"I can't believe we just did that..."
"Shut up and drive, Ilsa," another woman barked, climbing into the back of the van. She slammed the back doors shut just as the vehicle began speeding off. Wiping her brow, she tugged off her wool cap to expose her flaming red hair before taking off her vest. "Gotta ditch these, just in case," the woman mused, setting it aside.
"You're sure no one saw you?" a bespectacled third woman demanded, her hand resting dangerously on a sawn-off shotgun.
"Of course not, the cameras all have blind spots a mile wide. Can't risk leaving evidence, though..."
"Goddess, Karla, if you get us caught..."
"WHAT?" Ilsa shouted, hitting the brakes a little too hard as the ambulance shot past them. Karla wasn't buckled in and was thrown around the back of the van. The other woman simply sighed and continued flipping through her autographed copy of
The Folly of Men.
"Calm down, Ilsa," the bespectacled woman advised her. "We have struck a great blow against the patriarchy today. You should be proud of your actions."
"Y-yes, Mistress..."
"And if Claudia takes over, it's only the first step to dismantling the wicked patriarchy," Karla smirked. Pulling a 9mm pistol out of her boot, she observed it sadly. "Shame I can't just walk up and shoot the Archduke, you know?"
The woman in glasses clapped the book shut and brushed aside her hair, briefly exposing the long, smooth scar along her left cheek. "That would have been unwise, Karla."
"Oh, come on Mistress. The explosive is fancy and all, but wouldn't you rather have the satisfaction of walking up to that pig's face, looking him straight in the eye, and then..." Karla pointed the pistol at her own head, grinning madly. "Pop!"
"Karla," the woman said, taking her free hand in both of her own. "I would love nothing more than to give you that satisfaction. But our work is not done."
Karla gave her an incredulous look. "But we just nailed the-"
"The plan was a success, never forget that. With my planning, Ilsa's access to the palace, and your courageous infiltration, we struck a great blow for womankind. But you must never forget that we are at war."
Smiling warmly, the woman replaced her glasses and gestured to the book she was cradling in her arms.
"The coming days will be bitter for all of us. The male will not lie down so easily. They will hunt us down until the bitter end. Until that day, we will resist. We will hide from their prying eyes and strike back when the time is right. We cannot rest until the chauvinist tyranny is dismantled and their leaders are made to pay for their crimes against womankind. Our cause is too great to be silenced. Together, we shall strike a blow not just for the future of Austria, but for the sake of all woman everywhere. Together, our cause is unstoppable!"
In the front seat of the van, Ilsa was crying silently.
---
6 months later...
---
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen of the press," Archduchess Claudia said sweetly. "I hope you are well, this is an important day for us all."
Claudia smiled as the cameras flashed in her direction. The press had always been easy on her, given the circumstances which she assumed the throne under. She didn't like the idea that she was essentially using her father's death for political reasons, but it did make the regime change easier. No one was going to oppose someone who just lost their father in a terrorist attack, after all. As for the press conference, it wasn't going to be hard to get through either.
"Now then, let's open the floor to questions before we get to the important business," Claudia said, adjusting the microphone in front of her.
"Bastian Kohler, Austrian Report," chimed a beefy man in the front row. "Could you respond to rumors that you're pushing questionable legislation regarding woman's rights? Specifically the Rights Act of 2104?"
"That was a holdover from my father's administration, and nothing much has been altered. I can assure you that no legislation is in the works that will restrict the rights of either gender."
"But the Act is still on the table?"
"Yes. If it makes you feel any better, I read that French feminist's book too. Cheese doesn't even have that many holes."
This got her an affectionate chuckle from the crowd, and the reporter seemed satisfied. A blonde woman in the crowd stood up.
"Frieda Scuhart, Channel 7 news. Do you have any comment on the arms deal the government recently made with Heckler & Koch?"
"It's part of a larger effort to modernize the armed forces of Austria. Our arsenals are outdated, and the deal made with HK will arm our soldiers with the latest weaponry available. The HK Deal is the first step in a broader program that will secure our borders against outside threats."
"But won't a modernization program be costly in the long run?"
"Not for much longer. Which brings me to my next announcement."
The room went quiet. The blonde reporter looked at her eagerly.
"We are currently in talks with officials of the Prussian government to formalize the union of our nations into a stronger, centralized government. The end result of our nations will hopefully be a union under the banner of what will become the German Empire."
There was a stunned silence, then the room exploded. Smiling as always, Claudia answered the rapid questions that were thrown at her with ease. Half an hour later, she glanced at her watch.
"I think that's all the time we have for today. As fun as this was, we don't really have the time to stay all day and chat. We'll be holding another press conference when the German Empire plan progresses, but in the meantime, have a good night!" The press shouted more questions anyway as she walked through the side door into the hallway.
"That was impressive," commented Thorsten, her chief of staff. "How did you answer those questions so calmly?"
"I was just being casual," Claudia mused, stuffing her hands into her pockets. "If I went in there with a flowing dress and a refined accent, it would be much harder to get them to listen. No one likes being talked down to by some princess."
"Works for me," Thorsten said, putting a hand to his earpiece. "Ambassador Voigts is waiting in the conference room, you'd better head down there."
"Yeah, don't want to keep her waiting, she gets testy. Are all of our diplomats that cranky?"
"The good ones, yes," Thorsten answered, chuckling. "I've been told it comes with the j-"
They both turned the corner and nearly walked into the maid coming the opposite direction. She gasped and took a step back before reaching into the flap on the front of her apron. Claudia opened her mouth to say hello, but was rendered speechless when the maid pulled out a semi-automatic pistol.
Thorsten charged her, his instincts as a former soldier evidently taking over. Shrieking, the maid fired straight into the ceiling before she was tackled to the ground. At the sound of the shot, a door slammed open and the guards came rushing in.
"What's going on?" a guard asked her.
"I think someone just tried to kill me," Claudia said coolly. Thorsten stood up and dusted himself off while the guards led the maid away.
"Well, I have no words," he intoned. "Are you hurt, ma'am?"
"I'm fine Thorsten," Claudia reassured him. "But I would really like to know exactly what happened."
"Could be the same people who went after your father..."
Claudia felt a lump in her throat, but ignored it for now. "Who would be so fanatical to wait six months before coming for me, though?"
---
As she was handed off to the police by the royal guards, Ilsa was crying silently.
) Then she was killed by a French special agent, who was actually not a crazed gunman, but intentionally shot her because he was trying to get at Will (He unknowingly stole enough blue radioactive rocks, also known as Unobtanium, that if he sold it all, he could had bought an entire city. Kids these days). This all happened before the game even started, so she wasn't in the game (Her body did appear, however, because the villains zombified it. Dicks). 
