Hi there! This is my first original MSLN in English.
Just recently, I realized that there are very, very few multichapter stories about Fate and Signum together. So, since they are my most favorite characters in MSLN, I decided to go for it. This idea has been bugging in my mind for some time so…it is time to let it grow and see how it goes.
This story will try not be OcC and keep the character personalities on canon. Signum is a great and awesome character and I have tried to imagine how she will be as a modern warrior not linked to a master, not being forced to obey or to serve someone else. This will be the portrait I have in my mind for that.
I should say that the main character on this story will be Signum but Fate will also have a protagonist role. Other MSLN characters with strong presence as well.
This is an Alternative Universe. A futuristic one, with no magic involved. In the upcoming chapter a bit of the history background will be told.
In a not so near future, earth had become a wild and dark place to live. In one of the brand new cities that have arisen from ruins of a schismatic era, two women that share a lot more than they imagine are confronted with each other. This future is not as bright as expected but human nature keeps as dark as always. The story of two women, the destiny that brought them together and their search for hope.
Please consider English is not my native language and this version is unbetaed. I appreciate all your comments and reviews so…Thank in advance!
WARNING: Please note, this Fic Signum-Fate and it is rated M for strong or violent content and sexual encounters between two females. If this kind of content offends you in any way, if you are easily upset by explicit violent or sexual scenes or if you don´t have the age for reading M content, please don´t read.
DISCLAIMER: Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha´s characters belong to their authors. Plot from Aleksei Volken. I only own my imagination. All characters and situations depicted in this fic are fictional. Any similarity with real people or situation is not intentional and is purely coincidental.
-X-
Blue Eyed Demon by Aleksei Volken
-X-
World didn´t end in 2012…or at least not as it was expected. But in some other ways…it did.
At least, no one from those days is still alive to tell us otherwise.
December 21st, 2012…the four horsemen of Apocalypse ravaged the surface of earth just not in the form of heavenly angels or mystified demons but in the faces of very human and very corporate horsemen.
The cataclysm that sent the vast majority of the big and populous cities in the world to ruins, was not a natural one dictated by dark and ancient Gods centuries ago but an economic one created by the constant and limitless strive for power and more power by the Gods of money, by the rulers of the world.
The massive economic breakdown that let more of the eighty percent of the world broken, starving and hopeless, with millions of people with nothing more to lose than their lives; led the beginning of the modern apocalypse of the world.
During fifty years, in the largest ever armed conflict known by the humankind, in the middle of a rampant anarchy, people killed each other for water and food and soon after, when the diseases reigned everywhere; they killed each other for the very scarce medicine and a chance to survive.
Live every day and every breath in hell, didn´t matter as long as they could live. This was the oxygen that fueled the fire of war exacerbated by those that won with other people´s losing. Nothing is ever created or destroyed, just transformed. The world crash down sent to misery at ninety percent of the world population but made a very, very few and clever fortunate ones even richer that they already were. Their wealthiness was directly proportional to the misery and desperation of the others.
But even the wildest fire goes down and dies when the fuel that feed it, drain off. And finally, after the all those long years…the fuel drained off and the slow and painful reconstruction era started again.
After the "Armageddon War" as this epic conflict was named the world population reached barely eight hundred million people. From the more than seven thousand million people an overstuffed world had in year2012, the cataclysms left the world population as it was before the year1800 of the Gregorian era. It was going to be a huge reconstruction task. It would be the most challenging one in the history of humankind.
And guess who were there ready and prepared to lead on the reconstruction.
Yes, the very same that caused it in the very first place.
Nothing is ever created or destroyed, just transformed.
It was like that before the war. It keeps being the same one hundred and forty nine years after the war.
So, I always made myself sure to live according the rules of the world. I was always good doing so. I became one of rulers, one the darkest ones but a ruler anyhow.
Until she showed up and crashed down my world.
-X-
CHAPTER 1. Let´s get Blue.
Earth, Year 2161 A.D. from Old Gregorian Calendar - Year 99 of Modern Perpetual Solar Calendar, City of New Sparta, Main Capital of the Americas (former City of Washington D.C.)
The head of the man exploded bloodily so quickly after a soft and almost delicate hiss, that one could say that fact was completely unrelated with the dark weapon that the tall and beautiful woman was casually pointing at him with indifference. She didn´t even blink at the mess on her feet when he, or what was left of him, hit the ground heavily.
"Did I make my point clear…gentlemen?" she asked with well-modulated and deep voice while the big photon gun in her hand retracted silently at its minimum size and she brought it in the interior pocket of her designer suit with an elegant and controlled movement.
She hated unnecessary explanations. And THAT…was an unnecessary explanation.
The three men surrounding the impeccable dressed woman with stunning and relentless blue eyes were pale and speechless.
The man that found that tragic doom on her hands was an illegal weapon dealer that awry thought he could handle more than he really could. He was a mistake that Thoma made and that Griffith and Vice let happen. That could not happen ever, ever again.
"No one in my organization do as they please Avenir. There are no information leaks and there is no such thing like a ´mind change´, a ´career change´ or a ´renegotiation´. This…" she said looking mercilessly at the thunderstruck Thoma and pointing at the dead body on her feet, "…is the only possible ´renegotiation´ with me."
Thoma gulped heavily. She almost felt pity for him, he was very young. Almost.
"You probably didn´t know that but Griffith and Vice have shared just too much with me and know perfectly what I am talking about, right guys?" Her smile was pure steel while looking at her subordinates.
"Yes…yes, Captain," the two men hurriedly answered.
"I expect this…mistake…never happen again."
"I…" Thoma tried to speak but his voice failed. "It will never happen again."
"Clean this shit up Avenir."
After saying that, the tall, pink haired woman walked to the elegant and modern suspension car that was waiting for her in the dark alley where the meeting with the dealer was. A tall and sturdy brunet man was waiting for her holding the car door.
He was his bodyguard even when she thought she didn´t need one, it was better to be one hundred percent sure. Furthermore, he was also her most trusted man in her whole organization. One day they were at hell together and went back. She owed him more than she could tell. He only owed her his life.
"Destination?" he asked with a remarkably good mood for the late hour once she was comfortably seated inside the car.
The woman remained silent a few seconds.
It was close to one a.m. in the morning but she was not feeling like sleeping that night. That was one of those bad ones. Too many memories were not good. Sometimes she wished she could just delete years of her life as she did with her devices.
"Just drive Zafira…, find a good place to watch the sunrise."
"As you wish Signum."
-X-
"…The hue of that portion of the visible spectrum lying between green and indigo, evoked in the human observer by radiant energy with wavelengths of approximately 420 to 490 nanometers…"
The blonde heard the digital explanation for umpteenth time. However, that was not the "Blue" she was looking for.
Sitting on her very ordered and neat desk she was still trying to understand her task. She looked over the hugely large window that provided a stunning view of New Sparta skyline from her office at level seventy seven of an important and exclusive building of the business side of the city.
The fact that the building belonged to one of her mothers bothered her a bit but the view worth that little nuisance.
Fate Testarossa Harlaown, one of the best private investigators of the northern region was ordered with what could be the most important case in her career and was discovering that it will be also the hardest one too.
"Signum Wolkenritter, thirty nine years old, single, ex-black ops, ex-mercenary and currently President and CEO of B.L.U.E. Incorporated, one of the most powerful combat bio-devices company in the world…Interesting profile," Fate said aloud looking at a very good holographic picture of the aforementioned woman. The picture was taken during in a charity party and the woman looked astonishingly elegant and beautiful in a blue long dress that probably cost enough to feed one hundred families that party was made to help for. "It is very hard to believe that such woman could also be a dark lord in the hard core weapon illegal market."
"That´s why she had been so successful on that," Fate´s brilliant assistance and friend told looking over to see the same file Fate was looking.
"We still have to figure out that," Fate clarified.
"Admiral Crowbel seems to be very sure of that…and your mother too," Lucino said crossing her arms over her chest.
"Which one of my mothers?" Fate asked keeping her sight on the file she was reviewing.
"Both of them think that… now that you mention it."
A soft beep announced a new visitor on her office.
"Hi,Chrono!" Lucino greeted her boss' brother and hurried herself making him comfortable.
Fate knew why he was there. Once Lucino provided them a good and steaming classical coffee, she went directly to the head.
"The answer is no, Chrono."
Her older brother looked at her seriously. "You don´t know what I am here to tell you."
"Mother wants me to refuse the Wolkenritter case. I won´t. Period. End of the conversation but of course we can talk about any other topic."
Chrono sighed. He already knew Fate was going to say that, he told to his mother she was going to say that but Lindy still begged him to try and convince her. "Do it for Precia" she said, "She has already suffered a lot as it is."
"Fate…" Chrono started again.
"No, Chrono..." Fate interrupted him looking at him decidedly, "This case is important and has an special significance for me from the professional side as well as the personal side."
"Signum Wolkenritter is a strong competitor of your mother´s company Fate. Of course is personal, aside of the small detail that Precia despises her and the fact…that she is a dangerous person."
Fate looked at the holographic file of the woman that was reviewing. Lucino, that was moreover of a brilliant scientist, a very efficient hacker was unable to find any relevant information about that woman or her company that was not simply perfect and legal. Everything was just too perfect and legal that was for sure fake and illegal.
And of course Signum Wolkenritter was dangerous.
Fate only had to look at those stunning blue eyes in a holographic picture to feel a shiver running down her spine. If she felt that in a hologram, she didn´t want to think how it will be when they were face to face.
But she was not willing to surrender her case or to accept her mothers were right.
"Lindy recommended me with Admiral Crowbel on the first place, she cannot say now that I can´t take the case," Fate tried a different approach.
"Mother didn´t know the case involved Signum Wolkenritter, Fate. Neither Precia knew."
"You know, Chrono?" Fate said thoughtfully, "Lindy and my mother are way too much worried about this woman to be just a matter of competition. What is really happening here?"
"You know that woman is not just a successful business woman Fate. Mother and Precia are worried for you. You really don´t need to risk yourself that much. You could be a top level executive at Massive BioD or a top level military officer like mother or me…"
"Chrono, let´s not have this conversation again."
During some time Fate worked at the military with her foster mother, Lindy Harlaown; but after a while she decided to take her own path. She purposely rejected very important positions at her mothers´ choice of work for her, a decision that only brought her endless discussion with them and her brother. Mainly because of the line of work she finally chose.
As a private investigator she didn´t have to give explanations to anybody. She was her own boss and she was damn good.
Fate just accepted to work at the military to gain experience and contact but making a career there was never into her plans despite what Lindy´s expectations were about that matter. On the other hand, she never considered to take a career on Massive BioD, the company that her mother Precia founded and grew up over the last ten years to become the absolute leader in manufacturing bio-devices. And Precia Testarossa never forgave her that decision.
"I accepted the case and I will keep working on it."
Chrono looked at the determined expression in her sister´s face and knew it was nothing he could do to change it. He already knew it but had to try. For her mother and for Precia. The only thing he could do now was to protect Fate´s back from the distance and with her not knowing about it.
"Ok," he said resignedly.
Fate looked at him with surprise. She didn´t expect him to accept her decision that fast but was not discussing it.
"So, what is your plan with her?" he asked innocently. "Al least you can tell me that. I promise I won´t tell Mom and Precia."
Fate doubted a while but finally decided to tell him.
"Signum Wolkenritter is positively unapproachable. The only way I can get close enough to her is as a customer. The Admirals provided me with some contacts in the South region that require some "special" bio-devices. I will be the negotiator."
Chrono shuddered. Fate was going the get herself deep into the wolf´s mouth.
"But Fate, she might do the connection between you name and Massive BioD…"
"Oh, she definitely will know the name Testarossa but she surely doesn´t know the name Harlaown. Shari and Lucino created a very solid and plausible new identity for me, only as Fate Harlaown."
"It is too risky Fate, if she figures out that you, among all people, are chasing her…"
"My new identity is shielded and one hundred percent protected. The Navy´s intelligence section is providing us all the clearances."
Chrono was worried about that too. Why the Navy was being that cooperative with an external contractor as her sister? He will have to investigate that too.
Shari and Lucino entered at that time at Fate´s private office with excited faces.
"The predator bit the bait Fate," Lucino informed with a wide smile, "Your appointment with Signum Wolkenritter is set up. She will personally welcome Fate Harlaown, acting representative of Venturis Second Federal Capital of the Americas at BLUE corporate building, next Monday, first time in the morning."
"Yes!" Fate thought looking again at the deep blue eyes of the woman in the picture.
-X-
Ok guys, hope you liked this first chapter. More coming soon.
Thanks again for all your comments and reviews.