"This is an awful idea" Barkhorn said standing perched on the deck of the launch pad. Minna stood behind the girl aiming down the sights of the BAR at Lucchini. She adjusted her aim to the rope is spending her in the air.

"It's only bad if it doesn't work." Minna said concentrating on her shot.

"You'd better not miss. I don't feel like running all the way back up here and doing this again." Barkhorn said looking back at her commander.

"I think you should be more concerned with missing. Me not hitting the rope my first try isn't as bad as letting Lucchini drop to those things." Minna said as Barkhorn looked over the edge at the zombies trying to claw at them. They extended their arms towards them but their meals were just out of their reach.

" ... Lets just try not to miss" Barkhorn said frightened of the zombies as she still can't get the feeling of getting bit out of her head. Getting bit only lasted a few minutes for Barkhorn but it frightened the hell out of her. Not only the initial bite but the wound afterwards. Even though it went away for some unknown reason she still didn't feel good about it.

"Ready?" Minna asked holding the rifle steadily about to take the shot.

"Ready" Barkhorn replied and got ready to dive over the sea of monsters. Hearing this, Minna took the shot at the rope. It struck on the first try and Lucchini fell from the rafters. Before she came close to falling into the hoard of zombies Barkhorn kicked off the pas and reached out for her in mid air. She was able to tackle the girl into a safer area not consumed by zombies. When Barkhorn stood up holding the still bound Lucchini she noticed the girl had awaken during the fall and was going crazy in her arms trying to get free. The Captain removed the cloth that was holding the girls mouth shut.

"Barkhorn! What the hell is going on!? Why am I tied up!? What is that!?" Lucchini frantically questioned as a zombie stalked towards the two. Barkhorn had nothing to defend herself with as she was holding Francesca in her arms. Suddenly the zombies head exploded splattering blood on the twos uniforms. Francesca was stunned at what she had witnessed as the zombie fell to its knees revealing Minna behind it.

"We'll explain everything when we are safe. Run Barkhorn!" Minna said as she opened fire on the approaching zombies. One by one they began to fall as she backed up towards the exit. The others had run through the door already and Minna didn't have to defend them anymore. She turned around and made a break for the door. She quickly caught up to them in the halls and they could make their way back to the safe room.

Near the kitchen Hartmann walks around hesitantly. She had been following the instructions of someone she thought was her friend. Edward had promised her something to fight the zombies was left in the sinning room for her. She cautiously pushed open the door and walked in to the room.

"It's in here?" Hartmann asked. Although she seemed silly talking to herself Edward heard everything from in her head.

"Yes! You are close to wear I hid the weapon. Just in there on the table!" He said from in her mind. Hartmann was the only one who could hear the crazy rumblings of the mad doctor but because of that he was the only person she found trustworthy at the time.

Walking up to the table she found a leather briefcase waiting for her. She spun it towards her and unbuckled the sides of it. Slowly opening it up she looked inside to see a glass bottle filled with a dark liquid.

"Another soda? Cool, I was getting thirsty from all the running I was doing." Hartmann laughed sitting back in a chair and taking a break. She put the top of the soda against the table and wedged the cap into the wood. Hitting her fist against the bottle cap the top popped off with the sound of fizzing.

" it is no ordinary soda pop. By drinking that you will not only bond our minds anymore but bond our bodies! Ad once I am in control of your body I will be able to stop maxis from winning! The only way one knows how to win this game! I will just use you to kill- uh. Did you drink the whole thing while I was talking?" Edward asked as Hartmann had kicked up her feet and downed the soda while Edward went on about his plan.

"*hic* oh, excuse me" Hartmann bushed as she tossed the bottle to the side.

"Sorry, what were you saying? I wasn't paying attention." Hartmann said.

"Oh nothing. You will see soon enough." Edward said as his voice faidedmaway out of Hartmann's mind. she thought nothing of it and was about to leave when she felt a burning in her stomach that soon spread throughout her body. She doubled over trying to make the pain go away.

"Edward! What the hell is going on!" Hartmann shouted trying to stand up. She suddenly felt someone else moving her leg. Then her arm and fingers swung without her trying to do that.

"You should have listened to what I had to say Erica" Hartmann suddenly said to herself without wanting to. She quickly covered her mouth to stop it. She soon lost control of her hands and they moved away once again.

"Get out of my body you... Bastard" Hartmann said trying to fight the pain that was pushing her out of her mind.

"It's not your... Body... Anymore!" Edward shouted through her voice and Hartmann's body fell to its hands and knees. She began to slowly laugh maniacally to herself as she sat there. Combing from Richthofen this laugh would be scary but now that it was combing from a cute little girl, it was terrifying. Hartmann's eyes glowed with a tint of blue now that Edward Richthofen inhabited her body. His evil spirit had forced Hartmann out and walked freely using her as a vessel.

"Hartmann... You fool... You have doomed your friends!" Richthofen shouted to himself and began to laugh loudly once again. Grabbing the briefcase he reached deeper in where Hartmann hadn't checked and pulled a pistol like creation from it. It was red and green with many knobs and lights on it. He put it on Hartmanns belt and began to walk out the door.

"Your friends will not last long against my ray gun!... This voice is going to take some getting used to... And i should have also packed some pants." Richthofen said looking over his shoulder and pushing out Hartmann's but to take a look.

Minna and Barkhorn had safely returned to the bunker with Lucchini. They had taken the time to untie her and fill her in on what they knew was going on. There wasn't much to tell because they were just as clueless as she was. After their brief chat they waited for Hartmann to return. They were already afraid something bad had happened because she wasn't already there when they got back.

"She should be here by now... Should I go out to find her" Minna asked Barkhorn who was ripping the sleeves off her uniform because the zombies had torn them up. They would only get in the way if she kept them tattered.

"That's a really bad idea. What if you get trapped or lost." Barkhorn said throwing her rags to the side.

"But I'm afraid Hartmann may be worst than trapped or lost... I'm afraid she's-" Minna was saying but Barkhorn barged in, grabbing her shoulder tightly. Minna looked at her scared to see tears in Barkhorn's eyes.

"Don't say it. Don't you fucking say that word. We're all thinking it... Don't say it" she said trying to hold back her anger and fear. Minna had never seen this disrespect to a commanding officer from Barkhorn. The stress must have been really getting to her.

"Barkhorn... I have seen Hartmann live through hundreds of missions against the Neuroi. I'm pretty sure she is fine" Minna said reassuring her friend. A smile comes over Barkhorn's face and she lets go of Minna's shoulder.

"I'm sorry commander. I don't know what came over me" she said.

"It's fine you were just worried for your friend. It's normal to feel that way. We're all have good reason" Minna said. A knock came to the door and the girls all turned to look at the large metal door. Minna walked over to it as the other two felt relived that Hartmann had returned.

"See, nothing to worry about. Now we can get ready to rescue the others." Minna said opening the door to see the perky smiling face of Erica Hartmann looking up at her.

"We were so worried Hartmann!" Barkhorn shouted to her. Minna just smiled knowing Hartmann would have loved to see how Barkhorn was acting a few seconds ago.

"You have good reason to worry" Hartmann smiled. Suddenly minna felt something stick into her stomach. She looked down to see Hartmann had drawn a strange gun from her belt and jammed it into her abdomen. Before she could react to the pain of it being forced against her Hartmann pulled the trigger. In a burst of green energy and dust Minna was sent flying to the backed the room. Lucchini screamed as Minna hit the back wall hard and slid to her butt on the ground. She sat against the wall unconscious by the hand of her friend.

"Hartmann! Why the hell did you shoot the commander!" Barkhorn shouted at her.

"That's strange... I was hopping for more of a head exploding death... Or at least her shedding some blood. Maybe it isn't set high enough" Hartmann said tinkering with the ray guns many knobs. Barkhorn was disgusted to hear this coming from her friend.

"There! If I move some if my energy into the ray gun it should produce better results!" Hartmann said as her eyes turned completely blue with almost a burning of fire in her skull. She lifted her hand and pointed the ray guy at Barkhorn.

"See ya latter Trude!" Richthofen laughed ready to pull the trigger. Barkhorn dove behind a table for cover as Hartmann tried to blast her over and over again.

"What the hell has gotten into her, she couldn't have cracked from being on her own. Could she?" Barkhorn asked herself as the metal table was warped by the constant blasts.

"Hey! Stop it!" Hartmann heard from the other end of the bunker. She turned to see Lucchini was holding a metal rod ready to defend herself.

"I will get to you after. Now go away so-" Richthofen was saying through Hartmann's body before Barkhorn twisted her arm and through the gun to the side. Hartmann was astonished that she had been tricked so easily. She looked up at Barkhorn who still had her arm twisted in one hand and balled a fist in the other. With one punch Barkhorn cracked Hartmann in the nose knocking her to the ground. Her nose was bleeding a lot as she looked up at her friend.

"Trude... Why" she said innocently as her eyes returned to their blue normality. Barkhorn hesitated for a second not sure of what to do as she saw her friend bleeding on the ground. Richthofen took the opera unity of Barkhorn's weakness to kick her legs out from underneath her.

"It's so obvious I'm evil! Why would you fall for that!" Hatmann laughed over Barkhorn. Lucchini ran over to help her friend but Hartmann swung her arm around, knocking her unconscious as well. Ripping a piece of Luchinni's white uniform off she used it to clean the blood from her nose and face.

"I don't know who you are... Or how you took control of my friend... But i know Erica would never do this willingly. Give. Her. Back." Barkhorn said grinding her teeth as she got up from the ground.

"Sorry but it doesn't work like that." Hartmann said throwing the bloody rag at Barkhorn.

"Im surprised you figured out I stole your friends body though. but I do not intend on leaving willingly any time soon" the fraud Hatmann said with an evil grin that Barkhorn had never seen on the girl before.

"Then I guess there is only one way this can go. I'm sorry Hatmann, but I'm going to have to beat this guy out of you!" Barkhorn said clenching her fists. Hartmann put up her dukes as well as the two were ready to go all out. It was the first time Barkhorn was ever going to not hold back against her best friend. She had already taken first blood against her which was hard enough. She would have to fight knowing the moor pain she inflicts on Hartmann the safer her friend will be.

Deep in an unknown reality of infinite whiteness harmanns actual spirit wandered about. She did not know where she was or if she was alone. She beloved she had died and moved on to the next world but that didn't seem like what had happened.

She soon found a chess table sitting in the blankness. She sat in one of the big chairs and looked down at the board. There was no one around to play with but there was another chair. On the board were playing pieces shaped like her friends and some men she had never seen before. The piece that looked like her was standing over pieces that resembled Minna, Lucchini, and Barkhorn. She reached her hand out and touched her piece with the tip of her finger.

"Don't you know it's rude to interrupt a game being played" a mans voice said. Hartmann jumped and looked up to see a man had been sitting in the seat across from her. She looked around to see he couldn't have come from anywhere without her seeing him.

"Who are you?" Hartmann asked the man in a nervous voice.

"I am doctor Maxis, and you are interrupting my game." He said to her.

"But I'm not touching the pieces... And you are that guy that has been helping us right?" She asked.

"Yes. But now you have messed a lot of that up, haven't you" he said

"I'm sorry. I didn't know that was the guy we were trying to stop... But what is he doing? What happened to my body?" She asked.

"He is using it to fight your friend. Its not pretty." He said

"Oh no! We have to do something!" She said.

"We can't. That would be against the rules. I can not interfere with you by making contact." He said.

"Come on! He cheated! Edward took my body and is going to win if you don't do something!" Hartmann said angrily. Maxis thought to himself for a moment.

"I guess it is only right for me to get even. I cannot give you your body back, that is up to your friend to defeat Edward and make him leave your body. But if she fails I can still keep your world alive by getting your friend away from him." He said picking up Minna's piece and moving it to his side of the board. There were three men shaped pieces on that side as well as three familiar girls.

"So they can keep her safe?" She asked him.

"Yes, what you didn't know is that you are all bound to the other players of this game of death. If one falls but the others survive they can bring them back. By putting her with all of them it will be hard to end it all." Edward said.

"But what are they doing with them? I thought they were in the base?" Hartmann asked pointing at the girls.

"Edward masked their memory with a new one... He then sent them away to fight in another world... Our old world. Where it all started years ago. He stretched time and space to keep them away from you so you couldn't win. Now we will stop him by having Minna..." he said slamming her piece down in the middle of the other six.

"Bring them all back" Hartmann smiled.

Minna began to come to as she felt a warm sensation overcome her back on earth. She opened her eyes and saw Barkhorn tangled with Erica. She was about to do something when her hand slipped below the ground as she tried to get up. She looked down to See a white void had opened up below her and she was sinking in. Before she could yell for help she had dropped into it and it closed above her.

The speed she was going at was inconceivable as she hurtled across space. She watched as color shifted around her and she was whisked through time. She could not comprehend what was going on as she shut her eyes tight she she didn't have to look at the deep vacuumed of space she was crossing without warning. In her mind she began to hear Maxis's voice again.

"Minna! You must bring them back! They will only remember who they see when they meet the heroes of this apocalypse! Find the soldiers and let their hands touch! Only then can they come back to fight with you!" Maxis said as she felt her body reaching its limits. A bright light blinded her as she reached the end of the trip she went on. What was once shocking noise the mind could not imagine had turned to the splashing of rain on puddles.

Minna opened her eyes once again after the flash to see she was standing in some kind of lab. There were test tubes and papers everywhere as well as tapes and rocks of some kind. She turned around to see a larger machine up the stairs. Looking around she realized the lab was in some kind of bunker. There were trenches outside the window as well as bi planes fighting in the stormy skies. She had landed in the middle of a war zone with no prior knowledge of wanting to go.

"Where the hell am I?" She said looking through some of the paperwork.

"Element 115? Wonder weapons? Where the hell is this... France place?" She asked herself as she read the paperwork that riddled the room. Looking down at herself Minna realized she wasn't even wearing her uniform anymore.

"Where are my cloths? Why am I wearing this smock and shirt?" She asked looking over herself to see somehow she had been redressed into a pair of black pants and a vest that was covered in blood.

"Another question... Where did this blood come from?" She asked slowly as she walked over to the table she was closest to when she first arrived. It had a blanket covering a human like shape on it. Pulling it off revealed the dead body of an old man. His brain had been removed by a large chunk of his head being sawed perfectly off. Minna thought she was going to be sick as she stumbled over to the window to vomit.

As she was losing her lunch she heard the sound of gunshots in the distance. Looking out the window she saw men in what looked similar to Karlsland uniforms firing on a swarm of zombies charging towards the trenches.

"Crap! I should have known then would be here as well!" Minna said as she patted her sides looking for a weapon. She found a pistol holster had been given to her and she drew the weapon to defend herself. Suddenly from the night sky came the sound of music like at the base.

(Shepards of fire- avenged sevenfold)

"You can not be serious. Where is this music coming from?" Minna asked looking out the window. She couldn't find the source of the music but she did see something equally as surprising. A large tank rolled through the trenches as the zombies tried to run. One was crushed under its treads as it came to a halt. On top of it was non other than Charlotte Yeager. She was not wearing her regular uniform either. She was decked out in fatigues and weapons.

"What the hell is Shirley doing out there, she is going to get herself killed." Minna said watching the girl pick up a large machine gun. Minna was shocked when Shirley kicked a zombie that was standing next to her off the tank. She then proceeded to jump off the tank and open fire with her machine gun on a zombie that was running right at her. She then dropped the gun to the ground without a second thought and moved on with her fight. She punched a zombie that was running at her and forced its head against a pipe that lined the wall of the trench. The pipe broke giving off hot steam in the zombies face after it had its head crushed against the metal. Letting it go to hit the ground she then pulled her knife from its holster oh her chest. As a zombie ran at her she pushed it past and stabbed it in the back. Another two approached and she raised the blade once again. This time slashing ones neck and using the same swing to put the blade in the side of the other ones head. As the blade was stuck in its skull she pulled her smith and Weston revolver from her holster and shot the other on in the head to finish it off. Pulling her knife out of the zombies skull Shirley continued to open fire with her revolver at the approaching zombies.

"When did Shirley learn how to do that?" Minna asked but soon heard more commotion from another trench. She ran to another window and looked out to be even more surprised.

"Sanya is here to? Why won't anyone tell me what is going on" she said to herself as she watched the silver haired quiet girl being a little less quiet than usual. She was wearing some kind of leather jacket and had let her hair become very messy. She pushed a zombie away from herself and the put her pistol to its head. With the pull of the trigger she easily blew it away. Aiming at another zombie she fired and hit it. This one didn't go down immediately so she put her boot into its chest and kicked it into a pile of wood. More zombies began to slide down from outside the trenches towards her and Minna was scared for her team mate. Sanya looked the least concerned as the zombies charged. Picking up an axe from the ground she swung at the first zombies leg, chopping it of and throwing him into the air. While the zombie was suspended she swung the axe into its chest and brought it back down to earth. As she picked up the axe from its body another one quickly struck. She used the axe to hold it away as it tried to bite at her head. With a push she was able to move it back far enough that she could get a swing in. She chopped deep into the zombies skull, down into its neck, and split its upper body in half in one swing. As its guts and blood spewed out and the zombie dropped to the dirt she swung the axe back like a baseball bat and threw it. It spun through the air across the trench and straight into a zombies chest. As the zombie flew backwards from the devastating hit Sanya reached for the double barreled shotgun on her back. Pulling it over her shoulder and into a firing position. She quickly shot a zombie to the right of her in the stomach and it dropped to its knees lifeless once again. The next zombie was a bit close so she walked it into the wall with the but of the shotgun and then blasted it in the face as it sat against the wood supporting the trench. The shotgun peppered its head with lead. As Sanya walked away to continue where she was going she grabbed the axe from the zombies chest and yanked it out to use again.

"Wow. Remind me never to piss Sanya off." Minna said to herself as she lost sight of where the girl was going. Another sound came from behind her as she ran over to the door to see what it was. She didn't want to open it and risk getting attacked so she got up on her toes to look though the small glass window in it.

"Who could it be now? At this pint nothing is going to surprise me... Is that... Mio?" Minna asked looking through the smoking pipes and glass to see her lost friend had returned. Instead of her regular white uniform though she wore a khaki ripped shirt and leather back pack. On her wrists were some kind of armor to protect her while she used her katana.

Running along the wall to avoid the hot steam Mio jumped down and cut the arm off a zombie while kicking it to the ground. Another ran at her so she pressed her sword against its neck. With one motion she chopped its head off, the zombies dome flew through the air and bounced along the ground before its body finally dropped. Another zombie came at her from the rear so she turned her sword around and stabbed it without turning to face him. He fell upon her back so she released her katana and grabbed it by the head, dropping to a kneeling stance she flipped him over her back and on to his. Mio proceeded to pull her sword from his gut and cut his head off to be sure he is dead. The head popped off and into the air when she sliced it up. Mio looked up to locate her other enemies before standing to attack. Seeing the big crowd blocking her way she knew she would have to act fast. First she sliced one across the stomach while her sword was still upside down. She flipped it back and beheaded the next walker. The one behind him lost his leg to her sword but she couldn't be bothered with finishing him off. She then quickly sliced at the next zombie, cutting it in half at the stomach. Then with the same strike cut the head off the zombie next to the last. Only two blocked her path now. Drawing her side arm she shot the one running at her in the head. The last one limped lazily at her and she put her sword to its neck to stop it. Finally finishing it off with a shot to the side of the head from her pistol.

Minna lost sight of her from the small window and now couldn't see any of them. She walked back behind the table where the old man lay and waited in fear for something to happen. She looked down at the table and picked up the saw and then looked at the blood on her hands.

"Did I... Do this... It must have happened for a reason... All this stuff must do something. Maybe it can bring me and the others back to our world!" Minna said when suddenly Shirley and Sanya run in to the room. Shirley enters from a hole in the wall that Minna was using as a window before and Sanya through an open doorway. They didn't see their commander and proceeded to aim their guns at one another. Sanya stared at Shirley through the sights of her shot gun as Shirley held her revolver to the silver haired Orussian girl. From the fog near a doorway at the other end of the room Mio entered and raised her gun to Sanya. Shirley saw her in the corner of her eye and quickly turned and pointed her gun at the Major. Sanya turned her sights on the Major as well as Mio aimed right at Shirley with both hands on the grip. Shirley then moves her glance from Mio and notices Minna in the corner. She turns her gun and starts walking towards her. The others do the same until all the guns are pointed at her. Minna drops the saw and puts her bloody hands up to try to stop them.

"Whoa! Guys its me. Your commander. Why are you turning your guns on your friends?" Minna asked as Shirley pushes her gun closer in anger.

"We came to stop your operation. Element 115 will not be used to take over the world by you Germans" Shirley said

"What operation? I just got here. I'm very confused... And you all aren't acting like yourselves. We're all on the same side here. I'm trying to stop this as well. Lets just put the guns down and-" Minna was saying when Mio interrupted.

"That may not be the wisest thing to do at a time like this" she said pointing out at the huge army of zombies walking towards their position. The huge hole in the wall made them very vulnerable to the hoard and they would have to find somewhere safer to go.

"I need to get you all back to our world" Minna said walking behind them as they aimed at the approaching zombies.

"What is she talking about?" Sanya asked the others.

"We need to find... The heroes or something. I think that's what he said. Once we get you three to them your memory of me will come back. Then I can take you home" Minna said.

"Should we trust her?" Mio asked the others.

"She's one of the only people here, other than you two, not trying to eat me right now. I think we should take her word for it" Sanya said.

"You guys can trust me... We have all known each other for a long time and-... What the hell is that" Minna said looking up in awe. Suddenly a large light flashes over head through a hole in the roof. The others look to see what Minna was starring at and they are also dumbstruck. A giant robot stand over them shining a light down on them. It then stood up to its full night doweling high into the rainy sky and lifted its foot olive them.

"Get out of the way! It's gonna crush us!" Shirley yelled as Sanya and Mio dove deeper into the room to avoid the robots foot. Shirley grabbed Minna who was still frozen and tackled her to safety. The robots foot smashed into the concrete bunker and knocked the power out. It was unable to destroy the structurally sound bunker but the four now sat in the dark as the undead waited outside.