Editing City Series:Volume6e Chapter4 (section)

===Part 3===

The top floor of Tristan provided a view of the glowing ocean and umbrella that covered Germania.

That space doubled as a viewing platform and a large meeting room.

The southern wall was a window of blast-resistant glass. The lights were currently off and the thick glass bent the outside light a bit as it provided a view of the scenery below.

Two people stood next to the window.

The man on the left was tall and had two prosthetic arms.

The man on the right was short and plump.

They were both lowering their heads to look down from the window.

The fog covered Germania, its nearby forest park, and the river.

Germania’s lights made the fog look like a faint white film and it rippled from the wind and the city’s movement.

The fog on the surface below was mirrored by the dome above.

The shorter of the men spoke in the light from above and below.

“Sir Heiliger, the Allies have begun their reversal of the ley lines into Tristan. All of the world’s anxiety Tons are being sent to Germany and the management team has already detected a powerful reaction.”

“It will grow even more powerful before long. We must increase Tristan’s output to push back the anxiety.”

“According to the control team, the current pace will shift control authority to Neue Erde at 2:30 AM.”

“Then our commander must protect it all with her own power.” Heiliger looked to the right, viewing the short man in profile. “I am sorry about this, Müller. I know Lowenzahn was your daughter for a time.”

“It couldn’t be helped.” Müller sighed. “I still understand so little of this, but I do know that she wanted this herself.”

“Is that why you did not give the Schallmauer Zerstörer his usual company and assigned him to guard Lowenzahn after he failed to show up at the appointed time? Was it out of sympathy for her?”

Müller raised his expressionless head at that.

But he did not look to Heiliger. He looked into the sky where some rainclouds still lingered.

“I really hope the AIF does not show up.”

“You never were any good at changing the subject.”

“That is my answer to all of this. After all, most of this fog below us was likely created by an AIF divine spell team.” Müller stared at the fog and smiled a little. “But it is a shame,” he said. “Captain Hellard is the son of your former aide Bertecht. That former Schallmauer Zerstörer protected everything he held dear, but he lost his life in the end.”

“I wonder if his son is a knight in the same vein,” said Heiliger. “If he is, he will attempt something similar tonight. The question is: can he protect Lowenzahn?”

“What do you think?”

“I live in the name of a promise I made – in the name of Tragisch.”

That response wiped the smile from Müller’s face. His eyebrows rose a little as he looked to Heiliger.

Heiliger was already looking at him.

They exchanged a look between their very different heights and Heiliger spoke.

“Of course, people are not bound by their names and their roles. But some people do fulfill their name or their role like they are fulfilling an inaccurate prophecy.”

“Do you…”

Müller started to say something, but his eyes flitted over to Heiliger’s shoulder.

From his perspective it was the right shoulder. The armor there had to Phlogiston Plattes installed.

Müller shut his mouth and swallowed his words.

His silence was answered by the wind rattling the blast-resistant glass. It sounded like the strum of a string instrument and shook the floor below their feet as well.

Eventually, Müller faced forward. He viewed the sky and then lowered his gaze to Germania.

“I want to redo so many things once this war is over.”

“Everything will be redone before long. Just not in the way you think. However…”

Heiliger let out a bitter laugh and Müller turned to look at him.

Müller saw Heiliger’s eyebrows drooping slightly.

“There is one thing I would love to do if this war were to end. Even it can no longer happen.”

“What is that?” asked Müller, his eyes on the two Phlogiston Plattes, but Heiliger did not answer.

Instead he changed the subject with his eyes shut and his expression blank.

“It is time to go see the predetermined answer. And to make a decision in the name of Tragisch.”

He turned around, the bottom of his black coat fluttering around him, causing the light from the window to waver for just a moment.

Müller frantically turned away from Germania’s nightscape.

He saw that enormous back continuing to walk away and heard the loud footsteps refusing to stop.

Past the large man, chairs were scattered across the meeting room and the north wall had an elevator leading down.

It was all dark. The light from the window did not reach that far, so the red emergency lights were the only source of light.

But the back walking away from Müller approached those red lights with no hesitation whatsoever.

“I will send out Silber Löwe – my brother’s Panzer. It should protect this city well.”

He continued walking even as he spoke.