[Present]
Gabriel Martin stepped off the plane in Berlin, the chill air biting at his skin. His black beard was flecked with gray, his small eyes sharp. Stoic as always, but deep inside, worry twisted like a storm.
He didn't waste a moment, pulling out his phone to check for messages. He'd been calling Robin's friends for days. One by one, reaching out to the crew.
"Hello, this is Robin's father." he said to a voice on the line. "I need to know where Robin is... What happened."
The answers were fragmented. "We don't know exactly, sir." one voice admitted. "They've been moving. On a trip with half of us."
The father's jaw tightened. "Thank you. Keep me updated."
After hours of calls, a name surfaced: Albert Weaver.
The father dialed Weaver's number, hands steady despite the tension.
"Robin's father?" Weaver's voice was cautious but warm. "I've been following Robin's situation closely."
"I need help." the father said plainly. "Robin is in a containment facility here in Dresden. The government won't let me see them."
Weaver sighed. "The law is clear. Robin is what they call a 'super-caster.' Dangerous. They say it's too risky to release them."
The father's voice dropped but didn't waver. "Robin's not a problem. They're my child."
Weaver hesitated, then spoke carefully. "Wait a minute. Your accent... Are you Canadian? Is Robin Canadian too by any chance?"
"Yes." The father utters like a hammer on anvil. Still but firm.
"Well, that changes everything..."
***
Days passed. The father and Weaver exchanged emails, calls, and frantic messages. Weaver pulled strings, shared intelligence, and found out about the legal cracks in the super-caster laws.
"Well, Robin being a Canadian citizen is the key that we need." Weaver said on a late-night call. "It might work. You're their closest kin, right?"
"I'm all they have." The father nodded.
"Then I might know the person to help us cut through bureaucracy. Meet me tomorrow morning. We are going to Berlin."
The father packed with purpose. Every step was for Robin.
***
At the embassy, they met a diplomat, a stern woman with sharp eyes who listened patiently.
The diplomat's eyes narrowed as the father laid out the situation. She spoke firmly when he finished.
"A Canadian citizen held without due process? That's unacceptable. And this super-caster law they have here in Europe... we have nothing of the sort in Canada." she said, her voice calm but edged with steel. "I'm sorry, but this must be resolved. Rest assured, the situation will be unraveled as soon as possible."
They left the embassy clutching a fragile thread of hope.
Martin looked at Weaver and, with a firm handshake, said in a raw but grateful tone,
"Thank you. For not giving up on my little bird, Albert."
Weaver chuckled, warmth clear despite the distance.
"I don't give up easily. Neither should you. Robin will be freed."