Brockmann had not been interrogated, not been offered lawyer or even been processed. He knew this was not how it should be. German police had procedures for any criminal caught and he had committed a crime. After a night in a cell all alone he was brought to an interrogation room. They had him hand cuffed the whole way and only when he sat they took the handcuffs from him and forced him to sit on one side of the table.

„Coffee would be nice.“ Brockmann grunted and the police officer just smirked and went out. The second stared at him and shook his head before leaving. Taking a cop hostage had not been helpful to expand his Fanclub with the Berlin police obviously. He was almost surprised they had not visited him at night in his cell to set things straight.

He sat there and turned to the large mirror. He wondered who was watching from the other side. Were they all lined upo there waiting for their best interrogator to come in a break him? What would be the questions? A confession was barely needed. Simon. They would like to know where he was, who he was. Good luck getting a word out of him on that one. They let him wait. His watch had been taken, like his laces, belt and everything else he could kill himself with.

His inner clock said easily fifteen minutes had passed though when the door opened. The man who entered was not who he expected. He was old, for starters. His age probably. Wearing a blue three part suit that was almost a little old fashioned. His grey hear had been dyed to be black, but his temples started to grow out and showed the silver.

The man had to plastic cups and put one in front of Brockmann and kept one for himself as he sat down.

„The coffee is not that terrible, actually.“ He finally said.

Brockmann looked at him for a moment and then his brows raised. It was as much surprise as he ever showed.

„Hello Alois.“ The man said and grinned.

„Hello Richard.“ Brockmann returned and looked at the mirror again.

„Nobody there. Cameras are out. Recording is off. Even if not, we are gonna purge the whole files later. I am not here and neither are you.“ Richard said with a calm voice.

„I thought you were dead.“ Brockmann said.

„How ironic, is it? Considering you saved my life. Thank you for that. I never had a chance to thank you.“ He smiled. his youthful self was still there, under the aged features. Brockmann nodded.

„I guess they gave me the injection first, did they?“ He asked.

„Of course. You were way more expandable.“ Richard said.

„So what are you doing here? You do not look like police.“ Brockmann said.

„I am not. I am a little higher up the foodchain.“ Richard said. „I kept an eye on you. Not always easy, but I actually became quite a fan of your work. Prague, Tunguska, Siberia. Ukraine. Oh God, you did a real man‘s job in those woods, you know that?“ He said.

„Long time ago.“ Brockmann said.

„Then your defection. They were pretty pissed, but I thought ... smart boy. Smart boy. Getting over to the winning side just in time. These idiots did not see it, but when everything fell apart I had known for a while.“ He shrugged. „Hamburg was hell of a job, too. Hannover. Lübeck. that bloodsucker was a mean piece, was he?“ Richard laughed.

„You are clearly in the advantage here. Why do you not tell me what you have been up to?“ He asked.

„Oh I got a desk. Took me years to recover half form the injuries and I was not fit for duty.“ He smiled. „Not fit for field duty anyway. I could still work the files.“ He shrugged. „then after the wall came down I found my talents were high in demand. I resisted the private sector and served the new masters. Not many monsters around anymore as you recognized probably.“ He said.

„I did.“ Brockmann said.

„Guess you guys never figured it out, did you? Neither did we. Not that we really tried, always been kind of a fringe department in any Government.“ Richard sighed. „So did you? Figure it out?“

„No.“ Brockmann said.

„I thought so. Well, my network was still very useful, tghohgh. Knew guys everywhere in the east. A valuable asset they called me. Thought about recruiting you, back then.“ He shrugged.

„I would not have been interested.“ Brockmann said.

„Yeah, realized that. So I left you alone. Meaningless, slowly drifting into irrelevance. I mean you were Brockmann. THE Brockmann. Then you were just a guy getting older and older as the world around him began turning faster and faster with not need for you.“ Richard said.

„Yeah, been quiet years.“ Brockmann replied.

„Been.“ Richard said. „Past tense.“ He remarked. „Because here you ask! Back in the game!“ Richard laughed. „What a comeback!“

„Retirement did not work out.“ Brockmann said.

„Oh yes, I know. I know. So we both know why you are here. It is back. The Wormking is back.“ Richard said. Brockmann nodded.

„Not the same. I killed the one back then.“ Brockmann said.

„Yes, I heard. Actually it was me suggesting you to get the job.“ He leaned forward. „How envious I was. Such an heroic act, facing it alone. Howe was it, Brockmann? How was it facing your first true monster?“

Brockmann looked at him and then looked at his hands. „Scary.“ He said.

****

The flamethrower was heavy and his vision was limited through the ABC suit they had given him. Outside police had created a perimeter, but inside the house he was alone.

He had squashed worms upstairs. Dozens of them. Too many to squash, so eventually he had used the acid they ad given him. the foams would probably have killed him, had he not the gasmask on his face. They had curled in pain and he had watched their agony with a certain pleasure.

the house would be burned down once he was done, he knew that. But first he had too make sure IT did not survive. the gear was heavy and he felt his breath go heavy in the gasmask. On his back he had the tank for the flamethrower, art his side was the Kalachnikov assault rifle he had requested and at his belt was a wild mix of grenades. He was a walking bomb, basically. The cellar was empty, but the hole in trhe wall was exactly where they had told him. The eastern wall. He ducked and felt his knees and his back hurt, despite the pain killers he had taken. One the other side he forced himself up and brought the flame thrower up. He had a flashlight, but he had no fire hand as the clumsy rifle like end of the flame thrower needed both hands to hold. The flame dancing at it‘s end gave him enough light to find the way though.

He passed ancient corridors, that looked like caves. Overgrown with fungus and slippery he made it to the end and stood above a ledge. Below him was a large cavern. An underground hall really, whose original purpose was impossible to determine. The smell was terrible even through the mask. Dead bodies of rats they’d had said. Thousands. It was what it fed on. To grow. And frown it had, In the dark he saw it move. A creature as tall as tow men standing on each other’s shoulders. He took a flare from his belt and hit the wall with it. It ignited and Brockmann threw it into the cavern below.

For the first time he saw him. The Wormking in all his glory. Standing up like a cobra his head leaning forward he saw the giant worm spread the four arms attached to his head, each with sharp claws at it‘s end. It screamed a silent scream that turned into a loud and aggressive hiss. the ground was moving with worms. Thousands of them. As they sense something alive they began to crawl up to him. He pointed his flame thrower at the largest one, easily the size of a human arm and pressed the button. His breath was now a nervous hiss echoing in the mask and he saw the glasses steam up from his breath.

The flame burst out of the weapon and even through his suit he felt taghell heat as he waved it and the fire engulfed the worms sending them faslling down, still burning. The Wormking moved and Brocmmann saw it was attached to the ground as if it had become one with it. The thing could not move. It was trapped down here. He ripped the mask of his faced as he felt his sight was getting too bad. Sweat covered his face.

„You bastard!“ He yelled at the thing and it hissed back. A white fluid spit from it‘s mouth but did not reach Brockmann. It fell to the ground and the worm down there curled and ... screamed. Yes, it sounded like the inhuman screams he had heard form the men.

Brockmann went to one knee and took the tank of the flame thrower off. He felt his heart pound in his chest so hard and his hands were trembling as he opened the tank. Then he forced himself up and threw it into the cavern. The Wormking snapped forward at a speed that was almost to fast for the human eye. Now he understood why he should not get near it.

„You stupid beast!“ He yelled as the beast began with the four arms to squash the tank, the fluid spreading from it. Brockmann took the assault rifle from his back and loaded a bullet into the chamber. He forced himself up, which was now much easier, that he had the tank no longer on his back. Then he took aim and the Wormking moved from one side to the other, still chewing on the tank as if it was an enemy resisting to die. Brockmann followed the movement. He waited for his breath to go down a little, waited for the right moment.

Then he pulled the trigger. Four or five bullets hit the Wormking himself, before one finally hit the tank. It exploded in a brilliant white as the mix of napalm and phosphor in it ignited. The creature was covered in flame. Burning fluid tripped down on it‘s spawn and ignored them too. The ground caught fire and it spread fast. The heat wave was so bad Brockmann could not breath. He stepped back a few steps and resisted the urge to run. No, he wanted to see it die. Screaming the Wormking moved from one side to the other, now fully aflame. Spasms ran through it‘s massive body and for the first time in days Brockmann smiled as he saw the agony of the thing.

Finally it collapsed and his skin was burned away and the flames began to dissolve the massive flesh below. Brockmann took his belt off. Incendetiary grenades, explosive ones, a napalm grande and a mine were attached to it. He took out the pen of one of the explosive grenades and hurled the belt into the cavern. Then he turned and began to run. Five seconds. He ran as fast as he could and made it back to the cellar when the explosion ran through the whole building and a sea of flames filled the liar of the dead beast. The corridor collapsed partially and Brockmann stumbled as he turned to look. Lying on the floor he breathed heavy as he saw the fire at the end of the now half closed corridor burn.

****

„I can imagine. The first one is probably the hardest, right?“ Richard said.

„I had a few pretty bad ones later, too.“ Brockmann said. He looked at Richard and then lay his head aside. „So what now?“

„Well, have you figured it out? How it returned?“ Richard asked.

„No.“ Brockmann said.

„Really? Your partner seems to have done so.“ Richard said.

Brockmann nodded. He had been right to put his trust in Simon. „He is a smart boy.“ Brockmann said.

„Yes, way smarter then we were his age, right? We followed only orders. What do you need a brain for, when all you need to be a soldier is ac spine to march.“ Richard said. „Einstein said that.“

„Really?“ Brockmann asked.

„Yes.“ Richard said. „What did he know, right? Relativity of space time? If he knew what space time means to ... anyway. You should be proud of the boy. You trained him well.“ Richard said.

„Did not need a lot of training.“ Brockmann said.

„A natural. Like you.“ Richard said.

„Will you help him?“ Brockman asked.

„You guys do not need my help. You were a step ahead of me all the time. I am only catching up top you two.“ Richard said,

„He is not a soldier.“ Brockmann said.

„He does not need to be one for what he has to do.“ Richard replied.

Brockmann had no idea what he meant by it, but decided only to nod. He was not playing games with this man. This man who had left him believing he had died all those years. Would it have changed anything had he known he had survived? The answer was yes, it would have changed a lot of things.

„So what now.“ Brockmann asked. „Am I getting a bullet or a cell?“

„What do you think?“ Richard asked.

„Hard to say.“ Brockmann replied. Richard shook his head.

„We do not waste valuable assets, Brockmann. You are a valuable asset. What do I do now? I will make all of this go away.“ He spread his hands. „Just like that.“

„Just like that?“ Brockmann repeated it as a question.

„There are still some people around who remember what we did back in the days. What we did for this country, divided and united. People who know what we risked, what we sacrificed. A few of those people work at the justice department.“ Richard said. „A few of those people work in very influential positions.“ Richard smirked. „Official and otherwise.“

„I can imagine.“ Brockmann said.

„So we will release you, find some scapegoat, have our psych guys work on him until he confesses to the Coroner job, the hostage taking and all that and he takes your place in jail.“ Richard said. „We need to get the cop to play along, some witnesses. We are good at buying friends with favors though.“ Richard said.

‚„What do you want in return?“ Brockmann asked.

„Nothing.“ Richard said.

„Nobody wants nothing for something like that.“ Brockmann grunted.

„We want you to go back out there and continue to do the excellent job you do.“ Richard said.

„I see. So when you need me you can call in a favor and I come running to your help.“ Brockmann said.

„Brockmann, when we need you, you will come anyway.“ Richard said. „Let us just say we do not want to tip the Staus quo in their favor. Whoever THEY are.“ Richard said. „Will take a day or two, but then you will be released and all record of you and your partner will be gone.“ Richard stood up. „Let us just say you got more friends then you expected, probably.“

Brockmann looked at him as he got up. Then he nodded.

Richard smiled at Brockmann. „Good seeing you old friend.“ He said. Brockmann looked at him. He was silent for a moment and then gave Richard a nod.

„Yes.“ Brockmann said and Richard turned an left. Leaving him back alone, Brockmann leaned back and finally took the cup of coffee.

Richard had lied.

It tasted terrible.