Meanwhile, the Nazi abomination gazed down at the body that lay in its open palm. A single giant finger gently rocked Elsa’s body perhaps in the hope that it could resurrect her. Über-Stahl’s movements were like that of an expert watch-maker, small and incremental, and in contrast to his violent birth and his attack upon Ziegler and Konrad, it was as if the colossal ebony figure, like a river of molten lava far from its volcanic source, had solidified into a true statue. But it was his blazing eyes that betrayed that the Nazi entity was still very much alive. They gazed longingly at the body. His desire for her, triggered long ago by her appearance on the dance floor of Neu Magdeburg’s fräuenblock, had failed to abate. His violence, his lust, his desire – these emotions that had dwelled within his human-self had now fused and amplified into one, all encompassing, sensation that fuelled his divine incarnation. This violently strong emotion tapped into the spire, feeding off the energy that crackled and danced from the floor and walls, but at this moment the monster’s single over-riding feeling was regret. Yes, this god-like creature now regretted the powers that the spire had bestowed upon him because his lust, his desire, his yearning for Elsa would remain unfulfilled.
‘Keep away from her!’ Konrad shouted from the menagerie. His voice was determined and strong – a stark contrast to his tired and injured body.
The leviathan reacted. Spotting Konrad amongst the rubble, Über-Stahl let Elsa’s body slip from his palm. A terrifying howl emitted as a vast cloud of plasma erupted from the monsters body. Its eyes bristled with rage as it started to move forward toward Konrad. Seeing that Elsa was safe from Stahl’s grasp, Konrad backed further into the menagerie to draw the monster closer to him and further away from the body.
Konrad appeared to be confident as he staggered backwards with a mocking smile upon his face. But inside, fear totally gripped him. In front of him, Über-Stahl continued to follow him like a lion stalking its prey.
‘That’s right, follow me you bastard,’ Konrad muttered.
Then abruptly, the Nazi monster stopped. Its gaze remained focussed upon Konrad as it slowly balled its fists and positioned itself like a predator preparing to pounce. The floor then quivered as Über-Stahl charged, unleashing vast volumes of trapped energy from the spire’s structure. It clung and danced across the large crystalline body, feeding the monster, feeding its rage, its power.
Konrad immediately dashed back between the gruesome exhibits. He blindly manoeuvred between the glass cases, his own reflection as distorted as the creatures within. It may have seemed crazy to attract the attention of an enraged monster, but Konrad did have a plan. He wanted to draw Über-Stahl towards the twisted innards of the spire’s vast machine room and hope to entangle it amongst the forest of pipes and pistons. But for the plan to work he had to make it there in one piece.
A great roar thundered behind Konrad. It was the sound of the countless specimen containers being smashed by the pursuing Über-Stahl. Its hellish power and volume gaining upon him like an invisible avalanche. Konrad somehow quickened his pace. But despite his almost super-human efforts, the relentless primeval wall of sound closed in upon him.
Eventually the cascade of glass and liquid caught up with Konrad, the shattered shards and glutinous fluid overtaking him. He somehow managed to remain on his feet, but his pace slowed as the volume of liquid rose from his feet up to his knees. But the sheer volume of the viscous avalanche swept him up and blasted him into the confines of the monolith forest. Here, the gossamer-thin panels snapped like trees before a natural avalanche; but the monoliths weakened the power of the liquid-cascade, its power drawn like poison from a wound.
Konrad stumbled from the surviving monoliths, which swung and clattered together; their eerie chimes giving a voice to the chaos. Desperation started to overcome Konrad, but up ahead he could see the machine room. At this point he risked a quick look back and instantly regretted it.
Über-Stahl was almost on top of him!
The sight of the Nazi beast unbalanced Konrad, and he fell in full sight of the advancing monster. The dregs of the foul fluid cascaded over the prone prisoner as he emerged coughing and spluttering. Instantly he rose to his feet and saw the knife on the floor as it emerged from the slick floor like Excalibur from the lake. He grabbed the weapon, but as he did so, his hands clung strangely to the floor. Using all his strength he managed to pry his hands off the tacky surface, but he then realised that his legs were now stuck. His fear grew as the black floor then started to stretch and roll organically, snaking up his legs and torso.
The memory of his original nightmare – the black mass that emerged from the idyllic landscape and the vile, animal-like throngs that had overcome him, holding him fast as the spire’s apparition rose into that distant sky – filled his mind. It was all happening again, but his time it was all too real.
The malevolent amorphous floor coiled swiftly around Konrad as he screamed in terror. It rose past his thighs and groin, and twisted around his belly and up his back like a shadowy serpent. The floor’s touch was cold, its clammy caresses pressing though his blood-splattered tunic and across his sweat-smeared skin. In sheer desperation, Konrad slashed at the rising mass but he blows simply glanced off the broiling shell.
Now held fast by the dark bonds, Konrad gazed up at Über-Stahl who loomed slowly into view. The monster heaved its titanic body through the remains of its beloved menagerie. The Nazi hybrid now took its time, safe in the knowledge that its quarry was immobile and helpless. Countless other people, races, even countries had stood as helpless as Konrad. These victims of Nazism had been beaten, persecuted, shot, starved, gassed, butchered and forgotten during the decades since the swastika rose above the ruins of Europe. Those earthly horrors had stained that world, and now, with the assistance of this evil structure and its mysterious creator, whose nature mirrored that of the Nazis, their bile and hatred had spread amongst the stars.
Über-Stahl’s intense blue eyes looked deeply into Konrad’s own. There were no signs of emotion, no empathy, no soul – nothing. They were perfect Nazi eyes.
Then the monster spoke. ‘You have caused me so much trouble. But now, I will rid thee from this Reich. Then I will seek out those who follow the swastika and they will send more followers here, and I will begin again. This new Reich will rise long after you’ve turned to dust,’ Über-Stahl said in a cold booming voice. ‘I ask myself, how could such an insignificant creature like you ever hope to defeat a god like myself?’
Konrad squirmed in the grasp of his evil prison. ‘Then kill me! Destroy this insignificance that has plagued you. Kill me.’ He then screamed. ‘Kill me!’
A cruel smile crossed Über-Stahl’s face in response. ‘With pleasure…’
And with that, the abomination brought its right-hand forward, the stone claw spreading itself before the helpless prisoner. But as the giant fingers widened, Konrad suddenly noticed something embedded in the centre of the monster’s out-stretched palm. The sphere! The orb hung tantalizingly before him like a banner proudly displayed by an advancing army. If, as Konrad suspected, this spherical object was the source of both the spire’s, and ultimately, Stahl’s powers, why did the Über-Nazi expose it so openly to him? Did his arrogance blind him? Konrad couldn’t miss the opportunity.