Gunslinger Girls - Paths Intertwined

[Kasawa Lanford]

After his six mile run, Ryoshine headed back to his office where he found a message that the disarmed bomb they had brought back was down in the garage. He quickly got dressed and headed down, once in the garage he found two tech's who were just standing there, dumbfounded.

"You two look dumbstruck.." Ryoshine said as he grabbed a kit full of tools. Carefully he unscrewed the twenty screws that held the casing to the frame, once off he looked at the inside and discovered that it wasn't an explosive bomb that he had disarmed - but a biological bomb. "Huh...." he said, putting the screw driver in his mouth and feeling around. He soon found the battery that powered the unit and disconnected it, effecively rendering the bomb completely inoperable.

Once he was sure that no electricity was coursing through the bomb; he looked at the canister that was attached to a small firing cap. He didn't know 'what' was in the canister but the symbol on the side gave him cause for concern.

Making sure it wasn't connected, it carefully removed it and gestured for one of the tech's to get some towels. A minute passed before the tech came back and placed the towels on the ground, setting the canister on the towel after which.

"So, what is it?" The tech asked, both of them didn't seem the least bit concerned that Ryoshine had just said it was a 'biological' bomb. He got their attention when he tapped his finger on the symbol, "I know exactly what it is...."

"You do? How??" The tech asked.

Ryoshine sighed and got up. "I just know..." he said and covered the canister up and left the garage. He headed out to the lab there, and upon telling the docs what type of canister it was, they took it from him and put it under quarintine. "I need to make sure this is what I think it is.. please test it... but don't allow 'anyone' in until your done ok?" he said, the techs there nodded and went to work.

Now he had the ardous task of informing the director... as he made his way there he caught sight of the firing range and spotted Giorgia. He smiled slightly, and continued on.

[Director of Music]

Giorgia was doing well on the range.  In fact, she was up to par with all the other cyborgs.

Hillshire grit his teeth.  He was trying to find some flaw in her shooting.  In fact, he just wanted to find a flaw in her.  He was angered by the fact of her recklessness the day before.  But he couldn't find any flaw.  In fact, her shooting had gotten better than the day before.

Giorgia's mind was not on shooting.  That face she saw yesterday was engrained into her mind.  It was as if she had always had that face of him, but it was buried deep in her mind.  It wasn't until yesterday, that that image had resurfaced.  She wanted...no, needed to find out more about this man.  After all, he was the one in charge of killing her dad. 

Hillshire dismissed them and went to his study, looking over notes.  Giorgia had a sudden idea, rejecting Triela and Henrietta's invite to the rec. room, she headed towards the library.  There, she found an empty computer that they were allowed to use.

Now only if I can remember his name... She mused.

However, the computer had other options.  If the user did not know the name, it simply asked for a description.  After a few clicks and keystrokes, Giorgia found what she was looking for.  She printed it out.

Name: Major Franz Bietrich
Age:36
Nationality:German
Status:At large
Information:Known for killing hundereds of people, Bietrich is widely known for killing his best friend's family, the Kretschmann family.  Lt. Thomas Kretschmann, and his wife were accounted for when police arrived at the murder scene.  The child, however is missing.

She folded it up in a small square and put it in her bag.  She hoisted it over her shoulder and walked to her dorm room.

[Kasawa Lanford]

Unbeknowst to Giorgia, however, anything related to her family or anyone close to it had been tagged by the agency in the event someone tried to look it up - and the moment she looked it up a camera perched in the ceiling had taken a shot of the person at the computer, namely her.

In the directors office; Ryoshine had been talking with the director about the mission when word came down that Giorgia had accessed a restricted file, or rather, a tagged file.

"Hmmm...." The director said, hands clasped in front of him. "I think Giorgia knows a bit more than we thought..."

"Well we know that they retain at least 'some' of their memories, but most of the cyborgs here tend to not think about their past due to how terrible it might've been.." Jean said. Ryoshine sighed and took a seat, "I guess we'll have to up the conditioning on her... and perhaps tomorrow during survival training we should search her room," Jean added.

Ryoshine shook his head. "I disagree..." he said before Jean tore a look at him. "You may disagree but we need our cyborgs to be loyal, we also need to make sure they don't remember much of their past or else it might interfere..."

He couldn't disagree with that statement, "we'll worry about her conduct later," the director then said and looked at Ryoshine, "Let's wait on the bio-chem results to see what to do next..."

[Director of Music]

Giorgia paced around her room, taking out the picture of her father and the information on Bietrich.  She had the two in hand.  Best friend.. She thought.  He killed his best friend...for what?   Did he ENJOY killing?  She put the two back in the coat pocket.  She knew she'd have to place it somewhere else sooner or later.  The coat was too open a place to be hiding stuff like that. 

She went down to the cafeteria to have dinner with Henrietta and the others.

[Kasawa Lanford]

Ryoshine sighed. "So.... it is what I thought it was..." he said as he looked at the report from the biochem techs.

"It seem's so, now what I want to know is 'how' they got ahold of such a chemical?" The director asked, his voice was full of concern.

"I think I know how to locate 'who' it was that sold them this stuff... but I'll need to head to germany and meet up with an old 'friend' of mine who works with this type of stuff.." Ryoshine nodded, the director clasped his hands. "Very well, get going and find out 'who' it was that sold them this stuff."

He nodded, "I will," he said and left the directors office and headed to his office, once there he called up a friend of his. They talked for some time before he hung up, he walked out of his office and toward the cyborg dorm. Along the way he meet up with Guiseppe, "need another hand?" he asked him. Ryoshine smiled, "could use someone else," he said and Guiseppe nodded. "I'll go and get Henrietta and Giorgia then,"

"Good, don't bring any weapons. We'll get them when we arrive," he said. Guiseppe didn't say a word and instead went to inform the two cyborgs.

As he walked out of the building and toward the garage, his Lamborghini was parked right where he had left it the day before. Now he waited until Guiseppe and the others came.

[Director of Music]

Henrietta came without question, never thinking about why they were going to Germany.  Giorgia had a pain in her heart when she heard where they were going.  Guissupe put a reasurring hand on her shoulder.  "Come, Ryoshine is waiting."   The three went and met up with Ryoshine. 

[Kasawa Lanford]

"We have a long drive ahead of us," Ryoshine said as Henrietta and Guiseppe got in, he watched as Giorgia sat in the back seat and Guiseppe in the front.

"A Lamborghini," Guiseppe said, impressed. "How'd you get the money for this?" he asked Ryoshine.

Ryoshine grinned. "The perks of having a penchent from the American and Italian Military," he said and got into the drivers seat and started up the car. Soon they were out of the front gate's and headed to an air base, it would be a three hour drive.

[Director of Music]

Giorgia stared out of the window for most of the time.  For a while, Henrietta had tried to start a conversation with her.  Giorgia had given her small responses, that after a while, Henrietta gave up. 

Soon the landscape was less city like.  Guisuppe looked into the mirror to see Henrietta dozing while Giorgia was still looking out of the window, her eyes set.

As she looked outside, she could see her dad's smiling face. She thought she would start crying if she were not careful.  A part of her wanted to be here again.  A part of her, did not.  At ten years old, Giorgia had to grow up fast already.

[Kasawa Lanford]

As they got closer to the Air Base, several air craft flew over. When he got near the gate he stopped his car and rolled down the window, "Hello Sir," the gate guard said. Ryoshine knew the drill, he took out his ID and handed it to the guard who nodded and opened the gate.

Guiseppe had the look of curiousity on his face, and it was a look that Ryoshine couldn't ignore. "Having a false ID makes it easy to get into certain places, espically here since the commander doesn't usually check to see if the person on base is military or not." he said, Guiseppe just nodded.

He drove his lamborghini some distance into the base until he came upon an air craft idling in the hanger bay, both its jet engines were running. "Henrietta, wake up." Guiseppe said, Henrietta blinked and opened her eyes, yawning a second later.

"Dragon buddy!" A man wearing coveralls said near the air craft. Ryoshine sighed, "Its Ryoshine.. not 'dragon' ..." he corrected the man who just shrugged it off. "So, what can I do for my favorite marine?"

"Fly us to Germany," Ryoshine said. The man nodded, "No problem! I'll get you there in a few hours. Want me to fly high or low?"

"Hmm.... fly low please, I think these three need to take in the sites." Ryoshine said, gesturing to Giorgia, Henrietta and Guiseppe. "Ryoshine, mind if i ask ya a few things?" The man asked, Ryoshine nodded. "You three go ahead and get aboard, since we are the only passengers, choose any seat."

Guiseppe nodded. "We also have two availible seats up front, minus the one that Ryoshine will be sitting in. So if you two kids want to sit up there and watch you can," the man said, winking at Henrietta and Giorgia. Ryoshine wondered what the man would say if he told him they were cyborgs and not really kids.

Instead he just patted his friend on the shoulder, who took him aside.

[Director of Music]

Giorgia winced when she heard take in the sites  She followed Guisuppe and Henrietta to the aircraft.  Guisuppe herded the girls into the two front seats, while he took one in the back.  Giorgia was slightly tense, yet had a strange feeling overwhelm her.  She was excited, yet pained.  It was a strange mixture.

[Kasawa Lanford]

Ryoshine's friend and him talked for some time. "You sure about going to Germany? You realize 'they' won't like you being there.." The man said, worried.

"I don't care if they want me there or not, I'm going there anyway." Ryoshine said, stuffing his hands in his pocket. "If you say so, what weapons do you want me to have ready for you upon arrival?" his friend asked.

He thought about it before handing him a list. The man promtly let out a low whisle, "Wow... enough here to start a small armory, you want a lamborghini as well with that?"

"Sure" Ryoshine added and headed for the air craft. The man sighed, "he has very expensive tastes," his friend said, shaking his head back and forth. After a bit be made a phone call and then pocketed the ilst and got on board the air craft.

Ryoshine took the co-pilots seat while his friend took the pilots seat. "Buckle up!" Ryoshine said over the intra-craft communitions.

[Director of Music]

Giorgia slowly buckled herself up, her grey blue eyes gazing out at the view.  She looked back down and fiddled with her hands.  She tried not to stare out at the window too much, but when they had arrived in the vacinity of Germany, it was hard not too.  Her gaze caught the Berlin Conservatory, where, unconciously, she started drumming her fingers around, as if on a keyboard.  The rugged mountains, and the bustling streets, and the beautiful cathedrals made her take an inward gasp.

[Kasawa Lanford]

As the air craft approuched the airport, Ryoshine noticed some activity as they flew over. "Hmmm..." he said and jerked the craft a bit in an effort to get a better view - sure enough he saw something he really didn't want to see: mobile anti-air craft guns.

Pulling hard on the stick, the jet reared upward into the clouds just as the AA's opende fire. Flak rounds flew past the air craft, exploding harmlessly in the distance. "I TOLD you they wouldn't like you coming back!" The pilot shouted as he ducked his head, even though he knew it wouldn't help.

Ryoshine didn't hear him as his mind was to concerned with flying the aircraft. When they were several miles away from the airport the firing stopped, but Ryoshine saw the AA trucks moving on the ground as they attempted to catch up, of course it was useless racing a jet that was going two hundred miles per hour, vs a truck going only fifty miles per hour.

Their comm. unit came to life with chatter, for awhile it was full of cursing and other racial slangs, but then the chatter stopped and someone else came over relaying new landing cordinates for another air field located firty miles out of Berlin.

"Sorry about the rough ride.." Ryoshine said to his two young passengers.

[Director of Music]

The plane swerved, as it changed course.  In another 10 minutes they arrived.

She stepped off the plane with the help of Ryoshine and the group headed into the airport.  The place was filled with soldiers, most glaring at them.

Then she saw HIM.  Even if only for a moment,, those grey metalic eyes, that smirk. she shivered.

[Kasawa Lanford]

Ryoshine sighed when he saw the soldiers; he had expected it as much. "Welcome Mister Ryoshone," a tall man wearing a black suit said, his voice sounded like he would rather be elsewhere. The man lead the group out of the air port and to a garage, where the car he had requested was waiting, this made him uneasy as he hadn't requested that the car be at this airport.

The man handed him directions to the meeting point, Ryoshine nodded and watched as the man and his troops left. "I've got a bad feeling about this.... check the guns..." he said to Henrietta and Giorgia, "make sure they aren't bugged or altered in a way that makes difficult if not impossible to use."

[Director of Music]

Henrietta and Giorgia did as they were told.  Giorgia, still frightened by what she saw however, clumsily checked it.

Both girls reported back, "Guns are in working order, sir." 

Giorgia kept looking around.  She felt as if those eyes were following her, watching her every step.  She had forgotten the presence of Ryoshine, Guisuppe, and Henrietta.  She gripped her gun as if it were to sooth her.

Guisuppe saw the look of distraction on Giorgia.  While Ryoshine was talking to the man in the black suit, Guisuppe went over to Giorgia.  "Giorgia, what's wrong?  There's no need to be nervous."

Giorgia jumped.  "I-I...."  However, the man in the black suit looked over at Giorgia.  The girl seemed vaguely familiar.  To Guisuppe he said, "May I...talk to the little one?"  Guisuppe nodded, awkwardly, and went off to Ryoshine.  The man in the black suit crouched down to Giorgia's level.
The two held a whispered conversation.

"Hallo." He smiled, "Wie geht es Ihnen? Ich heiße  Wilm.  Sie sprechen deutsch außerdem?  Sie schauen sehr vertraut."
Giorgia looked at the man with the blue eyes.  She smiled tensely.  The German came fluently to her.  In her usual soft manner, she replied, "Hallo.  Danke, gut.  Ich heiße Giorgia.  Ich sehr bin traurig, daß geehrter Herr, ich Sie nicht erkennen." 
The man looked at her, rather pleased.  "Sie sprechen fließend deutsch... was sein Ihr letzt Name?"  Giorgia replied, "Pa-..." Then Giorgia remembered that sheet..."Mein letzter Name ist Kretschmann" 

The man's eyes widened.

*Translation=Hello.  How are you? My name is Wilm.  Do you speak German also?  You look familiar

Hello, Good, thank you.  My name is Giorgia.  I'm sorry sir, I don't recognize you.

You speak fluent German...what is your last name?

My last name is Kretschmann

[Kasawa Lanford]

Ryoshine watched and listened, while his german wasn't very good he could make out some of it. His man interest however was getting out of the garage and to the meeting place, "come on Giorgia," he said and stared at the man.

Guiseppe was also anxious to get going, something inside him told that this was the last place he wanted to be.

[Director of Music]

"Kretschmann, sagten Sie? War Ihr Vater zufällig... ein Leutnant Thomas Kretschmann?"
Giorgia's eyes widened.  She nodded numbly.

"Come on Giorgia."

 The man quickly looked at Ryoshine and when he wasn't looking, he gave Giorgia a piece of paper.
 "Fräulein Kretschmann, kann ich Ihnen helfen. Nehmen Sie dieses Papier. Und wenn Sie eine Wahrscheinlichkeit haben, benennen Sie die Zahl."  The man smiled, "Willkommenes Haus"

Giorgia smiled briefly and nodded.  She quickly went off to Ryoshine. 
The man smiled softly as she walked off.  He had been a friend of the Kretschmann's.  He was devastated when he had heard the news that his military friend had died.  He was angered even more so that a close friend of Thomas's had killed him!  Franz Bietrich.  He had known him too.  The three of them, Thomas, Franz, and Wilm would go drinking...this was the final blow to Wilm.  But he also realized that the daughter was not killed, so after all this time, he had hoped, and prayed.  And now, here she was!

Franz Bietrich grimaced as he saw Wilm Hosenfeld.  He could turn into a problem...no matter...I can always just kill him off.  He walked outside of the garage, and turned his coat collar up.  He dialed a number on his phone.  "Ludwig? Es ist Franz. Halten Sie eine Uhr auf Herr.Wilm Hosenfeld. Wenn er eine Störung in unserem Plan... verursacht, töten Sie ihn."  Franz shut the phone off.  He smirked.  Hosenfeld was just a pebble at the moment.  Everything was going as planned.  He had shown himself to the girl, he knew he had scared her.
 
*Kretschmann, did you say?  Was your father by chance...a Lieutenant Thomas Kretschmann?
*Miss Kretschmann, I can help you.  Take this paper.  And when you have a chance, call the number.
*Welcome home
*Ludwig?  It is Franz.  Keep a watch on Mr.Wilm Hosenfeld.  If he causes an interference in our plan...kill him.

[Kasawa Lanford]

As the four of them got into the car; Ryoshine couldn't help but feel an air of unease coming from Giorgia. He was tempted to ask when his phone went off, answering it he was only on for a few seconds before he hung up. "Well..... someone has tipped off 'them' off to our presence.." he said, annoyed.

Turning the car on he pulled out of the garage and down the pazed road. Along the way his eyes darted from tree to tree, he was expecting something but to his surprise nothing happened as they drove up to an abandoned warehouse. He opened the door and got out, Guiseppe glanced around. "Somethings... not right..." he said

Ryoshine shook his head. "Nope, this is exactly how 'he' operates, out of abandoned warehouses and such on the outscripts of towns," he said, but before he did anything he turned to Giorgia, "What's wrong?" he asked her.

[Director of Music]

"W-what's wrong?" She stuttered.  "I...n-nothing...just....just nervous is all, sir."  She wanted to tell him who she saw later.  Now was not the time, she decided.  Besides, she knew he would find out sooner or later. 

She watched as Ryoshine and Guisuppe conversed.