The Mundane and the Magic

4621 words

Wobbly legs failed to support her as she nearly toppled over onto icy ground from the sheer unsteadiness of being exported from reality for a brief second and zapped into a land unfamiliar. Evidently, the experience struck the four men just the same, for each of them stumbled, struggling to recompose themselves as their heads were virtually spinning.

Hunching over where she stood, the girl pressed her hands to her hips, fighting to keep the bile down that she could feel bubbling up inside. Allowing the motion sickness to subside, she stayed put for a moment, listening to the men huff and grumble in displeasure.

After a short while she straightened her posture, smoothing down her hair that had blown askew at such a surprisingly harsh motion of blending through the linear fabrics of the universe.

Observing the foursome spaced out around her, (Y/n) noticed that the German appeared the most well composed out of them all, somewhat strangely unbothered by the experience of being teleported. Perhaps he was fortunate enough not to feel the sickening effects so strongly... or maybe he's used to it.

The fact that he looked so unaffected but merely swayed for a second was enough to taunt the boys who almost landed with their faces in heaps of snow.

Dempsey staggered to composure, spitting his words at the German. "What the fuck was that Doc?"

Richtofen bit his tongue, infuriated with the American's persistent use of his abbreviated title.

"Time travel." He answered bluntly, looking down to smooth his attire.

"Yeah, no shit." Dempsey coughed into his arm.

Nikolai had readied his shotgun the very second his eyes could focus steadily on his surroundings.

Immediately, the location struck as new, and eerie without a doubt, for there were tall, fully constructed buildings surrounding them, unlike the crumpled monuments seen prior to their hasty departure from Northern France.

These buildings towered high, some ranging from two, to perhaps three or four floors. The location appeared to be a group of factories; guess-ably of use for constructive purpose for the German army, for the writings on metal signs were stamped with painfully long words in Deutsch, that only Richtofen could make sense of.

Now they stand in the centre of the grounds, in a courtyard. A wide elevated steel platform stands a small distance away, with stairs leading up to a large machine, somewhat resembling the teleporter they had just been thrown into. Connected to the contraption were three chunky electrical cables, adorned with thick icicles along their length, which separated and lead to three mainframe facilities equal distance from each other. What they were connected to was as good as anyone's guess.

Questions began to rattle around their heads as they observed their surroundings.

"Where are we German?" The Russian growled.

If Nikolai were to lock eyes with the Doctor, his deadly glare would kill him. But instead, Takeo eyed the German suspiciously, waiting for his predictable short-handed answer.

"We have arrived at a research facility." Richtofen answered, as simply as predicted. "On the outskirts of Eastern Germany."

The girl side-eyed him in disdain. His will to speak simply, almost like he was dimming down his intelligence to match that of the rest of the crew, or his frequent use of compulsive riddles and metaphors was already driving her mad, and she had only known him for a month or so.

Although now that time travel was brought into the equation, she could have very well known Richtofen for an eternity after discovering that shifting timelines and potentially re-writing history was entirely possible.

"What are we doing here, Richtofen?" She asked flatly.

All eyes landed on her when she spoke but flicked to the German when he shifted on his feet.

"I- We need to collect something." Richtofen stammered, his eyes widening slightly.

The small slip up of his words raised wariness instantly, especially in Nikolai and Takeo for they narrowed their gazes at him in sync.

It fell eerily silent as all four pairs of eyes stared down the German, intimidating him as they all awaited a follow up speech explaining just what he needs to "collect".

When he had no indication of opening his mouth to speak, Richtofen took a step forward, only to be brought to a halt when the barrel of Nikolai's shotgun came mere inches from his chest before he could even blink.

"Explain why you have brought us here, German. You've been feeding us nothing but riddles!" Nikolai's accent thickened, lacing his words with a menacing tone in his burst of rage.

Dempsey, Takeo and (Y/n) stepped up alongside the Russian, but none wanted to console the brute, instead believing he was right in resorting to a more threatening manner of interrogation. Richtofen raised his hands up in feeble surrender, his chest heaving as he stared down the thick barrel of the gun aimed at him.

"I can explain in time." Richtofen answered hastily. "That I promise."

Nikolai shook his head, his jaw setting in a sharp line. "I've heard that one to many times already. I do not believe you have any good intentions."

The Russian adjusted his stance, planting his feet firmly on the ground, his gloved finger grazing the trigger on his gun, prepared to put a bullet in his chest without a second thought.

(Y/n) could have sworn she saw a plead for mercy in Richtofen's usually dull eyes, hoping he can be granted some leeway, and a chance to move without the men of the group virtually always breathing down his neck, for he stared between her and the weapon threatening him rather quickly.

Perhaps not this time.

While (Y/n) had been lenient in the beginning, simply following him blindly as a means of keeping everyone alive, however, it now seems that she's growing just as impatient as the boys. Richtofen had certainly foreseen this.

"Alright, easy now." The girl intervened with a firm voice, her hand reaching to lower the shotgun Nikolai held. "We know that killing each other isn't going to get us anywhere."

Visibly infuriated, and practically steaming from the ears with boiling rage, Nikolai huffed loudly and retracted from the group, allowing Richtofen to lower his hands and exhale a long breath.

The girl dismissed the way the Doctor stared at her for a second, and instead focused on Nikolai in concern, albeit even wary of his next move.

His broad shoulders noticeably rose and fell with every heaving breath he took as he simmered down the fiery rage within him.

She could understand his dramatic actions for the world was flipped upside before their very eyes in a matter of seconds, and at this very moment in time, any action, no matter how drastic, could be deemed as justified.

Just when everything seemed tranquil, the sound of glass shattering made all unleash their firearms.

Staggered footsteps across icy ground emitted a small distance away, gradually growing closer. A stumbling decomposing corpse hauled itself through a beaten down wooden barrier. Yet another fallen soldier to have become a victim to the brain-rotting infection. But it seemed lost. Although it appeared to have retained some memory of marching; as the man would have done alongside his platoon before the outbreak.

Though given the unpredictability of the zombie, all but one keeps their weapons aimed steadily.

From what the girl could tell from discreet glances, Richtofen appeared to be studying the creature, or perhaps he was awaiting its next violent move. She had learned that he was not an easy man to read, at least not through his expressions, for he typically appeared emotionless.

She missed the way the Doctor rolled his eyes and swiftly breezed past the crew with his arm raised and pistol loaded to gun the zombie down with a single bullet its head.

With a heft thud, the lifeless creature dropped to the floor, the heap of snow its head landed in now absorbing the blood pouring from the gaping hole in its skull.

Richtofen holstered his pistol, turning to face the group looking utterly unimpressed when he was met with four scorned faces.

"I would simply suggest killing them when you see them." He instructed blankly. "Research shows that they do in fact sense presence sooner or later."

Silence enveloped once again, and (Y/n) felt herself shivering as the wind whisked through much stronger than before, creating an eerie whistle as it crawled through crevices in buildings. Her intolerance to the cold failed to go unnoticed as Richtofen witnessed her body quiver, and she pulled her coat snugly to her body.

"We must not waste time. There is much to be done." Edward asserted, wanting nothing more than to hasten his own mission.

As much as the Doctor tried to ignore the thought, he wished to get the girl somewhere warmer, or at least direct her there if he could not escort her himself. He would not dare to admit that part of him felt a fondness for her, especially for her will to seek justice between the crew.

"Might I also suggest we search for supplies." Richtofen added. "I'm sure we'll be needing them."

As if his queue to leave, Richtofen spun on his heel and made his way towards the central facility.

Dempsey made a hasty move to follow the German, but a light touch of a hand pressing to his arm had pulled him to an abrupt stop. He turned, only to be met with a look of annoyance from the girl.

He immediately opened his mouth to argue before she raised her hand to halt his words.

"I think we should leave him be." She spoke generally.

The American stared at her in disbelief. "You're gonna let him run off?"

She rolled her eyes. "He's not gonna run off."

Dempsey's hands flew out beside him in confusion and frustration. "Then what- "

Cutting him off swiftly, she declared, "If he doesn't separate from us for a while, I think he'll get killed."

(Y/n) discreetly motioned to Nikolai with her eyes, who had his back turned at the time, prompting Dempsey to scoff and shake his head in annoyance, knowing very well that she was correct.

As flakes of snow fluttered down into her eye view, she peered upwards, sensing an impending snowstorm brewing above. Takeo had followed her gaze skyward, thinking just the same as clouds tumbled in thicker, hiding away the stars that barely glimmered in the evening sky.

"I'm gonna go look for supplies." She told, wanting nothing more than to find somewhere warmer to roam.

Like her feet carried her away automatically, (Y/n) turned her back and began traipsing carefully over the snow towards a building. The doors to the main entrance virtually inviting her in as they were wide open.

Barely two seconds had passed before Dempsey's cocky accent caught up to her.

"Woah woah, you're not going alone missy."

She could hear the way he spoke with a smirk on his face, and faced him immediately, quipping. "What? You don't think I can handle myself?"

Tank's eyes widened subtly upon sensing the stares from Takeo and Nikolai. (Y/n) couldn't help the way she bit her lip in amusement as the American visibly regret his choice of words and fumbled to find a believable excuse.

But little did she know that Nikolai had turned away slightly to hide the way he smirked to himself, not wanting to have Dempsey bark at him in retaliation to finding his visible embarrassment amusing, but also, secretly, because of the way she held herself in that very moment. With her hand on her hip, almost proudly, as the corner of her lips curled up smugly. It made his heart skip a beat.

"What- No!" Tank breathed a faint awkward laugh, averting his eyes. "I just think we should stick together."

(Y/n) shrugged. "Very well then, we'll go in pairs. We can cover the grounds quicker."

The three men perked up instantly, eyeing her attentively.

"Feel free to join me, but I've gotta get somewhere warm before I freeze to death." She resumed walking away, this time much quicker as the cold air was nipping at her through her coat.

The trio exchanged blank glances, silently questioning whether to follow her footsteps. Yet not one of them dared to move, even though the girl had already entered the building.

That was until Nikolai wasted no time in taking a step forward, his boots imprinting the settled snow as he swiftly headed in the same direction as (Y/n).

In his wake, Nikolai left two men frustrated, with Dempsey visibly turning his nose up at the fact that the Russian had beat him to the same idea.

"That settles it then." Dempsey grumbled, trudging past Takeo displeased. "Let's just search this damn place."

---

Hefty footsteps emitted behind her in a hasty manner, although not like the jagged pattern of a zombie. Despite how quick the person was walking; their steps had a steady pattern. She glanced over her shoulder, brows raised, only to be struck with surprise upon seeing the Russian following her path. She smiled politely when he reached her side, to which she earned the same in return.

"I was half expecting to see Dempsey behind me." She admitted.

Nikolai couldn't help the lie that slipped from his tongue. "He had agreed to pair with Takeo."

(Y/n) nodded, oblivious to the fact that Nikolai was merely eager to join her.

Standing side-by-side, together they surveyed the room. From its spacey layout, and the huge vents surrounding a furnace central of a partially walled off section, it could be guessed that it was none other than a storage room, or perhaps a place that materials were discarded and burned for ashes littered the feet of the caged firepit. She couldn't refrain from spluttering and covering her nose at the putrid smell that wafted from the furnace, one would assume the previous occupants were incinerating bodies what with such a foul smell.

A few crates and barrels lie on their sides, some of their contents spewed out and trampled across the floor, most of which were papers, scrapped rusty components, and bullet shells. Upon closer inspection, (Y/n) surmised that the bullets were splayed recently for not a drop of dirt covered one, and Nikolai had noticed this too.

"There was bloodshed here recently." Nikolai thought aloud, moving forward a few steps.

(Y/n) hummed. "But the question is, where these people killing each other, or zombies?"

The thought of an army, once forged together by loyalty and discipline, turning on each other utterly driven to madness as the world collapsed, and people turned to flesh-eating murderers before their very eyes.

"I dread to think of it." Nikolai responded, watching the girl as she crouched to view a crumpled sheet of paper.

Steel catwalks above their heads creaked and popped as the wind breezed through holes in the doors and walls, nudging its every obstacle with vengeance what with the force it was brewing up. Parts of the structure had already fallen from its rightful place, lying in piles of debris in random areas, the building being entirely torn apart by the harsh weather alone.

"We best not stay here too long." Nikolai told. "My guess is that this place will be nothing but rubble before we know it."

A fairy-light clink hit their ears, and as if ironically on queue a bolt from an overhead beam hit the floor, bouncing astray into a pile of ash. The pair locked eyes warily at the timing.

"Let's see if there's anything useful and get out of here." (Y/n) urged.

Nikolai nodded and began his own deconstructive way of searching.

Little time had passed, and they had each found a great supply of fresh ammunition to be shared amongst the crew. Not being able to carry such a heavy amount of munitions between them means they resorted to shifting the supply crates to an area more safely accessible, for the crew to return to instead.

While (Y/n) had her hands elbow deep in a crate, she pondered on the earlier encounter with a raging Nikolai in the courtyard. His seething expression and merciless intentions to kill Richtofen remained permanently in her mind.

Knowing that she doesn't fear the Russian in the slightest, for he has shown nothing but loyalty and kindness to her throughout the few weeks of knowing him, more so than he has shown anyone else, (Y/n) couldn't help but wonder if Nikolai would have followed through with his drastic intentions if she had not intervened.

She looked his way, catching the way he swiftly averted his eyes to the crate he stood searching, taking herself aback when she felt her heart skip a beat.

Pushing away the thought of the mere instance, she called out to him. "Nikolai?"

The gentle way his name sounded when it fell from her lips made his rounded eyes met hers, prompting her to speak but the words were lodged in her throat as his eyes captivated and shimmered in the dim light the furnace glowed.

"You know I don't blame you for nearly killing Richtofen earlier." She declared with all sincerity.

However, the Russian scowled instantly.

(Y/n) watched as Nikolai drew in a deep breath, pressing his palms to the edge of the wooden crate.

"Richtofen is beginning to test my patience. What with all his riddles..." He told in his gruff voice.

"Tell me about it." She muttered, fiddling with a bullet she had picked up.

"But I fear we are descending into madness by following his orders." He admitted. "And I'm finding it nearly impossible to have any ounce of faith in his intentions."

Something about the way Nikolai held himself in that moment struck her strange. He began to softly drum on the crate, his lips pressing into a line when he turned his attention back to the equipment before him. It seemed like there were words on the tip of his tongue, yet he could not allow them to fall past his lips.

(Y/n) chewed the inside of her cheek, staring blankly at the bullet she held, ruminating on his words.

"Do you believe that Richtofen has good intentions?" Nikolai blurted out.

The girl instantly locked eyes with him, noticing how serious he looked with such a hard-faced expression. His question made her ponder for a minute.

"I can't say." She answered truthfully. "He's acting suspicious, that's for sure. And God knows what he's up to right now."

Nikolai only nodded, acknowledging her.

"But let's just get on with what we need to do. I'm already tired of stressing about his next move."

Something sent a pang of guilt through the Russian. If the girl had not turned her eyes away, she would have seen the pitiful look on his face.

(Y/n) huffed and tossed small components back into the crate, walking briskly past Nikolai, and over to a smaller one yet to be searched on the opposite side of the room.

Another clink of a falling screw went unheard of as her footsteps overpowered the faint tap of metal hitting the ground. That was until the piercing sound of steel screeching, peeling away from the lengthy catwalk above their heads, a support