the Sports room. I don’t think they’ll be outside in this weather. The two had a good breakfast in peace. Akiko didn’t have to make any more sick calls and had agreed that consultations should only take place on call. Akiko was just drinking her coffee when an enormous thunderclap made the whole hotel shake. The windows vibrated and threatened to burst. At the back of the hotel, southwest through the snow flurry, reddish fire could be seen in the sky. The flame had to be gigantic.

"What is that," Akiko asked.

Jim bit his lips and shook his head.

“Something’s wrong. Akiko, go to the room from Helldiver and Amelie. I have a bad feeling.”

"What do you mean, Jim?" Akiko asked over the rim of her coffee cup. Many visitors had run to the window to see what was going on, on the horizon.

“Akiko go up to Amelie’s at once, not that Helldiver is responsible.”

Akiko slammed the coffee cup on the table, and went as white as a sheet. She raised her hand to her mouth…

“It can’t be easy, Jim, can it?”

She jumped so fast up that her chair fell over.

"I have to go to Amalie."

“Yes, you run up to their room, I’m going to the radio room.”

Jim drank the rest of it out of his coffee cup with one sip and ran off. Akiko rushed down the hall and ran up the stairs. A short time later, she was standing at the door of Amelie’s and Helldivers room. She knocked.

“Helldiver, Amalie, may I come in?” She couldn’t hear.

She looked at her watch just before noon. They couldn’t possibly sleep, even if they had making Love.

She knocked again, "Helldiver, Amalie."

She heard a soft noise that sounded like "NNNNNNNN" and a trampling from feet. Akiko pressed the door handle and carefully opened the door, it was not locked. She carefully put her head into the room and called out once more

"Helldiver, Amalie?" There it was that "NNNNNNNNN, NNNNNNNNNN," and the trampling again. Akiko opened the door completely and went into the room. She took two steps when she saw Amelie sitting by the radiator, wrapped in pillows. Her mouth was taped over, her hands handcuffed to the radiator. She saw her girlfriend cried this painful "NNNNNNNNNNNN" once again.

Akiko rushed to her

"Amalie, what happened?"

She gently pulled the patch off her mouth. Amalie’s face was red and her eyes filled with tears.

“Helldiver” she cried, “he’s gone.” “Akiko, Helldiver’s gone.”

And her voice was smothered in a sob. Akiko looked around, how should she free her girlfriend.

"On the table," Amelie sobbed.

Akiko got up and looked around the room. On the small table by the seat group, there was a small key. Akiko took it and began to tamper with the handcuffs. They quickly snapped open and Amelie’s hands were free. Akiko took Amelie in her arms. Amelie clung to her and sobbed.

“Helldiver’s gone, I’m so scared something’s gonna happen to him, he’s just gone.”

Slowly, Akiko picked Amelie up and put her sitting on the bed. She caressed her and held her in her arms.

“Amalie, what’s happening?” Amelie sobbed…

"Yesterday when we went to bed," she took a deep breath and sobbed.

"Yesterday, he grabbed me, taped my mouth shut, then chained me to the radiator."

She sobbed again and had to calm down: “And then he wrapped me up warm so I wouldn’t hurt myself and I wouldn’t freeze, then he just left.”

She was shaken by a crying fit again and clung to Akiko.

“And then this terrible bang just then.” “I’m sure that was Helldiver . I’m so afraid Akiko, if anything happens to him, he’s out there all alone!”

Her voice broke again, and she howled at Akiko’s shoulder.

"He left last night already?" Akiko asked again.

"Yaaaaaaa," confirmed the crying Amelie.

Akiko held her in her arms a little longer. Then she got up and searched the bathroom for a robe and threw it over Amelie. Amelie let everything happen to her and slipped into the old college shoes from Helldiver. Akiko took her by the arm and they went down to Jim. Arriving in the foyer, Jim came out of the radio room and saw Amelie in tears. To him, that was just the final confirmation.

“We have just heard over the radio… The Berredskappsförrad 119 and the IGA gasworks exploded. They didn’t want to talk at first, but then they said it had started. OK, it’s a black op. They can’t tell us anything or they’ll put him in danger. That damn dog. Damned. He’s good. I’m sorry for you, Amelie.”

The restaurant was empty, and they put Amelie at a table. She cried and put her head on the table with her arms crossed. Gilbert came and looked at Amelie in shock.

" Mon Dieu Mademoiselle Amelie, what happened? "

"Helldiver is gone," she sobbed.

"Oh mon Dieu, he has gone off alone?"

"As it looks yes," said Jim. Amelie was persuaded to take a cup of cocoa. Gilbert gave her another good shot of cognac. Amelie calmed down slowly.

"We have to go after him. Jim, please, Akiko, we have to go after him," Amelie pushed.

“It’ll be difficult with the storm and the cold.”

“But he’s all alone out there, Jim, if anything happens to him.”

“He’s always said he wanted to go alone. I think we pushed him too hard.”

“Then I’ll go alone.”

"You’re not going to do that, have you gone mad? “Then we’ll all go together.”

“Please Jim, please, please, please, let’s go,” she begged.

“It’s only a few more hours of light, Amelie, if we leave now we’ll get caught in the dark and then in the storm. It would be better to leave tomorrow morning, very early. Then we can get our gear together and plan better where we’re going, because there’s no point in just running for it.”

Amelie gave in to Jim, she realized that if they wanted to help him they had to find him first and they didn’t know where to look first. Amelie went to her room and quickly put on the tracksuit, then she ran back down to Jim and Akiko. Jim had already spread out the map. Jim pondered the map and wondered what he would do if he had Helldivers task. His map was not so detailed, but the most important points were marked.

“We don’t know which direction he went. If I had to do it, I would go north first, after the giant bang, and then turn around. We definitely need to cross over to Lennarts Marin and then we can just eavesdrop and hear where the next bang is again.”

“What if he’s already dead?” Amelie interjected frightened.

“Then we won’t know so soon. Only when it’s quiet for a long time can we assume he’s been hit. If it keeps popping, we’ll be in the running, maybe we’ll get a lead. Amelie, that’s all we can do.”

"My God," said Amelie in a trembling voice.

They deliberated for the rest of the day and put together their equipment. In the evening, Amelie went to bed. Akiko looked in on her once more.

"Shall I give you something to help you sleep?"

“Thanks Akiko, not that you can’t get me awake tomorrow.”

She lay on the big bed and saw Helldiver’s picture on the nightstand. For all her anger towards him, her fear for him prevailed. She lay awake in the darkness. In the big bed, she felt so lost. The storm outside was roaring and shaking the windows.

When she had been chained to the radiator the whole time, she had been angry and disappointed, the very person she loved and trusted unconditionally had done this to her, chained her like a dog. If he came under her eyes, she would scratch his eyes out, slap him left and right and then she would dump him. Goodbye you bastard! But then she saw his sad eyes again, the blood running from his nose. begging her forgiveness.

Dumping him, that could have been a lot easier for her a few days ago. A few slaps left and right, moved into another room and goodbye, shithead. She could’ve had that a long time ago without handcuffs. She didn’t have to run after him to slap him.

She tossed and turned and couldn’t sleep. She sat up in bed. She was restless. She put on the tracksuit, slipped into her pumps, took the cigarettes and went down to the lobby, she had to smoke a cigarette. There was still light coming from the bar. She went into the bar and ordered a double cognac. Some night owls were still sitting around, she left the bar with the cognac in her hand and sat down in the empty restaurant.

She took an ashtray and lit a cigarette. She blew the smoke thoughtfully through her mouth and nose and took a sip of cognac. The liquid ran down her throat like fire. What did she want? To dump him like he deserved, she didn’t have to chase after him.

Just to have the satisfaction of giving him a set of hot ears, she doesn’t have to go out into the cold, the danger and the strains. That would be for her own ego at best.

But she would have lost as much as she is losing now. She could stay here and think.

"Go to hell," but he was already there.

She could wait here, continue to enjoy the comfort of the hotel and when she was taken out of here, go home and think goodbye. Then she might as well have just let him go. If she left now, they might never see each other again. She felt she was getting sad. But if she was taken out of here, then this Filou (French: crooks) would have achieved what he wanted to achieve again. That she was safe. Once again, he was right, this bastard.

She choked down her lump in her throat and took another sip of cognac. She realized that he must have done so only out of love for her. She suddenly thought…

“I’m no better than my mother, who crushed me with her love and put me in a gilded cage.”

Wasn’t she as suspicious as her mother, by watching his steps. She wanted to possess him as her mother possessed her. She took another sip. She had taken a double cognac, because she hadn’t bothered with half measures in a long time. She had him pushed in a corner until he had no other choice. How blind and selfish she had been. What did she actually want, why did she want to run after him? She felt a tear roll down her cheek. She thought of lying in his arms in bed, her back pressed against his body and her feet between his legs, it was always so warm there and she felt so safe, so secure. That he listened to her and tried to understand her, comforting her when she was sad. Protected her.

She remembered the feeling of happiness she had when he slept with her. She couldn’t just give that up.

“Because I want that son of a bitch back. Because I want to be in his arms again. Because he’s the man I always dreamed of being. Because I don’t want to give him up at any price in the world. And I fucking love him still!”

She lit another cigarette and slowly drank the rest of the cognac. She went to the bar and ordered another one, half a cognac this time. She drank it down with two sips. She felt tired and went to her room. When she lay down in the empty, cold bed again, she curled over. With a trembling voice she called out

"I want you back, Helldiver." She squeezed away a few tears, then fell into a fitful sleep.

[helldiver]

222. Day

Helldiver tells

I had walked through the storm yesterday and had reached Berredskappsförrad 115 towards evening. I wanted to get to Boo Bruk. I fought a firefight with three hunters, I shot them over the heap one by one. When I was in the camp, I opened the containers with the rows of runners inside. I attached the explosives and set the timers.

Then I kept running. I was tired and the cold was beginning to get to me. It was dark as in a sack and I continued running through the storm, which had lost some of its intensity. I took a short break at a derelict lumberjack’s hut in the forest. My eyes fell shut, it was dangerous, because if I fell asleep now, I could die of frostbite. I smoked a cigarette. Then I took a Ritalin tablet. A few minutes later I noticed that my tiredness disappeared. In the early morning I reached Boo Bruk. That night I had heard the explosion from Berredskappsförrad 115. I took a longer rest, prepared a ready meal and a hot broth. Afterwards I made myself a cup of coffee. I felt better. Then I took another Ritalin tablet.

I was not allowed to take too much, because at some point my heart wouldn’t play with. Again, I laid out the amounts of explosives indicated in the information and set the time fuses. I had to keep going. My next target was the Uttern Bunker. I would still have to fight to free it, and alone.

I walked all day, avoided some Hunter patrols, and crept up to the bunker. I reached the hangar of the bunker and opened the door with the code cards. I turned on the helmet light and crept slowly into the darkness of the bunker. I fought against several ticks with the submachine gun. Then I reached the energy center filled with poison gas.

On the way I also killed some runners. I secured the armory and the living area with the canteen. After I had drank a few cans of beer I lay on the bed, dressed and with the Klaucke in my hand. I had not yet secured the bunker completely. The doors around me were locked and in front of the air shafts I had hung empty cans of canned food that would rattle if a tick came crawling out of the air shaft. I lay on the bed and fell into a restless sleep.

I walked with Amelie carefully through a dark forest. We saw the bright orange outlines of some runners through our infrared targeting optics. I gave Amelie signs that she should duck. Suddenly the Runners opened fire on us, and we returned it, some explosion clouds indicated that we had destroyed some Runners.

We both jumped up to change our positions. Not far away from us were some big boulders, behind them we wanted to hide. I ran in front of Amelie and reached the rocks first. I turned around after her, she was two steps behind me and suddenly stopped as if rooted to the ground.

Then she slowly fell over, I caught her before she hit the ground, I looked into her wide open, frightened eyes. She opened her mouth and blood ran out in a thin trickle. She made a few weak, whimpering sounds, then her eyes broke. A big red spot had formed on her chest.

I screamed AMELIE!! AMELIE!! NO,"

Then I saw a Hunter I pulled up my rifle, jumped up and hit the concrete floor full with my face.

When I was able to think reasonably clear, I noticed that I was bathed in sweat and lay on the floor of the bunker, trembling all over my body. My heart was beating up to my neck. My mouth was dry. I had had a brutal nightmare that was so real. I had jumped up in my sleep as in the dream and had stumbled. It was so cruel to see in Amelie’s dying eyes.

But I had her chained in Björntunet. The dream echoed for a long time. I crawled back into bed. My face was sore. I had only bruised, and nothing was broken. I tried to sleep again.

Amelie tells:

Amelie woke up when there was a knock at the door. She had slept fitfully, thinking of Helldiver. Even though she had a grudge again when she thought of him, her anger melted like a piece of butter in a hot frying pan. She missed him so much. Akiko stood at the door. Amelie called her in, sleep drunk.

"You still asleep?"

"I just woke up, Akiko," she said.

Her head was aching, and she felt as if she were tired. Her hands trembled slightly. When she got up from the bed, she felt dizzy.

“I’m sorry, Akiko. I got up too fast.”

"Have you been drinking?" Akiko asked.

“Just a cognac. I couldn’t sleep and I got up again.”

"You smell, was only one, no more?"

"Oh Akiko, yes, a big one and a small one. So much went through my mind."

“It’s nothing bad, you don’t do anything else.”

“Yes, smoking and boozing isn’t the solution, but I couldn’t sleep, and I thought over Helldiver and me and what he has done to me.”

Amelie let herself fall into a chair. Then she jumped back up and got a bottle of water from the room icebox. She drank it greedily as she sat down.

“I can understand you not sleeping much. Haven’t been sleeping well either.”

“Akiko, what he did, I think I know he only did it out of love for me. He didn’t mean any harm. He tried to teach me long enough, and I was so selfish and stubborn and didn’t listen to him. I crushed him with my love. I did not want to give him up. I wanted to possess him. But I want him back no matter what he’s done. I’m so afraid for him, what will that poor guy do out there in the cold and the storm. I hope he doesn’t freeze to death.”

Amelie’s voice was trembling again. Akiko jumped up from her chair and put her arm around Amelie’s shoulder to comfort her.

“I forgave him everything long ago, Akiko. When we find him, I’ll tell him off, but then I’ll take him in my arms and never let go.”

“Oh, Amalie, your heart is crying. I know, love can be a bad thing. He loves you, he told me himself, he forbade me to tell you, but he loves you very much, you are in his heart. His heart is also crying for you, Amalie. I told Helldiver the same thing. In Japan we say that when one saves another’s life, souls are forever connected, always meet again. We will find Helldiver, you just have to follow your heart Amalie, then you always right. Helldiver find you again, for sure.”

"I hope so, Akiko. I hope so that we can find him again. Did he really say that to you, that he loved me?"

"Yes, Amalie long before Christmas he told me, and he said he was ashamed not to tell you."

"He got over himself and he told me. I always felt that he loved me."

“Yes, Amalie, I felt that too. How is Amalie, you’re better, shall we go?”

"Yes, Akiko, will you help me pack?"

"Yes, I will. You go wash."

Amelie got ready quickly, brushed her teeth and dressed. She hung her fancy jeans neatly on a hanger in the closet, along with her ultramarine blue ball gown and shoes. She would probably not have any use for them for a long time. Now Drillich and boots were in fashion again. She checked her weapons, ammunition, equipment, and backpack. She put Helldivers picture in her uniform, she carried it in a pocket over her heart. She still put on her helmet. Akiko did the same.

"Ready," she asked.

"Ready," Akiko said.

Amelie took another look around the room to see if she had left anything important behind. This time, she had to pocket cigarettes and chocolate bars for herself. Helldiver was not within reach. He always had everything else. Chocolate, cigarettes, and perfume. They went down to the lobby and met Jim.

“I have the weather report. It’s pretty shitty weather outside, but it’s getting better.”

Gilbert had made them little lunch boxes. Everything with durable food, he’d even cooked them meat and made sausages, which he packed in flat jars. He was really a master of his trade.

“I’d love to go with you, but I have to stay here.”

Amelie thanked him, hugged him, and kissed him left and right on the cheeks. Gilbert was visibly moved.

“If you and Helldiver get through this, you come and see me, I’ll cook you a nice supper.”

“I’m sure we will, Gilbert, au revoir.”

She had another sandwich and a cup of coffee, then she left. They left the hotel grounds and took the shortest route to Himsundsbryggan. When they got there, Jim cursed when he found Helldiver had disabled the ferry.

“What the hell am I wondering? I’d have done the same thing, damn it, he’s as good as me.”

He took out the map and studied it. Near here is Flottnäsviken, that’s a marina, maybe we can find something suitable there. When they arrived at Flottnäsviken after a while, they checked all the boats.

"Damned!!" cursed Jim Damned the guy is just good, I should have expected that. Damn, how are we gonna get off this island now?" We feverishly searched the entire harbor. Suddenly, Akiko called out.

“come quick, here’s a boat.”

In fact, there was an undamaged boat hanging from the ceiling of a boathouse. A boat had Helldiver not seen. It had been hanging from the ceiling of the boathouse in the dark, undamaged. But we had to tow it all the way to Himsundsbryggan. We gasped heavily. Poor Jim carried one side of the boat while we girls carried the other side. After I - don’t know how - often - we had to rest, we arrived in Himsundsbryggan late at noon. We launched the boat. Jim sat down at the paddle and I was given the task of making a rope sling to lay around the guide rope and hold it in place so that we did not drift too far.

The water was agitated, and Akiko helped me to hold the rope. Jim was completely pumped out when we went ashore in Lennarts Marin. We entered the warehouse and found the ferry’s winch; Helldiver had put it neatly on the shelf. Jim said appreciatively “for only 15 months in his army and leaving as a crew rank is a mature achievement. I’ve been a corporal for two years and I’ve had a tough training, by God, but this could have been a Marine.”

"Remember, Helldiver is very smart and knows his way around. This is his home."

I told Jim. After a short rest we went on. We wanted to go to Kyrkhöjden church first. We stopped there and then continued on to Östervik Industriomrade. A small industrial complex north of Östervik. We wanted to spend the night there. About one kilometer from the church we came across the wrecks of runners. Jim examined the snow and found some empty bullet casings.

"This is 7.62 mm ammunition, the shells are not yet very tarnished, you see they are still brass, they have not been lying here long. That was Helldiver."

Jim had picked up his scent like a bloodhound. In the late afternoon we reached Kyrkhöjden church. We went into the organ loft and found an empty bowl of an EPA package. Helldiver had been here. My heart was cramping up. At least he had something to eat. It was cold in the church. Amelie felt stabb in the heart at the thought that he had spent the night alone. By nightfall, they reached Östervik Industriomrade. Before that they had had a small firefight with some runners and a seeker came flying. He called mostly bigger robots like Hunter or Tanks.

They penetrated the complex and made their camp on the office roof of a warehouse. Jim was about to lock all the doors when we heard the thunder of another detonation. On the horizon, a pillar of fire rose into the sky. That had been Helldiver. I rejoiced; he was alive. I hugged Akiko. She knew how much I was rejoicing. Jim immediately picked up the map to pinpoint the location of the explosion. To him, it was an important clue to the way Helldiver was going. After we ate one of Gilbert’s lunches, we settled in for the night.

Because Amelie was not well, she was allowed to do the first watch, then Akiko, then Jim. They couldn’t light a fire. It was bitterly cold in the warehouse. Amelie used the backpack as a back support and a piece of cardboard, which she found, she put under her trouser bottom. She had the Esbit cooker in her lap and warmed her hands over it. Would that be nice now, if Helldiver were here, she would have crawled into his strong arms. He would certainly have spread his parka over her and warmed her. She longed for him.

[helldiver]

Day 223.

Helldiver tells:

I slept restlessly and woke up again and again. Finally, I set off. Before that I made myself a cup of coffee and warmed my ready meal. My next destination would be the homestead Sandbo. There was an airplane hangar and the Vidsele 140 airfield nearby, and there was a robot base that I had to destroy. That meant the robots had to be destroyed and the airfield secured. When I left the bunker, I secured on all sides. Then I disappeared in the still raging snowstorm. The temperature had dropped to the bottomless, -20°C Celsius. The beard froze in my face. I pulled up my scarf.

I hope my weapons didn’t freeze. I had a long way to go and few places to hide. Since I was in the farmland, I often had to cross open terrain. The blizzard helped me. I braced myself against the wind and walked step by step. The only orientation possibility was my map and the possibility to put a marker in my helmet. I found myself in a White Out. All around me only white I could not see five meters far. Basically it was dangerous to march on. The next accommodation was 20 km away. So about 4 hours in this storm rather 6 and if I still had enemy contact even more.

Despite the suit heating I was freezing. But I went on, step by step. Now and then I crouched down and scouted the area with the infrared device. In a field, I met a pack of Hunters. I couldn’t see which ones they were. I dug myself into a snowdrift, so that only the barrel of my rifle was visible. When I fired at them they ran around aimlessly. I sent one of them a hacking pulse and they started shooting at each other. I shot each of them with a few shots from the G3 at first, then I erased them one by one. I collected the ammunition from the still smoking wrecks and warmed up at one of the burning hunters.

In the afternoon I noticed that I was getting tired. I could hardly keep my eyes open. I took another Ritalin tablet when I found a sheltered spot between some boulders. The Ritalin couldn’t be more dangerous than falling asleep in the cold. Towards evening the storm eased a bit, but it snowed heavily. The snowflakes whipped into my face despite the helmet visor and the scarf. Completely pumped out I reached Sandbo.

I locked the front door behind me. Secured the house and when I had convinced myself that there were no uninvited visitors I went upstairs. I opened my esbit cooker and prepared a hot broth and a ready meal. With my cold, clammy fingers I could hardly open the ready meal. In the fireplace of the house I lit a few logs to warm myself. When I’d finished my meal I dug out a can of beer. It was freezing cold but luckily not frozen. I put it by the fire for a moment to warm it up a bit. Then I drank it greedily. I fell asleep on the couch, sitting down. The loaded Klauke in my hand. Although I was very exhausted, I fell into a restless sleep.

We walked down a bunker hallway. It looked like the Uttern Bunker, which I had fought mostly free yesterday. Amelie was running behind me, her AK5 at the ready. At a bend in the corridor I looked around the corner and gave Amelie signs to stay behind me. I jumped forward and fired at the runners lurking behind the bend. I destroyed them one by one.

Amelie jumped out of her cover and fired along. She fired at the ticks that came running between the runners. She retreated to reload, good girl well learned, I thought. When the last runner exploded, we moved forward carefully. In the dark passage we could hardly see anything. Suddenly the scream of a hunter sounded, and a bullets sheaf from the back of the corridor comes. Pieces of plaster and ricochets howled around our ears. We both fired and could see the approaching Hunter.

Suddenly Amelie fell backwards and made a noise that sounded like "UGHH". I had just shot the machine gun away from the Hunter. Amelie dropped her gun and slid down the wall with a startled

look on her face. She made gurgling noises that sounded like "ARGH" and I caught her and pulled her into my arms. She looked at me sadly and stroked my face with one hand. She made "AHH" and then she said softly and pressed "Helldiver I am so cold!" then she gave a deep sigh, her hand stroking my face, fell down powerless and her head fell backwards. Her eyes stared broken at the ceiling.

“No,” I said in a trembling voice, "No, no; no, AMELIE, no AMELIE. I ripped my Klaucke out of my holster and fired wildly "YOUR PIGS; YOUR MURDERER; I’ll KILL YOU ALL!

I fell to my knees chunks of plaster and ricochets were howling around my ears. I woke up, the still smoking Klaucke in my hand, trembling all over my body, bathed in sweat, my heart was racing. The blood was pounding in my head, so the scar on my head hurt. My breath fluttered and the shivering was not from the cold, because the room felt warm.

I had had another one of those brutal nightmares. It had been so real that I had felt Amelie’s hand on my face. The opposite wall was littered with bullet holes. I reloaded the Klaucke with trembling fingers. I sat down on the couch again and buried my face in my sweaty hands. The dream reverberated for a long time. It took me a long time to calm down. I looked at her picture what I had from the photographer, how beautiful she looked, like an angel. What had I done to this delicate woman. I felt deep shame. How I’d like to be in a warm bed with her in my arms now. I had to swallow several times and struggle to get my composure back. “Amelie, forgive me,” I said, trying to go back to sleep.

Amelie tells:

She woke up in the morning. She had slept restlessly and had woken up again and again. The storm roared and howled around the building Jim walked up and down again and again with his AK 5 in his hand. A cup of coffee was steaming on an Esbit stove. Beside her, Akiko sat next to her, just like her on a piece of cardboard with her backpack in her back. She had snuggled up to Amelie. So they didn’t freeze so miserably. Amelie became aware of what Helldiver had been through. He was all alone out there, hopefully he had found shelter too. The cold was murder. Jim had noticed that Amelie was awake. “Well, good morning, would you like some coffee. I’ll make some more.” Jim bent down and gave her the cup. Akiko was still asleep. Amelie moved cautiously so as not to wake her. She warmed her numb hands on the hot cup and sipped gently. He warmed her a little from the inside.

Slowly, Akiko woke up, too. Jim made her a cup of coffee, too. Amelie got up and walked a few steps, then she lit a cigarette. Slowly, her stiff limbs became supple again. While walking around, her circulation started to pick up again. She ate a sandwich. Helldiver had always urged her to eat something. “You eat like a little bird,” he had always said. “You must have something to add out here. You don’t know when you’re gonna get something next time.” How right he was. She thought of him again, how he was doing now. In this brutal cold and storm.

They conferred. Jim brooded over the map of where to go next time. He was here yesterday at 115 Beredskappsförrad. He must have blown it up. If I’m not mistaken. Then he’ll attack Törsberga Fort. Here the army could form a bridgehead to get further into the country. The fort could serve as a base because it had a small harbor. Otherwise in a straight line Boo Bruk would be a small industrial plant. The Uttern Bunker could serve Helldiver as a base. Because then Muskudden and Norrmyra artillery barracks would be within striking distance. If I were him, I would take Törsberga Fort, conquer the Uttern bunker and then attack Muskudden or Norrmyra. These are some strategically important targets. Muskudden and Törsberga are gateways.

Near Muskudden there is a big gas factory, this could also be a possible target for Helldiver. So if you ask me girls, I would go to the Minken Bunker and then watch the whole thing attentively. If he attacks Törsberga, then there will be a similarly big blast as at the gas factory in Östervik. Amelie said, "Jim, you have the most experience of all of us in what you say sounds plausible. I also think that when we are at the Minken bunker and he is going to blow up Törsberga, then we will know it and if he survives that, then we will be on his heels and then it can only be the Uttern bunker.

Knowing him as I do, he thinks everything through very carefully and he has always looked for a place to retreat before doing anything dangerous." "Amelie, you know him better than we. “But I think that’s exactly what he’ll do. So let’s go to the Minken Bunker, shall we?” Akiko and Amelie agreed.

They were getting ready to leave. Amelie knew the route somewhat because they had been to the Minken Bunker before. They started by walking along the road to Saltholmen. They could hardly see their hands in front of their eyes in the storm. The wind was murderous. Amelie pulled her scarf over her face and put on her sunglasses. The ice crystals were whipping in her face. Amelie thought of Helldiver again. He would be out there alone in this storm somewhere. Her heart seized up. She had Jim and Akiko, but he was alone. “Take care of yourself, cherie,” she thought. She had her AK-5 in her hands, ready to fire, and looked around intently. All around her was white, if she hadn’t had the street, she wouldn’t have known where to go. She could see maybe five meters away. After an hour they had passed the church of Saltholmen. Amelie knew that this road would lead to Överbysläten. It would lead past Salthamm’s standby camp and then turn left to Asö. The riot camp was in front of them and the snow had spread a white cloth over the bodies lying here in the meadow. In spring you would only find bones here.

Amelie had the painful memory of Thort’s death when they got into a firefight with some hunters here. They took a short rest. They looked like snowmen. Jim asked them to fire a few shots with their guns. So they wouldn’t freeze in. Amelie’s AK-5 worked fine. Akiko’s, too. Jim’s AK-5 worked fine, too. The submachine guns worked out right away. So did the Klaucke. Amelie warmed her hands on the warm barrel of her AK5. Akiko looked cute with her sunglasses with the frame in shape of two pink hearts. It was bitter cold and Amelie froze miserably. She thought painfully of Helldiver. Then they went on towards Asö. Just before Asö they run into an ambush. Some runners fired at them.

They threw themselves into the snow to locate them. They were assisted by infrared vision modules. One after the other, the runners were annihilated. Jim grabbed their attention, Akiko and Amelie snapped them off. When they had destroyed them all, Akiko and Amelie make a high-five. They walked on. In the late afternoon, the wind died down a little and it snowed heavily. The cold remained. They met some hunters. She could already see Villa Kaseberg and fled there. They had a long fire fight.

The hunters were very clever. But thanks to their infrared vision, they could see the robots in bright orange despite the heavy snowstorm. They scattered. Jim switched over to the garage and fired at the Hunters from there. Because their uniforms were covered in snow, the Hunters could not see them well in infrared. Eventually, they took out the Hunters. One of them had lain in ambush and stood behind an embankment. But since Jim had counted the wreckage of the Hunter, he knew another was lurking. They surprised him and took him down. Then they reached the bunker. It was already dark when they reached the Minken Bunker hangar. Amelie still had the code cards and opened the doors. Carefully they worked their way to the power station and turned on the power. They secured the entire bunker once more, but nothing unwanted had crept in. In the bedroom stood the two beds that she had shared with Helldiver. She remembered him as he almost didn’t dare to lie down with her. The night he lay down next to her, she had been terribly unwell, she was still in shock from the death of Thort and was traumatized.

He had laid down beside her because she had been afraid of being alone. The next night he didn’t dare. Today she would have to lie here alone, without his strong arm and his warming body. In the bunker it was cold. Here again, Helldiver had been right. How many times had he warned against winter. She took off her wet parka and the uniform jacket. Then she wrapped herself in a blanket. They wouldn’t be using the kitchen today. Maybe tomorrow. How many times had she cooked in that kitchen. They ate something. Jim went to the storeroom to get some more cans of beer. She drank a can, smoked a cigarette in the hallway. Then she took off her uniform pants and hung them out to dry, too. She put on fresh socks and wrapped herself in the two blankets. She looked at his picture once more. The top blanket still smelled faintly of him. She had a lump in her throat which she choked down. Squeezed a tear. Then she curled up and fell asleep.

[helldiver]

224-226 Day

Helldiver tells:

I woke up on the couch in Sandbo. It was reasonably warm in the room. I still had my Klaucke in my hand. "And watched the havoc I had wreaked that night. I felt weak and shaky. I forced myself to doze off at least until the sun had risen properly. Then I would make myself a coffee, maybe a hot broth and a few armour plates with sausage.

I felt exhausted, tired. I had taken on too much in the first days. When I looked back I had already caused quite a lot of destruction. A hard nut to crack lay before me, the Törsberga Fort. I had to be fit for it.

I put some more logs in the fireplace. I stoked the fire and a short time later a cup of coffee steamed over the esbit stove. A hot broth followed. I felt better already. I studied my plans once more. Nearby was the makeshift airfield Anl 144 Vidsele. It had to be secured.

The robot hotspot had to be fought. I made myself clear that this would be a sniper action. First I would scout the area. Outside there was a heavy snow flurry outside going on. The sky was grey, but the wind had died down. It was still -20° Celsius outside. I would use the house as a base. I could leave my backpack here and take only the ammunition bag and the weapons.

I got ready to check my ammunition and weapons. Then I stepped outside into the snow flurry. I put the gas mask on right away, firstly it warmed my face and secondly I didn’t know what kind of robot I would be dealing with. I used the binoculars function of the helmet. I peeked in infrared and X-ray mode. I couldn’t see in those areas.

According to my map the airfield was about two kilometers ahead of me. I walked along the edge of the forest and worked my way slowly because I didn’t want to meet a hunter in the open country. After half an hour I could dimly see the mouth of the hangar of Vidsele.

I peered again and discovered Hunter. There were four of them. Normally the Hunters appeared in groups. Military hunters usually came in packs of six. So two more had to be around somewhere. I walked on towards the hangar. It was quite possible that the two colleagues were lurking in the hangar. I kept peeking.

The hangar was dug into the slope of a mountain. . Suddenly snow fell from the trees. I thought maybe a bird had come down. I walked on carefully. In rhythmic intervals snow kept falling from the trees. When I stopped, I noticed that the ground was shaking. As if something very heavy, big was walking. I peeked again in infrared mode and saw the snow.

A tank came stomping in slow, cumbersome steps in my direction. I had to get out of here as quickly as possible, if it tracked me I was done for. The thing was heavily armed and could only be fought from a good cover. I ran deeper into the forest and then turned off to run up the embankment. I looked for a good position. From which I could fire at the hunters. I counted four again, where were the other two. I looked around carefully and could see nothing.

I layd the G3 in place and loaded it through so that I could shoot with it immediately. I aimed with the PVG 90 and shoot down the first Hunter with a few shots. Then I went for the second one. I shot the MG away from him and was just about to give him the catch shot when I felt the ground vibrating slightly.

Fortunately I looked around and could only see a big black shadow racing towards me. With a lot of presence of mind I tried to rip around the PVG 90 around, but it was too late. The hunter started it’s jump attack.

I rolled away and was still able to pull the G3 up and shot. The sword of the robot went into the ground only a few centimeters away from my head. I shot into the robot from below while lying down. I could only give a short burst of fire, when the robot started another attack with its sword.

I rolled over to the other side and screamed in pain, the hunter had stepped on my foot. Because he changed his position to stab me. Only the deep snow and the soft forest floor had prevented my foot from being crushed. I got the G3 back in firing position and fired again. This time something exploded on the robot and it staggered forward.

The machine took a step and almost stepped on me. I tried to pull myself up and got into shooting position, my left foot hurt like hell. I pulled the trigger and hit his fuel cell. The robot exploded and threatened to fall on me. I crawled away hastily and fell down the embankment, the robot behind me, I tried to get away from him so far that he couldn’t squeeze me in.

My G3 went off and a sheaf of bullets went into the robot wreck, then I hit the ground pretty hard. The blow pushed the air out of my lungs. I looked around, where were the other robots. I saw the hunter I shot the machine gun away from running towards me. I pulled up the G3 and I wanted to fire. I pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. The G3 jammed.

I pulled up the submachine gun, which I always had hanging by my side ready to fire. The Hunter was so close that he launched a jump attack. I fired the magazine of the submachine gun at him and he exploded still in midair. I was lucky he didn’t fall on me. I tried to avoid him hastily.

The pain in my left foot was unbearable. I reloaded the submachine gun. The PVG 90 rifle was somewhere further up in the snow, out of reach for me for the time being. I saw the silhouette of the tank coming closer. The hangar of Vidsele was about 80 m away from me. Normally no distance, but I did not know what else was lurking there. I looked around briefly and set everything on a card.

I started with a twitching trot. A hunter shot me. The heavy bullets crashed into the embankment behind me, I dropped and saw him in the infrared, I immediately took him under fire and held onto his machine gun. The submachine gun had an unprecedented impact.

The robot’s machine gun fell to the ground. I scrambled up and kept walking. I hobbled to the hangar. The tank was obviously on my screen because I saw reddish trails of fire rising from his head. I jumped into the hangar. My foot hurt like hell.

The grenades struck the slope above the hangar. It crashed tremendously. Earth and stones trickled down. I looked around quickly, in the middle of the hangar was a Vraken, a fighter jet of the Swedish Air Force. I ducked under the jet. and saw the feet of a hunter. I took a grenade, pulled the ring off and threw it at a flat angle. It rolled over the floor and lay near the hunter. Then she exploded and tore the Hunter apart. The jet was also affected.

I looked around again and saw nothing suspicious. I scrambled to my feet and tried to get towards the team quarters. I crept along the wall and secured on all sides. I slipped through a passage and turned around. A hunter was just entering the hangar. I took him under fire with the submachine gun. Then I ripped a grenade from my belt, pulled the ring off and threw it.

The machine staggered and fired at me. When the submachine gun was empty, I pulled the Klaucke and continued firing. The robot exploded. I quickly reloaded both weapons. Then I looked around. There was a door behind me. I gently pushed it open and jumped on my side.

When I jumped away I saw the red sensors of a tick. I quickly jumped forward and destroyed him with the submachine gun. It was a storage room in which he had lurked. I secured it and then went on. My foot came back on. I suspected that it was not broken, otherwise I could not have walked. Then I found the team room and the operations center. It was secured with a steel door.

A runner crouched at headquarters. I use the door as a shield and fire with the submachine gun. The runner fired back. His bullets crashed into the wall behind me. I always fired back in short bursts of fire and managed to destroy the runner. I limped to the headquarters and looked around to see no more threats. It was so cold in the room that ice crystals glittered on the wall.

I hobbled into the team room and pulled the covers off the beds. My foot ached insanely, I dragged myself back to the control center and closed the door behind me. I sat on a couch and carefully removed my boots. I could watch the ankle swell. I carefully and painfully felt the joint and found that it was not broken.

I tried to burden him. I was still able to perform, I couldn’t have done that if I broke it. I sat down again. I took a 50-caliber magazine from my ammo pouch and pushed out a handful of cartridges. They were freezing cold. Then I wrapped my scarf around my foot and put the cartridges in the swollen area. That cooled down for now. I put down my weapons and took the G3. I examined the gun why it had blocked.

An ammunition case had jammed between the breech and the subsequent cartridge. It was still halfway in the ejection window. I tried to pry the empty case out. It was pretty stuck. I took the magazine out of the gun and disassembled it. It worked just like his conventional pedant. The lock had wedged properly. My fingers were clammy and weak. Still, I tried to pull it out. Finally I made it and the empty sleeve fell to the floor, jingling.

I tried to lever out the empty shell. It was stuck pretty good. I took the magazine out of the rifle, and I disassembled it. It worked just like his regular pedant. The breech was wedged in tight. My fingers were clammy and weak. I tried to pull it out anyway. Finally I managed it and the empty shell fell to the ground jingling.

I reassembled the gun and loaded it with ammunition. Then I loaded it through. I hobbled to the steel door, opened it and fired a shot. The weapon worked perfectly again. Then I sat down again, my injured foot throbbed and the cold crept up on me. I curled up on the couch and wrapped myself in the blankets. So I could stand it to some extent. I looked around.

On the head wall, dimly lit a warboard. A row of consoles with tracking screens stood in front of it. A large table with a telephone was on the right side. I considered my position. With my injured foot I was basically unfit for action my PVG 90 was lying above the hangar in the woods. Without this weapon I did not need to fight against the tank. With the G3 I would use up a lot of ammunition. My equipment was 2 km away in Sandbo.

With the injured foot I could not possibly make my way back. I would have become good cannon fodder for the tank. How many of the hunters I had actually destroyed. I did the math. One directly, the second one who wanted to impale me. A third I’d shot the machine gun away from. Then one in the hangar with a hand grenade. Then the last one who came into the hangar. That was five. That leaves one more. He had to be out there somewhere.

I thought about the knife attack. Why didn’t the Hunter shoot me? He probably could have finished me off like that. Or if the terrain was too rough to walk on. One more step could have crashed the robot. Why hadn’t I seen him before? Whether it was a sleeper. They lurked in some dark corner, almost invisible because they had lowered their onboard units to a minimum. If you fired a shot near them, made an unintentional noise or walked past them, they activated and then au revoir (French: goodbye).

In any case, I was stuck for now. The hours crept by. I froze despite the blankets. I kept nodding off, but woke up again immediately. Falling asleep could mean death by frostbite. I slapped my cheeks left and right.

Then I changed the cartridges in my makeshift cooling pad again. The cold cartridges woke me up again a little. A glance at the clock told me that it was late at night. I had to hold out until my foot was swollen off to some extent.

I thought of Amelie, what would she do now. Perhaps she was angry with me and had long since forgotten me, or she was very sad. I couldn’t stand to see her crying, that frail little person. She had such beautiful eyes that could enchant you. My heart became heavy again. Would we ever see each other again? How would I face her then? I kept seeing her face over and over again Her enchanting smile that she had given me so often I wanted to survive, if she was later no longer there I would look for her and if it was to the end of the world.

I kept on waking up, I wasn’t allowed to fall asleep. In between I changed the cartridges once more to cool my foot further. The pain slowly ebbed away. My teeth clanging together, I froze like a tailor. I pulled the blanket around me even tighter. But it did not get any warmer. I was hungry and thirsty. The hours crept by endlessly. I kept changing bullets to cool down. Then I massaged the foot in between. I thought about how I should proceed further.

If I could stay awake any longer, I might make another attempt to get back to Sandbo.

But first I had to salvage the PVG 90. It would probably lie under a layer of snow. I still knew roughly where I had crashed. I absolutely had to find the rifle. I first had to be able to walk again, that was important. Then I would climb up the slope again, look for the PVG 90 and then retreat to Sandbo. There I would first warm up, recover my foot and then try again.

If they hadn’t provided a replacement in the meantime, that shouldn’t be a problem. My plan was fixed. I just had to persuade my foot to play with. The hours crept by, only the thought of Amelie kept me awake. In situations like this, you need something to hang on to. She was the straw that saved the day.

Early in the morning I took the scarf off my foot, put the cartridges back into her magazine. Then I massaged the foot and examined it. It was clearly less swollen. I touched the joint again and it didn’t hurt so much anymore. I put the sock back on and slipped into the boot that fitted my foot again. I loaded it carefully, it went quite well, it only hurt very little. I walked slowly up and down. It went again to some extent. The rest was bearable with clenching teeth.

I got my G3 and the MP ready to fire. Then I opened the door carefully. It was dawn outside and the snow had stopped falling. I secured on all sides. I still had a score to settle with a Hunter. The tank was standing about 400m away from me immobile in the field. It had taken up a strange position. The square "head" lay on the ground. It looked somehow folded up.

I hushed quickly out of the hangar and walked about 100 m along the slope. I saw a pile of snow lying over me in the embankment. That must be the hunter wreck. On my right there was a similar pile in the meadow. This must be the other one. I climbed up the embankment and secured on all sides, then I crouched down. Above the hunter wreck, which lay in the embankment, the fight must have taken place. I groped around in the snow and tried to remember the place. After some searching I came across something hard. I had found the PVG 90. I pulled it out from under the snow cover and tried to open the lock. She was frozen. The hot weapon had melted and liquefied the snow that was on top of her, then the water had run into the cracks and frozen again. At -20° Celsius no wonder. I shouldered it and continued to look around, scouting the surroundings in the X-ray range to be on the safe side.

I should be able to recognize a sleeper that way. I looked at the tank again in the infrared range. He was hardly to be recognized, perhaps he was sleeping too. A quick attack could have at least damaged it heavily. I gave him a wide berth. I saw the Hunter stalking back and forth in front of a few containers in the distance. He was probably standing guard.

There must have been rows of runners in the containers again. I was weak and the tiredness became noticeable again. Should I take another Ritalin tablet? I decided not to. Who knows when I would need one of those again. I had already taken a few.

I reached Sandbo around noon and opened the door and went into the house. Then I stopped and listened. I only heard the soft creaking of the house. I went upstairs and dropped onto the couch. I was so tired, I hardly had any appetite.

I just wanted to sleep. I put some logs in the fireplace and lit a fire. Finally it got warm. I warmed my hands, stiff with cold. My face and hands were burning. When I felt reasonably warm I curled up on the couch. I put my hands in my armpits. I had the Klaucke loaded in my right hand. I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Amelie tells:

She woke up early, the others were still asleep. She wasn’t cold, but she was missing something. She thought that one partner could cause such withdrawal symptoms. She had that feeling of being lost again. The morning cuddle in his arms or the hearing of his quiet heartbeat in his chest. When she lay with her head on his chest in the morning. That wasn’t now. What he’s doing now? Was he still wandering in the cold or had he found some shelter Perhaps he was thinking of her right now.

The thirst for coffee finally drove her out of bed. She got up quietly and went to the canteen kitchen. The Klaucke in her holster, of course. She had gotten into the habit of going everywhere in the bunker with a gun, even to the quiet place.

Yawning, she put on coffee water. A little later the first coffee was already steaming in her cup. She sat down on a chair and stretched out her slender legs and lifted them. She looked at her delicate feet that were in Helldivers College shoes. They were much too big for her.

"What big feet he has." She thought.

She was still wearing his shorts. She could have gotten panties a long time ago, but somehow she liked his shorts, it was something of his that she wore, even though it made her look more comical than sexy. Helldiver had always smiled when he saw her in them. With a smile she remembered that she wore his t-shirts, which were much too big for her, but with a knot and one of his trouser belts she had conjured a sophisticated, sexy mini dress with which she had posed in front of him.

She had copied this from the models who worked at the couturier where her mum worked. Helldiver had always laughed. The bedspread had still smelled of him weakly. It had made her feel a little bit that he was with her. She saw his face, his impish, mischievous, smile that she loved so much, his stubbly beard that she loved to stroke with her hand. The warmth when she hugged him and her face pressed against his just like that, he had always closed his arms around her and she had always felt like a part of him.

Jim and Akiko appeared. Akiko came into the kitchen and prepared breakfast together with Amelie. After breakfast they explored the surroundings of the bunker and looked for a suitable vantage point. From a hill opposite the hangar they could see the villages of Källeby and Lännbacka, they could also see the church of St. Angeräs near Sillavik and the farm Guteby.

Behind the ridge that rose behind St. Angeräs church was Törsberga Fort. If Helldiver would attack the fort, you would have to see or at least hear this. Jim said,

“If he wants to get to Törsberga, he’ll have to pass through here somehow. Either we’ll see him on the way there, or on the way back, because he has to go back if he wants to go to Uttern, Normyrra or Muskudden.”

Amelie kept going out and kept lookout. Jim was of the opinion that they should always keep a lookout in pairs, so that nothing could sneak up unnoticed, because it was a piece to go to the bunker entrance. Amelie was doing double shifts. She was freezing, but she was happy to accept that, she didn’t want to miss him. She listened and peered again and again with the binoculars. She stood outside in the thick snow flurry and also in the freezing cold.

Helldiver had equipped her binoculars with vision modules, so she could see in the infrared and X-ray range. Shortly before he had left he had added a residual light amplifier to her. She walked around the top of the hill, it was covered with trees and bushes that offered some protection from the snow and wind. Jim or Akiko secured her. She stayed on observation posts until Jim or mostly Akiko chased her into the bunker, because she sometimes stood on her observation post with blue frozen lips and chattering teeth.

Jim once jokingly said, "You clatter so loudly with your teeth that you can hear it within a radius of 2 km."

They took turns and brought each other hot coffee or cocoa to warm each other In the nights she lay frozen and curled up in her bed, hoping that he was still alive and she would soon see some sign of life from him Every day she became more and more restless. The waiting and inactivity tore at her nerves.

Helldiver tells:

I was running through the woods with Amelie, we had a Hunter on our heels, I turned around and shot at the Hunter. Amelie ran ahead, I covered her. The Hunter shot at me and I tried to lure him away from Amelie with short bursts of fire. The Hunter came closer and closer.

I yelled, "Run, Amelie!"

I fired another round at the Hunter, and I ran after Amelie. All I could hear was a sharp scream from her, and then I fell down the hill, too. He was very steep, and we hadn’t seen him through the fog and snow flurries. I slid down on my stomach and saw Amelie in front of me.

Then she fall over a ledge. I could barely slow down. Amelie was clinging to a rock that was sticking out of the ground. I slid closer to her, just in time, because her hand slowly slipped off the stone. I grabbed her hand. It was hanging over a deep chasm. The overhang offered her no opportunity to support herself with her feet. I only had her with one hand. I grabbed her firmly and looked into her eyes, which were wide open in terror.

"Help me Helldiver, help me," she cried,

i tried to grab her with a second hand and held her hand as tight as i could, but i had to be careful not to fall myself I tried to grab her wrist to have more hold. I tried to grab her wrist to get more support but Amelie was losing her strength and her hand was slowly slipping out of mine. I reached for her once more hastily, but only got hold of her fingertips, which slipped out of my hand.

Then I saw Amelie sinking into the mist of the abyss with eyes filled with fear and widenet in terror. Then I hit the ground hard.

I lay on my stomach on the floor of Sandbo My heart was racing again and my blood seemed to boil. I was sweaty. My face and my head hurt. It took me a moment to realize that I was not lying on a forest floor, but on the floorboards of a room I pressed myself up, I pulled my legs on and leaned on my elbow joints. I put my hands in front of my face and supported myself with my forehead on the floor.

Cramps shook me and I howled like a woidwound wolf. Again I had been torn from my sleep by one of those brutal nightmares.

I just screamed "Stop it, stop it!"

Then I called out Amelie’s name, “Amelie… Amelie…”

I cried like a little child. Did I start to go crazy? Was I going crazy. Was I delusional? I was afraid for Amelie. I was shaky and weak. I was literally devastated. I crawled back on the couch. I felt bad, weak, discouraged.

I just tried to go back to sleep. I breathed heavily and jerkily and tried to calm myself down, why did I keep having those nightmares that were so real. Were they a product of my own imagination or were they suggested to me by some kind of radiation or was it just the lack of sleep that slowly destroyed me.

I thought of Amelie again, if she had been here now, she would have touched me with her gentle hands and comforted me, she had always felt when I was feeling bad. I sank once more into a dreamless sleep.

[helldiver]

Here are the soundtrack for the scenes of Helldivers Diary

The main Theme what every time is for the whole story and at the End is here

When Helldiver is pinned in the Ibboholmen Church at Day 5 here

When Helldiver is alone with Amelie. At the Balkony of the Hose in Saltham, At they both go out for a walk at the Vesslan Bunker, As they comforted their grief one each other at the Minken Bunker here

When they prepare Thort’s corpse to burn , saying him good bye and watching the burning boat from the jetty in the light of the dawning sun. here

As Helldiver received his first kiss from Amelie as she confessed him her love here

When they where hiking to Hjimfäll and when Helldiver walks allone on his Distroying Missionhere

At the battle at the Björntunet Hotel and every time they go in combat with the machines here

As Helldiver is heavy injured and at the threshold of death here

When Amelie was at the Hotel in the dark Restaurant and thinking of her and Helldiver and as she follows wit Jim and Akiko his traces. here

And with this song finally Amelie knew it is Helldiver here

[helldiver]

227th day

I woke up at dawn. I had finally slept a few hours without nightmares, yet I felt tired. I filled my ammunition bag while making coffee over the Esbit stove and loaded my weapons. I choked down some more armor plates that I covered with sausage and then I made my way to Vidsele.

I wanted to finish the tank. I had packed new EMP grenades from my luggage. When you threw them, they produced a weak explosion, but this produced a strong EMP pulse that could put the machines out of action for a short time.

I stepped outside, it was bitterly cold. I put my gas mask back on, then I set off. I already had the PVG 90 in my hands and occasionally peered over the area. I couldn’t make out the tank, but two Hunters, one of them was missing the arm MG. I had shot it away the day before yesterday.

The tank stood in its "sleeping position" in the middle of the field. I had to attack it, the Hunters could give me a problem, but I had to try to attack the tank by surprise so that I could cause as much damage as possible. I continued to spy out the area and crept up carefully. I tried to get into the back of the tank, because there were important parts sitting here, which had to be destroyed or heavily damaged.

I sent a chopping impulse to the still fully intact Hunter, and then the machine stopped as he was rootet. Then I launched my attack. In rapid succession I chased my 50 calibre ammunition into the tank.

I hit his fuel tank and his tick tank. He was about to set free his little friends. When I covered them with a hail of the heavy armor-piercing ammo they exploded and the tick tank fell to the ground.

I was shaken by the recoil of the rifle. The tank moved and took its initial position. I threw the EMP grenade, I could hear the engines shut down. I quickly loaded the PVG 90 and chased the next round of bullets into the tank’s MG Pod.

I had him by the scruff, because he started throwing lightning and it was smoking out of his head. I kept watching the Hunter. When I had shot the grenade launchers of the tank, the tank stopped and did not make any attempt to attack me. But I saw the two Hunters coming.

I shot the intact Hunter with the PVG 90 and after a few shots he crashed to the ground. The Hunter who was missing the MG, I only kept an eye on him to make sure he didn’t get too close to me. I circled the tank and kept shooting at him. The armour came off at his head and cracked. I fired and fired.

With the last shot there was a huge detonation and the tank collapsed moaning and groaning. Out of the fog and smoke of the explosion suddenly the Hunter came running, it was the one missing Mg’s arm.

I backed away, the robot started a jump attack. I saw him flying through the air, but my PVG 90 was empty. I ducked down and the Hunter’s sword sensed just inches away over my helmet.

I took a few steps back to get out of the danger zone. The robot penetrated on me and struck again, this time I parried the blow with the barrel of my PVG 90. The blow was so violently led that the rifle flew out of my hand. I could not reach the Klaucke because the parka was hanging over it. The robot kept penetrating of me further and further, if it took a step, I had to make almost three to avoid getting into the area of its sword.

I tried to reach for my G3 in the rush. I didn’t succeed, because she had slipped on my back during my evasive manoeuvre during the robot’s jump attack and got entangled with the belt of the MP. I still had the Colt Magnum 44 in my belt. At least six shots of caliber 44, but it was not as easy to reload as the Klaucke, because it was a classic drum revolver as it was already used in the Wild West. It was Ronia’s revolver, I had given it to Thort at that time and took it after his death.

I always carried the gun in my belt. I pulled the gun, aimed at the robot and pulled the trigger. The recoil was violent, but the robot also swayed at the impact. I fired again and tried to put more distance between me and the robot, after the sixth shot, sparks were spraying out of the robot. I reached into my jacket pocket, because there I always had a handful of loose caliber 44 cartridges. I flipped out the magazine of the pistol and threw the empty cases out of the magazine, quickly pushed four new cartridges into it, that was all the time I had. Then I let the magazine snap back in, the robot kept penetrating at me and hitting with his sword at me.

They were not artistic fencing blows, but only with brute force, always the same blows. I shot him again and said

“This is for Thort you pig, and this is for Ronia, and this is for Ronia’s child, you bastard.”

With that i chased my last bullets into his ammunition dump. The shock wave of the exploding robot swept me off my feet. I rappelt myself up, breathing heavily.

I searched for the PVG 90 in the snow and examined it to see if it was not damaged by the sword stroke, then I loaded it again. Then I took the ammunition from the robots. I made my way to the containers. I sorted my weapons on the way there I took the G3. But there were no more surprises in the containers, one contained Hunter, I also found a blueprint which I took, the other container contained Runner. I read "Strijdsmaskin Ulven" on the Hunter. On the runners it said "Järven".

I opened the containers, took a few steps away and fired at the fuel cells with the PVG 90. I had destroyed several robots again. I checked the hotspot for more traces, because I wanted to know who was behind all this. When I had looked around enough and didn’t see any more robots, I was done. On the airfield someone could land again, provided that he came through the barrage off the coast.

I made my way to Sandbo. I wanted to set off in the direction of Törsberga Ford. I had already lost too much time here. I went back to Sandbo, where I studied the map while I heated up a ready meal over the Esbit cooker. My next stop would be Lännbacka. A small town on the south coast. After I had eaten, I packed my things and set off. I would have to walk until late at night, because we had an early noon and I still had a distance to go. I took another Ritalin against the tiredness that was latent in me.

It had stopped snowing, but it became bitterly cold. The thermometer showed -25° Celsius. I had oiled the weapons before I set off, so that they did not freeze. After I had set a target point in my helmet visor, I slowly stomped through the snow. It had stopped snowing. The otherwise grey sky was now shining in a deep blue. The sun shone and made the snow glitter like thousands of diamonds. I put on my sunglasses, because the snow blinded me and I didn’t want to risk snow blindness.

An icy, bitterly cold wind was blowing. The suit heater worked, so I did not freeze so patheticly. I had learned from the documents that the suit recharged in daylight. Slowly I stomped through the snow, in my helmet visor I had set the waypoint. I would reach the coast at the height of the village Käleby and then walk along the coast to Lännbacka. I stomped through the deep snow. I cursed about myself because I hadn’t brought me ski goggles. I would certainly have got one at the ski shop of the Björntunet Hotel.

Wherever possible I walked through the forest. Here the snow was not so deep and the trees offered me some protection from the robots. The setting sun conjured a beautiful play of colours to the sky, he glowed literally. I looked around again and again. I avoided a hunter patrol. It would not have been good to get into a firefight with them. I reached Käleby in the early evening.

The place was in a fjord. I was still on a hill behind the place and crept so close to the edge of the forest, so that I could overlook the place. A Hunter stomped along the main road. I was crouched in a bush at the edge of the forest and was practically invisible.

My suit also prevented infrared vision. I continued to spy the place, although the cold crept up on me from below. I had to make a choice. I still saw some runners running around the village.

I decided to go around the outside of the village. There was always a house nearby where I could retreat before I got into a firefight. Slowly I crept around the place. As I crept through the garden of a house near the center of the village, I heard the ominous Djiieeep… Djiieeep… Djiieeep… Djiieeep…the servo motors of a Hunter. His heavy steps told me that he was on the other side of the house.

I crawled under the porch of the house, breathing shallowly and remained seated. I heard him again and again. Was he looking for me yet? I carefully and silently took the G3. I switched my helmet visor to X-ray vision and could see the Hunter. It was pacing back and forth in front of the house. I still had some mines in my backpack. The cookie-sized things had a huge explosive power and could be dangerous to a Hunter. He didn’t even have to step on them, it was enough if he came close. But did I not attract the attention of the other robots? I rejected the idea and thought of a plan to escape from the Hunter.

I kept watching him. He kept pacing back and forth in front of the house. It could go on for hours. I decided for the mine. First I looked for a suitable escape route, then I took the mine in my hand and crept around the house. I looked around the corner and saw the robot, then I threw the mine on the street and immediately ran behind the house again and took the escape route I had scouted out beforehand. I was already a bit far away when I heard an enormous bang.

I looked around quickly once more and saw the glowing cloud of the Hunter. Some bots came running to the place. None of them made any attempt to run in my direction. I rushed on to get as much distance between me and the place as possible. The area was slightly wooded. Trees alternated with shrubs.

In my helmet visor I could see that Lännbacka was only two kilometres away. Normally, half an hour walk. I kept stopping to secure the back. Fortunately no hunter had taken up the hunt, it would have been fatal in open terrain.

I approached Lännbacka, before I entered the place, I crouched in the snow and spied the area. Two runners patrolled the place. I had to wipe them out. I took the G3 and put the silencer on her. Then I crept up to the first house on the edge of town. I watched the Runners through my scope and waited for a good shot. PFAAAUUUU, PFAAAUUUUU, the G3 howled hoarse as I shot the first runner.

I changed my position and crept around the house. Then I had a clear view of the next runner and again the G3 howled with its PFAAAUUUU, PFAAAUUUUU. The Runner turned into a smoking pile of rubble. I was pretty frozen. I secured all sides, looted the robots and looked for a place to stay. I found a nice house in the middle of town. Upstairs there was a small cosy living room. I even found a tin of lentil soup. I licked my lips, if it was nice and hot, it would certainly feed me up and warm me. Under the stairs in a small pantry there were even two bottles of beer whose sell-by date had not expired yet.

I congratulated myself on this success. I made a fire in the fireplace and put the opened can with the soup in the embers. The fire warmed me up and so I could

Take off my parka and jacket. I also noticed my smell, I had been on the road for several days without washing. A little longer and the robots would smell me even against the wind. The house had a bathroom, maybe I could freshen up a bit the next day. I enjoyed the hot soup. Afterwards I smoked a cigarette and drank one of the beer bottles.

What a pleasure after a hard day. The house had a small balcony facing the sea. I stepped out onto it. The cold immediately bit my face again. The moon had risen and showered the land with silvery light. The ice crystals glittered like myriads of diamonds. I could see the main road to Käleby. There was nothing suspicious to see. I went back through the house and locked all the doors. Then I withdrew again into the meanwhile well warmed living room. I drank the second bottle of beer while I studied the map. I would go on the next day. My next stop would be the church of Sankt Angeräs. It should be the base for my next mission. The Törsberga Ford. It was an old Ford artillery and obviously manned by robots. I was to take out the artillery, as it was suspected that the ships off the coast were fired upon from here. I’m gonna have to blow up the casemates on the Ford, there’s gonna be a lot of fireworks. I loaded the Klaucke again and lay down on the couch. I hoped I could spend the night without having a nightmare.

I still thought about Amelie and hoped that she would now be in a warm bed in the hotel. I kissed her good night in my mind. I lay awake for a while in the dark room waiting for my eyes to close. Eventually I fell asleep. The whuusch of the nearby sea had a calming effect.

Amelie tells:

Amelie had been outside since early morning. She and Akiko had been looking for quite a while. Until noon the sky was grey and cloudy and it was snowing. Then an icy cold wind blew the clouds away slowly. It gradually cleared up and in the afternoon the sky shone in a deep blue.

The wind was icy and Amelie froze, for the wind seemed to find its way through every gap in her uniform. She kept peering. On a clear day, she could see far. Jim would come and relieve her soon, then she would warm up for two hours in the bunker and then return. Then she would relieve Akiko so she could warm up. In any case, she would stay at the post until midnight. In between she would go back to the bunker with Jim, eat something and then return to her observation post.

After the meal break, she and Jim would go up the hill and take up guard duty. Amelie peered with the binoculars. Suddenly, she heard a bang. She looked over to Källeby and saw a cloud of smoke rising from the center of the village.

“Jim, Jim, did you hear that bang, look over to Källeby, there’s something, smoke coming up.”

She was excited. It could only have been Helldiver. He was close there with her, and he was alive.

“Jim, we’ve got to get there, quick!”

"Take it easy Amelie," Jim replied,

“There’s a bunch of hunters down there, and they’re pretty upset. I wouldn’t go down there right now if I were you. You’ll have the whole gang on your hands. If that was Helldiver, he’s probably long gone by now. And it wouldn’t be good attract them as well. I know what you mean. I’d like to help him too, but it wouldn’t be good right now.”

“Oh, Jim, I’m so worried about him, I’m afraid something will happen to him!”

said Amelie and sighed.

“I am also worried Amelie, but Helldiver is a shrewd fellow, a good fighter, he can assess his risk. He won’t do anything foolish.”

While Jim was saying that, they heard another bang.

"It was close by," said Amelie.

Jim winced and said…

"that was really close, but it was from Lännbacka."

They both looked with binoculars but they couldn’t see anything. Then they heard another bang. It came from the same direction as the previous one. They couldn’t see anything because the view of Lännbacka town center was blocked by a hill.

“Oh, Jim, that must have been Helldiver. He’s so close, I’d love to go down there.”

“Amelie, that’s not a good idea. He’ll think we’re enemies and shoot at us.”

"Oh, Jim," said Amelie, and sighed again…

“I’m so restless.”

“I’d probably be too, if I knew Akiko was down there.”

They stay in place and kept on scouting, but it remained calm. Amelie went as far as she could up the hilltop to peer for Källeby undetected. She could see several hunters in the center of the village, running wildly back and forth, obviously looking for something. A thin column of smoke rose and she could see a burning Hunter wreck.

"Amelie, there will be no more today, if it was Helldiver, then he walked through here and he will certainly attack Törsberga soon. So all we have to do is lie in wait and follow his trail.

"Hopefully no one else other will lie in wait," Amelie replied anxiously.

"The Mechs are not intelligent enough for that," Jim said.

“Come on, let’s go,” Jim said and hooked Amelie.

She cast another longing glance toward Lännbacka and then left with Jim. In the bunker she drank some hot cocoa, which Akiko handed her. Excited, she told Akiko about the events. Before she went to bed she smoked a cigarette in the corridor and walked restlessly up and down the corridor. She couldn’t wait for tomorrow. Then she lay down in the bed, wrapped herself in the blankets and thought of Helldiver once more. She fell into a restless sleep.

[helldiver]

228. Day

I woke up again in the night, bathed in sweat and trembling, the Klaucke was already back in action. Fortunately I woke up early enough not to pull the trigger. Fortunately Amelie was not involved in this nightmare this time. I needed some time again to calm down. Finally I got up and lit a cigarette. I paced back and forth in the living room. I stood by the window and looked out at the sea. The setting moon conjured up a glittering, iridescent street on the sea.

With sleeping was it finished with me . I went into the bathroom and washed myself a little, then I made myself a cup of coffee and studied the satellite photos I had of Törsberga. It was a big complex consisting of the bunker and the actual artillery. In the inner courtyard of the complex a tank could be seen.

"Delightfull," I said to myself,

“That’s what I was hoping for, that a tank that’s buzz around there.”

I finished my coffee and packed my bags, then I was ready to go. At dawn, I was on my way. I had to destroy the Beredskappsförrad 120. I thought if I destroyed it before I attacked Törsberga, it might distract the attention of the robots that were surely buzzing around. I made my way to St. Angeräs. The church was not far from me. I started walking. On the way I considered whether I should attack Törsberga today or rather wait until tomorrow.

Around noon I reached the church. I made myself another coffee and ate something. I decided to attack during the night. During the day they could expect that I might attack, because I had attacked the other facilities during the day. I climbed the bell tower and peered with binoculars. I saw a gang of hunters running across a field a little further. I thought.

Should I lure them to the church and then finish them off one by one? The church provided good cover, but a firefight would draw the attention of the robots and I didn’t need that right now. I tried to rest a little longer. Made myself something to eat. Then I packed my backpack, taking only the things I really needed. A big part of the food I deposited in the church, and a part of my medical equipment. I forced myself to doze a little more.

Amelie tells:

"She woke up early and was restless. She had bumblebees in her bottom and couldn’t stand it in bed. She went to the kitchen and prepared breakfast because she had to do something. They were going on a trip to Lännbacka today to see what happened there and maybe find traces of Helldiver.

Jim and Akiko noticed how restless she was. Normally, Amelie ate slowly and as Helldiver always said, like a bird. Now she stuffed her breakfast into her and washed it down with a cup of coffee. Before the others were finished, she jumped up and went into the bedroom to pack her backpack. Jim and Akiko also got ready because they knew that Amelie would not give up. They left everything.

"We can clean up later," Akiko said.

They also packed their things and got ready to leave. Jim urged everyone to be extra careful and not to start a firefight unless absolutely necessary. And everyone should run back to the bunker if it was too difficult. Then they went off.

From the hill they looked down to Käleby, then they went on towards Lännbacka. They looked down to Käleby to see if from there no robots would come. They didn’t notice anything. They stalked carefully towards Lännbacka. On the main road lay two wrecks of runners. Then they saw the footprints in the snow. They led to a house on the outskirts of town. Then the footprints came out on the other side of the house. They led to the runner’s wreckage. Jim went over to the house and found empty shell casings.

This is where he shot the one runner. He followed the tracks and found more shell casings. Then they followed the tracks. They led to a house in the center of town. A thin trail of smoke came out of the chimney. Amelie was very excited and wanted to run into the house. Then Jim said…

"Careful, Amelie, don’t just run in. “He doesn’t expect you, and he might mistake you for a robot. We’ll go in slowly and then we’ll call.”

They slowly approached the house and called out.

“Helldiver, it’s us, don’t shoot!”

They reached the front door and opened it. They called into the house, but there was no answer. They also saw the footprints leading out of the house. Nevertheless, they went into the house and found the remains that Helldiver had left behind. Empty packages and empty beer bottles. They also found an empty blister pack of Ritalin tablets, which Akiko critically examined.

“We have to go after him, he can’t be far,” said Amelie.

Jim said, "That’s not a good idea, we know now that he was here, but we don’t know when he left and how far ahead he is.

He will certainly attack Törsberga and we wouldn’t be much help now. We’d will rather endanger his mission than help him."

Amelie sighed.

"I’m sure he’ll pass by here again and then we’ll follow him. We don’t know what he plans next but if he is done with the Ford, then he will went here trough, then the interesting things would be at north and that can only be Muskudden or Normyrra. So he has to come through here and then we have his trail. We just have to be patient,’ Jim said to Amelie.

They went back to the bunker. Then Amelie went back to her observation post. She knew now he was close by.

229. Tag

In the night I woke up. I packed my bags, loaded my weapons, took another Ritalin tablet. I felt loaded like a pistol. Then I hit the road, kept on scouting the grounds. It was a bright night of a full moon. After an hour I had found the Beredskappsförrad 120. I placed the explosives in the containers, set the time fuse to two hours and went off.

At dawn I reached the Törsberga Fort. I heard the thundering footsteps of the tank. I circled the fort. Some hunters and runners patrolled the entrances. Finally I reached the main entrance without firing a shot.

At the entrance was a gatehouse. I crept up on the opposite side of the road. I continued to spy on the area, then I dared to do so. I sprinted off and within seconds I was in the gatehouse. I watched the tank, it step slowly up and down the whole courtyard.

As he turned his back to me I sneaked out of the cabin and hid behind some containers that were standing on the grounds. I spied the area again and saw the entrance gate of the bunker. It was about 80 m away from me on the other side of the courtyard. I took a firework rocket out of my backpack. With it I could blind the tank. Maybe it bought me enough time to enter the bunker. I got my weapons ready to fire. I waited for the robot to turn its back on me and I ran. I threw the fireworks rocket and held another one in my hand. My plan had worked, without the tank firing a shot, I had reached the bunker gate.

I opened it and was inside the bunker. I raised my gun and stopped in the dark. I switched my helmet to infrared. I could see a runner who was quite close to me. I fired at him immediately and he exploded. Then I walked along the path slowly. Behind every bend there were a few runners and ticks. I destroyed them partially by throwing a hand grenade. Finally I reached the energy center and turned on the generators. A short time later the lights in the Ford were on.

I had to change to the other side of the yard. To get to the casemates. I had a hard firefight with some runners. Finally, I reached the ammunition depots. Here the heavy projectiles for the cannons piled up. I laid my charges everywhere. When I had finished my work, I had to take my legs in the hand to get out of the bunker. I blinded the big tank once again with a firework.

Then I ran out of the fort. Now I had to go back to Sankt Angeräs. I looked at my watch. Actually the explosives of Beredskappsförrad 120 must have already exploded. When I had left Törsberga Fort behind me, I saw a column of smoke in the sky. It was late afternoon. On the way back I had to make a detour, because I met some Hunter patrols. I did not want to get involved in a firefight with them.

I approached the church Sankt Angeräs. To my right I saw the column of smoke from the Beredskappsförrad and some Hunters running around there quite excited. Obviously they were looking for me.

I already had the church in sight when I heard the first explosion. Another heavy explosion followed. I looked around and then a huge thunderclap followed and in a cloud of embers hundreds of meters high, Törsberga Fort was blown up. I saw some hunters who had probably caught me. I ran off and punched hooks. I threw more fireworks to blind the hunters. Then I reached the church completely pumped out.

It was already getting dark. The Hunters were running in the churchyard and I took them under fire one by one. They kept shooting at me and I had to take cover several times.

go. But I also handed out properly and destroyed one after the other. I packed up my things. Also the things I had deposited and made myself ready to leave. After I had destroyed all the Hunters, I set off again to Lännbacka. I ran across a field as fast as I could to take the shortest way to the coast. It was deep night. On the way I swallowed another Ritalin tablet.

I reached Lännbacka after midnight. I bypassed the town. A little later I reached Käleby. Here I was involved in a fire fight. I met a mixed group of hunters and runners. I took refuge in a building. I fired at them one by one. When I thought I had finished them all, I wanted to get out of the building and go on.

I had just walked a few yards down the street when I was fired upon. A sniper had ambushed me. The projectiles whistled around my ears, ricochets buzzed away. I was completely surprised by the attack, had I become too careless? I had me, after that the first projectile not far from me has smashed in the wall, thrown myself to the bottom. I looked around quickly and could not recognize the shooter.

I rappelled me up and sprinted off in a stooped position. I was immediately taken under fire again. The projectiles buzzed around me, chunks of plaster and splashing dirt hit me. Ricochets howled. A ricochet hit me in the leg. I was bleeding like a stuck pig. That’s all I needed. I dragged myself into a building and patched myself up. But the wound was painful, it wasn’t very deep. It just bled a lot.

I used iodine to stop the bleeding and put a gauze bandage on it. Then I made a pressure bandage. I taped over the hole in my pants with Tape. When I finished, I got up and walked around the house. It went without any problems. The wound hurt and pulled, but I could walk normally. I watched the street and looked for any snipers. I tracked them and shot them down one by one. I fought some hunters and also some runners. Then I continued on my way.

Amelie tells:

The next morning, she made her way to her observation post early. The morning was beginning to dawn as she watched the area with binoculars. They had taken a hot cup of coffee with them.

A thunderclap tore the silence. A pillar of fire rose into the sky on the horizon. “It was him, it must have been Beredskappsförrad 120.

Jim spread the card.

“He strike of, he will definitely attack Törsberga.

Amelie didn’t hold anything anymore. She was in her post all day and could not be sent to the bunker. Jim scolded her because she was so frozen. But Amelie persevered. She only went to the bunker briefly to warm up a little, to drink something hot. Then she went to her post again.

When the sun went down she saw the spectacular spectacle with which the Törsberga Fort was ripped up high in the air. First they heard a thunderclap, then a second, and then there was a massive explosion.

Then she heard gunfire and explosions. At the church of Sankt Angeräs, she saw fireshone and begged Jim

“Let’s go there to help him.”

Jim declined

"By the time we are there it is over all mountains."

After a short while the fighting noise stopped. Amelie watched closely the road that led from Lännbacka towards Källeby. Then she kept peering into the night. Jim warned to leave.

“If we want to start tomorrow morning, we need a cap full of sleep. He will definitely go north again now. We’ll find him. Amelie had the feeling of seeing a person walking along the street. For a brief moment she felt like she had seen Helldiver. Her heart leapt. If Jim hadn’t held her back vigorously, she would have run after him.

Then you heard gunfire and explosions again in Käleby. The shootout lasted a long time and then stopped after an explosion.

“Let’s go,” said Jim, we’ll be up early tomorrow morning and follow him. Then he cannot have a great head start because he also gets tired, even if he runs all night. With a heavy heart, Amelie followed Jim to the bunker. When she got into the warmth, her face burned and her fingers were so stiff that she could hardly open her parka.

Akiko sent her under the shower. She should take a shower as hot as possible to warm up. Akiko had given her hot chocolate and hot rice porridge that tasted good. She ate hungrily. Akiko had wrapped them in blankets that she had previously put in the oven and warmed them up.

Amelie slowly thawed and she caught a stern look from her friend. But Akiko wanted only the best for her and wanted to prevent her from getting sick. She just hoped Helldiver was still alive. Jim tried to calm her down by saying

"If nothing had exploded in Käleby now and the fire had simply stopped, he would have been worried."

So he said Helldiver has definitely won the battle. We would go north over Käleby tomorrow and see what happened in the night. Perhaps they would find traces if it wasn’t snowing now.

When she was in bed, she thought about Helldiver again. How was he doing now, was he walking through the icy night now? Mother souls alone, or had he been shot and his body lay in the street in Käleby. At that thought her heart cramped and she choked down the lump she had in her throat.

She was fighting her tears. Akiko noticed that she was doing badly and sat down next to her to comfort her.

“I’m so scared for him, hopefully nothing happened to him,” she said to Akiko in a trembling voice.

“I’d love to be with him now,” she sighed.

Akiko spoke comfortingly to her and stroked her hair.

"He’ll be fine, Amalie, Helldiver is a fighter, will take care of himself. You sleep now, tomorrow we go look, Amalie, good night "

Akiko said to her and kissed her forehead.

230. Day

Amelie slept very restlessly, she rolled back and forth and started again and again. In her dreams, she kept seeing Helldiver being shot and killed, and she was always too far away to help him. She kept waking up with a lump in her throat and worry. Finally, she fell asleep a little towards morning. Finally she woke up with the others, feeling sleepy, as if she had been wheeled.

She went to the canteen where Akiko was already works around. Akiko put a cup of coffee down for her.

“You didn’t sleep well,” said Akiko

"Yes," yawned Amelie

"I’m still worried about him. I finally want to have him back, I’m going to go crazy otherwise. "

"Ahh, calm Amelie, we’ll find him. He’s not far now, we’re going to have a look in Käleby. ”

Amelie helped Akiko have breakfast. She ate quickly and started packing her things. Jim and Akiko did the same. Then they set off. The sun had just risen. They made their way over the hill they had used as a lookout. They peeked at Källeby but saw no suspicious movements. On the main street they could see some robot wrecks. Then they went out and carefully approached Källeby.

You could see Helldiver’s footprints in the snow. They led into the place. At the entrance to the town there were some hunter wrecks on the street. They followed Helldiver’s footprints and saw where he had holed up and shot. There were many empty bullet cases and empty magazines of his G3 lying around. They went further.

Helldiver must have had a pretty tough fight because they counted 6 hunters and 4 runners. Amelie secured on all sides. They sprinted along the houses, taking cover. Amelie ran ahead of Helldiver’s footsteps. In the middle of the village she let out a sharp cry

“Akiko, Akiko, come quickly!” Amelie stood on the sidewalk next to Helldiver’s traces, a hand slapped over her mouth

"Akiko, look, blood," she sobbed.

She was standing next to a big red spot in the snow. From the trail she could see that a fight must have taken place. She saw the bullet holes in the house wall and the flattened snow. He must have thrown himself here.

"No, Helldiver," she sobbed.

Akiko hugged Amelie and comforted her. They followed the tracks and could see from the grinding marks that he had drawn one leg. They found bullet cases again and again. He was obviously shoot at and had fought bitterly. The footprints led into a house.

"Helldiver, it’s me, Amelie, please don’t shoot. Helldiver, please don’t shoot! "

Amelie approached the house, she feared to find him seriously injured in the house. Shouting loudly, she went carefully into the house. But he wasn’t there. She followed the drops of blood, they ended up in a soup plate large pool of blood that had already dried. They also found remnants of bandages, a ripped medipack, and used bloody gauze pads. He must have treated himself here. Then she saw footprints that showed that he had been walking up and down the room.

Outside Jim had seen more Helldiver footprints and bullet casings. Even footprints that led out of the place without any traces of blood. Akiko summed up that Helldiver’s injury couldn’t have been too big, because she could tell from the traces that he had gone back to normal. At the end of the village they found a hunter wreck which was still smoldering.

Then they followed his trail into the adjacent forest.

"It seems like he’s going to the Uttern Bunker. He probably took a break in Sandbo. We should be on our way, ”said Jim. They went back to the bunker as fast as they could. Amelie calmed down a bit on the way. They considered who should do what so that they could get away as quickly as possible. Akiko and Amelie quickly cleared the kitchen and the canteen up and filled up supplies. Jim took care of the bedroom, made the beds, tidied up and replenished their ammunition.

Then they set off. The weather was good, the sky blue with some clouds. It was early noon when they passed Källeby. They had picked up his trail. They reached Sandbo in the late evening. It had started to snow. Jim said,

"We still have to secure his tracks, otherwise we will lose them again in the snow. A plume of smoke rose from the chimney of the house, indicating that Helldiver must have been there too. They walked on and followed Helldiver’s trail. Jim stuck small branches in his tracks at regular intervals. After walking two kilometers, they found that he had probably gone northeast. Jim studied the map and suspected that he must have been walking towards Uttern Bunker.

They went back to Sandbo and arranged themselves for the night. The fire was still smoldering in the fireplace. They also saw the bullet holes in the wall and the empty cartridge cases.

"9x19 caliber," said Jim.

"He must have shot here, but on what?"

The whole wall opposite from the couch had bullet marks. They studied the map together. Jim summed it up

“He will go to Muskudden, because that’s closest to the Normyrra base is further north.”

He pointed to a point on the map, there was a hill called Kilslagen where several paths crossed.

“If we lay in wait here, we will definitely see him. We’ll set off at night. He will surely strike at dawn and then we should be there. No matter where he goes, we’ll see him and then we can follow him. He will never go to Normyrra, it is too far away, that would be better if he went to the Skvadern bunker beforehand and attacks Normyrra from there. ”

Akiko and Amelie agreed. They settled down and slept on the floor. Amelie got the couch because Akiko wanted to sleep at Jim. Amelie was a little jealous. On the couch, which smelled faintly of Helldiver, she was softer than on the floor, but when she saw Akiko lying and sleeping in Jim’s arms, she became a little jealous.

Akiko had curled up like a little teddy bear and lay with her head on Jim’s chest. Jim had spread his parka over her and was holding her in his arms. How gladly she would now be in Helldiver’s arms now. Amelie sighed longingly, lay awake for a while, fighting her tears. Then she fell asleep.

Helldiver tells:

After the fight in Källeby, which was inevitable, I reached the forest behind Källeby. I had set a waypoint for Sandbo. So I could always orientate myself. The night was freezing cold and the moonlight illuminated my path with the silvery light. The Orion stood tall and magnificent behind me in the southern starry sky. The Polar star was also easy to see and helped me with my orientation. I always secured up so as not to run into a gang of Hunter’s and in front of their guns.

The wound on my leg hurt, but it was bearable. The tape on my uniform sealed the crack well and it didn’t pull in cold. My thermometer in the helmet visor showed -26 ° Celsius. I trudged my way through the crunching snow. I had to stop now and then. I breathed heavily and I felt shaky. That this trembling did not come from the cold was explained by the fact that the suit heater worked perfectly and I was not freezing. It was different. I suspected overexertion and lack of sleep.

About half way down I took a cigarette break. I use the helmet’s binoculars and watch my surroundings. I was lucky there was nothing to see. I continued walking in the early morning, the sun had not yet risen, I finally reached Sandbo. I climbed upstairs and lit the fireplace. Soon a lively fire crackled and cracked in the fireplace and it gradually became warm. I ate some armor plates that I covered with sausage. I was just too tired to warm myself up. Then I smoked another cigarette.

I examined my stock. They would last a long time, because Amelie didn’t smoke with. She always had her own cigarettes, but always forgot them, probably she made it extra so that she had an excuse to ask me for a cigarette. It was the same with chocolate.

I put the parka away and lay down on the couch. I had to curl up quite a bit because the couch was very small. The first time I slept on her in sitting position. I had the loaded Klaucke in my hand. I lay with my eyes open for a while.

there and waited for them to fall shut. That was better for me because then I didn’t have any nightmares. I fell asleep.

I woke up around noon. I had slept through without waking up in a sweat. I already felt much better. The weather seemed good. I watched the clouds. Maybe the dry weather would last for some time. I made myself a hot broth and a cup of coffee. I drank both and ate a few armor plates with sausage. Then I packed my things and made my way to the Uttern bunker.

My next mission would be Muskudden. It was a large complex with a port facility and a siding. There was an industrial complex nearby. Hydrogen gas was produced here. Probably the fuel production for my tin friends. If I destroyed that, it would have to be a major blow to their infrastructure. I could imagine that this facility would be very well guarded. In order to be able to penetrate the system, I had to penetrate Frederik Holberg’s villa.

According to a dossier, Holberg was directly under the top manager of FOA 53 and the Minister of Defense and was instrumental in the project on which a Svantje van Ulmer had worked. I had read several dossiers about van Ulmer. Accordingly, he was a brilliant scientist in the field of bionics, the connection between humans and computers. He had been awarded the Nobel Prize and had been working on a secret project for the Swedish Ministry of Defense for several years. Probably artificial intelligence. Maybe an experiment got out of hand and the plug was not pulled in time. Maybe I would find more traces.

The Holberg Villa was on the site of the fuel factory. Here I had to get chip cards to be able to enter the bunker system. A production facility for the robots had to be located in the underground system. All in all maybe even more difficult than the Törsberga Fort. A railway tunnel connected to the port facility. Here was an office building in the tunnel, according to the dossier about the facility. I could use that as a base, when attacked it was easy to defend.

I was looking forward to the Uttern bunker. There was good food, a soft bed and a can of beer. On the way I felt this weakness again and again. But then I shivered differently than when I was freezing. It was getting dark. The sun went down again with a spectacle of colors in the sky.

When it got dark, the sky became cloudy and it was snowing. The temperature had also risen slightly, it was only -18 ° Celsius. Shortly before midnight I reached the Uttern bunker. I went to the energy center and switched on the light. Then I walked through all areas of the bunker. The last time I hadn’t completely secured it. I shot some runners together and a lot of ticks. Then there was silence in the bunker.

It was already 1:00 a.m. I went to the fridge in the canteen and got a can of beer. I drank it greedily and got another one. I lit a cigarette and drank the second can with relish. I studied the documents about Muskudden. Then I went to bed. I was still awake, waiting for my eyes to shut. I fell asleep with the loaded Klaucke in my hand.

[helldiver]

231. Day

I was terrified once or twice at night. I had nightmares again. But luckily I woke up in time that I didn’t shoot around myself. I finally woke up in the morning. It had to be dark outside, because the clock showed seven o’clock. I felt a bit sleepy. I cooked coffee and made myself a can of baked beans hot.

Amelie always found this crass when I ate it with egg porridge for breakfast. My stomach filled. And I felt a little better right away. I had showered in the bath room and enjoyed the warm water. Anyway, I smelled much better now than before.

I was preparing for my upcoming mission and packing my backpack. Then I left. I left the light burn in the bunker, I wanted to return after a successful mission, because I had more to do in the area. It was still dark when I set off. I peeked the surrounding area before leaving the bunker. Then I ran off. A road led out of the bunker.

I walked along her a bit, but always kept myself on the edge so that I could jump into the embankment as quickly as possible. The area was rocky and wooded. So I had a lot of opportunities to take cover. It was snowing, which was good for me, because it also took the view from the robots that were lurking. Slowly I approached the plant. I kept peering to see how many opponents I was dealing with. There were a lot of Hunters and Runners running around the grounds. There were no seekers. I wanted to take a stand in the tunnel first. I bypassed the facility extensively. I walked through the forest and slowly approached. I had to climb over a road and an adjacent hill. I could already see the tunnel mouth. I peered, not far from me to my right were a group of Hunter to see. I took a firecracker in my hand to dazzle them.

The morning dawned and I watched the robots. When there was a good opportunity, I ran off. As I crossed the road, I threw the firecracker and ran into the forest across the street. Then I was at the tunnel mouth. To the left of me was a door. I looked with the X-ray to see if there was anything lurking behind it. Then I opened the door carefully. I came into a dark cave and went into the squat to not offer a big goal.

I turned my helmet visor on infrared vision and looked around, there was nothing hostile to see. I switched to normal vision. I saw the office barracks in the semi-darkness. The railroad tracks passed it at some distance. They disappeared in the dark, according to the map you would have to come out in the port of Muskudden. I walked into the building and pulled the door behind me. I had conquered this base without firing a shot.

Now I wanted to move on. I dropped off my luggage and studied my information, satellite images, maps and road plans within the bunker. What I had in front of me was really a hard nut. I first had to go to the Holberg Villa, very close was the entrance to the complex. It had to be destroyed. I had to blow up the whole thing. I went through the plan again. First enter the villa. Next, attach explosives to the industrial plant and explosives on the large tanks. I had seen her on my way through the forest. Then go to the bunker, visit the computer room, crack the computer with the code that General Viklund had given me and infiltrade a virus. The virus was on the floppy disk, which was in the inside pocket of my jacket in a steel case.

Then I had to get out of the facility as soon as possible, because the virus would activate the self-destruction of the plant. There was a remote detonator in my luggage that resembled a remote control for a TV. He had a fuse button with a seal glued over it. I had to pull off the seal and press the button, then the actual ignition button would come out of the device. I then had to press it to blow up the gas tanks.

That would be a nice fireworks display. I left a little of the 7.62 ammunition on the shelf, because I wouldn’t need everything. I preferred to take the PVG 90, because With the Hunters I had to make a short process. I took enough ammunition for the PVG 90 and the G3 as well as for the submachine gun and the Klaucke. Then some mines, hand grenades and the explosives for the gas tanks. I choked down a Ritalin tablet and smoked a cigarette. Then I Striked .

First I walked along the rails, peering with binoculars. The railway line led directly into the terrain. A bridge led over the road I had just crossed. Behind the bridge stood a derailed wagon in the middle of the rails. Going over the tracks was not so good, because I was too visible there. I saw the Hunters on the road and decided to fight them down with the PVG 90, then across the road and from there towards the facility.

I took aim at the Hunter and wiped them out. I quickly reloaded the PVG 90 and ran across the road, then I found a trample path that led past a rock face below the railway line. Beneath me was a raging river that flowed into a tunnel below the railway.

I slowly worked my way through the rough terrain. I saw the entrance and the gatekeeper’s booth. This was my first goal. I sneaked close enough and ran off. I reached the gatekeeper’s booth and looked at the surrounding area with the X-ray view. Not far from me, two Hunters patrolled.

The villa was about 500 m from me on a hill. The entrance to a warehouse was about 20 metres away. I matched a favorable moment where the Hunters turned their backs on me, then I ran over to the hall. I orientated myself on the aerial photographs I had of the facility. Opposite me was an office building. I ran off and reached the entrance. I crossed the building and worked my way closer to the gas tanks. I didn’t want to cause a stir until I had the explosives attached to the tanks.

When I reached the other side of the building, I saw a tank staggered through the plant and apparently guarded the gas tanks. Some Hunters and about five runners stayed there as well. Here I had to get in as unseen as possible. I ran to the opposite building.

I had turned on the camouflage automatic of the suit. It reduced my heat radiation and automatically adapted to the colors of my surroundings. I had also activated the protectors and the bulletproof vest.

The next building was a production hall. I invaded her and crossed it. The tank ran about twenty meters away from me through the facility. He wouldn’t shoot here if he didn’t want to risk blowing up the facility. I watched the Hunters running around near the tank. I watched them and when there was a good opportunity, I sprinted the 50 m to the Gastanks.

I backed up and pulled myself back between the tanks. I took the explosives out of my combat bag. I ducked in the middle of the tanks and looked again at which load I should attach where. There were control cabinets on the tanks. These housed pressure control valves. If all the controls were blown away, the tanks would be overloaded and eventually explode. That would take the whole facility to the sky

“And you’re right with you if you’re still too close,” I thought.

The explosive charges had a delay detonator, they would go up about 3 minutes after I had pressed the detonator. A small green lamp lit up the explosives. They flashed after a few seconds and then switched to yellow. This indicated to me that the explosives were active and sharp. I walked slowly and again and again securely between the tanks and set the Holberg Villa as the next waypoint. She was still a good 500 m away from me and I had to climb up a hill.

I used the tanks as much as cover. I walked up to the next building and heard the barking of a runner. I kept running and saw a Rotte Runner running up the road between the building and the gas tanks. I didn’t flare for long and threw mines behind me. First shots crashed into the pavement to the left and right of me. I hit hooks and took cover behind a corner of the building. About 20 m from me ran a wire fence, which separated the complex towards the Villa. For me at the moment an insurmountable obstacle, because if any Hunter or Runner took me on the grain, I was delivered, so quickly I wouldn’t be over the fence.

I chose the hard tour and aimed the PVG 90 at one of the fence posts. He literally exploded when I met him. I shot three stakes and the fence overturned. By now, the runners had run into the mines I threw. There were some violent explosions, then I ran off. I stormed up the hill to the villa. Behind me, bullets hit the ground.

Arriving at the slope, I threw myself flat on the ground. That was a good decision, because bullet shots whistled straight over me. I turned around and saw a Rotte Hunter standing at the bottom of the hill. I threw several mines one after the other, which also exploded immediately. The robots all exploded. A Hunter came from the villa and wanted to start a jump attack.

I jumped up and ran towards him. He missed me and fell down the slope. I just threw a grenade behind me. The rising cloud of embers told me that the case was done. Then several runners ran between the two buildings. One of them was Villa Holberg. I took the PVG 90 and made short process with the runners. I threw grenades and fired. Then I reached the villa.

I smashed the Lock with my Klaucke. There was a Tick in the house that I quickly wiped out. I searched the building and found Holberg’s study. There was a computer. Code cards were in a drawer. I took them. Also the floppy disks that were on the table. Then I found another scribbled note, which had obviously been written by Holberg. I read my instructions again and looked at the way map.

Here I had done everything. The bunker entrance was about a hundred meters from me. When I stepped out of the villa carefully, I noticed that I had gotten more company. A seeker flew over the grounds. I immediately shot him with the Klaucke. Some runners had also run up. I shot them with the PVG 90 often only one shot was enough. Then I made my way to the bunker entrance. In the meantime, I switched to the G3 so that I could hold down the opponents.

Then I reached the bunker gate. While I was still firing, I was scanned by a laser beam. A cracking indicated to me that the door could be opened. I shot with both hands, with the submachine gun and the G3. Several enemies passed in an explosion cloud. With a quick handle I opened the door and used it as a shield. Then I was in the bunker. I reloaded my weapons and continued on my way. I peered through every door with the X-ray vision, before I opened it. When I had a big gate in front of me I saw several Hunters lurking behind the gate.

I grabbed some mines in my hands, then i unlocked them and i opened the gate and used one of the wings as cover. Then I went into the squat and threw the mines into the room and immediately jumped back behind the gate. There were some explosions, debris flew into the aisle. I peered through the gate again with X-ray vision.

A Hunter was still visible. I took a hand grenade and threw it into the room. There was a decent detonation and a cloud of embers shot into the hallway. Then it became quiet. Carefully and the PVG 90 at ready to shoot I lurked around the corner. There were only smoking Hunterwrecks in the hall.

I carefully secured on all sides and went on. I looted the robots. They filled my ammunition supplies. I walked through a gigantic hall. On railway wagons were half-finished Tanks and Hunter. Some Hunters hung on chains from the ceiling. It seemed to be a manufacturing facility for the robots. Parts for the robots were stored on pallets. Weapon arms, body, heads and legs for Hunter. I ran after my waypoint, along the way I was repeatedly attacked by ticks that came from some corner. I destroyed them with the submachine gun. Then I found the entrance to the control center. The door was closed. I smashed the lock with the submachine gun, because I had no time to lose. Then I found a computer terminal. I pressed the space bar of the keyboard a few times. The screen flickered and indicated with green letters that it was ready for operation.

"Press Enter to start" was on the screen.

I pressed the Enter key, then I was asked for the password. I retrieved the passwords that General Viklund had called me and entered the code slowly. After I pressed the Enter key again, the screen briefly went dark, the computer was quietly rattling, then a new screen appeared and showed me a menu.

I did exactly as it was in the instructions. Finally, I was asked to insert the floppy disk into the drive. With a quiet clack, the 3.5-inch floppy disk snapped into the drive. I heard the drive start. It cracked quietly and a bar chart appeared on the screen below a percentage that slowly grew larger, finally a beep sounded and the message appeared

"Transfer complete. Start program "Y=Yes / N=No"

I typed "Y" and started the program. Then the next message appeared "Start self-destruction sequence, enter security code" I entered the next code that was on the note.

Then he seemed to report

"Self-destruction sequence activated. Destruction sequence starts in 60 seconds."

I didn’t lose any time, pressed the eject button on the drive bay and took the floppy disk back to me. Then immediately I got up and run away. I took the PVG90 in my hand and stormed through the hall. I had already programmed the escape route into my helmet visor before. I had to leave the facility as soon as possible. When I was still about 50 m from the gate, a Pack Hunter ran up.

I quickly threw some hand grenades, then I threw several fireworks to dazzle the robots. Then I took the PVG 90 and fired as fast as I could. The ground was shaking under me and I could hear a subdued detonation. Then another followed, the ground bulged. I absolutely had to get out of here. I fired back at the robots and ran off.

I kept taking cover behind one of the pillars that support the hall. Gradually I switched off the Hunters, then a big detonation followed. I was thrown to the ground by the pressure wave. In the back of the hall, a Fireflare broke through the wall.

I rappelled up and sprinted off. I threw mines behind me and rushed out of the gate. The track led into the gate, next to it was a wide ramp that led down to the factory. I ran as fast as I could, fired with the PVG90 and rushed down the ramp, behind me a huge explosion sounded and a giant flame shots out over me.

I was knocked over by the pressure wave and rappelled up again. I switched to the G3 because the PVG90 was empty. At the lower end of the ramp, some runners ran up. I fired at them and fled into a barrack. Then I reloaded my G3, took the remote detonator out of my pocket, removed the seal and pressed the ignition button.

The device beeped a green lamp jumped on red and pointed to the ignition being activated. I ran off, because hell would break loose right away. The ground shook under my feet from the violent explosions. Then half the mountain flew away behind me. I still saw the flash of explosion behind me.

In front of me, some runners ran up again. I shot at them. I saw in front of me the railing of a bridge that crossed the river. I shouldered the G3, flanked over the railing, dropped and hoped that the water would be deep enough. Bullets hissed over me. Then the freezing floods over me collapsed. I had to fight to get back to the surface.

The current of the river quickly carried me away. Behind me, the gas tanks were ripped into the sky in a huge explosion. The water was freezing cold and the current kept pushing me under water. I struggled to keep myself at the surface. A hail of rocks fell over me. They hit the water around me. I dived so as not to be hit. Added to this was that the cold hardened my muscles.

I had to get out of the water as quickly as possible. I tried to swim out of the current at an angle. Below the railway bridge, the water became a little calmer. I made it to the shore. I couldn’t have stayed in the water much longer I froze terribly and could barely move. I pulled myself to the shore with my last strength and got out of the water. I rappelled up and tried to run. My suit heating was running at full speed. My teeth were rattling at each other. I had to move quickly to a warmer place.

I crawled up the mountain while behind me further explosions tore the facility apart. The area was illuminated by the gigantic torch. I reached the office building in the tunnel and dropped my weapons.

Amelie tells us:

They woke up at night. Jim had an alarm clock in his watch. We set us on our way quickly. It was still dark and it snowed heavily. They went the course Jim had chosen. Jim orientated himself again and again with the compass. Before sunrise, you reached the observation post.

The area was wooded. Below the hill there were several paths. They took their binoculars and switched them to infrared vision. They spread out on calling distance They peered over the range of the ways and scouted the surroundings of the paths. Suddenly Amelie saw a red light point moving through the forest.

She watched him closer and suspected a Hunter or a Runner. She peered into the night several times and saw nothing. With a Runner or Hunter you would have seen the light beam of the scanner. There was nothing to see. The hunting fever gripped her, that had to be Helldiver. She kept observing the point and then she could see the shape. She kept running ducked, squatting, securing on all sides, jumping up and running on.

She called the others. Everyone watched the spot Jim said immediately

“That’s him, only he moves like that, you’re good, could be a marine.”

Let’s go after him, but be careful that he doesn’t notice us and we don’t disturb his mission, we know where he wants to go. They followed him Again and again Amelie peered with the telescope of her AK 5. When they came near the gas factory, they let themselves fall back. They saw a railway line. They stayed behind Helldiver and saw Helldiver invade the tunnel.

“He’s going to come back,” Jim said.

We’ll stay here for the time being. A short time later, Helldiver returned to the tunnel entrance. We could see him taking under fire a pack of Hunter, they were patrolling the street at a short distance away, and he fought them down. Then he ran over the road, perhaps 50 metres away from them. He disappeared again in the bushes almost silently like a shadow. Even in the infrared it was hardly recognizable. He had turned on the suit camouflage. They followed him respectfully so as not to jeopardize his mission. They followed on the trample path along the railway line and could see how Helldiver penetrated the facility. Now they could only wait.

Amelie bit on her lower lip, she became almost insane with a lot of concern. He, Helldiver, had invaded the industrial complex alone. This complex looked like a refinery or a large tank farm, because in the rear area there were huge tanks. Runners and Hunter patrolled the grounds.

What did he like to look for in the industrial complex. They walked along a rock face and hid behind some large stones. At the end of the railway line to the left of them was a large, concrete tunnel opening that looked like the hangar of a large bunker. You had seen something similar in the hellhole on Hjimfäll. There was a factory for these robots.

There were no gunshots or other activity. Jim and Amelie took out their binoculars and searched the area for any traces of Helldiver. Akiko secured the two by looking around and waiting for opponents who might sneak in.

Then they heard gunshots and explosions in the back of the facility. She peered through the telescope of her AK5. She could see Helldiver running up the hill to the villa and throwing himself down. She couldn’t help him because he was way too far away. She screamed

"Helldiver watch out!!" when she saw the Hunter attacking him.

She also saw Helldiver dodge him and the Hunter fell down the slope. Amelie chewed nervously on her lower lip and saw him entering the villa. Then she heard subdued gunshots. A short time later he came out of the villa shooting violently as he retreated in the direction of the mountain that was standing behind him.

A whole pack of Runner invaded on him and she could see with the binoculars that he was shooting with both hands. Then the shots fell silent. “He’s definitely in the facility,” Jim said. “Now we can only keep our fingers crossed and wait and see what happens.” “Can’t we do anything?” asked Amelie anxiously. “No, I’m sorry, we have to keep calm now and wait and see what happens,” Jim said. They heard muted explosions. Amelie waited restlessly. The minutes dragged on like chewing gum.

Suddenly, the muted thunder of an explosion that had taken place underground rang out. Amelie thought that was him, that was his work.

Another explosion and another explosion crashed, the ground shook and on the opposite mountain a smaller rock avalanche went off. Then, with a huge bang, part of the mountain exploded. The pressure wave of the explosion swept up and they had to throw themselves flat on the ground so that they were not thrown against the rock face by it. A huge stab flame shot into the sky and again another part of the mountain broke out. Small stones scurried down from the air to you. With a huge explosion, the right part of the mountain was torn open. A gigantic cloud of embers, interspersed with stones and debris, rose. Large stones rained down on the three and they had to retreat so that they would not be hit. When Amelie looked over to the tunnel entrance, her heart took a leap.

A narrow figure ran as if hell was behind her there bursted a huge Flame from the tunnel entrance.

[helldiver]

The figure, she hoped it was Helldiver, ran down the ramp leading up to the tunnel entrance and the flame blew over him. She saw him fall and screamed. She realized that she was biting her fist, which she had held in front of her mouth.

The figure rappelled up and ran on. Some runners showed up and wanted to cut off his path. She saw him shoot out of his G3, saw the sparks of his bullets and saw some of the robots explode. He ran in a zigzag to dodge the bullets of the other attackers. The impacts of the enemy shots came ever closer to him. Amelie tried to shoot at the robots from her cover, but she didn’t dare because the robots were too far away and she was afraid to hit Helldiver. Then he disappeared from her field of vision.

She could hear gunshots. Then she saw him running again. She still saw him shoulder his rifle as he ran onto a small bridge, then he flanked over the railing and jumped down from the small bridge into the raging river that led long under the railway line.

She saw him emerge and wrestle with the current. She saw him being carried away and tried to keep himself afloat. Amelie almost passed away in fear because she couldn’t help him. They ran after him. Jim formed the rearguard behind Akiko to protect her from possible pursuers. They pursued him, but the current was faster than them. The terrain was rough, so they didn’t move fast enough.

Then hell broke out behind them. The gas tanks exploded in a gigantic stab flame. They could talk about luck that they had already walked around the mountain a little bit, because the pressure wave swept up and threw them all three violently to the ground. A hail of rocks fell over them. Stones ticked against Amelie’s helmet. The air was suddenly full of concrete dust and it was difficult for her to breathe.

The river led to a large tunnel from where the railway line led to the industrial complex. As they walked along a narrow path, Amelie could see Helldiver swam to shore in the calming water and crawl ashore. She saw him rappelling up and probably running to the tunnel with the last strength. Maybe he had found a place there. They ran after him.

They went into the tunnel and lit up with the flashlights. Then they shouted out, “Helldiver, we are, please don’t shoot.”

A little deeper in the tunnel they saw a small barrack and through the window they could see Helldiver taking his G3 off his shoulder. Jim first walked with a lowered gun and shouted ,Helldiver, bro’ we are. Don’t shoot.’ Jim carefully opened the door Amelie walked behind Jim and Akiko followed her.

Helldiver stood in the middle of the room and made an incredulous face.

"Damned it what are you doing here"

it escaped him. Amelie saw how exhausted and soaked he was. It gave her a stab in the heart, but also hot fury suddenly boiled over in her.

Helldiver tells us:

I looked from one to the other and couldn’t believe they were all standing in front of me. You shouldn’t be here and especially Amelie shouldn’t. Amelie stepped forward. Her face had a strange expression, her otherwise warm eyes flashed, she was pale and her beautifully curved narrow-lipped mouth was pinched to a line.

She put her AK5 on the table and pulled the submachine gun off her shoulder and placed it next to her AK5, then took off her gloves. I saw her shiver and shake. I had never seen her like that.

“Jim, Akiko, let’s leave us alone, please,” she said strangely.

She was shaking. Jim and Akiko left the room and closed the door.

I didn’t know what was coming. I was expecting a big thunderstorm or a tirade. I wanted to say something, there she slammed her hand in my face. I was so surprised because the blow had come without warning and slammed my head to the side. My helmet, whose strap I had already opened, fell to the ground and before I could gather again came the second slap. So firm and hard that I only saw colorful stars. Through the star nebula I saw her left hand flying and I received another slap that threw my head to the other side. I didn’t expect this delicate, slender woman to strike so hard, and above all without swinging.

Jim saw from outside as Amelie Helldiver missed a powerful slap that swept his helmet off his head and immediately a second and a third behind. Jim made a face as if he had received the slaps himself.

"He has to go through it," Akiko said, "Amalie very angry because she loves Helldiver. He is in her heart and she is very afraid of that something could happens to him".

I just saw her swinging up and grabbed her hand and was able to hold her, then she slammed me with the other fist-balled hand and hit me in the chest. She kicked me against my shin and took off her hand. She was suddenly like a weasel and her small but hard fists everywhere.

"You damn Filou (French. crook, slit ear)"

She screamed with a swaying voice and slapped me with punches, which slowly faded.

When Amelie slapped Helldiver with her fists, Jim said

"It gets too violent, I go in between, she beats him dead."

“Ahhh nix kill Helldiver, Amalie will not do. That’s just love. Will he survive.”

Akiko and Jim watched the spectacle while Amelie Helldiver missed a rubdown

"You fucking Filou, chained me like a dog and stole you off like a thief."

she screamed again.

"You fucking ass" and she was already beating me again.

I was able to protect myself with my arms and circled the table to get away from her, but she followed me and I got more blows of her fists.

Then she stopped trembling in front of me. Her eyes flashed furiously, her otherwise pretty face was warped to a grimace, she breathed heavily.

"I almost went mad with the fear that something might happen to you."

Tears rolled down her cheeks, but that wasn’t howling because she was sad, they were tears of fury. I hadn’t seen her so upset in the whole time, even when she had screamed at me in the Vesslan bunker. She approached me and I raised my arms to fend off her possible blows. Of course, I could have taken this weak woman off her legs with a punch. But I didn’t want to fight back, I didn’t want to hurt her. I knew I had hurt her.

"When you just ran out of the bunker I almost died." "And at all, what do you look like, exhausted, when was the last time you ate something?"

"This morning, I said."

"And your weapon, she lifted my G3 off the table. She pulled out the magazine and held it under my nose. It was empty. I had fired the gun empty when I fled the gas factory.

"Here, empty!" she yelled at me.

"Do you have you any ammunition, she screamed at me and groping my bags. They were empty.

“You don’t have a shot anymore and you face the robots,”

"But I still have my submachine gun, my Klaucke and the PVG90. And there is still 7.62 ammunition on the shelf"

"AHH der Grande Chasseur (French: The great fighter), le loup solitair (the lone wolf) you fight with a handful of cartridges against a horde of deadly robots and chain me in the hotel? I almost went mad with fear for you."

Tears could be seen again in her eyes and one of them rolled down her cheek. She was shaking all over her body.

"Why did you do that?"

“Amelie, you knew I didn’t want to put you in danger.” I have said it so many times. But you didn’t want to hear."

Not hear !!, Damn"

She slammed the G3 on the table.

"I have told you a thousand times that I do not want to let you go alone. I don’t want to go after your damn coffin and constantly blame myself for not going along to maybe save your ass! "

She raised her fist as if she wanted to slap me one in. She grimaced her face and banged her fist on the table.

"You damn fool," she yelled at me.

Then she slowly approached me. Still trembling. Suddenly she jumped up at me, wrapped her legs around my hip. She embraced me. I stumbled back and bounced backwards against the wall. Amelie was feather-light but the attack came too suddenly and unexpectedly. Then she kissed me, that my air got away.

"Never do that again," she said as she broke away from me, her eyes had taken a sad expression. Then she kissed me again, but this time much more tenderly. I was deeply ashamed, because what I had done to this woman was unforgivable. I felt and knew that this woman loved me with all her heart and did not want to go from my side. I knew she would go through hell with me without flinching an eyelash. The thought that something could happen to her hurt me again and again and weighed heavily on my shoulders. But her kiss was so sweet, full of warmth and tenderness that the world around me sank. I realized how much I missed her and how much I wished to be with her in a more peaceful place in another time to live with her.

The door opened and Jim put his head in. Amelie turned her head to the side and said “I’m not finished with him yet,” he said.

When Jim closed the door, she looked me deep in the eye and she was again the loving, pretty Amelie who enchanted me with her warm eyes.

"I missed you so much. Never leave me alone again and never lie to me never again, you hear."

"Yes," I answered guilt-consciously.

"Come on, kiss me again," she said. She pressed herself firmly on me as if she wanted to hold me.

Then she slid down at me and stood back on her own feet. She gently touched my cheek with her fine hand, on which she had struck me before. It burned like a fire and stretched because it slowly swelled.

"It hurts a lot," she asked pityingly

"Sorry," she breathed with her French slang

'I was so disappointed and angry with you, I’ll never beat you again. My fuse just flew out.”

I put my hand on hers and smiled at her slightly.

“It’s okay, there’s pain, They’re much bigger.”

"But you have a very nice right hook."

Amelie clenched her right hand to a fist and held she under my nose.

"What does it smell like?" I tenderly took it in my hand and smelled at it. It smelled of glove and very weak of soap. I made a face.

“I don’t know,” I said

“L’hopital” (French: Hospital)” she said and laughed.

I took her fist, put it on my cheek and then I pressed a gentle kiss on her.

"I love you, never forget that," she breathed to me, smiling.

I took her wordlessly in my arms and pressed her firmly on me. I had a lump in my neck. I struggled to swallow it down and struggled to hold back my tears, which were pressing behind my eyeballs. A small tear ran out of my corner of my eye. When Amelie broke away from me, she wiped this tear tenderly from the corner of my eye with one of her fingers and smiled at me lovingly.

Jim tells:

When Jim came back from the door, he said to Akiko.

“She’s not done with it yet”

"Yes, I see," Akiko said, pointing to the window where the two kissed.

"Someone should understand that. First she beats him and then she kisses him."

Akiko replied, “As I said, Helldiver in her heart but she feared for him. Helldiver they also love, only he is Bushido (Japan. Way of the Warrior). He can’t fall in love now. Must have clear head for fight. Don’t want Amalie in danger.”

“Man why doesn’t he tell her,” Jim said.

Akiko replied, “Because he can’t”

"And why not?" asked Jim

"Men," Akiko replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"Oh my God," Jim said, and he rolled his eyes.

"But the main thing between us is all clear."

Jim said, putting his arm around Akiko’s narrow hip.

"Yes Jim, I love you"

"And love you too my darling," Jim said, leaning down to her.

They gave each other a kiss.

Helldiver tells again

Amelie said, "I’ll call them in. " and walked to the door.

Akiko and Jim came into the room. Jim feixed and waved his hand. Then he saw my cheek with the Amelie’s handprint reddish and made a pain-distorted face.

"Thunderstorms clean the air," I said to Jim.

"It was more of a tornado," Jim said with a laugh.

“OK folks, we can’t stay here. We have to get out of here, I know the way to the Uttern Bunker. We can stay the night.” I said.

"There I can update you and explain the rest of the mission. This was just the beginning".

“Well, let’s go,” Jim said.

I grabbed my weapons and took over the top behind came Amelie, Akiko and at the end Jim. We quickly walked through the tunnel towards Muskudden Marine Base. We had to clear our way. Again and again Hunter and Runner stood in our way. Jim and I took care of it, we were both in it. I asked Amelie to stay behind me. We had soon fought the facility free. Now we were able to make our way to Uttern.

My teeth kept rattling at each other. I froze godly. At -20° Celsius, the wet stuff was a danger. Slowly, but gradually, the suit heating was down, because the batteries were empty. I had to warm up urgently and dry my clothes. The suit hadn’t sucked as full as the drilly, but I was soaked to the bones. It was dangerous, because I could die of frostbite.

If I had been alone, I would have gone to a shelter, or I would have stayed in the tunnel, because at least it didn’t freeze there. Amelie looked anxious, because my lips were already blue. I looked up on my card. Very close to us was a farmstead called Äppelbo. We set out there. I realized I got soft knees. We reached the house after about an hour’s walk. I was just moving mechanically. I was terribly cold. I barely got the parka in the house. The one because it was soaked, stiffly frozen. I was shaking like aspen leaves and my teeth were banging on loudly.

Amelie looked very worried. Upstairs, I put wood in the fireplace and lit it. Then I undressed to my underwear and sat trembling in front of the open fireplace. The fire slowly warmed me. Amelie wanted to spread her parka over me, but I refused. I didn’t want her parka to get wet, because my underwear was also completely soaked.

Amelie massaged and rubbed my back to warm me up. I let it go on in silence.

“Don’t do well, you’re so terribly pale,” Amelie said anxiously.

“It’s so so, I’m just incredibly tired,” I said.

I sat in front of the fireplace and nodded in again and again.

"Are you hungry?" asked Amelie

“Not really,” was my terse answer. I didn’t feel good overall. The mission had cost me a lot of strength. Then the hike through the cold with the soaked clothes. That had exhausted me. I was so tired that I didn’t even have an appetite. Amelie opened a can of baked beans and set them in the fire. Again and again she stired them around then she put on the gloves and fetched the can from the fire. She held a filled spoon under my nose. “Come on, eat something, then you’ll be better off,” Amelie said.

I nodded and she put the spoon in my mouth. She fed me a few spoons. They warmed from the inside, but my appetite was limited. I was just too exhausted. Eventually I took the can out of her hand, ate another spoon, then I fed the rest to Amelie.

“You don’t look good my darling,” I said to her, pushing a spoonful of beans into her mouth.

"In the cold you absolutely have to eat something. And you always eat too little,"

I told her. She smiled and ate the beans I fed her. Slowly I warmed up and my underwear dried slowly. I turned my back to the fire so that I could also dry from behind. I smoked a cigarette. Akiko also looked anxious and said

“You don’t look good Helldiver. Looks exhausted.”

Amelie took care of me. I apologized to her for my molefulness, but I was just too tired for any conversation. I groped my parka and uniform jacket. It gradually became dry. I dressed again and sat close to the fireplace again. Then we moved on. I walked the path in silence. I didn’t froze quite so badly any more. But I didn’t feel good, I was fluffy and i had a slight dizziness. My knees were soft and trembling. Once I had to stop and get some air. My knees were shaking and I had a feeling of weakness. I was in the cold sweat. My breath went intermittently.

Amelie asked me if she could help me, but I waved off. She meant it well with me and was worried. I had trouble holding my eyes open, actually I would have needed a Ritalin tablet now. But I didn’t want to take any, because I thought I had already taken enough of it. Akiko felt my pulse and felt my forehead. She looked worried. Then we went on. Amelie hooked up with me. Take me by the hand. She probably noticed that I wasn’t doing well. After hours we reached the Uttern Bunker. I kind of walked on the gums. Amelie made a quick stew hot in the kitchen. She wanted to give me something warm to eat. I showered beforehand and warmed myself under the warm water. Then I put on dry clothes.

After the meal we sat a little together. I was silent because I was just too tired. We drank beer and smoked. Amelie was sitting on the couch next to me. I had trouble hold my eyes open. Then we went to bed. Amelie rolled in happily smiling. It was really a treat to keep them in my arms. My eyes fell immediately shut, but my sleep was restless. I was plagued by nightmares again.

Eventually I was startled up and had the Klaucke back in the attack. I sat vertically in bed and aimed my pistol at the opposite wall. I had one of those brutal nightmares where Amelie died. They were so real that they reverberated for a long time.

Luckily, Amelie was lying next to me. I trembled all over my body like aspen leaves and was sweat-bathed. I was dizzy and flabby. My heart was racing. Amelie knelt next to me and spoke reassuringly to me.

“Sssscchhhh, quiet Helldiver, quite quiet, it was just a nightmare. It’m your Amelie, it’s me, be quiet, calm down.”

She gently put her arm around my shoulders, then stroked my arm with the other hand and carefully placed her hand on the weapon.

"Give me the gun, just let it go, give it to me," she said quietly to me.

I let go of the gun and slapped my fists in front of my eyes. I tried to process the dream. I got up and walked into the canteen trembling and sat down at a table. I hid my face in my hands and sobbed softly. I couldn’t do more, I was at the end of my powers. Always these terrible nightmares that robbed me of sleep. Amelie got me a can of beer and opened it.

“Here’s a sip, you poor, did you have such a bad dream?”

“Yeeees,” I reply sobbing, there goes all the time, I can’t sleep through the night, every time you die in such a dream and then I wake up sweat-bathed. They always feel so real. Then I shoot around me. The smashed bed and the bullets in the wall that was me. I’m going crazy. I think I have to sleep somewhere else, otherwise I have killed one of you. Amelie I’m so scared for you that something could happen to you."

Then I couldn’t talk any more, because I was shaken by a wine cramp. Amelie took me in her arms, caressed, loved and kissed me. She gave me her warmth and enveloped me with her love. She spoke reassuringly to me and comforted me. I sucked it up like a dry sponge.

Akiko came and felt my pulse, measured my blood pressure, then she asked me

“You’re taking drugs?”

"No,” I just answered “Ritalin."

"Where have you?" asked Akiko.

"In my uniform jacket," I replied.

Akiko ran off and came back shortly afterwards with the package in his hand.

"Did you took all, was that full pack?" asked Akiko.

“Yes, I’ve taken them since I left Björntunet about one or two a day, depending on how I felt.”

Akiko slapped her hand in front of her mouth.

“OOOOHHHH Helldiver that far too much for God’s sake. You no longer have Ritalin, so you can’t sleep.”

Akiko pulled Amelie to the side.

Amelie tells us:

Helldiver had slept so restlessly, he was constantly rolling back and forth, he never did. He had something. Suddenly he straightens up and had the Klaucke in his Hand ready to shoot. He trembled all over his body, the sweat was onhis forehead, and his eyes were wide open. His breath was intermittendly. I took him in my arm and gently took the gun away from him, then we went into the canteen. Helldiver sat quietly sobbing at the table. When Akiko examined him, she pulled me aside and said

“Amelie, Helldiver very bad at it, has too much Ritalin taken. He can collapse and then heart can’t beat properly and he’s dead. May not take any more. I believe Helldiver has acute stress disorder. Has experienced too much bad, always the fear of death every day. Every day always at the stop. He had to be calm, sleep a lot, no fuss. We have to stay here for a few days to recover, otherwise it can become a traumatic stress disorder and that’s very bad. You know Helldiver has fears he take many Ritalin so he wakes up, then sleep, but no proper deep sleep will always be awake because of nightmare, then not sleep and then again Ritalin is circle of devil. If he sleeps properly again, he won’t have any nightmares. You have to be very fond of him and don’t get him upset. I’ll look again tomorrow.”

Amelie listened attentively. Helldiver had probably expected far too much, then also the fear for her. She was sorry for him, what had the poor guy been going through for strain and then mother-soulalone alone in the cold. She sat down next to him and took him in his arms.

“Come on we smoke another cigarette, you drink your beer and then we go back to bed and then you sleep properly. I’m with you.”

A little later we got back to bed, usually I turn in, but this time I did it differently. I turned on my back and told him,

"Put your head on my chest. Come here."

He did what I told him, I took him into my arms. I wrapped my arms around him and stroked him. Moments later, he fell asleep. My loving embrace works like medicine. He slept deeply and tightly.

[helldiver]

Day 232

Helldiver tells us:

I woke up and lay on my back. Amelie lay on my chest and looked at me from her dark eyes.

She smiled, "Well, are you awake?"

"So slow, yes, and you, have you been awake for a long time?"

"quelques minutes (French: a few minutes).

"I absolutely have to learn French," I told her

“oui, I’ll teach you,” she said.

Je t’aime, mon cherie (French: I love you my darling)" I told her.

"Was that right or did I say something bad now?" I asked.

She laughed silver bright and looked at me in love

“Oh, non.non cherie, that’s exactly what I love to hear from you”

and she moved to be closer to mine with her face

“You said it right, je t’aime, Helldiver mon cherie.” (French: I love you, Helldiver my darling.)

Then she tenderly kissed me on the mouth and stroked with her fingers over my cheek.

"Do you want to stay a little bit, or do you want to get up, Jim and Akiko are already up."

I closed my arms around her and stroked her back.

“We should get up. I’d like coffee and something for breakfast.”

“OK. then let’s get up,” she said.

"Are you better off?"

"Yes, I slept through the night"

I took her face into my hands,

"I missed you a lot."

"I missed you too," she said.

Then we rose and went to the canteen. Akiko had already prepared breakfast. I drank coffee and ate from the baked beans, Akiko had also prepared egg porridge. Jim and I liked to eat this combination, although Amelie found it absolutely crass. After breakfast, Akiko examined me, measured my blood pressure, listened to me with the stethoscope, especially to my heartbeat, she felt my pulse. Then she saw after my injury to my leg, which was healing.

“Have you done well, have directly clean and a lot of iodine, which is good. I’m just making new bandages, in a few days patches will be enough.”

Then Akiko looked at me seriously.

“You no longer take so many Ritalin that dangerous, you can sometimes do but not every day and especially not always continue. You can kill with it. You absolutely have to be here for a few days now. The nightmares just because you don’t sleep properly because you have too much Ritalin. I Amalie yesterday said you have acute stress disorder and can only resolve if you have a few days rest, I can meditate with you so that you can find inner peace again. Your yin and yang is not balanced you need to rebalance. Then you’re good again and you can fight if you don’t do then can stay and is hard way to get back to health. You’ve seen too much fear and horrible things and then no sleep. Head can not work and therefore you bad nightmares. This afternoon we are meditating.”

I thanked Akiko, I appreciate her calm and thoughtful manner.

She asked me, "Helldiver, you told Amalie that you love her?"

"Yes, Akiko, I told her after we both spoke in Björntunet. I couldn’t hold it back.’

She put a hand on my,

"that was good, so much better for both of you, your hearts no longer crying. Amalie also so something can happen, but now you near her and you can watch out for her. Amalie much better now. Amalie was angry but so much dear Helldivers they forgive you."

"Akiko, may I?" I asked her.

Akiko looked at me with a smile. I spread my arms and pressed Akiko.

"Oh so, that you are allowed."

I just said, "Thank you Akiko."

In the afternoon I sat with Akiko in the common room, we had sat down on the floor in the tailor’s seat. Jim and Amelie were also there. Akiko had put small incense sticks in a glass and lit them. They spread a pleasant fragrance.

Akiko spoke in a calm voice. "Sitting like me, quite relaxed. Leave everything loose. Inhale and exhale. Enjoy the fragrance. She had small metal parts on her thumb and index finger that were shaped like a tiny pelvis of a drum. They made a gentle, quiet ringing as Akiko slapped them together. She spoke slowly and calmly.

“Close your eyes, it gets quite warm, you are at a small lake, with wonderful clear blue water. You’re slowly going in. The water is wonderfully warm.”

I imagined this lake and almost felt the warmth that Akiko suggested to us with her voice. Then I walked slowly into the lake, the water was wonderfully warm. A deep blue sky stretched over me.

"Go slowly in water ever deeper, deeper and deeper until you can swim.

I imagined going deeper and deeper into this wonderfully warm water and pushed myself away from the bottom of the lake and let myself drift.

"You push off the ground and swim slowly, let drift, no effort, just warm water and drift. And one will be with nature, drift… Drive… Drive.

I imagined myself floating on this wonderfully warm water, I felt so carefree so light. I heard the gentle ringing, which Akiko emits with her little bell.

After some time, she said

"You slowly get out of the lake. In warm air, you are very warm and feel good and refreshed, wake up slowly. Open your eyes.

I opened my eyes and raised my head, I felt really carefree, refreshed. Akiko slapped her hands.

Jim and Amelie also opened their eyes. We were impressed by what Akiko had achieved with these simple means. The hour had gone around like in flight. I felt really better. I stayed in the lounge. Amelie said goodbye to the kitchen.

"I still have something to do," she said mysteriously.

Jim and Akiko went to the gym to train. I had an important conversation ahead of me. I had to talk to Amelie again. What I had done to her was unforgivable and I had to tell her at least again that I was sorry. I was so ashamed of her and did not deserve her love and affection.

I went to the canteen. Amelie was tinkering around the kitchen. I went into the kitchen and asked

"May I, or am I bothering you?"

"Oh, no, grab a cup of coffee and sit down at the table."

She stirred in a bowl. Flour stuck to her uniform.

"What are you doing?" I asked her,

"I bake cakes," she said

"Akiko has his birthday tomorrow."

“Honestly,” I said, I didn’t know."

"But I know," Amelie said, smiling, moving on stirring in the bowl.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have any candles for the cake,” Amelie said.

“I don’t even have a gift for her,” I said.

“Or maybe she likes to listen to heavy metal, what do you mean when I give her my heavy metal cassette perhaps she’s happy about it?”

“Would you do that? She’s certainly happy about it, especially because she knows it’s yours and you doesn’t have a second one,” Amelie said.

“Don’t mind?”

“No, we’re together anyway and if she wants to hear it she doesn’t do it alone and when it’s over I can make a new one. No, I really wouldn’t mind. I like to give it to Akiko.”

“Candles, I could go down to the small town. I think there’s a supermarket, I could look at it, maybe I’ll find candles and maybe a bottle of sparkling wine and gift wrapping paper.”

"Would you do that?" Asked Amelie.

“Of course.” “But you don’t go alone, you take Jim with you.”

"OK, I do," I said as Amelie poured the dough into a small saucepan and put it in the oven.

"You Amelie," I said, "I absolutely need to talk to you."

Amelie looked at me inquiringly

"What is it about, why so formal?"

“Amelie, I am so ashamed of what I have done to you and abused your trust. I wanted to tell you that I am infinitely sorry and that I did not want anything evil for you, but I wanted to protect you, even if it did not look like it. I would like to ask you for forgiveness. I can understand if you can’t get it right at the moment and you don’t have confidence in me anymore. That’s what I wanted to tell you.”

Amelie looked at me and suddenly got serious. She approached me and stood in front of me.

"Give me a little bit of space,"

she said and stood between me and the table. I moved a little backwards and she sat on my lap.

“Now listen to me good to mon ami (french: my friend). Your Amelie sometimes takes a little longer to understand some things. And sometimes your Amelie has to learn things on the hard tour. That you chained me that Was partly my fault, because I left you no other choice. I was terribly angry with you because you tied me up, I would have liked to have scratched your eyes, but then, as I sat all the hours chained to the heater, I realized what I would lose if I had given you up. I wouldn’t have needed handcuffs for that. I could have had that days before. A slap left and right, dragged to another room and Adieu salaud (French. Goodbye Shithead). But what would I have had? I wouldn’t have had anything and you would have got what you wanted for me. You were even willing to sacrifice our love just so that I could be safe. I would have just been much sadder and always worried that something would happen to you. And then we would never have seen each other again. Even if I had agreed and let you go. I couldn’t have sat in the hotel in peace of mind, drinking champagne, eating well, lying in a warm bed while you’re wandering through the cold out here and every day could be your last. But in both cases, you would have gotten what you wanted for me. But I want to be with the man I love and I want to be with you.”

I wanted to say something, but she put her index finger on my mouth

"Ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss I want to be with you. I will go to hell with you if it has to be. And if one of us dies, the other will be very sadly left behind, but he will always keep the other in his heart then it should be the same. If I’m the one who doesn’t survive this. Then At least I was with the man I love and who for me is what I dreamed of. You are no longer a loup solitaire (french: lone wolf) I am your loup feminine (french: female wolf ) I will find you everywhere and as you see no chain can stop me cherie (french: darling). I had already forgiven you when I was still chained to the heater. I love you Helldiver. Don’t blame yourself anymore, I know you did this only out of love for me and I still trust you blindly. That this is what concerns you here shows me that I am right with my love, because you are not superficial, that’s why I love you so much. Because you’re thinking about something like that. And now stop Fin (french: end) forgiving and forgetting, sponge about it. I am sorry that I slapped you yesterday and I would like to ask you for your forgiveness. That was always what I hated about my mother and I did it myself now. I’m sorry, I’ll never do that again, I promise you. I was so angry and I wanted you to feel some of the pain I’ve felt over the last few days, the agonizing uncertainty and the constant fear for you. " I wanted to say something else, but she stroked my face so tenderly and gently closed my mouth with her hand.

"Sssssssssssss, come kiss me, you can do this so well," she said, and we kissed tenderly.

Then she jumped up and looked into the oven. A few more minutes, then he’s done.

It smelled very pleasant in the kitchen. Jim came to the canteen sniffing.

"What do you both do here, it smells so pleasant."

I took Jim aside and said.

“Secret commando Jim, Akiko has his birthday tomorrow and she shouldn’t know that Amelie has baked a cake for her. But we still need candles and a few other little things. To do this would have to go to Stenungsnäs, which is the small place on the coast. There’s probably a supermarket where we’ll find some things we might need.”

“A great idea, I’m in, I’m getting dressed and then we go, ok.”“All right Jim, you just have to distract Akiko a little bit.”

"No subject hell, I do."

Jim left to dress, with a cigarette in the corner of his mouth and the G3 casually on the side he came back.

"We can go. I gave Amelie another kiss, then I took my G3, grabbed the Klaucke and the Kpist submachine gun and we left. Outside, we only secured on all sides. It snowed small flakes and it was bitingly cold.

“I didn’t know Akiko’s birthday tomorrow, she never talked about it,” said Jim.

'I didn’t know either. Amelie just told me. I give her my heavy metal cassette maybe she’s happy about it. Amelie baked a cake and if we’re lucky, we’ll still find candles and maybe a bottle of sparkling wine or champagne."

“That’s great, Hell, I think I’ll give her one of my bracelets.”

Jim showed me his wrist from which several bracelets dangled, some consisted only of braided leather straps, one had bluish stones and shark teeth, one had colorful glass beads. “I think I’m taking the blue one here.”

Jim pointed to the bracelet with the blue stones and shark teeth. This comes from my parents’ homeland, they emigrated from the Dominican Republic to the USA. The blue stones are Larimar, this stone can be found in the Caribbean. The shark teeth bring luck. If I wrap it around her twice around her wrist, it will certainly suit her. She’s looked at it many times.’

"Then she will certainly be happy Jim," I said.

We managed to get into the place without touching the enemy. In fact, there was a “Kundsam” Supermarket. We had to crack the lock, but it was easy. We found everything we were looking for. We found a bottle of sparkling wine, some candles and even a container of ice cream, the expiry date of which had not yet expired. Even some frozen pizzas that were still ok.

We took everything with us. We also found gift wrapping paper and a birthday card.

We each took a can of beer from the beverage compartment and drank them.

When we wanted to leave, a Hunter stood in the middle of the street. Jim threw the empty beer can at him, and the Hunter shot at him. Then Jim and I opened fire on the robot, which shrugged in the street every time the bullets hit, until it finally exploded. We took his ammunition, then we trolled. Amelie was happy about the things she brought with her. We put the champagne bottle in a bucket that we had filled with snow.

[helldiver]

233. Day

Amelie and I got up early. Jim and Akiko were still asleep. We quickly decorated the canteen. Amelie put the cake on the table and the candles. I put my heavy metal cassette wrapped in gift paper on the table. Amelie had written a nice saying on her birthday card last night and had us all signed.

Jim says:

Jim woke Akiko. She was still a little sleep-drunk.

"Good morning my darling,"

Jim said, then he took Akiko in his arms, gave her a kiss and said

"Congratulations on your birthday, Akiko."

"Thank you Jim, how do you know," Akiko said, astonished.

"Amelie told me."

"Ah, Amelie."

"I also have a gift for you," Jim said.

“Close your eyes and don’t blink,”

Jim said to her and took the bracelet he had intended for her from his wrist. He then took her right hand and wrapped the bracelet twice around her narrow wrist. It fit as made for Akiko.

"Now you can open your eyes again." Akiko opened her eyes, saw the bracelet, then ripped open her eyes and sighed

“Ohh, Jim, that’s beautiful, oh thank you Jim, thank you”

She stretched out her arms, pulled Jim to her and gave him a long tender kiss.

“Wasn’t that yours,” Akiko asked.

“Yes, that’s right, but it looks much better on you.”

She pulled Jim to her again and kissed him.

"There is also a surprise waiting for you in the kitchen".

Akiko quickly jumped up, dressed and walked into the canteen with Jim by the hand.

Helldiver tells us:

When Akiko stood in the door with Jim, we lit the candles. The canteen was festively lit. We sang Happy Birthday together. Well, we weren’t the best singers but it fit. Akiko rejoiced and slapped her hands in front of her face.

Even a tear of joy ran. When Amelie congratulated her, Akiko hugged Amelie and thanked her. I also hugged Akiko and kissed her on the cheek on the left and right. Then we started with the sparkling wine.

We had to drink it from the coffee cup because we didn’t have champagne glasses, but we were quite painless in the relationship. She was very happy about the cake that Amelie had baked her. When she opened the packet with the cassette ran a few tears.

The otherwise cool and emotionless Akiko was completely moved that everyone had a little gift for her. Amelie took her in her arms and pressed her tightly. Akiko beamed all over her face and was glad that she had made such great friends in this catastrophe. And with Jim her husband for life. We let Akiko live up and in the evening we started a real metal party, that let the Walls of the bunker shook.

Day 234

The next morning we slept a little longer, because we had duly celebrated Akiko’s birthday and were all a little bit hungover… Amelie enjoyed lying in my arms and cuddling with me in the warmth of the bed. It wasn’t until noon that we got up. Our loss of appetite was due to yesterday’s increased alcohol consumption.

Even Akiko, who never drank much, was a bit shaky on her feet. After a strong cup of coffee that Amelie had brewed, our spirits returned. In the evening Amelie had cooked a chicken soup for us. She had found chicken in the tin and some cans of chicken noodle pot.

235.Day

We were clean again. After breakfast we discussed the next steps. I showed them the map footage and aerial photographs of the Norrmyra artillery base. Here it was necessary to secure a radio mast and to eliminate any existing ticks that had hooked into the system. Then we had to destroy a Gastank farm, it was guarded by some harvesters and two tanks. “It’s going to be pretty tough,” Jim said.

We went back to the bunker’s weapons depot to replenish our ammunition supplies. Particularly important was armor-piercing .50-caliber ammunition. I still had some of the experimental ones, but I wanted to store them for the tanks and the harvesters.

Then Akiko trained with us in self-defense. She mastered Ken Jutsu (Japan. sword fight) and karate (japan. martial arts for self-defense). She had done this with us almost every day at the hotel. Even Amelie, actually the most petite of us, developed enormous powers. She even layd me on the cross pretty hard with a surprising attack. Afterwards we held a meditation lesson with Akiko. In the meantime I was looking forward to it, because after that I felt really good. Slowly I found my inner balance again.

Day 236

After breakfast we make a list of the things we wanted to take with us. Akiko advised me to stay in the bunker for another day or two. I should recover a little bit. I argued that we should not let too much time pass, because the robots might gather and give us a hot reception. Jim dispelled my concerns because he said, "What an opponent is most worn out is waiting, because they don’t know when we’re going to strike. The way you’ve done so far, they’ve been able to estimate when it’s going to crash the next time. Now they are waiting tensely for our attack. They don’t know where and they don’t know when we’re going to strike. And if Elsa’s theory is active and the FNIX are actually controlled by humans, then we cook them softly.

This approach was obvious. Jim went to train with Akiko in the gym.

Amelie took me by the hand and pulled me after her.

"Come on!" she said, prompting to me.

I didn’t know what she wanted from me and go after her. We walked one floor down in the bunker. There were other unused team rooms. Amelie opened a door and we were in a common room that resembled ours. She closed the door and fell over me. She pushed me against the wall while she was kissing me and literally ripped my shirt down. Her face glowed and she breathed heavily.

"Now you are due, I have waived you long enough,"

she said breathlessly while tampering with my pants. I hastily unbuttoned her shirt. She wasn’t wearing a bra underneath. While I opened her pants she kissed me hard and demanding."

"Give it to me right," she said as she sank onto the couch with me.

Then on the couch we did the things we used to do on the hotel bed. Every now and then I had to close her mouth with a kiss if she got too loud. When she reached the summit, she clawed in me and scratched my back, trembling and twitching. During our stay in the hotel, she had grown her fingernails long and filed them into a pretty shape. They particularly emphasized their femininity. When she lacquered her nails it adorned her beautiful, slender hands.

However, they now left traces on my back. Trembling and breathing heavily, Amelie lay on the couch. I straightened up, then Amelie pushed me back on the couch and lay down on me. We were both sweaty and her face was red.

"That was good, I needed it now," she said breathlessly.

"It was too long without you," she said.

While I stroked her sweaty back.

“Hopefully Jim and Akiko don’t catch us,” I said.

“Don’t be so gênant, (french embarrassing)” giggled Amelie,

"I caught Jim and Akiko yesterday, too," she giggled.

"How please?" I asked.

“I was in the kitchen yesterday and wanted to get something out of the pantry, but next door is the clothing store. I heard a noise and a groan. I carefully opened the door with a pulled Klaucke and well, Akiko and Jim were quite busy with each other as we were. They didn’t notice me. I then quietly closed the door again and polished off myself,”

she still giggled.

“So don’t be so embarrassed is normal, is it?”

“Actually, you’re right,” I said with a smile.

We smoked a cigarette. Amelie stayed lying on top of me and put her head on my chest. Then we dressed again. Amelie plucked at my uniform and walked through my hair with her fingers.

"You look a bit ragged," she said with a laugh.

"But you too," I said to her.

She arranged her hair a little with her fingers, plucked at her uniform and asked me

"Well, what do I look like?"

"You look good, you have red cheeks," I said to her.

Amelie chuckled a little.

"Well, c’est la vie (french: this is life).

Then we went up again. As we sat together over a cup of coffee in the canteen, Akiko looked at Amelie and smiled knowingly. Amelie was a little cranked up and literally stuck to me. I was happy that she was happy because we were facing a very difficult mission. In the evening in bed, I hugged her tightly.

Day 237

We packed our things and prepared for the march. We went through our procedure again, corrected a little here and there and discussed. Amelie and Akiko had made provisions for on the go and cooked a delicious dinner.

Day 238

We marched in the morning. It was still dark as we set off. We had to fight our way free. Because some Hunters drifted around in front of the hangar. Our first stage destination should be the Church of Boo. We would stop there and spend the night. It was hesitantly bright.

The day was cloudy and a cold northerly wind whipped the branches of the trees. We trudged through the deep snow. We had to cross the open field a few times, which didn’t make it easy for us to get ahead. Snowfall set in around noon.

I was spying on the area in the infrared range and couldn’t detect any enemy robots. In the afternoon I saw a patrol runner patrolling a street far from us. It was already getting dark and the wind whipped the snowflakes into our faces. At the bridge of Boobruk some runners ran up and fired at us. We fought back bitterly and were able to fight them down.

Then we reached the Church. We sat down on the organ gallery. The cold wind howled around the church and made uncanny noises. We ate the things Amelie and Akiko had prepared. We barricaded the entrance of the church and the entrances to the organ gallery. So we could all sleep without having to push a guard. I always slept with the loaded gun in my hand. When we set up our dormitory, Amelie looked at me inquiringly. She held her backpack in her hand and looked around.

"What are you going to do?" I asked her

“I’m just thinking about where to lie down,” she said. "

Don’t you want to lie down next to me?" I asked her.

She smiled and immediately put her backpack next to mine. I always slept in a half-seated position leaning against my backpack. I took off my parka and put off my helmet and scarf. Amelie sat next to me. I saw that she froze. Her lips were slightly bluish.

"Well come on," I cheered her up. She smiled gratefully. I advised her to take off the parka and lay it over her.

“But I’m freezing like that,” she said as she sat next to me.

“You don’t freeze anymore,” I told her.

I spread her parka over her as she lay in my arm and her head on my chest. Then I put my parka over her. I put the loaded Klaucke next to me and took Amelie’s cold hands under the parka in mine. She was comfortable.

"Merci cherie," (French: Thank you sweetheart) she breathed. I pressed a good night kiss on her head. She looked at me in love. Her hands quickly warmed up in mine and the bluish color gave way to her lips.

"Is it warmer for you now?" I asked her.

“Much warmer, it’s really good,” I put my arm around her and pulled her a little tighter on me. She had fallen asleep quickly. Akiko, like Amelie, had cuddled up to Jim’s arms. The two slept tightly wrapped.

239 days.

When I woke up, the sun shone into the colorful windows of the church. Amelie slept still I saw carefully if she might not blink, but she still slept really deep. She had opened two buttons of my uniform jacket that night and pushed her left hand in. Her face was on her right hand. Jim slightly raised his head and winked at me. He made it clear to me that Akiko was still asleep. I lay awake for a while and held Amelie in my arm. What would I give if I could simply march with her from the Church into a normal world.

Enjoy the sunshine. To hold her in my arm and give her my warmth. I put my face on her head. Her hair tickled a little my nose. After a while, she moved. She slowly pulled her hand out of my uniform. She blinked and smiled at me. Then she stroked my face with her hand.

"Good morning," she breathed. "Have you slept well?"

"Yes, and you?" I asked her.

“If I can lie with you, then I always sleep well. It was so nicely warm with you. I’d rather not get up,” she said to me, smiling.

"Unfortunately, we have to do that," I told her.

She pulled a pout and rose. When I put the parka around her shoulders again, she smiled gratefully at me and said

“You were right that I should take off the parka. That’s how I feel a lot warmer.”

I prepared a cup of coffee for Amelie on the esbit cooker. She drank the coffee carefully. I also prepared one for me and ate a few armor plates. Amelie had me smear some with margarine and sausage. After looking into the map again, we got ready to march.

The air was freezing cold as we walked out of the church. Before that we had done our ritual. We stretched out our hands and laid them on top of each other. "All for one and one for all, how, how" we shouted.

Then we slammed our helmeted heads together. It sounded in the church as if a wolf pack had sounded her howl.

We set off. The sun shone from a cloudless blue sky. It was still a good way to Norrmyra. Early at noon we saw the walls of the barracks. We approached the artillery base cautiously. We saw Hunter and Runner wandering between the base buildings. We were also able to perceive the thunderous steps of a tank. Slowly we sneaked into the base and fought ourselves house by house near the radio mast.

We fought down the runners and Hunters who stood in our way. Finally we were able to penetrate into the radio barracks and destroy the Tick that had hooked into the transmission system. I set off a radio call as a test.

"Here Norrmyra base, can anyone receive me?"

"Here Fänrik Friederikson, I can hear you loud and clear."

"Here Helldiver speaks, align General Viklund, we have freed the radio system and will continue our work, Over and Off."

"Helldiver I confirm. Will forward the message to General Viklund, Over and Off.

Afterwards we left the barracks and sneaked on to the tank farm.

We walked through the rows of houses of the team accommodation. It was like the street in a small town. A tank and some Hunters stood in our way. Jim and Akiko were on the left side of the road. Amelie and I on the right. Jim and I shot the Hunters with our PVG 90 rifles and extinguished them relatively quickly. The tank was far more dangerous.

He shelled us with grenades. We could hardly dodge them and just ran towards the tank. He shot at us with his gatling, which Jim and I took under fire. We often had to throw ourselves, because the Gatling quickly swung back and forth and fired at us. Akiko shot with her AK 5, Amelie with the Bazooka. I saw the fire of the grenades rising from the firing tubes of the tank.

"Run, Amelie I called and fired at the gatling of the tank. A grenade struck close behind Amelie and me. Their pressure wave threw us both to the ground as we crossed a crossroads in the run. Amelie slammed long and hit the pavement with her face unchecked.

She was left dazed. I tried to crawl towards her while Jim continued to fire at the tank. Amelie straightened up and wanted to keep running, as projectiles hissed from behind us. I saw a cloud of blood splashing away on Amelie’s upper arm, she screamed and fell to the ground and lost her bazooka.

"Her cries of pain were terrible. I turned on my back and saw a runner running up the street behind me. He stopped and fired at me and Amelie. I screamed

"Stay down!" I pulled my Klaucke out of the holster and fired at the runner as I was lying on my back and destroyed him. I had fired almost twenty shots at him.

Then I turned back to my stomach and took the PVG 90 in front of me and robbed the still screaming and bending Amelie. Her face was covered in blood. Her ran blood out of her mouth and nose. She held a hand on her upper arm, blood ooze out from between her fingers.

"She screamed “IT’S HURTS SO MUCH; IT HURTS SO MUCH, AUUU!”

I screamed "AKIKO!! AKIKO!! AMELIE IS HIT; AKIKO!!"

I reloaded my PVG 90 and fired at the grenade launchers of the tank. Jim and I fired what the guns could give , while Akiko ran across the street and fired wildly. Then she was with me.

"Take Amelie and try to get into one of the houses!" I said to Akiko. She put the rifle strap around her shoulder and pulled Amelie behind the corner of the house to get her out of the firing line.

I kept firing at the tank. He threw flashes and sparks out of his head. A thin plume of smoke rose from his head. Then I had to take more Hunters under fire. Jim kept firing at the tank. When I fought down the Hunter, I fired back at the tank with Jim and he collapsed in a glowing cloud, creaking and groaning.

Jim and I kept sprinting to the fuel tanks. A second tank fired at us with his Gatling. Jim and I sneaked between the tanks and got into position, then I fired at his gatling. He probably did not use his grenades, otherwise he would have exploded the tanks. When his gatling fell to the ground after our concentrated shelling, he stood there rather motionless.

I fired his armored plates over his joints. Then I shot his joints and he buckled. Jim shot at his head and then that tank exploded. We took the ammunition and put the explosives on the fuel tanks. I activated the detonators and linked them to my ignition device. If we had enough distance, we would detonate the explosives.

Then we went in search of the girls. We ran back to the spot where the tank had fired at us. At the place where Amelie had been lying, there was a pool of blood. On the ground were drops of blood that dragged like a trace into the side street. I shot in the air a few times. Akiko waved to us from a house entrance.

Amelie tells us:

As Helldiver shouted "Run," I ran off.

The pressure wave knocked me over and I fell unhappy. I was already too close to the trottoir and although I supported myself with my hands while falling, I hit the pavement with my face unchecked. I was dazed by the impact, my mouth and nose were aching. Something warm, liquid ran into my mouth and I tasted blood. As I stood up, blood dripped from my nose onto the sidewalk. Then I just had the thought of running off and wanted to get on my legs, then I got a violent blow against my left arm.

The pain was just enormous. I screamed. At one point Akiko came and pulled me behind a corner of the house, while Helldiver squatted in front of me and shot. Akiko lifted me up, put an arm around my shoulder and dragged me into a building. She pupated my nose and stuffed small, hard tampons into my nostrils. Then she told me to open my mouth.

She tucked a gauze pad at my lip, then grabbed her in my mouth and wobbled at my teeth. She wanted to see if they were still stuck. She told me

"All okay Amalie, teeth still all good is just lip, you bite on it."

She put a crumpled gauze bandage in my mouth and said

"You hold so that blood stops."

Then she took off my parka and jacket. The arm hurt hellishly. I also had to take off my shirt. Then Akiko and I could see the mess. A gaping wound was on my upper arm.

"IT’s a grazing shot , I have to clean and sew," Akiko said.

"Akiko it hurts even more if you sew now," I said.

She calmed me down while she pulled up a small syringe from an ampoule and she said, “Just don’t hurt anymore, I’ve got Novocain I’m numbing wound, then peeling and sewing clean.”

The syringe piqued my upper arm and the pain subsided. Akiko stabbed the wound several times. Then she took a needle out of her case, pulled a thread through and went to work. With a scalpel she peeled out the wound and repeatedly swiped the scalpel on a gauze pad, which I had to hold her. She dabbed everything with iodine and sprinkled penicillin into the wound.

Then she sewed. The battle noise decreased after a large explosion and finally evaporated completely. I was worried about Helldiver. He and Jim had to fight the massive tank on their own. Akiko noticed my worrying face and said

“I’m also worried about Jim, is just like Helldiver, don’t take care of himself. Hopefully we will come back.”

Then shots rang out in the street. It was three shots in a row. I rejoiced, that was certainly the boys, they were looking for us. Akiko jumped up and ran to the door of the house. She waved excitedly. It was the boys.

Helldiver tells us:

As I walked into the building, Amelie was sitting on the floor. She looked pathetic. Her face was still smeared with dried blood. She had small tampons stuck in her nostrils. In her mouth she had a thick bausch mull, which was blood-soaked. She looked at me with pitying eyes. I sat down next to her and asked

"How are you?"

"To fome eftend, I was fewn by Akiko,"

she mumbled with the tamponade in her mouth.

"And are all the teeth still in there?" I asked.

She was lying with her head on my chest and had put her left hand on my chest. "My dining room if still complete," she mumbled.

Then she pointed to her arm, Through the hole in the parka I could recognize the bandage.

"I waf fewn, waf a fwipe," Amelie said.

“I’d give you a piece of chocolate now, but that’s not possible now, because of your mouth,” I wanted to comfort her.

"What!!," she snapped

"I just banged my lip. My mouth is still fine."

Then she spit out the tamponade and said

“I’m injured and I have to have a consolation patch, so get the chocolate out.”

As she said this, she slapped me slightly against the chest with her fist. I unwrapped her a chocolate bar and while she was taking it she smiled a little and nibbled gently at it.

Amelie was after chocolate like the devil after a poor soul, she made no exceptions, no matter how hurt her mouth.

I wet a handkerchief on my field bottle and carefully cleaned her face. I gave her a second chocolate bar and gave her some kisses on her cheeks.

“I’m much better off,” she said, smiling.

We all smiled. Then Amelie got back on her feet. I glued the crack in the parka with armored tape so it didn’t go cold. She could sew him when we got back into a bunker. Then we made off.

When we were far enough away, I pulled the ignition transmitter out of my pocket.

"Who wants to press?" I asked.

"Let Amelie press, she was the only one injured."

I removed the backup. A red lamp lit up and indicated that the blast could be triggered, then I pressed it into Amelie’s hand. With a laugh on her face, she pressed the button. First the explosives exploded, through the binoculars I could see it, then the tanks exploded in a shining fireball, we had to close our eyes. A gigantic stab flame shot into the sky. The pressure wave rolled up and even though we were far enough away, we could feel the breath of ember.

The plant burned brightly with a huge flame. What was still in the barracks, we had blown away. We handed out Amelie’s luggage on us. I took her backpack, Jim her hunting rifle and her AK 5. Akiko took her bazooka. Then we marched towards Skvadern Bunker. He was about two hours walk away from us. On the way we had to take a short rest, because Amelie’s nose was bleeding again. I noticed it on the big blood stain on her scarf.

Amelie tells us:

When I pressed the ignition button and blew up the tank, we moved on. Everyone took my luggage. All I had to do was wear my Klaucke and my MP. I went to Helldivers hand. I like to do that, he always knows where it’s going and so I’m close to him.

The anaesthetic took off and my arm hurt, but it was tolerable. My lower lip and nose also hurt. I often had to breathe through my mouth because my nose was swollen and clogged. Helldiver kept looking for me. Suddenly he stopped and said

"You bleed again." We stopped and Helldiver took my scarf off me. My nose had started bleeding again. Akiko handed me a gauze pad from her medical bag that I pressed against my nose. Helldiver took off his scarf and just put it on me.

"But then you freeze!" i said,

but, as always, he just repelled and said.

"I have my beard and scarf."

Then he asked me if I was freezing. Admittedly, the wind always whistles cold around my head under the helmet. I nodded

“yes I’m cold.”

He took off his backpack and crawled around it, then pulled out a woolly hat.

"Take off your helmet,"

he said to me and put the cap on my head. Then he knocked her over a few times so that she didn’t slip over my eyes.

"Luckily, the head has ears,"

he said to me with a laugh because his cap was actually too big for me. That was with all his stuff he gave me. He had also wrapped my ears with the cap and it got warmer for me at the moment. I always have a tingling sensation in my stomach anyway when he touches me and especially when he packs me warmly as he did again. He took my helmet off and put it a little bigger.

"Does he fit ?" he asked me.

I answered in the affirmative. Before I could made up my mind, he pulled up my scarf and packed my face in. He always did it as carefully as if I was made of china. Then he took me by the hand and we went on.

Helldiver tells us:

We went on, Amelie’s nosebleeds had stopped. She trotted beside me and didn’t seem so froze anymore.

“I’ve got to take a bit more care of her to get her warmer,” I said.

I thought to myself. In the cold, she was able to quickly freeze her ears. It was already dark when we got to the skvadern bunker.

"What is Amelie, can you fight again?" She nodded.

Jim gave her the AK 5. She checked it and loaded it.

"Ready!" she said to me.

Then we went to the bunker. It started to snow again. In front of the hangar of the bunker, some Hunters drifted around. We shelled them and wiped out one by one. We fought our way into the hangar. After we got from the Hunter the code cards, we entered the bunker. We left the backpacks behind the door and penetrated deeper.

Some runners stood in our way. The energy center of the bunker was again flooded with poison gas. Jim and I entered with the gas mask and turned on the electricity. We also found the control panel for the trigger so we could detoxify the system. Then we moved on. When we had fought the canteen and team rooms, Jim and I decided to do the rest alone so that the girls could rest. It took us about an hour to "clean" the whole bunker.

It wasn’t as big as the Minken Bunker. Rather like the Vesslan or the Salthamm Bunker. When we bumped back into our girls, Akiko had cooked a goulash soup from the can. Amelie sat at a table and sewed her parka.

"Are you better off?" I asked her.

“Yes, it doesn’t hurt that much anymore. After the meal, Akiko wants to change my bandage,” she said.

We ate hungry. The hot goulash soup did really well. I helped Akiko change the bandage. I held Amelie’s hand as Akiko cleaned the wound again and treated it with iodine and rose oil. She had a nasty ratchet in her upper arm.

"If scar stays, later, when war is over, you have to see if you can smooth it out again. Otherwise you must cover it with a Irezumi (japan. Tattoo )," Akiko said.

"What is a Irezumi," I asked Akiko.

"A tattoo," she replied.

"I did," she told me.

“I’ve seen it before, it’s beautiful,” Amelie said.

"If you want to see Helldiver, then you turn around briefly, I have to take off shirt."

I turned around and heard the rustling of clothes.

"Now you can look," Akiko said.

My breath stopped at what I saw. Akiko stood with her back facing me, she had taken off her shirt and opened her bust holder so that I had a clear view of her back. With one arm she covered her nakedness with the other hand she held up her long hair. On her back, was an artfully designed dragon walled on a cherry blossom tree. The whole picture was in subtle grey and pink tones and was very detailed.

“That’s beautiful Akiko,” I said.

"What means it?" I asked.

“Yes, the dragon means strength and wisdom. It’s a traditional image. Irezumi have centuries of tradition in Japan,” she said.

"I that not beautiful?" said Amelie.

“But it was definitely painful, wasn’t it?” I asked Akiko.

“Yes, that’s true, so it’s special when you’re a woman wearing a Irezumi, when you’re stung by traditional methods, then great pain passes.”

I thanked Akiko and turned back so she could dress. When we returned to the canteen, Jim had already done the washing up. I walked into the bedroom moving beds together and moving in. I got bed linen and blankets from the clothing store. I took a second blanket for Amelie, because she always froze quickly. It wasn’t particularly warm in the bunker. We sat a little in the lounge, drank beer, smoked and listened to music.

I had put up my mix cassette on which various hits were recorded. When Prince Purple Rain sounded, I got up and took Amelie’s hand to dance with her. She beamed all over her face and snuggled up tightly to me.

Amelie tells us:

When we arrived in the bunker and fought our way through the most important rooms, I was grateful to the guys that they were going on on their own. Akiko said she would cook something because we needed something warm after the whole day in the cold. I sewed at my parka. I was almost done when the guys came back.

The faces black smeared with powder swath. After the meal Helldiver went with me and Akiko to the infirmary, because Akiko wanted to look at my wound on my arm again. And change the dressing. When she cleaned the wound and sprout with iodine and rose oil, Helldiver held my hand.

As grim as he sometimes seems, he is sometimes so sweet when he suffers with me, when I have a pain. Then Akiko showed him her beautiful tattoo, which I had already seen on her in the shower at the Björntunet Hotel. Then we sat in the lounge.

I was doing really well and when he took me by the hand and wanted to dance with me, I was amazed. Otherwise he was more of a dance muffle I always had to drag him on to the dance floor, because I like to dance with him. But this time it was different. He pulled me off the couch and took me into his strong arm. I would have preferred to crawl into him if that had been possible. I pressed myself firmly on him. A whole swarm of butterflies fluttered in my belly, this warmth when I lay in his arm, there was nothing more beautiful.

Purple Rain seemed to be his favorite song, because he heard it many times. Although my lower lip hurt I had to kiss him, I felt his beard stubble on my face. His firm narrow lips on mine. He was very careful when he answered my kiss. My whole body was tingling.

Helldiver tells us:

When I danced with Amelie, Jim did the same with Akio. Amelie lay in love in my arm and beamed all over her face. When we went to bed, she noticed that I had put two blankets on her bed. She pulled the blanket over our heads and kissed me passionately again. She might have wanted more, but that was not possible with the best of intentions. We weren’t alone. Today had once again brought us to the fore in the danger we were in. We had once again got away with a blue eye. She wrapped herself up as always. Her feet were again small ice blocks. I pulled her tightly on me to warm her up.