The Earth spun, and day turned to night. Across the sections of the world in darkness, lights sparkled. These were not, however, the lights of civilization, but rather harbingers of a more barbaric age.

For tonight, on the night that would become known as the Night of Barred Steel, monsters walked the Earth.

It was a disaster like something from another age. Hundreds of millions died in hours, helpless before creatures they had no understanding of. In space, satellites were struck down by a massive creature, crippling the ability of the world below to fight back.

However, some fought back anyway. Soldiers, carrying out their oath to protect and defend like never before. Civilians, taking up arms and striking back at the monsters in the dark. Girls, cursed with powers beyond \comprehension.

Eventually, night turned to day. Slowly, as the sun rose over North America, the monsters returned, or were forced, back to where they came. The nervous survivors stood out as the storm cleared, and began sifting through the wreckage, wondering just what had happened.

That is, most of them. Some knew exactly what had happened, and what was soon to come.

They were the ones who were truly terrified.

[x]

White House Underground Situation Bunker Five

"Ladies and Gentlemen." Director Grey said, standing before the assembled Joint Chiefs of Staff. "Hours ago, our nation came under attack unlike anything we have ever seen."

"That's obvious, Spook." The Marine Corps Commandant said. "What do you know about this that we don't."

"The creature, Kyubey, that delivered the Ultimatum and promised the demonstration, is call an Incubator. It is a creature that contracts with teenage girls, promising them a single wish in exchange for them fighting supernatural predators known as Witches."

The Marine Corps Commandant rested his head on his hand. "That sounds like some sort of Japanese crap, sir."

"Notwithstanding, we have gather ample evidence that this is the case." Grey said, showing no irritation at the interruption. "In any event, these girls fight Witches for objects known as Grief Seeds, which they use to cleanse their Soul Gems, objects which provide them with magic and symbolize their contract. However, if they fail to cleanse their Gem, they become a Witch themselves."

"Sounds like a pretty raw deal." The Commandant said. "How long has this been going on?"

"At present, we do not know." Grey said. "However, what we do know is that the Incubators are now requesting that we allow the process to unimpeded. Given what we have learned about what this puts the girls through, I suggest that we deny this request."

The Commandant paused for a moment, looking at Grey with narrowed eyes. "So you're saying he gives these girls a wish, like for a pony or whatever, then sends them off to war, until they turn into monsters?"

"Essentially, yes."

"Like hell we should let them to that!" The Commandant exploded. He looked at the president. "Sir, are we going to go along with this?"

"I must agree with my colleague." The Chief of the Army said. "Supporting such a system seems wrong on the face of it." He looked at the President. "However, we much weight the consequences of our response carefully."

The president tapped a piece of paper on his desk. "This was delivered to my desk this morning. I have no idea where it came from, but it seemes to list the Incubators' demands. They request that we present all girls between twelve and eighteen to them for testing, that we make no efforts to fight the Witches independently, that we spread pro-Incubator propaganda and suppress anti-Incubator sentiment, and that Incubator controls are established at all levels of Government."

"My thoughts on the matter are irrelevant, of course." Grey said. "But I believe that accepting Incubator control would be a mistake. Those who trade Liberty for temporary security deserve neither liberty nor security and so forth."

"But how can we fight these things?" The Air Force secretary said, gripping the edge of the table. "The casualty reports are still coming in, but estimates are that we lost what, four million people last night?"

"Five million, actually." The Commandant said. "We got off relatively lightly compared to some other places."

"Why is that?" The President asked.

"I don't know." The Commandant said. "But if I had to guess? Guns. We have lots of them, so the average citizen was able to fight back more often than almost anywhere else. That's just a conjecture, of course."

The President nodded. "Seems reasonable." He said. "So what do we do? Do we fight?"

"Before we make that decision." Director Grey said. "I have prepared a short briefing on a new weapons system for combating the Witches that my department is developing."

Grey pressed a button, and an image of a humanoid war machine appeared on the screen. "This." He said. "Is Seraph Unit-01, a manned humanoid weapon designed to take the fight to the Witches. Its core is a new system developed from a study of these creatures called the Valiant Engine, a power source of unparalleled ability that grants the Seraphim unit some rather unique abilities."

"How?" The Commandant said. "That sounds like-"

"Magic?" Director Grey asked. "It very well may be."

Grey cleared his throat. "The point is," He lied, "That we have run simulations, and this unit is capable of taking on multiple Witches at one time."

"Fuck this stuff." The Marine Corps Commandant said. "I say we fight. We can't let these things have controls in our government, and what they'd use those controls to do is just plain wrong."

"I agree." The Army Secretary said. "Their demands go against our constitution, which I took an oath to protect and defend."

"I say we fight." The Navy Secretary said. "I'm not one to live as a slave, and it'll probably mean our heads if this thing goes through."

"If I say to fight," The President said cautiously, "Congress will probably go along with me. However, we need a plan."

"To fight these things, we need troops." The Secretary of the Army said. "We'll need to expand the size of all of our organizations, massively."

"We'll probably need to reinstate the draft." The Navy Secretary said. "And we'll probably need to get rid of Educational Exceptions for things like Women's Studies. In fact, no Educational Exceptions for anything that isn't related to the war effort."

"Aren't you moving a little too fast?" The Air Force Secretary said. "After all, how do we know another wave of those things is coming?"

"Because that was only the demonstration." Director Grey said. "Once we refuse the Ultimatum, more of will come."

"But-" The Air Force Secretary began.

"No." The President said. "This is what we're doing. I'll have my staff draft a bill, and we'll have it ready for congress this afternoon. Now, here's what I'm thinking..."

[x]

Arthur looked up at the nearly completed Seraph Unit 01. It stood thirty-six feet tall in the shape of a man. It surface was covered in segmented metal plating, with no visible gaps. Its head was a mask with glowing sensor ports, and the entire behemoth was colored a dark crimson, with glowing silver highlights. Long stabilizer spies, which served some secondary function, extended from the back of the elbows, ankles, thighs, and back of the machine.

"We're just testing some secondary functions now." Richardson said, looking up at the machine next to Arthur. "It's almost ready for prime time."

"So, I've heard about this Valiant Engine." Arthur began. "What is it, and why is it so important?"

"Its what makes the Seraph run." Stevenson said. "It provides it with energy, increases the strength of the materials the thing is made out of, and a million other things. You have a high compatibility with, it, which makes you an ideal pilot."

"Compatibility?" Arthur said.

"Yeah. The pilot is an integral part of the operation of the Valiant Engine, but that's all I know." Stevenson said. "Now that you've proven you have what it takes to pilot a Seraph, you're more mission-critical than ever. We need to balance trying to get more technology from you with training you to fight the Witches."

"I see." Arthur said. "So, I heard that we lost GPS. Is that true?"

"Yeah." Stevenson said. "We think a Witch took it down, along with most of the Comm Sats we've got in geosync. That, in itself, is a disaster, not even accounting for what the other Witches did."

"How bad did it get up there?" Arthur asked, turning to look at Sevenson with a grave look on his face.

"Bad." Stevenson said. "It'll be weeks before we know for sure, but it looks like we lost at least five million people."

Arthur felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. "How many in the U.S.?"

"That is in the U.S." Stevenson said. "At least a hundred million worldwide, presumably."

"So many?" Arthur whispered. "There's no way they'll fight after losing so many. We're done for."

"On the contrary." Stevenson said. "I don't think there's any way they'll agree to anything coming from someone who killed on that scale. I mean, this makes the holocaust, even the Great Leap Forward, look like small potatoes. I think there are a lot of people who won't stand for that."

"I hope so." Arthur said.

"Anyway," Stevenson said, "We're not helpless. We're working on a new Seraph, and it should be ready soon."

[x]

USS Okinawa, Mitakihara Bay

Madoka looked up at the rain of shooting starts. According to Captain Locke, there was something up there, in space, destroying Satellites and cashing their remains down into the atmosphere. The GPS apps on Madoka's phone weren't working, and flights were apparently grounded until further notice. Madoka couldn't get through to either of her parents, and internet service on her phone was intermittent.

She looked out at the Mitakihara CIty skyline. Normally, it would be lit up like a Christmas tree against the night sky, but now only a few dark silhouettes of buildings were visible. Power hadn't been restored since the 'typhoon', and the had been badly damaged by the storm even before the Okinawa started shelling it.

Kyoko walked up next to Madoka and rested her arms on the railing. "Pretty crazy, huh." She said.

Madoka nodded.

"I had no idea there were so many Witches." Kyoko said, her tone sounding slightly subdued. "I heard one of the sailors say that we lost like four million people, and that's just here in Japan."

Madoka opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by the sound of a rapidly approaching helicopter.

Kyoko looked at the incoming rotorcraft. "That's a troop transport model." She said. "They don't normally land on cruisers."

A moment later, the helicopter landed on the aft landing pad of the Okinawa. As it touched down, a hatch in the ship opened, and Captain Locke walked out onto the deck, followed, by Mami, Homura, and Sayaka.

Captain Locke took a deep breath. "I wanted to gather the five of you together before I said anything about this, but I have a difficult request for you. My country's Department of Other Investigations is putting together a Mobile Task Force to respond to global Witch actively, and they want you."

"No way!" Sayaka said. "What about the people here? We need to defend them!"

"I'm not sure that's the best idea." Mami said.

"Yeah..." Kyoko began.

"Here me out." Captain Locke said. "We want to perform a comprehensive study of Magic at the D.O.I., and you're some of the only Magical Girls that we've found. I've revived a Communique from the President himself that he plans on resisting the Incubators, and he's calling a special session of Congress to put the matter to a vote. Given current U.S. politics, it is unlikely that Congress will deny him. Therefore, if you take this offer, you will be able to fight with guaranteed governmental support."

"Still..." Mami said. "Why would we want to leave our hopes to go fight somewhere else?"

"Because you can do more good there than here." Captain Locke said. "Here, you can react to Witch activity in a small area. With D.O.I., you can take proactive action against Witches against the world."

"But what about protecting the people?" Sayaka asked. "Won't we be running out on them?"

"Sometimes, the best defense is a strong offence." Captain Locke said. "We will be eliminating the Witches before they can hurt anyone. Besides, by studying you, we may be able to develop more effective weapons for our armies to fight the Incubator's proxies."

"Will you pay us?" Kyoko asked suddenly. The others looked at her, and she shrugged. "A girl's gotta eat."

"Yes." Captain Locke said. "You will be paid very well for your contributions."

"Then I'm in. Seems like a better idea than sitting around here waiting for Witches to show up."

"And I'm in too." Madoka said. "I don't know how much I can do here, but maybe if I join D.O.I. I can do some good."

"The I'm in." Homura said.

Kyoko looked at Mami and Sayaka. "Come on. Don't you think we can help more if we work with a government? What's the alternative? Sitting in some camp here waiting for Witches to show up?"

"I'll do it." Mami said.

"And I suppose I'm in." Sayaka said.

"Excellent." Captain Locke said, clapping his hands. "That helicopter will take you to the nearest operational airfield, where a courier jet will take you to the United States. Are there any questions?"

[x]

U.N. Headquarters, Twelve Hours Later

"So, Congress passed my resolution." President Michael Wilson said, to no one in particular. "I guess that means that everyone knows we intend to fight."

"Do you think that the measures in the bill might be a bit extreme, sir?" The U.N. Representative said. "I mean, the draft will we controversial, especially if people can't dodge it by going to college. And a twenty million man army?"

"It's not all Army." Michael replied. "A million will be Marines, and a bunch will be Navy and Airforce."

"The point still stands, sir, that twenty million is a lot of soldiers."

Michael said nothing as the pair came to the end of the Corridor. "This is as far as you can come." He said. "National leaders and waiters only beyond this point."

The U.N. Representative muttered something, then stood aside to let the President through the door. Michael Wilson entered.

Inside was a room full of some of the most powerful men and woman on Earth, all sitting around a long table. Michael took his seat near the head of the table and cleared his throat. "Ladies and gentlemen." He said. "We are here today to discuss the Ultimatum presented to us by the Incubators. Thoughts?"

"We must surrender!" The Prime Minister of France said. "We cannot stand against such power!"

"Quiet!" The German Chancellor said. "We have no choice but to fight! The only question is how we go about doing it."

The German Chancellor was a hard woman. Elected by the Nationalistic German Security Party, she was considered by many to be a blast from the past. Whether she was a throwback to 1871 or 1933 depend largely on who you were talking to.

"I believe," The President of Russia said, taking a sip of coffee, "That our American colleagues have already decided to raise an Army to fight the Incubators. Russia intends to stand with them."

Michael was taken aback. The Russian President was a sly snake, who had engineer Russia's return to prominence following the collapse of the Soviet Union. He had modernized the Russian Economy, annexed several surrounding nations, and taken an aggressive stance to combat the declining Russian population. When he set out to do something, he tended to succeed, and he had been a constant thorn in Michael's side throughout his presidency.

So why was he helping now?

"Thank you." Michael said, concealing his shock. "I'm glad that we see eye to eye on this issue. Now, does anyone else have an announcement?"

"England will stand by its ally, the United States." The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom said. "We will begin the mobilization process, but a draft may take some time to implement. I suspect it will not be popular."

"It never is." Michael said. "However, I believe it will prove to be necessary before all this is over. On that topic, my staff have prepared a treaty for mutual defense and support."

He reached under his seat and withdrew a thick manila envelope. He pulled several copies of a document from the envelope and passed them around the table. Reactions were varied as the leaders looked at the document.

"What you see before you is document summarizing the outline for a new treaty organization. While we have yet to settle on a name, the basics are simple. Each member nation must muster a minimum of eight percent of its population for the defense of the Earth. This means frontline troops, support troops, and direct war-support roles. What constitutes a war-support role will be defined in subsequent documents. Each nation will be represented on a council which will decide matters of policy for the organization as a whole, and member nations will be responsible to defend one another, within reason. Keep in mind that, at this time, the United States is unable to give any support to any nation not on this council."

"So you'll hang us out to dry if we don't sign onto your suicide pact?" The French Prime Minister said indignantly.

"It is the role of a government to defend its own people." Michael said. "Not that of another nation."

"But..." The French Minister sputtered.

"Do be quiet." The Prime Minister of Japan said. "The requirements are burdensome, but necessary. Japan provides provisional agreement to join this council, pending further review of the exact terms."

"As does the United Kingdom." The British Prime Minister said. "I shall have my staff draft a schedule for full mobilization."

"Germany agrees to these terms." The Chancellor said. "We have already taken provisional steps toward reinstating mandatory military service, and production of war equipment should begin shortly."

"Regrettably," the President of China said. "The people's republic cannot agree to these terms. They make no concession to those nations without an economy to support an army of the prescribed size, and we find the requirement of giving outside control to western governments onerous."

"That is unfortunate." Michael said. "I had counted on the support of China in the coming conflict." In actuality, he hadn't, but it was important to follow the proper forms.

"Also," The Prime Minister of India said. "We will not be able to meet the requirements of this treaty. We simply lack the economy to support an army of over one hundred million men."

Michael exhaled. He had expected the result, but it was decided that he had to be firm on the eight percent mobilization rate to get the European nations to play along. His staff had judged that the vast untapped economic potential of the European continent was more important to the war effort than the massive population of India.

Honestly, Michael wasn't entirely sure about that. He hoped it wouldn't come back to bite them in the ass later.

"I understand." Michael said. "That is regrettable."

"The Russian Federation agrees to the terms of this treaty." The Russian President said, looking at Michael and the leaders who had sided with him. "I look forward to working with you all."

"Thank you." Michael said. "Your support is appreciated."

"South Africa agrees to the terms of this treaty." The South African president said. "Though most of Africa is in chaos following the Incubator attack, we remain stable."

"Australia agrees to the terms of this treaty." The Australian Prime Minister said. "We will stand with our allies of the Commonwealth."

"Excellent." Michael said. Despite the strict secrecy surrounding this meeting, he knew that the Joint Chiefs of Staff were watching the proceedings and, in all likelihood, already making and adjusting plans as one nation after another accepted or rejected the Treaty.

Events proceed in this manner for some time, with one nations presenting their response to the treaty. Most of Europe, North America, and South America accepted, while much of Africa and Asia either could not or would not agree to the treaty. Notable exceptions were Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and South Africa. Many nations were not represented at the meeting, but they were those that Michael and his staff judged had little to offer to the war effort.

It was sad, and the Political Correctness crowd would kick up a storm about which countries wound up on the council, but that was the cold calculus of war.

After all, Michael thought, riots are vulnerable to napalm.

"Alright." Michael said, after all present leaders had spoken. "The remainder of this discussion is for Council nations only. The rest of you may leave."

The French leader opened his mouth to protest, but the Russian president shot him an icy glare that froze his objections in its tracks. He, along with the other rising leaders, stood up and walked out of the room.

As the door closed, Michael cleared his throat. "Now, we must discuss Council defensive measures against the Incubators. We know that they may attack us with Witches, but there is-"

"How do you know what these creatures are called?" The German Chancellor asked, narrowing her eyes.

"My Deparment of Other Observations has recently come into contact with individuals previously familiar with the Incubators. Details, as well as D.O.I. Findings, will be made available to you shortly."

The German Chancellor nodded. "Carry on."

"In any case." Michael said. "Witches may not be the only method of attack employed by these Incubators. My staff have drafted a list of possible attack vectors, as well as a list of potential countermeasures. The first, and most obvious method, would be redirecting a meteor to strike the Earth. Now-"

"Russia can handle that." The Russian President said. "We have ample rocket resources stored up for our Lunar landing program, and it would be simple enough to convert one of our heavy boosters to carry a large nuclear warhead able to deflect an incoming asteroid."

"Thank you." Michael said. "We also intend to begin the construction of more ground-based telescopes to spot incoming asteroids, as well as the rocket resources to loft additional impactors. The next potential threat is a cyberattack. If they have more advanced computers, it would be simple for them to destroy our datalink or seize control our our machines."

"Israel can handle this threat." The Israeli Prime Minister said. "We have become quite adept at asymmetric cyber warfare, and can provide assistance in this matter."

"Excellent." Michael said. "We will provide whatever resources are necessary to provide an effective cyber defense. Now, there are a number of lower-order possibilities for attack, but none worth discussing here. That leaves the possibility of brute military force."

"Keep in mind," The Russian President said, "That the Incubators aren't the only threat that our new little club might face. We left the Chinese out, and they might get the Indians to sign on with them. Even with the losses they suffered, they are still nothing to ignore."

"That's an excellent point." Michael said. "We cannot afford to neglect our potential human foes during this time of crisis. Now, the first thing I would like to look at the possibility of is..."

[x]

Kamijou Kyousuke wandered through the streets of Mitakihara City, head down. Rubble was everywhere, and the buildings were trashed from the typhoon, missile attack, and subsequent shelling.

Kamijou hadn't seen his family since the typhoon. He had hidden one of the refugee centers during the attack by the monsters, and hadn't personally seen one of the creatures that had rampaged through the city. He had, however, heard the boom of the American ship's guns, and the explosions that followed.

He had lost his violin in the chaos, along with most of his other personal belongings. It was sad, but nothing compared to the tragedy that had just befallen his city. In fact-

He saw a jeep round the corner. He was surprised that he hadn't heard it coming. The open-topped vehicle appeared to be full of armed men, each carrying a rifle and bearing the shoulder patch of the JMSDF Naval Infantry. The Naval Infantry had become famous and had vastly expanded following its recapture of a pair of islands whose names Kamijou couldn't remember from Chinese-backed terrorists.

The jeep stopped in front of him, and one of the Naval Infantrymen climbed out. "What are you doing out here, kid?"

Kamijou stared at the Naval Infantryman. "What do you mean?" He muttered.

"This isn't a secure zone. More of those monsters could show up at any moment, and we need to keep civilians in the safe zones. Not that you'll be a civilian much longer, though."

"What do you mean?" Kamijou asked. "I don't want to join the Military. I'm a musician."

"Well, soon, you won't have a choice." The soldier said. "The Diet just passed a Selective Service Act, modeled on the American Draft system. We're gearing up for a big war with the fucks who did this to us, and we need all hands on deck. That means you'll be getting to a soldier in a few years. How old are you, anyway?"

"Sixteen." Kamijou said defensively. He hated it when people assumed he was younger than he really was, and he was starting to really dislike this soldier.

"Ah." The Naval Infantryman said. "Under the new rules, you could be a soldier right now. They lowered the minimum enlistment age. Not that you could pull it off."

"Sure I could." Kamijou shot back, crossing his arms. "I just prefer to play my violin, that's all."

"So you'd prefer to sit somewhere safe playing music like a little girl rather than defend your country?" The Naval Infantryman said.

A second Soldier climbed out of the jeep. "I think you're being too hard on him." The second man said. Then he turned toward Kamijou. "But my friend here is right; you might want to consider enlisting. If you join up now, rather than when they start calling up draftees and reservists, you'll get to pick your speciality, rather than getting stuck with Infantry. Or, you could join the Naval Infantry, and be guaranteed decent training before you get stuck with the draftees."

"Basically, you have three choices." The first Naval Infantryman said. "Join the regular SDF and try to get a desk job that keeps you away from the fighting, wait to get drafted and get stuck with the infantry, or join up with Naval Infantry now."

If everything these men were saying was true, it was probably for the best for Kamijou to go find an SDF recruiter, join up, and specialize in logistics or transport or something nice and safe.

Still. He thought, what would Hitomi think of me if I did that? Who would protect her?

"I want to join the Naval Infantry!" Kamijou blurted out.

"Come again?" The first soldier said.

"You're serious?" The second man asked. "You know you might be stuck in it for the duration, right?"

"Not that you wouldn't be in for the duration when you get drafted." The first soldier said.

"Yes, I'm serious." Kamijou said. "I want to join the Naval Infantry."

"Well, in that case, you can head back to the refugee center and collect your things, then go to any of the garrison soldiers and ask for Captain Itsuka." The first soldier said. "I'll have everything ready to feed you into the Naval Infantry recruitment system."

[x]

Arthur was wandering through the construction bay of the D.O.I. facility, looking at the hustle and bustle around him. The construction bay was a recent addition to the base, and had only recently been built in response to the information he had brought to the organization. It was a strange sensation, looking around such a massive space and knowing he was responsible.

He spotted something in one corner of the room. It looked like a black towed RV, with a strange-looking turret on top. It had what looked like several stability outriggers, as well as multiple fuel and power ports.

"What's that?" Arthur asked, turning to a nearby engineer who seemed like he wasn't doing much.

"That's a prototype towed-array battlefield tactical laser." The man said. "Its intended to be used to engage aerial targets, as well as missiles and potentially even artillery shells. That is, if we can ever get it to work. We've got so many projects going on right now, all thanks to that wizkid who solved the Westinghouse Equations."

Arthur blinked. "I'm sorry."

"Nah, its fine. With the war starting, it's probably a good problem to have. Still..."

"No, I mean I solved the Westinghouse Equations." Arthur said.

"Really?" The man said. "In that case, could you come take a look at this? Its a part for the tac-laser that's been giving us some trouble."

Arthur wasn't sure how to respond. He followed the man as he walked toward the prototype tac-laser.

"I'm chief engineer Westinghouse, by the way." The man said. "Pleasure to meet your acquaintance, and so forth."

"You wrote the Westinghouse Equations?" Arthur asked, surprised.

"Nah, that was my father. Glad someone finally showed the greasy old bastard up, to be honest." Westinghouse said.

"How'd he take it?" Arthur asked. "I mean, me solving the equations."

"Oh, he's dead." Westinghouse said. "Has been for some time now. Anyway," he pointed at a large black box on the ground, "If you could take a look at that and tell us what's wrong, that would be great."

"Uh... alright." Arthur said, kneeling down next to the box and opening up the hatch.

After that, his memory stopped working for a while. When Arthur came to, so to speak, he was surrounded by starting engineers.

"Wow." One woman said. "Did he just fix the primary beam generator module?"

"I think so." A different man said. "How'd he do that?"

I don't know. Arthur thought.

"Um... anyway thanks." Chief Engineer Westinghouse said. "That should shave some time off getting this thing operational. So, I, ah, heard that you were also a Seraph pilot."

"I think that's supposed to be a secret." Arthur said.

"Well, I'm working on that project, and I think everyone on base knows about it by now." Westinghouse said. "What were you thinking for armament on that monster?"

"What do we have so far?" Arthur asked, genuinely curious. He wasn't sure when they would finalize the armament, though so far they had been training him on a variety of weapons systems.

"A 60 mm autocannon in assault rifle form, shoulder mounted missile launcher, and body mounted flechette launchers and machine guns for point defense." Westinghouse said. "What do you think?"

"Good, but what about something strapped to the arms?" Arthur said. "Maybe some kind of laser? Ammunition has go to be a concern for those weapons, and a beam cannon wouldn't have to worry about any of that."

"Have you seen the size of the tac-laser? And that's for engaging lightly armored aircraft." Westinghouse said. "How are we going to fit a decent laser on the Seraph?"

"Well, I'm guessing that most of the tac-laser is power supply." Arthur said. "Am I right?"

"Well, yes." Westinghouse said. "And the beam wouldn't have to be as tightly collimated for short range work. That would cut down on the mass of the laser device as well. But-"

"Well, I understand that the Valiant Engine is an incredible power source." Arthur said. "Can't we do something with that?"

"In theory, we could." Westinghouse said. "But miniaturizing the laser generator to that extent will take time, and we need to work on more critical projects, like getting the Seraphim oppertational."

"Alright." Arthur said. "What's the status on that?"

"Two weeks, give or take." Westinghouse said. "We have teams working around the clock on that thing, and the second unit, but with the war starting, we have a lot more competition for the personnel we need. At least the money is coming in."

"Fair enough." Arthur said. "I've probably got pilot training after this, so-"

"There you are." A feminine voice said. Arthur turned around. A dark-haired woman in an Army uniform with a Colonel's epaulettes stood behind Arthur with her hand on her hips. She looked rather young for her rank, and gazed around the construction bay with a critical eye. "I've been looking everywhere for my Seraph pilot."

"Excuse me, ma'am?" Arthur said.

"I'm Colonel Knight. Sara Knight. I've been appointed operations director for the little operation we'll be running out of here."

"I didn't know this would be an Army operation, ma'am." Arthur said. "I thought the Seraphim Project was a D.O.I. operation."

"Not anymore." Colonel Knight said. "And you don't have to ma'am me. Sara is fine. That's an order."

"I'm a civilian." Arthur said.

"Not anymore. The President, pending your acceptance, has commissioned you directly to the rank of Captain in the United States Army."

"May I ask why, ma- Sara?"

"They apparently don't want enlisted men driving those things." Sara said. "So, we'll be getting you sworn in and fitted for your uniforms soon. I know its all a bit sudden, but I'm sure you'll deal with it. You're supposed to be a smart boy, or at least that's what your profile said."

"I have a profile?" Arthur asked.

"Yes, and quite a detailed one." Sara said. "Now, we've got magical girls coming in on a tilt-jet from Liggett, and I want to be there to greet them. You'll be working with them, so I want you to be there too."

[x]

Madoka watched with rapt attention out the window as the tilt-jet was lowered into the hanger. She still wasn't entirely sure why the Americans had decided to fly her out her, or why she had agreed, for that matter. However, the jet that had flown them across the Pacific had been nice, and everyone had been very polite.

Though to be honest, Madoka had slept most of the way.

The Americans assured her that they had worked everything out with her parents, and after their initial hesitation about the offer, the Magical Girls seemed excited about the prospect of finally having government support.

With a jolt, the elevator settled into position. Madoka stood up from her seat as the door opened, and the girls disembarked. A woman in a U.S. Military uniform was waiting for them, along with a young man in civilian clothes.

"Hello, and welcome to America." The woman said. "I'm Colonel Sara Knight, but you can call me Sara. I'll be overseeing your operations while you're with us. This is Arthur Smith, the man who solved the Westinghouse Equations and who will be our first Seraph pilot.

"What's a Seraph?" Sayaka asked.

"It is a manned humanoid weapon." Sara said. "It is our method to fight Witches without depending on Magical Girls, who may be in short supply in the future."

"It sounds awesome!" Sayaka said. "Can I see-"

"You are the one who solved the Westinghouse Equations?" Homura said suddenly, looking at Arthur."

"Yes." Arthur said, without elaboration.

"Thank you." Homura said.

"Umm... why?" Arthur asked.

"You saved my city from Walpurgisnacht. And you saved Madoka for Kyubey." Homura said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, I guess." Arthur said.

"Cute." Sara said, clapping her hands. "Anyway. This base is where you'll be staying while we're searching for witches for you to kill. Now, if you'll follow me, I show you to the Seraphim Cages."

[x]

"This. Is. Awesome!" Sayaka said, looking out at the mostly finished Seraph-01. "How do you drive that thing?"

"It's mostly on neural control." Arthur said. "With a pair of control yokes and pedals for the complex stuff."

"Can I have one?" Sayaka said.

"You're a Magical Girl." Colonel Sara Knight said. "That's where we need you. So no, you can't have one."

"Um... by the way, why am I here?" Madoka asked. "I mean, I'm not a Magical Girl or anything."

"That's where we're going next." Sara said. "We're testing you for the ability to be a Seraph pilot."

"What?" Madoka exclaimed. "Why me?"

"You hang out with Magical Girls, and you mentioned that you could see Kyubey." Sara said. "Plus, I had a hunch, and my hunches are usually pretty good. So If you guys will follow me, I'm show you to the testing chamber."

Sara turned around and led the group out of the Seraph cage. The walked down a short hallway and into a cluttered room that seemed very familiar to Arthur.

After a few moments, he realized that it was the room where he had been when the base came under attack by the Witch. Everything was just as it had been when he had left it, with the exception of the gun case, which had been closed.

"Alright, Madoka, get in the simulation pod." Sara said, pointing at the open piloting simulator. "Just climb in and hold the yokes."

"Okay." Madoka said. "Like this?" She climbed up the short stool placed in front of the simulator pod and climbed in. As she sat down and grabbed the control yokes, the front of the pod lowered, closing her into the pod.

"Alright." Sara said, walking over to the control panel. "So idiot erased the software on this thing, so this will take a second, but..." The pod made several noises, and a variety of LEDs on its surface lit up. "Great. We're live. Commencing pilot compatibility testing. This part will take a moment."

The pilot simulation pod began to hum. For several minutes, Arthur, Sara, and the assembled Magical Girls watched the pod without saying anything.

"So." Sara said. "What's it like being a Magical Girl. Should I have gone for that as my MOS?"

"MOS?" Sayaka said, confused.

"Military Occupation Specialty." Sara said. "Its a code designating your specialty within the Army. That was a joke. I was asking what its like being a Magical Girl. I've been reading the briefing materials, but I haven't had time to catch up on everything."

"You should be glad that Kyubey never approached you." Homura said. "Being a Magical Girl is suffering."

"Well." Sara said. "That must be unpleasant. If there is anything we can do to make it better, I'm all ears. I'm supposed to be running this program, after all, and I look out for my men."

"What's our pay going to look like?" Kyoko asked suddenly.

"We're still working that out." Sara admitted. "We're going to commission Arthur as a U.S. Army officer, but we can't do that for any of you, because you're all Japanese nationals, and U.S. officers have to be U.S. Citizens. We're looking into finding you SDF commissions, but failing that, we'll hire you as civilian contractors. Your first paychecks will arrive in two weeks, just like everyone else."

"Great."

"Now, if you people want to go get some chow, I'll hold down the fort here with testing Madoka." Sara said. "The testing will take a while, anyway."

"I'd rather stay." Homura said.

"Um... Alright." Sara said. "There's really nothing for you to do here, though."

"I'm aware of that." Homura replied.

"If its all the same to you, I'll stay too." Sayaka said. "I'm not really hungry."

"And I'd like to stay with Madoka while she's being tested." Mami said. "She'd do the same for any of us."

"Suit yourselves." Sara said, with a shrug.

[x]

Half an hour later, the simulator pod beeped, and the buzzing sound stopped. Sara pressed a button, and the door opened, revealing a frazzled looking Madoka.

"How'd I do?" She muttered.

Sara said nothing for a moment. "Amazing." She muttered. "You have an even higher compatibility than Arthur, and we thought he was about as high as it would get."

Sara paused for a moment. "Would you consider piloting a Seraph in the defense of this word, Madoka?"

Madoka took a deep breath."Yes." She said.

"No. You can't." Homura said.

"Why not?" Madoka said. "The world needs protecting, and this is what I can do to help."

"But that would put you in danger." Homura said. "After everything I've gone through-"

"What do you mean, Homura?" Kyoko said. "You haven't gone through anything that the rest of us haven't. Hell, come to think of it-"

"This conversation is over." Homura said. "Madoka, don't polit the Seraph."

Homura turned around and walked out of the room.

"So, will you do it?" Sara said. "This isn't like signing on to be a Magical Girl. There's nothing supernatural binding you to fight once you agree."

"I'll do it." Madoka said.

[x]

"So I've been thinking." Arthur said, looking at Sara. "I think I'll accept the commission. I want to pilot the Seraph, and that seems like the best way to do it."

"Excellent." Sara said, a strange grin appearing on her face. "Training starts tomorrow."