Disclaimer: Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS is property of Ivory and Seven Arcs. Nowell Diastasis and Magical Battle Arena was created and published by FLY-System. They are used here without permission and without intention to profit.
"Will you become it..?" The speaker was a blue-haired girl, a couple of years older than Fate. She carried a fan-bladed staff loosely in one hand. She was clad in a black bodysuit, similar to Fate's Sonic Form, but small, pink wings fluttered at her shoulders and she wore a flared half-skirt that reached her ankles. A red ribbon held her shoulder-length hair back, and a chunky broken halo held a large, red gem immobile in front of her forehead.
"I can't." Fate shook her head, gripping Bardiche more tightly. "There is someone I have to be with... your destiny isn't one I can accept."
"There is no other way." The winged girl insisted. "If you do not accept peacefully, I will be forced to subdue you." She raised her staff to the purple, lightning-clouded sky.
"And if I defeat you?" Fate asked, lifting Bardiche Assault tiredly. Already, her twelve-year-old body had been badly taxed by the battles so far.
"Then there is no choice. I will take your place, and you will become the chooser."
"So... I understand." Fate brought her weapon up. "There must be another way. I will defeat you, and find that other path..." She reached for her magic, dashing forward and preparing to end it...
"Damn it!" Takamachi Nanoha, age twenty, gasped as she struggled to get her breathing under control. "This is endless..." She cursed, gathering power again as the next wave of Gadget Drone Type IIs approached. "Divine..."
"... Buster." Raising Heart replied, firing off a sustained beam that Nanoha swept across the formation.
"Nanoha-taisa. Navy support will be with you in five minutes, you just have to hold out until then!" Shario Finieno told her over the link from Long Arch.
"Status update, general overview." Nanoha requested even as she mentally commanded for Axel Shooter Shielded.
"Stars two and Stars three are engaging combat cyborgs below ground. Cloud One and Cloud two are engaged with a unison knight in the entrance hall. The Ground Defence Force mages are pinned down by two more combat cyborgs. Long Arch One is still trapped inside the barrier."
"Those blasted bureaucrats!" Nanoha cursed. "Can't they see this is an emergency? To carry on with the meeting in these circumstances..."
"General Geis believes your defence to be enough." Shario told her. "One moment..." She connection cut off, and Nanoha was able to turn her full attention to the battle, blasting several Drones that had been attempting a flank attack out of the sky.
"Taisa, this is Long Arch! We're under attack! Repeat, Mobile Division Six HQ is under attack by a Summoner and two... no, three combat cyborgs and at least thirty drones!" Griffith's voice broke her concentration. "They already took out the armoury... I'm ordering the evacuation!"
"Griffith-kun?" Nanoha yelped. "The lockdown code, use it! Shut the base down... We're completely pinned down!"
"It's too late..." It took Nanoha a moment to realise what was happening, then she noticed that the speaker was there with her. She wore glasses and had her brown hair in two big tails... a combat cyborg...
"Quattro!" Nanoha swore. "What's the meaning of this?"
"To think we'd care about this foolish meeting." The illusionist smirked. "Goodnight... Riot Force Six." The cyborg's snake-like smile was the last thing to vanish.
"Signum!" Nanoha contacted the other mage.
"I'm busy." Signum replied, and the sounds of fighting came over the link. "There is a Knight here. He's fighting Vita and Rein, but I can't get there."
"Damn it. There aren't enough of us!" Nanoha cursed. "If Fate was here..."
"There's no point wishing." Signum replied. "If she hasn't been found in eight years... there's not a chance she'll re-appear now."
"I know." Nanoha sighed. "No... I can't give up. Signum, you are in command. I'm returning to Headquarters. They're under attack."
"Ah. I understand. I will be at your location in two minutes."
"The Navy will support you." Nanoha told her. "I'll leave a barrier." She finished, and started casting.
"Wide-area Protection Plus." Raising Heart acknowledged, burning two cartridges. Rather than falling to the ground, however, the spent shells hovered in midair, acting as anchors for the barrier spell as Nanoha focussed.
"Raising Heart, RIOT Mode." She commanded, and the Device changed along with her armour. The outer two layers of heavy armour were dispelled and reabsorbed as the inner light armour altered, becoming a body-hugging white leotard and thigh-high stockings. Pink wings spread from her shoulders and ankles. Raising Heart's form altered, becoming much more streamlined and activating the Strike Flame blade.
"Mode set." Raising heart confirmed. "Rapid Interdiction Occluded Targeting."
Nanoha span the spear once, until it was lifted above her head, then aimed it forward. "Accel!" She commanded, and the vents at the back of the spearhead opened.
"Flight." Raising Heart completed, and the vents fired as rockets, sending Nanoha careening through the regrouping drones and throwing them tumbling away with the sonic boom.
The scene when she arrived at HQ was one of devastation. Even at those speeds, it had taken her fifteen minutes to arrive. As she watched, the residential wing collapsed into the ground in a cloud of smoke and flames. Nanoha felt a tearing pang of loss – the evacuation point had been there. Worse, of the Long Arch control centre there was nothing left but a smoking crater.
She was too late... everyone was dead. Surely...
"No..." She whispered, despairing. "Shamal... Griffith..." Her eyes widened. "Vivio!"
"Master," Raising Heart spoke up.
"Is everyone..?" Nanoha asked, hesitantly.
"Master, I have detected survivors under the library. However, they are in an unstable area supported only by binding magic."
"Binding..? Shamal?" Nanoha asked, half-hopeful.
"No, the pattern matches Yuuno Scryah, my master." Raising Heart replied.
"Y-yuuno? He was here..?" Nanoha gasped. "We have to rescue them, then..."
"Summoning magic detected." Raising Heart interjected again. "Power Suppression detected. Three hundred meters east and receding."
"Summoning..? That girl?" Nanoha asked.
"Confirmed: Signature is compliant with previous scans." Raising Heart displayed an image of the purple-haired summoner who had attacked at the auction and again in the sewers. In both cases, she'd escaped with the Relic she'd sought.
"Scan. What was she after?" Nanoha frowned.
"Life-force detected: Summoner. Two Combat Cyborgs. One Unidentified Summon. Vivio Takamachi. Power Detected:"
"That's enough..." Nanoha murmured. "Vivio..."
"The binding below will collapse in estimated five minutes." Raising Heart's words brought her down to earth. She could choose... Vivio... or Yuuno, and the Riot Force Six survivors.
"Raising Heart. Trace Magic. Target: Vivio Takamachi. The purple-haired summoner of insects." She decided.
"Long-range Trace. Yes, my Master." Raising Heart fired a cartridge, and Nanoha channelled it back through the Device to lay the dual tracking spells.
"Check integrity. Lets rescue those people." Nanoha completed her choice, aiming her Device at what was left of the library.
A/N: So, I know, another story... but it's been eating at me for days, so please forgive me.
The main part of the story (outside the prologue) takes place at the end of StikerS Episode 16. I'd originally planned to start the story later than that, but upon reviewing the episodes this seemed most logical.