Captain Johan Franz is one of the New Germanians, and the military officer responsible for making first contact with the Styx in the Garden of the Second Sun. When the New Germanians are taken over by the Styx, Franz is made a personal servant to the Rebeccas, as well as the love interest of Rebecca Two. This is largely made possible by the heavy Darklighting the man experiences, leaving him little more than a zombie by the end of the series.
Book Appearances[]
Closer:[]
Johann Franz as depicted in Spiral.
When the Rebeccas arrive in New Germania, they are greeted by an army truck, filled with "around twenty," soldiers. After they arrange themselves in formation around the sisters, Franz approaches them and asks Rebecca Two who they are; when she responds with the statement that her sister needs a doctor, he orders his men to approach the two with their rifles raised. It is at this point that an army of Limiters appears, prompting Franz to reveal that he is able to speak English so as to tell Rebecca Two to have them stand down. Rebecca Two refuses, and Franz agrees to tell his men to stand down so that a medic can treat Rebecca One. He then precedes to reveal that the population of New Germania arrived before the end of World War II, and that they take offense to being associated with the Third Reich. The Limiter General and Rebecca order him to contact his superiors with information on their arrival, as well as with the Styx's connections with the Third Reich; while Franz appears overwhelmed by the presence of the Styx, he follows their instructions, making it clear he is sympathetic to Rebecca One's injuries. Later, when Rebecca Two and the Limiter General are taken to meet the New Gemanian Chancellor, Franz makes up part of their escort, and Rebecca thanks him for his calm actions. He, while remaining civil, makes it obvious that he would like her to go towards the Chancellery, as opposed to talk to him.
The next time that he is mentioned is as the Styx are leaving the pyramids, after the standoff with Will and Elliott. After the Limiter General discusses their plans to overtake the New Germanians with Rebecca Two, she tells him that she wants, "That young officer who helped us," unharmed. However, his next scene has him being taken in for Darklighting, with Rebecca Two sitting in on his session. This is supposedly to make sure he is not treated roughly, which prompts Rebecca One to make fun of her sister for liking him, and knowing what his name is.
Spiral:[]
By this point, Franz has been reduced to a highly suggestible husk of his former self. He plays the part of chauffeur to the Rebeccas, bringing them to the warehouse so as to meet with the other Styx females. On the way there, Rebecca One expresses her dislike of her sister's choice to keep him around, while also being openly abusive to the man. In the warehouse, both Alex and Vane take a liking to Franz (in the way that a female Styx would during the Phase), but Rebecca Two declares him "useful," forcing her sister to defuse the situation when the older twins question her. From that point on, he continues to serve the Rebeccas as a personal slave, with Rebecca One continuing to try to make her sister assert her dominance over him. When the Rebeccas are forced to flee, Franz continues to assist them, later accompanying Rebecca Two to the Health Spa in Kent.
Terminal:[]
Following the largely successful ruin of Topsoil London, the next thing seen of Franz is in the storage room of the Westfield shopping center, where Alex goes to inform Rebecca Two of the fact that they are "moving out." Here, Rebecca reveals herself to have been sitting very close to him, prompting Alex to express her disgust with the younger Styx's choice of a human love interest. Following a series of successes on their part, Rebecca Two employs Franz to drive her to the government's communication agency headquarters; when they arrive, both Alex and the Old Styx show their disapproval of their relationship. The two then proceed to reveal their plan to dispatch all the remaining humans in their control, including Franz. When the Limiters take him away, Franz becomes convinced it is a mistake, telling them to get Rebecca. To his luck, the Limiters are dispatched by Martha's Brights in time to save them, and Rebecca Two comes sprinting to the aid of Franz, claiming to sense that something was amiss. Her appearance leads to Danforth's decision to place Franz in a headlock, and then inform Rebecca Two of the Styx's plans to kill him; while originally resisting him, she then concedes so as to protect Franz's life. However, she is knocked unconscious from the destruction of the government headquarters, and Danforth forces Franz to abandon her body.
He is then taken hostage by Danforth and Parry, and deprogrammed. Despite no longer being under the control of the Darklight, he continues to stand by the statement that Rebecca Two is a good person, to the annoyance of this captors. They then bring him along to the final battle in the cathedral, where he slips away from them in the confusion brought about by the death of Drake. He then goes to Danforth's side, eventually running out into Alex's view when spotted by Rebecca Two. Soon after he arrives by her side, Elliott activates the recall, and Franz is left trying to grab onto Rebecca Two as she disappears. When she disappears, his sobs are the only noise around the entirety of the cathedral.