Editing City Series:Volume6b Chapter3 (section)

===Part 2===

Graham was not your stereotypical elderly man.

First, there was his size. His entire bald head stood above Schweitzer. Then there was the back supporting his enormous frame and his broad shoulders.

He emanated strength just standing there.

But the reason for this size was obvious at a glance. Four mechanical limbs extended from the sleeves and hem of his black Geheimnis Agency coat bearing the rank insignia of commander-in-chief. The quiet sounds of motors came from him whenever he moved.

He had a fully prosthetic body.

Schweitzer brought a hand to his chest in salute and Graham nodded in response.

He had no notable expression and he spoke in a deep voice with a sharp look in his eyes.

“I hear retrieving the Sylphide prototype’s parts was no easy task, Lieutenant Hellard Schweitzer.”

“I still do not think it makes up for my failure 2 years ago.”

“You mean allowing the Messiah to escape?”

Schweitzer hung his head and said nothing.

Graham started to say something but fell into a coughing fit instead. It was the deep coughing of illness.

But he soon got over it.

“Your report said you ‘failed to continue monitoring’ the girl who is to become the Messiah, but we understand that was necessary to fulfill the prophecy. I have a Psyche Outer device installed to ensure I do not err and my thoughts tell me you did nothing wrong.”

He pointed near his neck with a metal finger His coat swelled out on the back of his neck up to his brainstem. That modification had stopped his emotions so he could make accurate decisions.

The machine made small whirring noises as it moved along with his head.

“The time has come. The Panzerpolis Project will affect the government and military as construction of Germania begins and we set down the path toward war. It is time to grant you more power. On the 1st of next month, Air Force Division Chief Muller will grant you the rank of Captain.” A breath. “Well done enduring the past two years.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“My emotionless memories tell me that excessive honesty is the greatest virtue and fault of the Schweitzer family. Your father was the same when he worked as Heiliger’s aide.”

“…”

Schweitzer silently bowed and a cheerful voice spoke from behind him.

“Congrats on the promotion.”

When he looked back, he saw Lowenzahn standing beyond the kitchen counter with a wooden mug in hand. She turned to Graham and spoke without fear.

“Care for a beer?”

“Unfortunately, I have no sense of taste.”

“Aren’t you ever just in the mood to drink? And wouldn’t accompanying the Lieutenant help show your appreciation?”

She had a mischievous smile, but her words were sincere.

Graham nodded.

“I understand your reasoning, but his promotion has yet to be officially announced. It is too soon to celebrate.”

“You really need to lighten up.”

Schweitzer quickly spoke up to drown out Lowenzahn’s comment.

“Excuse me, but what is the Geheimnis Agency’s commander-in-chief doing here at this hour? Were you meeting someone?”

“I heard you were here. I might be commander-in-chief, but I am still a Neue Kavalier. I can move on my own two legs when need be.”

And…

“I am here to order you to don your dress uniform tomorrow morning and arrive at the east gate barracks at 0900 hours.”

“Are we on our way to meet someone?”

“We will travel two hours east by car to reach Munich. I will provide further details en route.”

Graham turned around with a mechanical noise.

“The other nations have been making secret preparations whenever we make a move recently. Unlike when we were ceded the Sudetenland, England and France have grown cautious. As for America…”

After the clank of a metallic footstep, Schweitzer spoke to the larger man’s back.

“Instead of entering the war themselves, they have elevated M. Schrier’s AIF from a volunteer army to an official organization. And…according to Lieutenant Alfred Maldrick’s intel, the Messiah girl has returned to Germany.”

“I have heard that a portion of the army division is pursuing her. I just hope they are not acting prematurely.”

“Prematurely?” asked Schweitzer.

Graham responded without the slightest movement.

“The prophecy has not yet been set in motion. Capturing the Messiah now will likely alter destiny. Or it will if the development division’s decoding of Germany’s Tons is not complete.”

“I see.”

“Army Division Chief Karl Schmitt will arrive tomorrow, so we can discuss this further with him.”

Graham resumed moving without so much as a nod. He walked forward to leave the mess hall.

Schweitzer brought a hand to his chest and pulled his chin back to watch the man leave.

Graham did not look back. His enormous mechanical body took a dozen or so seconds to leave.

Afterwards, Schweitzer thought he could hear some distinctive coughing in the distance.

He kept himself in that pose until Graham’s formidable presence entirely vanished into the darkness outside.

“It’s gonna get warm.”

A mug moved in from behind him at eye level.

He looked back to see Lowenzahn sitting on the counter.

He took the mug, sighed, and drained the contents.

She watched with amusement as he drank it down.

“How does it taste?”

“I am in no mood to focus on flavor.”

“Don’t you lose your emotions too. I beg of you.”

She smiled bitterly and he earnestly nodded. He set the mug down on the counter without looking her in the eye. And rested his elbow on the counter to the right of where she sat on it.

“A direct summons from His Excellency? I honestly don’t know what to make of this.”

“Stop confusing yourself so much. You’re overthinking this like you always do.”

“But…”

“Just hear me out. You don’t know what’s going to happen, but what’s wrong with that? How’s that any different from getting a birthday present? Or…” She paused to think for a moment. “Do you think he would do something awful to you? You don’t, do you? He stopped by to inform you of your promotion, so don’t overthink it. You only think so much because you’re anxious, but what do you have to be so anxious about? Someone who would never harm you invited you to go on a trip tomorrow. That’s all.”

He noticed her place a hand on his left shoulder and then she lifted herself up with only that left hand for support.

Her weight was added to his back as he leaned down to rest on his shoulder.

She was facing away from the counter, so she was sort of back-to-back with him.

“I know Bertecht Schweitzer, previous head of the Schweitzer family, served as Heiliger Karlsruhe’s aide during the Imperial Exile Incident that led to the Geheimnis Agency’s creation and I know he died because he could not suppress the rioters. He protected Munich’s central hospital during the rioting there and made sure never to attack the people, but was taken out by one of their bullets.”

Her fingers tapped on his biological shoulder.

“Germany’s Neue Kavaliers split into two factions after that: the Geheimnis Agency that exists solely to protect the country and its people, and those who choose to live a privileged life among the people.”

“You know an awful lot about what is far from a riveting subject matter.”

“Everyone told me about it when I asked about you.” She tapped his shoulder again. “Did you protect me at the hospital during the dragon attack because you wanted to be more like your father?” A breath. “Whenever I see your arm, it makes me think the exact opposite of an apology. It makes me think about how we were all saved by the loss of that arm. …Isn’t that the same?”

“The same as what?”

She smiled bitterly and unexpectedly whispered in his ear.

“You’re so slow on the uptake. Were you anxious when you came to save us? See what I mean now? You only feel anxious now – and will in the future too, I’m sure – because you have the time to sit and think, so try to relax instead.”

He nodded while feeling her weight on his back.

“You took some time getting to your point…but someone once said something similar to me.”

“Is it that Eryngium girl again?”

When he said yes, he heard a bitter laugh from his shoulder.

Instead of trying to figure out why, he said something else.

“The Messiah girl might tell me the same thing someday.”

He stood up.

“Kyah!”

She nearly slid off his back, so he scooped her up with his Der Held prosthetic arm.

His metal hand supported her in an unsteady sitting position.

She gasped and clung to his arm while adjusting her position.

Der Held gently lowered her onto her feet.

Once she was standing again, they faced each other.

She seemed hesitant to speak and sighed with a hand on her right hip.

“It felt like your hand was rubbing my butt just now. Was that on purpose?”

“It lacks that function.”

She responded to his blank expression with her shoulders drooping.

“It lacks ''what'' function?”