I have spoken to Officer Cadet Takamachi Nanoha regarding her recent on-field performance. During the seek-and-capture mission, she had fired a S+ level Starlight Breaker EX at our target against my distinct orders. I have duly enlightened her regarding the importance of understanding orders, that she is no longer a civilian and that she was liable for getting court martial under Act 34B of the Time-Space Administration Bureau Code for Non-compliance to Reasonable Instructions from Superiors of Higher Ranking or Position.
I am in opinion that right now OC Takamachi is getting too emotionally involved with the investigation. This had inhibited her ability to think and analyze the situation before her in a calm, collected manner and would impede the general progress in our investigation of the MIA OC Fate Testarossa and the local device robbery.
As the second in-charge of this mission, I would like to recommend that OC Takamachi be removed from the mission and transferred to another department temporarily, until the fore-mentioned mission is completed. Chief Librarian Yuuno Scrya of the Infinity Library is a good friend of OC Takamachi and should be willing to take her in to keep an eye on her.
On another note, Lieutenant Colonel Frank Archer had volunteered his service and his men to our mission. However I would discourage the Admiral from associating with the Lieutenant Colonel. He is notorious in the Bureau for his actions and ambition and his presence would do us no good.
Thank you and may you consider my humble advice.
Regards,
Major Chrono Harlaown
Fate stared at the woman standing behind Arisa. The woman returned her stare with a genuine warm, friendly smile. It was just like the smile in the photo at the bed; it was just like it should be from her memories, just like it had been during that dream in the Tome of Darkness.
However, this was the first time she was actually seeing the real smile for herself. It was... what's with the blurry sight? She could not possibly be crying, could she? She should have gotten over it already... They said that time will heal all wounds; perhaps just not enough time had passed yet...
“Fate-chan! What happened?” Arisa shook her friend lightly, “What are you crying?”
“No. It's nothing,” Fate reassured the girl as she wiped the tears away with the long sleeves of the robe, “Strange. They just won't stop,” she laughed in shock, rubbing her eyes, “They just won't stop.”
“Fate-chan!”
Suzuka too had entered the room, attracted by the commotion. The soft-spoken girl rushed forward to console her, admonishing Arisa for being harsh towards Fate.
“It wasn't me!” the more impulsive of the duo protested, “But Fate-chan here just started crying!” she turned her attention backed to Fate, “Is something wrong? You did this to you? I'll sic my dogs on them!”
“No. no,” Fate tried to fight back the tears, “I'm just-
The lady had approached her, gently nudging Arisa and Suzuka aside. She then bent down to Fate's height level and drew her into a warm, tight hug, patting her back lightly.
“It's okay, my little Fate,” she cooed, rocking the mage slightly, “Whatever it is, it's okay now.”
It's so soft, so gentle. The patting of her back was so comfortable and soothing... so much different from the cracking and searing of the whip that she had came to associate with those hands. Fate closed her eyes to better feel the rhythmic pat, the warmth of her body and even the slight tightening of the squeeze from the hug.
This had been what she always wanted. To actually feel and experience this motherly love, something that had been denied to her for so long.
This is real. This is not a dream. This is not an illusion.
This is real...
“Mother.” she murmured, caught in the embrace of bliss.
The arms that hugged her so comfortably tight released their hold and gripped her shoulders instead, reluctantly pushing them apart. Fate finally opened her eyes again, bringing her back to reality. Her uncontrolled tears had stopped its flow in the moment of warmth. She blinked the remnants of the tears from her eyes and faced the woman that had held her.
She had aged since the taking of the photo. There were some visible wrinkles on her face while streaks of gray marked her hair. Yet, she was still beautiful, carrying an air of grace and warmth around her.
Precious Testarossa looked at Fate with a warm, satisfied gaze and asked, “Are you fine now? Do you need a glass of water?” while stroking her hair soothingly.
Fate shook her head quietly like a guilty puppy. She had over-reacted but it was all so...
“That's my girl,” the lady grinned as she stood up and faced Arisa and Suzuka, “Girls, I don't know why your friend is in my son's room. I don't know what's going on here when I am in the hospital. And I don't think you will know how to answer my questions either.”
“However...” Ms. Testarossa turned back to Fate who was seated forlornly on the bed. Her friends turned to look at her too, “I think someone knows how to answer them.”
“It's about the mission, isn't it?” Arisa directed the statement to the blond mage, “You being here and in that cosplay... no, wait. Your usual outfit is worse...” She frowned and rubbed her chin as she started to connect the dots between everything she knew while she studied what was around the room.
Fate looked to Suzuka, silently pleading for her understanding. Anything she would say would be classified Bureau information; civilians were not supposed to even know of their existence.
Suzuka shrugged in reply. “We're friends, right? We, especially Arisa had been so worried when you and Nanoha never answered our calls or replied. We too wanted to know what was going on. Help you even if it is within our capabilities. That was why Arisa convinced me to come along for this trip. We can't always just be passive audiences.”
Fate could only laugh helplessly. There was nothing she could do if that was the understanding between them. It was hard to argue with friendship. It was not exactly the rescue she had envisioned but they were still her friends.
“So tell us, Fate,” Ms. Testarossa pulled a seat out and sat on it, “Who are you? Why are you here? What is your relationship with my son?”
Fate thought for a while. Should she tell the lady about her son's acts? How will she react to his reasoning for stealing all the artifacts?
“But Mothe-” she corrected herself. She was only Terra's version of the mother she knew. “Ms. Testarossa...”
“Why did you call me 'Mother'? Why did you know my name when none of us told you? Why did you cry when you saw me? Am I so ugly and fearsome?” the lady continued, pouting sourly over the 'insult', “I so love a good story. Start from the beginning and pray, make it exciting. ”
Fate sighed. This might take a very long time.
---------------------------------------------
“Chrono! What is the meaning of this?!”
The briefing had ended with the shuffling of seats and the mass exodus of troops to accomplish their designated objectives. After getting Nanoha to promise to wait for him, Yuuno quickly caught up with the officer and pulled him aside from the crowd.
“Obvious, isn't it? Nanoha gets assigned to assist you in the Infinity Library temporarily until otherwise.” Chrono darted his eyes around the room while he replied to the angry question, “You can tell how emotional Nanoha had became over the mission. That will definitely affect her judgment; she's already trigger-happy enough. She fired without orders! If the thief we are after isn't agile enough then, he would have been killed already. We cannot let her jeopardize the mission further.”
“Yes, yes,” the librarian waved his hands in dismissal, “But if we go by that logic, won't we need to take Admiral Lindy out of the mission command too? Won't it be better if Nanoha and I both work on the mission together? We would be able to find Fate so much faster!”
“Exactly!” Chrono hushed himself up after the sudden outburst, looked around for anyone who might have heard him. Satisfied that their conversation had not become of interest to anyone else, he returned to his usual deadpan tone, “Why are you so concerned? You do know that Fate is your biggest rival to the girl, right?”
Yuuno allowed himself to blush slightly at that remark before regaining his composure, “That, that's beside the point! I'm Fate's friend too! I can't just let her remain missing!”
The officer leaned forward; close enough such that only the two of them could hear what he had to say. “Did you seriously think that Nanoha will just follow you meekly back to the library?” he hissed while still keeping a lookout, “Look. I can already guess that Nanoha would rope you in to do her own independent investigation.”
Yuuno was about to protest his innocence when Nanoha's words came to his mind. He promised her to find Fate. He promised… Yuuno nodded weakly, guessing ahead what Chrono would say next. The smart aleck probably had everything thought out beforehand before he called him in.
“I'm counting on you to help and watch her back,” he whispered, “Right now, only you have enough clout to keep Nanoha restrained. At least she might listen to you. The mission is to capture the thief and retrieve the stolen artifacts. Throw in, rescue Fate unharmed and ensure her safety. If Admiral Lindy finds the thief first without the guarantee of Fate's safety, chances are he would be killed first. Then our best trace on finding Fate would be lost.”
“Find that damned thief. Find him before we do. Find him before Mother's rashness and emotions get anyone hurt in this mess. And once you have done so, find Fate through him,” he ordered, “Once you found Fate, contact me immediately so that I can put a stop to this madness. Or do it the other way round, I don't care as long as you do so before we do.”
“And then perhaps Mother can rest easy again,” he added softly.
Yuuno slapped his forehead and shook his head in exasperation. “So what can I do?” he admitted defeat.
“Use your scanning magic. You are the one who can find some long-lost tome in the Infinity Library. If anyone can find anything in this confounded, foreign city, it will be you. Good luck.”
Yuuno watched glumly as the officer gave him a wink of confidence and a thumb up. With a defeated sigh and a strained smile, he returned the thumbs up to the retreating officer. He hated it when Chrono did not consult him before getting him involved in any of his schemes. He hated it even more when he knew that Chrono was probably right.
He returned to his seat where Nanoha was waiting patiently, fiddling with Raising Heart in thought. When he approached the magical girl, she stopped and stood up in silence; pulling Yuuno aside to where she felt was more isolated, away from prying eyes and ears.
“Say, Yuuno-kun,” she started softly with her head down, “You promised to help me find Fate, right?”
Yuuno sighed again. He could just imagine Chrono grinning maliciously with headphones while thinking 'Just as planned'. So this was how it all started, eh? Perhaps he should be glad that Chrono was on their side rather than masterminding plots against the bureau.
There was no way he could resist Nanoha's request even if sacrifices had to be made. Plus, Fate was also his friend. He wanted to be part of the search mission. He just did not expect to end up operating secretly from the sidelines.
“Yes,” Yuuno replied, “I think I know what you are thinking. I will help you.”
“But,” he added, “There are some ground rules you must obey.”
“One. You follow my instructions. You are still assigned to be under me even if we are not doing library work,” he watched Nanoha nodded solemnly in agreement.
“Two. You must always keep your cool and think calmly.”
Nanoha jerked her head up and shot him a startled look at the remark. “How can you remain so calm when Fate could be hurt?”
“Because I must,” Yuuno answered with a light smile, “If we want to find her, we must remain calm and think things coolly. Right now, you are beyond emotional and worried. You are not thinking clearly and that inhibits actions. That was why you were transferred to be under me.”
He reached out his hand to stroke Nanoha's cheek tenderly, wiping off some of the tear stains on it, “Remember our time with the Jewel Seeds or the Tome of Darkness? Despite all the troubles, you always remained cheerful and optimistic, urging us forward. There was so much to be worried of, to be scared of; but you never gave in to your fears or were over-emotional. We can do this together, just like old times; we can find Fate and that thief but we need that Nanoha back again to do it.”
Yuuno gazed at the girl he had introduced magic to as her head drooped sullenly, reflecting. Did his speech work? He had only made it all up with it on the spot after all.
“Nanoha?”
“Did you think you are the first to tell me that?” the girl questioned him, her eyes obscured by her thick bangs.
“But am I the most effective?”
“I think Chrono was better, especially with his threats of court martial for disobedience to superiors,” Nanoha looked up with a sad grin, “I will try, I promise. For Fate.”
“I've still got one more condition.”
“There's more?” she pouted, eager to start the search immediately.
“Look in the mirror,” Yuuno laughed, “You are getting panda eyes. You are getting some sleep now.”
“But-
“My orders. Get some sleep,” the de facto leader of their team of two said gently but firmly, “This thief operates at night, right? Then we find him when he is resting in the day, when his guard will be down.”
Nanoha nodded in reluctant agreement to his reasoning.
“It is getting late. You rest for now,” Yuuno repeated as he prepared the teleportation spell to return to the library. As the green glow from his teleportation spell circle engulfed them, he continued, “I want do some research first. First thing tomorrow morning, once you have gotten your sleep, we find Fate and our thief.”
---------------------------------------------
She told them everything, answered every question which they asked and explained every non-Terran terms in her narrative. The mission, her battle, her interaction with Gabriel.
By the time Fate ended her story with their discovery of her presence in Gabriel's room, night had already fallen and the city outside was lit aglow by the thousand electrical lighting from the streets, from the buildings.
“That is why Nanoha never returned our calls,” Suzuka realized, “She must be worried sick, combing the entire city in search of you, ignoring everything else.”
Fate looked to the floor in regret and anxiety for having caused so much trouble with her capture. She then felt Arisa's arms wrapped snuggly around her neck, squeezing her tightly as she brawled noisily at Fate's misfortunes in life. In a way, it was comforting to know that she had friends that cared so much.
Mo- Ms. Testarossa had remained silent most of the time, listening attentively while occasionally asking something or to clarify some unfamiliar terms. Then she remained silent, gazing at Fate as though she was looking at her long lost daughter that she somehow recognized but never knew, contemplating about the events that had occurred around her.
She winced as there was a sharp sudden pain at her arm. Fate took a quick glance at her exposed arm to see the last remaining black band. Another day was removed from the magic limitation spell that bound her. One more day to go, before she regained control over magic.
Ms. Testarossa finally broke her silence as she stood up from her chair and walked towards the locked window. “So you all know about magic,” she murmured loud enough for them to hear, “That's convenient.”
She turned back to address the girls in regretful tone, “I am sorry for what my boy has done. What he has done is unforgivable to anyone. As his mother, I have failed in my teachings. For that, for my boy, I apologize to all of you for his deeds, his crimes, his wrongs.”
She bowed deeply to the girls, “What he had done, he did for me. If you must blame anyone, if you must punish anyone; If you must charge someone and bring him to justice under your organization, please let me take the blame.”
She then stepped towards Fate, closing the distance between them. She knelt down and clasped Fate's hands tightly, drawing them to her own forehead as though saying a prayer. With her eyes closed, she spoke to the stunned Fate. “Please. I beseech you, with what power you have. It might be an unreasonable request but I beg you. Please forgive Gabriel for what he has done. He only had his mother in his mind when he committed his horrible crimes.”
“Please stand up,” Fate quickly said. She had never expected this. Especially not from someone who looked so much like her own late mother and was in a twisted way, her late mother. “I...” she thought about what she felt so far, how much she, despite her allegiance, identified with Gabriel. She never hated him, never truly blamed him for all he had done… He was only trying to save his mother and now, his mother is trying to save him.
“Please stand up,” she answered softly, “I… I forgive him.”
“What?!” Arisa interrupted. Raising her voice in indignance, the hot-headed girl rose from her position and brought her hands to her hips. “This is robbery, thievery, kidnapping. A crime, an offence! It is not something that can be 'forgiven' just like that! Fate, thi-
She found herself expertly gagged by her counterpart who bowed in apology in her place. “Arisa is just speaking from her heart. Please ignore her rant,” Suzuka said apologetically.
“So am I,” Fate replied with a forgiving smile, “While I cannot assume that the Bureau will do the same, I, at least, forgive Gabriel for his deeds.” She fell to silence, reflecting on her decision. “Not because Ms. Testarossa begged me or some Stockholm syndrome. Just that... if I cannot forgive him, neither can I forgive myself for my own past mistakes... for what I once did, I too do for mo-“ She stopped herself; she had already spoken too much.
“However, we must still get Gabriel to surrender and return all the stolen devices,” the mage continued, “He must also atone for his deeds and face the consequences. It is up to those at the top to make the final decision.”
“Then it is settled,” Ms. Testarossa finished with a sad smile, “At least he has your forgiveness. The rest, I can only leave to your superiors.” She returned to her feet and looked out into the empty night sky, faintly illuminated by the glow of the buildings, “I will go with you to your superiors the next day, if you don't mind.” She took a glance towards the blond mage.
Fate shook her head, “It is fine, Ms. Testarossa.” Her resemblance to the other Precia Testarossa might pose a problem but if she was around, it should not be a problem. She hoped.
The lady returned her gaze to the night sky. “It's so late already. Would you mind staying over here for one more night? Or would you prefer it if I call a cab for you?” she asked.
The girls looked around them at the chaotic room with the thin layer of dust and paper over everything. This was the place where Fate had stayed for the past two days... and it was quite late. Arisa's summer home was quite a long way away. It would have to do for one night.
“But we could not really sleep in our current attires,” Suzuka pointed out, feeling the material of her blouse.
“Don't worry,” Ms. Testarossa replied with a warm smile and a clap of her hands, “I've got the girls' clothings just for you all.” Faced with the puzzled faces of the girls, she added, “I've always wanted a daughter, remember? It's a dream of mine to play dress up. I will go get the extra mattresses and clothings for you,” she said with a bit too much enthusiasm in her voice as she left the room, leaving the girls alone.
The girls remained silent for a while, looking around the room again. Finally Fate broke the silence.
“Thank you,” she said gratefully, “for coming for me.”
“It's nothing,” Suzuka replied as she took the hands of Fate, “We only found you by accident. We did not even know you were missing.”
“Then I should thank you for accidentally finding me,” Fate smiled tenderly, “I wonder how is Admiral Lindy, Nanoha and the rest doing now?”
“You know? We can always try to contact them,” Arisa whipped out her mobile phone and keyed in Nanoha's number furiously. There was a couple of rings before Nanoha's cheerful voice announced to them that she was not available to pick up her phone and to please try again later or to leave a message after the 'beep!'. Having heard that for the umpteenth time, the hot-headed girl fumed as she closed her own mobile with a snap.
“Do you know where your group is?” she asked Fate in annoyance, “How are we going to find them, to tell them that you are safe?”
The Bureau mage could only shake her head. She had been out of the loop for at least the whole day, not knowing what was going on outside the apartment where she was kept.
With a sigh, Suzuka took her own mobile phone and keyed in a short message for Nanoha. “Hopefully, she will see it soon. It is back to the waiting game now.”
Ms. Testarossa returned to the room with the mattresses and pyjamas in tow. With a heave, she let them flopped on the floor while she leaned herself against the drawers, breathing heavily from her exertion of strength. After she had regained enough breath, she took the first of her pyjamas and showed it prominently to the girls. It was a wedding white, long flowing gown with many, many frilly bits elaborately sewn into the overall design. There were even ribbons to go with it. It looked most... embarrassing.
“I don't think my boy will be returning today,” she said sadly before energy resurged back into her, “It might be better for what I want to do.” There was a glint of enthusiasm in her as she gazed wistfully at the girls before her with eyes of an idol master, or a girl who had just received a brand new doll.
“So, who wants to go first?”
---------------------------------------------
“This is a trap. No questions about it.”
Chrono was scrutinizing the piece of paper that lay on the table before them. He was only stating the obvious, such a thing even she herself could deduce. The question, for Admiral Lindy to make, with the rest of the core team members awaiting her decision, was what to do with it.
“This reeks of a trap,” her son repeated firmly and looked to her, “Paper just do not conveniently dropped from the pockets of thieves we are chasing and also include where they are, how to get there and even detailed instructions on when they are going to do what they want. This has got to be the worst laid plans ever.”
The rest of the table nodded their heads in agreement and looked to her to make the call.
Should she or should she not? Admiral Lindy tried to blink out the blurry tiredness from her eyes. She had barely gotten any rest recently, choosing to spend the time monitoring the half-hourly reports the various squads were spending back on their progress. Find Fate. Find the thief, but more importantly, find Fate. That was the orders she had given. Find Fate. Rescue Fate.
A particular squad had chanced upon the young thief they were after and gave chase immediately. Suddenly, every action was focused on them. The thief barely fought back. He merely slipped into the maze of dark, unlighted back alleys of the cities, keeping one step ahead of every single trooper that was in pursuit of him. Even now, late into the night, almost morning even, the chase was still on and in the observation of all of them in the multiple holographic screens around them.
They just were not used to the urban landscape. TSAB troopers were trained to fight; they were the best but urban scouts they were not. Big, flashy explosions, akin to those that Nanoha was infamous for, were just not suitable in narrow, tight corners with innocent civilians everywhere.
Two of the troopers even got knocked out when they got separated from the rest, resulting in their devices joining the list of growing stolen loot in this fiasco. This piece of paper was found near the vicinity of one of the fallen trooper with details and giveaways scrawled eligible enough for all to see.
The aim was glaringly obvious. It even specified that she, the 'beautiful, mature lady officer who was at the ruined cottage two nights ago' should not turn up lone because they would not know about the 'secret, secret plans that would take place in the abandoned warehouse located at XXX-XXX-XXX at the next day.'
The question was how they should deal with it. This could be their chance to capture the thief, their only link to wherever Fate was. This could be their only chance. She had to make the call. To find Fate. Rescue Fate.
“We ignore this note. If the thief is really going to do something with the stolen devices, we should be able to detect it on our sensors,” Chrono said, “We cannot just walk into this trap.”
Lindy closed her eyes, leaned her forehead against her palms, resting her elbows on the conference table, pondering her decision. Chrono had his point. They could always just wait around the area. Then again, every minute they wait, Fate would remain missing for another minute. Can't have that. Fate was lost trying to retrieve her box of photos. She owed Fate to get her found. Find Fate. Rescue Fate. For she owed it to her.
“On the contrary, I think that we have enough troopers to handle whatever they intend to throw at us,” a slick, slimy voice said, “I am willing to personally lead my troops to subdue this wretched robber.”
Lindy opened a bloodshot eye to see the pale officer with dark, combed-back hair leering back, waiting for her answer. Lieutenant Colonel Frank Archer, commanding officer of the troopers that she had been granted. Probably the most ambitious of the troop commanders. Always looking out for military glories, possibly the reason why his squad volunteered to aid her in the mission when no one else did.
“I ask you, Admiral, that my troops would be able to get this young thief before the trap would have enough time to be sprung,” he coaxed the tired commander with a confident sneer, “We should just go in and do it. Capture the thief and rescue your poor, little girl.”
Catch the thief. Find Fate. Rescue Fate. For she owed it to her.
“I still think it is a bad idea,” Chrono said, “I faced the thief before. He might be young but he is not an easy one. We just do not have enough intelligence about him yet. He has no style, no techniques, no method. But he has knowledge that none of us are used to dealing with. These make him the worst type of enemy to have, one that is totally unpredictable. Brute force would not work against him.”
Her son was right of course. However, she needed to find Fate. Rescue Fate. For she owed it to her.
“No matter how strong he is, he is but one!” The lieutenant colonel retorted, “We are three hundred!-
“Two hundred and ninety-two,” corrected Chrono with a smirk.
“The young fry is still hopelessly outnumbered!” Frank Archer snarled, “He can only be so strong or so smart. He will be nothing against my best troopers!”
“Don't look down on the young. Nanoha or Fate would be able to take on the whole lot of you easily if they wanted to.”
“I don't see them here, do I?” Archer slurred, “My men and I are highly trained with profession experience that came with age! Unlike others that came on the shoulders of others...” he cast a vicious eye on the young officer.
“You!” Chrono lost his cool and stood up, slamming his palms on the table angrily, “What do you mean by that?”
“I did not mean anything, young boy. Or do you mean that say that it meant something?” He returned the glare with a sneer of his own.
Admiral Lindy could feel the pressure at her forehead. Things are coming apart. And now her son is arguing with the other officer. A nasty work of nature, a true bastard but their only aid in finding Fate. She had to find Fate. Rescue Fate. For she owed it to her.
“Stop it!”
The stare down changed its focus towards their commanding officer. Lindy rubbed her eyes, sensing the pent-up anger and exhaustion in her. She was no longer that young. She needed to rest before her body breaks on her. But she has to find Fate. Rescue Fate. For she owed it to her.
The choice. The decision. The obvious, obvious trap. The chance to end this ordeal. She felt the triangular chip of Bardiche in her pocket. The only physical reminder of Fate. Find Fate. Rescue Fate. For she owed it to her.
“Frank Archer,” Admiral Lindy sighed wearily, “Call back all but the basic searching troops. I will brief them about the plan later. In twelve hours time, we attack. I will lead the first squad personally. You will support me with the second squad.”
“Mum! That's too risk-
“No. Officer Chrono, it will be the best way.”
“Then I shall go in your place.”
“No. You will stay behind to monitor the situation. If anything happened to me, at least there is someone to take over in the HQ,” Lindy ordered, aware that Archer will be smirking behind her at his little victory.
“Now every one of you, go and rest for the plans for the day,” she sank back into her seat, staring unwaveringly at the screens around them as the reports from the various search parties continued to filter in, “This is not your ordeal. It is mine alone to bear. Only I need to keep vigil.”
For she had to find Fate. Rescue Fate. For she owed it to her.
---------------------------------------------
Gabriel slipped into the nearby convenience store to grab some food and some deck of cards. Many decks of cards. He had an idea. It would even be cool.
It was easy enough to lead all those soldiers on the wild goose chase. They were big, they were burly. Compared to the two girls he had faced recently, they were much more fearsome.
But only on first sight.
Somehow, after fighting Fate and White Devil, almost nothing they threw at him would scare him. Big, burly, gung-ho soldiers meant that they would have less space in the alleys to maneuver. Since they were men, he did not feel compelled to hold back, as compared to fighting young, cooties-inducing magical girls in either little or very frilly clothing. They could survive a couple of hard knocks or falls easily, resulting in them being knocked out but not dead. There was no point in creating death when he intended to save Mother from death. He had no stomach of such.
Those leftover troopers were probably still lost inside the winding alleys, looking at overflowing bins and hissing black cats. They were in his territory and Gabriel did not feel like failing again. He had more than enough time to do what he was doing, go do some shopping, drawn a couple of alchemic circles here and there as traps and then return to finish up.
The first trooper was knocked out by the sudden extension of the brick wall beside him. His unattended weapon quickly relieved from his unconscious side. Then Gabriel deliberately 'accidentally' dropped the piece of note on the floor near the man.
Lure them into the warehouse, into the trap. The lady officer that he saw and mentioned to the Professor must also be present. That was Professor Dante's instructions. Given how desperate they have become, Gabriel figured that such a simple note might just work. They come in, boom! They wake up later with all their weapons missing and he would never bother them ever again. He could only hope White Devil would not decide to crash the party. If she did appear, he would be prepared. He gave his full pockets a reassuring pat. And he would also do it in style. He hoped.
Shouting came from the next alley. Plenty of hissing cats giving him enough warning of another approaching soldier. This could take the whole night. He had to return to the warehouse, to guard it from intruders if they came too early. There would be plenty of time to deal with them one by one the next day.
While he slipped away into the darkness, avoiding the unhappy, unaware soldiers, he wondered what was going on back at his apartment. How was his captive doing? The three day limit of the spell limitator would wear off the next night. It would be prudent to recast the spell.
His mother. There was his mother too. How was she doing back in the hospice? Did her check up go without any new problems? Of course she would be cured soon; the Philosopher Stone would be ready soon. Perhaps he should visit her. After all, visiting hours should- he checked the time on the tower of the skyline -be over... he could always just popped in to ask. They probably would not turn back a young child, will they? Maybe he could sprinkle some water at his eyes to fake tears for the kind nurses beforehand.
Changing his direction, Gabriel headed for the hospital to visit his mother, his heart filled with glee at his would-be success. After all, everything will end soon. Once all those soldiers fell for the trap that the professor had prepared and he had their magical artifacts, the Philosopher's Stone would be at hand. Soon Mother would be healthy, would be happy and they would be normal, as normal as a wizard-in-training and his mother could be as a family, again.
---------------------------------------------
Something woke her up.
It was not Arisa's snoring. It was not that loud anyway. Neither was it the light rustling all the frills on the sleeping gowns Ms. Testarossa managed to make all of them wear.
Fate watched the trickle of light that seeped from the narrow gap below the door. There it was again. A desperately muffled, guttural series of coughs coming from outside. It did not help when she was finding it difficult to sleep. Meeting the dimensional twin of her late mother face to face was... it was hard to describe. She was just like how her true mother should be, how it was like in her memories. Warm, kind, motherly. This is real, she reminded herself. This is not a dream.
This is real. She had found her mot- no, she had only found someone who acted like how her real mother should be. The real Precia Testarossa, or at least her Precia Testarossa, the only one she had called Mother was dead, gone; leaving her behind, alone, motherless.
It was an empty spot in her... no, not really either. She did not deserve it but there is one. One person who tried so hard to help her, to fill up the empty spot in her, to give her a mother. Admiral Lin-
Another round of the hacking coughs interrupted her train of thoughts. Quietly, Fate slipped out of her covers, making care not to disturb her sleeping friends and crept towards the door, opening it just slightly to peek out. The door to Ms. Testarossa's room was ajar while the lights to the bathroom inside was switched on, illuminating the dark adjacent rooms with a faint light.
More coughs. Slowly pushing the door to avoid any creaks, the young, curious girl made her way towards the source of all the noise.
Ms. Testarossa was leaning against the basin, holding on to the sink with a hand for support while the other hand covered her mouth, muffling her painful coughs. Bottles after bottles of pills, capsules of all colors lined the basin top. Many of them were empty.
She noticed Fate standing at the door and raised her hand, indicating her to stop approaching. With a trembling hand, she emptied a couple of pills into her hand and with a gulp of water; she popped them into her mouth and swallowed. More coughs forced their way out, though they sounded less ragged, less painful. They were the last. The frail lady breathed heavily in exhaustion as she washed her hands, dying the tap water light red. Then she turned back to Fate and smiled sadly, “Please don't tell them about this. This is... not a nice thing to know.”
Fate nodded silently in reply. Terran or Mid-childan, it is the same. The terrible, terrible secret that would be kept hidden. Ms. Testarossa is nearing the end. It was not a nice thing to know. Gabriel knew. He was fighting back.
“Did I wake you up?”
Fate shook her head.
“Can you sleep?”
Fate shook her head again truthfully.
“Are you troubled?”
Fate did not answer, merely gazing at the familiar figure that asked her the questions of concern so gently and warmly. This. Could this be a second chance? A second chance to do something different. A second chance to save the life which she did not succeed the last time. A second chance to enjoy love, motherly love.
Ms. Testarossa walked slowly towards Fate and took her gently by the hands, leading her towards the living room. There was enough moonlight filtering from outside for them not to switch on the lights.
“Many times,” she said as they sat down on the couch, gazing into the shadows, “You almost called me Mother. You called me Mother. That dimensional science fiction stuff you talked about. I have some dimensional twin out there, who was your mother, who died. Tell me more about her.”
So Fate spoke. A small trickle of information at first, then nostalgia took over as she went on and on about her situation, pouring her heart out to the stranger not. There was something about Precious Testarossa that put her guard down. She just talked. Telling her everything, her past, her present and her hopes and insecurities for the future. About Admiral Lindy and that one fearful choice she had to make.
The motherly figure just listened quietly; nodding in understanding and holding her hand firmly, in that warm, gentle, comforting grip that put her at ease. It must have been strange to hear that somewhere out there, she had 'died', was almost responsible for the destruction of many dimensions, had created a clone of a dead daughter. Ms. Testarossa just smiled and listened patiently, calmly.
“I, I...” Fate stuttered, trying to find the right words, “I don't think that I deserve this happiness. I have done so much wrong in the past. If I accept Admiral Lindy, it would be unfair to her. To...” her voice trailed off as the face of Precia Testarossa came to mind. She had a mother once and that happened. To give up the name of Testarossa, to pursue a new legacy with Lindy Harlaown who loved her so much. Once bitten, twice shy. Betrayal to her past. Guilt. Everything that contributed to her indecisiveness. That only made everyone waited. And waited. And...
“This Lindy Harlaown,” Ms. Testarossa asked softly, “She wanted to adopt you. Did she truly want to give you a mother, to love you like a mother does?”
“I thi- think so,” Fate answered truthfully with her head down in shame. Admiral Lindy has always been there for her, filling that empty spot in her heart with her love. And all she did was to drag her own feet in fear and guilt.
“What about you? Do you want it?”
Fate fell silent. Then she said, “But that would be-
“Why should that be a problem?” the lady interrupted, “She loves you enough to take you in. You love her enough to feel guilty, to feel that you would be a burden. Both of you, deep in your heart,” she put Fate's hands gently to her heart, “wanted it. So why should it be a problem at first? You can always deal with it later.”
“But won't it-
“Everyone deserves a mother,” Ms. Testarossa said softly, “Even the worst of children. Like Gabriel. This Lindy sounded like a really nice woman, a good loving mother that you deserve.”
“What about you? What about my first mother?” Fate blurted out.
“I like you,” Ms. Testarossa patted her head, feeling her long, blond hair delicately, “But I am not this Precia Testarossa. I am me. I would be most happy to take such a beautiful, kind, gentle girl as my daughter but I am not your mother. Perhaps a godmother instead. But I am not your mother.”
“Then...”
“It is for you to decide,” the lady said, “Everyone deserves a mother. Even you.” She placed a single finger on the girl's nose and pressed it affectionately, “It is time for you to sleep, Fate. Come on and don't tell anyone about it.”
Fate gazed to the floor sullenly, thinking. About her fate, her mothers, her future. Admiral Lind- no. No... Mother. Admiral Lindy will be her mother. They can sort out everything else later. For now, they can be mother and child, just like how she, they wanted. Just like her dreams. She will be strong; she will not be a burden. Another chain of thought came to her mind. What could Mother be doing now? She must be worried sick about her... she will have to leave to find Mother when dawn comes.
Ms. Testarossa took Fate's hand, to lead her gently back into the room, turning their back on the night sky outside the window. The young girl followed, taking a slow shuffle towards the room to join her friends in their deep slumber. The fog in her mind had finally dispersed, only to be replaced with another worry.
There was a click from behind, followed by the opening of the front door. They turned their heads, to see Gabriel standing in his dark robe, a hand still on the door knob as he was about to enter the home.
There was stunned silence for a while, both sides starring with each other. Gabriel's eyes seemed to widen as realization set in about the scene before him. Fear, disappointment, unhappiness.
“Damn,” he whispered, “I should have known.”
“Gabriel!” Ms. Testarossa released Fate and took to her feet, stumbling as she ran towards her son, “What have you been-
The boy wizard responded equally suddenly, averting eye contact with either of them, turning swiftly out of the home and slamming the door before them. There was a loud click as it was locked from outside, locking the occupants of the apartment inside.
“Gabriel!” his mother hammered the wooden door with her fist, “You come back in and undo what damage you have done! What have you done while I've been away?”
“Sorry, Mother. But I cannot do so now,” came the desperate, frustrated reply. There was a thud as he leaned heavily against the door as though to hold it shut with his weight, “I will do so after everything is completed. You just have to wait and you will be saved.”
“Who taught you that you can do what you did!?” Ms. Testarossa shouted angrily, “You will release Fate and turn yourself in! Turn back before it is too late!”
“No! Not until...” the plead from the other side wavered, trembled just slightly, “Not until it is done. It will be completed soon! Everything will be fine... everything will be back to normal.”
“Gabriel! You-“ Another wave of coughs broke up Ms. Testarossa's speech. She fell to her knees before the door, still trying to hammer weakly at it while she continued to cough those loud, hacking, painful coughs.
“Ms. Testarossa!” Fate ran forward to support the lady, recoiling in horror at the dabs of blood that came spurting out from her mouth with each painful cough. She knew that such would happen eventually but it still shocked her.
“So you are there too, Death,” Gabriel addressed Fate through the door, “Please look after my mother. Don't take her away just yet.” His voice was soft, wistful and almost regretful. “Everything will be done soon. The Philosopher's Stone will be completed soon. Then I will come back to release you.”
“Fate,” the girl replied out of habit while she wiped the splattered blood on the door away using her sleeping gown unsuccessfully, smearing the blood stain across the wooden surface instead. Ms. Testarossa's coughing had finally subsided, leaving the lady breathing raggedly on the ground with a pained look of sorrow and regret in her eyes while she stared at the locked door.
“Whatever,” the boy retorted as there was sounds of him standing up, “Please take care of Mother. Everything will be over soon, I promise.” With that, there were footsteps that became softer as Gabriel left with his heavy heart, leaving the door locked and those within, without a way to exit and to interfere with any of the plans.
---------------------------------------------
It was already afternoon.
The green magical circle rotated slowly around him as Yuuno sat cross-legged at the top of the building at the mercy of the hot, unforgiving summer sun, closing his eyes in concentration as he scanned through the city for anything, anything that could be a clue or a hint. His invisible magical treads sped through the roads, the alleys, the crowds, the buildings. Prodding, searching, investigating, processing all the information that filtered in from everywhere.
Yuuno furrowed his brows in concentration while he sweated under the hot sun. He could almost see the heat waves rising from the building top they had chosen for him to do his scrying. Still no signs of Fate or the thief. He had covered almost everywhere in the city, found most of the unstolen magical devices in it and most of the Bureau operatives that were scattered across the city. Many of them seemed to be heading back towards the headquarters urgently.
Nanoha paced impatiently behind him in circles, her energy and enthusiasm revitalized by a night's rest under Yuuno's watchful eyes. She had tried to keep her cool, held back her emotions and anger back so that Yuuno could concentrate on the task before him. So that their unauthorized actions would not be discovered or foiled by the Bureau just yet. It was not her part yet. However, that could not prevent her from feeling impatient over their progress. After all, Fate was still not found. Fate was still missing, still in danger out there without anyone knowing where she was.
Something. Something strange. Yuuno found himself in a dead end. Not so much a dead end but simply an empty spot in the middle of a building. There was nothing there, absolutely nothing. Not even a presence of anything. It was a total vacuum of nothingness. Usually there would be some trace of magic in any place, things that had came into contact with magic before or people with undiscovered magical potential. It might be a shielded zone, an area which magic cannot penetrate... which could explain why all sensors failed to detect that area. It was just a hunch, but it was his only option at the moment.
He opened his eyes and got up. Shielding his eyes with a hand, he looked over the skyline, figuring out the co-ordinates of the location he had in mind. That vacuum zone, they would investigate that area first.
Nanoha came to a stop, alerted by Yuuno's actions, ready for some action of her own.
“Nanoha, please prepare yourself,” Yuuno said as he prepared the teleporting spell, “There is a place where I want to investigate.” The ground around them glowed fluorescent green from the impending magic while magical energy gathered force, whipping their hair and barrier jackets in the wind.
“Yes, Yuuno-kun,” the girl gripped the staff of Raising Heart tightly in anticipation of the spell.
They closed their eyes as the spell took effect. The hastening of the winds around them and the swishing sound as their location changed to where Yuuno had intended to go. After a few seconds, the winds slowed down, indicating their arrival to the desired location.
“Darn,” Nanoha heard her boy friend murmured as the winds took speed again, teleporting them to another location. When the sounds finally ended, the magical girl opened her eyes to see themselves standing at the stairways of an apartment block.
“Where are we?” she asked the boy who was surveying the surroundings, trying to regain his co-ordinates.
“I tried to teleport us into a particular apartment. Turns out that they have blocked magical entrances too,” he motioned Nanoha to follow after him, “Come this way. Try to avoid fighting here; we do not want to attract unnecessary attention.”
They climbed the stairs, stopping occasionally for Yuuno to scan the area for directions. Finally they stopped in front of a door. A simple, hard wood door that led to the apartment which Yuuno felt was suspicious. This was definitely it, neither of them could sense anything beyond the wooden door.
“Though it looked innocent enough.”
“Hush,” Yuuno whispered as he signaled for her to move aside. He walked cautiously towards the door and tried the door knob. Locked. He then leaned against the surface, listening for any movements. There was some strange scrapping sound from behind, muffled pounding of someone particularly violent hitting the door repeatedly with a blunt instrument.
He made a hand signal, to tell Nanoha to keep away but be ready. Nanoha nodded in reply, loading a new magazine of cartridges into Raising Heart and taking aim. The ball of magical energy was already gathering slowly around the tip of her intelligent device.
Taking a deep breath, Yuuno rapped the door lightly. The pounding stopped in response.
“Who is there?” The familiar voice asked suspiciously. It brought to mind someone they knew, someone who tended to be very impulsive and had a quick temper.
“Arisa?!” Nanoha lowered Raising Heart and went forward to touch the door, “Arisa?! Is that you?”
“Nanoha?” the voice behind the door rose in joy, “Yes, of course it's me! Suzuka-chan, Ms. Testarossa and Fate-chan are also here!”
“Eh... what are you doing inside this apartment?” Yuuno asked while he probed the door for any form of weakness, something that could allow them to enter.
“Long story,” Arisa answered from within, “You finally came to rescue us! Hurry up!” There were scrambling footsteps from inside as another voice was heard. A voice that belonged to someone they had been searching for all the time.
“Nanoha-chan! Yuuno-kun!”
“Fate-chan!” Nanoha raised Raising Heart to a shooting position, “I'm going to get you out now! Please stand back!”'Yes, my Master! Countdown start, ten, nine,...' her staff responded, equally enthusiastic about blasting a hole in the apartment.
“No!” Yuuno waved his hands furiously, realizing the impeding chaos, “Think of all the people around! Stay calm! I can handle this.”
Nanoha lowered Raising Heart almost disappointedly as the intelligent device announced that the countdown was cancelled. “Wait for us, Fate-chan! Arisa-chan! Suzuka-chan! Yuuno-kun will break this door soon enough.”
“Don't worry, we have got time,” Yuuno returned to sensing the ward on the door though he maintained an eye on Nanoha, “We can do this quietly...” It was an amazing ward, one which Yuuno had never seen before. It was almost perfect. There was almost no weakness which he could exploit. Perhaps if he places a counter-ward at this particular area...
There was some shuffling and conversation behind the door. Then Arisa's loud, lively voice came ringing out, “Ms. Testarossa said that there was no other families in this apartment now. We will be moving out of the way now. So just blast away!”
Wait a minute. Ms. Testarossa? Who was Arisa referring to?
“Is that fine?” Nanoha asked Yuuno, almost shyly, giving him that watery, irresistible look with her eyes while she fidgeted with Raising Heart in her hands. It's that look. The one that would always resulted in him doing something for her. That fatal weakness of him. Yuuno sighed in defeat, he really needed to learn how to impose his will on others rather than get pushed around. But how can one resist it when Nanoha asked him in that manner?
“Alright,” he said, trying unsuccessfully to sound like he had intended so from the start while he set up a barrier around the area to contain the blast, “Just a little one at this point,” he pointed towards a particular part of the door.
“You hear that, Raising Heart? Continue the countdown!” Nanoha raised the intelligent device again and directed it towards the door, the magical force before it gathering in full force. There were sounds of a mad scramble to get out of the way from behind.
'Yes, I do, my Master! Let it rip, my Master! Countdown continue! Five! Four! Three!' The device sounded almost gleeful. Sometimes Yuuno wondered if that was really the Raising Heart he gave Nanoha, Raising Heart certainly was not so destruction happy when he was the master.
No! The barrier isn't strong enough yet!
“Wait! A little one will do!” Yuuno frantically enlarged the barrier and the strength of it, “A little, concentrated blast will do!”
She was not listening, more interested in doing what she did best.
“Starlight... Breaker!!!!”
OH SHI-
---------------------------------------------
They managed to get out of the way before the blast of magical energy erupted through the door, smashing everything in its path, before stopping in mid air. On closer observation, there was a faint sphere, almost invisible unless you know what to look out for, containing the blast, but just barely.
Her brain quickly registered what was going on around. The greasy pan which she had been using to hit the doorknob in her attempt to break it lay where she had thrown it. What was left of the door, along with everything directly behind or around it, scattered around them, landing in little splinters. There were actually smoke, dust clouds that emerged due to the forceful blast.
There was a loud scream from outside (Nanoha), followed by much coughing and mumbling (Yuuno). Arisa took a peek from her prone position to see the boy emerged, coughing and stumbling from the smoke. His face was stained from the dust clouds. He then fell to his fours, still coughing at the smoke.
Nanoha emerged from behind in an equally dust-and-debris-stained uniform and holding on to her magical staff. There was a queer mixture of sorry, excitement and relief on her face. She quickly knelt down beside Yuuno, patting the disorientated boy on his back. “I'm so sorry, Yuuno,” she quickly apologized, “Are you alright now?”
The boy (the ferret as Arisa remembered him) raised his head and gave a strained smile, “I really need to recommend to Chrono that a limiter be imposed upon you.”
Fate was already back on her feet, running towards Nanoha and pulling her best friend into a tight embrace. With a smile of relief, Nanoha returned the embrace. Tears were already streaming from their eyes when Yuuno finally got up to dust himself and watched the emotional reunion between the two best friends with a smile of his own. No words were exchanged. There was no need for them.
It was some time when the girls finally broke their embrace, even if they continued to hold each other at arms' length and look at each other with the slight embarrassed blush on their cheeks. Arisa could not help but feel somewhat jealous. Fate certainly did not embrace her or Suzuka when they found her. She turned her attention to Yuuno almost wistfully. If only he had come in his ferret form instead; it would be so much easier to hug him...
“How are you, Fate-chan? Did they do anything to you?” Nanoha asked anxiously.
Fate shuffled her foot on the ground, answering softly, “No. Not really.”
“My, you did a really good job destroying my door,” Ms. Testarossa said as she emerged from behind, approaching the new arrivals and surveying the destruction around her.
Instantaneously, Nanoha pushed Fate to her back and pointed her magical staff directly towards the lady with a fierce glare. Yuuno in turn, held Nanoha along with Fate to his back, his other hand extended slightly forward with a glowing shield of magical circle before him.
“Precia Testarossa,” the protective boy murmured with barely controlled distaste, “I should have known.”
Fate quickly broke out of her barrier of friends and positioned herself between them and Ms. Testarossa, stretching her hands out.
“Stop!” Fate pleaded, using her body as a shield for Ms. Testarossa, “She is not who you think she is.”
“Then who is she?” Nanoha lowered her weapon, but only slightly. Her guard was still up; so was Yuuno's defense magic, “Why is she here?”
“I will tell you everything. Please put down your intelligent device.”
Yuuno looked to Arisa and Suzuka for some form of assurance. Arisa quickly nodded. Ms. Testarossa definitely was not the guilty party involved, even if she was related. On that note, he then nodded to Nanoha, even if he remained suspicious of Ms. Testarossa and unconvinced, giving the signal to stand down.
“Alright, if you girls think so,” he said, dispelling the magical shield, “Please tell us what happened.”
---------------------------------------------
The warehouse stood before them like the cheese sitting snuggly on the gapping mouth of a mousetrap. It was quiet, too quiet.
“Squad two is in position, Admiral!”
“Squad four is in position and awaiting your command!”
The men were almost ready; all of them ready to rush in at the moment's notice. Lieutenant Colonel Frank Archer stood beside her, giving the other commands, organizing his men.
Admiral Lindy had given the order that all communications to be cut off. The upcoming raid was too important for unnecessary distractions. Fate might be in there. Find Fate, rescue Fate.
“Squad three in position, ma'am!”
There was the beep of an incoming message. Not wishing to be distracted, she signaled to the lieutenant colonel to take up the message in her place. Frank Archer nodded in acceptance and took the incoming message.
“Yes.” he said emotionlessly, “I understand.”
Pause as he listened on.
“Yes. Fine,” he broke in a large, malevolent grin, “Later then.” Then he cut off the communication link.
“What was it?” Lindy asked, never taking her eyes off the warehouse, the trap that they will enter with their eyes wide open. So that they could find Fate, rescue Fate.
“Nothing,” Archer replied coolly, “Just your son wishing us all the best. All the men are ready. Shall we begin?”
She raised an eyebrow in suspicion. Chrono was not the wishing good luck type of officer. However that was not the point. Their target is what lay before them. Putting her hands back into her pocket and feeling the reassuring presence of Bardiche, Admiral Lindy stood up and in her best commanding voice ordered.
“All squads stand by, ready. Move out!”
---------------------------------------------
When the green glow of magic around them faded into darkness, they were back in the Infinity Library. They had already teleported Fate to the local headquarters along with Ms. Testarossa, Arisa and Suzuka. He had updated Chrono about their discovery and 'rescue' of Fate. Chrono had relayed the message to Admiral Lindy through this Frank Archer. It would be best to follow orders and return to what they were supposed be doing.
After all, Nanoha was supposed to be helping him out in the library, not wandering around the foreign city with him in toll. According to Chrono, their men would be raiding where the thief was believed to be soon. Everything would end soon. Fate had been found. The thief would be caught and all the artifacts retrieved.
For now, Yuuno could look forward to spending some quality time in the library. With Nanoha no less! She was already prancing around the place, looking at the books with the more intriguing titles with interest. Her mood had improved considerably with the discovery of Fate and that she was safe and sound. She could finally relax herself.
Plus he wanted to do some research for himself. Raising his hands, the chief librarian magically scanned the books for the topic he had in mind. A couple of books floated lazily to his side, revolving around him. Picking one up at random, he opened it and started to read through it.
“What are you reading about?” Nanoha asked from behind. Leaning herself on his back, she tried to peek at the book Yuuno had in his hands.
“The Philosopher's Stone,” he answered with a smile, shifting the book so that Nanoha would be able to read the words too.
This Philosopher's Stone which Fate said was the objective of the thief sounded interesting. He had read about it before, there were stories about it in the past. If the stories were true, then should the thief managed to acquire the stone, his mother, this Terran Testarossa would definitely be saved. It might actually be better that way.
However, in view that the thief would be caught, he figured that he might as well find some other methods to create the stone. So that Ms. Testarossa could be saved.
“Strange,” he rubbed his eyes and squinted, “The words are getting blurry. It just gets worse nowadays.”
“That's because you need glasses,” Nanoha chided gently and gave him a light hit on his head, “You spend too much time reading in the dark. After this, I'm going to make you go out with me...” Her voice trailed off to a stunned silence.
“That would be nice,” Yuuno answered with a cheerful smile, happy that everything would be fine when he noticed Nanoha was staring at the lumbering sack of flesh, muscles and orange fur approaching them, “Oh, that's the orangutan. He visits the library occasionally to borrow books. He's really knowledgeable.”
“Good evening... Mr. Orangutan,” Nanoha greeted the great ape uncertainly, staring in surprise at how it could be wandering around just like this. She seemed to be taking it quite well that an unknown orangutan had been able to make its rounds in his Infinite Library and struck up a friendship with him. Perhaps she was already accustomed to talking to animals. Kind of like how she talked to him while he was in the ferret form, or like those princesses in the occasional Terran fairy tales Yuuno indulged himself with.
The orangutan ooked and nodded its head in greetings, grinning in appreciation of the correct identification of its species type. He then extended an oversized palm to shake her hand. Nanoha took it with her dainty hand, shaking it lightly in amazement and awe.
“Hello,” Yuuno greeted as he pointed towards the collection of books around him and asked innocently, “Would you by any chance know about the creation process of the Philosopher's Stone?”
The grin on the ape's face disappeared replaced by a frown. With a loud ook, the orangutan lumbered off into the darkness of infinity grimly. The children watched as it reappeared soon after, waving a thick, worn-out book with red leather-bound jacket.
“Ook, ook, oooook!” the ape shoved the book angrily into Yuuno's hand and jabbed repeatedly towards a bookmarked page. There was no name on the jacket. Flipping through, Yuuno could just make out that this was a journal written in untidy, scrawny handwriting.
Turning to the indicated page, he started reading. Then his eyes widened, his hands started trembled in shock at the realization.
“What is it, Yuuno-kun? Nanoha asked out of concern.
“Is this true? Is what is in it true?” Yuuno turned to the orangutan and asked.
“Ook” came the solemn reply.
Without a second word, Yuuno grabbed Nanoha's hands and started to prepare the teleportation spell around them.
“What is it?” Nanoha asked again.
“Something bad. Really bad. We've all been had.” he replied, his voice rising in terror and urgency, “We are going over to the headquarters now. If this is true... we must stop the attack before it is too late!”
---------------------------------------------
Save for all the crates and building structures of pillars and beams, it was hard to make out anyone in the warehouse. The quietness only made the place feel more worrying. Admiral Lindy tightened her grip on Bardiche's staff. Using Fate's weapon seemed like a good choice, a good reminder to herself.
There was no Fate in sight.
She had ordered Frank Archer to keep his distance. He and the rest of the back-up squad were only supposed to show up when the situation became desperate, when she gave the order to do so. There was no point in revealing all their cards immediately.
With a signal, she gave the signal to move to the man next to her. The man nodded in acknowledgment and past the message down. Soon, they were flanking into the heart of the warehouse, sticking to the shadows, keeping to high alert.
Still no sight of Fate.
In the middle of the barely lit room, on the floor, Lindy could make out a giant magical circle that covered almost the entire ground. The symbols which she had never seen before. The large tanks of red, glowing liquid around it. A faint smell of lilies. It looked like it was in preparation of some mystical ritual. A shadowy solitary bent figure standing in the middle of everything silently completed the mysterious, suspicious look of everything... A figure!
Lindy peeked from behind the crates at the figure. The shadow displayed little movement while before it, laid neatly as a stack on the ground were a mound of trinkets, jewelery, cards. Silently, she pointed towards her breast pocket. The second-in-command of her squad took the thaumometer from his pocket and took a glance at it. Then he nodded. Those were their artifacts.
With a signal, the rest of the squad flanked out, creeping silently in the shadows, surrounding their target. When everyone was in position, Admiral Lindy got up and strode boldly towards the figure, stepping into magical circle. The figure made no attempt to surrender or escape. It just stood there silently, looking, observing; any noticeable features were covered by the dark robes and hat it wore.
It is not Fate. Fate is still missing.
Disappointed, Lindy pointed Bardiche towards the figure. It was time to make the arrest. Speaking coldly in her authoritative voice, “You are under the arrest to th-
Loud, shrill laughter rang out, interrupting her speech as the figure reared to its full height, removing the large hat from her head. She was only an old woman, even if there was a lively glow of glee in her eyes. Wrinkles etched across her face while her long, silver hair was tied in a tight bun behind her. With a snap of her spiny fingers, the lights of the room were switched on, removing the cloak of shadows that hid Lindy's men from sight.
“You are just as beautiful and mature as he said,” the old woman grinned widely, tilting her head to study Lindy's body and looks like a curious grandmother, “You would look perfect in a dress.” She reached a thin, branch-liked arm forward to touch the Admiral, the other hand holding on to the slim, wooden cane for support. Lindy knocked her hand away, only to hear murmurs of “Beautiful features. Smooth, really smooth skin. Bright, wonderful eyes…” listing her physical features.
Ignoring the disturbingly interested leer of the old woman, Lindy tried to repeat her lines, “You are under the arrest of the Time-Space Administration-
“What if I say I am resisting arrest?” The old woman smiled in satisfaction. She raised her hands to give herself a single clap, “Can you get me? Can you all get me?” She looked around the warehouse, taking note of every single exposed trooper present, each one of them with their devices aimed at her.
Frowning at the woman's antics, Admiral Lindy raised her free hand, the signal for her exposed squad to move forward and surround the woman. They did so in rank, closing in on the old woman, stepping into the magical circle without lowering their weapons.
“We have you surrounded. Please surrender.” Then, Lindy thought, we look for Fate.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” the old woman was not impressed, judging at the gathered troops with a sneer, “Is that all you got? This is pathetic. I know you got more troops outside... you should get them to come in and join the fun.”
With a swift, very uncharacteristic move, the old woman slammed her cane into the ground, releasing streaks of magical energy towards her targeted trooper. Upon contact with the magic, the ground below him rose and engulfed his feet whole, sealing him to his position. The startled trooper, finding himself suddenly immobilized, fired a magical shot towards the witch. The witch clapped her hands once and brought her free hand, palm-first to meet the shot. Instantly, a block of freezing ice formed in the air before her, acting as a shield against the shot. When its job was done, the ice fell to the ground, shattering into many pieces.
“Is that fighting I hear from there?” Frank Archer questioned through the telepathic communication link.
“Yes, stay back. This is not a magic we are used to,” Admiral Lindy ordered while magical balls of electricity started to hover around her. 'Photon Lancer ready for fire, sir,' the intelligent device announced.
No sooner when she finished her sentence, more troopers started to file into the building under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Archer. He strode proudly forward into the circle with his hands at the back, stopping beside Admiral Lindy.
“This is direct disregard to orders,” Lindy stated without moving her sight from the old woman. The witch had clapped her hands once more with the same, conceited smile on her, showing no sign of fear of the increased number of troops around her.
“Only a hag?” he sniffed in contempt, “You want me to stay back because of an old hag. This is too easy. I will show you how a real officer does things.” He raised a hand and executed a forward signal. Immediately, the other troopers raised their devices and started to fire.
The witch laughed loudly, deliriously, gleefully. The chilling laugh echoed across the large space, mixed with the loud firing of magical energy. There were loud smashes as magic hit large, thick slabs of ice that formed in its way. One by one, the witch dispatched the increasingly desperate troopers with her magic, never once leaving where she stood. Many times she would clap her hands as if she was giving herself the standing ovation to the falling troopers in her circle.
“I will deal with you later,” she hissed at the smug Frank Archer as she raced forward, avoiding the suddenly slippery ground. Rising ground, flying chunks of ice, sudden air movement. These were manipulation of the elements around her, Lindy observed. It's the clapping. Stop the clapping. Raising Bardiche, she prepared to fire the Photon Lancer at the witch.
“No, no, my dear lady,” the old woman spoke, unconcerned of all the magical attacks coming her way as she pointed a single, long finger at Lindy, “You, I've got other plans for.” A single streak of magical energy snaked towards Admiral Lindy.
The ground below Admiral Lindy rose into the air like a tower before it flung her out of the circle. She quickly scrunched herself into a ball, landing painfully on her shoulders, still holding on tightly to Bardiche.
“Don't hurt yourself too much! I need your body in perfect shape!” the old woman shouted over the din of magical blasts as Lindy could hear the cracking sound of crystallization above her. Looking up, she could see the water vapor in the air freezing into a block of ice. She had just enough time to command Bardiche to return to its device form. Then the completed ice fell directly on her head.
Before she was knocked out, Admiral Lindy could hear the loud, shrill words of the old woman.
“Now that all the people I can detect are here, let us start the process!”
There were creaks and groans as the metal grills were pulled over the entrance to the warehouse. A clap, followed by the fearful screams of the hundreds of men. A fantastic bright glow of red that washed through everything and sheared into the eyes.
Loud triumphant laughter was the last thing that Lindy could hear beyond the sea of red light before she truly fainted.
