Prologue: Hearts and Swords.

Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. July 1st, 2015.

Benedikt Lukyanovich sipped at his espresso macchiato, waiting for his contact to arrive. Flakes of snow tumbled from the ashen sky, a perpetual mark of the devastation left by Second Impact. Lukyanovich took another sip, nodded appreciatively, and set the cup down.

"If you had told me fifteen years ago that Aachen would be colder than Moscow," he commented aloud in German, "I would have asked you what you were smoking."

A portly man sitting at the next table chuckled wryly, setting down his newspaper. When he spoke, his German was touched with a heavy Turkish accent. "It feels like a nightmare I can't wake up from. Ankara buried under a hundred meters of ice, Istanbul drowned by the Black Sea. My family lived in Kayseri, before the mudslides wiped it out of existence."

Benedikt took a sip from his cup, staring gloomily into its depths. He replied, "The same sort of thing happened to Russia. St. Petersburg flooded when the Baltic overflowed, Moscow is a giant steaming swamp, and Vladivostok has the climate of Honolulu, with the humidity to match."

After a moment, the other man walked over and extended his hand. "Enver Okur. I do tax consulting, although business sucks these days."

They shook hands.

"Benedikt. I contract with the government, but those are hard to come by. I spend most of my time dabbling in real estate."

"Interesting. My uncle, may he rest in peace, owned some properties in Munich. Is business good these days?".

"Ha! No, it's a disaster. I've lost money for eight quarters straight." Benedikt emptied his now tepid coffee before putting on his best salesman's smile. "Are you in the market for a house? I have some very affordable-"

"No, thank you," Enver interjected. "My wife would kill me if I bought a house from a shady man in a tourist trap cafe."

A gray, run down Toyota pulled up to the curb, although it was impossible to discern the model. The metal was bent, slashed, and in many places severely rusted, with what appeared to be buckshot holes pockmarking the hood. The driver honked twice and Lukyanovich stood up, collecting his woolen overcoat.

"It's been a pleasure talking to you, Mr. Okur." They shook hands, and the Russian opened the door of the car.

"Good to meet you too, Mr…"

"Lavrentiy. I go by Lawrence outside of Russia, though. Easier for everyone."

Enver nodded. "Even in Germany?" Benedikt turned around, setting his briefcase in the backseat, before meeting the accountant's gaze.

"In German, my last name is Lorenz."

For the first time, his smile flickered, revealing something cold and inexplicably menacing. With a nod, the Russian disappeared into the car, snapping the door shut with a sharp crack.

Benedikt sighed, shedding his coat and dumping it unceremoniously onto the seat. My hands are freezing. He cupped his hands around his mouth and exhaled, trying to generate enough heat to thaw the clammy flesh. After a moment, they pulled over into a dingy lot, the former site of one of the many businesses demolished after Second Impact. The driver twisted around in his seat and spoke in English, albeit with a distinct Austrian drawl.

"We honor the July Martyrs." Benedikt recognized the keyphrase and provided the countersign in the same language.

"Olbricht, Tresckow, Stauffenburg."

"Black-Red-Gold."

Benedikt opened the briefcase and withdrew a scroll with an attached lead seal dangling from a black silk cord. Embossed upon the seal was a stylized human heart, bearing the letters HERZ flanked with seven eyes. He held this up to the driver, who scanned through the credentials. After a moment, he nodded, rolled the document up, and handed it back to the Russian.

"Welcome, Councilman Lavrentiy."

"Has Field Marshal Allard reached Paris? I need to confirm that our assets in South America are ready for Second Case Valkyrie."

The driver nodded. "He arrived at his estate two hours ago. He's waiting for you to give him the go ahead."

He reached into his pocket and withdrew a flip phone, punching in a number. After a moment, he handed the phone back to Benedikt. The driver stepped out of the car, shivering slightly as the cold air hit him. He pulled a worn lighter out of his jacket, patting at his other pocket for a pack of cigarettes. Benedikt rolled down the window, pulling a silver case out of his breast pocket.

"Have you ever had a Vladivostok Cigar?"

"No?"

Benedikt tossed him the case, which the driver caught reflexively.

"Straight from the private collection of SEELE-02. Enjoy."

Benedikt withdrew into the car, rolling the window back up, before hitting the dial button on the phone. After a moment, someone picked up.

"Hello, Benedikt?"

"Claude, it's been a while," Benedikt said. "How are you?"

"Tired. I just flew in from Buenos Aires, and the jet lag is crazy. Planning a coup isn't easy, you know."

"Just a little longer, old friend. Case Brunhild is proceeding according to schedule, yes?"

"Correct. Twenty-six targets have been designated and marked for liquidation. The SEELE Apostolic Council, the Human Instrumentality Committee, and most of their pet UN Assemblymembers are being shadowed by WILLE. There's a problem, though."

"Oh?"

"More specifically, three problems. Kaji, Lorenz-"

"And Ikari," Benedikt finished. "It's not going to be easy to lure that viper out of his burrow."

"I think we can safely disregard Kaji. He has no allies in SEELE, and those few who tolerate him are already on the kill list. Ikari will need more delicate handling. There is also the matter of his staff. We don't know how much Akagi and Fuyutsuki know."

Benedikt sighed. "The only safe option is to assassinate all four. Ikari, Fuyutsuki, Akagi, and Katsuragi. It's unsavory, but it's the best way to make sure that the Human Instrumentality Project never proceeds to Complementation."

"Ikari, Fuyutsuki, and Akagi need to die. But Misato is innocent. I'm not going to order a hit on Akira's daughter."

"Look, I know you were friends with her father, but we can't risk leaving one of Ikari's deputies alive-"

"No," Claude said, cutting across Benedikt. "Misato lives. That isn't negotiable."

After a moment of tense silence, Benedikt let out a breath.

"Fine, we'll do it your way."

"Thank you," Claude said, relief carrying clearly over the phone. "As for Lorenz…"

"I'll handle my cousin. You deal with Ikari. If all goes well, we'll meet in Tokyo-2 next week for the execution of Second Case Valkyrie."

"I'm leaving for Tokyo-3 immediately to finalize the preparations. Kyrie Eleison." With that, the line went dead.

"Kyrie Eleison," Benedikt echoed. May the Lord have mercy on us. He flipped the phone shut as the driver returned to the vehicle. After a couple of failed starts, the engine finally sputtered to life. "Take me to the safehouse," Benedikt said, passing the phone forward to the other man. "The cyclonite and detonators should have been stocked yesterday. By this time tomorrow, that bastard will be rotting in his grave." The driver chuckled darkly, putting the car into drive.

"May he rest in pieces." As they pulled out of the lot, Benedikt drew a necklace out from under his shirt, a shard of blood-colored crystal on a steel chain. He gripped the pendant in his palm, his knuckles turning white. They passed Aachen Cathedral, its spires towering over the city. Except for some scaffolding on the dome and a collapsed buttress, the ancient structure was still intact. In front of the cathedral a memorial had been raised to the victims of Second Impact, a marble Pietà framed by basalt walls inscribed with countless names. As they drew closer, Benedikt's eyes met the sculpted eyes of Mary. A peculiar chill ran down his spine.

The leader of HERZ shivered and turned away.

May the Lord have mercy on your soul, Kiel Lorenz.

You won't get any from me.

Notes:

PREVIEW:
Yo, Ryoji here with your preview. The Third Messenger arrives, preaching an epistle of doom. The Third Child stands alone against a beast bearing a divine name. The mysterious HERZ goes on the attack. Spies, betrayal, and yours truly's first appearance. Next time on Herz und Seele, Chapter One: The Angel and the Valkyrie. As always, there will be plenty of fanservice.
*winks at the camera, then walks off stage.*
Offstage: I should really call Misato…maybe later.

This is a crosspost from AO3. 22 chapters are up at the current moment and more are on the way; I'll do my best to get the other chapters uploaded in a reasonable amount of time.