Idle Hands are the Devil's Playground (Worm)

[Praetor98]

The General had vanished after the meeting with Kaiser in the train yards, and the Empire couldn't find any trace of the mysterious SS officer. This left Kaiser with a considerable dilemma as he considered what to do next. Perhaps it was time to arrange a spectacle, something that would convince the old man to abandon his previous stance? But what would impress such a man? Then he had an idea. It would take some organizing, and it would be a bit difficult to make sure the men didn't push each other over accidentally.

XxX

Krieg was close to tearing his hair out as he shouted at the Empire soldiers who had just collapsed into a heap.

"Nein nein nein nein nein nein NEIN!" or perhaps it would be better to say he was screaming?

"How many times do I have to tell you?! You have to be three paces behind the man in front of you, otherwise you will only collapse."

"You missed your calling as a drill instructor." Kaiser called down to Fliescher, watching with Purity from the nearby grandstand set down by Fenja and Menja. Ordinarily, one would say set up, but with a pair of giants, one doesn't have to worry about previous assembly.

"What about that marching band?" Purity asked, as a diversion from the transformation of the Empire's enforcers into soldiers. "I bet they weren't too happy to get that call."

"Oh ho, they weren't." Kaiser was grinning as he stared down at the men drilling for the big parade. This was going to be an all hands on deck situation. "But what can they do when I'm not even asking them to commit a crime? All I wanted was for them to play some songs at one of our get-togethers."

"You know something Max?"

"As a matter of fact, I do know something. Lots of things." Kaiser asked, grinning slyly.

Kayden couldn't help a smile of her own as she said, "I wonder why that old maniac came back."

Kaiser's grin left to be replaced at its station by an expression of pensiveness. "I suspect it had something to do with my father. He was something of a black sheep of the family."

"I never did learn all that much about your family." Purity said as Krieg gave up on drilling them in company formations and split them up by squad.

"The Anders family is a pretty old one. We've been around since the 17th century, I think. My direct ancestor was a banker in Nuremberg I think." That was all Kaiser would say on the matter, and Purity knew better than to push him on the subject.

"I expect the Mayor is going to be fit to be tied when he sees us walking down the street to his office."

XxX



Mayor Roy Christner was indeed fit to be tied when he saw the circus marching down Lord Street towards the Mayor's Offices from his balcony. It was night, and the torches cast a nightmarish flickering glow along the street. The music was just barely audible over the sound of marching feet, with that infamous rock crushing sound caused by the impact of hundreds of jackboots striking the pavement in unison. There were hundreds of men in brown uniforms, with several blocks of black and white mixed in. He also noticed a fifty-six piece band was also playing some kind of military march right in front of his office.

Wait a minute, he thought, Those kids look familiar. Then he realized who they were, and he became positively apoplectic.

"Marcia!" he roared, running back into his office, "What the hell is the Winslow school band doing playing music for the Empire?!"

"Don't know, sir." his secretary quavered.

Then Kaiser arrived.

"How very kind of you to loan us your balcony." he said, grinning behind his helmet "Oh, I hope you don't mind, we did a bit of redecorating for the night."

The mayor made an animal, a mammalian animal noise, in his throat as he ran back to the balcony, and his face went more scarlet than the flags that hung from the roof.

The whole building was bedecked with Swastika flags, and there was one of those Nazi eagles fixed to the balustrade!

"Kaiser!" he choked out as he watched the hundreds of brownshirted Empire members march past, their arms stretched out in the Nazi salute.

"Relax Mister Mayor, its just for the night." Krieg said, wearing a German Army uniform.

As the marchers filed past, to the mixed cheers and hisses of the watching crowds, Mayor Christner glared at the Empire's leadership, bowing and saluting on the balcony, and he said, quietly, "I will get you all for this."

XxX

Armsmaster glowered at the torchlight parade, and wondered, Why did that old prick have to pick now of all times to come back? And where had he been all this time?