The closer I got, the worse it felt.
The air around the factory was thick with smoke, the kind that scratched your throat even before you breathed it in. Men were shouting. Someone was crying. Buckets clanged on the ground. Water splashed everywhere but somehow never where it was needed.
And inside me?
Germany was screaming.
Not with words.
With pressure.
My chest felt tight. My head throbbed. My stomach twisted like it wanted to crawl out of my body.
I bent forward slightly, hands on my knees.
"Bro," I muttered under my breath, "why does a minor problem feel like my fking PERIODS?"
A worker next to me stared.
"…Miss?"
"Nothing," I said quickly, straightening up. "Ignore me"
Everything Is On Fire (Literally and Emotionally)
The factory looked bad.
Really bad.
Flames licked out of the windows like they were proud of themselves. Smoke rolled into the sky in dark waves. Workers ran around with buckets, arguing with each other about where to throw water.
The fire brigade had arrived.
Which was good.
Unfortunately, they were yelling at each other.
"Bring the hose here!"
"No, there!"
"Where's the pressure lever?!"
"Who's in charge?!"
Nobody answered.
Nobody was in charge.
"Oh no," I whispered. "This is chaos."
Inside me, the pain pulsed again, sharper this time.
I Accidentally Take Control
I didn't think.
I just moved.
"HEY!" I shouted.
My voice came out louder than I expected. Loud enough that several heads turned.
The shouting paused.
I walked forward, boots splashing through water, heart pounding.
"Why are you all yelling like that's helping?" I snapped.
"Split into teams! One group on the front, one on the side! Check the water pressure instead of screaming about it!"
A fireman stared at me.
"…Who are you?"
Oh no.
Bad question.
Think. THINK.
"I'm—"
My brain froze.
"I'm someone who doesn't want this whole place to collapse!"
There was a second of silence.
Then someone muttered, "She's not wrong."
Another man nodded. "Yeah… we're wasting time."
And just like that, they moved.
Not because I had power.
Not because of magic.
Just because someone finally gave clear orders.
The moment they started working together, the pain eased.
Just a little.
But I noticed.
"Oh," I whispered. "That helped."
Water hit the flames properly this time. Smoke shifted. The fire stopped spreading so fast.
I ran around like an idiot.
Pointing.
Shouting.
Dodging hoses.
Almost slipping.
Actually slipping once and barely catching myself.
At one point a bucket nearly hit my head.
"WATCH IT!"
"Sorry!"
I yelled apologies while also yelling instructions. It was a mess.
But it was a working mess
Then someone shouted the words I didn't want to hear.
"THERE ARE MEN STILL INSIDE!"
My heart dropped.
Inside the building, voices screamed through the smoke.
"HELP!"
"THE DOOR WON'T OPEN!"
The pain in my chest spiked hard.
I grabbed my coat.
"Side door!" I shouted. "There's a side door! Try there!"
Several men rushed with me. Heat blasted us like an oven.
The metal door was jammed.
"Push!" someone yelled.
We pushed.
Nothing.
My arms shook. My lungs burned. My brain screamed at me to back away.
But I couldn't.
Because that pain?
It wasn't just fear.
It was mine.
I pushed again.
Someone used a tool.
Someone else added leverage.
The door finally burst open.
Smoke poured out.
Men stumbled free, coughing, alive.
The relief hit me so hard my knees almost gave out.
Germany relaxed.
Just a little.
---
The Fire Is Over
Eventually, the flames weakened.
Not gone.
But controlled.
People stopped screaming.
Some laughed in relief.
Some cried.
I leaned against a wall, soaked, shaking, exhausted.
"That," I gasped, "was way too much for my first day."
Inside me, Germany felt calmer.
Not perfect.
But stable.
I smiled.
We did it.
---
The Problem I Didn't See Coming
That's when I felt it.
Not pain.
Not fear.
Unease.
A strange buzzing in my head.
A warning.
" NOTICE: HUMAN-LEVEL INTERFERENCE RECORDED "
I froze.
"…What?"
Another message followed.
" DIRECT ACTION WITHOUT PANEL MEDIATION MAY CAUSE SUSPICION "
Suspicion.
That word hit harder than the fire.
I looked around.
People were watching me.
Not in awe.
Not in anger.
Just… noticing.
Workers whispered.
A fireman glanced back at me twice.
"Oh no," I thought. "They're remembering me."
If they remembered me too clearly…
If someone asked questions…
If patterns formed…
"I can't do this," I realized.
"I can't act like a hero."
I swallowed hard.
"Human form isn't for fixing things," I whispered.
"It's for watching."
That's when he walked up.
Tall.
Broad shoulders.
Calm expression.
He looked like someone who had worked hard and didn't complain about it.
Probably around 6'1.
His shirt was dusty from smoke. His posture relaxed, like the chaos hadn't shaken him.
He stopped in front of me.
"Hey," he said. "You helped a lot back there."
I blinked.
"Oh. Uh. Thanks."
He smiled slightly. Not dramatic. Just… genuine.
"You organized people when everyone else panicked," he continued. "That mattered."
I looked up at him and, annoyingly, my brain did a fast comparison.
"…Huh," I thought.
"We're actually on the same level looks-wise."
That was new.
And mildly distracting.
"Yeah," I said out loud. "I just yelled a lot."
He gave a small laugh.
"Still. Thank you."
Then he nodded once.
And walked away.
No lingering.
No name.
No dramatic pause.
Just… gone.
I stood there for a second.
"…That's it?" I muttered.
Of course it was.
The universe clearly did not want me distracted.
---
I Learn the Rule
As the crowd dispersed, the warning feeling slowly faded.
I stepped away from the factory, heart still racing.
"That was too close," I whispered.
I hadn't used the panel.
I hadn't used my real power.
I had acted like a normal person.
Helpful.
Visible.
Dangerous.
"If I keep doing that," I said quietly, "someone will get suspicious."
And if that happened?
I die.
Instantly.
No retry.
"No more freelancing," I decided. "Ever."
---
Using the Panel Properly
I slipped into a quieter street and focused inward.
The world dimmed.
The Nation Control Plane appeared.
Simple. Calm.
Incident: Berlin Factory Fire — Resolved
Cause: Poor coordination
Risk: Repeatable
Suggested actions floated below.
Training.
Clear command structure.
Better preparation.
"Oh," I breathed. "This is how I do it."
I nudged a small decision.
Nothing flashy.
Just a push toward better organization.
The panel accepted it.
No warnings.
No danger.
Relief washed over me.
---
Walking Away
The city came back into focus.
Berlin kept moving.
People talked.
Shops reopened.
Life continued.
I walked with the crowd now, just another face.
Invisible.
Careful.
Still clumsy.
But learning.
I wasn't a hero.
I was a country.
And countries don't get noticed.
They shape things quietly.
I took a deep breath and blended into the evening streets, already planning my next move.