Qt Cauldron Of Coal Ch 01 03

QuaranTeam: Cauldron of Coal Ch. 01-03

This story takes place in Germany in the Ruhr Area (or "Kohlenpott", how it is lovingly nicknamed by its inhabitants, and which roughly translates, you guessed it, to

Cauldron of Coal

) which contains among others the cities Duisburg, Essen, Bochum and Dortmund.

It is set in the QuaranTeam universe by

CorruptingPower

and published with his permission.

As I was advised to combine my (admittedly short) chapters, this is a new upload containing the (already published) first chapter, which I will try to take down in due time.

This is also a linguistic experiment: to prove Samuel Langhorne Clemens right, I'll sometimes add German expressions directly (and give an explanation at the end of the text) either if they are so common they'll pop up constantly, or if there is some (hopefully) interesting concept behind it, and sometimes I'll just use a literal translation, which I'll underline so you'll recognise them.

Yields sense

?

---#=#---

Chapter 1

Montag, 10. August 2020

"So, Omma Else," Karl told the fragile looking woman on the other side of the clear plastic barrier, trying to show his smile despite the two masks over his mouth, "now you can call the nurse again without getting electrocuted."

"Electrocuted" was a bit of an exaggeration, but getting a little shock from touching the device wasn't something that should happen, so Karl had swapped it out, taking every precaution possible to prevent the inhabitant of the senior residence catching the pandemic virus that was going around. He had topped his FFP3 mask with one of several community masks he'd made from an old mining shirt, this one decorated with a patch that showed the boundaries of the Ruhr Area. As always it had an additional filter, and his grey eyes were covered with safety goggles. The rest of his clothing consisted of jeans, a jumper and loafers. His short brown hair looked like it would need a cut soon.

The room was dominated by the medical bed where the call button was installed, but framed pictures on the walls, some wooden pieces of furniture and a comfy looking armchair gave the white painted room bit of a heimelige atmosphere.

"Many thanks, Karl," she answered, looking at him with her bright eyes that sparkled with intelligence. Her white hair, that, according to the wedding photo with her Albert, once had been chestnut brown, framed her rosy face. She wore a white blouse with a pink knitted jacket and a dark skirt under which some slippers were barely visible. If she was standing, she would have been up to his height at about 1 meter 80. "I suppose I can't show you my gratitude other than in words?"

The man had begun to stow his tools in his toolbox. "Hey, that's what I'm here for. Well, and to keep the women happy by crawling under their tables when they call me." Else giggled. "You know, to fix their computers." Else's laughter was melodic.

Indeed, he had originally just been hired to keep an eye on the computers of the senior residence that had become Else's home. And when the pandemic hit and some of the janitorial staff had fallen ill, he was happy to support them by applying the practical talents that he had developed under the watchful eyes of his grandfather, Josef "Jupp" Schablonski, who sadly had died from black lung before Karl had finished school. But,

learned is learned

, and he still proudly held to that small Swiss army knife on which he had replaced the plastic grips with wooden ones.

"Can I ask you how old you are?" Else interrupted his thoughts, "and why you don't have a girlfriend or a wife?"

"Uhm, I'm going towards 40," Karl admitted while he folded the Paravent made from transparent plastic with which he had barred off his worksite, "and I guess I never had the luck to attract the right one? Ich muß!" He took his gear and fled through the door before the inquisition went further.

While Karl had no problem keeping a conversation going,

starting

one was one of his weaknesses - especially if it was with a female. And it became more difficult, the more attractive she was. The tendency to overthink his words didn't help. With

a few kilos too much on his ribs

he thought that his chances in winning the lottery twice would be higher than a woman falling for him. And he didn't want to confuse the old dame with his newfound vocabulary, especially that he identified as demisexual - he needed some sort of romantic connection before even thinking about intimacy. The things you find out about yourself and your quirks when you suddenly have too much time on your hands; because gatherings like choir practice or visiting the Eckkneipe for a beer or two to

philosophise over god and the world

, let alone visiting the stadium for a football match forbid themselves because they equalled suicide - would they still be happening anyway.

Humming the Steigerlied he went to the reception to report that Else Meyer's house call button had been fixed. The tired, sturdy looking woman there thanked him and let him view the list of open tasks. He poured her a coffee before he left.

---#=#---

After his workday Karl mounted his motorbike - that he used because he didn't want to rent a parking spot for a car, and the running costs were lower - and rode home. He remembered that his reserve of bread was getting low and took a small detour to his favourite bakery. While he stowed his helmet and masked up again, he was approached by a person in black jeans and a hoodie. "Hasse ma 'nen Euro?" The voice gave away that it was a female, and her dialect was widely associated with Berlin, but could also be from Brandenburg. Karl also thought he saw her shivering, but wasn't sure due to her bulky clothing.

Knowing he only had fifty Euro bills on him, he asked her to wait while he quickly hopped into the bakery. Inside he added to his purchase a coffee to go and a Brötchen with cheese, which he handed to the girl together with a twenty Euro bill.

"Scheiße, thank you," she said, "now I feel like I should blow you so we're even."

"No need. Perhaps when we meet again and we're more private," Karl deflected. He just hoped that he had made a difference and didn't expect to meet her again. With what he heard through the

rumor kitchen

, he calculated that she would have offered him sex had he given her fifty, and he never felt the appeal to

stick his tail into

someone's backdoor. And he doubted any condom she would have on her would be safe. Thoughtfully shaking his head he rode his trusty BMW R 1200 R home. Going up to the first floor, after gathering his sparse mail from his box on the ground floor, he keyed open his uniform door and entered his flat. In the Windfang he disposed of the filter layer and the FFP3 mask in the closed garbage bin and his other mask in the small hamper that he'd placed here. Then he peeled out of his bike gear and brought his bread into the kitchen.

After a short meal of Stullen, during which Chancellor Merkel on the news expressed her "profound trust" in the minister of transport (a sure sign that he would be gone sooner rather than later), he went into his living room and logged in on the voluntary fire helper service. The professional firefighters had already been short-staffed before the pandemic due to budget cuts, and with many of them falling victim to the virus... Nobody expected you to do on the whim what they learnt for years after their first job training, but since first aid training was part of getting a drivers permit, help in this regard was gladly accepted. Most of the times nothing happened, but with volunteers everywhere and social gatherings at a minimum, reaction times actually had improved. Karl settled down with a book, something about a

revolver man

that was also a magic user and worked as a private eye. Though the story was good, the translation sometimes was a little confusing, and Karl decided to order the original version and switched to another book.

Halfway through the evening his parents called. "Hallo Kalle!" Through the echoes he could hear that he was on speakerphone.

"Papa, Mama! Wie isset?"

"We have found a small camping site in France, far away from everything, and are parking our RV here." They gave him the telephone number of the site office in case of an emergency. "And you? Could you ramp up your strategic toilet paper reserve, or do we have to send you some?" They were referring to the fact that with the beginning of lockdowns people bought toilet paper like crazy.

"No, I'm fine. Work would have topped us up in an emergency, but I still have enough. And how is it on the wine front?" Karl referred to the fact that the French in contrast emptied the shelves of alcoholic beverages. "Do I have to support you with that or beer?"

"We'll survive. This place was on the planned route of the Tour de France, and since it's canceled... Oh, before we forget, we got a message that the Schrebergarten needs to be tended to, so if you could mow the grass there and see if the hedges need trimming?" They completed each other's sentences like the old couple they were.

Karl rolled his eyes. "Did someone complain that your Parzelle has become a wilderness?"

"You know how some people are.

More papal than the pope

. And if the snails didn't eat everything, harvest some, so we didn't plant

for nothing

."

After some platitudes the call ended.

---#=#---

Karl was about to log out when the emergency call came. Quickly he masked up and took the reflective vest that came with the duty. It was near enough that being on foot would be faster than driving.

When he arrived, slightly out of breath, he saw that apparently a car from a parcel delivery service had rammed into a convoy of police around some olive green trucks with the "Y" numberplate the Bundeswehr uses. The delivery car was under attack by heavy machinery to get to the driver, and one truck lay on its side. Several metallic cases were strewn around and people were being triaged.

Karl was assigned to check the perimeter for more victims - you never know what people under shock will do. He was thoroughly checking between parked cars and in front yards, when he saw bloodied footprints that led to a nearby Hochbunker. Following the prints he entered the heavy metal door, not without giving his coordinator a sign. Halfway in the building, he cautiously stepped through a doorway when something hit him and his world went black.

---#=#---

Chapter 2

Montag, 10. August 2020

When Karl awoke, it was dark. He felt himself lying on hard ground. His legs were raised on something warm and surrounded something on his lap. Feeling around he deduced it had to be a human head. He illuminated his watch and concluded that he had been out for around half an hour. He had a light headache.

Then his hand fell on his torchlight and he lit it. After his eyes had adapted, the hoodie that covered the body, whose shoulders his legs rested on, seemed somehow familiar. But the person was fast asleep and he couldn't shake them awake. And his penis was out and lying beneath their mouth!? Startled he freed himself and stood up. Looking closer he recognized the girl from the bakery earlier. He put her in the recovery position and looked around. Apparently she squatted here, and was the only human around. And the reddish-brown colour of her shoe soles indicated that she was the one whose footprints had led him here.

"Well, wasn't expecting to see you again, but at least you seem to have found some privacy to repay me," he chuckled, finally closing his pants again. He decided to carry her outside and found her rather light.

Outside, he reported back to the coordinator. First his head was checked for injuries by a trained medic in Bundeswehr uniform while the girl was checked by another one. They couldn't rule out a concussion, but it must have been at most a minor one, so he was advised to

let it go on calmly

. He was provided with a handful of swab tests, and asked: "Can we have your address? You'd have to quarantine anyway, since you were in a confined place with her. We would maybe check in on you tomorrow."

"Sure, no problem," he answered and dictated his address in exchange for an attestation of his quarantine. "Wie isset?"

"Oh, the parcel delivery driver must have fallen unconscious and driven into this transport. So far the only fatality. Don't go there, it's a blood bath. Minor injuries amongst the soldats, and as

we

had some medical personnel on board, everything's under control."

Karl took off. "Till soon. Glück auf!" When he returned home, he sent a short mail to work about his quarantine. Finally he collapsed exhausted into bed.

---#=#---

Dienstag, 11. August 2020

When he awoke,

he felt like he could rip out trees

. After taking care of his basic needs, he took his time for a lengthy breakfast, did a nasal swab test that turned out negative and settled down with a book.

At noon his doorbell rang. Outside he found two persons in

full body condoms

. "Karl Schablonski?"

"Yes. You're here for the accident yesterday?"

"Can we come in?"

Karl stepped aside and led them towards the living room. "Immer rein in die gute Stube."

Karl was asked to do a cheek swab, which was fed into a machine.

After a finishing beep and a check on its display, the two looked at each other and

peeled themselves

out of their protective gear to reveal them to be both female soldats bearing the Rod of Asclepius on their arms, indicating that they were medical personnel, and about the same age as Karl. Nobody would think they would be related, but they had that 08/15 look that from a few meters away you would have problems telling them apart.

"Hey, I think I saw you yesterday? You were on that transport," Karl asked, and they nodded as a positive answer.

"We would need some of your blood for a test, if you don't mind? It's nothing bad, just something from the transport."

Karl bared his arm and one of them took the blood sample, while the other examined his bruised head. Soon they were gone, and he returned to silently reading his book, emersing himself in the story.

---#=#---

About one or two hours later, the doorbell rang again. Karl answered and found the two from the military medical service again in front of his door. "I hope we're not disturbing."

"You know, you never told me your names," he nodded them in.

"Schulze."

"Schultze, with T."

"Do you have bowler hats and fake moustaches for carnival?" Given blank stares, Karl added, "Tim und Struppi?"

They gave him another blank stare. When they entered, he saw that they had the girl from the bakery and the bunker in tow. She still wore those black jeans and the hoodie, which hid her figure, but he had the impression that she wanted to vanish.

Before he could protest, Schulze closed the door. "We have news for you. Some good, some... surprising. And yes, she is part of the news. We better sit down for this."

"Oh. Coffee?" Karl offered.

"Gladly."

While the coffee machine did its duty, Karl was informed that there was not only one but also a second pandemic ongoing, unrelated to SARS-CoV-2, but was also transmitted by way of aerosols. And this second virus was far more deadly.

"So... That was why Christian Drosten was

dancing around

some topics in his podcast?"

"Ah, yes. Yes. The worst is, that

this

virus, called DuoHalo, is far more deadly for males than for females. About each tenth male survives, while only about every fifth female dies. Luckily, the Americans have an... experimental vaccine. They

are

sharing it, but want to keep the information... kept secret for a while until they can produce enough to... save what is left of the population. They think too soon and a panic emerges. And on that transport yesterday was a batch of that."

The coffee machine sputtered to indicate that it was ready. Karl hopped to stand. "You want something with your coffee?"

The soldats declined, "we're on duty," but his still unknown guest piped in, "

I don't say no.

"

Karl returned with the pot, some cups, two shot glasses and a bottle of Korn. After pouring his guests their brew, he filled the shot glasses with the clear liquid, held his towards his guests in a silent salute, downed it and began to cough. "

Wrong neck

," he explained when he could speak again.

"So, apparently, she," Karl nodded towards the girl that

stared holes into his carpet

, "has vaccinated herself. What am I missing?"

"She has also vaccinated you." Karl blinked confused. "QuaranTeam can't be given to males directly, it would mean instant death for them. But a vaccinated female can transmit via sexual contact. And then she can only boost this man ever again. And she

needs

it or it affects... her sanity."

"Oh," was the only reply Karl could utter.

"On first contact, there is a process where she is bound to her... mate on a molecular level. At the same time, a certain healing process can get started, it can vary from just having some ache removed, but there are documented cases of regrown limbs. If such a healing occurs, the time for the imprinting phase is prolongued. I, for example, had this nasty... well, I was asleep for about fourteen hours instead of the typical eight to twelve. She," she pointed to the girl, "was addicted and the vaccine has gotten rid of

that

. And was asleep about eighteen hours.

"She has already told us what happened in the bunker, so no need to repeat your side of the tale. What is a little concerning to us, on behalf of the Americans, is that there has to be some sort of consent beforehand..."

"Drum prüfe, wer sich ewig bindet" Karl cited Schiller. "I fully understand." Then he related their encounter and how his answer could be understood as consent. "So, to summarize, through a series of random accidents, I've been jumped by a girl that is bound to be my wife, who also ensures I can survive this pandemic?"

"Yes, that's a good description. Although, to be precise, the secondary vaccinated only has the survival chance of an unvaccinated woman, while she has a 100% protection. But if one man bonds with more than one woman, the rates accumulate. Four or five would give you 99%."

Karl interrupted. "Four women. One man. The minister of family... oh, is that why she was retired?"

"No, tragically her family succumbed to DuoHalo, and she agreed to silently step down the usual way to keep the secret for now."

He drank another Korn, this time without getting it into the wrong pipe. "I don't know how to break it to you... I'm not good at befriending women. So, I'm a bit at a loss there."

The girl spoke up. "Do they want to push you into building a harem?"

His sigh spoke volumes

.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to ignore you," he now concentrated on her. "It's just... Until yesterday I had resigned to being single for the rest of my life, and feel a little bit overwhelmed."

She moved closer to him. "Christiane Fleischhauer. But Chris is ok by me. And the least I could do is help you with your... problem."

Unsure how to react, Karl finally settled for a hug when the silence became unbearable.

The Schulzes took this moment as their cue to leave. "We'll give you time to get to know each other!" They took their gear and rushed out of the door.

Seeing she hadn't touched her drink yet, he asked "Brüderschaft?"