Section Thirteen

Chapter Eight: Stone Cold

Planet Gardius – 1949 Hours – Skies above the City

"D-dammit, this on top of everything else…?"

For perhaps the first time that night, Katie considered herself (and Barnes; if she died because of their connection, she'd make him pay for it, simple as that) lucky. There was a nice, flat roof just underneath her – something awfully handy to have available when it suddenly felt like a siphoning tube had been hooked up to your linker core. Ducking into the fall rather than resist, she stumbled touching down on the stone surface, but didn't fall. No, that wouldn't be happening today if she could even barely help it.

She stood there crouched, breathing in and out, until the link connecting them stabilized. Letting one last huff out, Katie rose, now with something else to think about besides her own screw-ups. "That can only mean one thing: Barnes has gotten serious." The lightning mage frowned. "But, why? He can't be fighting either of the Captains, we saw to that...those two couldn't have given him that much trouble, could they?" Sure, that blonde kid was supposed to be some kind of artificial human, but she'd seen Barnes rip apart entire groups of enemy mages before! But it had happened, and there was no reason to doubt that was why: the familiar never did anything in a fight that wasn't necessary, and there was certainly no narcissism or pride about him that would keep him from unleashing his animal form.

Although, did it really matter how those two had managed to push him so far – the pull on her mana increasing that much meant he was about to push back, in a very big way. Katie had only seen him do so once before; that she hadn't fallen unconscious or spat up blood when it happened was one of the reasons she such a valued member of the Angelo Team. Her lips quirked upward in a slow smile. "Well, I guess there's no longer any problem: even if Alyssa shakes off Glenn, she's not going to get past Barnes in a hurry. And it can't be long before our trump card is ready…"

As if on cue (like a lot of things tonight, oddly enough), her cell phone went off. Retrieving it and tucking the knives into her barrier jacket in one smooth movement, she answered with cheer that was far less artificial than it would have been a few moments ago. "Hello, Mr. Quattro?"

"Katie, dear," Quattro said, sounding quite pleased himself, "I stepped out from that dreadful party and am on my way up to the penthouse now. According to our consultant on that Logia, it should be going off any minute now. I trust you're not too wrapped up to come watch the excitement?"

"Not at all, Mister Quattro, not at all." Katie replied coolly. "It was getting a bit boring, anyway. I'm hardly one to miss out on the fruits of my labors, after all."

She could sense him smiling on the other end of the connection. "That, and I have a few…doubts about just how trustworthy their information was on it. Best to have someone more capable than I around just in case, hm?"

One part of the thunder-wielding criminal swelled with pride, while another suddenly gave a great shudder. "Yes, of course, I'll be right there in just a minute. Maybe even literally, ha ha."

"And hopefully Barnes will be done by the time I am," she added as she hung up, "but given my luck tonight, I doubt it. Well, maybe that archeologist will turn out to be right about it after all…" She waited a moment, and then snorted viciously. "As if."

In another part of the city, Mercedes sneezed.

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Planet Gardius – 1950 Hours – Angelo Corporation Penthouse

Lowering his cell phone, Quattro tucked it into his suit pocket smoothly, chuckling slightly. "She's so charming when she tries to hide things like that." It was obvious from the way Katie's tone that the fight hadn't gone particularly well, at least for her. That by itself didn't matter much to him (he was thankfully bereft of such sibling nonsense), but seeing such a valued worker distressed troubled him a bit. Perhaps giving her another job would help. After all, he was but a normal human. How could he hope to combat what now lay before him?

Inside a small, shielded compartment behind a broad bookshelf (the movement of which was not triggered by touching a small, inconspicuous book, but a nearly invisible part of his desk; that was a cliché he could do without), sat the Logia. Not the bomb – that was a brutish weapon, barely a footnote in what he had planned. No, this was far more extravagant than the spherical explosive that lay so far beneath him now. Perhaps some esteemed Belkan sculpture had been tasked with crafting the outer shell? Yes, that sounded just right! It was only appropriate that he own such a masterpiece of an artifact, hm?

It was almost twice his height sitting crouched in the chamber, which was barely big enough to contain it. The consultant hadn't been able to determine exactly what material it was made of, but the black, nearly obsidian surface seemed to gleam whenever he laid eyes upon it. Whatever group had made it must have been a superstitious bunch; the furled wings and curled horns spoke firmly on just what type of being it was made to resemble. Ah, every culture had to have some bogeymen, didn't they? Of course, typically they didn't have a good chance of being real…

For the moment, the gargoyle's eyes were shut tightly, like a toy with the power switched off. It didn't look like anything could wake it up short of Armageddon, and they'd certainly tried. Shooting it – or having others do so for him – explosives, even having Barnes go at it for a few minutes, nothing seemed to do the trick. But the statue would always, slowly but surely, heal itself from any wounds. That was when they'd found Mercedes, or rather she'd found them. She was quick to decipher some writing on the logia, and came up with the answer: it was simply out of power.

But no normal battery would suffice, naturally. Even the mages they had hired hadn't been able to make it more than twitch. No, something with a bit more kick was needed: say, a long battle's worth of energy from an entire Bureau squad. Something like that, anyway. Hooked up all around the statue were strange, solid-looking tubes that disappeared through holes in the closet's walls and floor. When the bomb went off, they would (hopefully) transfer the expelled energy all the way up from the underground room to here. If that wouldn't activate the Logia, nothing would.

Sighing contentedly, Quattro poured himself a drink from his cabinet. There was really nothing better than a plan that unfolded just how you planned.

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Planet Gardius – Hidden Room underneath Rafflesia Industries – 1951 Hours

"Come on, come on, hurry up, Gates!"

Dwight sat crouched low to the ground behind the railing on the second floor – not out of a worry Barnes would see him (once he was pissed off and focused on something, nothing short of him plugging the familiar in the back would change that), but because he'd take anything that might dull the sounds he was hearing right now. The interference all across the room was making Gates' search for the Logia slow going, and while it was going on that left Ace to be a…distraction.

It made sense. The kid could definitely take more of a beating than he ever could, and he'd stepped over Barnes' territory something fierce. Saying the d-word hadn't helped much, either. It was the smart move. But…Dwight choked down an urge to go running in that direction and kept concentrating on the spell. That was all he could do for the moment, other than wait for someone to show up, even if hoping that was a bit kiddy. "Not that I really give a damn," he thought as another meaty thud came from below.

But even if he could resist that urge physically, it still made itself known in other ways. The sniper shook as the locks on his memories began to loosen, filling his head with voices.

"…shouldn't be any surprises. Just keep in mind that some of them are wounded already, and they're bound to be nervous. I don't think I need to remind any of you what someone can do when they're cornered. Stay calm and do it right, is that clear?"

"Shouldn't? There ain't gonna be any surprises with Dwight watching our backs, Chief. Isn't that right, Dwight? You're a good enough sharpshooter to corral these punks."

"Well, you'd know, Max. I've gotten so used to bailing your ass out that it's practically instinct by now. So don't you worry your pretty little head about it."

Dwight quickly shook his head to shoo away the talking, and spoke to his device before it could come back. "Gates, how much more is this going to take? I don't want to bring home my newest partner in a body bag!"

"Jamming in the area is making things problematic, sir. Please be patient; I am trying my best."

It was pretty sad when your gun sounded calmer than you at the moment. "Okay, I get it. You're sure there's not anything I can do?"

He hadn't intended it as anything more than a hypothetical question, but he watched as Gates paused for a moment too much to be comfortable before replying. "It would be possible to increase the intensity of the search, sir, but-"

His wielder interrupted him quickly. "Then why didn't you say so earlier!" Dwight demanded loudly. "If there's a faster way, then lay it on me, now! Whatever the 'but' part is, it can't be worse than somebody dying."

"-the mana required for this could likely overtax the linker core of a mage of your rank. With respect, sir, if you become unable to seal the Lost Logia as a result, that would be far worse."

Dammit. Intelligent device AI tended toward the moral side of things, but when they pulled out the logic, that meant things were really bad. Still, Gates had a cooler head than him at the moment. Who was he to argue with good advice, and from his partner? His ears perked up as a louder thud came from below, followed by a sharp crack – hopefully from Ace's armor. Who was he to argue? A hothead, that's what. And that was fine by him. "Do it," he said firmly.

"Very well, sir."

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Planet Gardius – Location Unknown – 1953 Hours

Leonard tried to keep his mind on his work – if something as simple as watching screens and making notes could really be called work, especially with Lacerta around – but all the concentration in the world couldn't help him ignore the noises Grace was making to the left of him. In theory the booth containing the feedback system should have kept sound in just as well as it kept it out, but apparently that theory hadn't intended his co-worker. "I can't believe this! He's losing to some common familiar? Are you KIDDING me!"

The old roboticist flinched slightly, but leaned over to press the intercom for the booth. "Not that I think you'll care, but he's far from a normal familiar. Unless you've seen many that were made from two different species?"

Grace shrugged. "It's something new, I'll admit, but there's no style, no refinement. He's just a brute." She paused. "It reminds me of K's work, actually. Think he's doing some work on the side."

Grateful for something else to talk to, Leonard thought as his hands clicked across the keyboard. "With the history he's said to have, I wouldn't be surprised if it was some old experiment. He doesn't strike me as the type to keep much track of his work, don't you think?" A moment passed, with no replying banter. "Grace?"

The female scientist was staring straight ahead in the VR booth, completely still. A wide, almost giddy grin was on her face as she watched whatever the visor was broadcasting. Frowning, her co-worker made a few keystrokes, and a window opened on the computer displaying the same feed. He gasped. "O-oh dear…"

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Planet Gardius – Hidden Room underneath Rafflesia Industries – 1952 Hours

Barnes punched again, hesitated, and then gave another half-hearted blow before rising. His anger had more or less run out of steam, and that was fine by him. Hitting someone just lying there got a bit old after a while – unless you were some psycho. Wasn't his fault the kid had pissed him off, right? Not a mistake he'd make again in a hurry: the guy was a complete mess. His armor had been cracked or outright broken in many places across the chest and limbs, and he was bleeding everywhere, obscuring his eyes and coating his hair. There had to be a few broken bones, too, if he was one to judge.

Okay, maybe he'd gone a little far. Maybe the boss had a point when he'd recommended those sessions…sighing, Barnes turned, beginning to shift back to his human form-

-only for something to grab onto his arm midway and squeeze, applying a crushing pressure across it even through the scales. Barnes grunted, but before he could do anything about it the force shifted, tossing him across the room. Not that that really did anything: the familiar flipped around on the way, landing cleanly on all four limbs. He looked up, snarling. "You really are too stupid to give up, aren't you?"

When Ace turned to him, however, his anger died immediately. There was being a stubborn little ass, and then there was…this. This didn't look anything like a normal human.

The corporal was still looking at him, but the spunk, the passion he'd had in his eyes was gone. The look that replaced them was directed at him, but not in a way that acknowledged him as a person at all; just something in the way. Of course like most familiars, he was used to having that expressed, verbally or otherwise, but this was way, way different. It was like he was nothing more than a target.

But even as bad as the eyes were, they weren't anything compared to how Ace now stood. Apparently the beating he'd gave him had sprained, at the very least, his left leg, and even as he stood straight it twitched and shook, looking like he'd fall over at any moment. No-one could have an injury like that and not be screaming bloody murder, let alone standing, but the kid was managing it somehow, and combined with the eyes that made things a wee bit disturbing. All the other wounds he had seemed to affect him about as much, too, even the gut wound he'd given him: it was like he'd become-

"Situation assessed." Ace said, cutting into his thoughts. His voice matched the lack of spirit in his eyes perfectly. "Unit has sustained over fifty percent damage. As a result, Automatic Mode has been engaged." He stared at Barnes for a moment longer. "Enemy appears to be a familiar of indeterminate type. Confirmed abilities include stealth, powerful close combat skills, and highly destructive magic capabilities. Remaining abilities, if any, are unknown."

Barnes' brow twitched slightly. Hearing yourself summed up like that, even with some things messing, was more than a bit unsettling. And just a tad irritating, too.

So he thought he knew about his stealth, huh? Okay then. The bodyguard crouched lower to the ground as his body slowly vanished, leaving nothing but empty carpet where he was. Barnes quickly slipped to the side, carefully masking the sound of his footsteps as he moved to flank the kid. Just because he'd seen it a few times didn't mean squat, and neither did whatever this trance was. In the state he was in, one more tap would be enough to put him down for good.

Sliding to a halt facing Ace's back, Barnes spun, swinging his tail at the martial artist. He'd once laid out three men at once with it, and sent two of them into traction; that had been when they'd seen it coming. A little mean, but hey, he was supposed to be the big bad criminal, right? Wasn't his fault the kid was too stupid to lie down. And it wasn't like this would-

"What in the #$*ing hell!"

Barnes' backside stopped mid-swing as that vice grip was applied to him again. The only thing keeping him from face-planting on the carpet was his natural reflexes. He stared over his shoulder, wide-eyed, at Ace, who had grasped hold of his tail with both hands and was staring down at it with that cold gaze. "Enemy can use the extra limb granted by its animal nature to great effect. Removing this advantage would be strategically wise."

That didn't sound good. But even if he hadn't said it, the ripping pain that quickly came from that area was a clear enough sign. And no way was he going to let it happen. Flinging out his hand, he quickly threw an energy ball over his shoulder; at this range there wasn't much room to miss.. "Well? What are you gonna do now, punk?"

It might have been a rhetorical question, but Barnes got to see the answer anyway: absolutely nothing. Ace stood stock still and accepted the attack head-on. The orb blew apart directly in his face, lashing it back and opening another wound in his forehead. As the blood trickled down, he said calmly, "Enemy's strength within acceptable parameters. Continuing attack."

And continue it he did. Before Barnes could make to toss another projectile a quick burst of lightning from his hands stunned the familiar. Quickly, Ace jerked his hands in opposite directions, with the same air of someone breaking firewood. The tail certainly snapped like one. Its owner's scream of pain filled the room.

With the burst of adrenaline it caused, though, Barnes burst out of the grip, rolling across the floor to put a good five feet between him and the freak in just a few seconds. He'd had his tail broken once or twice before, and it always hurt. But the kid had done it so easily – this was really no joke after all.

Ordinarily he'd change back with it wounded like this and at least keep it from being dead weight (as excruciating as that would be), but no way was that happening now, even if he rushed it. Barnes racked his brain for a next move – so whatever mode this was had been gathering information on how he fought throughout the fight so far, eh? Easy enough solution, then: finish this scrap before he could get any more. Anyone who thought all he could do was maul people was very, very wrong. It was just all the effort he felt like using on idiots like that.

Turning invisible again, Barnes backed off, careful to keep his injured tail from dragging on the floor. "Could be another reason why he aimed for it." He almost expected Ace to start looking around, but no: the kid stayed rooted to that one spot. Frowning, Barnes stopped, eying him carefully. Ace still didn't move. With a nod, the familiar brought back his arm with the same manner of someone pitching a curveball. Which it technically was: the same kind of orb he'd been tossing around for this entire battle…only invisible. After all, nothing said he could only make himself vanish, right?

The orb flew in a wide arc, aimed to confuse anyone trying to track the sender. Taking things a step further, he leaped off in another direction to confuse things even more. Landing near the couch, he stopped to watch.

Perfect. The kid wasn't budging an inch; wasn't even looking in the shot's direction. Barnes smiled as the orb sailed within inches of Ace's bare neck. That particular shot was strong enough to knock down someone twice his size. Afterward, he'd make sure he never got up again. There wouldn't be any underestimating this time.

"Enemy attack appears to be a simplistic, curved ball of magic." Ace said coldly as he brought one fist out in a lightning-fueled backhand that sent the orb sailing away into the wall, creating a sizable crater.

"I really should have kept my goddamn mouth shut, huh?" Barnes swore, quickly moving from his position.

A good thing, too, as Ace's eyes snapped to his position right after the attack had been deflected. "From the trajectory of the attack, enemy coordinates are estimated roughly…here." This last word was spoken as he suddenly leaped to the side, intercepting the hybrid familiar with a knee to the face. Barnes reeled backward, part out of shock and part from the force of the hit; something his opponent quickly exploited by reaching up and grabbing his still transparent head, thrusting himself downward as he did so. "Enemy's invisibility presents a problem. Neutralizing."

Barnes let out another curse when his back hit the ground, meaning his tail did too. Again. Even before they'd come to rest, he lashed out with a savage claw slash, opening another hole in Ace's chest. At the same time, the strike artist hit him in the jaw; he flinched as the accompanying jolt ran through it, numbing the area almost instantly. "Damn little-" He growled, throwing another punch, this one filled with more anger.

Ace grabbed it out of the air by the wrist, pumping more raw lightning into it immediately. "Disabling enemy's ability to counterattack."

Clenching his teeth together to keep a howl of pain from escaping, Barnes watched as his arm fell back twitching uselessly, paralyzed. "Bastard…you're not riding me like some pack mule, or breaking me like one!" The corporal took another blow from him, this one strong enough to fling him off the familiar. He hit the ground rolling, and quickly came up in a rush. From there the fight continued.

Up above, Dwight was oblivious to all this; he had his own battle to worry about. From what he had read and heard, it was possible for some mages to get around this AMF dickery by making subtle changes or additions to spells, or just brute forcing it if you didn't want to bother. And, hey, that was pretty great – if you weren't one of those people that got short-changed in both categories. Maybe if he'd been brought up to figure this stuff out, but the place he had grown up had taught him some other lessons.

He exhaled deeply, breathing in with the same strength a moment later. It was just good luck he had cover to do this behind: taking away the gun, this was just what he usually did all day. You just had to keep calm and concentrate: freaking out would only make this take longer and definitely wouldn't make it tax him any less.

And tax him it was. He usually tried hard not to expend mana in excessive bursts, after a...mistake he had made while learning how to control everything. That style was coming back to bite him now in a big way. His linker core, unused to channeling such a prolonged, needy spell, was giving him fits in the form of the occasional shudder, burning in his eyes, and as of now, a slight swimming in his vision. That was probably a bad thing, huh.

"Dwight?"

Hearing things now, too, that was definitely – "Oh, uh, that you Jeanne?"

"Captain." she corrected. "How are you and Ace doing? We haven't heard from you in a little…hah! While."

"Well…that depends on how much the answer might distract you. If it's a lot, we're doing fine."

The brief pause that came did what the biggest scowl couldn't hope to. "I'm going to do you a favor and ignore that, if you actually answer my question."

Dwight rolled his eyes, slumping a bit more as he did so. "Okay: Ace is getting his ass kicked by Quattro's muscle, this whole basement is covered in AMF jamming, and we have absolutely no idea where the bomb is. Happy?"

"No. Ugh."

"You alright?"

"Yeah, no problem-"

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Planet Gardius – Jeanne's Location – 1954 Hours

"-I just have to finish dealing with an asshole first."

Even if you had risen through the ranks to make captain, that didn't mean in any way that you were as invincible as certain other mages of that rank were purported to be. A few missteps, some brief hesitation, and Jeanne had now backed into the space between two buildings, staring at the massive wave of acid, the largest so far, that had spread out to surround the opening. Gibbs stood in front of it, smiling. Even if she used Flashpoint's Boiler setting, with him this close he could easily keep her from getting away.

"Well now, looks like things are about over, eh 'Captain'?"

Jeanne toyed around with her cigarette a bit. "Really? What makes you think that, exactly?"

Gibbs' glee didn't change an iota. "Oh, trying to make me a little unsure, are we? Not a bad idea, but I'm afraid it's not going to work."

"I'm not bluffing."

"Sure you're not." Gibbs said happily, and then snapped his fingers. The wave rose, surged and fell, quickly covering the alley's entrance with the deadly liquid. The smuggler folded his arms, listening to the sound of melting ground, sizzling stone – music to his ears. Well, all that was left was to get a record of the body. The top dog here was a stickler for details.

After a few steps, however, he stopped cold. "What was…" he squinted into the steam. But there was no-

Charging out of the alleyway, the last traces of her water shield falling away, Jeanne lifted the object in her hand and swung it down: not the large bulk of Flashpoint, but a slim handle ending in an axe-blade made of water. Gibbs took a step back, quickly bringing up his harpoon to block using its handle. The two weapons clanged together, hers quickly forcing his downward.

Naturally, this made the smuggler's mood do a bit of a one-eighty. "You didn't…really strike me as the up-close type." he grunted.

"Of course," Jeanne said calmly, and then blew a puff of smoke into his face, "wouldn't be a surprise if I did, now would it?" Despite her attitude, she hadn't escaped the attack unharmed; large portions of her barrier jacket's sleeves and midriff had been burned away, along with some of her hair. She didn't seem to notice.

This did nothing to distract him, of course; it was only smoke. That was the job for the boot to the gut she gave him immediately after. Gibbs grunted, stumbling back, and fired a quick ball of acid from his palm. Almost contemptuously, Jeanne smacked it away with her axe, stepping forward to swing it at the acid mage's head again. She didn't have any fancy training with the weapon like Alyssa or Arturia, but what she did have was an implacable nature even the knight couldn't quite match. Getting out was for after you'd gotten the job done, not before. She didn't half-ass work, even if it put her up against half a man.

Furthermore, despite the shape of his device, it didn't seem like he was too skilled using it at close range, even given how cumbersome a pole-arm could be so close. He kept retreating, trying to slip away from her at every moment, only striking out or firing acid occasionally. Funny, actually; it was probably how he thought things would go if he got this close. Irony was a nice thing when you weren't on the end of it.

Finally, the smuggler's harpoon was split in half by one last strike, leaving him standing with a split, rather useless device. He stared down at them, expression nearly blank.

"Looks like things are about over, eh, 'jackass'?

"…whatever." Gibbs scowled, quickly shoving the tipped half of the harpoon downward. An unfocused, wild blast of acid short forth from it despite the damage (or perhaps due to it), making Jeanne hop backward and raise a shield. When she lowered it a moment or two later, he was gone, vanished through a human-sized hole in the concrete. Well, maybe not quite human-sized – it was probably a tight squeeze for a few little things. "Maybe he'll run into Daniel while he's down there…as if. At least he's out of my hair."

Walking back over to where Flashpoint lay, she dispelled the water axe and tugged at its handle, splitting it into two tubes that she reattached to the cannon: they instantly melded back into its handles. "Hope you didn't mind sitting there a bit, Flashpoint." the Captain said, picking him up and slinging him over her shoulder.

"No problem."

"Right, let's get to that bomb, eh?"

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Planet Gardius – Arturia and GD's location – 1956 Hours

One of the more bitter ironies in life was this: no matter how honorably you carried yourself as a squire, knight, or even merely a person, there were always those who would, sadly, respond to it with the opposite sentiments. She had requested that the hunter stand down several times now, and been refused at each of them, with more deadly trickery than before. For the life of her, Arturia could not figure out why.

"Surrender, knave! My patience grows thin, but my blade does not!"

Yes; some people simply did not understand kindness when it was shown to them.

Johnathan stared at her a moment as she charged, and, if possible, his frown grew deeper. "No." He lifted his crossbow and pressed the trigger – but no bolt came out. Arturia wasn't quite so foolhardy as to not notice this, and stopped short, quickly moving to the side. Or at least attempting to do so: there came a crackle of energy from over her shoulder, and suddenly a bind snapped into place across her waist, quickly unleashing a forceful shock to stop her movement. Letting out a cry of pain as her steps faltered, turning with one eye at whatever the source of this was. The bind's chain split after a few feet, leading to two arrows Johnathan had fired earlier that were stood firmly in the ground.

"I don't fire any useless arrows, girl." The hunter spoke calmly as he lifted his crossbow.

Arturia bit her lip; there would only be one way to avoid this. Steeling herself, she dove forward. Unsurprisingly, the chain let out a fierce shock in return that somehow sneaked through the protection offered by her armor. That seemed to be a theme with him. The dame knight ignored it, plunging on ahead with grit teeth, the bolt sailing over her lowered head. She struck…

…and Johnathan slid aside from the attack like a drop of oil in clear water, pulling back his arm as he did so. A glistening blade of dark energy appeared over its wrist, and he plunged it forward with the air of someone who'd dealt with a lot of small, irritating animals, and didn't find anything different on this occasion. The blade snaked straight toward her breastplate, on the left side. Arturia tried to move, but it was far too late at this point. Was she-?

There came a howl from the opposite side of the impromptu arena, and Johnathan's eyes flicked that way to swell with shock – one instant before a giant, roaring bear collided with him back-first. The two tumbled across the cobblestones, and the hunter wasn't quite able to disentangle himself before the momentum petered out and he was suddenly underneath more than half-a-ton of angry mammal.

Arturia stared at the sight for a moment (it was truly a unique one, even in her chosen duties) before turning to GD, who was approaching calmly. "782…" she murmured.

"Statement: I trust you are not harmed, Lady – ah, I see. You would not do that otherwise." The gadget drone paused. "Contemplation: or on second thought, perhaps-"

He stepped back as his superior raised her hand again. "Exactly what were your intentions interfering in my battle like that, 782?" She leaned forward. "Do you think me incapable of defending myself?"

"Negative: no, Lady Lackland."

"That my skill with a blade is mere boasting?"

"Negative: no, Lady Lackland."

"That I am a mere damsel, rather than a proud knight?"

"Negative: no, Lady Lackland."

Frowning, Arturia nodded almost fiercely, turning away from him and holding up an arm to bar his path. "Then it seems I will have to remind you of exactly who I am."

"…Affirmative: yes, Lady Lackland."

Changing her grip on Frangir, she stalked off down the road. By this time, Johnathan had gotten himself out from under the bear by shooting it in…an uncomfortable place. It sat there scratching back and forth, while its master stretched, popping his shoulders. He didn't look too pleased, but then, neither would Arturia had someone hurled GD at her. Johnathan glared at the girl, taking a step backward, but her attention was no longer on him for the moment. "Please pay close attention, GD; this is how you wield a sword."

She said this without looking back, which was a good thing, since it meant she didn't see GD's body language at the moment: one hand wrapped over his eye. "Affirmative: yes, Lady Lackland…"

"…are they a pack of imbeciles?" the hunter thought to himself, his outward expression not changing an iota. With one hand he gestured to the bear, who uttered a short roar of reply before hopping in front of its abusive master.

Arturia seemingly ignored it, staring past at the one in charge. "When in battle, you must focus deeply on your opponent; everything else is a mere distraction!"

Johnathan twitched his wrist, and the animal tensed itself and leaped, claws at the ready to dash the knight off her feet. Small prey like this was helpless after that, and its simple mind didn't give it any reason to doubt this. Unfortunately.

"But, furthermore, you must also focus on your sword!" Arturia cried, lunging forward quicker than the predator to thrust Frangir hilt-first into its nose. Evidently the ursine wasn't expecting this: it fell back with a startled choke. "For it is both your weapon and who you are!" Before the familiar could recover, she slipped around to its side, drawing back her device as it let off a blinding glow. "Micans-"

The bear scrabbled to get out of the way as the red aura appeared over its belly again, this time defensively. Arturia didn't appear to notice. "Exturbo!"

GD couldn't help but wince as the blow struck. The barrier had dulled the attack somewhat, but she had ultimately won out, and there was no ignoring the fact that her weapon was a blade longer than the average person's arm. He watched as the left-over force of the attack sent the familiar rolling across the asphalt, staining the material crimson as it went.

This too was beyond the knightess' notice – she had turned to charge at Johnathan the moment his bodyguard was out of the way. "You must never hesitate when facing your opponent! Such second-guessing is an insult to both you and the training you have undergone!" She punctuated this by swinging Frangir in a wide cleaving strike, aiming for his side.

Left behind, GD thought about replying, and then shrugged. "If she was still speaking to me at this point, I would be very surprised."

With the same quickness he'd been displaying throughout this skirmish, Johnathan leaped backward, evading the swinging blade by scant inches. He then slipped ahead almost snake-like, the wrist-blade appearing once more. "You really don't learn, do you?"

The weapon stopped short before her breast plate. "On the contrary," Arturia spoke calmly, the hand wrapped around the blade not shaking at all, "a true knight knows when to adapt. Frangir, Gladius Mode!"

Johnathan wouldn't have lived half as long as he had if he didn't know when something unpleasant was coming. He tried to retreat, but the bind suddenly wrapped around his arm made that a bit difficult. Changing her grip on the shortening sword and tightening it on the dagger, the lieutenant pushed herself forward, swinging the short sword up and left almost savagely.

The hunter grunted as the flat of the blade collided with his head, rattling him despite the protection of his barrier jacket. Arturia added to it with a kick, sending him reeling backward. "Now, it is OVER!" she cried, bringing Frangir up high and slashing him downward. It was aimed to be a shallow blow, only intended to enforce to him what would happen if he continued to resist.

But rather than the cry of pain and the desperate, begging apology she had expected (or something along those lines, at any rate), there came an ever so slight popping noise, and her vision became filled with billowing smoke.

Backing off a few steps, Arturia held her blade in defensive posture and waited for the smoke to clear. She expected to hear footsteps behind her at any moment – but that would mean putting his back to 782, a very dangerous position to be in and an error he would quickly realize. But nothing like that came. Confused, she watched as the smoke cleared-

"WHAT!"

"Analysis: I believe that he has escaped, Lady-"

Arturia whirled around, resisting a deep urge to jump at least a foot in the air. "Y-yes, of course he did. You do not need to explain that to me, 782. I was merely surprised."

"Statement: yes, that is understandable, after being so earnest about proving your abilities."

His 'lady' stood wordless for a moment, and then brushed past him. "Is that an attempt at humor, or another of your observations?"

"Query: which would you prefer, Lady Lackland?"

"…hmph. At any rate, let us be off. I doubt the hunter will trouble us again tonight."

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Planet Gardius – Daniel and Otavi's location – 1958 Hours

"You are…beginning to VEX me!"

Daniel stared at Mercedes as she stamped her foot (and didn't trip; if only), giving the scepter a vicious wave. "Give up and stand still, Daniel Trail! You are only wasting my time!"

The illogic of complaining about that while there was a bomb about to go off nearly burned a brain cell or two out in the archeologist's head. "Yeah, you're using your time real well." he muttered. But sadly, it seemed wasting her time was pretty much all he was prepared to do. Otavi's help was saving his sorry hide, sure, but it was all he could do to keep up with the signs she was giving him. Unless Mercedes totally screwed up all of a sudden – which, okay, could happen – it was only a matter of time before he got tired and, well, crunch. Or wham, or splat, or whatever she felt like doing. That was the problem with having a good vocabulary; it let you have all kinds of mental images you seriously didn't need.

He cast a quick glance over at his partner. The shoe hadn't dropped for Mercedes yet, like it hadn't for a lot of people, and her attention was pretty much pin-pointed on him at the moment, but a few crystals had come the musician's way from sheer bad aim. She'd avoided most of them with her usual surprising agility, but one must have clipped Otavi in the side, judging from the darker red staining her dress. He frowned. Of course, anyone from Ancient Belka could probably carry around a hit like that all day – but that didn't mean he had to like it.

The girl caught his gaze, and flicked her eyes to the side. Daniel knew a single when he saw one, and leaped to the side just as the crystal field grew spikes where he'd been standing. Of course, doing this left him sliding across on his stomach, which probably wasn't the best position to be in with this fight. He dug his heels in, and gulped as a wall rose in his path. No way could he slow down that fast.

A sudden source of whiplash was almost enough to make him crack his head against the crystals; fortunately his chin took care of that well enough. Oh, and then it got dragged backward across the uneven surface, which was really pleasant. Trying to keep his head raised, he looked back and wasn't particularly surprised to find a make-shift vine rope wrapped hastily around his leg – it stretched further as he watched, looking further up it to Otavi, who waved her violin bow at him. The instrument itself was tucked in the crook of her other arm, which was currently holding the vine's opposite end.

Mercedes whirled on the girl, clacking her teeth together in annoyance. "You little shrew! I was going to let you go, but if you MUST insist on getting in my way, then…" The scepter was flung out toward Otavi. "Emerald Splash!"

"Don't you touch her, dammit!" Daniel cried, kicking his leg to try and get free of the vine. But nothing doing; it was wrapped around him tighter than any hole he'd squeezed through, and that was saying something. Even as he did, though, he watched Otavi turn to him and ever-so-slightly shake her head. "Huh?"

The violinist watched as the charged crystals zipped toward her, eyes holding the same sereneness as always. Then, no more than a half-second before things would have become very messy indeed, she moved, suddenly standing in the one place the jewels weren't. Almost casually, she released the vine, retrieved her bow and placed it to her instrument. A calm, melodious chord was released through the area.

"…s-so!" Mercedes stammered after a moment. "You really want to fight, then?"

"Yes."

Daniel, who had been taking the opportunity to back off a bit now that the crazy lady's attention wasn't on him, gulped. His partner didn't talk that often (which, hey, was fine by him), but when she talked like that, things were about to get…well, different.

You could say at least one thing about Mercedes-Benz Vito if you cared to, and that was that she wasn't one to be in doubt for long. "Oh, indeed? Then I'll sure to give you plenty to deal with! Ruby Bombardier!"

Quick as a flash, Otavi began playing her instrument even before the red-hot projectiles had been summoned. The same harmonious tune came from it, and the sound almost seemed to go right through Daniel. He could tell the same was true for Mercedes just from a glance. "Hmph! What kind of…song is that meant to be?"

The only thing this received in terms of a reply was a slight head cock. Otavi was still Otavi, after all, and she kept playing, beginning to weave in and out of the attacks, gradually coming closer as she did. Some of the attacks hit their mark, but only in a strictly technical sense; it would have taken a keen eye to tell their effects beyond merely ripping her dress. The crystal surface also failed to impede her movement at all, which was the kind of thing someone who had spent hours figuring out how to move around despite could get very irritated by.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Mercedes yelled, stamping her foot against the ground as she fired more of the jewels. "Are you cheating? You have to be cheating somehow! Ruby Bombardier!"

But no matter how fiercely she fired or ranted, the 'authority' simply couldn't keep the girl from approaching. Closer and closer she came, as did her music, until it seemed to be playing directly into Mercedes' skull. She stepped back, firing one last useless salvo, and let out a sharp intake of breath as Otavi stopped right in front of her, the song reaching its crescendo…

…to peter out with one high, sudden note. In the silence afterward, Otavi lowered her bow and took a low, sweeping bow.

Daniel stared. He had a feeling even he'd never seen this before.

Mercedes certainly hadn't, and it didn't improve her mood. "Y-you – you little-!" She lifted her scepter in one mighty motion.

"Hm?" The woman archeologist paused. For a moment, she almost thought she had heard a shaking from below. But that was utterly impossible: her crystal magic had made Daniel simply impotent! There was no way any of his silly rocks could-

There were quite a number of possible phrases Daniel could have used to describe what he saw next, which was a giant, leafy, toothy bud tear itself free from the earth in the same way a shark does after a particularly juicy-looking guppy. Mercedes had time to let out a little squeak before it folded over her completely; her muffled cries were quickly heard from within.

Of course, there was a lady present, so he dialed it back a tad.

"Holy shit!"

A tad.

Otavi didn't seem to notice, anyway. Placing her bow back on the violin briefly, she murmured, "Crescendo of Calling." Then she suddenly turned on Daniel, motioning from him to the bud with the instrument. Her eyes held a rather strange glimmer to them. "Well?"

It took a moment so sink in, but Daniel grinned widely when it did. "I like the way you think sometimes, Otavi."

As soon as the shock of being swallowed whole had worn off, Mercedes had set about beating the inside of the flower with her scepter. It probably wasn't the best plan of attack for a mage, but that didn't occur to her right now so much as being hot and smelly and wet and ew ew ew let me out let me out let me ouuuuuut!

Rather obligingly, the bud did. Vertically.

For a moment, Mercedes stared at the retreating ground in the typical manner of a ground mage becoming a flying one without actually learning flight. Naturally, flailing ensued; no matter how pretty jewels were they weren't much use at this height. By coincidence the tumbling happened to turn her gaze downward, and what she saw there only increased her frantic movement.

"Yo." Daniel said pleasantly, leaning up against a slab of concrete bigger than he was (and thus, nearly as big as Mercedes). "So, about all that business with the jewels, and the shooting, and almost killing me like a half dozen times…"

Mercedes' mouth opened, but nothing as sophisticated as words came out.

"It's, well…" his grin widened. "I'm sure a smart lady like you can get the idea, right?"

The only response he got was a slight whimper. Bringing back his shovel, Daniel sized up the slab for a moment like it was just a baseball, he pulled back the digging tool at the same time he stamped the ground with one leg. With a small, localized tremor the chunk rose into the air a foot or so, and he slammed it hard like a tee ball. The concrete flew upward, right into Mercedes.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Daniel sighed in content at the wonderful noise, craning his neck back to watch as she fell. The girl disappeared beyond the buildings, but a crash could be dimly heard a moment later. He snickered for a moment, which died off when he saw Otavi giving him a look of reproach. "…well, what? She started it."

To his even greater surprise, the girl abruptly let out a weary sigh. "How disgraceful."

"Huh?"

Otavi tilted her head to one side, look now turning quizzically.

"N-never mind," Daniel said, quickly dropping it. He didn't know where that had come from, but it wasn't somewhere he wanted to prod. "Let's get over to that creep's ballroom at the double, alright?"

She nodded.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Planet Gardius – Angelo Corporation Penthouse – 2003 Hours

Quattro lowered his cell-phone and frowned slightly. He'd hoped Johnathan and Gibbs would have been able to stall for a little longer than that. Mercedes…well, no doubt she tried her best. It was the last he could do to indulge her, after the help she had offered. More unsettling, though, was the fact that Barnes hadn't answered. He didn't think for a moment that his bodyguard being unconscious was the reason, and that was unfortunate, because it was the far less dangerous possibility.

Pondering a moment, the executive opened another drawer in his desk and withdrew a small remote. It was nondescript, save for a prominent red button. He held a certain amount of respect for Barnes, he truly did, but you couldn't let personal feelings override common sense. Keeping something prepared for those close to you was just smart – and of course, it was far easier. "Besides; with most of the work already done for me there was no point not going ahead with it."

Of course, it was a gamble: there were a handful of perfectly harmless reasons he couldn't come to the phone at the moment, and pressing the button could ruin his role, and given how crucial it was, the entire plan. But on the other hand, if Barnes was off the deep end at the moment, this might be just the thing he needed to get back to his senses. Yes, certainly a gamble.

But if it was one single lesson his parents had left him, it was this: sometimes, you had to be a gambling man. He pressed the switch.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Planet Gardius – Hidden Room underneath Rafflesia Industries – 2004 Hours

Even given everything about the evening that meant both impending and imminent doom, Dwight had to find this fight a little interesting. It was almost a case study: a walking computer versus a primal force. Whatever trance Ace had lapsed into seemed to be able to make all kinds of calculations (and felt like broadcasting that fact, for some reason; seemed like a design flaw), and was physically powerful enough to pull off whatever solution he came up with, not to mention ignoring the injuries he'd sustained before slipping into it.

To an extent, at least: Barnes might not have been modified to that extent, but he was still a great deal more than the sum of his parts. Ace would have demolished almost anyone else by now, familiar or mage, but he was keeping in the fight, even if he had to turn savage to do it. The martial artist had dealt out plenty of pain to Barnes early on, but the hybrid had held on and delivered some hits of his own. By now both of them were exhausted, even if Ace wasn't actually showing it.

This all left him free of any possible attention from the goon, which definitely wasn't anywhere he wanted to be now, but it didn't do anything toward helping him find this bomb. He'd figured out a few places where it couldn't be (for as many places that could be down here), and narrowed down the possibilities quite a bit, but…he risked a glance over his shoulder just in time to see Ace take a hard blow to the face from a reappeared Barnes, spilling more blood on the carpet.

Dwight ground his teeth together, and increased his efforts. It was then that a jolt ran through him, as his probe ran into a live Tesla Coil. It reminded him of the time he'd stuck a fork in the electrical socket at the tender age of five. Put in magical terms, there was only one thing it could be. He probed the spot again, cautiously this time. Yep, no doubt about it: the Logia could only be-

"Down there." the sniper finished grimly, turning his eyes downward. He looked over the side again, but this time at a different spot. In-between the two staircases leading up here was a small alcove. "It would have to be, wouldn't it?" Sighing, he ended the search, gripped hold of the railing, and slipped down.

He hit the floor lightly, thankful the carpeting helped out the good guys too, and paused. When there was no roar of outrage behind him, he nodded and slipped forward; hopefully, Barnes wouldn't happen to glance over. Ace didn't seem particularly open to teamwork at the moment.

Between the twin staircases was, to a casual glance, nothing more than a plain section of wall. But now that Dwight knew to look there, a moment's searching uncovered a switch hidden carefully within the plaster. He hit it, and part of the surface slid aside to reveal a nondescript door. "There we go." Without hesitation, he grabbed the handle and opened it. Inside was-

Click.

"Get inside. No sudden movements or you die."

Well, crap.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Planet Gardius – Skies above Angelo Corporation Ballroom – 2004 Hours

"You're wondering why, huh?"

Glenn's expression didn't change, but his eyes flickered from his and Alyssa's weapons, currently locked together, up toward his sister's own. "Wondering why I'm really working with these guys, and fighting this hard about it?"

"…no." the samurai said after an icy pause. "You always did things like this back when we were together, and fought the same way every time." He tilted his head. "Isn't it just that you want to tell me why?"

He was surprised, not that he showed it, at the reaction this got: a slight shrug. "Maybe so," Alyssa agreed with an odd look in her eyes, "I won't lie, the first thing I thought of when I got Katie's letter was about what you two would think of me now." She smiled with a twinge of sadness. "After all, that was how it was back then, right? It didn't matter what anyone else thought; you two and dad were the only opinions I really cared about."

Suddenly, she shoved with extra force, pushing the ice swordsman away and pursuing. "But is that really alright?" she asked loudly, the strange look becoming firmness. "Katie might disagree about it, but you can't act like people aren't there just 'cause you don't see them. Good memories or not, the TSAB have done more to help people than the four of us ever did."

That definitely surprised him, icy exterior or no. Alyssa could tell. "You've changed." he remarked calmly as he parried a thrust from her using Koshiro's handle.

"Is that so surprising? People do, you know." his sibling replied, ducking under the counterstrike and launching a quick fireball that he avoided by tilting his head to one side. "Even me."

"The Alyssa I knew wouldn't have said something like that." Glenn replied, but said so far differently from how Katie would have. For a moment, his eyes almost seemed to defrost a little. Or was it only a trick of the light. "I'm quite surprised." The 'quite' was punctuated by a wide slash in her direction, the blade becoming lined with icy shards on the way. "Hail Cutter."

Displaying her usual agility, Alyssa ducked and weaved away from all of them, laughing as she did. "Now I know it was the right decision, then: anything that shocks you that much has to be doing something right!"

Glenn fell silent now – talking that much had probably tired him out. In reply instead, he lifted his free hand up and clenched hard. "Hail Shower."

Behind her, the captain heard the distinctive sound of ice cracking. There was only one place that could come from, even on a planet with weather like this. Turning, Alyssa eyed the dozens of tiny spears racing toward her carefully. "Huh, now that's a new one. I guess turnabout's fair play then, eh Bro?" She grinned wide. "Too bad you're as late as usual on the whole innovation thing."

Light shone on her bared teeth as she drew Bowie back, a flame igniting on his tip. "Lemme show you something new, now!"

The spear began to shake in her hands, and red hot air vented from either side of its shaft. Machinery whined within Bowie as the flame reached its peak. "CORONA-" The device quaked.

"WAVE!" Alyssa finished, carrying on the roar magnificently. Gripping Bowie in both hands, she swung him out and across the sky in front of her in an arc. The flame was let loose at that moment, expelling itself into a powerful crescent that rose and billowed, wiping out all the frost needles instantly. From there she whirled around, bringing the weapon down on Glenn as he charged at her from behind.

The ensuing clash was even – for about a moment, before the ice trinity's eyes widened when fire beat ice in a very big way, sending him hurtling straight into the roof of the building below. Alyssa lowered her device and let out a long breath as it cooled off, watching the cloud of dust rise upward from whatever place it had been. Maybe he landed on something soft? Yeah, right.

"Come on, man," she muttered, tapping Bowie against her leg, "I know that wasn't enough to-"

The girl felt a brief gust of cold wind from very close by, before another sensation ran through her: one of pain. Alyssa's teeth clacked together as she forced down a cry of pain, and perhaps more importantly, forced herself to dive forward, whirling around quickly.

Glenn was there, that cold, appraising look now fully back in his eyes now. They flickered to the new wound his sister bore on her side. Just a second of being under it was enough to make her uncomfortably aware that it was only a side wound because he'd chose to make it that way. A gulp rose in her throat. "Yeah, he was always better at the whole stealth thing than me and Katie, huh…" She shuddered as a cold pang from the cut ran through her.

"This battle is far from over." said the samurai, readying a stance.

"Greaaaaat."

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Planet Gardius – Hidden Room Inside the Hidden Room underneath Rafflesia Industries – 2005 Hours

Dwight tried to keep his nerves down as he heard the door click shut behind him. The AMF interference was at its strongest in here, of course, so even if Ace was in a state to listen he might still not hear him. He was alone.

For a moment, he wondered if it was possible to block even a normal gunshot from this close. Even some of the tougher mages in the Bureau probably couldn't manage that, and he wouldn't consider himself one of them in a million years. And of course, that was assuming anyone good enough to get the drop on him like that was even using a normal gun. Turning around to find out personally didn't seem very conducive to his health.

Speaking of the gun, the pressure of it increased on his skull now. "Now, drop your device and kick it over here." They didn't add to do it slowly this time; guess they figured he had enough incentive to remember. The tone in their voice certainly gave that impression, even through the distortion in it. "A modulator? Definitely not one of Quattro's guys, then, or a rival gang goon, either. Or at least, not a local one…why am I thinking about this now?"

Apologizing inwardly, he released Gates, and when the device had finished clattering to the floor, nudged it behind him. There was the sound of a more forceful kick from behind, and the rifle spinning into one corner of the tiny room. He winced, before the gun prodded him again, this time in the back. Stifling a growl, Dwight stepped forward, and for the first time noticed the Logia.

It wasn't particularly big, and whoever had made the thing hadn't designed it to be foreboding or ominous, or, well, like anything at all. It was just a black, 'metal' (for lack of a better word) orb about half as big as a person. The only distinguishing aspect clearly wasn't part of it: a set of sturdy looking tubes clamped onto the back of it. They led up to the top of the far wall and disappeared through, heading off to who knew where. But what the bomb lacked in appearance it easily made up for with the aura of danger it gave off. This wasn't something people should just be messing around with. It had a life of its own.

The prodding stopped once he was in front of the Logia. For a moment he could sense his assailant looking at the bomb, and maybe thinking the same as him, before they spoke again. "Well? What do you think?"

To put it mildly, Dwight hadn't expected that kind of reply. "W-what?"

He half-expected the gun to press in harder, or to get hit with it, but nothing happened. "The Logia," they said patiently, "can you do anything about it? Turn it off, or even slow it down?"

The w-word rose on his lips again, but the patience of people with guns wasn't infinite. Instead he replied more constructively, "No. You'd need dedicated knowledge on how one of these works to make it do anything, and probably a more skilled mage than some grunt like me…or so I've heard, anyway." Probably not the smartest thing to say here, but if it came to getting shot or being caught in a city-sized explosion, he'd gladly take the former, thank you very much. Then again, even some BS might have worked there: it didn't seem like they were a mage.

There was silence for a moment, but instead of the shot Dwight had expected to hear, there came the faint clicking of a tongue. "That's a problem, then. It's going to go off soon, and it has enough energy stored inside it to do almost anything, thanks to you all."

"Thanks, we're aware of the situation."

"I should hope so," the person said briskly, apparently ignoring the counter remark, "since you played such a large part in causing it. Not that you really had much choice in the matter, I suppose."

The calmness the voice held was something Dwight envied right now, and more importantly, probably didn't come from someone who'd shoot you for talking back, at least if you were careful with exactly how you did it. "Well, seeing as how you're so informed, what's your plan on how to stop it? I was planning to play things by ear once I actually found it, to tell the truth."

His attacker hmphed. "How professional of you. I was hoping one of you would have some idea, myself, but that doesn't matter now. Do you see those tubes attached to it?"

"They're not meant to be there."

"Of course not." The gunner agreed simply. They paused for a moment or so. "The criminal who engineered things tonight is planning to siphon off the energy produced by the Logia detonating, and use it elsewhere."

Dwight's mouth tightened. "The power from an entire squad of mages, some of them A rankers, fighting for this long – he could do almost anything. But the energy from a fully charged Logia-"

He could sense the figure nodding. "Could easily be enough to power another Logia. And probably one far more precise."

Precise could mean almost anything when it came to a Lost Logia, but the lieutenant's mind couldn't help but add the words 'at murdering you' onto the end of that statement. Just the way his mind worked, he guessed. Trying not to think about the possibilities, he replied, "That's a fine kettle of fish, then; damned if you do, damned if you don't. What are we supposed to do now?"

"You? Absolutely nothing."

It wasn't the gunshot he'd been expecting, but the butt of whatever gun they held dropped him about as quickly as one. Skull ringing like a gong, Dwight fell, vision swimming already. The last thing he glimpsed before losing consciousness entirely was a pair of black boots striding over where he had stood. "Damn…probably should have seen…that one co…ming…"

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Planet Gardius – Jeanne's Location – 2007 Hours

"Okay, Dwight this is the last time. I swear to the Kaiser if you're playing a joke on me, I'll…well, you probably know what. Which means you probably wouldn't be stupid enough to do that in the first place, huh?"

Honestly though, she would have preferred that a little. If Dwight didn't have the energy to be a louse, that meant he was either unconscious, or…or unconscious. Leave it to him to screw up right when it mattered. Now she'd have to pick up the slack. But before that… "Alyssa, has anything-"

"Ask Arturia!" her opposite captain quickly snapped, and cut the connection.

Jeanne paused for a long moment, and then reached for a cigarette: suddenly she needed another one. "Arturia?" she asked after a full drag. "Is anything-"

"I assume she asked you to ask me? Honestly, I have half a-"

Water Squad's leader blew out a vicious blast of smoke. "Shut up. Do something useful and tell me what you can see. If you're not in the air, get there."

Even if Arturia could be just as much of a complete idiot as Alyssa reaaaally often, she knew how when not to question an order. Guess it was that Saint Knight training. After a moment or two, the acolyte replied, sounding uncertain. "I did not think her battle had grown that fierce…"

Something caught Jeanne's eye before she could reply, and she looked up to see twin flashes of light travel across the sky; one blue, the other red. They had to be more than a mile away, yet it was plain as day to her vision. "Damn. Who the hell is that guy, anyway? Quattro's not the kind of guy who'd keep a trump card hidden this long."

Arturia sounded a bit odd as she replied. "Yes, an ice user would indeed be a great advantage against her. And a rare one, at that…hm."

"Something come to you?"

"Nothing that cannot wait until this danger has passed, Captain Stromhold." she replied calmly. "For now, I will go assist her. I will send 782 to rendezvous with you, if that is alright."

Jeanne nodded. "Sure. He'll get to me faster than Daniel and Otavi can, anyway."

"Quite."

With nothing more to say, she resumed walking, faster this time. She'd just gotten a chill that had nothing to do with magic.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Planet Gardius – Hidden Room underneath Rafflesia Industries – 2007 Hours

Above the painful ringing in his ears now, Barnes suddenly heard a new sound, one that caught his attention instantly: a high-pitched, urgent beeping. It came from the console on the far side of the room, and that could only mean one thing, that the gathering energy in the Logia had reached maximum. He smiled. Even a whole squad of the TSAB couldn't outwit Quattro; it was hopeless for them from the beginning. They'd won.

He didn't even have to left a finger, either, since the bomb was made to go off regardless of anything else. Awfully courteous of whoever had made the thing – but then again, when you were dealing with explosives specifics rarely factored into things, magic or otherwise. And that was a good thing, too, because for all the crap he'd just spewed about the TSAB, Barnes wasn't quite—

"Ugh." –sure he could actually beat this kid, in the same way he probably couldn't 'beat' a brick wall. He was certainly taking his hits like one, and retaliating like one that could move. And punch. The insulting thing was how the guy was barely even using magic, either: just some lightning coating his fists and an aura increasing his speed, and that was it. What the hell?

Then again, he wasn't really one to talk. He'd let his instincts take over for a while there, and getting into a fistfight with this kid right now was – his newly busted jaw let out a cry of pain – definitely not a good idea. Not that doing things the sneaky way had really worked on him, either, but he hadn't exactly been doing himself any favors. Switching back to that was probably a good idea, but – a series of other pangs from his limbs and elsewhere let him know it definitely wasn't a possible one.

"Target's mobility has been decreased in all areas, and they are showing fatigue." came the freak's voice as he stared at him coldly. "Now moving to finish them off."

Barnes would be lying if he said that didn't shake him a little bit. And move the kid did, crossing the small distance between them in a lightning-quick moment to grab him around the throat with one hand. Lifting him up as easily as a sack of feathers, Ace slowly drew his fist back like the wrath of some ancient god. The familiar tried not to gulp when he saw where the blow was aimed: the left side of his chest. "Now…ending…" he paused, blinking, which now that Barnes came to think of it, he hadn't been doing since he slipped into this trance. "The…" His eyes wavered, and he swayed for a moment, before falling face-first onto the carpet.

Grunting slightly as the tiny fall jarred his bruises, Barnes watched Ace warily for a moment, but he wasn't moving. He let out a low whistle. "Lucky break, or what?"

Behind him, another, louder alarm came from the console. Detonation was in less than ten seconds, which meant that it was now a very good time to leave…slowly.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Planet Gardius? – Location Unknown – 2008 Hours

Grace sighed as she took off the visor, dropping it casually on the floor of the booth before she strode out. "Well, that was a bit of a disappointment."

"I'm terribly sorry for you." Leonard muttered vaguely, staring intently at the screen. "Whatever's going to happen tonight, it's happening now. The energy in that area is about as built-up as its going to get, I think."

"I could care less, really." replied the female scientist. "It's their problem now anyway."

Leonard frowned. "Somehow I don't think that's the case."

"Good for you."

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Planet Gardius – Skies above Angelo Corporation Ballroom – 2008 Hours

Arturia was almost to her unruly captain's battle (even if rescuing her was something she hardly looked forward to) when she suddenly pulled up short, eyes widening. While it was surely true that Alyssa's battle with the man was a great source of magic, but what she had just felt made it seem like a mere scattering of embers in comparison. "What on Midchilda?"

Had the explosive gone off? No, all of them would know in that case. What then; another enemy mage? If so, they were in grave trouble. She resumed her flight, and came up so quickly behind Alyssa that she found Bowie's point not an inch away from her face. "…oh, it's you." she muttered. "Look, can it wait? I'm busy."

She was only saying that to make her angry. The key was not to be bothered by it. After all, no person in a position of such authority could be so…stupid, could they? "No, Captain, it may not wait. I believe that the Lost Logia's energy has just been released. Surely you noticed?"

"Huh? Oh, right, that." said the fire mage after a moment, nodding firmly. "Yeah, sure; who couldn't notice that?"

Trying not to grind her teeth, Arturia replied, "And you were planning to investigate today, Captain?"

Evidently the irritation in her voice was well apparent, for Alyssa replied by narrowing her eyes with some of her own. "I said I was busy – I'm not the only member of the team. Ace and Dwight were supposed to be handling that, right?" She waved a hand at the buildings below them. "Seems like they did, considering that this is all still standing."

Some of this was, admittedly, true, but she was hardly going to admit that. "Yes, thank goodness. It would be a great shame if the city were destroyed while a Captain was off fighting a selfish battle."

This brought the spear back again, and closer this time. "If there's something you think you know, Lackland, then why don't you go ahead and say it. It's not very knightly to tip-toe around things."

Arturia tightened her hold on Frangir, and things might have gone in a very unpleasant direction if a weak voice hadn't suddenly spoken up. "You two know…I can hear you right now…right?"

They both looked down to see, far below on a certain skyscraper's roof, Anton raise one hand and wave. "Uh, I don't mean to…but in, but arguing about it is probably pointless, since it looks like Glenn kind of…left."

"What!" Alyssa cried, turning around to find things just as the secretary said. "GLENN! The fight's not over, you idiot! Where the hell'd you go!"

Lowering her blade, Arturia nodded. "Yes, perhaps this is not the time. Thank you, Anton." Aloud, she said, now a bit more calmly, "In that case, Captain, there should be no problems with nothing more to distract you, yes?"

Alyssa opened her mouth, and her expression said a lot about what the words would have been if a noise hadn't cut her off: a high-pitched scream from close nearby.

Frowning, the knight looked down where it had come from. "That came from the Angelo Corporation's building."

"In that case, there's no time to waste," her captain said quickly, "let's go."

Arturia couldn't help but stare for a moment, but who was she to question this now? She quickly descended to follow Alyssa, who had taken off in quite a hurry. "Please stay where you are, Anton. The two of us should be enough for this."

"…where the hell am I going to go with a broken shoulder?"Anton muttered under his breath.

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Planet Gardius – Angelo Corporation Penthouse – 2010 Hours

It didn't take the two very long at all to find where the scream had come from – the long stretch of broken window was a pretty big clue. The two touched down on the window-sill, peering cautiously into the gloom. The room looked like a hurricane had gone off in it: the lights were broken, showering the carpet with glass, and furniture was thrown everywhere, smashed like twigs.

The cause of it was sitting hunched in the middle of the floor, amidst the wreckage of Quattro's desk. And speak of the devil: the CEO himself was lying pinned to the floor underneath one massive stone claw, struggling futilely. As his head moved back and forth desperately, he caught sight of Alyssa and Arturia. "A-ah! If it isn't my good friends from Section Thirteen! C-ome to save me, no doubt? What excellent timing!"

Alyssa tapped Bowie on the window-sill, looking around the room absent-mindedly. "Wow, that's the best begging you can do?"

"My throat's a bit sore at the moment…"

The girl snorted. "Yeah, well, if you expect me to - Katie!" Her eyes had adjusted fully to the gloom, and she now saw exactly what she'd been hoping not to: the sight of her sister curled up on the floor, unmoving. "Dammit!"

"Wait!' Arturia said quickly as Alyssa stepped into the room, but it was too late. The gargoyle, who'd been focused entirely on Quattro, suddenly snapped its head over to the two women. Releasing the executive (who took the chance to slither into the corner), it slowly advanced toward them, clawed feet smashing up the floor. It didn't look like it wanted to say hello.

Pursing her lips and looking annoyed, Alyssa twirled her weapon. "So after everything that happened tonight, we end up helping him."

"It would seem that way." Arturia replied, holding up Frangir and shifting into a defensive stance.

"This night blows."

"Indeed."

To be continued…

With Quattro's plans fully uncovered, Alyssa, Arturia, and the rest of the members above ground must contend with the Logia he has activated. What powers does it hold, and can they defeat it, even together? It'll take close teamwork…so they might be in trouble, actually. Find out in the finale of this case, Rock and Roll.