There was a flash of steel, a swish of white fabric as it moved through the air.

A familiar died, bringing the number up to ten.

The blunette discarded her costume, returning to her previous attire. She rested, her hands on her knees. After a few moments, she took a Grief Seed out of her pocket and applied it to her Soul Gem, the eldritch device forming on the palm of her hand.

Sec zoomed in on her crystalized soul. It was surprisingly dark, and the seed sucked up the corruption like a sponge, leaving it sparkling again.

Homura had been right about the girl's lack of skill; Sec had done some research and had come to the conclusion that the Puella Magi's form was horrendous.

Truth to be told, Sec couldn't help but feel slightly impressed by Sayaka's stubborn selfishness. To serve an unrewarding cause was something he was quite familiar with.

The Emperor had granted the Cult of Skaro almost unlimited authority, and the ability to imagine stratagems that no Dalek could. This had, however, come at a price; even amongst their own species, Sec and his comrades were loathed.

In a way, Sec could understand that. It was only natural; the Dalek's hatred of anything different was legendary, and those of the Cult were barely Daleks. Sec had no illusion about what his eventual fate would have been, had they been victorious in their ultimate goal.

Still, he served, somehow managing to keep himself together along the way. Others weren't so lucky. The suspicion, the nagging feeling that they might not be Daleks had been too much for some of them.

They had broken down, asking to be killed. The had pleaded, begged to be put down, screaming in terror and grief and pain…

It was at this point that Sec's survival instincts kicked in, and prodded at him to think of something else. Like what he was supposed to be doing.

He checked the chronometer, and saw that he had become lost in thought for 15 Rels. Sayaka had started to move from her previous position, searching for more familiars, the Incubator trailing behind her.

Sec silently swore, and glided forwards, making sure to keep his investment in sight. He needed to maintain discipline, such a distraction would have been fatal to him had he still been with his previous commander, the Dalek Inquisitor General.

In Sec's opinion, the Oncoming Storm had nothing on the Dalek Inquisitor General. That Sec had managed to survive for five successive missions under his command had been considered impressive enough to warrant him a promotion to Dalek Supreme.

Usually, those of such a rank had been bred for the position, although the Council of Supremes had decided to make an exception, the third in the records.

Had he been able to feel such a thing at that time, he would have been very relieved at the promotion. He'd rather face a Battle-planet full of Sontarans and Time Lords than be around the Dalek Inquisitor General a moment longer. According to Intel, the Inquisitor had been killed by The Doctor.

Sec had every reason to doubt that. The Inquisitor never stayed dead.

He decided he'd better think about something else, lest he summon the terrifying Dalek here.

Like how the Incubator could be in two places at once.

The white creature stared at him, white tail swishing behind it, its form had been clearly been designed to appeal to young human females.

It failed to extract any emotion out of Sec, besides loathing.

"IN-CU-BA-TOR." Sec stated, focusing more of his attention on the thing.

"So you know my designation." The creature spoke, mouth unmoving. "I must ask you where you obtained it, that information is considered classified for those outside the Confederation."

"MY SOU-RCE DOES NOT CON-CERN YOU." Sec spat. "IF YOU SE-EK IN-FOR-MA-TION, YOU ARE WAST-ING TIME."

"Oh well, I'll find out anyways." The creature spoke neutrally. There was a faux eager tone to its voice, but it was clearly just the way it spoke, nothing more.

Sec had heard Cybermen sound more emotive.

The creature tilted its head. "You are not a member of the Confederation, and my superiors cannot identify your species in our records. Yet you are clearly from an elder race." It tilted its head the other way. "What brings you to this planet?"

Sec was confident that, had the creature know who -and, most importantly, what- it was talking to; those words would have been very different.

For starters, there would have been plenty of groveling.

"THO-SE REA-SONS ARE PER-SON-AL." He stated dismissively.

"I must inform you that landings not authorized by the Council of the Coalition are a violation of the Energetic Resources Treaty." The Incubator continued talking, not even bothering to pause. "I'm asking you to state your purpose here, so that we may help you. Energy collection is very delicate, and our operation is important to the fate of the universe." The white creature padded towards him. "It is in the best interest of creation itself to make your stay as quickly as possible."

It took every Rel of training that Dalek Sec had to keep himself from shooting the thing. It was very annoying.

However, he did have one question for the creature.

"WHY DID YOU FLE-E FROM OUR PRE-VIOUS EN-COUN-TER?" He asked, mockingly "FOR A SPE-CIES DE-VOID OF E-MO-TION, THAT LO-OKED SUR-PRI-SING-LY LIKE FE-AR."

No one ever said that Sec didn't like taunting his victims.

"I detected that your systems would interfere with my body's databases. I required a hardened model to confront you."

Had Sec been human, he would have rolled his eyes.

"Still, I must insist that you leave immediately, I'm sure we can arrange for some assis-"

"I HAVE NO DE-SIRE TO LE-AVE." Sec interrupted the creature. "YOU ASK MY PUR-POSE? MY PUR-POSE IS TO IN-TER-FERE WITH YOUR O-PE-RA-TION IN WAYS YOU CAN BARE-LY I-MA-GINE! YOU WISH TO HELP ME? THEN LE-AVE ME BE!" He roared.

The white creature recoiled.

"I don't understand. Our operation is done in the best interest of the universe itself, we work to relieve entropy and ensure the future of everything."

"YOU DO NOT FO-OL ME! HOW CAN ONE WO-RLD KE-EP A-WAY THE DE-STRU-CTION OF RE-A-LI-TY IT-SELF?" He glared at the creamy white pest in his field of view, observing Sayaka only through the use of sensors. "AT BEST, YOU CAN ONLY KEEP A POR-TION A-LIVE FOR YOUR-SELVES!"

"True. However, I must inform you that portion has been calculated to be able to house all Coalition members as well as all the younger races in our databases." It flicked its tail. "I know there are other undiscovered species in the universe, but sadly we cannot house them all. However, our methods will at least ensue that a portion of reality survives to populate the next universe."

"BY U-SING THIS PLA-NET AS A RE-AC-TOR? AND HU-MANS AS FU-EL?" Sec replied, his voice dripping in a generous amount of hate.

"You are correct. This is the most efficient energy source we have knowledge of. Other sources have been demonstrated to be exponentially less efficient than our current practice."

Dalek Sec really wanted to tell it how loathsome its methods were, regardless of efficiency. He really wanted to hate the white, abnormal thing with all the hate a Dalek could feel.

Except he couldn't.

He knew that he and any other Dalek would have applied the same solution to the problem.

When he had become a hybrid in that fateful experiment, he had wanted to reform the Daleks, to truly turn his species to the side of good. But now, now that he didn't have humanity's set of morals and values in his mind, he remembered something:

Daleks had no concept of good and evil.

So, no matter how much he wanted, how much he wanted the Incubator and his kind to be evil, he was still a Dalek, and as a Dalek, he could see nothing wrong with the "Coalition's" plan.

It was efficient, and Daleks loved efficiency.

But it was wrong, Sec was sure of this.

But how was it wrong? In what sense? It had a noble goal, it seemed to work and the price looked so small compare to what it intende-

Wait…

What was the price to pay? The exploitation of mankind?

And thus Dalek Sec had his Eureka moment.

The exploitation of a superior species, to disguise your motives as something else, to withhold information, to perform such dishonesty…

Yes, he could hate that.

"YO-UR ME-THODS ARE RE-PUL-SIVE." He said, finally. "YOU EXPLOIT THESE HUMANS, YOU WITH-HOLD VI-TAL IN-FOR-MA-TION-"

"They never asked." The Incubator interrupted.

"-AND THEY DO NOT KNOW THEY SHO-ULD HAVE A-SKED!" Sec continued unabated. His blood was up.

"I HAVE SE-EN THIS WO-RLD'S EN-TER-TAIN-MENT; I HA-VE DONE RE-SEARCH IN-TO ITS CUL-TURE. YOU HAVE MA-NI-PU-LA-TED ALL FA-CETS OF HU-MANITY TO CON-FORM TO YOUR GO-ALS, TO TAKE YOUR WO-RDS AT FACE VA-LUE! SO YOU MIGHT NE-VER HAVE TO LIE." Sec was positively seething now. He was absently aware that Sayaka was moving through the streets, still within sensor range.

"Such techniques were necessary for the efficiency of the plan. I don't understand, you are an advanced species, yet you cling to such primitive concepts like emotion like a younger race." The Incubator stared at him intently. "It's confusing, higher levels of technology can only be obtained by dedicating the mind to logic. How can you be so advanced?"

"BE-CAUSE WE WAN-TED TO BE!" Sec proclaimed proudly. "LOOK AT MY FORM, WHAT DO YOU SEE?"

The white creature observed him for a moment. "It is inefficient." It observed. "There surely must be a more practical shape for you."

"YOU ARE CO-RRECT, MY FORM IS IL-LOGICAL, IM-PRACTICAL." Sec conceded. "BUT WE KEEP IT AS IT IS, BE-CAUSE IT IS A PART UF US, AS MUCH AS OUR GENES. SINCE THE GE-NE-SIS, WE HAVE AL-WAYS TA-KEN THIS SH-APE, AND WE AL-WAYS WILL!"

"Surely such a form must have caused problems."

"OB-STA-CLES ONLY MADE US WORK HAR-DER TO O-VER-COME THEM! AND THAT IS WHY WE AL-WAYS PRE-VAILED, EVEN WHEN LO-GIC DIC-TA-TED THAT WE SHOULD FAIL, WE SUC-CEDED! WHEN O-THER RA-CES THOUGHT THEY COULD RI-DI-CULE US, WE SHOWED THEM BET-TER! WHEN THEY THOUGHT THEY COULD DO-MIN-ATE US, WE AN-HI-LA-TED THEM! WHEN THEY THOUGHT THEY COULD CON-TAIN US, WE CON-QUER-ED AND DE-STORY-ED!"

"E-MO-TIONS GAVE US STRENGTH! OUR HATE DROVE US FOR-WARD! OUR AN-GER GAVE PO-WER TO OUR BLOWS! OUR PRI-DE KEPT US FROM BEI-NG CRU-SHED! OUR HA-TRED KEPT US A-LIVE!"

"I COME FROM A PLACE WHERE GODS ROAM A-MONGST THE STARS, WHERE THERE ARE BEINGS THAT COULD E-RASE ALL OF RE-AL-ITY WITH BUT A ME-RE THOUGHT, THAT COULD BEND TI-ME TO THEIR WILL AND FREE YOU FROM HAVING EVER BEING BORN! YET, NO MAT-TER HOW PO-WER-FUL THEY ARE, THEY ALL FEAR THE SAME THING."

The Incubator looked supremely confused.

"You?" It asked.

"NOT ME." Sec corrected. "A WO-RD; IT IS A WO-RD THAT CAU-SES SUCH FE-AR, THAT E-VEN THE LORDS OF TI-ME ARE SENT TO THEIR KNE-ES."

"And what word is that?"

Sec aimed the gunstick, setting it to output thermal energy. There was a safety, but no Dalek to his knowledge had ever used it.

"EX-TER-MINATE!"

There was a brilliant flash of heat as the white body was vaporized. Whatever energy went into its making was made unrecoverable.

Satisfied, Sec lifted off from the roof he had been on, and returned to keeping an eye out for Sayaka.

It was now that he wondered how we could reconcile his plan with the new Dalek morality.


She was tired.

So, very tired.

Even the refreshing effect of the grief seed failed to relieve her weariness.

But she couldn't rest now. There were still familiars out there, threatening the people she had sworn to protect.

She was a hero of justice! And heroes of justice didn't stop fighting just because they were tired! She would prevail, just like Mami would have done. She would protect this city 'till her dying day, just as her mentor had done so.

She checked her pockets; she had a half-full grief seed and an empty one left from her previous hunt.

Kuybey had told her that a corrupted Soul Gem would be destroyed if she failed to keep it clean for too long. She bit her lip. Could she make another contract if her Soul Gem broke? She hadn't asked Kyubey about it.

Although, odds were, she could only contract once, otherwise, what would be the point of making a wish?

Wishes were supposedto be one-time only.

"Hey, Kyubey?"

"Yes?"

"If my Soul Gem breaks, what happens? To my wish, I mean."

"If your Soul Gem is destroyed, your wish will remain unchanged. But you won't be able to make another contract, so make this one count!

Sayaka made a mock salute at the adorable white creature.

"Sure thing!"

She could do this. For Kyosuke, for Mami, for everyone.

Even if she got nothing in return, she'd do this.

Nothing would make her regret her decision.

Nothing!


*FSSSSSSSSSHT!*

*FSSSSSSSSSHT!*

*FSSHT!*

*FSHT!*

"How...how did that happen?"

"I DO NOT KNOW."

"There was nothing there that could've caught fire, there was nothing there to spark a fire, and there was absolutely no reason at all for a Grief Seedto catch fire."

"CO-RRECT."

"Then why," She redoubled her efforts on constraining her emotions, "did that thing catch fire?"

The dalek made a circular motion with its plunger.

"I DO NOT KNOW." it repeated.

The apparatus in question was a ring about four feet wide, standing on its side thanks to improvised supports and connected to a myriad of electronics, computers, storage devices, electronic filters, a Tesla Coil and a toaster (which, the dalek insisted, wasn't a toaster).

This had been their fourth attempt at what they were doing. The first Grief Seed to undergo the process had, somewhat spectacularly, exploded.

After a few recalibrations, they tried again.

Grief Seed #2 had melted.

Grief Seed #3 had disappeared, and caused one of the storage devices to fail. Explosively. Homura debated wherever or not she should see Sayaka over the resulting electrical burns. She could probably cover the more visible ones with a scarf, but the others could hamper her effectiveness.

Grief Seed #4, after being liberated from a Witch by Sec in a violent -well, more violent than usual- manner and being inserted in the machine had...well its fate should be obvious by now.

Amazingly enough, the damage on the Grief Seed and the claw that held it in the center of the ring had been mostly superficial, and they were ready for another attempt.

Homura made a point in keeping the extinguisher handy.

Dalek Sec held the Grief Seed in a three-fingered metal claw that had extended from the center of the plunger arm. He held the metal cage in the center of the ring, a clamp coming from the bottom closing to hold the spike tightly. He released the eldritch device, and hovered back into what should be a safe distance.

This was the last chance they had at this, there were no more witches scheduled to appear until tomorrow, and by then Kyoko would have arrived along with a whole slew of problems.

And there was no way that Homura would let Sec have herGrief Seeds.

They stood there for a moment. If this worked, they'd be able to throw the Incubator's own creation at its face.

If it didn't... well, there was always the otherthing that Sec had cooked up.

Sec pressed the plunger against a round metal plate on a pole with wires sticking out the back.

The machinery began to whine, the Tesla Coil sent out bolts of lightning, and several screens lit up, the bizarre characters of the dalek's language scrolling through them.

The inside of the metal ring lit up, beams of pale blue light jumping towards the center, right where the Grief Seed sat.

They waited for a few, agonizing moments.

Nothing happened. There was no fire, no explosions, no summoning of Elder Gods from beyond Space and Time.

The Puella Magiand the dalek were visibly relieved at that, before tensing up again. They were only halfway through the process.

The dalek interfaced with another metal plate, similar to the first one.

Homura held her breath. If this worked, it would change everything. It would open up a worldof possibilities.

The whine of machinery grew louder; heat began to pour out of the electronics as they prepared for the next phase.

The beams reaching into the Grief Seed seemed to retract slowly, pulling thin strands of darkness from the witch's soul.

The sounds of the equipment around them grew louder still, the rate at which the darkness was drawn out increased exponentially. The seed glowed with a dark light, which was also funneled into the tight beams.

And suddenly, it was over.

The sounds quieted as the software that controlled the machinery ran its course, shutting everything down in sequence.

Homura approached the ring tentatively; her right hand clenched around a gun that wasn't there in instinct. Sec was right behind her, floating over the cables strewn on the floor.

Homura reached the ring, and took the Grief Seed from the apparatus.

It was empty.

All Grief Seeds had marks that distinguished them, that symbolized something about the Witch they were and the Puella Magithey once were.

This Grief Seed, however, had none of them. It was simply a hollow sphere with a spike on the bottom and a thin rod on the top, topped by a little ball.

It was a Grief Seed, without an actual Witch inside it.

Homura held it in her hand, forming her Soul Gem beside it.

Nothing happened; there was no creature inside to suck up her grief.

Homura handed the Empty Seed over to Sec, her face as impassive as always.

"I must admit, this is a lot more than what I've managed to archive with these things." She conceded, and then gave a tiny frown. "However, you still need to make a copy of someone's Soulfor what you are planning."

"THAT IS-SUE WILL BE RE-SOLVED E-VEN-TUAL-LY." The dalek stated, confidently loud as always. "IT IS A DIF-FI-CUL-TY, BUT IT CAN BE O-VER-COME."

"Then you should get started. I'll be leaving, this body has not been healed of its illness completely, and straining it would be inconvenient." Homura materialized her shield long enough to draw out a scarf, that she wraped around the burns on her neck.

She was mildly aware that the dalek was staring at her as if she had grown a second head.

As she left, she could've sworn she heard Sec mutter something about "jelly babies".


The next day.


Tea.

Tea, with just a hint of milk.

That was all Homura was willing to eat right now. It was really just a show; she'd already eaten enough to keep this body running and in optimum condition.

So what if her food was mostly microwave meals? The calories were sufficient.

Still, she had to keep her appearances, so when Madoka invited her to a restaurant in the mall, she ordered tea.

It was human. Even though she didn't think of herself as human anymore, she wanted to act human for Madoka.

And only for Madoka.

"What did you want to talk about?" she asked. Ninety percent of the time, Madoka's answer would be concerning Sayaka's new status as a Puella Magi. Ten percent would be about Homura herself.

"A whole lot of things actually…" the pink-haired girl replied, indeed looking as if she were about to burst.

That hadn't happened before, usually Madoka came looking for her because she was worried about Sayaka or, if the blunette was convincing enough in her claims, about Homura's nature and wherever she intended to harm her friend. But what could she be asking about now?

"Choose one, I'll answer them all as best as I can."

"The metal alien thing you talked- Sec-san, I mean-, you said you know him… did you contract with him?" she asked awkwardly.

Ah, yes, the new variable. Changing the equation with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, how very much like Sec.

"No, I did not." She answered. Apparently, even "Dalek Science" found the nature of the Contract to be strange at best. Sec had admitted that he had no idea how to replicate what the Incubator did.

Yet, at least; Homura had shuddered at what a dalek-engineered Magical Girl might be like.

"Why do you ask?"

The pinkette rubbed the back of her head. Homura kept forgetting just how little was needed to turn shy, naïve Madoka into the other Madoka.

"It's just that…Kyubey-kun said he didn't remember you making the contract with him and I thought… maybe you had made your contract with Sec-san…" She idly picked at her food, "I wondered… if Sayaka made another contract, to make herself stronger, it wouldn't be as dangerous for her, right?"

"I have no idea." Homura replied, although she couldn't help but wonder at the implications of what might happen if someone made two Contracts. She filed the thought away; it'd be useful as a contingency plan. "Sec is not capable of making a Contract, so there's no point in asking."

The poor girl seemed to deflate at this. "Ah...I see…But then, how did you meet?"

Homura removed the lid from the plastic cup, letting the tea cool down. She was quite capable of ignoring the pain from burns, but that wouldn't be human either.

"It was a coincidence. We met once, briefly, but we had our own issues to resolve, and we went our separate ways. Right now we've decided to help each other, because it turns out our issues aren't mutually exclusive."

"Oh…"

Homura poured a small amount of milk into her tea.

"It's Sayaka, isn't it? You worry about her."

Madoka smiled sadly.

"She's hotheaded, stubborn. She gets into a lot of arguments; she can't keep out of trouble…" Her gaze shot up to meet her own. "But she's a really good girl! She's kind, she's brave, and she tries to solve everybody's problems! She just wants to be a hero to everyone and-"

"Those are fatal flaws for a magical girl." Homura interrupted.

Madoka seemed slightly shocked at this. How incredibly naïve.

Why is it so hard to make you understand?

"Really?"

Homura sighed slightly, and closed her eyes.

"With kindness comes naivette-"

It's fine now, Homura!

"-Courage becomes foolhardiness-"

I must protect everyone.

"-And dedication has no reward."

Why did you have to die!

"Those who do not understand that are not fit to be magical girls."

Homura opened her eyes, Madoka looked absolutely defeated.

I have seen Mami die a hundred thousand times. I have seen Sayaka die a hundred thousand times. I have seen Kyoko die a hundred thousand times. I have killed more Witches, familiars and Puella Magi than I can even begin to count. I am old enough to have forgotten my father's face and I have left countless words to an agonizing fate.

But why… why is it that that look in your face moves me more than any of those things? Why do I have to fight the urge to hug you and promise that all will be all right, that I am really a hero and not a monster of my own making?

Why is it that you keep making me human!

"But…Mami…"

"Mami was a…exceptional case." Homura interrupted. She sipped her tea, still a bit too hot. "She wished to be a hero. However, she also realized that she cannot save anybody if she is dead, so she always put her own survival first in her mind."

"And you?"

Homura was silent for a moment, her mind processing what Madoka was asking her.

Am I a hero?

She thought of all the pain, all the grief, all the death she had caused in the name of her cause. All the worlds she had left hanging in the breeze.

She knew her answer.

"I'm not a hero. I stopped being one so long ago I cannot remember what it was like." She sighed, adjusting the scarf on her neck, if only because it seemed like something human. "There is very little kindness left in me."

Madoka bit her lip. Her eyes suddenly widened as she realized something.

"Please…please don't fight Sayaka! I know you need grief seeds and the territory but…" her eyes bore into her, begging. "Please, please don't hurt her!"

It took Homura all the emotional control she had earned to keep herself in her seat.

"Madoka…"

"Sec-san doesn't need grief seeds, right? Maybe you can make a deal with him so that he can give you grief seeds from someplace else or-"

"Kaname Madoka!"

Madoka clamped her mouth shut. Her eyes were humid, and they still begged.

Homura closed her eyes. Her breathing remained unchanged, despite the turmoil raging inside her. When it ceased, she spoke, her voice as calm as always.

"I may not be a hero, but I am not one to kill wantonly. Unless she aggravates me, Sayaka will not be harmed by my hands."

Madoka was visibly relieved.

"I will not, however, protect her. She is already under Dalek Sec's protection."

Madoka blinked.

"Sec-san?" she asked, confused.

Homura nodded.

"Walpurgisnacht is coming. I have plans to defeat it, as does Sec. It so happens that his plans need Sayaka to be alive."

"Know this, however: Sec is not perfect. There are things that not even he can save Sayaka from. He cannot enter a barrier on his own, and he cannot save her from herself."

Madoka gasped at what she had just implied.

"Sayaka wouldn't do that!"

Homura wondered if Madoka truly knew the blunette, because she knew that Sayaka was quite capable of doing that.

"Madoka, the life of a Puella Magi is a life of pain. It is a life of despair. All the ideals she holds dear will be shattered, and she will not take it well. It is a life I wouldn't want to impose on anyone."

There was silence after that.

Homura sipped her tea, and frowned. It had gone cold.

Not that she cared, really.

"Kyubey said that the contract doesn't work if someone is an adult." Madoka whispered softly. "When Sayaka hits eighteen, will she stop being a magical girl?"

Homura shook her head.

"Madoka, we don't age."

"Then…" Madoka's eyes became as wide as saucers. "How…how old…?"

"I don't know."

Madoka looked at her in…fear? Awe? Wonder?

Homura had no idea.

"Remember when I told you, that I was glad I could save you from this fate?"

Madoka nodded.

"I will not lie to you, even though Dalek Sec will probably break a few laws of physics to keep her from harm, it is very likely that she will die. Please, don't make the same mistake as your friend, and keep living for her sake."

Homura finished her tea. Madoka had barely touched her food.

"Check please!"


Madoka walked through the streets of Mitakihara, what Homura had told her earlier in the day endlessly running through her head.

-Madoka, we don't age.-

She tried to get her head around that. That someone could be old beyond measure, and still look as young as she did.

She thought of Homura herself, the dark, mysterious transfer student whose arrival had marked the beginning of all this insanity. How old did one have to be, to become so cold, so impassive, to have such little kindness left in them?

How old did someone have to be to stop counting one's age?

No matter how Madoka tried looking at it, how much she tried to soften it, the answer was something that frightened her.

And now Sayaka –her friend- was stuck in that life. The life that Homura, who had been a magical girl for so long not even she knew her own age, had told her was full of pain and despair.

At school, Sayaka had made a joke about both of them raising their kids together; telepathically wondering wherever of not her own children would inherit her mantle.

After her conversation with Homura, Madoka had gone home, mind reeling. Somehow, that joke had come up again, except this time, Madoka could only imagine herself, growing older and having kids and grandkids, while Sayaka remained the same, unchanging.

Had Homura watched her friends grow old, leaving her behind while she remained the same through the… through the…

Years? Decades? Centuries, even?

No wonder the brunette was so insistent that she not make the contract. Maybe the girl believed that if she could save one person from that, her own life of pain would have been for something.

And then there was Sec…

The alien was a mystery, even more than Homura. Why was he here? Why was he so interested in stopping this Walpurgisnacht? Why did his plans have to involve Sayaka? Why did he look like a huge pepperpot of all things?

And what was this Walpurgisnacht anyways? Why did Homura, who had told her that she was no hero, want to stop it as well?

She had asked the brunette more questions in the restaurant, but she had told her that, sometimes, it was better to never have known some things.

Which is why she was here, trying to find Sayaka. Homura had told her that the alien was protecting her friend, so if she could find Sayaka, she could find Sec.

If Homura didn't want to tell her more, then maybe the alien would be more willing.

She had already checked the hospital and the tall buildings, but there was no sign of Sayaka there. She'd already tried to call the girl, but her cellphone seemed to be off.

So now she was looking in the alleyways of the industrial district. She was on the verge of giving up when she spotted her friend some distance away, Kyubey on her shoulder.

Her friend called out to her, and she quickened her pace towards her.

"Sayaka, are you hunting witches?" she asked.

"Yep!" The blunette smiled, "It's my second hunt already!"

Madoka forced a small, ephemeral smile on her lips.

-Madoka, we don't age.-

"What's the matter, Madoka?" Sayaka looked concerned.

"Well, you see…" Madoka pressed her fingertips together. How do I put this? "I know that I'm not a Puella Magi, and that I'll probably be a burden for you, but I want to go along with you! At least to the point that I'm not holding you back."

Sayaka looked doubtful.

"…you know what? It would probably be a bad idea." Madoka was quick to add. She rubbed the back of her head. "I'll just be going…"

"Oh, shut up already."

Sayaka held her hand in both of hers, at which Madoka realized that the blue-haired girl was shaking.

Sayaka smiled. In some of her darker moments, Madoka had come to the conclusion that her friend seemed to believe that she could cover everything with a smile and for the most part, it worked.

However, Madoka had known her since kindergarten, so while most people would have simply seen the smile on her friend's face, she knew better than that.

For example, she knew that Sayaka was terrified.

The blunette squeezed her hand more tightly, her smile turning more nervous.

"Ah, look at me, shaking all over. What kind of Puella Magi am I?" She relaxed her grip, "You can come with me, I could use your support."

Madoka felt the corners of her lips tug. "Sure thing!"

They walked, Madoka searching for Sec-san as subtly as possible. There seemed to be no sign of him.

One would think that a man-sized, flying, shiny black pepperpot would be easy to spot, but sadly, this was not the case.

Seeing that she wasn't going to spot Sec any time soon, her mind wandered. Her thoughts naturally drifted to her friend, who was confidently seeking out witches and familiars with her Soul Gem. She seemed a lot more confident now that Madoka was with her, and certainly not nearly as scared.

Madoka though about how different Sayaka was from the other two Magical Girls she had seen: the heroic, yet sad and lonely Mami; and the cold, stoic and calculating Homura…

Now, Madoka was a bright girl, and she was certainly not naïve, despite what Homura often thought about her. She was aware that there was evil in the world, but she firmly believed that there was plenty of good there too.

Unfortunately, even her optimism did not stop her mind from connecting the dots.

Sayaka, a young Puella Magi, just had her contract. Full of hopes and heroism, wants to save everyone…

Mami, an older Puella Magi, has been living like this for some time now. She tries to be a hero, but knows when it's best to look out for oneself. She still has her ideals, but she's slone and sad…

Homura, an old Puella Magi, who's stopped counting her birthdays long ago. She stopped being a hero for so long that she can't remember what it was like. She tries to prevent others from falling into the same fate as her. Cold, stoic, never smiles and never shifts her tone…

Madoka tried really, really hard to not see the progression. She tried really, really hard not to wonder. She failed.

Would Sayaka, in some distant future, have forgotten what it was like to be a hero? Would she become like Homura, cold and distant, trying desperately to save but a single person from leading the life she had chosen?

She shook those dark thought from her head. Whatever happened to her friend, she'd make sure she'd never have to become like the dark-haired Puella Magi. Sayaka would never become like that if she had a say in it!

She was shaken from her own thoughts by Sayaka's Soul Gem going off.

"I've got one!" Sayaka transformed in an instant, forcing Madoka to run to keep up with her. They turned into an alleyway, and right into a barrier.

Madoka blinked, hard. The transition between the real world and the surreal landscape of a barrier was always disconcerting. Sayaka seemed only slightly more at ease than her.

This one was different, however; in that it didn't seem to be all there. Instead of an utterly alien landscape, it merely distorted the alleyway they were in.

"This barrier does not seem very stable; it must be the work of a familiar." Kyubey seemed to muse.

"Huh." Sayaka peered around, before shrugging it off. "Well, no matter, I'm not going to let it get away just because it's weak!"

Quite suddenly, the creature in question came into view. It was a shapeless blob, constantly changing the way it looked, cheerfully bouncing a small ball against the wall.

Sayaka grinned, her previous fear gone in an instant. She changed into her Puella Magi wardrobe, a cutlass in her hand. She charged, swinging her sword at the familiar…

…and missed.

She swung again and the creature nimbly dodged the otherwise lethal strike, merrily bouncing its ball as it did. Sayaka summoned another blade from under her cape, holding them in each hand and throwing them at the escaping creature one after the other. The familiar zigzagged through the air, dodging the first blade, but going into the path of the second.

However, what should have been a lethal strike was blocked.

"Wha-?"

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

Both girl's heads snapped towards the voice.

Another Magical girl?

Madoka stared at the newcomer, clad in a red dress with pink trimming that was open in the front. Underneath, there was a skirt -also red- a black shirt and red knee-high boots over black leggings.

Her hair, as red as the rest of her outfit was up in a ponytail, and a spear was lazily held across her shoulders.

The stranger took a bite out the fried fish in her hand, and chewed.

"You do know that that's a familiar, right?" she swallowed, "And that it won't drop a Grief Seed if it dies?"

Something moved in the corner of Madoka's field of view.

"Hey! It's getting away!"

Sayaka tore her concentration from the redhead and at the escaping familiar.

"I have to-"

In a heartbeat, the redhead crossed the distance between them and thrust the spear's big, triangular head in front of Sayaka.

"Not so fast, kiddo." She coolly said, clicking her tounge.

The familiar disappeared into the night, Sayaka helpless to stop it. The girl turned on the interloper, all but snarling in a rage Madoka had never known her friend to possess.

"Are you out of your freaking mind!" Sayaka cried, "What if it kills someone!"

"So what?" the redhead shrugged and finished what remained of the snack in her hands, "Keep an eye on it, let it kill four, maybe five people, so that it turns into a proper witch, then pounce on it." She smirked, a canine showing through, "Otherwise it's like killing a chicken before it lays an egg."

Sayaka's grip on her sword tightened, she glared at the redhead.

"So you just stand there and watch innocent people die!" She hissed.

The redhead clicked her tounge again.

"Heh, you've got it all wrong. It goes like this: weak people get eaten by witches and familiars; strong people shrug it off, and go on with their lives. Then we Puella Magi "eat" the witches." She leaned against her spear, "Just like the food chain, right?"

Madoka didn't need to look at her friend's face to know that she didn't think it was "right" in the slightest.

The redhead, on the other hand, took a look at Sayaka's furious visage and smiled.

"Oh, please tell me you're not one of those idiots who made their wish for something completely retarded like saving someone." She guffawed, "That would be such a waste…"

Sayaka flung herself at the redhead, swinging her sword right at her head. The other girl reacted instantly, bringing the shaft of her spear to block the blow. The redhead wasn't smiling anymore.

She shoved, causing Sayaka to loose her balance long enough to deliver a backhanded swipe across her stomach.

The blunette was thrown against the wall, and down onto the floor, blood spilling from her wound.

Madoka screamed.

"Sayaka!"


It was probably a good thing that all the Kaleds were dead. Otherwise, they might have taken offense to the fact that Sec was using their language to swear.

A few humans had taken note of him, before looking away, muttering about "otakus" and "cosplayers", which was how the Dalek preferred it. He had been forced back into the street after losing sight of his charge and finding that the placement of the buildings prevented him from watching from afar anymore.

Instead, he decided to follow her closely. He'd find some excuse, that he was conducting research, maybe.

What had caused him to swear was the amount of people that were around him. Research had shown that Japan was a very densely populated area, owning to its small size. It hadn't really bothered him.

At least, until now.

Another human bumped against him, muttering a hurried apology as he went. Sec's gunstick twitched, and he said nothing.

He had thought that he had mastered his kind's predisposition towards killing everything. He thought that taking the decision to forget about his species' quest for genocide would be the end of it.

He was wrong.

He was a mere four blocks away from his target, surrounded by humans that wished to cross the street. The urge to Exterminate everyone was insanely strong.

"Why's that fucking light taking so long!"

"Because you're swearing at it, dumbass."

Sec had fought against the Mechanoids, against the Lords of Gallifrey, against Sontarans, against Cybermen and against the Skaro Degradations. He had refused to lose his composure against The Doctor, The Bringer of Darkness, The Destroyer of Worlds, and he had survived five missions under the command of the Dalek Inquisitor General. He had fought in battles so horrific that the universe itself had convulsed, and had participated in a war so vicious it spawned nightmares.

And now he was up against something that dwarfed all those things.

Inside his casing, he quivered in rage. He cursed and swore, at the crowd of humans around him, at this urge, at those fucking lights.

And at Davros.

As he fought to keep his species' most distinctive characteristic in check, Sec realized just what it was that the Creator had done, and he boiled in a hatred that knew no bounds.

Because, no matter how great the Dalek Empire had been, they were no different than any of the species' that worked the factories.

Slaves. Slaves to the will of Davros.

His resolve strengthened, the iron will of a Dalek against the want planted by the Creator.

So, even though every fiber of his being told him to blast every Life Form in the city, he didn't. Sec eventually reached the industrial sector, and even though his genes screamed at him to leave a trail of bodies in his wake, he harmed not a single thing.

For eons, Davros had kept the Daleks chained to what he wished, obedient servants to what he had planted in them. For ten times ten thousand ages, the Daleks had been slaves without knowing.

Not anymore.

Sec had once wished to reform his kind because of human morality. Now, he wanted the same thing, more than ever before, becausehe was a Dalek, and he obeyed no one.


*VWORP!*

*VWORP!*

*VWORP!*

*THUNK!*

*Creeeaaak*

"Doctor, where are we?"

"We're on Earth, South Georgia island, May twenty second, year two thousand and eleven." He raised a finger, "But, this is not the Earth you would remember."

"Well, considering that it's the Earth from our future, I don't think we would be remembering it, right?"

"That's a completely valid point Rory, but it's also completely wrong. Even if I had pulled you from a date later than this one, this still wouldn't be the Earth you would remember."

One of his companion's eyes brightened.

"Ooh, I know what this is: An alternate universe! This is Earth, just not our Earth!"

The Last Lord of Time snapped his fingers. "Exactly Amy! This particular universe is known as a Branching universe. It was created by the Time War, and because it's connected to our own, it shares a lot of things with the universe you and I am familiar with."

"So, why are we here again?"

"We're her because…Remember when we restarted the Universe? When we did that, everything got brought back to life. And everything that should be dead, died again." He raised a finger again, "However, one of those somethings that should have died…well, it didn't. It fell through the void, and ended up here."

"Now we have to find our little interloper, and cut the Time Space stream that's connecting him or her to our universe, stick it on the TARDIS, and reel ourselves back home, sweet home!" he rubbed his hands, "Otherwise, all sorts of things will start intersecting; Angels, Cybermen, Daleks, Silurians, etcetera, etcetera!"

The other companion looked around the very deserted island. "So where is he? Or her?"

The older Time traveler fidgeted. "Now, you see…the Time Vortex 'round these parts is a bit…wonky. Well, more wonky than usual."

"So…?"

"So, when TARDIS applied the coordinates to where we are supposed to be to the Vortex, it...eh, didn't land us anywhere near where we're supposed to be going."

"Doctor, how far away are we?"

The Time Lord's voice was uncharacteristically small. "We're, heh, on the wrong side of the planet."

His confession was met with shocked silence.

"Not to worry! Let's just get back in the TARDIS and I'm sure I'll get us bang on target with a little work!" He hurried back into the blue police box. "Come on! Time's a wasting!"

His companions paused before entering.

"He's not going to get it right the next time, is he?"

His wife sighed, "I don't think so either, but I know we'll get there in time, even if we have to carry the TARDIS on the back of a truck. Let's just get inside."

Both of them entered the blue police box, closing the door behind them.

There was a noise. The sort of noise the universe itself would have made.

*VWORP!*

*VWORP!*

*VWORP!*

There was a gust of wind, and the TARDIS vanished, leaving no trace of the magnificent machine.


So much for chapter 4.

If you people are intersested in previews, speculation and general insanity, I direct you to the Spacebattles . com thread. It's in my profile.

And yes, THE DOCTOR IS IN THE HOUSE! Much insanity wil ensue!

AHAHAHAHAHAH!

VIC-TO-RY !VIC-TO-RY! VIC-TO-RY! VIC-TO-RY!