Previously, on Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha FATE...

"That was the worst team formation that I have ever seen! You girls are truly getting rusty."

"No! You are not alright! You're bleeding!" Fate exclaimed!

"We need the best weapons and armor if we are to win the fight against Zealot and his Warlocks. " Janus replied. "So from now on, I, Janus Lyoneid, will take care of all your Intelligent Devices. With a little help from Shari, of course." He grinned at Shari.

"If what you say is true...that I was not merely a creation of my father, Dr. Zecherov..." he spoke slowly. "...then why did he abandon us?"

Hayate held her chin. "EDEX is surprisingly supportive and has even let Janus repair and maintain our devices. But I wonder why the Warlocks are surprisingly quiet these days. There hasn't been a single attack."

Part 9 - Getting Ready

TSAB Command Headquarters, Training Area

Vincent Lyoneid stood in the middle of the training area, his eyes closed. He slowly inhaled and exhaled as silence surrounded the gymnasium. Suddenly, footsteps were heard as Vivio Takamachi and Einhart Stratos, in their Adult Form, swiftly attacked Vincent, to which the man simply ducked and blocked their attacks. Einhart and Vivio jumped away from him while Vincent resumed his fighting form.

"Very good ladies. Speed is of the essence but you should learn how to keep your movements silent. Stealth is the way of the Emperor Fist." Vincent grinned.

"Thank you Vincent-nii! Now, let's show him what we learned Einhart-chan!" Vivio said.

"Agreed. I will go first!" Einhart said as she dashed towards Vincent with a combination of punches and kicks.

"Nice combination, but you won't beat me with punches alone." Vincent said as he ducked and hopped away from Einhart Stratos. However, Vivio instantly appeared from behind him! "Here's something you taught me, Vincent-nii!" the blonde Strike Arts fighter exclaimed.

"Hidden Strike!" Vivio yelled as she swung her fist towards Vincent's chest! Vincent was able to catch the punch with his left arm, but he was thrown off guard because of the intensity of the shock wave coming from Vivio's punch! He landed on the ground, kneeling as he laughed.

"That was a good attack! Tell me, since when did you learn that?" Vincent asked. He suddenly sensed a movement behind him as Einhart Stratos almost hit him with a ferocious side-sweeping kick!

"Takamachi-san and I have been observing you, Lyoneid-san, and your moves are just like Nove-san's and Subaru-san's." Einhart replied as she tried to maneuver a low kick but Vincent hopped and proceeded to counter with a high kick, intending to hit Einhart's left arm. This failed, however, as Einhart ducked to safety.

"Ice Strike!" Einhart said as she did a palm strike unto Vincent Lyoneid's right arm. Vincent winced as he felt ice shards his right arm. He jumped away from both girls and held his right arm. Vivio and Einhart regrouped and assumed their fighting forms.

"Wow! I never thought you two would be this good!" Vincent smiled. Suddenly, the ice that froze his right arm instantly cracked and melted as Zero Edge, his Armed Device, started glowing with lightning bolts flashing all over his arm.

"I think this might be a good time for me to get really serious." He smiled at the two girls.

TSAB Device Laboratory

Janus Lyoneid peered unto a monitor and began typing as fast as his fingers could. He paused as he grabbed the nearest folder yet his eyes were still on the computer, read the material within 30 seconds, and resumed typing again.

"Energy synchronization complete. Initializing manual reconstruction mode." The computer announced.

Janus hurriedly stood from the panel, walked towards another area and wrapped up the sleeves from his coat. He stood before the machine where he was working earlier on Subaru's Mach Caliber.

"Commence reconstruction mode for Strada Mark IV" Janus said.

"Commencing. Holographic display initiated." The computer replied as a holographic image of Erio Mondial's Device, Strada, appeared before Janus within a pillar of blue light. The brunette carefully placed a device unto his eyes and slowly, he pressed his hands unto the blue pillar. Graphs and images appeared unto the pillar as Janus began working on Strada.

"Reconstructing STRADA MARK IV, Sidearms Mode." Janus said as he held Strada but instead of a long spear, it transformed into twin dagger-types with flashing energy blades. The energy blades floated as Janus moved his hands around the dagger. Light blue panels appeared on his fingertips while moving them as if he was pressing on a keyboard.

"Configuration initiated. Lower energy output by 60%. I want this form to be Erio Mondial's side arms, not his main weapon. This will allow Erio to save his magical energy until the time comes for him to use Strada on its full form." Janus muttered while his hands skillfully moved around the device.

"Confirmed. Energy output lowered by 60%." The computer replied. The energy blades stopped flashing as it took the form of a perfectly shaped blade. Janus continued working when he didn't notice that another brunette have entered the laboratory as well.

"Excuse me, Janus Lyoneid-san?" Hayate Yagami asked.

Janus paused as he pulled his hands away and took off the device from his eyes. "Oh, it's you Commander Yagami. I apologize, I was in the middle of work and I didn't notice you there." He said.

Hayate shook her head. "No, I should be the one to apologize. I went inside without notifying you. Shari-chan told me that you were busy but I had to come here to ask some questions." She replied.

"What do you want to know, Commander?" Janus asked.

"I want information. About EDEX, about the Tri-God, the Salvation Council, everything that I want to know that concerns the Warlocks." Hayate said with a serious tone. Janus was silent as he walked near a computer.

"Leaking classified EDEX information to TSAB is a serious offense, mind you." Janus said.

"I thought you would say that. You don't trust TSAB?" Hayate smiled.

"It's not TSAB that I have doubts. It's EDEX itself that I do not trust." Janus clarified as he pulled two mugs from a small cabinet in his table. "Coffee, Commander?" he asked the brunette.

"Yes. Two lumps of sugar please." Hayate nodded. Janus prepared the coffee in two minutes and gave the other cup to Hayate.

"I can provide you all the information you need Commander. But I want something in return." He muttered. Hayate took a small sip from her cup of coffee and placed it on the table.

"Oh? And what do you need? A bigger laboratory?" Hayate asked.

"No. I have something different in mind." Janus replied. "I am sure that Grandeur have told you everything about Professor Zecherov and my brothers, correct?"

"Yes. That is correct." Hayate nodded.

"Here is my request." Janus said. "Professor Zecherov admitted his mistake when he made the Tri-God but TSAB washed its hands by the time the Tri-God went berserk. Something's amiss here, Commander Yagami. Both TSAB and EDEX has access to the Tri-God's mainframe, so there is a possibility that someone from EDEX or TSAB may have tampered with the system."

"How can you be so sure?" Hayate asked. "The incident happened years ago. Finding an evidence would be difficult."

"Not exactly true." Janus smiled as he stood up and walked towards his desk. Hayate curiously looked at him as the brunette grabbed an object from a drawer in his desk. Janus went back to her and handed her a small blue square object.

"You'll find everything that you need here. And also, the one that I want you to find out as well, Commander Yagami." Janus said carefully. "When you open it, go to a file named "Project Tri-God". Once you do, press the button that says "Restricted Access" and enter the code 75323. It will open an archive of all information that you wish to know. Once you are satisfied, go to the file with my father's name on it. What I want is to find out what exactly caused the Eradication System to go berserk. I'd be grateful for any information that you can get for me "

Hayate received the object. "Thank you for the trust, Lyoneid-san and I promise to help you out."

"Thank you. Please, call me Janus. And like I said, I'd rather trust the TSAB than EDEX." The brunette replied.

"If you don't mind me asking, why don't you trust EDEX? Your brother is a high-ranking official." Hayate asked.

"Indeed, big brother Al might be a top official but there are others who are higher in rank but they are blinded by their own ambitions." Janus said. "A few days from now, those officials will visit Mid-Childa, so please be careful."

"Thank you for the warning, Janus-san." Hayate smiled. Suddenly, she noticed what the guy was working on. "Is that a new device? That's Erio-kun's Strada, right?"

"Yes. I made some modifications to most of Riot Force Six's Devices." Janus replied. "I believe that if we tune up the Devices to withstand the magic-sucking capabilities of the Warlocks, then the Riot Force Six should be enough to deal with the Warlocks."

"I see." Hayate nodded. "How long has EDEX fought against the Warlocks?"

"Ever since the Tri-GOD was corrupted and my father's disappearance. At least that's what I remember." Janus remarked. " That is the more reason why we have to finish them off. Thousands of innocent people are already dead because of my father's creation. I don't want Mid-Childa to suffer the same fate as we did."

Hayate nodded. "I understand. Let's help each other out. With your help, we'll defeat the Warlocks in no time at all." She smiled. Janus replied with a smile as he nodded in agreement. The two didn't realize that a man wearing the TSAB maintenance department uniform was hiding just outside the laboratory. The man backed away from the room and started walking when he shape-shifted into Mistral, one of Zealot's minions.

The very next day... Scrya Residence, Mid-Childa

"So, where are you and Al-san going on your first date?"

Fate blushed as she quickly turned towards Nanoha. "Th-This isn't a date!" she exclaimed while Nanoha was giggling like a child. The blonde was wearing her casual clothes; a black body-fit shirt and a pair of comfortable blue jeans.

"Al-san said that he was going to show me something special. I bet it has something to do with the Warlock case." Fate said. Nanoha rolled her eyes.

"Well, if it isn't a date, then why are you all dressed up?" Nanoha quipped.

"What are you talking about? This is my casual outfit. You've seen me in this getup, right?" Fate replied.

"Yes, I've seen you on that outfit so many times already!" Nanoha said as she grabbed Fate's hand. "This is your first date, Fate-chan! Your first date! You should be wearing something cute!" she squealed as she held her hand.

"But it isn't a date!" Fate yelled.

"Hush! Let's go to my room. I have something there that will look really good on you!" Nanoha exclaimed as her eyes sparkled. Fate gulped as she realized that her friend meant serious business. While the brunette was pulling the blonde back into her room, Vivio appeared together with her Device, Chris.

"What are you doing, Nanoha-mama? Why are you pushing Fate-mama into your room?" Vivio asked. Nanoha and Fate looked at each other and smiled.

"Well, Fate-mama has a date with Al-kun, so she needs to be really pretty, Vivio" Nanoha explained. Fate just blushed as she was too shy to reply back to her friend. But deep inside her heart, the thought of having her first date excited her. Sure, she's had a few dates back then, but it was slightly different with Al since he is not a native of Mid-childa, but from Earth. Most of the guys she dated were either friends of Chrono or guys "handpicked" by Nanoha or Hayate.

"Really? Yaayy!" Vivio squealed. "Is Al-nii chan going to be my papa as well? Just like Yuuno-papa?" the blonde girl asked innocently. Fate's jaw dropped as her cheeks were burning brightly red while Nanoha was giggling her heart out.

"N..NO!" Fate instantly blurted out. "We are just going out as friends, Vivio, okay? Just friends!"

"Oh, okaay!" Vivio replied. "Come on Nanoha-mama! Let's make Fate-mama beautiful!" she exclaimed as both mother and daughter pushed Fate into Nanoha's room. When they were inside, Vivio excitedly closed the door and a loud shriek was heard inside the room.

"Ohhh boy." Yunno shook his head as he sat in the living room while reading a book.

TSAB Headquarters, Male Dormitory

"Master, everything seems to be fine in Mid-childa. The cats haven't detected a single Warlock nor Zealot or his army in here." Anubis reported while sitting just beside a small bed. He looked at his master, who was busy combing his black hair. Al was wearing a black hoodie jacket, a blue shirt and white cargo pants with black rubber shoes.

"Thank you Anubis. Since there isn't too much danger, you can rest for awhile today. I'm going out." Al said to his loyal companion.

"Heh, so you've finally asked her out eh? I didn't think you would have the courage to do so." Anubis sneered, earning a small blush and a glare from Al.

"It's not a date, you idiotic dog." Al replied.

"Sure it ain't." Anubis replied. Suddenly, the door opened and in came Vincent, his younger brother.

"Hey bro, I need your-" Vincent stopped when he saw Al in his get-up. "Whoa, slap my face with a trout! What happened to you bro? Since when did you evolve?" he grinned.

"Shut the hell up Vincent! " Al exclaimed.

"He's going out on a date with Captain Fate T. Harlaown." Anubis suddenly declared, earning a shocked expression from Vincent, which then transformed into a grin!

"What the hell? You already asked her out, bro? Aren't you a smooth operator!" Vincent exclaimed.

"I TOLD YOU THIS IS NOT A DATE!" Al yelled in anger. Suddenly, Grandeur opened the door, a vein popping in her head.

"What are you two morons doing? Can't you keep your mouth's shut?" the woman complained. "You two are really noisy and it's really annoying!"

"Al and Fate are going out on a date!" Vincent grinned. "Big brother finally has the guts to tell her how he felt."

Al was now shaking in anger. "Why...you!" he gritted his teeth when Grandeur held his shoulder.

"Quiet Vincent!" she said. "Don't you know how your older brother would feel? I'm sure he's really nervous right now, so let's cheer him up instead." She said with a dignified voice.

Al looked at her. "Well, well..." he thought. "So she's finally acting mature..."

Grandeur looked at Al. She suddenly took out a small red package from her pocket.

"Always use protection, ok Al?" Grandeur grinned.

A vein popped out from Al's forehead, his hands shaking in anger.

"GET THE HELL OUTTA MY ROOM!" Al growled in anger as an explosion rocked the whole TSAB base. Janus, Teana, and Shari felt their laboratory move because of the explosion.

"And that is one more reason not to make my big brother Al angry..." Janus sighed as he shook his head. Shari just looked at Teana, while the Sniper shrugged.

An hour later...

Al sighed as he stared at the front gate of the Takamachi Residence. He dusted a few specks of dust away from his shirt and slowly walked towards the door. He pressed the doorbell and waited. Suddenly, a holographic image of Vivio appeared on the side of the door.

"Who is it?" the girl asked.

"It's me, Miss Takamachi... Alexander Lyon." Al replied.

"Ah! Al-onii chan! You're finally here!" Vivio squealed. The hologram disappeared and the door opened, with Vivio meeting him. "Good morning Vivio." He said to the young girl.

"Ohayo Al-nii chan!" Vivio replied. "Please come in. Fate-mama 's been expecting you."

"Thank you." Al made a small bow as he walked inside the house. He saw Yuuno and Nanoha sitting in the comfortable chair. "Hello, Al-kun! Welcome to our humble home." Nanoha smiled.

"Thank you. I am honored to be a guest of your house." Al replied as he sat down.

"Would you like some tea first, Al-kun? Fate-chan is still a bit busy in her room, so please be patient with her." Nanoha said as she offered a cup of tea to the house guest.

"Thank you. That's really kind of you." Al replied as he received the cup. He blew the tea to make it cool and slowly sipped the warm tea. "This is really good tea. Is this the famous green tea that I have been hearing so much about?" he asked.

"Yes, in fact it is." Yuuno grinned. "You know your Japanese culture, don't you Al?"

"Just a little." Al replied while keeping an emotionless face. Yuuno and Nanoha looked at each other and sighed. Just then, Vivio came back running from upstairs.

"Fate-mama is here! Fate-mama is here!" she squealed with delight. Al was checking his mobile phone when a shadow fell before him. He looked up to see Fate wearing a black sleeveless blouse and a white mini-skirt.

"Hello Al-kun..." Fate said with a smile. Al was blushing brightly red, his chest beating in a frenzy. All he could do was look the other way. "H..Hello..." he croaked. Yuuno and Nanoha stopped themselves from laughing as Fate gave both of them a dagger look.

"I'm sorry if it took me so long. Nanoha-chan wanted me to try on some new clothes." Fate said in a shy tone. Al gulped as he secretly thanked God for letting him go out with the most beautiful girl that he's ever laid his eyes on. "T..That's ok, Fate. I really didn't mind waiting." He replied.

Fate smiled. "Oh really? Thank God! I thought you got upset. I was worried." She said.

"No, I can never get upset with you Fate... Not ever..." Al said, with the last part a bit short on volume. Fate smiled while Nanoha just giggled at the sight.

"Well then, have fun you two!" Yuuno grinned.

"Yes, please do have fun." Nanoha said as well "Since this is your first-"

"IT'S NOT A DATE!" Al and Fate yelled at the same time.

While Al and Fate were leaving the Takamachi Residence, a weird looking creature was perched on top of the tree. It had a gigantic eyeball and stubby wings and it was spying on the two. Suddenly, a black cat sprung at the creature, digging its claws unto its back. The weird creature was hissing while Sekhmet looked at Al and Fate.

"You are not going to ruin this day, Teskelon!" the cat purred.

And in a location not known to anyone, Teskelon was using a crystal mirror to spy at the two when suddenly, the mirror broke into pieces!

"Grah! Someone or something killed one of my spies." Teskelon announced.

"It doesn't matter. Master Zealot told us to concentrate more on reproducing more Warlocks." Swordheart muttered. "Mistral's already spying their base of operations. How is your body doing?"

"I just need a few more days before I get completely healed. Then, when that is done, I will find who did this and I will feast on his corpse for days! Yeahahahahahhaahahhahaa!" the clown hissed.

"Urgh... He is way too creepy." Swordheart grumbled.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

Author's Notes:

Really sorry for the late update, you guys! Have been busy because of work. I'll try to keep this story updated as always! Have fun reading and keep those comments posted!