A Devil with an Angel's Heart

Chapter 28, Part 2

|| Mr. Joestar

Kate had just asked him if he was ready to meet an old friend. Joseph was confused, he couldn't think of a single friend of his that would reside in hell. He was just about to ask her who she meant, when one of the soldiers transformed his prosthetic hand into a flame thrower. Joseph took another look around. Most soldiers were demons but some were recruited souls. Kate had made it a policy to exhaust all possibilities and started recruiting souls along with demons. As long as they were resourceful and strong, she saw no reason to exclude them. They could be put to use instead of taking up valuable space in the pits of hell. Though, once recruited, they no longer were souls, they got back their bodies and resumed life, without actually being alive. They could survive without food, water, air...sleep. The ultimate fighters. The only way to kill them was to weaken them, to bleed them dry and send them back into the fires of hell....but that was one of the most difficult things to do. And Kate told him, that even though they didn't need to, they were still given the opportunity to sit and eat with all the others, if just for pleasure, they were not excluded from such activities. They all had a room and a bed. They didn't need to do these things, but could if they wanted to. Upon even closer inspection most of these soldiers were also wearing prosthetics. And they looked strangely familiar. "Kate...", started Joseph. "About time you realised...", Kate smiled, "We give those who are unable to use magic thee prosthetics to make up for their deficits.", she explained proudly. "How...?", wondered Joseph. How was this possible?! This form of science...he hadn't seen it in a very long time. But how did Kate get her hands on it?! "Well, what can I say?", the female chuckled then loudly declared, "German science is the finest in the world!" Kate chuckled again. No, this wasn't possible. She couldn't possibly mean...him...right? Besides he wasn't exactly a friend, maybe a comrade in arms, at most.

"Well said, General!"

Joseph's mouth hang open. It was indeed him. He hadn't changed a bit. He was still the same, tall, buff man with blond hair and blue eyes...the same German accent, the same cyborg prosthetics, including the monocle. He was still half human, half machine. The very first cyborg of history. Only his uniform had changed. He wore the same colours as Kate. And he was of high rank it seemed. A lieutenant general..."Von Strohheim...", whispered Joseph under his breath. The man was no longer a Nazi, now he stood proudly in the colours of hell, happily and proudly serving under Kate. "Jojo! I've returned from the fires of hell!", the soldier greeted Joseph in his usual boisterous and commanding tone, taken up from years of service in the Wehrmacht and now in the Firewall. Joseph was rendered speechless. Had Kate actually taken a Nazi into her ranks? Joseph knew she despised the Nazis, they'd committed horrible acts and were now paying for them in the fires of hell. Even Stroheim had done unspeakable things at the front, killed countless men...So, why would Kate ever accept a Nazi amongst her men? "It's good to see you, old chap!... You've gotten old, Jojo." the German spoke with a certain fondness. Back in Stroheim's day, he had been a proud and arrogant man to the point of foolishness. But he was also a brave man. Joseph remembered when the soldier had demanded Joseph cut of his leg so Santana couldn't take over his body and then ended up blowing himself up with a grenade....And he was also a man that respected courage from others and appreciated valour. And...he was particularly proud of his cyborg body. He still was, it seemed, as he proudly showed it off to Polnareff. But one thing was for sure, this man was certainly crazy enough to accept a deal offered by Kate and throw himself into servitude under Kate's command. Stroheim had readily entered Kate's world and that was a world where survival wasn't easy, a constant fight. One needed to be crazy if one wanted to survive and ready go beyond reason.

Joseph looked at Kate questioningly. Kate only smiled, "You see, you told me so many stories when I was little. You used to tell me about your fight against the Pillar Men..." "Yes, I remember. This story used to be your favourite..", agreed Joseph. "Exactly. I used to think that all Nazis were bad, and what they did really was. But, then I came to realise, that, in the end, they all, too, were humans. That they were actively brainwashed by Hitler. And so...I tried finding people that had regained their senses, that still had some humanity left within them....And I started with Stroheim. In your stories he didn't sound like a bad man and maybe, just maybe...I could restore a tiny bit of my faith in humanity...I'm glad I was able to give some of them a chance. A new home, a new purpose. I often had people judge me without actually knowing me. They were biased and scared just because I was half demon....I didn't want to be like that. I wanted to give them a chance and decided that, if they were willing to pledge their loyalty and repent for their sins by serving a better purpose...I would welcome them with open arms and give them a place to call "home". I started with the Nazis. I had to take a lot of risks as I started this project. Had anything gone wrong, I would be the one held responsible and suffer the consequences. I put everything on the line I'd worked so hard for. All the respect, honour, power and trust. All the admiration and faith the people had in me. If I failed, all my efforts would have been in vain. The empire I'd worked so hard to reform and rebuild...everything. It would have all been for naught.", explained Kate, "But I did it anyway. What kind of leader would I be, if I couldn't stand up for my subjects? Mum taught me that a queen must be kind and just above all else...I know I'd have regretted it for the rest of my life had I backed out. I had started this, so I had to see this through...even if it meant risking it all." Kate went silent, and for a moment everything went quiet until..."We're glad you did, General." declared one soldier. "Exactly! You were the only one willing to give us another chance!" agreed another one. "We were long hoping for a second chance. Who would have thought our second chance was a young, small girl dressed up in a General's uniform?" Kate sighed, "You guys...", she paused for a second before ordering them to get back to work and stop wasting her time. "Aww, General, we know you care...", the men teased. "Then do me the favour and resume training. I want to see those muscels work.", declared Kate dryly, then turned and left for the huge, wooden gate that marked the entrance inside the building. Stroheim chuckled and quietly mumbled, "There's no need to hide your emotions, General, I know you're deeply moved by what they said. To the point of tears of happiness..." "STROHEIM!", Kate's voice echoed from the protective walls of the fort and caused the soldier to flinch and hurry after her while Joseph and co. followed at a slower pace. Their trip ended in an office. "I see you've taken care of the paper work...Excellent.", stated Kate. "How long will you be staying?", wondered Stroheim. They spoke differently now, with less vigour... calmer and a much more familiar. The two actually looked quiet close. "Not long. I'm just passing through, I have very pressing matters to attend to, you see. A very precious life is on the line. One I do not want to lose. So, please, tell me you've got a car to spare.", Kate portrayed a calm face but the urgency was in her eyes and laced her voice. Stroheim looked genuinely dismayed as he shook his head, "I'm sorry, but...All the cars we have are currently in use or need repairs." Kate was quiet for a while as she pondered her possibilities as she stood behind the desk, supporting herself on it. "Barbatos, that lucky bastard.", she muttered. "How so?", inquired Stroheim. "He wanted me to come to the capital and talk to Diavolo. He's snuck out. Understandable if you ask me. Who wants to be trapped behind a desk all day and sign paper after paper with a cramping hand and blisters on their fingers? In addition, there's the longwinded fitting for the annual ball, that's bound to be held soon....", Kate explained, burying her head in her right hand for a moment. "Surely, it can't be that bad.", offered Stroheim. "You have no idea! You never had to squeeze yourself into a corset or stand still for hours until they finally decided on the right hairstyle, my scalp already sore, only for them to say, "No...that's not right. We'll have to redo it."! No, thank you. But feel free to take my place, Rudol!", complained the woman. Stroheim shook his head, "I'd rather not." "Thought so. Anyway...do we have anything else, other than cars, we can use to get to the capital as soon as possible?", asked Kate. Stroheim thought for a moment, "We do have dragons. They're already tamed but still very young and not exactly trained. I'm not sure how well they'll listen." Kate looked at her watch, "Taken. I don't have much time left and I'm pretty sure Barbatos prepared a trap for me. He'll try to get a hold of me the moment I step foot inside the palace." And thus she rushed outside and towards the stables. Stroheim sighed, "She's still so young and has been through so much. Sometimes I really wonder where she draws all that strength from. She's so small, compared to most of the men here and her body seems so fragile, what with her thin arms and all...I admire how she just keeps going and even finds the energy to help people like us...She may be a devil, but her heart definitely isn't and anyone who says otherwise needs to get his eyes checked out!", Stroheim grew agitated, "Know, we'll always have your back, General! Just like you have ours.", he then rushed after her. "Well, Kate sure knows how to get the people going.", mumbled Avdol. "Agreed. But we already knew that. She's got a way with words and that paired with her natural charisma and character....Irresistible." added Joseph and took a quick look at his grandson. The boy was the embodiment of a lovestruck teenager as he followed Kate and Stroheim, Iggy hot on his heels. Avdol chuckled, "Sometimes I don't know who of them tamed whom..." Joseph remembered how he'd felt when he was younger and met Suzie Q. "Ahh, to be young again..."