Editing City Series:Volume6a Chapter2 (section)

===Part 3===

The moonlit streets of Berlin were horribly chilly because the city was mostly made of stone and metal.

That solid city could not soften the winter wind’s blast. If anything, it chilled it further.

The moon hung in the cloudless sky which kept heat from gathering.

The wind blew across every last part of the city, transforming the streets into icy currents much like a midwinter river.

The people avoided the cold by staying indoors and never heading out, so light shined from the homes along the major roads. Most of it was the thin beams of light escaping through gaps in the shutters.

A mottled pattern of artificial light shined on one dark street.

A vehicle drove along the road as if to plow through that light.

It was a black military vehicle. Its lights were off and it was driving a bit above the speed limit. That speed left its plastic tires barely able to dig into the stone-paved road.

It was fast.

It had reinforcement panels installed in places and they audibly sliced through the wind.

Even the roar of the engine was left behind by its speed and the passenger-side window on the right was open.

A black uniformed left arm and a head stuck out from that window. They belonged to Schweitzer.

He had twisted his body around to stick out his hand and grab and extend the communication antenna on the side of the vehicle’s pillar. Then he rolled up the window.

The cold wind was blowing mercilessly inside the vehicle.

He and Bermark in the driver’s seat were the only ones inside.

But neither of them batted an eye at the icy wind. Schweitzer simply used a hand to fix the scarf that identified him as a member of the Geheimnis Luftwaffe.

Once the window was fully shut, Bermark spoke with an expressionless face.

“The guard we sent to keep an eye on him reported some noise and a shout from within the underground room.”

“A shout? From Berger? That man does do the weirdest things.”

“No, it was a girl. And more of a scream than a shout.”

Schweitzer said nothing, but after a pause, Bermark made a powerful brushing motion with his gloved right hand.

“If he has harmed the poor girl in any way, he is even more despicable than I had thought. …From what I heard, Hazel Mirildorf would have made an excellent Neue Kavalier were she not a Heidengeist. When the inspection team performed the surprise Heidengeist test at her school, she stood up to an MP who attempted to get violent with a friend of hers, if you recall.”

“Yes, she stood up for her friend and took a rifle stock to the face, blinding her in the right eye. That very injury is what gave her a fever in the Heidenheim, leading her to be implanted with the prosthetic eye at the general hospital. …This may have been a lot easier on her if none of that had happened.”

“Indeed. But it does show she has the personality to be the Messiah.”

“The question is whether or not we can secure her and fulfill the prophecy. Her personality is irrelevant.”

“But…” Bermark let out a deep groan and then sighed. “I apologize. A man of my age should have better control of his emotions.”

“No worries. It was exhilarating.”

Schweitzer remained expressionless as he grabbed the communicator mic attached to the front of the seat. He set the frequency and spoke a few words to confirm his subordinates were on their way to the rendezvous point.

Once done, he set down the mic and rubbed his chin with his biological left hand.

“But…it seems running away runs in the Mirildorf family.”

“Are you referring to the Armored Hammer of God Incident from two years ago?”

“Yes, the failed struggle to catch the Kaizerburg, which led to the Sylphide’s development. Oscar Mirildorf commanded a full division of the air force he was given by Lieutenant General Heiliger, yet he ultimately cleared the way for the enemy to escape.”

“Many people have criticized that hesitation as unthinkable for a soldier.”

“The daughter of the soldier who fled from the enemy is now attempting to escape from the country. Do you know how that must have felt for the daughter? Flight, death, and loss always weigh heavier on those left behind than on the person themselves.” Tension gathered in Schweitzer’s brow. “Due to an error in the previous war, the Geheimnis Agency was forced to let our emperor flee the country. You have not forgotten that sense of defeat and the disgrace of losing our master, have you?”

“No. And I understand why His Excellency said Germany is now a country ruled by the people rather than an emperor.”

“That girl is in the same position as us, so how does she feel?”

“Ironic that she would be the one perhaps destined to be the Messiah.”

That comment further hardened Schweitzer’s expression.

“Is she, though? The power of the Messiah implant she was given is fascinating, but do you really think the prophecy will play out once we secure her? Will dragons gather and will everything return home? If she does not carry that destiny with her, then she cannot become the true Messiah who will eventually save Germany.”

“All we can do is see it through to the end…until the prophecy has been fulfilled. If it turns out she cannot do so, then we must continue our search for one worthy of the title.”

“What was Marsch thinking when he named the implant that? He must have heard the prophecy three months ago…so what in the world was he thinking?”

Schweitzer honestly had no idea. They had held this discussion countless times already, so Bermark provided the correct answer as an aide.

“Let us stop focusing on the prophecy. All will become clear once we secure her and, as you said earlier, it is the Messiah implant that matters for the Geheimnis Agency.”

The conversation paused for a brief moment because they were both unsure what to say next.

As if to break that awkward silence, light shined in from behind the vehicle.

“There they are,” said Bermark with relief in his voice and Schweitzer looked out through the back window.

The light came from the headlights of multiple armored military vehicles.

“I told them not to use their lights in the city.”

“We have fewer than a dozen fellow Geheimnis Agency members with us, so the rest are rank and file soldiers with some brief night mission training. Do not expect too much from them.”

“Fair point.” Schweitzer reached for the doorknob. “You take 20 of them with you, Bermark. Pursue those two in order to secure the Messiah.”

“I am counting on you to cut off their escape.”

Before Bermark was even done speaking, Schweitzer had opened the door and jumped out.

That giant form in a black coat accelerated by kicking once off the stone pavement rushing by like a river. He built up speed to run alongside Bermark’s vehicle.

And he reached for the half-open door.

“We are counting on you to help fulfill the prophecy and protect this country.”

With those parting words, he shut the door.

The vehicle sped up and he could no longer keep up on foot.

He slowed his pace a bit and looked back at the approaching lights.

The subordinates he had called here were driving several black armored vehicles.

They covered both sides of the road and slowly approached while whipping up the wind.

He stopped his feet and jumped backwards.

He used his heavy prosthetic arm as a pivot point midleap to perform a nimble flip. The city spun around in his vision and the moon came into view.

“…”

He landed upright on the hood of one of the approaching armored vehicles. The weight of his large body and prosthetic arm caused the vehicle to sink down a bit with a metallic creaking.

He was facing forward, where the vehicle’s headlights were shining.

It continued to drive straight ahead, as if it knew exactly what he wanted it to do.

The wind grew stronger.

He fixed his black military coat’s collar and crossed his arms.

He looked up into the night sky to see the full moon directly overhead.

“A perfect night for a Heidengeist.”

He took a breath.

“And for the Sylphide as well.”