Doc slipped out his pack as he approach the Sarge.

Brutal sat there hugging his scatter gun and hissed “As you were Corporal.”

Doc glared at him, whispering,

"That'll work real smooth, why not just lob in a hand grenade. Sarge send him to cover the back and lets go see how many there are."

Doc wanted to help the lady, but also knew they need any uniforms they might capture. Time for finesse, not a firefight.

As Clements and he moved forward it was not long before they both could see that the women’s scream had come from a cabin up ahead. The Master Sgt could see that it was a simple cabin, probably with a kitchen, one central room and a bedroom or two, with a shed on the side and supported above the ground on concrete blocks. Light came from an illuminated window to the left side of the entrance. Putting up his hand clutched in a fist he called everyone to a stop.

Knowing that McGuiness was following Romo started to look for a good spot for the sniper to set up but saw that McGuiness had already beaten him to the punch.

“Sie können alle schreien möchten Fräulein. In der Tat Ich hoffe, dass Sie das tun, es wird abends noch interessanter. Aber niemand kann dich hören hier.”
Suddenly a loud male voice was easily heard coming from the open window, speaking in German and the Master Sgt know the women Inside was in trouble. However before he could turn to Clements and issue any orders, Reid decided to disregard his order to stop and common sense and moved towards the two of them.

"That don’t sound like any g**d*** way to treat a lady.”
“As you were Corporal.” Clements whispered back "Be patient.. we will handle it.”
Reid then glared at him and again whispered a reply.

"That'll work real smooth, why not just lob in a hand grenade. Sarge send him to cover the back and lets go see how many there are."
Romo knowing on a clear quiet night like this how easily whispers could be heard drew his flat open palm across his throat to get the two of them to shut up. Then without saying a word his motioned to Reid to back off and rejoin the Captain. Pointing to Clements and the shotgun he again signed for the Corporal to quietly take position on the opposite side of the cabin’s door and out of McGuiness‘s line of fire. Next he gained McGuiness attention and signed for him to put his rifle sights on the door in case the sniper had not already done so.

Then as he waited for Brutal to gain position he quickly took off his BDU top and all military gear but his undershirt and pants. Taking one of his two .45 pistols he placed it behind his back, tousled up his hair as much as he could and as he had at the farm house walked up to the cabin’s door and knocked loudly.

“Hallo, Ich hoere a yemand schreiim, was ist los?”*
His question asked he took two steps back to clear the sights of McGuiness’s rifle giving him a clear shot, and waited to see who would answer the door.

(*Translation: Hallo I heard a women scream what is wrong??)

When the sergeant motioned him to back off and rejoin the Captain, Doc knew just where he stood.

These guys had no faith in his combat skills just because he was a medic.

None of them had been in Northern Sicily where they had to fight building to building, room to room.
You never knew if a Jerry or a child was on the other side of the door.

They never had to defend a room full of unarmed wounded with only the 45 you were issued.

Jack had become real good with that 45 in short time and there were G.I.’s going home to loved ones and Germans going in the ground because of it.

But Doc also knew to how take orders so he’d do what was asked.

Things were starting to roll really fast all of a sudden. Doc eagerly drew his weapon but luckily got hushed a bit by Brutal. Luke hadn’t expected the medic to react so heavily. He also wondered if it was the fact that there seemed to be a woman in distress that made the man so eager, or if it was the German language in general. He promised himself that he would discuss this with the Corporal after this was over.

He saw Romo approach the house, and sneaked closer to the vehicle, positioning himself so that McGuinness would still have a clear shot. His goal was to get a good view through the window. He didn’t want to risk being seen, as it would ruin any surprise they were creating. But what happened next he hadn’t expected in the least.

The Sarge knocked on the door and called out in German. Luke didn’t know if he should curse the man right there, or if he should praise his genius. A lot would depend on how the Germans would react. Ducking, and peeking around a tree, he tried to catch a glimpse of what was happening inside the cabin.

(OOC: Luke has his gun ready. Once the door is opened he will run to the vehicle to take a better look inside. He’ll shout any commands and warnings necessary to give his men a clear picture of what lies ahead of them as they storm the cabin.)

Brutal nodded at the Sarge’s orders and then slipped up next to the door noticing which way the door would swing open… most door on houses would swing inward… and most door handles were on the right hand side… therefore.. he took up a position on the left side of the door.. so that when the door opened inward it would help to provide some cover for him if shooting did start.

If someone opened the door and stepped into the doorway to talk to the Sarge… Brutal would point the shotgun at the man’s head.. still staying back out of the doorway… so that anyone in the room wouldn’t see him there… if the person notices him he will simply smile and gesture with the gun and make a silencing gesture.

He wont make any action unless the guy does… if the man doesn’t abide by his signs to remain still and silent.. brutal will attempt to bash him in the side of the head with the gun barrel and then try and grab the guy and whirl him around and use him as a shield against the ones inside… a hostage as it were… but in doing so he will pull the guy out of the doorway so that their sniper still would have a shot past if he the need arises.

In all the times that Karl had used this lodge for his recreation, no one had ever accidently come this way. It was very remote and away from civilization, which is why he liked it, just as his father had before him.

"Nothing is wrong citizen! " Karl called out but pulled his luger from side holster, and backing to the door. The girl was on the floor where she had fell after he slapped her, not crying as most do but not moving either.

Karl flung open the door (it does open inwards to the cabin) and looked for this lost hunter or farmer who dared to disturb his fun. The light from inside spilled out and he saw a man standing at some distance. he took a step forward and was about the open up on the man when the barrel of the shotgun caught his peripheral vision.

McGuiness saw the blond haired soldier open the door and had the man's forehead in sight, ready for the kill. Then suddenly, the man convulsed. An arrowhead seem to blossom out of the lower part of his neck.

Romo and Brutal watched as the quarrel head popped out of the man's upper chest. He coughed ounce and had a face that looked shocked at his own death. Then he fell to the ground at Brutal's feet, no longer breathing.

Inside, McGuiness and Romo can see a very pretty blond women crouched on the floor on the far side of the cabin. She is hurriedly reloading the hunting crossbow she has in her hands.

Brutal smiled at the kraut that appeared in the doorway and took a step towards the opening.. He saw the man’s eyes widen slightly as he caught sight of the shotgun aimed at his head out of the corner of his eye… but before anything else could be said or done… the man convulsed and Brutal jerked back slightly as something burst through the man’s chest … he was surprised to see a arrowhead sticking out of his chest as blood spurted and then the coughed blood and then collapsed at his feet.

He glanced at Romo and seen him staring into the cabin… Brutal turned and using the doorjamb as cover he aimed his shotgun into the cabin showing only his face and the barrel of the gun.

Seeing a beautiful woman… the source of the scream he assumed … and seeing her reloading a crossbow he aimed the shotgun at her and said… in English … “Hold it Fraulein.”

He wouldn’t shoot… and didn’t want to shoot… unless she gave him no choice … he hoped she understood enough for either English or his intent with the gun to stop what she was doing.

Holstering his 45’s Jack grabbed his rifle and pack and moved back to where the Captain was positioned.
As Doc got there Luke moved out toward the car.

Oh good, the Captain wants to be in harm’s way too.
Taking up the “rear guard” position Doc watched the event start to unfold.
Noting that neither Brutal nor Sarg scouted out the situation, they just moved into position by the door.
At least McGuinness is covering their ass.
Sarg stripped down to his Tee shirt and pants.

Oh great, if that worked on an empty farmhouse it’s sure to work here.
When Sarg called out to the cabin Doc stopped checking his pack and realized this could go sour fast.
He was no sharpshooter, but Jack grabbed his carbine and took aim on the cabin.

Hearing the same male voice ,

“Nichts ist falsch Bürger!”,

he focused on the door.
Doc saw the door swing open and saw a man brandishing a hand gun, silhouetted by the light from inside the cabin. As the shadow started to level the pistol at Romo he hesitated as he glanced over at the shotgun Brutal had pointed at his head.

Jack heard a sharp snap followed by a thud. The man in the door way jerked with the thud and then fell forward, lying motionless on the ground.

As Brutal moved into the doorway he stepped into Jack’s sights. Doc heard him say, “Hold it Fraulein” as he leveled the shotgun into the cabin.

A chill swept through Jack.

"Nothing is wrong citizen!"
As Romo watched the cabin’s door opened and a man dressed in the uniform of a German officer stepped out onto the porch. Before the Master Sgt could say anything or Clements move to subdue the man, a crossbow bolt appeared in the man’s neck. He coughed ounce, a look of shocked realization on his face as he fell to the ground at Corporal Clements feet, clearly no longer breathing.

Before Romo could act, Clements was speaking through the door to someone inside the cabin, by his words clearly the woman seen with the German officer, however the words were in English.

“Hold it Fraulein.”
Not knowing if said female spoke that Romo knew he was needed inside to avoid a possible misreading of the situation by her. Moving past Clements Romo entered the cabin to see a blond women paused in her attempt to reload a hunting crossbow. Holding up his hand, his open palm facing her, he quickly spoke to her in her own language.

“Liebes, Fraulein, bleiben Sie ruhig, wir sind nicht ihre Feinde, sondern ihre freunde.”*
Hoping she would do as he asked he waited, his arm raised in a non threating manner, on a reply or a continued action.

(*Translation: “Please Lady stay calm we are not your enemy, perhaps even friends.”)

PLAYER EDIT: I went ahead and corrected my post to reflect that Clements HAD not entered the cabin's interior.

Doc saw Romo sprint to the cabin and enter behind Brutal.
The Captain had gone left by the car so Jack signaled the Captain he was going around the right side of cabin.
No one had checked to see if there may be more soldiers around back or if there was another door to the cabin.
Grabbing he carbine Doc headed toward the cabin.

As Jack crossed the drive he heard Romo speaking German again, as if addressing someone.

He could make out “Fraulein” but the rest was gibberish.

Reaching the spot brutal had taken by the door Jack worked his way to the back.

Carefully peering around the corner Doc scans that area behind the cabin looking for soldiers or a rear entrance.


(OOC: I assume Jack sees nothing behind the cabin and finds no other entrance?)

When the door opened and the German halted in surprise, Luke sighed inwardly. He had hoped this whole thing would end without too much bloodshed. He knew it wouldn’t be prevented in war, but he was more of an evasive kind of person, which was most likely why his superiors chose him for this assignment. Ever since his wife had died, he had mastered the art of dodging and evading. He had evaded mostly everything after she passed, except the care for his son, Julio. His mind lingered a moment on a memory of himself running away through the backyard of Mrs Williams, side-stepping the dog, jumping the fence, and casually avoiding Mr Williams’ attention.

Then an arrow burst through the German’s chest. It didn’t so much startle him. But it upset him greatly. Another shirt ruined that they could’ve used!

Brutal pointed his shotgun at someone inside, and at that point the Captain went for the window. His gun at the ready, he paced to the glass surface and noted a woman on the floor, a crossbow in her hand. She was very beautiful, and Luke felt his heartbeat slowing as he forgot the heat of war for a breath or two. Before he could react, Romo stepped inside and said something in German.

“Ask her if there are any more of them!” Luke shouted, snapping back into combat mode. He was hoping to get some information before any of them would get hurt by an unexpected ambush. Up to now, they had no reason to believe the woman was going to be helpful in any way. For all they knew she was another Nazi fanatic, beauty or no beauty.

(OOC: if she confirms there are no more men in there, Luke will order all the men inside, with McGuinness on the lookout, and Brutal near the door. Doc will scan the house for needful things while Romo helps him figure out what has been going on in this cabin, and who the woman is.)

The woman froze in place on the floor, her wide blue eyes taking in the half dressed man in front of her and the others visible in the door frame and window. Her red lipstick was smudged, and a red handprint glowed dully on her left cheek, but she hadn't been crying. If anything, she looked like she had been furious before it gave way to wariness.

She turned the crossbow to the side and set it down with studied care, never taking her eyes away from Romo. If she'd understood the initial command in English, she gave no sign, instead asking in a low voice, " Sind Sie Englisch oder Amerikaner? Amerikaner, glaube ich. Was tun Sie hier? Ich wünsche keine Mühe. " Are you English or American? American, I believe. What are you doing here? I do not want any trouble
She was dressed for travelling, in a finely tailored tweed jacket and skirt, the jacket trimmed in fox fur. Her flaxen hair had been pulled back into a chignon at the nape of her neck, but her struggles had freed a few errant strands to fall about her face, and an expensive silk scarf was crumpled on the floor. She raised her hands slowly and waited.

Brutal didn’t understand the gibberish that Romo laid on the woman.. he wished the Sarge hadn’t burst into the cabin past him.. he was slightly to the side but if Brutal had needed to fire the Sarge might not have liked how close he would have been to the business end of the scatter gun .. but it seemed that whatever Romo had said to the beautiful woman seemed to have the desired effect.. he watched as she lowered the crossbow to the side.

He straightened up and stepped more into the doorway now.. he looked about and seen no one else inside.. he turned his head to the shouted commands from the Captain and answered him in a lower tone.

“She appears to be alone,” he said then glanced at the body laying at his feet, “now!”

He spotted Doc moving around towards the back of the cabin to check it out so he moved on into the cabin.. his eyes searching for any sign of hidden dangers yet keeping his eye on the woman as he moved up near here and leaned down to pick up the crossbow… not taking his eyes off her. . hefting the weapon he moved away from her as he went past to look around the back of the inside of the cabin.

“She appears to be alone.” Brutal replied while Romo was strangely absent. Luke didn’t need to waste time. They had to get this show over with before it was too late. God knew how far away that castle was, and as bombs were developed, they were entertaining the local beauty. He understood beauty alright, had been a victim of it many times before quite willingly. Now, however, results were needed.

He stepped towards the door, and wanted to motion for Brutal to step inside. The man was a bit too fast for him and entered on his own accord. Luke turned to the trees, where McGuinness was hiding and held up his palm in a halting command. He hoped the sniper would realize what the Captain meant. He wanted McGuinness to wait a bit before advancing the cabin, in case there was somebody else waiting for a chance to take that car and betray their existence.

Inside he took a quick look around and fixed his eyes on the woman on the floor. As he regarded her, he spoke: “Brutal, while you’re at it can you look around to see if there are any spare uniforms we could use?”

He then turned to Romo: “Is she not talking?”

He looked at her red cheek and pursed his lips. The SShole got what he deserved, shirt or not. He beckoned her to get up and take a seat.

“Look lady, we don’t want any trouble... scratch that... we do want trouble, but just not with you. We need to find Castle Rautenberg. Do you know where it is?”

OOC: Sorry for how long it took to post this short entry. Life is hectic during the holidays. This will be my last post until after xmas but since I am off during the last week of december, I hope to post then. I will also give Vanadia the chance to post as well.

There were no back entrances to the cabin that Jack could spot. Nothing really to see behind the cabin, the Medic quickly made his way around to the front to report to the captain.

McGuiness stayed in his perch and watched through his scope, keeping an eye and ear open for any possible movement outside the cabin.

" Sind Sie Englisch oder Amerikaner? Amerikaner, glaube ich. Was tun Sie hier? Ich wünsche keine Mühe. "( Are you English or American? American, I believe. What are you doing here? I do not want any trouble) the young lady said to Romo as she laid the crossbow down to show her non-hostile intent.

Brutal did a quick recon of the cabin and came back to the common room quickly. “She appears to be alone,” he said then glanced at the body laying at his feet, “Now!”

The Captain moved closer to look at her. Not considering the language difference he says to her, ‘“Look lady, we don’t want any trouble... scratch that... we do want trouble, but just not with you. We need to find Castle Rautenberg. Do you know where it is?” He realizes the error and turns his head to ask room to translate but as he does, he notices within in her eyes understanding of what he is saying.