Upper West Side, Manhattan Island

New York City, U.S.A.

May 2nd, 2011 – 16:11

"Uh. Well, that… certainly is an intriguing plan."

"Well, what did you expect, coming from her?"

"I'll take that as a compliment. And Erika, thank you for agreeing to take part."

"Easy now, I didn't agree to anything yet."

"Well, Alice did. Won't you?"

Alice giggled, and it didn't take a genius to realize the cunning Swede on the other side of the call had a smile on her lips as well.

"…you cheeky bastard."

Alice couldn't hold it anymore and burst out laughing, flailing her legs in the air, and would have fallen off the couch had she not been held by the recently-arrived girl herself. After regaining her composure, but still laughing, she again rested her head on Erika's warm legs and let her body sink in the leather couch.

When she stopped laughing, she couldn't help but releasing a sigh. Lying in Erika's comforting glow, she was glad to the core. Not even she had known quite how much she missed them both. Victoria was there for her, even an ocean away. And Erika – she snuggled tighter against her leg – Erika especially. And she was very glad that nobody else knew just how much she needed them. The witch's outbreak happened during the first time the two New Yorkers had ever parted ways, and without anyone else to rely on, it had left Alice with a lingering, uneasy loneliness that was uncharacteristic of her.

But that was now a thing of the past.

"She's got you good now."

"That she does." Erika acknowledged, resigned. "Alright, I guess I have no choice. Count me in."

"Hooah!" Alice shouted, mock-celebrating.

"Than-…art-…"

"Err, hold on, you're breaking up."

Alice leaned forward and rearranged the cables linking the speakers to her laptop. Now that Erika had arrived a headset wouldn't be enough, and she had to dig an old microphone and speakers from the attic; both of them now rested on the table in front of the pair.

"Alright, try again. I didn't know if these even worked anymore, let alone using them for Skype."

"Test, one two three. Is it coming through?"

"Loud and clear." Alice replied.

"Good. But as I was saying, thank you, Erika." Victoria said, amused by her American friends' reactions. "It's heartwarming to know that even in these circumstances I have your trust."

"Victoria..." Erika said, suddenly adopting a dead serious tone. "That may be true, but you know that if Alice refused, I would've too."

Alice looked up in surprise. Such a blunt statement wasn't uncommon for Erika, but their Swedish friend was one of the few people she respected enough to refrain herself from doing so. A twitch in her lips indicated she only now realized the roughness of her response, and there was hint of embarrassment in her expression.

"But don't take it the wrong way." She quickly added. "You've always had my trust, and I won't deny that it's a plan that might just save our asses. And with Alice by my side, it'll be my pleasure."

"Again, thank you." Victoria said, maintaining her composure as always. "And you don't need to explain yourself. If anything, people fight harder when they have something to protect."

Erika acknowledged silently, nodding. As she did so, she saw Alice's eyes nailed to hers, as they'd probably been for quite a while.

"Welcome back.", she whispered, low enough that it was imperceptible to Victoria.

She didn't need to say it, it was written all over her eyes. Erika didn't need to reply either – and she didn't.

The circumstances may have been grim, but they were back together, and maybe that's all that mattered. Alice and Erika were childhood friends, from different backgrounds but with converging paths in life. Alice, the daughter of a rising news anchor, now lived a comfortable life – for Puella standards, at least – , but she remembered well the days when she lived in a small studio apartment just outside the CNN Headquarters in Atlanta with her single, young mother fresh out of journalism school. Perhaps it was because of that experience that she related so well with Erika, a girl from a destitute black family who fought her way through school and out of the harsh streets of Queens to become one of the best and brightest students in the state, eventually earning a scholarship to the highly-rated school where she met Alice. Together, they became Puellae; together, they discovered the crushing truth of their own nature; and together, they fought and lived on regardless. Only when Erika graduated early and was accepted into MIT did they separate; and even then only to uphold their mutual promise to carry on their lives without fear of what might happen.

Maybe the end of days was looming just over the horizon, but she couldn't help but think that being back together, maybe things weren't all that bad after all.

"And I must say, this is… I don't even know how to label it." Erika continued, after the pause. "Crazy, for starters."

"Probably." Victoria rebutted. "But it's something that must have crossed your mind too."

"Yes, and most Puellae's I bet, but I doubt anyone ever thought on actually going through with something like that." Erika replied. "Do you truly believe we need to intervene? That it won't eventually end up happening anyway?"

"Unfortunately, no. There's too many issues, too many variables. And even if it did, it could be far too late…"

"...you're probably right." Erika acknowledged, sighing. "Honestly, I want to say it's beyond insane, and in any other situation it most certainly would, but… as much as it costs me to admit it, it's not. As we stand right now, it absolutely isn't. Of course I'm worried about what may happen after, but… it's a secondary concern right now."

"I'm glad you think that way, but… to be honest, I'm somewhat disappointed with myself, that this was the best I could think of…"

"Don't beat yourself over it." Alice said, wiping her forehead at the same time. It really was an unusually warm night. "I understand you're a perfectionist, but it can't always be like that. Sure this is rough, inelegant, and frankly a bit knocked in the head, but it might well work, and the way you thought the details through in such short notice is astonishing."

"Agreed." Erika continued. "The fact that the Beys are gone makes it possible, our skills are perfect for the task, and… well, I don't know what else to say. Even if it is a simple and dangerous idea, Victoria, at this point, I assure you no one could possibly think of anything we could do that had more impact and chance of success than this."

"Oh, I forgot to ask you. So, the Boston area Bey is gone as well. All the more confirmation that they're really gone for good. And…" The Swede made a pause, breathing in deep. "Thank you. That's comforting to hear."

There was a momentary silence, as their words settled in. Alice broke it a few seconds later, springing to her feet and stretching herself with a loud yawn before slumping back to the couch.

"So we're really going through with this…" Alice said, half joking, still in disbelief. "Just how the hell did we ever meet this crazy broad?"

"I saved your lives and your vacations, remember?"

"Hey, we could have handled her!" Alice said, laughing.

"I'm sure you could, I'm just not sure you would have wanted to stick around for much longer after that." Victoria promptly replied. "Because while I'm known for disregarding "territories" whenever someone's being lax, even I would think twice about engaging a witch on a foreign airport within ten minutes of landing."

The three Puellae shared a laugh for the vivid memory.

"You can blame that on me." Alice said, with just the tiniest hint of pride. "But what can I say? We fly to Stockholm to chill for a week, and the first thing we see is a giant moth witch attacking the airport. I dunno if it's part of the scenic tour, but that's not very relaxing, you know. Neither is having some rabid Puella shouting gibberish and swinging an electric hammer at us after killing it."

"That was Swedish, not "gibberish". Victoria stressed, in a rare dry tone. "But yes, I guess you could say Ingrid was less than pleased with you. Then again she never is, with anything, but... nevermind that."

"Well, whatever the case, you have our thanks for calming her down." Erika added. "It wouldn't have been much of a vacation with half of the city's Puellae on our tail."

"Man, how long ago was that?" Alice wondered. "Two years?"

"One year and ten months tomorrow."

"Well, damn..." It was all Alice could muster, surprised the Swede counted.

"In any case, it's still too long. You really need to come over here sometime. I've got the best couch in the world ready for you." She continued, again stretching herself on that very same couch.

"Maybe after all of this is over. In fact, let's make that a deal, shall we?" Victoria proposed.

"Deal." Alice replied, speaking as if she was shaking her friend's hand. "I'll hold you up to it, you know."

"I know you will." Victoria said, in a concluding tone.

"Aaaaaaalright." Alice yelped, as she jumped to her feet. "Let's do this, then?"

She extended her right hand to Erika and pushed her to her feet she moment she accepted it, with such strength the ebony girl had to balance herself not to crash on the table.

"We should still have a few hours. Head out, make the adequate preparations and keep me in contact. Remember, be swift and incisive. Shock and awe."

"We'll keep in touch." Alice said. The moment she did so, however, a dark thought crossed her mind. "Just… one more thing, Victoria. The others… do you have any updates?"

Victoria sighed. Even though she knew telling them was the right thing, she had hoped they wouldn't have asked. Just so she didn't have to say it. "Yes, but it's not good news. Shenhua… One of the Singapore twins has perished."

Alice bit her own lip in anger. "Damn…"

"I just got off the phone with her sister and… well, she didn't sound well either." Victoria continued, making frequent pauses. "The city is flooded with witches and she witnessed her sister die by her side. She was… understandably disturbed."

"Didn't think we'd lose one of ours so soon… But is everyone else accounted for?" Erika asked.

"All but one other, yes. Some better than others, but they're all alive and fighting."

"All but one… let me guess, the one in Tokyo. Kei, was that her name?"

"Yes, Kei Nagase. You saw the news, right?"

"Yeah." Alice said. "A weird light covered Tokyo, it held back the witch for more than an hour… do you think that was her?"

"I know it was. I should have known better than to try calling her, she'd never leave her city. Dead or alive."

"But if she managed do that alone…" Erika wondered.

"…then we do have a chance. We can win." Alice completed.

"Yes. And she bought us precious time. It's our duty to make the best of it. So… godspeed, girls. Godspeed. You're about to make history."

"I wouldn't have it any other way. And this one's for them. Later." Alice replied as she terminated the call, and headed for the door with her comrade.

"So… just another day at the office, uh?"

CNN studios, Time Warner Center

New York City, U.S.A.

17:53

BAM.

BAM.

BAM.

Ooooooh, fuck me.

Each knock felt like a sledgehammer hitting the side of her head. It would have been bad enough if they were just regular knocks, but whoever was on the other side of the door was just pounding at it. Michelle immediately reached for her forehead with both hands, as if that would keep her skull from exploding.

"I'm up, I'm up!" She shouted. Another knock would have probably been the end of her.

As soon as she could open her eyes, she checked her wristwatch. A sigh promptly followed: she had only dozed off for half an hour. She already felt bad for barely making it past the twenty-four hour mark; backing out for just a measly thirty minutes of sleep that left her feeling just as spent as before was even worse.

Just as her eyes were adapting to the dark room, the door opened, letting in a stream of light that blinded her momentarily.

"Dammit, I said I was up!" Michelle shouted, covering her eyes. "God, why would you do that?"

"Because you need to wake up, Snow White." A man's voice replied: it was the editor-in-chief. "And knowing you sleep like a rock, I'm not gonna take any chances. Off the couch with you."

Michelle kicked her legs forward, quick shifting to a sitting position. She then straightened her clothes as well as she could and threw her hair back. "Weren't you the one who said I needed a break, Rob? Sixteen hours ago?"

"It's not my call anymore, production wants you opening at eight."

"And you tell me now?" She asked, checking her wristwatch again; she had only six minutes to ready up. "Anyway, can't someone else do it?"

"If there was nothing new, yeah. But the Japanese government just ordered a general evacuation of the entire country." Robert said. "And the guys upstairs won't take anything short of your pretty face to announce it. This is your story now."

"Argh. Fine." Michelle said, resigned, hastily putting on her high heels. "A general evacuation? They're insane. It was impossible to evacuate the Tokyo area, much less the rest of the country."

"I'm sure they know that, but… what else can they do but try?" He replied. "Heads up!"

Even though she was sleep-deprived, her reflexes were still sharp enough to catch the can in mid-air.

"Coke? Seriously? Not a Pepsi. Come the hell on, Rob." She complained, but popped it open all the same, taking a large, gluttonous sip.

"Shut up, bottom up, and move your ass to makeup."

Michelle let out a very loud breath as she finished the drink, neatly throwing the can against the rim of a trash bin, from which it bounced in. She pumped her fist and walked out of the waiting room, playfully shoving her way past the editor.

"This day just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?"

Mamayev Kurgan

Volgograd, Russia

20:30

"Fool."

A fellow Puella Magi, lost in her despair, willingly kneeling before a preying witch, and waiting for her life to be taken. What an utterly pitiful sight.

And it was one she would not tolerate.

As the witch's massive left claw descended on the immobile Puella, she dove from her overhead vantage point, planting her mighty shield in front of the defeated girl with enough force to open large cracks in the barrier's floor. The claw shattered into millions of shards on contact, causing the witch to shriek in pain. She lost no time and rushed at the stunned creature, her heavy armor clattering loudly at every step. The witch reacted, driving her remaining claw against the side of her new target. It met the same fate, the Puella bashing her shield against it, breaking the witch's entire arm into pieces instantly. It did not get to shriek a second time: by then, it had already been skewered by the Puella's sword.

Effortlessly, she pulled the sword out and wiped the witch's muddy, dark blood against the edge of her shield, as its carcass stood frozen in place. By the time the Puella turned around and walked away, the barrier was already disintegrating, its shards vanishing in the frigid night. The grief seed fell neatly in front of her, and she picked it up gently.

"The Motherland is watching, Sofiya." She said, as she approached the fallen Puella, who was, now that the barrier had disappeared, kneeling before the massive statue which looked over the city.

"Clean yourself up. Your current state is disgraceful." After draining what little impurities she had accrued, she threw the mostly clean grief seed over to Sofiya. "And I don't mean your flesh wounds."

But she did not make an effort to catch it, not even a twitch. Only her lips moved, letting out a soft, fragile voice.

"You'd never understand, Katyusha."

"Do not call me that, girl."

The tone of the response was so venomous she might as well have had the edge of her sword at the neck of the fallen girl. Her figure was a truly intimidating one: a tall young woman, clad in heavy, shining white armor, trimmed in red and blue, the angular pauldrons twice as large as her own shoulders. She wielded a sword on her right hand and a massive shield on the other. It was her most distinctive feature: a heater-type shield – wide at the top but thinning itself to a sharp edge on the bottom – it was nearly as tall as she was, forged of the most pure silver and emblazoned with the same double-headed eagle under which her proud ancestors fought. Her equally silver hair descended below her shoulders, and waved slightly with the breeze that blessed the night.

"Ekaterina…"

The kneeling girl looked up for just a single moment, unable to maintain eye contact.

"You're probably savoring all of this, aren't you? Maybe not consciously... but I know your kind. You're nothing but a soldier. To you, this witch is probably just another fight for you to enjoy… life or death, that's irrelevant. You could never understand…"

Sofiya paused for a moment. Tears stated hitting the concrete floor beneath her, but her tone of voice did not change.

"…how someone like me feels, knowing there's no hope left, that no matter what I do me and everyone I ever knew or cared for or even passed by on the goddamn street are going to die at the hands of that witch! It's…"

She gave Ekaterina a lingering glare for the first time, only now having gained the courage to do so. Streams of tears flowed around her cheeks, making them shine with the street lamps' dim light.

"It's better just to end it right now!"

The dominant Puella did not even blink. She walked steadily towards the dropped grief seed, picked it up, and extended it towards Sofiya, who instantly scooched back.

"You're wrong." She simply replied. "And I say again: clean yourself up, or I'll do it myself."

Again, she made no effort to catch the grief seed, even with it being held right in her face. She simply allowed what was once her soul gem to slide down along her clothes and onto the ground.

"… It's a bit too late for that."

Before the silver-haired Puella could react, a chilling ethereal wind rose from the remains of Sofiya's soul. It blew through the few chinks in her armor, a freezing coldness she has the displeasure of being quite familiar with. The next instant, the real world slipped away once again.

Ekaterina simply sighed, and raised her shield. There was nothing else she could do.

Yet again.

over Lillehammer, Norway

20:58

Yukio had a soft awakening, slowly opening her eyes to see a momentarily blinding light. It took her only a few seconds to realize that her seat's reading light had been left in an unfortunate position, pointing directly at her face as she slept. Slowly, she shifted to a proper sitting position, retrieved her glasses and turned off the bothersome light.

The black-haired girl checked her watch, immediately realizing the time it gave was meaningless given the time zone shifts. But it didn't matter much, in the end. She could feel she'd been asleep for quite a while, and for the first time since everything had begun, she felt somewhat rested.

The cabin lights had just come alive, signaling the end of the day – and, accidentally, of her sleep. Looking outside, the slimmest ray of light from the past dusk was still visible over the dark land below. Yukio had to look over the shoulder of the girl that sat at the window: her expression remained unchanged, her eyes filled with hatred. It instantly reminded Yukio of tragedy she had just escaped from.

"Did you sleep well?"

She turned around to see Hitomi smiling at her, her eyes just as sleepy as her own – awoken by the same misfortune, perhaps.

"I did, thank you. I hope you did as well."

"Indeed, thanks to you."

Hitomi extended her silky hand to Yukio.

"We didn't have a proper introduction. So:" Hitomi paused to clear her throat. "Greetings. My name is Hitomi Shizuki, from Mitakihara. Pleased to meet you."

Yukio shook Hitomi's hand lightly, while peering deeply into her emerald eyes. Hitomi was definitely not the same crying, broken young woman she'd comforted earlier.

"Yukio Minamoto, from Yokohama. It's a pleasure. And don't mention it, I just-"

"No, you took a burden off my shoulders." Hitomi cut her off. "And I can't thank you enough for it."

"I'm glad, then. There's already more than enough sadness in this world."

Hitomi nodded in agreement, while she slowly rose from her seat.

"There will always be sadness. But so long as there are people with hope, like you, we won't fall. Excuse me for a moment."

The green haired-girl turned around and gracefully walked down the aisle, with elegance appropriate of a groomed lady such as her. Yukio's eyes tracked her momentarily.

"You bitch."

The moment she diverted her gaze from the aisle, Yukio was taken aback from the sudden outburst from the girl that remained seated next to her. Speaking for the first time since she boarded, her tone was scornful and bitterly cold.

"Excuse me?"

"How dare you…"

Their gazes met, and Yukio almost wish they hadn't. As if black flames burned deep in the opposite girl's enlarged pupils, her expression was one of pure hatred and anger, and truly frightening.

"That girl lost everything she loved, had her soul crushed and mind broken… and you dared giving her hope everything would get better, even with things as they are. You are one sick bitch."

"How could you even suggest doing otherwise?" Yukio asked, still baffled. "Did you even see how Hitomi was?"

"So you fed her lies just to stop her crying? You disgust me. She needed to cry now, to accept we're all fucked. Now she'll suffer again, and when that happens, she'll know pain beyond anything you could ever imagine. Because of the false hope you gave her. Because of your lies."

"No, they're not… lies." Yukio replied, with visible hesitation.

"Bullshit." The mysterious girl said, her voice toned with righteous anger. "Even if you have any hopes, we both know they're empty."

Yukio didn't reply immediately. She was backed into a corner, and the other girl knew it.

"It's true I can't see a way out of this yet, but that's no reason to give up hope! Because… it's all we have left."

Yukio looked carefully at the young woman she spoke to, as she didn't answer immediately: not because she had trouble finding what she wanted to say, but because her carefully controlled anger seemed about to explode. Her clothes were dirty, and a more attentive eye could even discern splashes of blood on it. Her black hair reached her neck, with bangs that covered her forehead; it was quite messy, which gave her an even more aggressive look than she'd already have. And even if she was trying to mute her rage, her expression revealed everything, her eyebrows twitching at Yukio's last statement.

"If you truly knew loss, you'd have nothing left! NOTHING!"

The very audible outburst made more than a few heads turn, but even though she quickly lowered her tone again, it was the last thing she cared about. If anything, speaking so aggressively at low volume only added strength to her words.

"Have you ever had someone who meant everything to you?" She asked. "Someone you'd love with your heart and soul? Someone for whom you'd burn down the world or sell your soul to the devil for? Someone you'd dedicate your entire existence to?"

"I… hold many people dear, and I'd die for any of them." And I often nearly did, Yukio almost added. "But..."

"Most never meet someone like that." The girl continued, barely acknowledging the response. "But I did. She… she was a good girl, a kind and loving person… and the only mistake she ever made was to be my friend. I am not a good person. I did many things my life I am not proud of. My very existence is a sin. I never did anything to deserve her. But regardless, I had her. And she had me. Until yesterday."

The mysterious black-haired girl swallowed dry. Yukio did too.

"And then… this… this thing came. And she…"

She paused, her entire body shivering. The girl was clearly having difficulty continuing. But she carried on regardless.

"She told me, no, she ordered me to run. Not to stay with her, not to fall with her, just to run and not look back. To run from the one person that ever understood me, the one person who ever loved me - and the one person I would gladly take my life a thousand times over before I saw her harmed. But I did it. I fucking ran. I ignored my broken soul to uphold her hope, and I fucking ran." She paused, barely gathering her breath. "Now look at me. I'm on a fucking plane half a world away, with my love dead, DEAD!, and stuck shouting at a miserable wretch of a girl and completely powerless to do anything about the fucking monster who took her."

Yukio shuddered. Hotogi, her youngest apprentice, had been lost at the hands of the witch as well, and she was still shaken by it. And the youngling had been but the last in a long list of dear, fallen comrades. But to lose someone even more precious than any of them… she couldn't even bear to think. What echoed in her mind, however, was something else.

Wait... she called it a "monster"?

"So no, I don't have any fucking hope anymore. How could I? How could anyone?!"

The pain and anger in the unknown girl's voice were perceptible even to the untrained ear.

"Hope only causes despair. And it sickens me that people like you yet cling on to it, even when there's something out there that already killed half of Japan. You're only going to make everyone suffer even more. You bastard. You goddamn bastard."

And with that, she finally fell quiet, though her expression remained a mixture of anger and disgust. Yukio peered at her, still processing the information, trying and failing to form an argument to counter her. She couldn't. Few could, in fact.

So she simply replied with what she'd come to believe.

"Call it what you will, but no human can move forward without hope. Even if they don't feel it. Even if they don't believe it's even possible to have it anymore."

"Maybe. But I'm not human anymore." She quickly retorted. "I'm just a empty shell. Soulless."

…what? Wait, is she…

"But you're right in one thing." The girl acknowledged, raising her right hand to eye level. "Without her by my side, I have nothing. I should be dead – and I am, inside. The only reason my body carries on is… revenge."

"Revenge?"

"This… this fucking monster took her away." The girl said, her entire body trembling with rage at the mention of her nemesis. She violently curled her right hand into a fist. "And I know I'm gonna join her pretty damn soon, but so long as my body moves I will not be satisfied until I see it groveling under my feet and begging for mercy."

Yes, she must be a Puella Magi as well. I'm absolutely sure of it. And that must mean…

"How… how do you plan to do that?" Yukio cautiously asked, but to no avail.

"That's none of your concern."

Maybe she truly did not know, maybe she had a plan and was just simply dismissing who she thought was just a foolish civilian. Probably both. But no matter. The simple fact that Yukio now knew she was not alone in the wilderness was enough for her. Just another tiny shard of hope.

A door lock was heard in the distance: Hitomi had left the lavatory.

"And I'm gonna shut up now. The girl's coming back, and even though I really should, for her own sake, I won't so cruel as to destroy the hope you gave her myself."

"Wait!" Yukio called, before her interlocutor could face away. She looked down for moment before retrieving her soul gem from her jacket, polishing it with her thumb with such subtlety any ordinary person would think nothing of it. But as she expected - and hoped - the brunette's eyes opened wide, clearly having understood the full meaning of the gesture.

"You probably think I'm a liar, but I did also suffer at its hands. And I lost loved ones - and though it shattered me, I left others behind. I don't know... how, or even if there is any way to defeat or repel this thing… but I want to believe there is. And I want to - no, I will be there, when the time comes, and I'd like to be able call you a comrade then."

She brought her right hand to her racing heart in a smooth movement.

"My name is Yukio Minamoto. Can I please just know yours?"

The unknown girl's answer wasn't immediate, and Yukio once again peered deep into her eyes, the burning hatred in them almost scorching. And Yukio knew well how dangerous such feelings could be for a Puella. But this one… she was different. The pain, the anger and the hatred were all there, but they burned with a passion the likes of which she'd never seen before. Even if it was for something as dark as vengeance, her resolve was unshakable.

The girl turned away without answering. But as she looked outside into the northern lights that illuminated the night outside, she sighed. Ultimately, the words did leave her mouth.

"Kirika Kure. I'll see you in hell."

A/N:

2 years. 2 goddamn years. Well, a few days short, but still. I won't even form an attempt at explaining my scheduling, as listing how my life has changed since then would run longer than the chapter. Suffice to say, I've long abandoned any attempt to hold a steady schedule. But do know a day did not pass since where I didn't write, edit, or muse over T-Minus 10. It is my story, and it's not gonna let go of my head until I finish it. Even if it takes my whole life. Of course, I neither expect to take that long, nor reader to follow me until then, but it will be done. Someday.

What I can guarantee you, however, is that at least the next chapter won't take nearly as wrong, if anything because it has already been written. I had to spun if off as Part 3 to avoid a monolithic 16000 word chapter, but it's sitting on my desktop, waiting for a heavy edit, but it's there.

Just one other note on a bit of an elephant in the room, at least for any American readers: CNN. Yes, I am perfectly aware of their current reputation as anything but a reputable news source, and its descent into what can barely be called journalism in the last decade or so. However, as a non-American, it is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of a global news source - or at least, my perception of what would come to the common moderately educated man (well, maybe BBC World as well, but they've got their own problems). A prime example of unwarranted reputation, I suppose, but it's there.

A major thanks to Nemo KB for the proofreading and advice (and trust me, there's a really good reason for 3 different proofreaders in the first 3 chapters, but this A/N's ran long already), and, as always, and at long last, I hope you enjoyed.