Number One
Two weeks later...
Fate was enjoying some time off, watching Vivio and Einhart do some light sparring.
Just as she was about to take a sip of tea, however...
[Sir,] Bardiche began, [priority message incoming. Display?]
Fate's smile thinned, and she nodded. "If you would, Bardiche."
As per his master's command, Bardiche opened a small holoscreen.
"Brother?! What's wrong?"
Chrono's worried scowl lessened only by a fraction on seeing his sister well. "It's Knight Carim Gracia. She's had another prophecy. She's still translating it, but... I don't think I've ever seen her this unsettled."
That's worrying, Fate thought. But why would he need to speak with me about it?
"I think you should come and hear it in person. I have reason to suspect that it may involve Nanoha, somehow."
For Fate Harlaown, the universe stopped.
With Shinji...
Shinji looked out of the ship's viewscreen, down at the parallel Earth. I was born here, but I don't feel any kind of connection to this planet. It looks so... strange to me. "It really looks... like it's drenched in blood..."
"Hey. Operative."
Shinji turned back to face Suzuki. "Sir?"
"We're about to send you down, so let's go over the mission parameters again. Just to be sure."
"Yes sir." The boy sat back down.
"Your mission is to infiltrate the Tokyo-3 branch of NERV, by turning yourself in to a police station or other government building. Do you recall the cover story we created to explain your disappearance?"
"Yes sir, I remember."
Suzuki narrowed her eyes. "Repeat it to me."
Though his ability to fake emotion was shoddy at best, Shinji perfectly repeated his cover story.
Once he was finished, Suzuki regarded him for a few moments. "You're a shit actor, Ikari, but it seems that you can at least memorize your lines. In a perfect world we would have had the time to teach you Nepalese, but we take what we can get."
Standing up, Suzuki opened up a locker and retrieved from it a briefcase. "Here's the equipment you'll be using. This," Suzuki said while holding up a black circular jewel, "is N3I."
"A... Device?" Shinji asked.
"That's right," Suzuki nodded. "N3I is an Intelligent Device that's been created specifically for this mission. Go ahead, get to know him."
"Okay, if you're sure..." What's the point? You know damn well that I haven't got a linker core...
[Scanning... Scanning... Biological anomaly found: non-presence of linker core. Engaging brainwave recognition software. Scanning... Analyzing... Identity confirmed as Operative Ikari. Granting level-1 security clearance. Accessible functions: two-way orbital audio/visual communications, long-term data recording. Accessible magic programs: [Wide-Area Search]. [Quantum Scan]. [Radar Mapping]. Cartridge System status: online.]
"Commander, it has a Cartridge System?"
[That is correct. I have been modified to cast spells using only the mana provided via cartridges, to counter your deficiencies.]
"...I see." Well, that changes some things...
"The main purpose behind entrusting you with this asset," Suzuki explained, "is the simple fact that we don't presently have the time or resources to try and smuggle a mage planetside to scan for dimensional disturbances, meaning that you'll have to do it. Since you have no magic of your own to accomplish that, we've been forced to set up a system to enable you to fulfill your mission objectives."
At that time, Suzuki retrieved a case of three cartridges. "This is your current ration. Needless to say, use them wisely." Or else.
Having gotten used to his CO's hostile attitude, Shinji instead asked, "Am I being deployed directly into Tokyo-3?"
"No, you aren't. The one time we attempted to hack Tokyo-3, NERV almost managed to catch us - that they've somehow developed so powerful an AI is another thing we'd like you to look into." Suzuki shook her head, attempting to re-rail her train of thought. "Instead, we'll be teleporting you onto one of the smaller surviving Islands north of Honshu. We already pretty much own the place in terms of data control, so we should be able to falsify a sufficient paper trail."
Suzuki stopped to hand him a wad of several tens of thousands of Japanese yen. "The present weather isn't conducive to national or international flights, and there wouldn't be any we could take advantage of anyway. Because of that, once you hit the ground, yo'll need to use N3I's pre-prepared maps to find a ferry service. Take one to the mainland, and from there you'll take the train to Tokyo-3. This also serves the purpose of giving you a genuine paper trail, to help camoflauge the forgeries."
Eventually, Shinji nodded. "...I understand, sir."
Suzuki made a 'tch' sort of noise, but didn't comment.
At that time, the pilot spoke up through the internal comm. "Hey-hey-hey-hey-hey, this world's atmospheric interference is clearin' up a bit. If you're gonna go down, now'd be a fine time."
Suzuki nodded, and then shoved a backpack containing spare clothes and an old portable cassette player into his arms. "These should help to corroborate your story. Now get going!"
Shinji nodded, slung the backback over one shoulder, and stepped into the teleporter. "Yes sir! Operative Shinji Ikari, beginning mission!"
With that, the boy vanished in a flash of light.
Some hours later...
Fate got out of her car and hurriedly strode to the Church, her coat dramatically swishing around her. To her credit, the blonde Ace had managed to almost perfectly control her roiling emotions, enough that she could make judgment calls without being blinded by them.
"What's the situation?" she asked of the duo by the door.
Carim answered first, seeming particularly agitated. "I finished translating it a short while ago. This prophecy... it's a bit... bizarre. It doesn't seem as vague as most of them do, and it's all the more disturbing for it."
"Brother, you said that this might involve Nanoha somehow?"
"It could, but we should wait to hear Carim's full translation in a few minutes."
While they were talking, the group moved into a certain room in the Church building - a room that was surpassed only by Ixpillia's domicile in terms of security.
After taking a moment to gather her nerves, Carim recited the preliminary translation of her prophecy.
"When the Devil steps again into Hell, he will be enslaved by his fate until the end of days, torn and tormented by demons of his own design. God will kill God, King will fight King, and the Devil will never know peace until the world lays dead at his feet."
After a few moments of silence, Fate let out a breath. "I see. And you were thinking that this might concern Nanoha, because of that nickname some of her detractors came up with a few years ago, up until some of her more amorous students started taking it up as well... What was it they called her, the White Devil?"
Chrono nodded. "Right. And for as long as Nanoha's been involved with magic, she's always been right in the thick of things every time a major calamity looms on the horizon... In that light, you can see why I became concerned."
Carim narrowed her eyes, and placed her chin in her hand. "The subject of Hell doesn't often come up in my prophecies... but when it does, it's usually appeared to signify some kind of war. The line about Kings fighting other Kings also tends to give that impression."
Fate considered the prophecy. "So a Devil of some kind - possibly Nanoha, possibly not - is apparently going to be caught up in some kind of war, which is apparently going to cause that Devil unending torment."
"...'by demons of his own design'," Chrono muttered. "Perhaps this Devil is going to suffer the consequences of his or her past actions, which apparently is going to drive him to end the world."
"That's what it sounds like at the moment," Carim agreed. "But does it refer to a single world in particular? Or does it refer more to the universe as a whole?"
Resting her hand in her chin, Fate continued to think. It's the 'God will kill God' line that bothers me the most. I haven't ever heard one of Carim's prophecies include that kind of premise... Could it be a metaphor for some manner of unimaginably powerful beings, like the Tome of the Night Sky or Hades Vandeim were?
"Hrm... Kings fighting Kings... could that be a reference to the modern heirs of Ancient Belkan rulers? Vivio, Einhart, Jeremiah, Ix..."
"The thing that confuses me the most," Carim admitted, "is that all of this apparently is going to start when the Devil steps again into Hell. As if it's some manner of twisted homecoming..."
Fate stopped abruptly, overcome by a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"Fate? What's wrong?! You look like you've seen-"
"I think I know who this Devil is," Fate quietly explained, "and it isn't Nanoha..."
At that time, Shinji exited the empty passenger train, and for the first time in a decade, stepped foot into Tokyo-3.
And on THAT ominous note, I would so dearly appreciate if you could just drop a review on your way out...
