San Francisco — Imperial Outskirts, 7:02 AM
A shaft of light cut through the cracks in the warehouse's aging tin roof. Dust danced in the beam as the sound of a heavy rolling door groaned open.
Footsteps.
The warehouse worker, bundled in a thick brown apron, stepped inside, keys jingling. His eyes went wide the moment he saw the truck and the three sleeping figures inside it.
Before he could react, Leo was already up—silent and fast. One swing, clean. The worker dropped like a sack of rice, unconscious.
"Time to go," Leo muttered.
They gathered their belongings, Sarah rubbing her eyes. Lilith stayed quiet. Leo helped cover the worker with a tarp before starting the engine. Sarah directed him out of the elite district.
"Drop Lilith off at our place," she said.
Leo glanced at her, sensing tension. "You sure?"
"Yeah," she said flatly.
As the truck rolled down through narrow lanes, neon signs blinked off from the night before. It was only 9:32 a.m. when they pulled up to the Lin apartment.
Lilith didn't say a word. She got out, slammed the door, and marched into the building. Sarah followed, footsteps heavy.
Inside, the apartment was dim. Jack sat on the couch, already drinking—his second glass of rice whiskey in hand.
He looked at Sarah, eyes red. "You're not who I thought you were."
She didn't answer.
Without a word, she walked straight to the back room, knelt down to open her hidden compartment—
Empty.
Gone.
Her maps, resistance contacts, safehouse routes—missing.
Jack stood in the hallway behind her. "I found your little hiding spot."
Sarah turned sharply. "Where is it?"
"I burned it."
She blinked.
"You're welcome," he added bitterly. "I saved your life."
Before he could say more, Sarah's fist collided with his jaw. Jack stumbled, collapsing onto the carpet. The whiskey bottle shattered across the floor.
"You're not even Sarah anymore," he sobbed. "You're a ghost."
Sarah didn't respond.
She stepped past him, stormed out the apartment, and climbed into the truck. "Drive to Sacramento."
Leo started the engine without asking questions.
Aboard IJN Yamato – Pacific Flag Carrier, South Bay Port
Inside the command tower of the Yamato, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto stood with arms behind his back, watching the harbor cranes unload tanks and artillery from the adjacent destroyers.
A junior officer approached quickly, handing him an encrypted tablet. Yamamoto read it in silence.
Then, a slow breath. "So it's true."
Tokyo had confirmed it: the Crown Prince and Princess of the Empire would be arriving within the Japanese Pacific States—likely for an extensive inspection tour.
The Admiral turned toward his inner circle. "Summon all key personnel of JPS. Meeting in 72 hours."
As he scanned the assembled group, he noticed Vice Admiral Takeshi Arimoto—face slightly bruised, one cheek still faintly red.
Yamamoto raised an eyebrow.
"Takeshi… what's this? Did your mistress discipline you?"
Polite chuckles around the room.
Arimoto gave a thin, cold smile. "Nothing that matters, sir. I'll begin contacting the regional command and governorships."
"Good," Yamamoto said. "This visit changes everything."
SS Headquarters – Manhattan
Lucy stepped into her new quarters in the eastern wing of the towering granite SS Headquarters, deep in Manhattan's fortified government zone. The halls were pristine, lined with banners bearing the Reichsadler and long red carpets soaked in the scent of old leather and power.
SS-Obergruppenführer Imel was already there, waiting in her office.
He closed the door behind her.
"You're adapting well," he said, studying her. "You look… radiant."
She smirked, setting her folders down.
"I was trained to make men in uniform nervous," she replied.
He stepped closer, gloved fingers brushing back a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. "Your husband's been reassigned. South Coast, medical sector. Effective immediately."
Lucy blinked.
"That chapter is over," Imel continued. "Your future is here. Berlin, perhaps. With me."
Her breath caught. "Is this… about my work?"
"No," he said with a smile. "This is personal."
Their lips met, and within moments, Lucy was on his desk, her jacket torn open, his belt unbuckled. He kissed down her neck, whispering in German, "You're mine now, Fräulein Highmen."
Berlin – Reich Chancellery Office
Reinhard Krüger, Obergruppenführer of Foreign Security Affairs, sat with a cold expression behind his desk as his staff laid down the final report.
Agent Voss: confirmed dead. Found dumped in a riverbank outside Neutral Zone territory. Shot twice in the back.
Krüger crushed the cigarette in his tray.
"Notify Imel," he said. "See if his little mission is still salvageable."
Wolf's Lair – Eastern Front Headquarters, East Prussia
The forest outside was quiet. In the distance, artillery tests echoed faintly.
Inside the stone bunker, Adolf Hitler stood dressed in grey, arms crossed as a Leibstandarte SS officer approached and saluted stiffly.
"Mein Führer. Himmler's condition is declining."
Hitler's face didn't move for several long seconds.
"Ready the car. I'm going to Berlin."
The officer saluted again, turned sharply, and left.
Hitler stared at the map of Europe before him, his fingers tightening into a fist.
The world was shifting again.
And he would decide how it turned.