Unknown location
Non-Administrated World #97
08.27.0088
"Administrative access granted," Tizona's metallic voice echoed softly in the small sandstone niche.
Celica's gray eyes fluttered open slowly. She blinked a few times—the small cave was pitch-black save for the soft glow of Tizona's multiple holo displays. She had fallen asleep during her Device's takeover of the base's security systems. Night had already fallen, and yet the enemy had not located her yet. Very strange. Celica was immediately on her guard. The sentries she did not kill would have either been rescued or returned to base on their own. The facility ought to have been lit up and on full alert.
Perhaps the nature of this place is such that they cannot risk discovery, even in the event of a possible incursion.
It had taken Tizona longer than either had imagined to break into the base's security systems. Celica underestimated their computer technology, a mistake she wouldn't likely make again. The red-haired woman cleared her bleary eyes and came fully awake, rooting around in her rucksack for a preserved food bar. They weren't the most appetizing things in the world, but it was important to keep her strength up.
I'll be fighting again before this is all over, she reminded herself as she tore the wrapper open and took a small bite. She made a face, chewing several times before swallowing.
"I wish I had pizza and beer," she muttered aloud as she turned her attention to the new windows open on Tizona's displays. Now that she had full and unrestricted access to their security systems, it would be a simple matter to render the base's defenses impotent and seal off the complex.
"Reprogramming defense turrets. Sealing Sections A through K. Opening L Section service entrance," Tizona said. Celica watched through the security camera feeds as the flashing alert sirens died. Sections of corridor suddenly popped open, revealing hidden gun turrets. Doors began to slam shut throughout the facility, sealing off certain sections while leaving a clear path to the artifact conservation chamber.
Then the whole scene went to hell. Celica looked on dispassionately as the defense turrets began to fire indiscriminately, gunning down the very people they were designed and constructed to protect. White-coated lab technicians and researchers were cut down as they tried to flee. Blood spattered the immaculate white floors and walls.
"Enemy forces are resisting," Tizona noted, bringing a new window to Celica's attention. She watched as a group of well-armed soldiers systematically destroyed the defense turrets in B Section, using what appeared to be automatic carbines with grenade launcher attachments. The men were well-organized and seemed to exhibit no signs of panic.
"Cameras in A Section have been disabled," Tizona said; Celica could almost detect a note of anger in his artificial voice. "I am picking up some unusual readings within the base."
"What sort of readings?"
"Magical energy signatures of an unknown type," Tizona reported ominously. "The signature has many similarities to Mid-type, but it has been altered. There is no indication of Mid-type core logic, only energy readings consistent with Mid-type mages."
Celica said nothing, only digesting what Tizona had reported. The presence of magical energy signatures in the base was not unexpected—after all, this facility held the Lost Logia detailed in Stele's debriefing report. It made sense that the humans of Earth had found other bits and pieces of magical technology.
But to find readings consistent with active Linker Cores, using a system fundamentally based on Midchildan arcana, yet without any sort of core logic...
Celica shook her head violently, as if she were trying to clear her thoughts by rattling her brain around in her skull. Of course the humans here would have found some way to use this technology they had been studying for so long. She pulled up the readings from A Section and examined them more closely.
Without core logic, Celica was not even sure how they were utilizing magical energy. She didn't understand the concept well enough—she was a computer specialist, after all, not a Device Meister. But Tizona's readings were not in error; there were at least twelve individual contacts within A Section, each one a blazingly bright active Linker Core.
"Defense turrets in A Section have been destroyed," Tizona reported, bringing additional information to the surface. "Shutters to B Section have been breached. The unknown force is attempting to retake the base; I am locking all internal workstations and access points."
"That won't hold them for long," murmured Celica grimly. "I'm sure they have a back door in place for just such an occurrence."
"I will not make it easy for them," promised Tizona as the static-filled windows disappeared. Celica watched as her Device redoubled his efforts. The resource monitor showed that he still had plenty of processing power left to spare, however—the enemy would not have an easy time of it.
"How many are left alive in there?"
"Twelve unknown contacts in the blackout section. Sixteen known contacts accounted for, sealed in B Section through K Section. Five known contacts in B Section are not accounted for."
"Damn, they're putting all their effort into releasing the scientists," Celica observed. The window showing the B Section camera flashed briefly as Tizona brought it to her attention, and she got her first good look at her new foe.
She couldn't tell if the figure was a man or a woman; the individual was covered from head to toe in a heavy charcoal-black armor constructed of some composite material. Flashing emitters studded the heavy shoulder plates; Celica could barely make out a backpack consisting of two transparent tubes filled with a glowing green-white substance. The armor seemed to glow and flicker, arcs of greenish lighting licking from the emitters to the armor plate itself.
The dark-armored figure shouldered a heavy rifle with a wide bore and aimed it directly at the camera. Celica was able to see that a thick umbilical ran from the glowing backpack apparatus into the main body of the weapon. The gun's barrel flashed with brilliant green-white as the image was suddenly replaced with static.
So they're the source of the strange readings, Celica thought. Given enough time, they would take back the entire base and Celica would be unable to complete her objective. She was not foolish enough to rush inside the facility without a plan, however.
Celica would have to decide quickly. If she waited too long, they would breach all sections and be able to secure her intended point of entry, the L Section service entrance. If she left her protected location now, though, the enemy commander would undoubtedly send some of the dark-armored soldiers to eliminate her.
What she needed was a distraction of some type—
"Hold," an angry female voice said loudly from behind her. "Celica Iris-Lynnfield, you are under arrest for the murder of three Security Division officers. I have orders from Admiral Harlaown to bring you in alive and unharmed. Deactivate your Device, remove your Barrier Jacket and surrender peacefully or I will force compliance."
Celica stiffened at the sound of that voice, a voice that was as familiar to her as any could possibly be.
The voice of a dear friend.
"Alphine," said Celica in a dry tone, not moving, not taking her eyes off Tizona's displays. "What brings you to this part of the universe?"
Ten minutes earlier:
Lutecia opened her eyes and blinked several times, trying to adjust her vision to the darkness around her. Her dimensional transfer had been exceptionally accurate; she ended up less than two hundred meters from where her target lay, completely absorbed in her electronic assault of the secret research facility.
She would be distracted by her task; even with Tizona's help, and even though Celica had the technological advantage, it would be a difficult task to maintain her control. Lutecia would have the upper hand.
Celica knows the score, thought Lutecia darkly as she carefully walked toward the small sandstone niche where the gray-eyed Shadow was holed up. Asclepius granted her eyes the ability to cut through the complex camouflage barrier that Celica had set up to confound the Terrans. She could clearly see the woman, even from this distance, her charcoal-colored Barrier Jacket scuffed and dirty.
It hadn't been easy for her. Lutecia didn't know what was driving the woman so hard, but she intended to find out, even if she had to beat it out of her.
"Garyuu," Lutecia said softly. "This is an important reunion. Please ensure we are not interrupted."
The black-armored summon nodded silently and flashed into the shadows between the sandstone valleys and gorges. Lutecia was not worried about her ever-present partner; Garyuu was more than a match for any ten of these magic-dead humans, and they had problems of their own at the moment.
Lutecia took her time, walking slowly toward Celica's hiding place. This was it—the frantic mission was almost over, her quarry in sight. The thought should have filled her with an elated sense of relief that it was finally over, but Lutecia felt only weary. Her legs were rubbery and she felt lightheaded.
She had the strong feeling that this was just the beginning.
Lutecia stopped ten meters from the small hole in the rocks, eroded by the wind and grit blown about. Celica did not even turn, but Lutecia knew the other woman was aware she was no longer alone.
It didn't matter. She would say what she had to say.
"Hold. Celica Iris-Lynnfield, you are under arrest for the murder of three Security Division officers. I have orders from Admiral Harlaown to bring you in alive and unharmed. Deactivate your Device, remove your Barrier Jacket and surrender peacefully or I will force compliance."
"Alphine," Celica replied dryly, not bothering to turn around. "What brings you to this part of the universe?"
"Celica..."
"I don't have anything to say to you, Alphine," Celica deadpanned. "You showed up entirely too soon—I guess I didn't obscure my trail as well as I thought."
Lutecia ignored the comment. "If you wish to speak on behalf of your actions, the Bureau will—"
"I know better than that, Lutecia," Celica snapped coldly. "We aren't the Bureau. We're Shadows. We don't listen to our targets—our enemies. We don't arrest them. We kill them. You, of all people, should know this better than anyone."
Lutecia was taken aback at the severity of the response. The words stung profoundly. Emotions poured through Lutecia's mind. Celica's harshly-spoken words had their own dark sort of magic, summoning the ghosts of those Lutecia had murdered as a Shadow.
And there was the fact that Celica had referred to her by her first name! The older woman had never, not even once, called Lutecia by her first name in the seven years they'd known each other.
Lutecia's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I am authorized to use lethal force—"
Celica finally turned around, standing up and stretching her arms high above her head. The myriad monitors and displays flashed away in a brilliant blue-white glow, leaving the Shadow holding the long-bladed dagger, Tizona, in her right hand.
When she finally spoke, the voice sounded not angry, but bone-weary, exhausted beyond all limits of human endurance. It was a voice that Lutecia had never heard from Celica's lips—a voice that sounded so very much like her own.
"At least this way, my death will come from the hand of a friend."
Unknown location
Non-Administrated World #97
08.28.0088
"[Pulse Lancer]," Tizona barked harshly. Blue-white globes of magical force shimmered in the air and slashed outward at blinding speed. Celica watched as the shots tracked their target and slammed into Lutecia's body. The projectiles detonated into small shockwaves—but the brunt of the attack was absorbed by the telltale Belkan sigil of the summoner's shielding spell.
Celica knew she was outmatched and outgunned. For some reason she did not wholly understand, Lutecia had not involved Garyuu in this fight. If the black-armored insect summon had been called in, Celica would not have lasted more than five minutes.
Because it's personal, thought Celica belatedly as she awkwardly dodged a barrage of black-purple beams of force. Fortunately for her, Lutecia's offensive strength lie mostly in the power of her summons. Her direct-fire magic was actually less powerful than Celica's own, but as a trained and highly-experienced combat mage, Lutecia's endurance and magical capacity was much higher.
Even with less-destructive weapons, Lutecia would outlast her, if she allowed it. Celica's only hope was to put everything she had into a single strike that would blast through the other woman's meager defenses. Summoners were vulnerable without their summons nearby—and Lutecia had intentionally thrown that advantage by sending Garyuu away.
Celica knew better, though. Lutecia did not have absolute control over her summons—especially not Garyuu. If Celica managed to wound Lutecia, Garyuu would intervene, disobeying his master's orders to save her life.
It was after midnight. The battle had gone on for only ten minutes, yet to Celica it felt as if she had been fighting for hours. She had not yet completely recovered from battling the sentries the previous day. And now she was facing Lutecia Alphine, the number-three most powerful mage in the entire Field Division, only losing out to the director himself... and Abraham Stele.
Celica had spoken the truth earlier. If she had to die today, she would rather be killed by the hand of a friend than the hand of the betrayer.
"[Protection]," Tizona said suddenly as a blue-white dome of force coalesced in the air around her, a split-second before a barrage of glowing beams splashed against the shield.
"Thanks," bit off Celica, nodding to her Device. She had to keep her head in the game. Lutecia hadn't even hit her stride yet.
We're going to have to get close, Celica said mentally to her Device. Tizona already knew this well—even as low as Lutecia's defenses were, a well-known fact that was oft-lamented among other Shadows that they worked with, Lutecia would be able to defend herself reasonably well from any bombardment that Celica could cast.
The only hope Celica had to save herself from Lutecia would be to breach the summoner's defensive perimeter and hit her with an overpowering technique designed to breach all defenses and strike the target directly. It was a risky maneuver against most Mid mages and all Belkan knights, but Lutecia's close-combat abilities were poor.
She relies too heavily on Garyuu to keep potential threats at arm's length, Celica thought.
It would be difficult enough just getting that close. Celica ran laterally across the top of the sandstone ridge just as Lutecia popped up out of the gorge she had taken cover in, Asclepius glowing fiercly as the summoner cast a withering barrage of magical projectiles.
Tizona's protective spell wasn't enough to withstand the onslaught. The magical barrier shattered like glass and several black-purple bolts of force slammed into Celica's torso and legs, exploding with a blinding flash.
Her Barrier Jacket managed to absorb the brunt of the attack, but not all of it. She staggered, stunned by the hammer blows, her vision obscured by the magical detonation. It would be less than seconds before Lutecia would strike the finishing blow and send Celica into unconsciousness.
Without any other options, Tizona protected his wielder as best he could.
"[Overclock]."
Celica gasped as a blinding flash of pain exploded behind her eyes, but she shunted the pain aside, gritting her teeth viciously, knowing that she would be lost if she wasted this chance. It was too soon; she was too overextended, and by the gods, it hurt!
Celica's Overclock ability was a double-edged sword. The spell was capable of amplifying her physical and magical power far beyond her normal limitations, but there was a price. It used a tremendous amount of magical energy, more than Celica's nominal capacity could hold. It placed incredible strain on her body and her Linker Core.
Even in prime physical condition, fresh and rested and with her Linker Core at full capacity, Celica could only cast Overclock three times without any significant danger to herself.
Tizona is a computer, after all. He would have calculated everything, made the decision with utter rationality. And he's given me the chance I need to save myself.
Time seemed to be mired in thick mud. The flash of light from Lutecia's energy bolt spell hung in the air like mist. Celica moved, as fast as her weakened and injured legs could carry her, and under the effects of Overclock, Lutecia would be unable to hit her before she closed into melee.
Lutecia's eyes widened in disbelief ever-so-slowly as she fired another barrage of magical projectiles—Celica watched from the corner of her eye as they leisurely flew through the air, seemingly drifting like feathers, on target with the spot she had just been a split second before—
Celica raised Tizona up above her head in a two-handed grip, holding the dagger like a sword. The blade began to glow fiercely with argent light, too bright to focus on. The glow began to extend, lengthening the blade considerably as Celica performed her most deadly technique.
"[Vertical Cleave]," Tizona intoned, his artificial voice sounding a death knell. Celica felt the Device infuse her slender arms with superhuman strength, already amplified through Overclock, as the blade flashed downward, aimed directly at Lutecia's head.
Celica felt the impact as a blinding explosion of magical energy engulfed them both. She squeezed her eyes shut, tears streaming down her cheeks, not only from the painful brilliance.
Her head exploded into agonizing pain as she felt—she felt the damage as her Linker Core overloaded. Blue-white arcs of magic energy crawled over her body, her muscles clenching in uncontrollable spasms. Black tendrils edged at the corner of her vision, under the red-tinged glow that burned through her eyelids. She fell backwards, losing her grip on Tizona, only dimly registering the impact as she hit hard sandstone.
Celica opened her eyes, barely cognizant of her surroundings, but she still had enough of her wits about her to confirm—
"Fuck," she mumbled weakly.
Tizona's blade, no longer glowing, was imbedded in a pauldron of crumbled black carapace. The blow that should have sundered Lutecia's defenses and struck her directly instead had badly damaged Garyuu's left arm.
The insect summon stared at her dispassionately, seemingly oblivious to his ruined left arm and the bladelike Device imbedded in the shattered chitinous armor. He did not move, but Celica could feel the murderous intent beneath the alien gaze.
Lutecia stepped out from behind her summoned guardian. Celica kept her gray eyes focused on the woman as she stopped and, as gently as she could, removed Tizona from Garyuu's shoulder, dropping the drained Device to the ground.
The black-armored insect creature made no sound and continued to stand guard as Lutecia knelt down beside Celica's prone body. The red-haired mage desperately tried to move, but her body would not obey her mind's commands. Her eyes started to droop as the black mist nibbled further at her vision.
"Celica, talk to me," Lutecia cried urgently, wiping blood from Celica's nose with her fingers. "Celica? Celica, keep your eyes open. Shit, Celica, don't die on me. Come on, girl, keep those eyes open!"
It was then that Celica's vision cleared enough to see the tears streaming from Lutecia's eyes. It was the last thing she saw before the darkness overtook her.
Celica opened her eyes slowly and saw the starry sky—an unfamiliar sky. She was not on Midchilda.
Then, where the fuck am I?
"You're awake," a familiar voice said. Celica could hear the relief flooding that voice. She tried to turn her head, to focus on the voice, but she found she was incapable of movement.
"How long was I out?" Celica's vision cleared a bit more and saw the unsmiling face of her friend above her. The lilac-haired summoner cradled Celica's head on her lap, gently moving it until the two women made eye contact.
"Only about twenty or thirty minutes," Lutecia replied in a worried tone. She glanced about quickly, knowing very well that the two of them were in a lot of danger. "The fight attracted a lot of attention. They're out looking for us now."
"Where did we... ?"
"After you lost consciousness, I teleported us some distance from the base. We're about ten kilometers away. I put up a phase barrier, so they shouldn't be able to find us without magical assistance."
Celica didn't reply, but instead tried to sit up, levering her body upward. Her muscles refused to correctly obey her mind's commands, however, and she succeeded in doing nothing but planting her face directly into Lutecia's chest.
"Don't try to move," Lutecia Alphine said, giggling slightly as she lowered Celica's head back into her lap.
"I feel awful," said Celica weakly.
"Overloading your Linker Core will do that," Lutecia agreed in a dry tone, but the relief—and the anger—was obvious in her voice and her eyes. "I can't believe you did something like that, Celica. It could have killed you."
"I seem to recall you were doing your best to take care of that little chore yourself," Celica replied slowly.
"Damn it, Celica, you know I'd never—"
"So here I am, helpless and defeated," Celica cut her off. "I can't even move my head, much less fight or run away. You've got me now, slap the cuffs on me and take me back to headquarters, where I'll have some sort of accident—"
"Shut up, Celica," Lutecia said sharply. "You could have just told me. I would have given you the benefit of the doubt. I would have believed you."
"What are you—?"
"Talking about? Your Device told me everything," Lutecia explained, "while you were unconscious and Asclepius was hard at work trying to keep your Linker Core from collapsing. Which he was successful at, by the way, so you should thank him. Are you insane, Celica? You should have just told me. I would have helped you!"
"I had no way of knowing—"
"Where my loyalties lie?" Lutecia said bitterly. "Come on, you know me better than that. Why didn't you just tell me?"
"I didn't have time," Celica said, licking her dry and cracked lips. "Once I stumbled across the doctored reports and the data regarding this Lost Logia, I was locked out of the system. It wasn't long before two Security Division officers armed with linear rifles broke into my office and tried to kill me. They were unsuccessful, and I had to escape before they sent more after me."
"There were three dead," Lutecia noted coolly. Celica grimaced at that observation, knowing there was no real way around it.
"The third man attacked me as I left the room," Celica explained. "He was a mage, a Belkan adept with an Armed Device. At the time I thought he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time..."
"But you don't now?"
"No," Celica said, feebly nodding her head in Tizona's direction. It was an improvement; she could move something now. "I found the man's name in the data I took. He was put there as insurance, in the event the first two assassins failed. Whoever sent them underestimated my combat abilities, but just barely."
"Your 'combat abilities,' specifically your grasp of tactics and your own limitations, leave much to be desired," said Lutecia dryly. "What are you going to do now, Celica?"
"Too much time has passed now," replied Celica glumly. "The base is no longer under my control. I don't know, Alphine. I just..."
"You don't have a backup plan? The mistress of contingencies herself, and you don't have a Plan B?" Lutecia demanded incredulously.
Celica's expression shifted from grim to sheepish as she looked away self-consciously. "Well, I have been running for my life and not getting much sleep lately," she offered lamely. "Yes, I do have a Plan B. But there's a catch."
"What catch?" Lutecia asked suspiciously.
Celica told her.
"This is insane. You are insane," Lutecia muttered, exasperated. She threw her hands up in the air and sighed theatrically. "If Storm knew anything about this crazy plan of yours, he'd kill you, then kill me for daring to even entertain such a thought! You're half-dead and you can't even move!"
"I'll be fine in a little while," Celica said truthfully. Her Linker Core had overloaded, but that rarely caused permanent physical damage. The gray-eyed computer genius stared up at her friend, silently pleading.
"Oh, all right," said Lutecia disgustedly. "But if you get yourself killed I'll never forgive you. Close your eyes and try to relax. This probably isn't going to feel very good."
Celica followed the field agent's instructions, shutting her eyes and bracing herself for the pain to come. Most magically-aided healing was a gradual process, but the Shadows had developed a much-accelerated method of healing wounds and repairing Linker Core damage, designed to be used in the heat of combat where time was a luxury they just didn't have.
There was a price, though. Such rapid healing caused tremendous pain for the recipient, and the spell itself consumed enormous amounts of energy. Fortunately for Celica's sake, Lutecia's Linker Core capacity was much greater than that of an average mage. Summoners had to constantly expend energy in order to anchor their summons to this dimension—much of the training summoners endured was focused on expanding their magical energy capacity.
Asclepius glowed fiercely with black-violet light as the spell took effect, sending searing bolts of healing energy into Celica's prone body. Her back arched suddenly as she grunted in agony, clenching her teeth as every muscle in her body spasmed, every nerve blossoming into blinding pain.
And just as quickly as it had begun, it was over. Celica's body went limp for only a moment before she sat up, slightly unsteadily, but her muscles were functional once again. She felt a surge of vitality and strength course through her body.
"I'm going to stand up," Celica announced, nimbly jumping to her feet. The spell had fully taken effect with no side-effects.
"Try using magic," Lutecia suggested.
Celica nodded and closed her eyes, focusing her mind on the formless distortion of reality within her—the metaphysical "organ" that functioned as a conduit to channel a mage's power. Her Linker Core felt normal again, no longer wildly oscillating with uncontrollable surges.
"Pulse Lancer," Celica declared, and a single blue-white bullet of force appeared in front of her outstretched hand, streaking through the air and slamming into a nearby rock with shattering force. Shards of fractured stone scattered across the hard-packed earth of the badlands.
"Looks like it worked," Lutecia said, relief evident in her tone. Celica nodded briskly as she bent down to pick Tizona up from the ground where Lutecia had left the Device. "Are you really okay with this, Celica? I'm not going to be able to help with the fighting very much, and you pretty much destroyed Garyuu's left arm—"
Celica grimaced at the comment. "I'm sorry about that."
Lutecia shrugged. "He'll be fine in a few days, but it puts us at a disadvantage now."
"What about Jiraio? Can't you call him to help, as well?"
"Not after that healing spell," Lutecia said grimly. "The material summon I'm going to use to steal the Lost Logia isn't exactly an easy casting, either. It's going to be you and Garyuu against whatever defenses they've managed to put back together since your electronic assault ended."
"It's going to work, Alphine," Celica said firmly. "This is the best chance we've got to get out of this one alive..."
"... and find out what's really going on in NSIS," finished Lutecia in an equally-firm tone. "All right, Celica, I'm going along with this insanity. I don't know why, maybe I'm just as crazy as you, but... let's do this."
Celica nodded and offered her hand, which Lutecia clasped in a strong grip. At the same moment, Lutecia felt a strange chill run down her spine. A slight reverberation shuddered through her mind.
"The phase barrier has been dispelled," Tizona announced ominously. Celica and Lutecia looked at each other in astonishment. There shouldn't have been anyone anywhere near them that could have dispelled—
"Look," said Lutecia in a small voice, pointing toward the sky. Celica followed her gesture and saw five points of glowing reddish light and the familiar contrail of a mage in aerial flight.
"Magical energy signatures detected," Asclepius announced. "Configuration unknown. Core logic not detected. Contacts are not of Midchildan or Belkan origin."
"It doesn't look like we're going to get out of this one so easily, after all," Celica said in a deadpan tone. "They're incoming—get ready, Alphine!"
"Garyuu!" Lutecia snapped suddenly. With a flash of movement, the insect guardian returned to his mistress's side, his left arm still badly damaged and hanging useless from his shoulder, but the injury didn't seem to slow him in the slightest.
"Garyuu will close to melee," Lutecia said, outlining a tactical plan. "I will coordinate the battle and our defenses. You focus on bombardment."
"Got it," Celica replied, stepping back until she was about five meters behind Lutecia. The red-haired woman glanced at Tizona and nodded.
"[Cannon Form]."
Celica braced the transformed Tizona against her shoulder as the incoming aerial units closed in. They were within visual contact range now—Celica could clearly see that they were the same strange armored units she had seen during her takeover of the base's security systems.
But now they were flying.
"Asclepius," Lutecia implored softly. The Belkan magic circle sprang into being under her feet, the ancient sigils glowing with barely-contained power.
"[Shadow Shield]," Asclepius responded. A black-purple dome of shadowy energy flared into being, covering both Lutecia and Celica. Lutecia's defensive abilities were about on par with Celica's, but her endurance was vastly higher. She would be able to hold this level of defense even through a protracted battle.
"They're within range," Celica shouted. "Opening fire!"
"[Ion Cannon]," Tizona intoned as Celica braced the weapon against her shoulder. The Interface Device's aperture flared brightly as a wide beam of crackling blue-white lightning tore across the sky, streaking toward the incoming aerial units.
Celica's aim was true, but the enemy units reacted quickly and scattered, breaking formation. The disabling beam struck only one target, but the result was exactly what Celica had hoped for and expected.
Arcs of blue-white energy played across the unit's armor and shorted out its systems. The corona of reddish energy flickered once and failed outright, sending the aerial trooper falling from the sky. Celica watched as the trooper calmly deployed an emergency parachute, slowing his fall enough to avoid serious injury upon impact with the ground.
"That's one out of the fight," Celica said in a satsified tone. With the power subsystems fried by her attack, he would be unable to move with the armor no longer supporting its own tremendous weight.
"Hit them again," Lutecia commanded. "They're almost within firing range."
Celica lifted Tizona and loosed a second shot, sending the beam of overloading energy directly on-target. The result was not what she expected this time, however. The energy seemed to sheer off the unit's armor like water.
"They've adapted their defenses to compensate!" Celica cried, switching Tizona's firing mode to a more physically-damaging method of attack. The enemy units were then within firing range, raising their heavy-barreled weapons and loosing fast-moving blobs of a glowing liquid-like substance.
"They're firing bolts of raw magic," Lutecia noted. "Garyuu, now!"
Celica waited and watched as the insect guardian suddenly appeared in the air between two of the armored aerial units. Even with one destroyed arm, the alien creature moved with an impossible fluidity and speed.
His right arm flashed as a long, razor-sharp blade extended and slashed at the nearest soldier, knocking the unit into a drunken loop. Garyuu pressed the immediate advantage of surprise, swooping in for the kill. The enemy soldier was far from helpless, however, firing bolts of molten magic as he struggled to regain control over his flight.
Garyuu dodged the blasts without trouble and slashed viciously, severing the tube connecting the soldier's rifle to the power plant backpack. Glowing fluid leaked for a moment before the armor's internal systems shut the valve off. The soldier changed direction, discarding his useless weapon. They had planned for such an occurrence, however, and the soldier drew a machine pistol from a hidden compartment, blasting away at the black-armored insect guardian.
The ordinary bullets had little effect on Garyuu, however, and the terribly sharp wrist blade slashed through ceramic and carbon fiber armor, rending the flesh and bone beneath.
"Energy levels at 94.9%. A firing lock is canceled," Tizona reported helpfully.
Celica's field of fire was clear with Garyuu chasing after his own prey. Lutecia laid a withering barrage of suppression fire, filling the air with black-purple bullets of magical force to restrict the movements of the remaining three aerial units.
"[Plasma Cannon]."
Tizona's aperture burst into brilliant blue-white fire. The wide beam of destructive magical energy surged outward, blasting through the tight formation.
Two of the three enemy units were struck with the full force of the attack, their armor cracking and shattering from the force of the blast. They fell from the sky, swooping down in a controlled crash-landing to take cover in a nearby sandstone gorge.
They're out of the sky, thought Celica with satisfaction, but they're likely not out of the fight just yet.
The third unit was struck a glancing blow, sending him spiraling through the air uncontrollably. Lutecia suddenly shifted from suppression fire to a focused barrage, slamming dozens upon dozens of black-purple bullets of force into the aerial unit as he struggled to regain control.
Each successive strike blasted away chunks of armor, but Celica was unsure whether or not the attacks would actually take him out. The armor was obviously charged with magical energy much in the same way a Barrier Jacket was, else it would not have defended so well against her Ion Cannon.
Even if Lutecia's shots weren't seriously hurting the man, they were sending him careening across the sky, preventing him from making any real effort at directed flight. One shot exploded across the man's helmet, sending him pinwheeling through the sky.
Celica watched, awestruck, as three successive bullets of force slammed into the man's power plant backpack, breaching the containment unit. The aerial unit abruptly exploded in a thunderous detonation, tearing a brilliant hole in the starry black sky.
"Looks like that's their weak spot!" Lutecia cried, a note of triumph in her voice. "Don't let your guard down; those other two are still alive."
"I know that," said Celica. "Tizona, Blade Form."
"[Blade Form]," the Device confirmed, reshaping itself into the familiar long-bladed dagger. "They aren't going to come to us; we're going to have to hunt them down."
"They know better than to face us at range," Lutecia said coolly. "Asclepius, can you take down the shadow shield?"
"I obey," the Intelligent Device said immediately. The shimmering dome of shadowy energy flickered once and faded, allowing the two women to quickly meet up with Garyuu.
Celica was astonished to see that the insect guardian's left arm no longer hung limp and useless. The deep gash where Tizona's blade had sundered the alien creature's natural armor was already repaired, leaving only smooth black chitin where a grievous wound once was.
"It's already healed that much?"
"His regenerative powers are incredible," Lutecia said proudly. "It'll be a while longer before he can actually use that arm to fight with, though."
"Be careful," Celica said seriously. "We don't want to hit their backpacks too close; that explosion was big enough to leave little pieces of us laying all over the landscape."
No more words were exchanged as Lutecia and Celica ran across the blasted landscape, easily jumping over gorges and large fissures in the rock. The two aerial units had gone to ground about two hundred meters away. It would only be a matter of time before the stunned units managed to recover and mount a renewed assault.
We've got to take these guys out so Alphine can steal the Lost Logia, thought Celica grimly. Let's do our best, Tizona.
Yes, Mistress, was the Device's mental response.
It wasn't long until the air was alive with glowing green-white blobs of molten magic. Celica tucked her head down and ran as fast as she could, brandishing Tizona in her right hand.
"[Protection]," Tizona said as he brought up defenses, deflecting two of the incoming projectiles with a liquid-like splash. The raw magic was heavily charged, however, and the third and fourth shots plowed through the hastily-erected defense, shattering the shield like glass.
Celica dropped as she ran, sliding across the dusty ground as the two bolts of power streaked past her. Garyuu flitted across and brandished a wrist blade, deflecting two more shots that bore down on the prone and now-motionless Celica.
The Shadow mouthed her thanks to the insect guardian and stood up, glancing over at Lutecia, who was fighting one of the enemy units in close combat. Celica had never seen Lutecia fight hand-to-hand, but the young woman was quite skilled.
Her foot lashed out and slammed heavily into her opponent's metal helmet, sending the man staggering back as he struggled to bring his magic-blasting rifle to bear.
Garyuu's wrist blade flashed and severed the umbilical connecting the weapon to the armor's power plant, rendering it useless. The insect guardian whirled around and slammed his clawed foot against the chestplate, shattering the composite material with inhuman force. The body flew several meters from the force of the blow and crumpled into a lifeless heap.
Celica sent a barrage of magical force bullets streaking at the last remaining unit, the micro-detonations stunning him and putting him off-balance. The soldier was well-trained, however, and managed to fire several quick blasts from his rifle, scoring a direct hit that knocked the red-haired woman from her feet.
"Celica!" Lutecia cried, raising her hand with a quick casting. Asclepius glowed fiercely as he brought up a shadow shield around Celica's prone form. The older woman groaned, her Barrier Jacket smoking and scorched.
Lutecia was worried about Celica, but she couldn't do anything at the moment, not as long as the last soldier remained alive. The enemy unit was intelligent enough to recognize the shadow shield for what it was and subsequently switched targets. He sent a deadly barrage of seething raw magic at Lutecia, which she managed to dodge just in time to avoid being incinerated.
"Garyuu, cover me," Lutecia commanded. The insect guardian nodded silently and glared murder at the remaining soldier as he laid down several poorly-aimed shots, intended only to keep his enemy at bay while he opened a communications link with the base.
If they had any more of these... proto-mages, I guess, thought Lutecia, they would have sent them out already. Still, it wouldn't be good to let him have a conversation with his superiors.
"Tizona!" Lutecia shouted, hoping the Device could register her request from this distance. "Jam all communications now!"
"I will do so, Agent Alphine," the Interface Device replied, the blade flashing briefly with blue-white energy as it began to emit a powerful jamming signal on all usable frequencies. It would be short-range, since Tizona had not had time to target specific frequencies, but it would be enough.
Lutecia smiled grimly as the man's body went rigid with anger, visible even under the bulk of his power-assisted armor suit. Tizona's intervention came just in time to interrupt his report.
Now all that's left is to take him out, thought Lutecia. She raised her right hand and extended her palm, preparing to loose a deadly barrage of magical force. A swarm of black-purple bolts rained down on the man, blasting chunks of armor away, penetrating the magically-charged material and damaging the flesh and bone beneath.
Lutecia ceased her attack just short of breaching the power plant's containment field—she was much too close to survive such an explosion—and aimed a single magical blast to strike the man in the head.
The heavy helmet burst apart at the seams from the detonation as the man's head exploded. Blood splattered the ground as the now-headless corpse fell heavily, pieces of fragmented skull and brain matter staining the cracked and ruined armor suit.
Lutecia exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding. The fight was over, for now, but there was still much to do. She half-ran over to where she had left Celica under a shadow shield. The woman was sitting up, patiently waiting for Lutecia to dispel the defensive barrier so she could get out.
"I wasn't hurt that badly," Celica explained. "The Barrier Jacket absorbed most of the hit. If you hadn't left this silly shield over me, I could have helped you out with that last one."
"How was I supposed to know you weren't out cold? Again?" Lutecia demanded teasingly. "I just wanted to make sure I didn't need to worry about protecting you while I fought."
"Oh, is that how it goes?"
"That's how it goes," Lutecia agreed dryly. "Come on, let's get this over with before they start harassing us again."
Unit Epsilon Headquarters
Washington, D.C.
Non-Administrated World #97
08.28.0088
"They have taken the sample, General. Both contacts are no longer showing up on our instruments. We've lost them."
"It doesn't really matter that much," a gravelly voice with a touch of a Southern accent said, staring into the webcam built into the lid of his portable computer. "We've already learned as much as we can from the damned thing. After having it for fifty years, we still can't figure out how to turn it on!"
"Perhaps that is for the best, General," an older woman on the other end of the videoconferencing session said primly. "That thing always gave me the creeps."
"Gave you the creeps, huh?" General Augustus Reed said. "Ain't that a little unscientific to say, Dr. Vance?"
The woman's face split into a small smile. "You know damn well I'm not an ordinary researcher, and what we're doing isn't in the realm of ordinary science. We're using it, yet we don't fully understand it."
"It's only magic if you don't understand how it works," quoted the General in a dry tone. "The prototype units were killed?"
"One survived; it appeared as if his power armor was overloaded by some type of disabling attack. We're pulling a debriefing report from him as we speak. The other five have been confirmed dead."
"The artifact was an acceptable loss," General Reed said solemnly, "but this, this failure is unacceptable, Dr. Vance. You know as well as I do that humans with active Linker Cores are extremely rare. We can't afford to lose even one unit, much less five!"
"General, I know it is a significant loss, but the data we've managed to obtain as a result of this battle is of incalculable value. We knew right from the starting gate that we'd never be able to obtain real field testing data... but we have that now!"
"What are you telling me, Doctor?"
"I'm telling you that with the data we've gathered... assuming we have the available resources, we can improve the combat effectiveness of the prototype units threefold."
"That much?"
"At least that much," said Dr. Vance with conviction. "Just from scratching the surface here, I know we can greatly bolster the defensive abilities of the power armor. With further study, we should be able to realize a substantial increase in both offensive and defensive power when the unit goes into mass-production."
"You're forgetting one important thing," General Reed said acidly. "Our people rarely have active Linker Cores, unlike our Midchildan brothers. Even if we start mass-producing the power armor, who's going to use it? It won't work unless the operator has an active Linker Core. You're getting ahead of yourself, Dr. Vance."
"We believe we can find enough volunteers. If you give us a little more time..."
"Time is something we don't have," Reed said sharply. "Congress is nosing around. Make sure that there were no witnesses to last night's events. If there are, you know what to do with them."
"Yes, sir," the gray-haired woman said solemnly. "I'll relay your orders to Colonel Meyers. This area is pretty desolate, though, so I doubt anyone saw anything at all."
"The last thing we need right now is a massive media scandal and a congressional witch-hunt into Unit Epsilon. Especially not when we're so close to success. We have no idea when the Time-Space Administration Bureau will decide to involve themselves more closely in Earth—and by extension, the United States. Make sure nothing gets out."
"Yes, sir."
General Reed closed the connection and shut down the video stream. He leaned back in his leather executive chair, pulling a pack of unfiltered cigarettes from his breast pocket. The military officer lit the cigarette and exhaled a plume of bluish smoke.
"I hope to hell that this works," Reed said to no one in particular.