"Unnggghhh…" Material-D had to take a moment to get a hold of her bearings as she found herself on the ground tossed out of the command seat. "What just happened?"

"We tumbled and went 'AAAHHH!' like on one of those crazy roller coasters! Let's do that again!" exclaimed Material-L, who had landed not too far away and was on her feet in an instant.

"Shut up for a minute!" snapped Yami. "Is everyone else alright?"

"I am undamaged," came the usual monotone of Material-S from behind. "Yuuno-san is fine as well… I think."

A quick look showed that the Librarian was physically fine but his eyes reflected a great deal of mental agitation. "C-can… someone tell me where we are?"

"Let's see… just lots of big black space and stars. No giant space fishies tho-"

"Rai, please stop that idiotic rambling!" The sudden outburst from the usually calm and composed male shocked everyone else before he tried to regain control. "Sorry… but can I just see the instruments over there?"

Yami, who normally would have unleashed a verbal thrashing fit for royalty, merely nodded and made room for Yuuno to see the values on the display up front. "Coordinates… sixteen, forty-two, Mark Eight…? W-where is that…? Where…?"

"Yuuno-san?"

He started to laugh a little although there was no joy in his tone. No, it was clear that he was nearing the end of his rope by how hollow the laugh sounded. "Hehehe… I'm lost! Absolutely and totally lost! With the only company on this ship being copies of my friends! Isn't this great? T-this is… absolutely…" He just stopped after that and let himself sink to the floor, too drained to go on.

"Seikou, take him somewhere back to rest," ordered Yami.

"Roger." With a small grunt, Material-S helped the Librarian up and started taking him to the back of the ship while Rai had a worried look on her face.

"Yami… what happened to Yuu-nii?"

Material-D wondered how to answer that before deciding just to keep it simple enough so that the Fate replica would understand. "He's just really tired. After a long nap, he should be fine." A beat. "And call me 'your Majesty'." There was virtually no heat in her tone, a sign that she too was concerned for her subject's well-being.

"So… now what?"

Honestly, even Yami wasn't sure how they could properly get themselves back on track. If she interpreted the instruments correctly, they were out in the middle of nowhere and…

She paused for a moment as something caught her eye on the monitor. Something that didn't seem to properly fit in the background of space. "What was that?"

"Hm?"

'It was there just for a moment. A blip in which space was distorted…' She gave this some thought as she connected herself to her device to help her with tracking these anomalies as she was intent on discovering what it was out there. Once she started discovering more distortions, it was only a matter of connecting the dots which slowly revealed several cloaked objects in the area. More like, several smaller objects orbiting what looked like a hidden artificial world.

"Yami-chan, what's that?" asked Rai as she peeked over the Hayate replica's shoulder.

"Something rather interesting… a world invisible to the naked eye." The Lord of Darkness glanced over at the Fate replica. "Suit up, Material-L. You're moving out."

"I am?"

"I'll be equipping you with Mantel der Unsichtbarkeit to make it easier to get close to that world. I'll also give you Astralrutsche in case you need to make emergency teleports," continued Yami without missing a beat. "See if you can get a proper map of this region in space and perhaps some additional supplies. If you encounter resistance, do with them as you wish."

On hearing that last instruction, the blue haired woman gave a smile full of malicious delight. "Oh boy! Slaughter time!"

"Coffee?"

A grunt of appreciation followed as the first guard reached out for the offered beverage from his co-worker. It was approximately 0100 hours and as usual, things were quiet. There were no unusual activities from what he could see across the various monitors in the control room, aside from that creepy pink-haired robot girl who seemed to be roaming about restlessly around the psych ward after lights out but other than that, all was normal.

The only odd thing that stood out was that they had detected a ship just outside long range sensors. Further scans showed that it wasn't a military vessel by any means and that it was registered to some religious nut. Once they got a proper profile on that man, they looked him up and found his online site. The religious crap he ranted on about was good for a few laughs and helped kill some time off his shift.

He took a sip of the bitter brew to keep himself awake. "So all the new prisoners settled?"

"More or less. We got everybody accounted for when the transport ship came by late in the afternoon," replied his colleague.

"That's good." Bad enough he had to assign staff to maintain special conditions to those two 'Numbers' that they were holding but he had to scramble to find enough personnel to ensure that one of the new prisoners (Magnus if he recalled correctly) was also secure enough due to the potential danger she posed. At least her cell was more or less isolated and located far away from any exits.

"You have any idea what all the fuss is about on the mainland and why they're shoving more prisoners to our area?"

"Some sort of big scary threat as usual. The news has been saying stuff about powerful renegade clones or something." A pause as another sip was taken. "They've even been moving prisoners to Kiliek, Gelda and Gryuen."

The other guard frowned. "Wow, that bad? You think those renegade clones may pop by our neck of the woods?"

"HAH! The coordinates for the max-security prisons are known only to individuals with high rank and only on a need-to-know basis. And even if they find this region, they still can't find us because of the new cloaking tech installed last year. Gotta hand it to those science wiz kids who figured out how those stealth systems work after salvaging one of them Type IV Gadget Drones."

"Mother always said not to tempt fate, for she could be a very mean mistress..." The other guard mentioned to his co-worker.

Said co-worker started giggling in a perverted manner. "Fate can be my mistress any day. I mean, she has to have some serious kinks, with her battle outfits showing off as much skin as they do, the fact that she knows some really interesting binds and her own affinity for lightning..."

"You've been reading the tabloids again, haven't you?" The second guard sighed and shook his head. "While I do appreciate the stories on that Yagami woman's love life, I don't think that Enforcer Fate is that kind of woman."

"Bah, whatever..." The first guard shook his head and looked down, blinking. "Hey, the one ship still hasn't left yet."

"Huh? Really?"

"Yeah, it's almost like they stalled out or something."

The second guard had a thoughtful look on his face. "Ya think... maybe their religion of truth abandoned them?"

A beat... and then the two started laughing their asses off.

"Oh, lordy... dude, you're gonna kill me with those jokes of-" He was cut off as a sudden beeping on the work console started going off. Immediately, he put away the coffee and got to work on tracing the source.

"What is it?" asked his partner.

"An unauthorized transport..."

"Someone's breaking out?"

The first guard shook his head. "No... someone's broken in!" Another alert started beeping as well. "We just lost subspace communications!"

"No doubt about it... someone's making an attempt to escape and they're getting help from the outside. They even cut us off from calling outside patrol vessels and the mainland." The second guard stood up and headed for the exit. "I'll round up some of the other guards and we'll corner the intruder quickly. You direct us from here."

"Right!" In the meantime, he could tap into the surveillance camera network and get an idea of their intruder. 'Let's see... since they somehow made their way into the subspace relay chamber and severed the connections, they are probably located around Block Fourteen.' But as he switched channels to the video feeds looking through that area, he only kept getting static. 'Dammit... where are you?'

Finally, one camera showed a clear shot right inside the relay chamber itself. It looked like nothing was there until he spotted a familiar female figure dressed in a barrier jacket complete with cape. 'It can't be... Enforcer Harlaown?' As he tried to get his thoughts organized, his heart skipped a beat as the figure in the camera lens turned towards his direction and got closer. Those eyes... those inhuman eyes seemed to stare directly at him and she had a smile that perfectly fit that of a serial killer. 'No... get away from me!'

The sudden image ended as an electrical discharge from the woman turned the feed into static as well. But he would never be able to forget that nightmarish smile which pretty much killed any future fantasies about Enforcer Harlaown.

It was a very unsettling atmosphere in these corridors. Even more so now that they had someone loose inside the prison. Heck, even the man posted at mission control was quite rattled when he had stammered the last known whereabouts of their surprise guest around the Fourteenth Block.

A group of about six guards had been rounded up to properly track down the intruder. Between the six B-ranked mages, they figured this would be sufficient to apprehend the intruder. Besides, they were all familiar with the outline of the prison halls and could easily close in for a quick apprehension while the intruder fumbled around in the dark. In this case, they had the advantage as the subspace communication relay chamber was at the very end of the hallway. It was a restricted area with only one access point so the intruder would be forced to go towards their direction.

Everyone was in position although they couldn't see much due to the dim lighting that turned on after hours. But they could hear a footstep or two and what seemed like a bit of static in the distance. It was a bit nerve-wracking but they held on to their Devices, ready to go.

Just a bit closer… and they could finish this in an instant. They weren't sure what hidden surprises that this intruder carried up their sleeve so hitting hard and fast when the enemy had their guard down was the optimal strategy.

"Hey, hey… what are you all doing?" They all froze when they heard that female voice come out of nowhere from behind them. Slowly they turned around to see a perky young woman with blue hair waving hello while her device's blue gem shone ominously even in the dim light.

"W-w-what the…?"

"Hiyas! I was wondering…" She paused for a moment as she examined everyone's faces closely and shook her head in disappointment. "Ah, that won't do. You see, you're supposed to put on the 'oh crap' look AFTER I give my awesome intro speech! So let's try this again, from the top."

"... ..." They weren't sure what to make of this but all they knew was that somehow rather than her being the prey and them the predators, it was now the other way around. She was even toying with them with her silly acts!

"I am the terror that flaps in the night! I am the Midnight Snacker that steals the last piece of chicken pie from your fridge! I am…"

*GROWL*

The rumbling of her stomach caused her to grimace awkwardly before she improvised the last bit of her intro. "… I am a seriously hungry Lightning Assailant. If that's too much for you, you can go with Rai." She sighed loudly as her previous enthusiasm died down. "Okay, that last bit didn't go so well but in any case, where's the nearest kitchen so I can raid for chicken pies?"

"Again with the need to feed, ma'am?" piped up the mechanical voice of her device in a somewhat irritated tone.

Rai glanced at her staff. "What's with you, Vulnificus? You're complaining rather loudly this time around."

"You've been eating healthy while I haven't had a decent meal in ages. It's been a while since I tasted the feeling of blood freshly spilled from a body or the sensation of absolute fear prior to death."

"Oh, dear… I guess I'll have to fix that!" She glanced back at the group of guards that had tried to get the jump on her earlier. "Sorry but I gotta take care of this! The good news is that NOW you can put on your 'oh crap' looks!"

"This way, Yuuno-san." Seikou said as she led the near-catatonic man into his room. She sat him down on the bed and he merely stared blankly down at his hands. Seikou grimaced slightly, unhappy with the state the man was in, but she couldn't blame him, she supposed. He just wanted to get home, but all sorts of events were preventing him from doing so. After everything that happened, it was bound to catch up with him eventually.

Compelled to do something, Seikou took a seat next to him. She gently wrapped her arms around him and drew him in. His head resting on her shoulder, she began to stroke his hair.

"It's okay, Yuuno-san." She soothed. "Everything will be fine." When he said nothing, she continued to press on. "Even if you fail to return home, you are not alone. The others and I are here for you. If necessary, you can begin a new life with us."

Again he said nothing, and Seikou began to worry even more. Was the shock really so bad? Seikou was at a loss, but what she did know is that she couldn't bear to see him like that. It caused an unpleasant tightness in her chest and all she desired was to make him feel better.

At that thought, she recalled an experience she had with him before. It had been quite pleasant so perhaps it was the thing to bring him around.

"Yuuno-san…" She whispered, gently lifting his chin up to meet her gaze. His emerald eyes looked almost hollow and empty, making her discomfort even worse. In an attempt to remedy the situation, she brought her mouth to his and softly connected their lips together. Attempting to urge him on, Seikou gradually pushed more firmly, running her tongue between their lips in an effort to get his mouth open. She eventually succeeded, slipping her tongue across his teeth before finding his tongue. She prodded the muscle with her own until it started pushing back at her. Their tongues danced, increasing in intensity until saliva leaked out of their lips.

The action had a pleasing warmth spread through her, and Seikou hoped his involvement signified he was feeling the same. To her dismay, she was running out of breath so she slowly moved away, a chain of fluid keeping them connected as their mouths separated.

"You…" Yuuno muttered. She was pleased to see some light had returned to his eyes, but he still seemed out of it. Knowing she had to go further, her hand went down to the bulge between his legs.

"Don't worry, Yuuno-san." She said. "I will make you feel better."

Runessa Magnus couldn't tell how long she had been lying on her bed inside her new cell. It must have been at least two or three hours. Even though she knew she should be getting some rest for another busy day tomorrow most likely doing chores around this prison, it was hard to fall asleep. After all, it wasn't as… oddly comfortable as her old cell back.

Well, she couldn't really do anything about it. There was a massive reshuffling of prisoners off to other facilities that are off the home world so she wasn't expecting to see Mid-Childa anytime soon. A pity… she did somewhat enjoy having conversations with her old superior Teana Lanster, regardless of how silly that other woman got about saving her.

Just as she tried settling back into bed, the internal prison alarms went off rather loudly. She heard disgruntled grumbles from fellow prisoners waking up in neighbouring cells. While there was no activity of notice in this cell group area, she managed to hear bits of yelling just beyond the access door and bodies crashing into steel walls. 'Now what? A prison riot?'

Magnus hoped that was the case. If anything, she would like to be able to cause some pain to someone or at least see it in person. She got out of her bed to take a look around, even though she probably wouldn't be able to see anything in the dimly lit cell block. As far as she could tell no one was out of their cells and she couldn't make out any other guard activity from her view.

She waited… and waited… but nothing came. 'I guess it's over alrea-'

The door to the cell block suddenly got blown back by a powerful force and her eyes widened as she saw at least two guards suddenly fly past her cell and crash onto the floor. "What..?" Magnus stumbled back as her eyes managed to see a woman with blue hair and red eyes step into the area. Her skin was lightly covered in blood as she advanced with a murderous look on her face directed at one of the fallen guards.

"How dare you… YOU ATE THE LAST ROASTED CHICKEN POTATO CHIP AFTER I CALLED DIBS ON IT!"

He wasn't sure how to respond to that. "But it was my bag of chips in the first place!"

"Shut up and die! Lightning Blade Pierce!" And a barrage of electrical arrowheads took out that guard in a flash, leaving only a charred corpse. "Aaaahhh! That feels good!"

Magnus wasn't sure if she was scared or delighted, but either way, she had to know more about this person. "Hey! Hey, you blue haired woman!"

The woman turned to her, her face now much calmer than previously. "What?" She casually blocked a desperation magic attack from the other fallen guard before returning the favour with the same attack she used earlier, going two for two.

"… did you have fun killing them?"

"Eeehh…" She thought about it for a while before grinning happily. "Yeah, I guess I did!"

"Are you going to keep having fun? Who will you play with next?"

The only answer was a shrug from the mage outside the cell. "Dunno!"

"Then… let me out of here."

The blue haired woman tilted her head to the side. "Why?"

"I know a world full of people that you can play with. People who would die just as messily as those guards did." Magnus smiled as she tried to coax the other person to open the cell door. "Let me out. Let me watch you play with those sheep."

There was a pause until the mage got up close to the cell window. "Then answer me these questions three! Hehehe…"

The prisoner struggled to maintain her smile, even as her mind was wondering what exactly that other woman was on. "Uh… shoot?"

"Got chicken?"

"Uhh... What? No!" For one thing, prisoners weren't allowed to eat outside mess hall hours and she couldn't even save any food for later even if she wanted to. Besides, Magnus was certain that she had tuna casserole for dinner.

"Do you know where the kitchen is?"

"No..." It wasn't as if she memorized the prison layout. Hell, she just got here!

"And the last question… if I let you out, do you think my hand will go all KFC on me and let me pull out deep fried drumsticks out of thin air?"

The smile all but dropped as Magnus felt herself getting mad at these silly questions. "How the hell am I supposed to know?"

"Okay then! You can stay there right where you are while I go raid for food! Baibai!" The other woman waved cheerfully before she went along her merry way, humming a tune under her breath.

"..."

"Oh! Before I forget…!" The crazy mage quickly ran back to the cell for a second, nearly tripping over her own feet. "Here's a tip for next time. The answer to the first question is always 'SHADDUP!' so keep that in mind, kay?"

"Please just go…" There was no way that Magnus was going to deal with that wacko for another second. Not even if she were given total freedom and asked to teach the entire galaxy the meaning of pain. Some things were not worth the price.