Chapter Text
20 October 2348
“Oooh, the Orionids meteor shower peaks tonight!” Rebekah lightly squealed, causing Wolfgang and her parents to turn and look at her. The four had been rearranging the pictures in the main parlor of the Zordenoff home, and when the nurse made mention of the meteor shower, her mother smiled.
“Personally what I love the most about this month, Rivka.”
“Honestly Mom, I had forgotten about it all last year because, well, we had all just gotten home and reunited.” Rebekah sighed before looking at the newly arranged pictures, and smiled at the several new ones that were put up. “These are delightful.”
“I love that you all got to go on your adventures once you got out of Lisbon, kiddo” Hans replied, smiling to his daughter.
“I still can't believe it's been a year already.” Wolfgang could look back at everything that had happened, and it would feel like it was only six months. The adventures in Paris, Vienna, Venice. His final glitches. Their return to Düsseldorf. Rinalee's Birthday Party. Hanukkah. Christmas. Easter. His engagement to Rebekah. The summer on three missions with the rest of the Quartet and Mensch-Maschinen, which had taken place in Iceland... Reykjavík was quite a magical place, and the Clandestinians had reclaimed the island from the Darkström in the course of that very summer.
Rebekah smiled at her fiancé, “I absolutely felt that, darling.” She then looked back to her phone, “Let me see if Elize and Johanne are going to have a meteor shower watching party later on.” The Korinn sisters tried to hold a party for when the Perseids shower occurred in August, but that was not to be as they were summoned to Reykjavík for the third emergency mission over there, and they resolved to try for the Orionids in the fall.
“Johanna! Block party tonight for the Orionids!” Elizabeth called out to her sister from the parlor. Johannes was in the kitchen with Ralf and Florian, the trio making a late lunch as they — with Elizabeth — had finished turning what was the drawing room into a Chapel. What once was a place of tragedy, became a place of hope. That was a month-long ordeal, but with the help of the local Roman Catholic Priest (and several masks for Johannes on account of her dust allergies), the room was cleaned out and converted into a Chapel to pray the Daily Office. Elizabeth, being the Captain of the Quartet, designated her younger sister as the Chaplain of the Quartet. And Johannes was determined to recommit to memory the several prayers she had prayed as a child with the help of a German Prayer Book in Braille.
“Let me guess — Bekah's hosting the party?” Johannes asked, looking to Elizabeth, who now entered the kitchen.
“Yes!” Elizabeth confirmed.
“I was wondering if we would have a block party for the Orionids!” the Chaplain said with a smile. “Which reminds me. Rin's Birthday is coming up quickly, korrect?”
Ralf and Florian looked at each other as they set the Schnitzel on the table. Was Rinalee's Birthday almost here already!? Indeed, the 26th of October was around the corner, and Henning would note of a surprise party for his sweetheart within the next day or so.
Meanwhile the entire neighborhood had been abuzz as the Quartet and Mensch-Maschinen reconfigured the Clandestine Chapter of Düsseldorf. Anneke, Karl, and her parents were diligent in cleaning the Weldenta home of all the dust; Karl was more than elated in helping Albert and Helena with much of the cleaning, and the three insisted that Anneke help the others with cleaning at the Korinn and Zordenoff homes. Even with the summer spent in Reykjavík, Elizabeth and Johannes's home was cleared enough of dust that the younger sister was able to finally come home.
“ — ugh... this cannot be happening.”
Meanwhile, back in Radioland, Princess Kometenmelodie had to turn a corner and retreat during a battle against a small company of Darkström soldiers. With several critical victories for the Clandestine Rebellion in Lisbon, Madrid and Murcia, and Reykjavík, the Darkström began to make a more forceful approach against the Radioland Forces of the Rebellion. This would leave her with a good handful of injuries — nothing critical, but it was enough for her to make an emergency retreat and contact one member of the Court she didn't think she'd need to get a hold of.
Professor Georg, Astronomer in residence of the Observatory Royal, himself had to enlist in the battle. Albeit fighting was not his strongest suit, he would quickly learn to handle the energy gun and take down a few enemy soldiers as needed to protect the Observatory. An emergency alert from Kometen, and he was quick to answer his phone. “Ma'am.”
“Georg.” — she tried not to let it sound like she was wounded — “Remember when you mentioned that meteor shower that was going to peak tonight?”
The eccentric Astronomer nodded rather hesitantly. “Yes'm...?”
She took a shaky deep breath. “I... don't tell the Commanders, I will text them personally.”
A few seconds of silence before he asked, “...it... it's happening, isn't it?”
Kometen nodded slowly. “I can't risk the Darkström capturing me or the Radiostern. If they get it, we're doomed. There is no other way.”
Georg quietly sighed, nodding as he looked up at the glass ceiling from where he stood in the Observatory. “Understood.” This was the drastic measure that the Court and Commanders alone knew of, and one that the Princess herself hoped would never have to come to until she was ready and not in the middle of a war.
Carefully she snuck her way through the streets and alleyways, and hurried back to the Radio Tower. The injuries could wait — this, could not, as she hurried to the heart of the Tower. By now night had fallen over the city of Metropolis, and the eccentric Astronomer had to wait until the right moment to give Kometen the signal.
— finally, one shooting star — then another — and another one still —
“Your Imperial Highness” Georg texted, “when you're ready.” He then turned to look in the direction of the Radio Tower, and watched with fear and wonder as it faintly glowed for a second — then sent out one shimmering airwave transmission.
A text from the Princess would reach the phones of Fritz, Henning, Stefan and Falk — one that would put the four Commanders on high alert in Düsseldorf as the day they had braced themselves for, had finally come, and not in the way they had hoped for:
“This is not a drill — the Radiostern has been dispatched. Operation Metropolis has commenced.”
Johannes sat at the tree outside her window, on a sturdy branch, her eyes fixed to the heavenly night sky. The clouds had cleared, and the stars shone brightly. She took it all in — the sight of stars, the sweet chill of the autumn evening, the melodies of techno-pop that echoed from Anneke's house across the street. The neighborhood was a low-key festival as the block party for the Orionids was under way, lanterns on tables and sidewalks as the street lights were turned off for the party.
A smile of wonder crossed her face as suddenly one, then two shooting stars soared through the heavens. Then another one... and still more as the shower of shooting stars took place. And then... she blinked —
the stars... they all began to soar...
Aus des Weltalls Ferne
Funken Radiosterne
Pulsare und Quasare
Johannes kept her eyes upon the sky, the stars all soaring, bracing herself against the tree as she stood strong on the branch. The sight of this was one truly to behold, not something that happens every night.
And then...
“ — was in aller Welt!? Die Sterne ändern Farbe!? Sie wendeten ganz sich an Grün!!” Johannes thought out loud to herself as she watched the starstreaks turn from white hot, to gold and then to green. And the stars that now began to shoot across the sky were green as well.
Suddenly she heard a voice, in her head... a transmission:
* “Hilfe! — Help!” *
That voice! Johannes blinked her eyes and looked up to the starstreaks again, this time certain that the green starlight had something to do with the voice begging for help in her head. She had heard it before, several times. This time was significant as a star then began to soar down from the sky towards her — it was small but its green glow was bright, and she couldn't turn her head away from its beauty. And then... as it approached her, the star changed color from green... to blue, then purple... red... orange... yellow...
From the deeps of space
Radio stars are transmitting
Pulsars and quasars
— and as she reached out to catch it the star shone white hot, glowing brightly in her hands as she held it carefully. The star shone brightly, then disappeared in a blinding flash. Johannes blinked, wondering what happened to the star, and then felt a warmth in her chest — a powerful glow... very strong, very deep. Her eyes went to the sky again — but the starstreaks had all gone.
“JOHANNA!” Elizabeth called out to her, as she, Anneke, Rebekah and the Mensch-Maschinen all ran towards the tree where Johannes was. Carefully she jumped off the branch and ran to meet up with them. “Are you okay?”
“Ja, I think so?” the younger Korinn sister replied hesitantly.
“That was crazy, Johanne” Karl noted nervously. “We all saw what happened.”
Ralf held her tightly, “You look scared, Liebe. Sind sie gut?”
But she wrapped her arms around him and shook her head. “I don't know what happened, Ralf — but I am almost willing to bet that whatever that was that I... guess I now seem to possess...?”
Rebekah then spoke up. “Tell you what, Johanne. How about we all head to the Spacelab in the morning and see if Henning can determine what that was.” She then looked to the others before adding, “Because I can tell you all right now — that was no ordinary shooting star. Something happened. The question is, what.”
Indeed something... something had to have happened to have caused this to occur to only Johannes, but what? And whose voice was it that called to her for help? She had to get to the heart of the situation, and quickly if it meant staying ahead of the Darkström while the war was still going on.